Geological Chronicle
Located in Oceanus Procellarum, Middle Crescent crater measures 0.36 kilometers in diameter. On November 19, 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean landed the Lunar Module Intrepid directly east of the crater, with Head crater positioned to the southeast. Middle Crescent was the largest crater explored by the crew during their moonwalks.
Looking down into the crater, the astronauts observed large blocks on the crater wall that were likely derived from local bedrock. The Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report noted that these exposed rock fragments probably represent the deepest layers excavated at the landing site.
Astronauts retrieved lunar sample 12004, an olivine basalt, at the rim of Middle Crescent. Three other samples (12014, 12015, and 12016) were likely collected at the rim as well, providing specimens of olivine basalt, olivine vitrophyre, and ilmenite basalt. The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the crater's name in 1973.