Lunokhod 2 Lunokhod 2 Lunokhod 1 Category="Lunokhod programme"[image]

Lunokhod 2 was the second of two unmanned lunar rovers landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of the Lunokhod program.

The Luna 21 spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet lunar rover (Lunokhod 2). The primary objectives of the mission were to collect images of the lunar surface, examine ambient light levels to determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon, perform Laser ranging experiments from Earth, observe solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and study mechanical properties of the lunar surface material.

Lunokhod 2 rover and subsystems

[image] The rover stood 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) high and had a mass of 840 kg (1,852 lb). It was about 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) long and 160 cm (4 ft 11 in) wide and had 8 wheels each with an independent suspension, motor and brake. The rover had two speeds, ~1 km/h and ~2 km/h (0.62 mph and 1.24 mph). Lunokhod 2 was equipped with three television cameras, one mounted high on the rover for navigation, which could return high resolution images at different rates - 3.2, 5.7, 10.9 or 21.1 seconds per frame (not frames per second). These images were used by a five-man team of controllers on Earth who sent driving commands to the rover in real time. Power was supplied by a Solar panel on the inside of a round hinged lid which covered the instrument bay, which would charge the batteries when opened. A Polonium-210 isotopic heat source was used to keep the rover warm during the long lunar nights. There were 4 panoramic cameras mounted on the rover. Scientific instruments included a soil mechanics tester, solar X-ray experiment, an astrophotometer to measure visible and Ultraviolet light levels, a Magnetometer deployed in front of the rover on the end of a 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) boom, a Radiometer, a Photodetector (Rubin-1) for laser detection experiments, and a French-supplied laser Corner reflector. The lander and rover together massed 1814 kg.

Mission profile

The SL-12/D-1-e launcher put the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit followed by translunar injection. On January 12 1973, Luna 21 was braked into a 90 by 100 km (approx. 56 by 62 mile) orbit about the Moon. On January 13 and 14, the perilune was lowered to 16 km (approx. 9.9 miles) altitude. On January 15 after 40 orbits, the braking rocket was fired at 16 km (approx. 9.9 miles) altitude, and the craft went into free fall. At an altitude of 750 m (0.466 miles) the main thrusters began firing, slowing the fall until a height of 22 m (72 ft) was reached. At this point the main thrusters shut down and the secondary thrusters ignited, slowing the fall until the lander was 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) above the surface, where the engine was switched off. Landing occurred at 23:35 UT in Le Monnier crater at 25.85 degrees N, 30.45 degrees E. The lander carried a bas relief of Lenin and the Soviet Coat of arms.

After landing, the Lunokhod 2 took TV images of the surrounding area, then rolled down a ramp to the surface at 01:14 UT on January 16 and took pictures of the Luna 21 lander and landing site. It stopped and charged batteries until January 18, took more images of the lander and landing site, and then set out over the Moon. The rover would run during the lunar day, stopping occasionally to recharge its batteries via the solar panels. At night the rover would hibernate until the next sunrise, heated by the radioactive source. Lunokhod 2 operated for about 4 months, covered 37 km (23 miles) of terrain including hilly upland areas and rilles, and sent back 86 panoramic images and over 80,000 TV pictures. Many mechanical tests of the surface, laser ranging measurements, and other experiments were completed during this time. On June 4 it was announced that the program was completed, leading to speculation that the vehicle probably failed in mid-May or could not be revived after the lunar night of May-June. The Lunokhod was not left in a position such that the laser retroreflector could be used indicating that the failure may have happened suddenly.

See also

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