Mission: Apollo 8

Taken/released on: 24/12/1968

Apollo 8 Moon view

The crater Langrenus as photographed from an altitude of nearly 150 nautical miles as the Apollo 8 spacecraft orbited the Moon on December 24, 1968. Langrenus is about 85 statute miles in diameter. Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell Jr. described the crater, its central peak, and the conspicuous terraces on the inner crater wall shortly after acquiring Earth communications for the first time after lunar orbit insertion. At the time the photograph was made, Langrenus was about 100 nautical miles (190 kilometers) south of the spacecraft ground track. The camera was pointed southward. The small, sharp circular crater nearby is Langrenus C. The lunar surface probably has less pronounced color than indicated by this print. (Source: JSC)

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