Lunar Orbiter 1

Lunar Orbiter 1 was the first of five lunar probes of the Lunar Orbiter program of the U.S. space agency NASA. With the Lunar Orbiter program the moon should be photographically recorded and mapped in order to find landing sites for the space probes of the Surveyor program and for the manned lunar landing.

Mission

Lunar Orbiter 1 was launched on August 10, 1966 aboard an Atlas - Agena D. After reaching the parking orbit, the probe was brought to the moon by firing the thrusters on a web. This they achieved 92 hours after the start and waving in a highly elliptical orbit of about 189 km times 1866 km. She was inclined 12 ° to the ecliptic and had an orbital period of 3 hours and 37 minutes. Since most of the landing sites of the following probes were planned near the equator, a stronger tendency was not necessary.

On August 18, the first images were transmitted. On 21 and 25 August, the orbit was lowered planned. After the final reduction of the orbiter had an orbit of 39 times 1685 km. By the end of the mission on October 29, 1966 Lunar Orbiter sent a total of 187 wide angle shots and telephoto shots 42. This 5 million km2 were recorded from the lunar surface photographed with some of the first high-resolution images, however, showed movement-induced blurring. In addition, the first two images of the Earth taken from the moon away.

To clear the channels of communication for the subsequent probe, Lunar Orbiter 2, the probe on 29 October was during its 577th orbit controls on the moon to crash. They crashed at about 6.70 degrees north latitude and 162 degrees east longitude.

Results

In addition to the total of 229 images were transmitted, it was found a slightly pear -like shape of the moon. The micrometeoroid experiment reported no strikes. Although only 75 percent of the previously planned lunar surface were photographed, but the mission was a success.

The processed version of the image in the context of the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project from 2008.

External links and sources

Description of Mission Lunar Orbiter 1 on nasa.gov (English)
Description of the Lunar Orbiter Program

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