Landing Site Selection
Over 60 landing sites were evaluated, and by July 2011 Gale crater was chosen. A primary goal when selecting the landing site was to identify a particular geologic environment, or set of environments, that would support microbial life. Planners looked for a site that could contribute to a wide variety of possible science objectives. They preferred a landing site with both morphologic and mineralogical evidence for past water. Furthermore, a site with spectra indicating multiple hydrated minerals was preferred; clay minerals and sulfate salts would constitute a rich site. Hematite, other iron oxides, sulfate minerals, silicate minerals, silica, and possibly chloride minerals were suggested as possible substrates for fossil preservation. Indeed, all are known to facilitate the preservation of fossil morphologies and molecules on Earth. Difficult terrain was favored for finding evidence of livable conditions, but the rover must be able to safely reach the site and drive within it.
Engineering constraints called for a landing site less than 45° from the Martian equator, and less than 1 km above the reference datum. At the first MSL Landing Site workshop, 33 potential landing sites were identified. By the second workshop in late 2007, the list had grown to include almost 50 sites, and by the end of the workshop, the list was reduced to six; in November 2008, project leaders at a third workshop reduced the list to these four landing sites:
| Name | Location | Elevation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eberswalde Crater Delta | 23°52′S 326°44′E / 23.86°S 326.73°E / -23.86; 326.73 | −1,450 m (−4,757.2 ft) | Ancient river delta. |
| Holden Crater Fan | 26°22′S 325°06′E / 26.37°S 325.10°E / -26.37; 325.10 | −1,940 m (−6,364.8 ft) | Dry lake bed. |
| Gale Crater | 4°29′S 137°25′E / 4.49°S 137.42°E / -4.49; 137.42 | −4,451 m (−14,603.0 ft) | Features 5 km (3.1 mi) tall mountain of layered material near center. Selected. |
| Mawrth Vallis Site 2 | 24°01′N 341°02′E / 24.01°N 341.03°E / 24.01; 341.03 | −2,246 m (−7,368.8 ft) | Channel carved by catastrophic floods. |
A fourth landing site workshop was held in late September 2010, and the fifth and final workshop May 16–18, 2011. On July 22, 2011, it was announced that Gale Crater had been selected as the landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.
Read more about this topic: Mars Science Laboratory, History
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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