Trident Crater

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

landing

Coordinates

20.18° N · 30.77° E

Diameter

0.56 km

IAU approval

1973/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-43 · Macrobius

Geological Chronicle

Trident is a crater in the Taurus-Littrow valley on Earth's Moon, spanning 0.56 kilometers in diameter. During the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed about 300 meters north of its rim. The astronauts drove their rover along the east rim of Trident during EVA 1 of the mission.

The crater is surrounded by several other valley landmarks: Powell lies to the south, Camelot and Horatio lie to the west, and Sherlock sits to the east. The astronauts named the crater Trident after a trident (three pronged spear) because of its shape.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1972 Apollo 17 Exploration

   Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt land approximately 300 meters north of Trident and drive along its east rim during EVA 1.

Scientific Sources & References

• Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — USGS IAU nomenclature record for Trident
• Wikipedia — English Wikipedia entry for Trident crater

Name Origin

Astronaut-named feature, Apollo 17 site.