Mars & Lewis and Clark Connection

Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech

It was an exciting day when NASA’s Perseverance Rover safely landed on the surface of Mars on February 18, 2021. This newest MER (Mars Exploration Rovers) will soon be exploring the Jezero Crater seeking signs of ancient life and collecting rock samples for possible return to Earth.

But back in 2004, two different MER landed on Mars – Spirit and Opportunity. Both were intended to have mission lifespans of just 90 days, but Spirit continued exploring for six years and Opportunity worked on and on for nearly 15 years.

In late 2015, Opportunity was preparing to explore the eastern end of the Endeavour Crater. As the rover crawled around an area named Marathon Valley, the NASA team decided to use a special naming theme for surface locations in this area of Mars – a tribute to the Corps of Discovery Expedition.

So rock outcroppings, uniquely colored surfaces, and other topographical features are named in honor of Joseph Whitehouse, John Collins, John Potts, Joseph Field, Sacagawea, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, York, Lewis and Clark, and even two of the French boatmen hired by the captains, Pierre Pinault and Charles Caugee. Also included in the names are locations along the Trail, including Pompys Tower, Spirit Mound, Bitterroot Valley, and a small tributary of the Missouri River, the Gasconade.

Opportunity left Marathon Valley for good in September 2016 – crawling through the Lewis and Clark Gap (top center of this image). The rover last communicated with Earth on June 10, 2018, when a planet-wide dust storm covered the rover’s location.