Gale (crater)

Gale (crater)

Gale is a crater on Mars near the northwestern part of the Aeolis quadrangle at 5°24′S 137°48′E / 5.4°S 137.8°E / -5.4; 137.8. It is 154 km (96 mi) in diameter and estimated to be about 3.5-3.8 billion years old. The crater was named after Walter Frederick Gale, an amateur astronomer from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, who observed Mars in the late 19th century. Aeolis Mons is a mountain in the center of Gale Crater and rises 5.5 km (18,000 ft) high. Aeolis Palus is the plain between the northern wall of Gale Crater and the northern foothills of Aeolis Mons. Peace Vallis, a nearby outflow channel, 'flows' down from the Gale Crater hills to the Aeolis Palus below and seems to have been carved by flowing water.

The NASA Mars rover, Curiosity, of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, landed in "Yellowknife" Quad 51 of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater at 05:32 UTC August 6, 2012. NASA named the landing location Bradbury Landing on August 22, 2012. Curiosity is expected to explore Aeolis Mons and surrounding areas.