Lunar Orbiter 5, the last of the "Lunar Orbiter series",[7] was designed to take additional Apollo and Surveyor landing site photography and to take broad survey images of unphotographed parts of the Moon's far side. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic, radiation intensity, and micrometeoroid impact data and was used to evaluate the Manned Space Flight Network tracking stations and Apollo Orbit Determination Program.
 Replica of a Lunar Orbiter spacecraft | |||||||||||
| Mission type | Lunar orbiter | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1967-075A | ||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 2907 | ||||||||||
| Website | science.nasa.gov | ||||||||||
| Mission duration | 5 months, 30 days | ||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Langley Research Center | ||||||||||
| Launch mass | 385.6 kg (850 lb)[1] | ||||||||||
| Dimensions | 3.72 × 1.65 × 1.5 m (12.2 × 5.4 × 4.9 ft)[2] | ||||||||||
| Power | 375 watts[2] | ||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||
| Launch date | August 1, 1967, 22:32:00 UTC | ||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-13 | ||||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||||
| Disposal | Deorbited | ||||||||||
| Decay date | January 31, 1968, 07:58:08 UTC | ||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
| Reference system | Selenocentric | ||||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 4,846.8 km (3,011.7 mi) | ||||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.26 | ||||||||||
| Periselene altitude | 194.5 km (120.9 mi) | ||||||||||
| Aposelene altitude | 6,023 km (3,743 mi) | ||||||||||
| Inclination | 85 degrees | ||||||||||
| Period | 510.08 minutes | ||||||||||
| Lunar orbiter | |||||||||||
| Orbital insertion | August 5, 1967 | ||||||||||
| Impact site | 2°47′S 83°01′W / 02.79°S 83.01°W | ||||||||||
| Orbits | 1,380 | ||||||||||
| Transponders | |||||||||||
| Frequency | 2295 MHz[2] | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Mission summary
editThe spacecraft was placed in a cislunar trajectory and on August 5, 1967 was injected into an elliptical near polar lunar orbit 194.5 by 6,023 kilometres (120.9 mi × 3,742.5 mi) with an inclination of 85 degrees and a period of 8 hours 30 minutes. On August 7 the perilune was lowered to 100 kilometers (62 mi), and on August 9 the orbit was lowered to a 99-by-1,499-kilometer (62 mi × 931 mi), 3 hour 11 minute period.[2]
The spacecraft acquired photographic data from August 6 to 18, 1967, and readout occurred until August 27, 1967.[1] A total of 633 high resolution and 211 medium resolution frames at resolution down to 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) were acquired, bringing the cumulative photographic coverage by the five Lunar Orbiter craft to 99% of the Moon's surface.[8] Accurate data were acquired from all other experiments throughout the mission. The spacecraft was tracked until it struck the lunar surface on command[2] at 2.79 degrees S latitude, 83 degrees W longitude (selenographic coordinates) on January 31, 1968.
Features on the near side of the Moon that were photographic targets included Petavius, Hyginus, Messier, Tycho, Copernicus, Gassendi, Vitello, Mons Gruithuisen Gamma, Prinz, Aristarchus, Vallis Schroteri, Marius Hills, Montes Apenninus, Rimae Plato, Sinus Aestuum, Hipparchus, Rimae Sulpicius Gallus, Rimae Calippus, Censorinus, Dionysius, and the future landing site of Apollo 11.[9]
| 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 |
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Image of the Earth taken by Lunar Orbiter 5, enhanced by LOIRP -
Lunar Orbiter 5 image of the Rimae Sulpicius Gallus on August 13, 1967 (20°30′N 9°54′E / 20.5°N 9.9°E) -
Terrain at 40°22′S 40°22′W / 40.37°S 40.37°W on August 17, 1967 -
Rim of Aristarchus Crater on August 18, 1967 (23°15′N 47°28′W / 23.25°N 47.47°W)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Lunar Orbiter 5". science.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Lunar Orbiter 5". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "Lunar Orbiter 5: Cesium Iodide Dosimeters". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Lunar Orbiter 5: Lunar Photographic Studies". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Lunar Orbiter 5: Meteoroid Detectors". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Lunar Orbiter 5: Selenodesy". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ B. A. Byers (1976). Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program. NASA. ISBN 978-1-495-92029-5. NASA-TM-X-3487. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Lunar Orbiter Photo Gallery - Mission 5". Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ Thomas P. Hansen (1970). Guide to Lunar Orbiter Photographs. NASA. ASIN B003Z5I8CO. ISBN 978-1-499-16108-3. NASA-SP-242. Retrieved 19 August 2024.