Tereshkova (crater)

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Tereshkova
Tereshkova crater 5124 med.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image
Coordinates 28°24′N144°18′E / 28.4°N 144.3°E / 28.4; 144.3 Coordinates: 28°24′N144°18′E / 28.4°N 144.3°E / 28.4; 144.3
Diameter 31 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 216° at sunrise
Eponym Valentina V. Tereshkova
Oblique view from another angle from Apollo 13 Tereshkova crater AS13-60-8648.jpg
Oblique view from another angle from Apollo 13

Tereshkova is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located along the western perimeter of the Mare Moscoviense, and to the southeast of the crater Feoktistov.

Lunar craters

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

Impact crater Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object

An impact crater is an approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body in the Solar System or elsewhere, formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller body. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters typically have raised rims and floors that are lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. Impact craters range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins. Meteor Crater is a well-known example of a small impact crater on Earth.

Moon Earths natural satellite

Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

It is named for cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. Normally craters are named after dead people; Tereshkova was among the first group of living people to have a crater named for them. [1]

Valentina Tereshkova Russian cosmonaut and first woman to have flown in space

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a member of the Russian State Duma, engineer, and former cosmonaut. She is the first and youngest woman to have flown in space with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. She orbited the Earth 48 times, spent almost three days in space, and remains the only woman to have been on a solo space mission.

The rim of this crater resembles a rounded hexagon in outline. There is a small, cup-shaped crater near the outer edge of the southern rim. The eastern ramparts of this crater merge with the edge of the Mare Moscoviense. The rim edge is worn, but only tiny craterlets pit the surface of the edge and the crater interior.

Hexagon shape with six sides

In geometry, a hexagon is a six-sided polygon or 6-gon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Tereshkova.

TereshkovaLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
U28.7° N142.8° E23 km

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Komarov (crater) lunar crater

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Donner (crater) lunar crater

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Feoktistov (crater) lunar crater

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Kohlschütter (crater) lunar crater

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Kurchatov (crater) lunar crater

Kurchatov is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side. It is just to the southwest of the crater Wiener, and farther to the southeast of Bridgman. A couple of crater diameters to the south of Kurchatov is the northern edge of the Mare Moscoviense.

Leonov (crater) lunar crater

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Nagaoka (crater) lunar crater

Nagaoka is a lunar impact crater that lies to the southeast of the Mare Moscoviense, on the far side of the Moon. To the east of Nagaoka is the somewhat larger Konstantinov.

Shatalov (crater) lunar crater

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Titov (crater) lunar crater

Titov is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. The most unusual aspect of this crater is that it is located entirely within the Mare Moscoviense, one of the few maria found on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northwest of the crater Komarov, in the northern half of the mare. It is named for cosmonaut Gherman Titov, the second person to orbit the Earth.

References

Ewen Whitaker British astronomer

Ewen Adair Whitaker was a British-born astronomer who specialized in lunar studies. During World War II he was engaged in quality control for the lead sheathing of hollow cables strung under the English Channel as part of the "Pipe Line Under The Ocean" Project (PLUTO) to supply gasoline to Allied military vehicles in France. After the war, he obtained a position at the Royal Greenwich Observatory working on the UV spectra of stars, but became interested in lunar studies. As a sideline, Whitaker drew and published the first accurate chart of the South Polar area of the Moon in 1954, and served as director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association.

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

United States Geological Survey Scientific agency of the United States government

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

  1. "500 Men Have Moon Craters Named for Them". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. Associated Press. August 22, 1970. p. 2 via Newspapers.com.