A brief look at previous robotic missions to the moon Presented by Shawn Fenn

Soviet Union Robotic Missions Luna Program –Luna success (flyby) –Luna success (impactor) –Luna success (flyby) –Luna partial failure (lander -> probe) –Luna failure (lander) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna partial success (orbiter) –Luna success (sample return) –Luna success (lander) Lunokhod success (rover) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (lander) Lunokhod success (rover) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) Zond Program –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby)

Soviet Union Robotic Missions Luna Program –Luna success (flyby) –Luna success (impactor) –Luna success (flyby) –Luna partial failure (lander -> probe) –Luna failure (lander) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna partial success (orbiter) –Luna success (sample return) –Luna success (lander) Lunokhod success (rover) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) –Luna success (lander) Lunokhod success (rover) –Luna success (orbiter) –Luna success (lander) Zond Program –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby) –Zond success (flyby)

Luna 1 First spacecraft to reach the Moon Hermetically sealed sphere with external sensors –Cosmic ray counter –Equipment to register the intensity of cosmic rays and a recorder for photons in cosmic radiation. –Geiger counter –Scintillation counter (measures ionizing radiation) –All electrical equipment was powered off silver-zink and mercury oxide batteries. –Total mass kilograms Mission to hit the moon by way of direct ascent trajectory –Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket on Jan –On Jan 4 th 1959 Luna 1 passed 5,995 Km from the Moon at a speed of near 8,900 kilometers per hour Discoveries –Provided new data on Earth’s radiation belt –Found the Moon had no magnetic field

Luna 9 First spacecraft to achieve a lunar soft landing –Achieved landing where Luna 5 – 8 did not, landed about 4 months before Surveyor 1 –Two stage system –Launch platform used an airbag system for Lander impact –Lander 4 petals opened to right the lander and used as reflectors Center cylinder housed and angled mirror used for a periscope to reflect a view of the Moon’s surface. Mission to softland a camera module onto the lunar surface –Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Molniya rocket on Jan –On Feb Luna 9 soft landed on the Moon surface at 7.13 degrees north, degrees west in the Oceanus Procellarum Discoveries –Established that a heavy object would not sink into the lunar dust –Returned five panoramas of the Moon’s surface

Luna 17 / Lunokhod 1 First to land a robotic rover –Luna 17 based off Luna 16 transported Lunokhod 1 instead of Luna 16’s sample return spacecraft –Lunokhod 1 first robotic vehicle to operate on the Moon’s surface Eight independent motorized wire-mesh wheels Lid contained solar cell array to recharge batteries Two man driving team via a pair of tv cameras Special device to impact lunar soil for density and mechanical property tests Included x-ray spectrometer, an x-ray telescope, cosmic-ray detectors, and a laser device Mission to softland Lunokhod –Launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by 4 stage Proton rocket on Nov –On Nov Luna 17 soft landed on the Moon surface at degrees north, 35 degrees west in the Mare Imbrium –Expected to operate 3 lunar days but actually operated for 11 lunar days –15 minutes after landing radio link was established with Lunokhod 1 –Oct Lunokhod officially declared “dead” Discoveries –Lunokhod traveled 10,540 m, transmitted over 20,000 tv pictures, more than 200 tv panoramas, and over 500 lunar soil tests –French built laser reflector on Lunokhod 1 used to measure the precise distance from the Earth to the Moon

Zond 5 First spacecraft to loop around the moon and return to earth –Carried higher resolution cameras for far side moon shots and far earth shots –Carried a biological payload. Turtles, Wine flies, and meal worms Plants, seeds, and bacteria –Was believed to be a test for future manned Moon missions Mission to go around the far side of the moon and return –Launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parked orbit on Sept –On Sept Zond 5 flew around the moon, closest distance was 1950 km. –Sept the reentry capsule entered the earth’s atmosphere, capsule splashed down in the Indian ocean Discoveries –Proved method for spacecraft flight around the moon and back –Found the biological payload okay after being behind the moon

U.S. Missions Pioneer Program –Pioneer 01958failure (orbiter) –Pioneer 11958failure (orbiter) –Pioneer 31958failure (flyby) –Pioneer 41959partial success (flyby) Ranger Program –Ranger failure (impactor) –Ranger 41962success (impactor) –Ranger partial failure (impactor ->flyby) –Ranger 61964failure (impactor) –Ranger 71964success (impactor) –Ranger 81964success (impactor) –Ranger 91964success (impactor) Surveyor Program –Surveyor 11966success (lander) –Surveyor 21966partial failure (lander) –Surveyor 31967success (lander) –Surveyor 41967partial failure (lander) –Surveyor 51967success (lander) –Surveyor 61967success (lander) –Surveyor 71968success (lander)

U.S. Missions Cont. Lunar Orbiter Program –Lunar Orbiter 11966success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 31967success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 41967success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 51968success (orbiter) Other Programs –Explorer success (orbiter) –Clementine1994success (orbiter) –Lunar Prospector success (orbiter)

U.S. Missions Pioneer Program –Pioneer 01958failure (orbiter) –Pioneer 11958failure (orbiter) –Pioneer 31958failure (flyby) –Pioneer 41959partial success (flyby) Ranger Program –Ranger failure (impactor) –Ranger 41962success (impactor) –Ranger partial failure (impactor ->flyby) –Ranger 61964failure (impactor) –Ranger 71964success (impactor) –Ranger 81964success (impactor) –Ranger 91964success (impactor) Surveyor Program –Surveyor 11966success (lander) –Surveyor 21966partial failure (lander) –Surveyor 31967success (lander) –Surveyor 41967partial failure (lander) –Surveyor 51967success (lander) –Surveyor 61967success (lander) –Surveyor 71968success (lander)

U.S. Missions Cont. Lunar Orbiter Program –Lunar Orbiter 11966success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 31967success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 41967success (orbiter) –Lunar Orbiter 51968success (orbiter) Other Programs –Explorer success (orbiter) –Clementine1994success (orbiter) –Lunar Prospector success (orbiter)

Ranger 7 First true successful U.S. spacecraft to return data prior to impact –Shares the same structure design as Ranger 6, 8, and 9 –Carried a wide array of cameras to capture images prior to impact –6 total cameras 2 wide angle 4 narrow angle –Overall height of Ranger 7 was 3.6 m. –Overall cost of Ranger program ~$170 million Mission to hit the moon and take as many picture prior to poof –Launched July –On July impacted the Moon at south, east latitude Results –Transmitted 4,308 excellent quality images

Surveyor 1 First U.S. Soft landing on the Moon –First of several landers to obtain data for possible man mission –Carried very little scientific instrumentation –Over 100 engineering sensors on board Mission to land on the Moon and collect surface data –Launched May –On June landed latitude and longitude Results –Returned surface data that would be used in the later Apollo program.

Surveyor 6 Continued softlanding U.S. spacecraft –4 th Surveyor to land safely on the moon –Carried very simular equipment as its predacesors but added an improved tv camera –Overall cost of the Surveyor program 469 million Mission to land on the Moon and collect surface data –Launched July –On Nov impacted the Moon at 0.49 latitude and Longitude Results –Continued soil sampling and surface conditions –Established that lunar maria are remarkable uniform chemically as well in physical properties

Lunar Orbiter 1 Information gathering program on landing sites and general research –Designed to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface –First of 5 Orbiters that photographed 99% of the moons surface –Total cost of the Lunar Orbiters program $163 Million Mission to orbit and collect possible landing sites along with general exploration –Launched August –On October impacted at 6.35 N, E lunar farside Results –Transmitted 42 high resolution and 187 medium resolution images

Taruntius crater

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