Nansen-Apollo Crater at Geology Station 2

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

landing

Coordinates

20.12° N · 30.52° E

Diameter

0.86 km

IAU approval

1973/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-43 · Macrobius

Geological Chronicle

Nansen-Apollo is a crater measuring 0.86 kilometers in diameter located at the base of the South Massif in the Taurus-Littrow valley. The crater lies within the light mantle, which is almost certainly an avalanche deposit from the South Massif.

In 1972, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited the crater on the Apollo 17 mission, referring to it simply as Nansen. Geology Station 2 of the mission was located at Nansen, which was named by the astronauts after Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Lara crater lies to the north, while Mackin and Hess craters are located about 5 km to the east.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1972 Apollo 17 Exploration

   Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visit Nansen crater at Geology Station 2 during the Apollo 17 mission.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official name, feature type, coordinates, dimensions, approval and name origin.
• Wikipedia: Nansen-Apollo (crater) — Source text for Apollo 17 Geology Station 2 exploration and terrain setting.

Name Origin

Astronaut-named feature, Apollo 17 site.