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Solander Point

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North of Solander looking south onto it
Annotated map with location of Solander Point, on Endeavour crater's western rim

Solander Point is at the north end of the west-southwestern ridgeline of Endeavour crater on the planet Mars. It is named after the Swedish scientist Daniel Solander, who was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil at Botany Bay in 1770.

Solander Point was visited in 2013 by the Mars Exploration Rover-B Opportunity, a robotic rover that was active on Mars from 2004-2018. [1]

By early July 2013 Opportunity was approaching it from the North, after previously examining outcrops on the northwest edge of the crater, north of Solander.[2] The rover drove south from Cape York through Botany Bay to travel to Solander.[3] By July 2, 2013, it was about half-way there.[3] The area was imaged from Martian orbit by HiRISE on July 8, 2013, data which aids the rover team in understanding the terrain and planning rover traverses.[4] The rover has been making good time on its approach to Solander, giving the opportunity to investigate a curious area of terrain in the crater.[5][6] At the start of August, the rover was less than 100 meters (328 ft) from Solander,[7] and arrived at its base in the following days.[8] Its arrival signaled the availability of a northward facing slope, useful for angling to collect more sunlight during the Martian winter.[8] In October and November 2013, the rover climbed up the north end of Solander.[9] By December 2013, the rover reached the top of Solander point hill as the 10 year anniversary of its landing on Mars neared.[10] After Solander point Opportunity moved along Murray Ridge, and then south to Cape Tribulation.[11]

Between Solander Point and, to north of it Cape York, both of which are raised up, is a lower area that is noted to be a part of the Burns Formation.[12] The Burns Formation extends all the way back to Opportunity's landing site by Eagle crater, and it was heavily studied prior to this time by the rover.[13] The Burns Formation is "high in sulfate bearing minerals" according to NASA.[14] Solander Point lies at the geological contact line between the Burns Formation, and what is thought to be an even older geological region.[15]

Solander point

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Solander Point with MER-B rover track November 2013
Looking south on Solander Point with the crater floor to the left

Map showing journey of MER-B near Solander Point

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MER-B's arrival and subsequent path around Cape York, and finally its departure as it headed south into Botany Bay towards Solander Point
A different view of its path towards Solander
MER-B's path to Solander Point, and then down along Murray Ridge. (Up to February 2014)

Geological regions around Solander

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Solander Point is a location on the Western Rim of Endeavour crater, shown here in this geological map produced with data from MRO's CRISM instrument

Rover views of Solander

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Looking south along the Western rim of Endeavour crater, Solander Point is the start of the ridge on the right
This is a southward uphill view as the rover ascended the mountain in October 2013. It is assembled from NavCam images.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mars Rover Opportunity Approaches Solander Point By Keith Cowing
  2. ^ "NASA - Sol 3351". Archived from the original on 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  3. ^ a b Mars Rover Opportunity Passes Half-Way Point to Next Destination
  4. ^ Overhead View of Mars Rover 10 Years After Launch - NASA
  5. ^ The Planetary Society: L. Crumpler - Field Report From Mars: Sol 3363 - July 10, 2013
  6. ^ Field Notes from Mars: Sol 3363 - July 10, 2013 Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ August 2, 2013 NNM Archived October 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine August 2, 2013 TPS
  8. ^ a b "NASA - Sol 33591". Archived from the original on 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  9. ^ a b NASA -Mars Rover Opportunity Heads Uphill
  10. ^ "Opportunity Rover Starts 2nd Decade by Spectacular Mountain Summit and Mineral Goldmine - Universe Today". Universe Today. 2014-01-19. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  11. ^ mars.nasa.gov. "Mars Exploration Rover". mars.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  12. ^ "Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  13. ^ "Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  14. ^ "Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  15. ^ "Mars Rover Opportunity Working at Edge of 'Solander'". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
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