Geological Chronicle
Located in the Descartes Highlands between North Ray and South Ray craters, Palmetto is an impact crater measuring 760 meters in diameter and approximately 130 meters deep. The feature cuts into the Cayley Formation of Imbrian age. About one kilometer to the southeast lies Gator, a crater of comparable dimensions.
During the Apollo 16 mission on April 21, 1972, the Lunar Module Orion landed 1.5 kilometers south of the crater. On their third extravehicular activity, astronauts John Young and Charles Duke drove their Lunar Roving Vehicle along the rim of Palmetto while heading toward North Ray crater. Observing the structure during the traverse, Duke documented a blanket of half-meter boulders scattered around the crater rim and extending into nearby secondary craters.
Palmetto also served as a tracking landmark for earlier lunar orbital operations. During the Apollo 12 mission, astronaut Dick Gordon photographically tracked the feature under the designation landmark DE-1/12 on orbital revolutions 42 and 44. The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the astronaut-assigned name in 1973.