posted 10-03-2013 12:31 AM               

But the features they chose for their names, and for a lunar mountain, were not selected by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which has led Jim Lovell and Bill Anders to now protest.

...recent letters to New Scientist from two Apollo astronauts – including Apollo 13 crew member Jim Lovell – show that even blazing a trail into space and setting eyes on off-world features for the first time is no guarantee of success.

...Anders says he made his feelings clear to the International Astronomical Union, responsible for naming celestial objects. "I wrote to the IAU to try to correct this and even included the flight map. I got brushed off by its bureaucracy – and never got my map back," he writes.

Both Lovell and Anders got in touch with us in the wake of our recent story on the IAU's decision to consider public input when naming newly discovered exoplanets and other space objects.

When contacted by New Scientist, the IAU said it had been unaware of the controversy and that it is hard to comment on the process given the time that has elapsed. It is possible that NASA, rather than the astronauts, communicated with the IAU over the choice of craters, said a spokesperson.

posted 10-03-2013 08:35 AM               

The IAU recently said that it would consider public opinion in future when naming objects - which has prompted Lovell to ask for "Mount Marilyn" to be recognised as an official name.

posted 10-03-2013 10:22 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by fredtrav:
relegated to a position of insignificance

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posted 10-03-2013 11:23 AM               

But to deny the first explorers of the Moon the authority to name landmarks that aided in the landings is short-sighted at best.

posted 10-03-2013 02:26 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The IAU has 10,000 astronomers as members and more than 70 nations (the United States included) are partners. Even if NASA were for some reason to ignore the IAU, it would not cause the organization or its registry to be insignificant.

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posted 10-03-2013 04:22 PM            

Some of the features named by the Apollo astronauts are very particular to Apollo or the U.S. for example Boot Hill, Sidewinder Rille and U.S. 1.

I wonder how people in the U.S. would respond to names given to features on the moon if the Soviet Union had beaten Apollo to the moon. Also how would the same people respond if China get to Mars and start naming everything in sight.

posted 10-07-2013 07:04 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by robsouth:
I wonder how people in the U.S. would respond to names given to features on the moon if the Soviet Union had beaten Apollo to the moon.

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posted 10-08-2013 08:58 PM               

Defending Mount Marilyn: Astronauts want lunar landmark names recognized

If Google Maps existed back in 1969 and included directions for navigating to the surface of the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin might have plugged in "Tranquility Base" and been told to begin their descent by passing over "Mount Marilyn" on their way to mankind's first lunar landing.

Entering today a search on the real Google Moon website turns up no lunar features named "Mount Marilyn." It does however, find "Montes Secchi," the label later assigned to the same lunar mountain by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

"You can google 'Mount Marilyn' you know," James Lovell, who piloted the first manned spacecraft to circle the moon and later commanded Apollo 13, told collectSPACE.com, in reference to the overall search engine. "But it was never officially recognized by the IAU."

posted 04-10-2015 08:31 AM               

I was pleased to hear from you and your curiosity concerning Mt. Marilyn intrigued me. I was not aware that Norman Mailer revealed this fact in his book.

NASA played this thoughtful gesture of my husband down, saying only famous male deceased scientists were named on the moon. Of course this was before woman's lib!!

The only other person who gave me credibility was Neil Armstrong. As he was about to land on the moon, he was naming craters, etc. as his check points and he did mention Mt. Marilyn. I was elated.

In December, 1968 I went to Cape Kennedy to witness the launch of Apollo 8. The children and I rented an apartment on the beach. A few days before the launch my husband joined us for a short visit. He brought an enlargement of a portion of the moon that was taken up close by an unmanned satellite. It was then he told me about Mt. Marilyn.

I was touched by this event. Yes, it was a romantic and emotional gesture for a man who was about to be one of the first men to circle the moon. I might add — Mt. Marilyn is framed and signed by my favorite astronaut.

posted 07-27-2017 02:02 PM               

The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved three Apollo 11 landing site names: Mount Marilyn, Little West, and Double.