Central lunar highlands, the Moon
Fra Mauro Highlands
A rugged highland region targeted by two Apollo missions. Apollo 13 was forced to abort before reaching it after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft; Apollo 14 successfully landed here ten months later, completing the mission Apollo 13 never finished.
2
Missions
3.65°S, 17.47°W
Coordinates
Connected records
The missions
Every mission in the archive tied to Fra Mauro Highlands.
Apollo 13
Launch
April 11, 1970
Status
Successful (Landing Aborted)
Duration
5 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 41 seconds
Crew
Apollo 13 was intended to become humanity's third lunar landing, but an explosion in an oxygen tank transformed it into one of the greatest rescue missions in history. Through extraordinary teamwork between the crew and Mission Control, NASA safely returned all three astronauts to Earth despite catastrophic spacecraft damage.
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Apollo 14
Launch
January 31, 1971
Status
Successful
Duration
9 days, 23 minutes, 9 seconds
Crew
Apollo 14 returned astronauts to the Moon after the Apollo 13 accident. Despite a critical Lunar Module abort-switch malfunction just before landing, the crew safely reached the Fra Mauro Highlands, completed two successful moonwalks, deployed scientific experiments, and restored confidence in NASA's ability to conduct lunar exploration.
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Elsewhere on the Moon
Related locations
Explore the other places connected to this part of the archive.
Mare Tranquillitatis
Sea of Tranquility, the Moon
The site of humanity's first Moon landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down here aboard the Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, spending over twenty-one hours on the surface.
Oceanus Procellarum
Ocean of Storms, the Moon
The Moon's largest mare, and the site of the first precision Apollo landing. Apollo 12 touched down within walking distance of the robotic Surveyor 3 probe, which had landed there in 1967.
Hadley–Apennine
Edge of Mare Imbrium, the Moon
A dramatic site at the foot of the lunar Apennine Mountains, beside the Hadley Rille canyon. Apollo 15 landed here, the first mission to carry the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
Descartes Highlands
Central lunar highlands, the Moon
An ancient highland region chosen specifically because it did not resemble a mare. Apollo 16 landed here, the only Apollo mission to explore terrain unrelated to a lunar sea.
Taurus–Littrow Valley
Edge of Mare Serenitatis, the Moon
A geologically diverse valley on the edge of Mare Serenitatis. Apollo 17, the final crewed lunar landing, spent the longest surface stay of the program exploring this site.