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Taurus–Littrow
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<p> <a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Taurus%E2%80%93Littrow¶ms=20_N_31_E_globe:Moon">20°00′N 31°00′E / 20.0°N 31.0°E / 20.0; 31.0</a> </p> <p>Taurus–Littrow is a <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">lunar</a> <a href="/facts/Valley/gKmvE6L1">valley</a> located on the <a href="/facts/Near_side_of_the_Moon/6sLbr6dt">near side</a> at the coordinates <a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Taurus%E2%80%93Littrow¶ms=20.0_N_31.0_E_globe:moon">20°00′N 31°00′E / 20.0°N 31.0°E / 20.0; 31.0</a>. It served as the landing site for the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">American</a> <a href="/facts/Apollo_17/5szGEz7n">Apollo 17</a> mission in December 1972, the last crewed mission to the Moon. The valley is located on the southeastern edge of <a href="/facts/Mare_Serenitatis/jVIk5e9d">Mare Serenitatis</a> along a ring of <a href="/facts/Mountains/wboT5GJc">mountains</a> formed between 3.8 and 3.9 billion years ago when a large object impacted the Moon, forming the Serenitatis basin and pushing rock outward and upward. </p><p>Taurus–Littrow is located in the <a href="/facts/Montes_Taurus/f768FNVA">Taurus mountain range</a> and south of <a href="/facts/Littrow_(crater)/Xsm6nYxg">Littrow crater</a>, features from which the valley received its name. The valley's name, coined by the Apollo 17 crew, was approved by the <a href="/facts/International_Astronomical_Union/GMFPImXo">International Astronomical Union</a> in 1973. </p><p>Data collected during Apollo 17 indicate that the valley is composed primarily of <a href="/facts/Feldspar/DVvFnfA9">feldspar</a>-rich <a href="/facts/Breccia/fEmNFy8W">breccia</a> in the large <a href="/facts/Massif/0tR9poFq">massifs</a> surrounding the valley and <a href="/facts/Basalt/uhbwGPTb">basalt</a> underlying the valley floor, covered by an unconsolidated layer of <a href="/facts/Regolith/EdXuHK56">mixed material</a> formed by various geologic events. Taurus–Littrow was selected as the Apollo 17 landing site with the objectives of sampling <a href="/facts/Lunar_highlands/vhIu0V7k">highland</a> material and young <a href="/facts/Volcano/c2M5upml">volcanic</a> material at the same location. </p>