McNair (crater)
Encyclopedia
McNair is a small lunar
impact crater
on the far side
of the Moon
. It lies within the double-ringed Apollo basin
, inside the eastern part of the interior ring. Named after Ronald McNair
, one of the seven astronauts who perished in the explosion
of the Space Shuttle Challenger
, it has partly merged with the crater Jarvis
, and the two share a common rim. To the south of McNair lies Borman
.
This is a bowl-shaped feature with a somewhat worn outer rim. There are some tiny craterlets along the southern rim, and a narrow cut through the edge to the south-southwest. The interior floor is relatively featureless.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
impact crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on the far side
Far side of the Moon
The far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned away, and is not visible from the surface of the Earth. The far hemisphere was first photographed by the Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959, and was first directly observed by human eyes when the Apollo 8 mission orbited the Moon...
of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. It lies within the double-ringed Apollo basin
Apollo (crater)
Apollo is an enormous impact crater located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This formation dwarfs the large crater Oppenheimer that is located next to the western rim. The crater Barringer lies across the northern wall...
, inside the eastern part of the interior ring. Named after Ronald McNair
Ronald McNair
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
, one of the seven astronauts who perished in the explosion
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
of the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
, it has partly merged with the crater Jarvis
Jarvis (crater)
Jarvis is a crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located within the walled plain Apollo, and lies in the eastern half of this basin within the interior ring....
, and the two share a common rim. To the south of McNair lies Borman
Borman (crater)
Borman is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies across the southeast section of the mountainous inner ring, within the walled basin named Apollo....
.
This is a bowl-shaped feature with a somewhat worn outer rim. There are some tiny craterlets along the southern rim, and a narrow cut through the edge to the south-southwest. The interior floor is relatively featureless.