NASA names Mars crater 'Antofagasta'
- NASA’s Curiosity team informally named a 10-meter Mars crater “Antofagasta” in April and drove to its rim to inspect freshly exposed rock. - The crater’s floor was covered by dark rippled sand, hiding the layers scientists wanted, so Curiosity shifted toward nearby bedrock and a drill target. - Curiosity is exploring Gale Crater for signs ancient Mars could support microbes. (science.nasa.gov)
NASA’s Curiosity rover has reached a small Mars crater the mission team informally named “Antofagasta” after the Chilean region and city near the Atacama Desert. (science.nasa.gov) The name appeared in a Curiosity planning update dated April 10, 2026, which said the crater is about 10 meters, or 32 feet, across. The team said craters act like “nature’s drill” because their walls and ejecta expose rock that would otherwise stay buried. (science.nasa.gov) Curiosity then arrived at the rim during the week covered in an April 17, 2026 planning note. That update said the crater looked fresh and deep, with a well-defined rim, but its interior was filled with dark rippled sand. (science.nasa.gov) That sand mattered because it covered the rock layers the science team had hoped to inspect up close. Instead of drilling there, Curiosity turned to nearby exposed bedrock and began evaluating a sulfate-rich target for a possible next sample. (science.nasa.gov) The Chile reference is informal, not a formal International Astronomical Union naming action. NASA’s blog said the team chose “Antofagasta” for a region and major city in Chile next to the Atacama. (science.nasa.gov) The Atacama connection fits Curiosity’s work because the mission is studying whether Gale Crater once had conditions that could support microbial life. NASA says Curiosity’s science goal is to assess Mars’ past habitability by reading clues preserved in ancient rocks. (science.nasa.gov) On the drive toward Antofagasta, Curiosity also photographed thousands of polygon-shaped surface patterns. NASA’s April 10 update described them as “honeycomb-shaped polygons” and said the rover team was using images and chemistry data to test how they formed. (science.nasa.gov) So the headline is less that NASA permanently renamed part of Mars, and more that Curiosity used a Chile-inspired field name while chasing newly exposed geology. When the crater proved sand-filled, the rover moved on to the next patch of rock. (science.nasa.gov 1) (science.nasa.gov 2)
