Lunokhod 2
Lunokhod 2 (Russian Луноход, moon goers ') was 1973, the second Soviet lunar rover Lunokhod 1 after which explored the Earth's moon.
Lunokhod was supported by a five-member team from the ground by remote control ( commander, driver, operating engineer, navigator, radio operator ). To facilitate the maneuver, the Lunochods were equipped with a centrifugal system, a floor sensor and an inclinometer. In Lunokhod 2, a third front camera was added to improve maneuverability.
Mission Steps
On January 8, 1973 Luna 21 was launched into orbit by a Proton rocket and launched from there with the D stage to the moon. On January 12, 1973 Luna reached 21 a lunar orbit at an altitude of 90-100 km. A day later, the train was lowered to 16 km, on 15 January 1973, the landing maneuver was initiated. At an altitude of 750 meters set fire to the main engines and slowed down the probe from up to a height of 22 m. Then set fire to the side engines and slowed until the lander had reached 1.5 m height, then they were off.
The landing took place on the southern edge of the 55 km wide crater Le Monnier in the transition zone from the crater Mare Serenitatis to the Taurus Mountains.
The decision of choosing the landing site was mainly a particularly interesting geological formation in the southeast part of the crater. Here is a long, straight, tectonic grave breach of the lunar crust. It is about 15 km from the Luna -21 landing point away, and extends in a north-south direction over a length of 15 to 16 km. Its width is about 300 m, the depth ranges from 40 to 80 m. His research was the main target of Soviet Lunokhod - 2 mission.
The research program began on January 18 with studies on physico - mechanical properties of the top soil layer, the so-called regolith and ended on May 3, 1973. Though this mission lasted only five months, put this with some 840 kg heavier Lunokhod ( according to their own well- incorrect measurements ) about 37 km back, which to this day the longest distance driven on another celestial body (as of May 2013). However, it was announced in June 2013 that was determined by recording the LRO that the route that has been traveled by Lunokhod 2, even amounts to 42 km. The probe had to be abandoned after they had gotten into a crater and the solar cells were covered with dust, so that you no longer had sufficient power to operate.
Equipment
The scientific equipment contained as that of Lunokhod 1, a camera system consisting of two low - and four high definition television cameras, an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, a penetrometer, a radiation detector for protons, alpha- and X-rays, a distance and speedometer, as well as built in France laser reflectors on the cover, which enabled the measurement of the earth-Moon distance ( lunar laser Ranging ). Energy supplied the solar cells in the cover. Before cooling down during the moon protect a radionuclide heating element, a small amount of polonium -210, which decays with a half -life of 138 days, releasing heat.
New was another TV camera that was attached to a boom and a better overview bot. The improved rover Lunokhod 2 led, among other instruments for the measurement of X-ray and UV radiation with itself, continues to be a Astro photometer, a magnetometer on a boom length of 2.5 m, a photodetector and a laser reflector.
Results
- Transmission of 86 panoramic images of the lunar surface and about 80,000 TV pictures
- Studies on the lunar surface
Whereabouts of the moon mobile home
To Lunokhod 2 lasers can still be measured the distance from the Earth, so that its position is known with an accuracy of less than one meter. In March 2010, the vehicle was identified with its track on recordings of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ( LRO ). Thus, the coordinates of the landing or parking position could be accurately determined: 26.9232 ° N, 30.4449 ° OMoon26.923230.4449 for Luna 21, 25.8401 ° N, 30.9019 ° OMoon25.840130.90191 for Lunokhod 2