Fresh Crater in Center of Older Crater Basin

A fresh new crater in the center of an older crater basin is shown in this picture (FDS27459) of the surface of Mercury taken March 29, by Mariner 10. The newer crater (almost centered in the photo) is about 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) across. The picture, which covers an area 130 by 170 kilometers (90 by 105 miles), was taken from a distance of about 20,700 kilometers (12,860 miles) a half-hour before Mariner 10 made its closest flyby of Mercury.

The Mariner 10 mission, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, explored Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with Mercury-in March and September 1974 and in March 1975. The spacecraft took more than 7,000 photos of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon.