TOP lil.tiUl.T
LUNAAPS SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF SOVIET LUNAR EXPLORATION
Sovietsear of successes in lunar exploration onecember by soft landinghich is sending back pictures and soil data from tha noon's surface.
Lunaas the fifthSoviet lunar operation6 and the second tooft landing. ixth lunar attemptto leave the earth's orbit.
ndoth landed in the Sea ofs did the US Surveyor I. The two Soviet capsules were similar and both took pictures of surface details, but Lunadded two soil-analysisfor hardness and another for density. The data obtained by this method, while valuable, does not directly measure landing conditions as did the US Surveyor I. The US vehicle not only teeted soiland firnness byicture of it* landing leg resting on the surface, but also simulated the conditions of an Apollo landing.
Soviet statements havethat the lunar landingare intended toap ot the Sea of Storms. However, this wouldong and difficult task because of the limited horizon of the camera,wo-foot sphere.
The landing technique used fornd 13 is simple. The carrier vehicle is slowed by retro-rockets as it nears the moon, and the instrument sphere is ejected just before impact. The landing is too hard for manned missions but does not damage rugged instruments. The system could probably be adapted to land apparatus on Mars or Venus.
The other three Soviet lunar operations ndthe moon. Only one, succeeded in taking pictures, and these were of poor quality. Majorwill be necessary tothe pictures needed to make large-scale maps for cosmonaut landings. However, the orbiters did collect unique data on the moon's radiation environment.
top micini.t
Page 11 WEEKLyDec 66
Original document.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: