[APOLLO 16] THE LUNAR ROVER AT THE FOOT OF STONE MOUNTAIN. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, 22 APRIL 1972.

The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa

[APOLLO 16]

THE LUNAR ROVER AT THE FOOT OF STONE MOUNTAIN. 22 APRIL 1972.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic color photograph, 10 by 8 inches, “A Kodak Paper” watermark to verso. NASA image ID “NASA AS16-107-17473” printed in upper left margin in red.

Here, the Lunar Rover is parked in a lunar depression at the foot of Stone Mountain, and a sample collection bag is visible in the foreground. This image of the lunar landscape was captured during the second EVA of the Apollo 16 mission. After marvelling at the view from the slope of Stone Mountain—which Duke described as "spectacular"⁠—Young and Duke gathered samples in the vicinity. They hoped to find Descartes material that had not been contaminated by ejecta from South Ray Crater, and the samples they managed to gather there (although their origin is still not certain), were, according to geologist Don Wilhelms, "a reasonable bet to be Descartes."