Lunar Orbiter 5,the last of the "Lunar Orbiterseries ",[7]was designed to take additionalApolloandSurveyorlanding sitephotographyand to take broad survey images of unphotographed parts of the Moon's far side. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic,radiationintensity, andmicrometeoroidimpact data and was used to evaluate theManned Space Flight Networktracking stations and Apollo Orbit Determination Program.
 Replica of aLunar Orbiterspacecraft | |||||||||||
| Mission type | Lunarorbiter | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1967-075A | ||||||||||
| SATCATno. | 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, 22:32:00UTC | ||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralLC-13 | ||||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||||
| Disposal | Deorbited | ||||||||||
| Decay date | January 31, 1968, 07:58:08UTC | ||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
| Lunarorbiter | |||||||||||
| Orbital insertion | August 5, 1967 | ||||||||||
| Impact site | 2°47′S83°01′W/ 02.79°S 83.01°W | ||||||||||
| Orbits | 1,380 | ||||||||||
| Transponders | |||||||||||
| Frequency | 2295MHz[2] | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Mission summary
editThe spacecraft was placed in a cislunartrajectoryand 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 includedPetavius,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 futurelanding 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 |
-
Image of the Earth taken byLunar Orbiter 5,enhanced byLOIRP -
Lunar Orbiter 5image of theRimae Sulpicius Galluson August 13, 1967 (20°30′N9°54′E/ 20.5°N 9.9°E) -
Terrain at40°22′S40°22′W/ 40.37°S 40.37°Won August 17, 1967 -
Rim ofAristarchus Crateron August 18, 1967 (23°15′N47°28′W/ 23.25°N 47.47°W)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ab"Lunar Orbiter 5".science.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^abcde"Lunar Orbiter 5".nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved13 November2022.
- ^"Lunar Orbiter 5: Cesium Iodide Dosimeters".nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Lunar Orbiter 5: Lunar Photographic Studies".nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Lunar Orbiter 5: Meteoroid Detectors".nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^"Lunar Orbiter 5: Selenodesy".nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov.NASA.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^B. A. Byers (1976).Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program.NASA.ISBN978-1-495-92029-5.NASA-TM-X-3487.Retrieved12 November2022.
- ^"Lunar Orbiter Photo Gallery - Mission 5".Lunar and Planetary Institute.Retrieved19 August2024.
- ^Thomas P. Hansen (1970).Guide to Lunar Orbiter Photographs.NASA.ASINB003Z5I8CO.ISBN978-1-499-16108-3.NASA-SP-242.Retrieved19 August2024.