Two Mars craters photographed by NASA's Opportunity rover have received new names to honor the historic Apollo 12 spaceships that carried humans on the second flight to land on the moon.
The craters, which Opportunity has visited this month, are called "Yankee Clipper" and "Intrepid" – the same designations for the Apollo 12 mission's command module and lunar lander during their November 1969 mission to the moon, NASA officials have announced. [Photo: Mars crater Yankee Clipper]
The Astronomical Research Center (A.R.C) mentioned that during the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission, astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean touched down on the moon in their lander, Intrepid, on Nov. 19, 1969, while crewmate Dick Gordon remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module Yankee Clipper. The mission occurred four months after the first manned lunar landing mission – Apollo 11 - in July 1969.
n a message to NASA's Mars rover team, Bean – now 78 – told the rover team that it was a "wonderful honor" to have Mars craters named after the Apollo 12 spacecraft. [Photo: Mars crater Intrepid]
"Forty-one years ago today, we were approaching the moon in Yankee Clipper with Intrepid in tow. We were excited to have the opportunity to perform some important exploration of a place in the universe other than planet Earth where humans had not gone before," Bean said in a Nov. 18 statement. "We were anxious to give it our best effort. You and your team have that same opportunity. Give it your best effort."
Opportunity drove past the crater Yankee Clipper on Nov. 4 and arrived at the Intrepid crater on Nov. 9. The Yankee Clipper crater is about 33 feet (10 meters) wide, while Intrepid crater is twice that size.
The idea to name the craters after the Apollo 12 spacecraft came from rover science team member James Rice, NASA officials said.
"The Apollo missions were so inspiring when I was young, I remember all the dates," Rice said in a statement. "When we were approaching these craters, I realized we were getting close to the Nov. 19 anniversary for Apollo 12."