The Soviet "Moon Programme"
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Luna17-Photomosaic-002a.jpgRocks and Boulders82 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Luna17-Photomosaic-002b.jpgRocky Panorama58 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Luna17-Photomosaic-003a.jpgRocks and Boulders on the edge of a (small and, possibly, secondary) Crater (1)92 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Luna17-Photomosaic-003b.jpgRocks and Boulders on the edge of a (small?) Crater (2)67 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Luna17-Video.jpgThe "Nest" of Lunokhod-1 (video picture)173 visiteOver 20.000 low-resolution (LR) video pictures were transmitted by Luna 17, primarily for use by the drivers to navigate the Rover. Note the usual horizontal scanlines of a TV camera, as opposed to the vertical scanlines of the cycloramic cameras.
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Luna17_Lander.jpgLuna 17 Lander from atop (small)79 visiteAn amazing spacecraft gently settled to the lunar surface on 17 November 1970. It carried the first successful robotic lunar rover -- Lunokhod 1. For the next ten months the rover was driven by operators in the Soviet Union, with the total distance traveled exceeding 10 km. For comparison, in six years of operation the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has traveled about 12 km.
After landing, the rover drove down a ramp onto the lunar surface and tested its eight wheels. The rover was driven by solar power during the day; at night it parked and relied on thermal energy from a polonium-210 radioisotope heater to survive the cold (-150°C).
The intrepid rover sent back valuable data concerning the composition of the regolith (soil), close up views of the local topography, and important engineering measurements of the regolith.
Note: Soviet Robotic Lander Luna 17 still sitting on Mare Imbrium where it delivered the Lunokhod 1 Rover in November 1970. MareKromium
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Luna17_Lander_1.jpgLuna 17 Lander from atop (EDM)127 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Luna21-D.jpgLuna 21 and Lunokhod 2: a new "Moon-Walk"120 visiteThe Luna 21 spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet Lunar Rover (Lunokhod 2). The primary objectives of the mission were to collect images of the Lunar Surface, examine ambient light levels to determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon, perform laser ranging experiments from Earth, observe solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and study mechanical properties of the Lunar Surface material.
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Luna21-E.jpgLuna 21 and Lunokhod 2: a new "Moon-Walk"100 visiteThe Lunar Rover stood 135 cm high and had a mass of 840 Kg. It was about 170 cm long and 160 cm wide and had 8 wheels, each with an independent suspension, motor and brake. The Rover had two speeds: ~1 km/hr and ~2 km/hr.
Lunokhod 2 was equipped with 3 TV cameras, one mounted high on the Rover for navigation, which could return HR images at different rates (3,2; 5,7; 10,9 or 21,1 seconds per frame). These images were used by a five-man team of controllers on Earth who sent driving commands to the Rover in real time.
Power was supplied by a solar panel on the inside of a round hinged lid which covered the instrument bay, which would charge the batteries when opened. A Polonium-210 isotopic heat source was used to keep the Rover warm during the Lunar Nights.
There also were 4 panoramic cameras mounted on the Rover.
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Luna21-Horz01.jpgThe first picture of the Moon, from Luna-21: LeMonnier Crater113 visiteScientific instruments included a soil mechanics tester, solar X-ray experiment, an astrophotometer to measure visible and UV light levels, a magnetometer deployed in front of the Rover on the end of a 2,5 mt boom, a radiometer, a photodetector (Rubin-1) for laser detection experiments, and a French-supplied laser corner-reflector. The Lander and Rover together weighed 1814 Kg.
Mission Profile
The SL-12/D-1-e launcher put the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit followed by Translunar Injection. On 12 January 1973, Luna 21 was braked into a 90x100 Km orbit around the Moon. On 13 and 14 January, the perilune was lowered to 16 Km altitude. On 15 January, after 40 orbits, the braking rocket was fired at 16 Km altitude, and the craft went into free fall.
At an altitude of 750 mt, the main thrusters began firing, slowing the fall until a height of 22 mt was reached.
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Luna21-Horz02-1.jpgThe "Nest" of Lunokhod-2154 visiteAt this point the main thrusters shut down and the secondary thrusters ignited, slowing the fall until the lander was 1,5 mt above the surface of the Moon, where the engine was cut off.
Landing occurred at 23:35 UT in LeMonnier Crater, located at 25,85° North and 30,45° East.
The Lander carried a bas relief of Lenin and the Soviet coat-of-arms.
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Luna21-Horz05-1.jpgRover tracks and the far distant walls of LeMonnier Crater130 visiteAfter landing, the Lunokhod-2 took TV images of the surrounding area, then rolled down a ramp to the surface at 01:14 UT on 16 January and took pictures of the Luna 21 Lander and Landing Site. It stopped and charged batteries until 18 January, took more images of the Lander and Landing Site, and then set out over the Moon. The Rover would run during the Lunar Day, stopping occasionally to recharge its batteries via the solar panels. At night the Rover would hibernate until the next sunrise, heated by the radioactive source. Lunokhod-2 operated for about 4 months, covered 37 Km of terrain, including hilly upland areas and rilles, and sent back 86 panoramic images and over 80.000 TV pictures.
Many mechanical tests of the surface, laser ranging measurements and other experiments were completed during this time.
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