 A replica of Luna 9 on display in the Museum of Air and Space Paris, Le Bourget. | |
| Mission type | Lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1966-006A |
| SATCATno. | 01954 |
| Mission duration | 6 days, 11 hours, 10 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Ye-6 |
| Manufacturer | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 1583.7 kg[1] |
| Landing mass | 99 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 31 January 1966, 11:41:37 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Molniya-M 8K78M s/n 103-32 |
| Launch site | Baikonur,Site 31/6 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 6 February 1966, 22:55 GMT |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[2] |
| Regime | Highly elliptical |
| Perigee altitude | 220 km |
| Apogee altitude | 500000 km |
| Inclination | 51.8° |
| Period | 14.96 days |
| Epoch | 31 January 1966 |
| Lunar lander | |
| Landing date | 3 February 1966, 18:45:30 GMT |
| Landing site | 7°08′N64°22′W / 7.13°N 64.37°W /7.13; -64.37[3][4][5] |
← Luna 8 | |
Luna 9 (Луна-9), internal designationYe-6 No.13, was anuncrewed space mission of theSoviet Union'sLuna programme. On 3 February 1966, the Luna 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on theMoon and return imagery from its surface.[6][7]
The spacecraft and lander capsule, combined, weighed 1,538 kilograms (3,391 lb) and was 2.7 meters tall. It commenced the main descent, and shortly before itscontrolled impact ejected the lander capsule.The lander had a mass of 99 kilograms (218 lb) and consisted of a spheroidAutomatic Lunar Station (ALS) capsule measuring 58 centimetres (23 in).[6] It used alanding bag to survive the impact speed of over 54 kilometres per hour (34 mph).[8] It was ahermetically sealed container with radio equipment, a program timing device, heat control systems, scientific apparatus, power sources, and a television system.
The spacecraft was developed in the design bureau then known asOKB-1, under Chief DesignerSergei Korolev (who had died before the launch). The first 11 Luna missions were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. At that time the project was transferred toLavochkin design bureau since OKB-1 was busy with a human expedition to the Moon.Luna 9 was the twelfth attempt at a soft-landing by the Soviet Union; it was also the first successful deep space probe built by theLavochkin design bureau, which ultimately would design and build almost all Soviet (laterRussian) lunar and interplanetary spacecraft.[9]
Luna 9 was launched by aMolniya-M rocket, serial number 103-32, flying fromSite 31/6 at theBaikonur Cosmodrome in theKazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Liftoff took place at 11:41:37 GMT on 31 January 1966. The first three stages of the four-stage carrier rocket injected the payload and fourth stage intolow Earth orbit, at an altitude of 168 by 219 kilometres (104 by 136 mi) and aninclination of 51.8°.[2] The fourth stage, aBlok-L, then fired to raise theperigee of the orbit to a newapogee approximately 500,000 kilometres (310,000 mi), before deployingLuna 9 into ahighly ellipticalgeocentric orbit.[2]
For thermal control, the spacecraft then spun itself up to 0.67 rpm using nitrogen jets. On 1 February at 19:29 GMT, a mid-course correction took place involving a 48-second burn and resulting in adelta-v of 71.2 metres per second (234 ft/s).[6]
ObliqueLO3 view ofPlanitia Descensus
| |||||||
At an altitude of 8,300 kilometres (5,200 mi) from the Moon, the spacecraft was oriented for the firing of itsretrorockets and its spin was stopped in preparation for landing. From this moment the orientation of the spacecraft was supported by measurements of directions to the Sun and the Earth using an optomechanical system. At 75 kilometres (47 mi) above the lunar surface, theradar altimeter triggered the jettison of the side modules, the inflation of the airbags and the firing of the retro rockets. At 250 metres (820 ft) from the surface, the main retrorocket was turned off by the integrator of an acceleration having reached the planned velocity of the braking manoeuver. The four outrigger engines were used to slow the craft. About 5 metres (16 ft) above the lunar surface, a contact sensor touched the ground triggering the engines to be shut down and the landing capsule to be ejected and itslanding airbag being inflated. The capsule landed at 22 kilometres per hour (14 mph; 6.1 m/s).[6]
The capsule bounced several times before coming to rest inOceanus Procellarum west ofReiner andMarius craters at approximately7°8′N64°22′W / 7.133°N 64.367°W /7.133; -64.367[3][10] on 3 February 1966 at 18:45:30 GMT.[6]
Approximately 250 seconds after landing in theOceanus Procellarum, four petals that covered the top half of the spacecraft opened outward for increased stability. Seven hours after (to allow for the Sun to climb to 7° elevation) the probe began sending the first of nine images (including five panoramas) of the surface of the Moon. Seven radio sessions with a total of 8 hours and 5 minutes were transmitted, as well as a series of three TV pictures. After assembly the photographs gave a panoramic view of the immediate lunar surface, comprising views of nearby rocks and of the horizon, 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) away.[6]
The pictures fromLuna 9 were not released immediately by the Soviet authorities, but scientists atJodrell Bank Observatory in England, which was monitoring the craft, noticed that the signal format used was identical to the internationally agreedRadiofax system used by newspapers for transmitting pictures. TheDaily Express rushed a suitable receiver to the Observatory and the pictures fromLuna 9 were decoded and published worldwide.[11] TheBBC speculated that the spacecraft's designers deliberately fitted the probe with equipment conforming to the standard, to enable reception of the pictures by Jodrell Bank Observatory.[12]
The radiation detector, the only dedicated scientific instrument on board, measured dosage of 30 millirads (0.3milligrays) per day.[13] The mission also determined that a spacecraft would not sink into thelunar dust; that the ground could support a lander. The last contact with the spacecraft was at 22:55 GMT on 6 February 1966.[6]
Detailed Luna 9 models are on display at theMemorial Museum of Cosmonautics,Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics,Museum of Cosmonautics and Rocket Technology,Museum of Air and Space Paris and other locations.
.JPG)
.jpg)
The successful Luna 9 landing was commemorated on stamps.
.png)
).jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
_1966%2c_MiNr_1168.jpg)
