Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Luna 5
| Organization: | Soviet Union |
| Major Contractors: | OKB-1 |
| Mission Type: | Planetary Science Lunar landing |
| Satellite of: | Moon |
| Launch: | May 9, 1965 at 07:55:00 UTC |
| Launch Vehicle: | Molniya 8K78M (4-Stage R-7 / SS-6) |
| Mission Highlight: | Lunar impact May 12, 1965, 19:10 UTC at 31° S, - 8° W. |
| Mission Duration: | 3-days |
| Mass: | 1,474 kg |
| NSSDC ID: | 1965-036A |
| Webpage: | NASA NSSDC Master Catalog |
| Orbital elements | |
|---|---|
| Semimajor Axis: | n/a |
| Eccentricity: | n/a |
| Inclination: | n/a |
| Orbital Period: | n/a |
| Apogee: | n/a |
| Perigee: | n/a |
| Orbits: | Lunar impact |
| Instruments | |
| Close-Up Lunar Surface Photography : | Lunar photography |
Luna 5 was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 5.
It was designed to continue investigations of a lunar soft landing. The retrorocket system failed, and the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface at the Sea of Clouds.
In May 1965, Luna 5 became the first Soviet probe to head for the Moon in two years. Following the midcourse correction on 10 May, the spacecraft began spinning around its main axis due to a problem in a flotation gyroscope in the I-100 guidance system unit. A subsequent attempt to fire the main engine failed because of ground control error, and the engine never fired. After loss of control as a result of the gyroscope problem, Luna 5 crashed. Landing coordinates were 31° south latitude and 8° west longitude. It was the second Soviet spacecraft to land on the Moon (following Luna 2 in 1959).
- Launch Date/Time: 1965-05-09 at 07:55:00 UTC
- On-orbit dry mass: 1474 kg
See also
| Preceded by : Luna 4 |
Luna program | Followed by : Luna 6 |
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