Von Braun (crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41.1° N, 78.0° W |
| Diameter | 60 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 79° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Wernher von Braun |
Von Braun is a lunar crater that is located near the northwestern limb of the Moon. It lies along the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum, to the northeast of the Lavoisier crater. The northeastern rim of this crater is on the edge of the Sinus Roris, a bay feature in the northwestern part of the Oceanus Procellarum. Due to its proximity to the limb, this crater appears significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth.
This crater is somewhat distorted from a true circular shape, and is slightly longer to the north and south. The outer rim has undergone some erosion due to subsequent impacts. Most notably, the crater 'Lavoisier E' is attached to the western rim, and the outer rampart falls across part of the inner wall of the von Braun crater. There are small craters along the rim to the southeast and the east, and craterlets along the northeast and southwestern rims. The inner wall has slumped along the southeast and northwestern sides to form a terrace-like shelf. The interior floor is relatively level and featureless, with a few small craterlets marking the surface.
This crater was previously identified as 'Lavoisier D' before being assigned a name by the IAU.
[edit] In Fiction
The Von Braun crater features heavily in the classic anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, and in some of its sequels and spin offs. In the traditional Universal Century calendar of Gundam, Von Braun crater is the site of Van Braun City, the largest city on Luna, and the moon's unofficial capital. The city serves as an important resource processing and manufacturing centre, and as a port for launching raw materials and finished goods to the colonies and Terra. It is also notable that Anaheim Electronics has production, testing, administrative, and research and development facilities in Van Braun that operate with a degree of independence from those in Anaheim and elsewhere.
[edit] References
- See the reference table for the general listing of literature and web sites that were used in the compilation of this page.
