Neha Patil (Editor)

Cape York (Mars)

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Cape York (Mars)

Cape York is a location on Mars, on the western rim of Endeavour crater. Opportunity rover spend about two years exploring this portion of the rim in the early 2010s before moving south. The CRISM instrumet on the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter identified clay smectites in an area of Cape York, and the rover was sent to explore this location. MER-B Opportunity spend its fifth Martian Winter at Greeley Haven at Cape York, and also took a panorama at that location. MER-B spent 19 weeks stationed at Greeley Haven surviving the winter and went on the move again in May 2012, to further explore Cape York.

MER-B arrived at Cape York in 2011 at Odyssey crater, which is on the southern end of the feature. Opportunity arrived at Endeavour crater on sol 2709 (August 9, 2011), at a landmark called Spirit Point named after its rover twin, after traversing 21 km (13 mi) from Victoria crater, over a three-year period. Spirit point was the name selected for where MER-B arrived at Endeavour's Cape York, a journey which it set out on in 2008 and it arrived there in the summer of 2011.

Locations and science targets at Cape York include: (Alphabetically ordered:)

  • Chester Lake
  • Esperance
  • Grasberg
  • Greeley Haven
  • Homestake rock
  • Matejavic Hill
  • Monte Cristo
  • Odyssey crater
  • Spirit Point
  • Tisdale 2
  • Whitewater Lake outcrops
  • Whim Creek
  • South of Cape York is an area called Botany Bay. Features south of Cape York include Sutherland Point, Nobby's Head, and even father south Solander Point

    References

    Cape York (Mars) Wikipedia