Cape Tribulation is a section of the Western rim of Endeavour crater on the planet Mars.
[2] The top of Cape Tribulation is about 134 meters (440 feet) higher than the plains that surround the crater.
[3] The MER-B Opportunity rover summited Cape Tribulation in January 2015, which was the highest Martian elevation achieved yet on its mission.
[6] MER-B was trying to reach a target on Knudsen Ridge, on the south side of Marathon Valley, which meant attempting a steep grade which can cause wheel slippage.
[10] Cape Tribulation is a reference to one of the locations visited by HMS Endeavour captained by James Cook in his first voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand in 1769-1771.
Looking north at the southern end of Cape Tribulation (MER-B, 2017)
Annotated map with location of Cape Tribulation, on Endeavour crater's western rim
Wdowiak Ridge on the North-Western rim of Endeavour crater.MER-B recorded this panorama on Sept. 17, 2014 (Sol 3,786)
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Opportunity
'
s traverse up to February 2015 as it approached Spirit of Saint Louis Crater and Marathon Valley, and came close to traveling the distance of a traditional
marathon
(about 26 miles or 42 km)
Traverse as of December 2014 from roughly sol 3750 to 3868. To the north Ulysses crater can be seen and to the south, the north wall of Marathon Valley
A detailed-class rover traverse map by the mission, released on September 28, 2016, showing the track of the rover up to Sol 4500 as it heads deeper in Endeavor crater
Annotated version of MER-B traverse to Spirit Mound from Marathon Valley in late 2016
In March 2016, while trying to reach target on the slope of Marathon Valley in Cape Tribulation, the Mars rover attained a slope of 32 degrees, the highest angle yet for the rover since its mission began. This was so steep that dust that had accumulated on its top panels began to flow downward.
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Context image of the Western rim including Cape Tribulation
Opportunity
'
s traverse up to March 2015 from its landing site to Endeavour crater. It has traversed south along the Western rim and orbiting spacecraft have help collect data on the rim, which in turn allows the rover to more closely investigate. The rover reached part way through Cape Tribulation at that time
In 2010, while still years away from reaching Endeavour crater, Cape Tribulation was seen from the Western side as MER-B approached
This is a geological map based on MRO's CRISM observations
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