Based partly on the advice of a UC Davis geologist, the next Mars rover, Curiousity, will land in Gale crater near the Martian equator. The landing site was announced today (July 22) at a press conference at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The site was selected based on the “reachable science” nearby, said Dawn Sumner, professor of geology at UC Davis and co-chair of the landing site working group for the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

The goal of the Mars Science Laboratory is to evaluate whether the Martian environment could have (or could now) support life, Sumner said.

“We will learn a huge amount about the Martian environment,” Sumner said.

Gale crater was selected based on data from probes in orbit around Mars. The crater has evidence of the past presence of water, and a three-mile high series of sedimentary rock layers that likely represents tens of millions of years of Martian history.

At the bottom of the crater are signs of both clay minerals and sulfate salts. Both form in the presence of water, but under quite different conditions, Sumner said.

The Curiousity rover is larger than previous Mars rovers – about the size of a small car – and can carry out more sophisticated chemical tests. It is equipped to detect and characterize organic compounds in Martian rocks and soil and can identify the structure of minerals as well as their composition.

The mission is scheduled to lift off in November and arrive on Mars in August, 2012.

Sumner was a UC Davis Chancellor's Fellow from 2004 through 2009, an honor that recognizes promising young faculty.