A Five-Crater Group in the Descartes Highlands

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

landing

Coordinates

9.10° S · 15.52° E

Diameter

0.07 km

IAU approval

1973/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-78 · Theophilus

Geological Chronicle

Cinco is a small lunar crater in the Descartes Highlands with an official diameter of 0.07 km. The feature is the largest member of a cluster of five craters labeled 'a' through 'e', which the Apollo 16 crew collectively named the Cinco craters after the Spanish word for five. The International Astronomical Union officially approved the name for crater 'a' in 1973.

On April 21, 1972, the Apollo 16 Lunar Module Orion landed about 4 km north of Cinco, to the northeast of South Ray crater. During their second extravehicular activity, astronauts John Young and Charles Duke drove their Lunar Roving Vehicle up Stone Mountain to Station 4, situated about 80 meters west of Cinco. They sought to collect samples of the Descartes Formation at the site, though it remains unclear whether material from that formation was retrieved.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1972 Apollo 16 Landing and Exploration

   The Apollo 16 Lunar Module Orion landed about 4 km north of Cinco, and astronauts Young and Duke explored Station 4 about 80 meters west of the crater.

2. 1973 IAU Name Adoption

   The International Astronomical Union officially designated the largest crater of the group as Cinco.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official name, feature type, coordinates, dimensions, approval and name origin.
• Wikipedia: Cinco (crater) — Source article for Cinco crater dimensions and Apollo 16 EVA details.

Name Origin

Astronaut-named feature, Apollo 16 site.