14 DAY TRIAL // The astronauts and spacecraft that made up the Apollo 12 mission to the Moon 41 years ago were honored in a new series of images snapped by the rover Opportunity on Mars. The robot imaged two craters that are informally named after components of the historic flight.
On November 4, the explorations robot drove past the “Yankee Clipper” crater, which is named for the command and service module, that was piloted by astronaut Dick Gordon. Then, on November 9, the rover reached “Intrepid” crater, which is named for the lunar module of the mission.
This module was commanded by the late Pete Conrad, and piloted by astronaut Alan Bean. As it past alongside the rims of these craters, the rover snapped stereo, real-color and false-color images of the landscape features.
Forty-one years ago today, November 19, the lander module with Bean and Conrad in it set down on the surface of the Moon. The event came only 4 months after the Apollo 11 crew had visited Earth's natural satellite.
The craters were named by experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, who are responsible for managing both Mars Exploration Rovers (MER).
“I just talked with Dick Gordon about the wonderful honor you have bestowed upon our Apollo 12 spacecraft. Forty-one years ago today, we were approaching the moon in Yankee Clipper with Intrepid in tow,” Bean wrote to the MER team upon hearing the news.
“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,” he added.
“We were anxious to give it our best effort. You and your team have that same opportunity. Give it your best effort,” he concluded in the letter.
The rover Opportunity is currently driving towards Endeavor Crater, in the Meridian Planum region of Mars. Its sister robot, Spirit, is expected to wake up every day now, after going into hibernation when the Martian winter reached its location.
“The Apollo missions were so inspiring when I was young, I remember all the dates. When we were approaching these craters, I realized we were getting close to the Nov. 19 anniversary for Apollo 12,” says MER science team member James Rice.
The expert, who holds an appointment at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is the one who suggested that the names Yankee Clipper and Intrepid be used to honor the Apollo 12 astronauts and their mission.