McAuliffe is a small

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...

that is located on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

far side ''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrealis ...

. It lies within the inner ring of the double-ringed walled plain

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, about one crater diameter to the northeast of the crater Resnik. To the southeast of it lies the crater pair of Jarvis and McNair. McAuliffe is a bowl-shaped feature with a roughly circular rim. The rim edge has some wear, but is not overlain by other impacts of significance. The interior floor is roughly circular and featureless. The name was approved by the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...

in 1988 in honor of

Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa McAuliffe ( Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who was killed on the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L where she was serving as a ...

, who was killed in the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster on January 28, 1986.McAuliffe crater
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature It was formerly designated Borman Y, a satellite crater of

Borman Borman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Danleigh Borman (born 1985), South African soccer player *Frank Borman (1928–2023), American astronaut **The Frank Borman Expressway in Indiana named after him * Geoffrey D. Borman, ...

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Impact craters on the Moon