In the thirty orbits that followed, the crew saw passing views of their landing site in the southern Sea of Tranquility about  southwest of the crater Sabine D. The site was selected in part because it had been characterized as relatively flat and smooth by the automated Ranger 8 and Surveyor 5 landers and the Lunar Orbiter mapping spacecraft, and because it was unlikely to present major landing or EVA challenges.
ɪnðə θˈɜːɾi ˈɔːɹbɪts ðæt fˈɑːloʊd, ðə kɹˈuː sˈɔː pˈæsɪŋ vjˈuːz ʌv ðɛɹ lˈændɪŋ sˈaɪt ɪnðə sˈʌðɚn sˈiː ʌv tɹæŋkwˈɪlᵻɾi ɐbˌaʊt saʊθwˈɛst ʌvðə kɹˈeɪɾɚ sɐbˈiːn dˈiː. ðə sˈaɪt wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd ɪn pˈɑːɹt bɪkˈʌz ɪt hɐdbɪn kˈæɹɪktɚɹˌaɪzd æz ɹˈɛlətˌɪvli flˈæt ænd smˈuːð baɪ ðɪ ˈɔːɾəmˌeɪɾᵻd ɹˈeɪndʒɚɹ ˈeɪt ænd sɚvˈeɪɚ fˈaɪv lˈændɚz ænd ðə lˈuːnɚɹ ˈɔːɹbɪɾɚ mˈæpɪŋ spˈeɪskɹæft, ænd bɪkˈʌz ɪt wʌz ʌnlˈaɪkli tə pɹɪzˈɛnt mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈændɪŋ ɔːɹ ˈiːvə tʃˈælɪndʒᵻz.