Lunokhod 1
Lunokhod 1 is the first of two unmanned lunar rovers landed on the
Moon by the
Soviet Union as part of its
Lunokhod program. The spacecraft which carried Lunokhod 1 was named
Luna 17. Lunokhod was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world.
- Launch Date/Time: 1970-11-10 at 14:44:01 UTC
- On-orbit dry mass: 5600 kg
Luna 17 was launched from an earth parking orbit towards the Moon and entered lunar orbit on
November 15,
1970. The spacecraft soft landed on the Moon in the
Sea of Rains on
November 17. The spacecraft had dual ramps by which the payload, Lunokhod 1, descended to the lunar surface. Lunokhod 1 was a lunar vehicle formed of a tub-like compartment with a large convex lid on eight independently powered wheels. Lunokhod was equipped with a cone-shaped
antenna, a highly directional helical antenna, four television cameras, and special extendable devices to impact the lunar soil for soil density and mechanical property tests. An x-ray spectrometer, an x-ray telescope,
cosmic ray detectors, and a
laser device were also included. The vehicle was powered by a
solar cell array mounted on the underside of the lid. Lunokhod was intended to operate through three
lunar days but actually operated for eleven lunar days. The operations of Lunokhod officially ceased on
October 4,
1971, the anniversary of
Sputnik 1. Lunokhod had traveled 10,540 m and had transmitted more than 20,000 TV pictures and more than 200 TV panoramas. It had also conducted more than 500 lunar soil tests.
External links