Studying of Water Consent in Mars' Gale Crater: The First Results of the DAN Experiment on the NASA Curiosity Rover1

摘要

Mars's Gale Crater is located near the equator and is 155 km in diameter. The crater is estimated to be 3.5-3.8 billion years old. It originates from a large asteroid strike in the Noachian period. The crater's floor is 2-4 km below its surroundings. According to the current view (see [1]), early in Mars evolution the crater contained a lake with numerous rivers flowing in During the lake's lifetime, sedimentary deposits accumulated on the crater's floor in a layered structure reflecting the ongoing changes in the ancient Martian climate. After the whole-planet dehydrated, the bottom of the dried-up lake eroded. As a result, distinctly deposited layers are exposed in different regions, which were formed under different climate conditions.