Goddard’s broken southern rim leaves gaps to the mare

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

15.15° N · 89.13° E

Diameter

93.18 km

IAU approval

1964/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-63 · Neper

Geological Chronicle

Goddard lies on the Moon’s eastern limb, where it is visible from Earth at the edge of the disk. It is best viewed during favorable librations, when the Moon’s orientation brings it further into sight. In Mare Marginis, it lies northeast of Neper; Ibn Yunus is attached to the southeastern rim and partly overlain by Goddard, while Al-Biruni lies northeast.

The southern edge of the rim has nearly been destroyed, leaving gaps through which the crater floor connects to the surrounding mare. The remaining rim is heavily eroded and worn, a ring of rugged ground around the inner floor.

Past lava floods resurfaced the floor, leaving it nearly flat and featureless. There is no central peak, and only a few tiny craterlets mark the surface. The most prominent is a matched pair in the south-southwest part of the floor.

Goddard is named after Robert H. Goddard, a pioneering American rocket scientist.

Chronology & Exploration

1. Undated Libration improves the view

   The crater is best viewed during favorable librations, when the Moon’s orientation brings it further into sight.

2. Undated Southern rim nearly destroyed

   The southern rim is nearly gone, with gaps connecting the interior floor to the surrounding mare.

3. Undated Lava floods resurface floor

   Past lava floods resurfaced the crater floor, leaving it nearly flat and featureless.

4. Undated Name honors Robert H. Goddard

   The feature is named after the pioneering American rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer — Registry reference for identity, coordinates, diameter and name origin.
• Wikipedia: Goddard (crater) — Local source for the crater’s location, rim, floor and name.

Name Origin

Robert Hutchings; American rocketry scientist (1882-1945).