 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)HiRISE image of Victoria on October 3, 2006. Light is from the top left. | |
| Planet | Mars |
|---|---|
| Region | Meridiani Planum |
| Coordinates | 2°03′S5°30′W / 2.05°S 5.50°W /-2.05; -5.50 |
| Quadrangle | Margaritifer Sinus |
| Diameter | 800 m (2,600 ft) |
| Depth | Approx. 70 m (230 ft) |
| Discoverer | Opportunity rover |
| Eponym | The shipVictoria andVictoria, Seychelles |
Victoria is animpact crater onMars located at 2.05°S, 5.50°W in theMeridiani Planum extraterrestrial plain, lying situated within theMargaritifer Sinus quadrangle (MC-19) region of the planetMars. This crater was first visited by theMars Exploration RoverOpportunity.[1] It is roughly 800 metres (2,600 ft) wide, nearly eight times the size of the craterEndurance, visited byOpportunity fromsols 951[2] to 1630.[3] This makes it about two-thirds the size of the 1,200-meter-wideMeteor Crater on Earth, a popular tourist attraction inWinslow, Arizona.
It is informally named afterVictoria – one of the five Spanish ships ofFerdinand Magellan and the first ship tocircumnavigate the globe – andformally named afterVictoria, Seychelles. Along the edges of the crater are many outcrops within recessed alcoves and promontories, named for bays and capes that Magellan discovered.
Opportunity traveled for 21 months to Victoria before finally reaching its edge on September 26, 2006 (sol 951),[2] at the newly named "Duck Bay".[4] Around the rover were features dubbed "No Name", "Duck Crater", "Emma Dean", "Maid of the Canyon", and "Kitty Clyde's Sister". It also imaged several nearby alcoves, informally named "Cape Verde" and "Cabo Frio", and a small bright crater the size ofBeagle on the opposite end of Victoria.
After arrival at the crater, the rover undertook a partial clockwise circumnavigation. The trip took approximately a quarter of the way around the crater. The various "bays" and "capes" were named after various landmarks visited byFerdinand Magellan aboard the shipVictoria.[5]
The circumnavigation allowed rover drivers to identify possible entry and exit points, create a high resolutiontopographical map of the crater and test out upgraded drive software.[5] The rover investigated the layering on the walls of the various capes and the nature of the dark streaks to the north of the crater.[6]
After aplanet-wide dust storm that delayed entry into the crater for six weeks and threatened the survival of both rovers, the rover entered the crater at a point in Duck Bay. This was preceded by a test maneuver on sol 1291 to determine slippage and confirm exit strategies, followed by entry on sol 1293.[7][8] During the rover's stay inside the crater, data were collected from rock layers inside the crater and high-resolution imagery was obtained of Cape Verde.[3]
The rover left the crater interior on sol 1634 (August 29, 2008) after it experienced a current spike similar to the one which preceded the malfunction of twinSpirit's right front wheel.[3] After a partial anti-clockwise circumnavigation, the rover set off toward its next major destination, the craterEndeavour.[9]
Features onMars visited byOpportunity | ||
|---|---|---|
| Craters |   | |
| Endeavour | ||
| Rocks(list) | ||
