During the First U.S. Lunar Landing, the Soviets Crashed Into the Moon | Mental Floss During the First U.S. Lunar Landing, the Soviets Crashed Into the Moon AerospaceWeb Like us on Facebook While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were concluding humanity's first Moonwalk, the Soviets made an oopsie: their Luna 15 probe crashed into the Moon. The crash site was about 530 miles from the Sea of Tranquility. On July 21, 1969, people around the world were glued to TV images of the Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon. But space specialists were also tracking the Soviet Luna 15 probe, which had launched three days before the Apollo mission. Luna 15 was just one in a long line of Soviet probes that had made it to the Moon—Luna 2 was the first human-made object to crash into the Moon way back in August 1959 (other Luna missions included the first lunar flybys, first photographs of the far side of the Moon, and so on).

Robots and Radios Luna 15's primary mission, although the Soviets didn't admit it at the time , was to land, collect samples of the lunar surface, and then return the sample via a small capsule. If that had worked, the sample would have been the first robotic return of lunar material, scoring a PR victory for the Soviet space program. Of course, that didn't work out. Frank Borman on the Apollo 8 mission. Image courtesy of NASA. The timing of the Luna 15 mission was a little freaky for NASA, as it would orbit the Moon at the same time as Apollo 11, and both would be transmitting radio signals to Earth. NASA enlisted Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman to get some intelligence on Luna 15's flight plan; Borman was friendly with the Soviets, and had just returned from a trip to the USSR (indeed, he was the first astronaut to do so). NASA's concern was that Luna 15 might introduce radio interference if its orbit was too close to that of Apollo 11. Borman's info from the Soviets confirmed that it wouldn't be a problem, and a worldwide sigh of relief followed. Luna 16 image courtesy of NASA.

The Luna 16 mission (pictured above) later succeeded where Luna 15 had failed. Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth; the sample came back on September 24, 1970. It brought home 101 grams of lunar regolith. (The Apollo 11 astronauts brought back well over 20 kilograms of material, though it was a dramatically larger and more expensive mission. It's notable that in 1970, the Soviets had robots capable of doing this work—that's a huge achievement.) Drama of the Highest Order There is an audio recording of scientists monitoring the Luna 15 mission (spanning July 19-21, 1969). The audio was released in 2009 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing. The audio is from British scientists at the Jodrell Bank Observatory , and features astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell and others who were listening in to both American and Soviet radio transmissions via the Lovell radio telescope. The recordings span various sessions, with the first drama being a Luna 15 course change on Sunday, July 20.

That course change brought it closer to the landing site of Apollo, which was a bit of a shocker given the Soviet flight plan previously provided. The next dramatic moment came on July 21 when the probe began to descend; it suddenly became clear to Lovell's team that Luna 15 was designed to land, not just take orbital photos as the Soviets had indicated. This surprised everyone in the listening room, and you can hear them discuss a rumor from a source in Moscow suggesting that the probe was designed to return a sample. The team proceeds to listen as the probe lands, exclaiming "It's landing!" and "Phew!" The very last line is classic: "I say, this has really been drama of the highest order!" NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1970-072A Description Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth and represented the first lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union and the third overall, following the Apollo 11 and 12 missions. The spacecraft consisted of two attached stages, an ascent stage mounted on top of a descent stage.

The descent stage was a cylindrical body with four protruding landing legs, fuel tanks, a landing radar, and a dual descent engine complex. A main descent engine was used to slow the craft until it reached a cutoff point which was determined by the onboard computer based on altitude and velocity. After cutoff a bank of lower thrust jets was used for the final landing. The descent stage also acted as a launch pad for the ascent stage. The ascent stage was a smaller cylinder with a rounded top. It carried a cylindrical hermetically sealed soil sample container inside a re-entry capsule. The spacecraft descent stage was equipped with a television camera, radiation and temperature monitors, telecommunications equipment, and an extendable arm with a drilling rig for the collection of a lunar soil sample. Mission profile The Luna 16 automatic station was launched toward the Moon from a preliminary Earth orbit and after one mid-course correction on 13 September it entered a circular 111 km lunar orbit on 17 September 1970. The lunar gravity was studied from this orbit, and then the spacecraft was fired into an elliptical orbit with a perilune of 15.1 km. The main braking engine was fired on 20 September, initiating the descent to the lunar surface.

The main descent engine cut off at an altitude of 20 m and the landing jets cut off at 2 m height at a velocity less than 2.4 m/s, followed by vertical free-fall. At 05:18 UT, the spacecraft soft landed on the lunar surface in Mare Foecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility) as planned, at 0.5137 S, 56.3638 E, approximately 100 km west of Webb crater. This was the first landing made in the dark on the Moon, as the Sun had set about 60 hours earlier. According to the Bochum Radio Space Observatory in the Federal Republic of Germany, strong and good quality television pictures were returned by the spacecraft. However, such pictures were not made available to the U.S. by any sources so there is question as to the reliability of the Bochum report. The drill was deployed and penetrated to a depth of 35 cm before encountering hard rock or large fragments of rock. The column of regolith in the drill tube was then transferred to the soil sample container.

After 26 hours and 25 minutes on the lunar surface, the ascent stage, with the hermetically sealed soil sample container, lifted off from the Moon carrying 101 grams of collected material at 07:43 UT on 21 September. The lower stage of Luna 16 remained on the lunar surface and continued transmission of lunar temperature and radiation data. The Luna 16 re-entry capsule returned directly to Earth without any mid-course corrections, made a ballistic entry into the Earth's atmosphere on 24 September and deployed parachutes. The capsule landed approximately 80 km SE of the city of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 03:26 UT. Spacecraft image for illustrative purposes - not necessarily in the public domain. Alternate Names Bonhams : FIRST ROBOTIC PROBE TO LAND ON THE MOON LUNA 16 MODEL FIRST ROBOTIC PROBE TO LAND ON THE MOON LUNA 16 MODEL Metal, plastic & resin 1:18 scale model, unknown Russian manufacturer, ca. 1980.

The Luna Program was a series of unmanned, robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union from 1959 to 1976. Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth in September, 1970. The probe was launched by the Proton-K/D rocket and is portrayed in this model in its complete configuration after its descent to the Moon's surface. The top section of the probe would disconnect during the ascent stage before its return to earth, leaving the lower section on the Moon's surface to continue transmission of lunar temperature and radiation data. Activities Go to Space History Auction information This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department . If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services . Buyers' Obligations ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS.

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Contacts Historic Spacecraft - Robotic Lunar Probes Historic Spacecraft ( View Larger Version ) Robotic Lunar Exploration Since the late 1950's, well over 50 space probes have been sent to explore Earth's moon. Many early missions failed to complete their objectives. The Soviet Union accomplished several important firsts, including the first probe to impact the Moon (Luna 2) and the first probe to land and return data from the surface (Luna 9). After a string of failures, the first completely successful American mission was Ranger 7 in 1964. More American missions, including the Surveyor landers and the Lunar Orbiter survey missions , helped pave the way for the Apollo Lunar Missions later in the decade. Soviet missions flown in 1970 included both the first robotic lunar rover, Lunokhod 1, and the first successful automated sample return mission, Luna 16. After several decades of relatively few missions, lunar exploration has seen a renaissance of sorts in recent years. During the last ten years, lunar missions have been flown by the United States, Europe, Japan, India, and China.

A number of additional missions are currently being planned Pioneer The Pioneer program was a series of exploration probes launched between 1958 and 1978. Pioneer probes conducted various missions, including some of the first lunar probes, investigations of conditions in interplanetary space, exploration of the planet Venus, as well as the first flybys of Jupiter and Saturn. Pioneer 0, 1, and 2 First attempts to explore space in the vicinity of the Moon. Each probe was launched on a Thor-Able rocket (right). Unfortunately, all three attempts failed to reach Lunar orbit. Pioneer 0 (Able 1) Pioneer 0 was launched on 17 August 1958. A booster explosion shortly after liftoff destroyed the spacecraft. Pioneer 1 (Able 2) Pioneer 1 was launched on 11 October 1958. The spacecraft failed to reach Lunar orbit due to a booster malfunction. The probe provided data on radiation and magnetic fields in near-Earth space. Pioneer 1 reentered Earth's atmosphere 43 hours after launch. Pioneer 2 (Able 3) Pioneer 2 was launched on 8 November 1958.

A booster malfunction prevented the spacecraft from reaching the Moon. Pioneer 1 Replica Replica of Pioneer 1 on display at the Udvar Hazy Center. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2009) Pioneer 3 and 4 The battery powered Pioneer 3 and 4 probes were equipped with geiger counters to provide radiation data from trans-lunar space. Pioneer 3 and 4 were launched on Juno 2 rockets (right). Pioneer 3 Pioneer 3, launched on 6 December 1958, failed to achieve escape velocity due to a booster failure. Pioneer 4 Pioneer 4, launched on 3 March 1959, was the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravitational pull. The probe successfully flew within 60,000km of the Lunar surface. Pioneer 4 Replica Replica of the Pioneer 4 spacecraft on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2009) Pioneer P-3, P-30, P-31 A series of attempted Lunar orbiters launched on Atlas Able rockets (right).

The probes carried a variety of scientific experiments, including a television camera, micrometeorite detectors, and radiation experiments. Pioneer P-3 (Atlas-Able-4) Pioneer P-3 was launched on an Atlas-D Able rocket on 26 November 1959. A payload shroud failure shortly after launch resulted in destruction of the spacecraft. Pioneer P-30 (Atlas-Able-5A) Pioneer P-30 was launched on an Atlas-D Able rocket on 25 September 1960. A booster failure resulted in a failure to reach orbit. Pioneer P-31 (Atlas-Able-5B) Pioneer P-31 was launched on an Atlas-D Able rocket on 15 December 1960. A booster explosion shortly after launch destroyed the spacecraft. Ranger Program The Ranger program was a series of American missions flown between 1961 and 1965. Objectives included testing equipment and procedures for lunar missions, landing instrument packages on the lunar surface, and returning television images of the lunar surface. Nine Ranger probes were launched. After a string of partial and complete failures, the last three missions were successful.

All ranger missions were launched on Atlas-Agena B rockets (right). Ranger Block 1 The first two Ranger missions were designed as engineering tests. Not intended to directly investigate the Moon, the spacecraft were to enter high Earth orbits for testing of equipment and procedures for later lunar missions. Ranger 1 Ranger 1 was launched on 23 August 1961. A failure with the Agena-B upper stage resulted in an orbit much lower than planned. The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on 30 August 1961. Ranger 2 Ranger 2 was launched on 18 November 1961. A failure with the Agena-B upper stage resulted in an orbit much lower than planned. The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on 20 November 1961. Ranger Block 2 Rangers 3, 4 and 5, collectively known as "Block 2" missions, were designed to impact the Moon's surface. Several minutes before impact, a television camera was to start imaging the lunar surface, returning images of higher resolution than possible with Earth-based telescopes.

Prior to impact, the spacecraft was to release an instrument package designed to survive hard landing on the Moon's surface. The surface science package included a seismometer, batteries, and radio transmitters. A solid fueled retro rocket would slow the capsule as it neared the surface. For further impact protection, the instruments were encased in a fluid filled, balsa wood sphere. Three block 2 missions were launched. All three missions failed. Ranger 3 Ranger 3 was launched on 26 January 1962. Technical problems resulted in the spacecraft missing the Moon. Ranger 4 Ranger 5 was launched on 18 October 1962. The spacecraft failed before reaching the Moon. Ranger Block 3 A primary objective of the Ranger block 3 probes was to return television images of the Lunar surface. Each block 3 mission flew a trajectory ending in a lunar surface impact. Approaching the moon, six television cameras recorded images of the surface. These images were immediately transmitted to Earth. The images returned, far superior to those obtainable by Earth-based telescopes, aided planning for the later Apollo landing missions. Four block 3 missions were launched. While the first mission failed, the last three were successful.

Ranger 6 Ranger 6 was launched on 30 January 1964 . The spacecraft impacted the Moon as planned, but no images were returned. Ranger 7 Ranger 7 was launched on 28 July 1964. The successful mission returned several thousand images before impacting the surface. Ranger 7 Replica Replica of the Ranger 7 Lunar probe on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008-2009) Ranger 8 Ranger 8 was launched on 17 February 1965. The successful mission returned several thousand images before impacting the surface. Ranger 9 Ranger 9 was launched on 21 March 1965. The successful mission returned several thousand images before impacting the surface. Surveyor Program The United States launched seven Surveyor lunar landing probes between 1966 and 1968. Five landed successfully on the moon. All Surveyor missions were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Atlas-Centaur rockets. A solid rocket motor, attached to the lander, would fire around 75 km above the lunar surface.

After slowing the decent considerably, the rocket would be jettisoned. Vernier engines would be used for most of the remaining descent. Several meters above the surface, the vernier engines would cut off and the spacecraft would drop to a landing. Surveyor Test Article Photos Surveyor Lunar lander on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008) Surveyor Solid Rocket Motor Photos Photos of a Surveyor Solid Rocket Motor on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008) Surveyor Missions Surveyor 1 Surveyor 1 was launched on 30 May 1966. The lander successfully touched down on June 2nd. The mission operated for several weeks and returned over 11,000 photographs of the lander and surrounding area. All planned objectives were accomplished. Surveyor 2 Surveyor 2 was launched on 20 SEP 1966. A problem during a mid-course maneuver resulted in the spacecraft tumbling out of control and the lander impacted the Moon. Surveyor 3 Surveyor 3 was launched on 17 APR 1967.

The spacecraft landed on the Moon several days later and accomplished all planned objectives. In 1969, the crew of Apollo 12 landed near the Surveyor 3 lander. Several parts of the lander were recovered and returned to Earth for study. Surveyor 3 Camera Photos of the Surveyor 3 television camera on display at the National Air and Space Museum.(Photos: Richard Kruse, 2009) Surveyor 4 Surveyor 4 was launched on 14 JUL 1967. The mission proceeded normally until all contact was lost shortly before landing.. Surveyor 5 Surveyor 5 was launched on 8 SEP 1967. The spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon several days later. All planned objectives were accomplished. Surveyor 6 Surveyor 6 was launched on 7 NOV 1967. The spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon several days later. All planned objectives were accomplished. Surveyor 7 Surveyor 7 was launched on 7 JAN 1968. The spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon several days later. All planned objectives were accomplished.

Lunar Orbiter Program Launched during 1966 and 1967, five Lunar Orbiter probes photographed much of the Moons surface. Data provided by the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft was used to evaluate landing sites for Apollo missions. Lunar Orbiter Missions Returned 170 grams of Lunar samples to Earth. NOTE: This chart does not include missions that were never given official Luna mission numbers. Few details for these failed missions are publically available. Luna 3 Launched October 4, 1959, Luna 3 was the first spacecraft to return images of the Lunar far side. (Illustration: Richard Kruse, 2002) Luna 9 Launched January 31, 1966, Luna 9 was the first spacecraft to conduct a soft landing on the Moon. (Illustration: Richard Kruse, 2002) Luna 16 Launched September 12, 1970, Luna 16 was the first unmanned spacecraft to return Lunar samples to Earth.

(Illustration: Richard Kruse, 2002) Lunokhod 2 Launched with Luna 21 on January 8, 1973, Lunokhod 2 was the second Lunar rover to operate on the Moon. Lunokhod 2 traveled 37 km across the Moon. (Illustration: Richard Kruse, 2002) Clementine A joint project between the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and NASA, Clementine was launched on 25 January 1994. Among other objectives, Clementine spent several months mapping the lunar surface. An attempted asteroid flyby failed. The mission was launched on a Titan-23G rocket Clementine Engineering Model Clementine Spacecraft Engineering Model on display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photos: Richard Kruse, 2008-2009) Lunar Prospector (Discovery 3) Lunar Prospector, the third mission in NASA's Discovery program , mapped the chemical composition of the lunar surface from a low polar orbit. The spacecrafts main body measured 1.28 m tall and 1.37 m in diameter. Three instrumented booms extended from the probe.

Lunar Prospector was launched on an Athena-2 rocket (right) on 6 January 1998. Its mission complete, the spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the Moon's southern polar area on 31 July 1999. Scientists observed the resulting impact plume hoping to find evidence of water ice. No evidence of water was found. Lunar Prospector Scientific Payloads SMART-1 SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology) SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology) was the first European mission to orbit the Moon. The spacecraft tested several technologies for future missions, including miniaturized science instruments and solar-electric propulsion. The spacecraft body was about one cubic meter in size. The solar cell arrays spanned 14 meters when deployed. SMART-1 was launched on 27 September 2003 as a secondary payload on an Ariane-5 rocket . The launch took place at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Its mission complete, the spacecraft purposely impacted the lunar surface on 3 September 2006.

SMART-1 Scientific Payloads Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer/X-ray Solar Monitor (D-CIXS/XSM) Spacecraft Potential, Electron and Dust Experiment (SPEDE) Radio Science Investigations (RSIS) SELENE (Kaguya) SELENE (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer), also known as Kaguya, was a Japanese lunar orbiter mission. SELENE, along with two sub satellites, Okina and Ouna, was launched on an H-2A-2022 rocket (right) on 14 September 2007. The spacecraft studied the Moon with a variety of sophisticated instruments. Over a dozen experiments gathered data on the elemental and mineral composition of the surface, the surface and subsurface structure, the local environment, and gravity field distribution. A high-definition television camera provided stunning views of the lunar surface and of the Earth. Its mission complete, the SELENE spacecraft was commanded to impact the Moon in June of 2009.

SELENE Scientific Payloads Plasma energy angle and composition experiment (PACE) Radio science (RS) Upper atmosphere and plasma imager (UPI) Gravitational Field Four-way doppler measurements by relay satellite and main orbiter transponder (RSAT) Differential VLBI radio source (VRAD) Chang'e-1 China's First Moon Probe Chang'e-1 was launched on a Long March CZ-3A rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 24 October 2007. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit in November, 2007. Scientific objectives included mapping the Moon's surface in 3D, mapping concentrations of certain elements, investigating the thickness of lunar regolith, and studying the environment between the Earth and Moon. Its mission complete, the Chang'e-1 spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the Moon in March, 2009. Chang'e-1 Scientific Payloads Chandrayaan-1 India's First Moon Mission Chandrayaan-1, the first Moon mission designed, built and launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), was designed to study the lunar surface and environment using a variety of scientific instruments.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). The launch occurred on 22 October 2008. The spacecraft entered a polar lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. The spacecraft carried a sub satellite designed to impact the Moon. Known as the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), the sub satellite carried three instruments, a video imaging system, a radar altimeter, and a mass spectrometer. The MIP successfully impacted the lunar surface on 14 November 2008. Contact was lost with the orbiting spacecraft in 2009.

Chandrayaan-1 Included Eleven Scientific Payloads Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) Smart near Infrared Spectrometer (SIR-2) Sub KeV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX) Miniature Synthetic Aperture radar (Mini-SAR) Chandrayaan-1 Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS) Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM) Moon Impact Probe (MIP) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) LRO was launched on an Atlas V 401 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base on 18 June 2009. The spacecraft is investigating the Moon using seven instruments.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Scientific Instruments Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE) Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) LCROSS LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) was launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base on 18 June 2009. The Centaur upper-stage, that served as second stage of the Atlas 5 launch vehicle , was sent on a trajectory to impact the lunar polar region. Scientists hoped the impact, and resulting debris cloud, would provide clues as to the presence of water-ice and other elements in the lunar soil. Before impact, the LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft, or S-S/C, detached from the Centaur stage and performed a braking maneuver to increase separation between the probe and the upcoming impact. The Shepherding Spacecraft observed the Centaur impact with a suite of nine instruments.

Data was immediately transmitted to Earth, as the spacecraft, on nearly the same trajectory as the Centaur, impacted the surface four minutes later. Data returned from the mission indicated that water ice was present in the lunar soil. LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft Scientific Instruments Visible Camera (VIS) Near Infrared Camera 1 (NIR1) Near Infrared Camera 2 (NIR2) Mid Infrared Camera 1 (MIR1) Mid Infrared Camera 2 (MIR2) Visible Spectrometer (VSP) Near Infrared Spectrometer 1 (NSP1) Near Infrared Spectrometer 2 (NSP2) Total Luminance Photometer (TLP) Chang'e-2 Chang'e-2 Moon Probe Chang'e-2 was launched on a Long March CZ-3C rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on 1 October 2007. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 6 October 2010. Chang'e-2 conducted a flyby of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis on 12 December 2012.

GRAIL NASA's GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) mission was designed to map the Moon's gravity field in far greater detail than previous surveys. The mission is comprised of two spacecraft. Both spacecraft were launched on the same Delta-7925H-10-C rocket (right). The launch took place on 10 September 2011 from Space Launch Complex-17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft, known as GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will orbit the Moon at around 50 km altitude. The probes will be separated by around 200 km. GRAIL was the 11th mission in NASA's Discovery program . LADEE NASA's LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) spacecraft was designed to study the Moon's atmosphere. The propulsion system consists of a 455N orbit control thruster, and four 22N attitude control thrusters. The spacecraft was launched on a Minotaur V solid fueled rocket (right). The launch took place on 6 September 2013 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

LADEE Spacecraft Scientific Instruments Bisbos.com :: SF : Spacecraft: Past: Lunar Probes Lunar Probes Spacecraft: Past: Lunar Probes Luna 16 Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth. It represented the first lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union, and was the third lunar sample return mission overall, following the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions. Luna 16 landed on the Moon at 0.68 degrees south, 56.30 degrees east in the Mare Foecundatis, on 20th September 1970, at 5.18 UTC - during the lunar night. Luna 16 Soviet Moon Lander in Kaluga, Russian Federation (Google Maps) - Virtual Globetrotting Kaluga , Russian Federation (RU) Luna 16 was an unmanned space mission, part of the Soviet Luna program. Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth.

Launch date 12 September 1970 Lander Landing date 20 September 1970, Lander Return launch 21 September 1970 Landing date 24 September 1970 Google Maps Luna 16 - Example Problems Luna 16 Jump to: navigation , search To meet Wikipedia's quality standards , this article or section may require cleanup . See rationale on the talk page , or replace this tag with a more specific message . Editing help is available. (Tagged August 2005) 80 km SE of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan . Mission Duration: 0°41' S, - 56°18' E. Lunar liftoff: Remote arm for sample collection : collect lunar material Luna 16 was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program , also called Lunik 16. Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth and represented the first lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union and the third overall, following the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions.

The spacecraft consisted of two attached stages, an ascent stage mounted on top of a descent stage. The descent stage was a cylindrical body with four protruding landing legs, fuel tanks, a landing radar, and a dual descent engine complex. A main descent engine was used to slow the craft until it reached a cutoff point which was determined by the onboard computer based on altitude and velocity. After cutoff a bank of lower thrust jets was used for the final landing. The descent stage also acted as a launch pad for the ascent stage. The ascent stage was a smaller cylinder with a rounded top. It carried a cylindrical hermetically sealed soil sample container inside a re-entry capsule. The spacecraft descent stage was equipped with a television camera, radiation and temperature monitors, telecommunications equipment, and an extendable arm with a drilling rig for the collection of a lunar soil sample. Mission profile The Luna 16 automatic station was launched toward the Moon from a preliminary Earth orbit and after one mid-course correction on 13 September it entered a circular 111 km lunar orbit on September 17 , 1970 . The lunar gravity was studied from this orbit , and then the spacecraft was fired into an elliptical orbit with a perilune of 15.1 km.

The main braking engine was fired on 20 September , initiating the descent to the lunar surface. The main descent engine cut off at an altitude of 20 m and the landing jets cut off at 2 m height at a velocity less than 2.4 m/s, followed by vertical free-fall. At 05:18 UT, the spacecraft softly landed on the lunar surface in Mare Fecunditatis (the Sea of Fertility) as planned, approximately 100 km west of Webb crater. This was the first landing made in the dark on the Moon, as the Sun had set about 60 hours earlier. According to the Bochum Radio Space Observatory in the Federal Republic of Germany , strong and good quality television pictures were returned by the spacecraft. The drill was deployed and penetrated to a depth of 35 cm before encountering hard rock or large fragments of rock. The column of regolith in the drill tube was then transferred to the soil sample container.

After 26 hours and 25 minutes on the lunar surface, the ascent stage, with the hermetically sealed soil sample container, lifted off from the Moon carrying 101 grams of collected material at 07:43 UT on 21 September . The lower stage of Luna 16 remained on the lunar surface and continued transmission of lunar temperature and radiation data. The Luna 16 re-entry capsule returned directly to Earth without any mid-course corrections, made a ballistic entry into the Earth's atmosphere on 24 September and deployed parachutes. The capsule landed approximately 80 km SE of the city of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 03:26 UT. Mission Details Luna 16 was a landmark success for the Soviets in their deep space exploration program; the mission accomplished the first fully automatic recovery of soil samples from the surface of the Moon. The success came after five failures. After a successful coast to the Moon (which included one midcourse correction), Luna 16 entered circular lunar orbit (at 110 kilometers with a 70° inclination) on 17 September .

Two further orbital adjustments on 18 September and 19 September altered both altitude and inclination in preparation for descent to the Moon. At perilune at 05:12 UT on 20 September , Luna 16 fired its main engine to begin its descent to the surface. Six minutes later, the spacecraft safely soft-landed in its target area at 0°41' south latitude and 56°18' east longitude, in the northeast area of the Sea of Fertility, approximately 100 kilometers east of Webb crater . The mass of the spacecraft at landing was 1,880 kilograms. Less than an hour after landing, at 06:03 UT, an automatic drill penetrated the lunar surface to collect a soil sample. After drilling for 7 minutes, the drill reached a stop at 35 millimeters depth and then withdrew its sample and lifted it in an arc to the top of the spacecraft, depositing the precious cargo in a small spherical capsule mounted on the main spacecraft bus. Finally, at 07:43 UT on 21 September , the spacecraft’s upper stage lifted off from the Moon.

Three days later, after a direct ascent traverse with no midcourse corrections, the capsule, with its 105 grams of lunar soil, reentered Earth’s atmosphere at a velocity of 11 kilometers per second. The capsule parachuted down 80 kilometers southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 05:25 UT on 24 September 1970 . Analysis of the dark basalt material indicated a close resemblance to soil recovered by the American Apollo 12 mission. Launch Date/Time: 1970-09-12 at 13:25:53 UTC On-orbit dry mass: 5600 kg Soft moon landings through the decades - ITV News 14 December 2013 at 6:55pm Soft moon landings through the decades Survey depiction. Photo: NASA China has successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. The Soviet Union was the last probe to have done so in 1976. There have only been 12 successful soft landings since the first achievement in January 1966.

A soft landing occurs when a spacecraft lands at a sufficiently low velocity for the equipment to remain undamaged. Here is a full list of soft landings on the moon: January 1966 - The Soviet Union's Luna 9 was the first spacecraft to achieve a lunar soft landing and to transmit photographic data from the Moon's surface to Earth. Luna 9. Credit: NASA May 1966 - Surveyor 1 was the first spacecraft launched in the Surveyor program and the first soft landing on the Moon by the United States. December 1966 - The Soviet Union's Luna 13 spacecraft was launched toward the Moon from an earth-orbiting platform and accomplished a soft landing on December 24, 1966, in the region of Oceanus Procellarum. April 1967 - US's Surveyor 3 was the second spacecraft of the Surveyor series to achieve a lunar soft landing. September 1967 - US Surveyor 5 was the third spacecraft in the Surveyor series to achieve a successful lunar soft landing and the first mission to obtain in-situ compositional data on the Moon.

The primary objectives of the Surveyor program, a series of seven robotic lunar soft landing flights, were to support the coming crewed Apollo landings. November 1967 - US Surveyor 6 was the fourth of the Surveyor series to successfully achieve a soft landing on the Moon. Surveyor 7. Credit: NASA January 1968 - US Surveyor 7 was the fifth and final spacecraft of the Surveyor series to achieve a lunar soft landing. September 1970 - Luna 16 was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth and represented the first lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union and the third overall, following the Apollo 11 and 12 missions. November 1970 - 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. Luna 24 Credit: NASA January 1973 - The Luna 21 spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet lunar rover (Lunokhod 2).

August 1976 - The last of the Luna series of spacecraft, the mission of the Luna 24 probe was the third Soviet mission to retrieve lunar ground samples. Chang'e 3. Credit: NASA December 2013 - Chang'e 3 or the 'Jade Rabbit' is a Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) lunar landing mission designed to study the Sinus Iridum area of the Moon with a small rover.

Question: What was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample to Earth?
Answer: Luna 16