Korolev (Martian crater)
{{Short description|Crater on Mars}}
{{About|the crater on Mars|the lunar crater|Korolev (lunar crater)}}
{{Infobox feature on celestial object
| name = Korolev
| image = Plan_view_of_Korolev_crater.jpg
| caption = Natural color view of Korolev crater from Mars Express
| type = Impact crater
| location = Mare Boreum quadrangle, Mars
| coordinates = {{coord|72.77|N|164.58|E|globe:mars_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}{{cite web|title=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature {{!}} Korolev|url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3091|website=usgs.gov|publisher=International Astronomical Union|access-date=4 March 2015}}
| diameter = {{convert|81.4|km|mi}}
| eponym = Sergei Korolev (1907–1966), Soviet rocket engineer and designer
}}
Korolev is an ice-filled impact crater in the Mare Boreum quadrangle of Mars, located at 73° north latitude and 165° east longitude. It is {{convert|81.4|km|mi}} in diameter and contains about {{convert|2200|km3|mi3}} of water ice, comparable in volume to Great Bear Lake in northern Canada.{{cite web |title=A winter wonderland in red and white – Korolev Crater on Mars |url=https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2018/4/20181220_korolev-crater-on-mars.html |website=German Aerospace Center (DLR) |access-date=20 December 2018}} The crater was named after Sergei Korolev (1907–1966), the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the Space Race in the 1950s and 1960s.
Korolev crater is located on the Planum Boreum, the northern polar plain which surrounds the north polar ice cap, near the Olympia Undae dune field. The crater rim rises about {{convert|2|km|mi}} above the surrounding plains. The crater floor lies about {{convert|2|km|mi}} below the rim, and is covered by a {{convert|1.8|km|mi}} deep central mound of permanent water ice, up to {{convert|60|km|mi}} in diameter.
Ice formation
The ice is permanently stable because the crater acts as a natural cold trap. The thin Martian air above the crater ice is colder than air surrounding the crater; the colder local atmosphere is also heavier so it sinks to form a protective layer, insulating the ice, shielding it from melting and evaporation.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/dec/21/mars-express-beams-back-images-of-ice-filled-korolev-crater|work=The Guardian|access-date=December 21, 2018|title=Mars Express beams back images of ice-filled Korolev crater|date=21 December 2018 |last1=Sample |first1=Ian }} Research published in 2016 indicates that the ice deposit formed in place within the crater and was not previously part of a once-larger polar ice sheet.{{cite journal |last1=Brothers |first1=T. Charles |last2=Holt |first2=John W. |title=Three-dimensional structure and origin of a 1.8 km thick ice dome within Korolev Crater, Mars |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |date=2016 |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=1443–1449 |doi=10.1002/2015GL066440 |bibcode=2016GeoRL..43.1443B |doi-access=free }} The ice in the crater is part of the vast water resources at the poles of the planet.
In popular culture
In the TV show For All Mankind, Korolev crater is the location of methane deposits that main character Kelly Baldwin seeks to investigate for signs of life.{{Cite episode |title=Legacy |episode-link= |url= |access-date= |series=For All Mankind |series-link=For All Mankind (TV series) |date=December 29, 2023 |season=4 |number=8 |minutes= |time= |transcript= |transcript-url= |quote= }}
Gallery
Perspective view of Korolev crater.jpg|Perspective view of Korolev crater, generated using images and digital terrain data from Mars Express
Topography of Korolev crater.jpg|Color-coded topographic view of Korolev crater based on a digital terrain model from Mars Express data
Mare Boreum Map.JPG|Map of Mare Boreum quadrangle with major features and craters labeled
Mars NPArea-PIA00161.jpg|High-resolution image mosaic of Mare Boreum quadrangle from the Viking Orbiter
USGS-Mars-MC-1-MareBoreumRegion-mola.png|High-resolution topographic map of Mare Boreum quadrangle with features and craters labeled, from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data
See also
- 1855 Korolev, minor planet
- Korolev (lunar crater)
- Louth, another Martian crater with large ice patch
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Korolev (Martian crater)}}
- {{YouTube|z3fFOCPgNJk|Video (2:56) – Korolev Crater FlyOver}} (Animated; ESA; June 30, 2020)
{{Geography of Mars}}
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Category:Impact craters on Mars