Shorty (crater)
Shorty is a feature on Earth's Moon, an impact crater in the Taurus–Littrow valley.[2] Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited it in 1972, on the Apollo 17 mission.[2][3] It is the location of the famous "orange soil", which geologists believe to be small bits of rapidly-cooled molten rock ejected in a lava fountain.[2] It is about 110 meters (120 yards) in diameter and up to 14 m (15 yd) deep.[4]
To the east of Shorty are Victory, Camelot, and the Apollo 17 landing site. To the southeast is Brontë. To the southwest are Lara and Nansen.
The crater was named after the character "Shorty" in Richard Brautigan's 1967 novel Trout Fishing in America, as well as to honor the genre of the short story with particular reference to J. D. Salinger.[5]