A Mare Imbrium Ridge Linked to the Apollo 13 Rescue

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

dorsum

Coordinates

24.40° N · 31.42° W

Diameter

7.25 km

IAU approval

1976/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-39 · Aristarchus

Geological Chronicle

Dorsum Thera is a lunar wrinkle ridge extending 7.25 kilometers in Mare Imbrium at coordinates 24.4°N, 31.4°W. Positioned within the Aristarchus quadrangle (LAC-39), the ridge lies northeast of Mons Vinogradov, while Courtney crater and Catena Yuri are located to its northeast. The nearest prominent crater, Euler, lies to the south-southeast.

NASA originally proposed naming the ridge to honor Anthony Kontaratos for his contribution to the space program, notably during the rescue of the Apollo 13 mission. Kontaratos instead requested that the feature be named Thera after his place of origin in Greece, leading to its official naming in 1976.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1976 Official Naming

   The dorsum was named in 1976 after Dr. Anthony Kontaratos requested honoring his place of origin, Thera in Greece, following NASA's proposal recognizing his work on the Apollo 13 mission.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Feature 1623
• Wikipedia (en) — Revision ID 1241049915

Name Origin

Greek female name.