Kuiper (lunar crater)
Apollo 16 image
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| Coordinates | 9°48′S 22°42′W / 9.8°S 22.7°WCoordinates: 9°48′S 22°42′W / 9.8°S 22.7°W |
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| Diameter | 7 km |
| Depth | 1.3 km |
| Colongitude | 23° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Gerard P. Kuiper |
Kuiper /ˈkaɪpər/ is a small lunar impact crater in a relatively featureless part of the Mare Cognitum. It is a circular, cup-shaped feature with only some minor wear. This crater was previously identified as Bonpland E before being renamed by the IAU. The lava-flooded crater Bonpland lies to the east at the edge of the Mare Cognitum.
To the east-southeast of Kuiper crater is the crash landing site of the Ranger 7 probe, the first American spacecraft to photograph the Moon. Gerard Kuiper was the Project Scientist for the Ranger program, and this feature was named for him after he died in 1973.
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