View of Aitken crater on the Moon from Apollo 17. This image was created Apollo 17 mapping metric sequence, revolution #14. The Hi-res image was reduced to 25% of normal size, then rotated 90° counter-clockwise so that north is up. It is at selenographic coordinates 16.30° S, 172.90° E.

This photo was used in Figure 178 of Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit (NASA SP-362, 1978), which has the following caption:

Aitken is a large crater (145 km in diameter) on the far side. Like many other large, young craters it has an outer field of secondary crater clusters and chains, an extensive inner blanket of bright ejecta, bright and rugged walls, a flat floor partly occupied by dark mare material, and a central peak complex. However, in several respects Aitken differs from other craters of comparable age and size. Its central peak has an unusual subcircular pattern, its rim crest is complexly crenulated, and its walls are best described as jumbled (El-Baz, 1973a) rather than terraced. The last two characteristics may have been caused by the shock associated with the formation of the large crater (30-km-diameter) on Aitken's north wall. The shock may well have destroyed the preexisting terraces and caused the additional slumping that gives the rim crest its crenulated appearance. Many interesting features are visible on Aitken's floor. Among them are some unusual ridges (arrow), which were described earlier (fig. 84), and several very unusual craters or depressions, some of which may be the sources of the mare fill (El-Baz, 1973a).-G.W.C.

Photographic data:

Image Name: AS17-M-0341

Mission: Apollo 17

Revolution (Orbit): 14

Camera: Mapping/Metric

Exposure: 00:00:00.009

Camera Tilt: VERT

Sun Elevation: 22.0°

Features: AITKEN

Film Type: 3400

Color: black&white