Luna 20 was the second of three successful Soviet lunar sample return missions. It was flown as part of the Luna program as a robotic competitor to the six successful Apollo lunar sample return missions.
Luna 20 was placed in an intermediate Earth parking orbit and from this orbit was sent towards the Moon. It entered lunar orbit on 18 February 1972. On 21 February 1972, Luna 20 soft landed on the Moon in a mountainous area known as the Terra Apollonius (or Apollonius highlands) near Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility), 120 km from where Luna 16 had landed.
While on the lunar surface, the panoramic television system was operated. Lunar samples were obtained by means of an extendable drilling apparatus. The ascent stage of Luna 20 was launched from the lunar surface on 22 February 1972 carrying 1.9 ounces (55 grams) of collected lunar samples in a sealed capsule. It landed in the Soviet Union on 25 February 1972. The lunar samples were recovered the following day.
This was the eighth Soviet spacecraft launched with the intent of returning lunar soil to Earth. It was evidently sent to complete the mission that Luna 18 had failed to accomplish. After a 4.5-day flight to the Moon, which included a single midcourse correction on 15 February, Luna 20 entered orbit around the Moon on 18 February. Initial orbital parameters were 100 x 100 kilometers at 65° inclination.
Three days later, at 19:13 UT, the spacecraft fired its main engine for 267 seconds to begin descent to the lunar surface. A second firing further reduced velocity before Luna 20 set down safely on the Moon at 19:19 UT on 21 February 1972 at coordinates 3.7863 North and 56.6242 East, only 1.8 kilometers from the crash site of Luna 18.
After collecting a small sample of lunar soil, the spacecraft's ascent stage lifted off at 22:58 UT on 22 February and quickly accelerated to 2.7 kilometers per second velocity—sufficient to return to Earth. The small spherical capsule eventually parachuted down safely on an island in the Karkingir River, 40 kilometers north of the town of Jezkazgan in Kazakhstan, at 19:19 UT on 25 February 1972.
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The objective of the course is to present with different viewpoints, the lessons learned which lead to the decisions in the space exploration and their consequences today and for the decades to come.
Une roche lunaire ou pierre lunaire (en Moon rock) est un morceau ou un échantillon de sol provenant de la Lune. Le terme est plus particulièrement utilisé pour désigner les roches collectées in situ par les seules missions spatiales ayant ramené des échantillons de sol de la Lune. À savoir d'une part les six missions spatiales du programme Apollo ayant atterri sur le sol lunaire, entre 1969 et 1972, et d'autre part les trois sondes spatiales soviétiques du programme Luna.
Luna 18, part of the Ye-8-5 series, was an uncrewed space mission of the Luna program. Luna 18 was placed in an Earth parking orbit after it was launched and was then sent towards the Moon. On 7 September 1971, it entered lunar orbit. The spacecraft completed 85 communications sessions and 54 lunar orbits before it was sent towards the lunar surface by use of braking rockets. It impacted the Moon on 11 September 1971, at 3 degrees 34 minutes N, 56 degrees 30 minutes E (selenographic coordinates) in rugged mountainous terrain.
Luna 16 (en russe Луна-16 également appelée Lunik 16 ou Objet 04527) est une mission spatiale robotique du programme spatial soviétique Luna lancée en 1970 vers la Lune. La sonde spatiale réussit pour la première fois dans l'histoire de l'exploration spatiale à recueillir et rapporter sans intervention humaine un échantillon du sol d'un autre corps céleste sur Terre. À la date de lancement, des roches lunaires avaient déjà été rapportées sur Terre par les missions américaines Apollo 11 et Apollo 12.
Explore les lignes directrices et les défis d'un projet Lune Lander sans pilote, y compris les stratégies de mission et les perspectives de mission lunaire passées.
Explore les enseignements tirés de diverses missions d'exploration spatiale, portant notamment sur la conception d'engins spatiaux, le retour d'échantillons lunaires et les coûts de la mission.