A
Proposal For The Designation Of Lunar Craters
In Honor Of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) Crew
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In addition, this proposal requests
consideration for the designation of the region encompassing
these craters as "Regio Columbia" to commemorate the mission and
its crew. [See Footnote 1 below.]
 This
proposal may contradict precedent established by the Working
Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, under which craters in
the vicinity of Crater Apollo (36.1° South, 151.8° West) on the
lunar "far side" are named to honor deceased astronauts. While
this proposal respects the intentions of the Working Group, it
is hoped that consideration will be given based on the
uniqueness and spirit that this memorial hopes to convey.
ARGUMENT PRO: The legacy of
the Columbia crew members and the heritage of the Crater
Colombo region intertwine well: the crater was named for the
celebrated explorer Cristoforo Colombo (anglicized as
Christopher Columbus), while the astronauts were borne into
space, and ultimately perished, in a craft whose name was
derived from his name. [See Footnote 2 below.]
Through this distinctive shared
heritage, it is our considered opinion that the uniqueness of
being able to honor the Columbia crew with near-side craters in
this region would best preserve the legacy of these outstanding
individuals.
ARGUMENT CON: As noted, the
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has previously
established a position whereby craters on the Moon's far side,
in the Apollo Basin, are designated to honor deceased
astronauts. Among those honored are the crews of the Space
Shuttle Challenger
(STS-51L), who died in a post-launch explosion, and the first
Apollo
mission, who were killed in a launch pad fire.
This location is also considered
favorable because of the availability of numerous large, unnamed
craters in the region; the craters presented in this proposal
range in size from five to seventeen kilometers in diameter. The
smallest of the craters designated to honor the fallen
Challenger
crew is McAuliffe (33.0°South, 148.9° West) at nineteen kilometers
in diameter.
It should be noted that despite the
apparent "smallness" of the craters in this proposal, a crater
that measures five kilometers from rim to rim is still a
substantial formation, and numerous craters of this size and
smaller have been designated to honor persons who have
contributed greatly to the field of space research and
exploration.
Footnote 1 — The term regio
has not been approved for use with lunar features; however, it
should be noted that the term was first utilized in planetary
nomenclature by Hevelius in his Selenographia (1647), a
pioneering work in lunar cartography.
Footnote 2 — According to NASA, the
Shuttle Orbiter Columbia (OV-102) was
...named after the Boston,
Massachusetts, based sloop captained by American Robert Gray. On
May 11, 1792, Gray and his crew maneuvered the Columbia
past the dangerous sandbar at the mouth of a river extending
more than 1,000 miles through what is today south-eastern
British Columbia, Canada, and the Washington-Oregon border. The
river was later named after the ship. Gray also led Columbia
and its crew on the first American circumnavigation of the
globe, carrying a cargo of otter skins to Canton, China, and
then returning to Boston.
Other sailing ships have further
enhanced the luster of the name Columbia. The first U.S.
Navy ship to circle the globe bore that title, as did the
command module for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing
mission.
On a more directly patriotic note,
"Columbia" is considered to be the feminine personification of
the United States. The name is derived from that of another
famous explorer, Christopher Columbus.
(Source: Kennedy Space Center Spaceport Engineering &
Technology)
It should be noted that the full
name of Capt. Gray's first sloop was actually Columbia
Rediviva.
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