Editing Mars Science Laboratory (section)

=== Landing site selection ===
[[File:Curiosity Cradled by Gale Crater.jpg|thumb|[[Aeolis Mons]] rises from the middle of [[Gale (crater)|Gale Crater]] – <span style="color:green;">Green dot</span> marks the [[Curiosity (rover)|''Curiosity'' rover]] landing site in [[Aeolis Palus]]<ref name="Gale Crater3"/><ref name=ellipse/> – North is down.]]
Over 60 landing sites were evaluated, and by July 2011 Gale crater was chosen. A primary goal when selecting the landing site was to identify a particular geologic environment, or set of environments, that would support microbial life. Planners looked for a site that could contribute to a wide variety of possible science objectives. They preferred a landing site with both morphologic and mineralogical evidence for past water. Furthermore, a site with spectra indicating multiple [[Mineral hydration|hydrated minerals]] was preferred; [[clay minerals]] and [[sulfate]] salts would constitute a rich site. [[Hematite]], other [[iron oxide]]s, sulfate minerals, [[silicate minerals]], [[Silicon dioxide|silica]], and possibly [[chloride]] minerals were suggested as possible substrates for [[fossil preservation]]. Indeed, all are known to facilitate the preservation of fossil morphologies and molecules on Earth.<ref name="MSL&nbsp;— Landing Sites Workshop"/> Difficult terrain was favored for finding evidence of livable conditions, but the rover must be able to safely reach the site and drive within it.<ref name="Survivor: Mars&nbsp;— Seven Possible MSL Landing Sites"/>

Engineering constraints called for a landing site less than 45° from the Martian equator, and less than 1&nbsp;km above the reference [[geodetic datum|datum]].<ref name="nasa9"/>  At the first MSL Landing Site workshop, 33 potential landing sites were identified.<ref name="MSL Workshop Summary"/> By the end of the second workshop in late 2007, the list was reduced to six;<ref name="Second MSL Landing Site Workshop"/><ref name="Reconnaissance of MSL Sites"/> in November 2008, project leaders at a third workshop reduced the list to these four landing sites:<ref name="Site List Narrows For NASA's Next Mars Landing"/><ref name="Current MSL Landing Sites"/><ref name="Looking at Landing Sites for the Mars Science Laboratory"/><ref name="ISStD"/>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! Elevation
! Notes
|-
| [[Eberswalde (crater)|Eberswalde Crater]] Delta || {{Coord|23.86|S|326.73|E|globe:mars}} || {{convert|-1450|m|ft|abbr=on}} || Ancient river delta.<ref name="nasa10"/>
|-
| [[Holden (Martian crater)|Holden Crater]] Fan || {{Coord|26.37|S|325.10|E|globe:mars}} || {{convert|-1940|m|ft|abbr=on}} || Dry lake bed.<ref name="nasa11"/>
|- style="background:#cfc;"
| [[Gale (crater)|Gale Crater]] || {{Coord|4.49|S|137.42|E|globe:mars}} || {{convert|-4451|m|ft|abbr=on}}|| Features {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} tall mountain <br/> of layered material near center.<ref name="nasa12"/> Selected.<ref name="Gale Crater3"/>
|-
| [[Mawrth Vallis]] Site 2 || {{Coord|24.01|N|341.03|E|globe:mars}} || {{convert|-2246|m|ft|abbr=on}} || Channel carved by catastrophic floods.<ref name="nasa13"/>
|}

A fourth landing site workshop was held in late September 2010,<ref name="nasa14"/> and the fifth and final workshop May 16–18, 2011.<ref name="marstoday"/> On July 22, 2011, it was announced that [[Gale (crater)|Gale Crater]] had been selected as the landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory mission.