Famous Space Landers to Explore the Moon՚s Mysteries

Luna 9:-internal designation Ye-6 No. 13, was unmanned space mission of the Soviet Union՚s Luna programme. This was the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon and send images to Earth. This spacecraft was launched by the S. P Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation on 31 January 1966. This mission probed that the Moon՚s surface can support the weight of a lander.

An object would not sink into a loose layer of dust as some models predicted.

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NASA՚s Surveyor 1

  • Surveyor 1 was the first lunar soft-lander in the Surveyor program of the NASA.
  • This was among the first seven robotic spacecraft that was sent to the Moon to gather data towards preparation for Apollo missions.
  • It was sent on 30 may 1966 and it took three thrusters to slow the lander.
This Image Show in Nasa՚s Surveyor 1

Luna 13

  • This was the Soviet Union՚s second spacecraft that stepped successfully on the Moon.
  • This mission was carried out by the Lavochkin Association which is a Russian Aerospace Company.
  • It landed on 21 December 1966.
  • It measured the soil՚s physical and mechanical properties along with the radiation characteristics.
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Surveyor 3

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  • Surveyor 3 was NASA՚s second spacecraft sent to the Moon՚s surface on 17th April 1967.
  • This spacecraft used a surface sampler to study the soil on the Moon.
  • This spacecraft also conducted experiments to see how the lunar surface would react against the weight of an Apollo lunar module.

Surveyor 5

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  • Surveyor 5 was the fifth lunar lander of the American that reached the Moon on 8 September 1967.
  • Unmanned Surveyor program sent to explore the surface of the Moon.
  • Surveyor 5 landed on Mare Tranquillitatis.
  • A total of 19,118 images were transmitted to Earth.
  • The mission failed due to a leak in the spacecraft՚s thruster system.
  • This mission discovered that the surface of the Moon was basaltic rather than powdery.

Surveyor 6

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  • It was the sixth lunar lander and fourth of the Surveyor series to reach the surface of the Moon as a part of America՚s uncrewed Surveyor Program.
  • The mission՚s success satisfied the Surveyor program՚s obligation to the Apollo project.
  • On November 24,1967, the spacecraft was shut down for the two-week lunar night.
  • The Surveyor 6՚s engines were restarted once again and burned for 2.5 seconds in the first lunar liftoff on November 17 at 10: 32 UTC.
  • This created (700 N) of thrust and lifted the vehicle 12 feet (4 m) from the lunar surface.

Luna 21

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  • It was an unmanned space mission and the spacecraft was launched under Luna Program.
  • The spacecraft landed on the Moon and deployed the second Soviet lunar rover, Lunokhod 2.
  • The objectives of the mission included collecting images of the lunar surface, determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon using the ambient light levels, performing laser ranging experiments from Earth, observing solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and studying mechanical properties of the lunar surface material.

Beresheet

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  • Beresheet was a demonstrator of a small robotic lunar lander and lunar probe operated by the Israel Aerospace Industries.
  • Its aim was to include promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics STEM, and landing its magnetometer, digital time capsule, and laser retro-flector on the moon.
  • The mission was a failure as during the landing in April 2019.

Examrace Team at Aug 21, 2021