Glenelg, Mars

Glenelg, Mars (or Glenelg Intrigue) is a location on Mars near the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity rover) landing site ("Bradbury Landing") in Gale Crater marked by a natural intersection of three kinds of terrain.[1][2]

The location was named Glenelg by NASA scientists for two reasons: all features in the immediate vicinity were given names associated with Yellowknife in northern Canada, and Glenelg is the name of a geological feature there. Furthermore, the name is a palindrome, and as the Curiosity rover will visit the location twice (once coming, and once going) this was an appealing feature for the name.[3] The original Glenelg is a village in Scotland which on 20 October 2012 had a ceremony, including a live link to NASA, to celebrate their "twinning" with Glenelg on Mars.[4]

The trek to Glenelg will send the rover 400 m (1,300 ft) east-southeast of its landing site. One of the three types of terrain intersecting at Glenelg is layered bedrock, which is attractive as the first drilling target.

Images

Curiosity's view of the Glenelg Area - from about 200 m (660 ft) away (September 19, 2012).
Curiosity's view of the "Rocknest" area - South is center/North at both ends; "Mount Sharp" at SE horizon (somewhat left-of-center); "Glenelg" at East (left-of-center); rover tracks at West (right-of-center) (November 16, 2012; white balanced) (raw color) (interactives).
Curiosity's view of the "Shaler" rock outcrop (foreground) near the Glenelg Area [NNW/left; West/center; SSW/right] (December 7, 2012) (3-D).
Curiosity's view of rocks looking from "Rocknest" toward "Point Lake" on the way to the Glenelg Area [East/center] (November 26, 2012; white balanced) (raw color).
Curiosity's view of Mars sky at sunset (February 2013; sun simulated by artist).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mars Curiosity Rover First Road Trip Planned
  2. ↑ NASA Curiosity Team Pinpoints Site for First Drive 08.17.12
  3. ↑ Marlow, Jeffrey (2012-08-23). "Glenelg: From the Scottish Highlands to Mars". Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  4. ↑ Holgate, Alastair. "Glenelg Scotland, twinned with Mars". The Glenelg and Arnisdale Tourist Information Guide. Glenelg and Arnisdale Tourist Information. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016.
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