Lara Crater and the Apollo 17 Light Mantle

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

landing

Coordinates

20.17° N · 30.55° E

Diameter

0.62 km

IAU approval

1973/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-43 · Macrobius

Geological Chronicle

Lara is a 0.62-kilometer-wide crater in the Taurus-Littrow valley, located in the light mantle, which is almost certainly an avalanche deposit from the South Massif.

Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited Lara in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission's second extravehicular activity. Geology Station 3 of the mission was located on the crater's northeast rim.

Nansen crater and Geology Station 2 lie to the south of Lara, while Shorty crater and Geology Station 4 lie to the northeast. The astronauts named the feature after Lara, the heroine of Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1972 Apollo 17 Exploration

   Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visit Lara crater during EVA 2, with Geology Station 3 located on its northeast rim.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official name, feature type, coordinates, dimensions, approval and name origin.
• Wikipedia - Lara (lunar crater) — Revision ID 1321362751

Name Origin

Astronaut-named feature, Apollo 17 site.