Editing Mare Imbrium (section)

==Observation and exploration==
Mare Imbrium is visible to the [[naked eye]] from Earth. In the traditional '[[Man in the Moon]]' image seen on the Moon in Western folklore, Mare Imbrium forms the man's right eye.<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 3. {{ISBN?}}</ref>

=== Luna 17 ===
On 17 November 1970 at 03:47 Universal Time, the Soviet spacecraft [[Luna 17]] made a soft landing in the mare, at latitude 38.28 N, and longitude 35.00 W. Luna 17 carried [[Lunokhod 1]], the first robotic [[Rover (space exploration)|rover]] to be deployed on the Moon or any extraterrestrial body. Lunokhod 1, a remote-controlled rover, was successfully deployed and undertook a mission lasting several months.

=== Apollo 15 ===
In 1971, the crewed [[Apollo 15]] mission landed in the southeastern region of Mare Imbrium, between [[Hadley–Apennine|Hadley Rille]] and the [[Montes Apenninus|Apennine Mountains]]. Commander [[David Scott]] and Lunar Module Pilot [[James Irwin]] spent three days on the surface of the Moon, including 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar [[extra-vehicular activity]]. Command Module Pilot [[Alfred Worden]] remained in orbit and acquired hundreds of high-resolution photographs of Mare Imbrium (and other regions of the Moon) as well as other types of scientific data.  The crew on the surface explored the area using the first [[Lunar Roving Vehicle|lunar rover]] and [[Sample return mission|returned to Earth]] with {{convert|77|kg}} of lunar surface material.  Samples were collected from [[Mons Hadley Delta]], believed to be a fault block of pre-Imbrian ([[Nectarian]] or [[Pre-Nectarian]]) lunar crust, including the "[[Genesis Rock]]."  This was also the only Apollo mission to visit a lunar rille, and to observe outcrops of lunar bedrock visible in the rille wall.<ref>[https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a15/as15psr.pdf Apollo 15 Preliminary Science Report] (NASA SP-289), Scientific and Technical Information Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C., 1972.</ref>

=== 2013 Impact ===
On 17 March 2013, an object hit the lunar surface in Mare Imbrium and exploded in a flash of [[apparent magnitude]] 4.<ref name="impact2013">{{cite web
  |date=17 May 2013
  |title=Bright Explosion on the Moon
  |publisher=Science@NASA
  |author=Dr. Tony Phillips
  |url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/16may_lunarimpact/
  |access-date=2013-05-19}}</ref> The resulting crater was 18 meters wide.<ref name="newcratersonmoon">{{cite web
  |date=17 March 2015
  |title = New Craters on the Moon
  |publisher=Goddard Media Studios
  |author=NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
  |url=https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11806
  |access-date=2022-05-13}}</ref> This was the brightest impact recorded since NASA's lunar impact team began monitoring in 2005.

===Chinese landing===
{{Main|Chang'e 3|Yutu (rover)}}
[[File:Chang'e-3 lunar landing site.jpg|thumb|The planned landing site for [[Chang'e 3]] was [[Sinus Iridum]]. The actual landing took place on Mare Imbrium]]
Chang'e 3 landed on 14 December 2013 on Mare Imbrium, about 40&nbsp;km south of the 6&nbsp;km diameter ''Laplace F'' crater,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/3-moon/20131214_change_landing_location.jpg | title = Chang'e 3 landing coordinates | access-date = 2013-12-15 | date = 14 December 2013 | work = China News (CN)}}</ref><ref name='Landing in Mare Imbrium'>{{cite news | author1 = Emily Lakdawalla |author2=Phil Stooke | title = Chang'e 3 has successfully landed on the Moon! | date = December 2013 | url = http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/12140619-change-3-has-successfully-landed.html | work = The Planetary Society | access-date = 2013-12-15}}</ref>  at 44.1260°N 19.5014°W.<ref name='Landing in Mare Imbrium'/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.spaceflightnow.com/china/change3/131214landing/#.Uqzk7EAwCZA | title=China successfully lands robotic rover on the moon>}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://ww2.sinaimg.cn/mw1024/5f50f3afgw1ebjm28fzibj20v31rjgvr.jpg | title = Landing map of Chang'e 3 }}</ref>
The lander deployed the Yutu rover 7 hours and 24 minutes later.<ref>{{cite news | first = Ian | last = O'Neil | title = China's Rover Rolls! Yutu Begins Moon Mission | date = 14 December 2013 | publisher = CCTV | url = http://news.discovery.com/space/chinas-rover-rolls-yutu-begins-moon-mission-131214.htm | work = Discovery News | access-date = 2013-12-15 | archive-date = 3 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185633/http://news.discovery.com/space/chinas-rover-rolls-yutu-begins-moon-mission-131214.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> Chang'e 3 mission attempted to perform the first direct measurement of the structure and depth of the [[lunar soil]] down to a depth of {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and investigate the [[Internal structure of the Moon|lunar crust structure]] down to several hundred meters deep.<ref name="xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/">{{Cite news |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/14/c_112217044.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617020908/http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/14/c_112217044.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2012 |title=欧阳自远：嫦娥三号明年发射将实现着陆器与月球车联合探测 |publisher=Xinhua|date=14 June 2012|access-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> The rover's ground penetrating radar found evidence of at least nine distinct [[rock layers]], indicating that the area had surprisingly complex geological processes and is compositionally distinct from the Apollo and Luna landing sites.<ref name="layered">{{cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |url=http://www.space.com/28810-moon-history-chinese-lunar-rover.html?adbid=10152690360766466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465 |title=The Moon's History Is Surprisingly Complex, Chinese Rover Finds |work=Space.com |date=12 March 2015 |access-date=13 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=A young multilayered terrane of the northern Mare Imbrium revealed by Chang'E-3 mission |journal=Science |date=13 March 2015 |last=Xiao |first=Long |volume=347 |issue=6227 |pages=1226–1229 |doi=10.1126/science.1259866 |bibcode = 2015Sci...347.1226X |pmid=25766228|s2cid=206561783 }}</ref>