Summary
Luna E-8-5M No.412, also known as Luna Ye-8-5M No.412, and sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1975A,[1] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1975. It was a 5,300 kg (11,700 lb) Luna E-8-5M spacecraft, the second of three to be launched.[2][3] It was intended to perform a soft landing on the Moon, collect a sample of lunar soil, and return it to the Earth.[4]
| Names | Luna Ye-8-5M No.412 Luna 1975A |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Lunar sample-return |
| Operator | OKB-1 |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Luna |
| Bus | Ye-8-5 |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 5,750 kg (12,680 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 October 1975, 04:04:56 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K / Blok D-1 (s/n 287-02) |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 81/23 |
| Contractor | Krunichev |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | Failed to orbit |
| Landing site | Mare Crisium (planned) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Selenocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Circular orbit |
| Periselene altitude | 115 km (71 mi) |
| Aposelene altitude | 115 km (71 mi) |
| Inclination | 120.0° |
| Period | 119.0 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Stereo photographic imaging system Improved drill/Remote arm for sample collection Radiation detector Radio-altimeter | |
Luna E-8-5M No.412 was launched at 04:04:56 UTC on 16 October 1975 atop a Proton-K 8K78K launch vehicle with a Blok D-1 upper stage, flying from Site 81/23 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[5] The Blok D stage experienced a failure of the LOX turbopump and so the probe did not reach orbit.[6] Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempted sample return mission. They believed that it was intended to land in Mare Crisium, which was the target for both the Luna 23 and Luna 24 missions; which landed a few hundred metres apart.[1] Since its launch was unsuccessful, it was not acknowledged in the Soviet press at the time.
References edit
- ^ a b Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Luna Ye-8-5". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 25 February 2002. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-8-5M". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Luna Ye-8-5M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
External links edit
- RussianSpaceWeb.com