Lunar Orbiter 2

Lunar Orbiter 2
Mission type Lunar orbiter
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 1966-100A
SATCAT № 2534
Mission duration 339 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer Langley Research Center
Launch mass 385.6 kilograms (850 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date November 6, 1966, 23:21:00 (1966-11-06UTC23:21Z) UTC
Rocket Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-13
End of mission
Decay date October 11, 1967 (1967-10-12)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Selenocentric
Semi-major axis 2,694 kilometers (1,674 mi)
Eccentricity 0.3499999940395355
Periselene 52 kilometers (32 mi)
Aposelene 1,850 kilometers (1,150 mi)
Inclination 11.899999618530273°
Period 208.07000732421875 minutes
Lunar orbiter
Orbital insertion November 10, 1966
Impact site 3°00′N 119°06′E / 3.0°N 119.1°E / 3.0; 119.1
Orbits 2,346

The Lunar Orbiter 2 spacecraft, part of the Lunar Orbiter Program, was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic, radiation intensity, and micrometeoroid impact data.

The spacecraft was placed in a cislunar trajectory and injected into an elliptical near-equatorial lunar orbit for data acquisition after 92.5 hours flight time. The initial orbit was 196 by 1,850 kilometres (122 mi × 1,150 mi) at an inclination of 11.8 degrees. The perilune was lowered to 49.7 kilometres (30.9 mi) five days later after 33 orbits. A failure of the amplifier on the final day of readout, December 7, resulted in the loss of six photographs. On December 8, 1966 the inclination was altered to 17.5 degrees to provide new data on lunar gravity.

The spacecraft acquired photographic data from November 18 to 25, 1966, and readout occurred through December 7, 1966. A total of 609 high resolution and 208 medium resolution frames were returned, most of excellent quality with resolutions down to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in). These included a spectacular oblique picture of Copernicus crater, which was dubbed by the news media as one of the great pictures of the century. Accurate data were acquired from all other experiments throughout the mission. Three micrometeorite impacts were recorded. The spacecraft was used for tracking purposes until it impacted upon the lunar surface on command at 3.0 degrees N latitude, 119.1 degrees E longitude (selenographic coordinates) on October 11, 1967.

In 2011, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) was able to locate and image the precise impact point of the spacecraft. The debris from an impact angle of 45 degrees or more spreads out like butterfly wings.[1]

Spacecraft orbit and photographic coverage on the near side (left) and far side (right)
Instruments
Lunar Photographic Studies Evaluation of Apollo and Surveyor landing sites
Meteoroid Detectors Detection of micrometeoroids in the lunar environment
Caesium Iodide Dosimeters Radiation environment en route to and near the Moon
Selenodesy Gravitational field and physical properties of the Moon

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lunar Lost and Found - Rediscovering Old Wrecks on the Moon". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
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