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LANDING SITEOceanus Procellarum
LAT18.87°
LON-62.05°
MOON
Dec 24, 1966
LANDING DATE
1966
4 days
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-150 to 120 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
112
KG
MASS
4
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Luna 13 is a lander mission by OKB-1 / Soviet Academy of Sciences on Moon. Landed December 24, 1966. Landing site: Oceanus Procellarum.
ABOUT LUNA 13
Luna 13 was the third spacecraft to successfully soft-land on the Moon. It carried instruments specifically designed to measure the mechanical properties of the lunar surface, deploying a soil penetrometer and a radiation densitometer. These were the first direct measurements of lunar soil strength and density, providing vital engineering data for future missions.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Measured lunar soil density at approximately 0.8 g/cm3
- Soil bearing strength approximately 0.7 kg/cm2
- Surface radiation measurements
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First spacecraft to measure mechanical properties of lunar soil
- Deployed mechanical soil penetrometer
- Carried radiation densitometer for soil density measurement
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (4)
Television camera
Soil penetrometer
Radiation densitometer
Infrared radiometer
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass112 kg (247 lbs)
PowerBattery
CommunicationsRadio transmitter
Design Life4 days
Landing DateDecember 24, 1966
Mission EndDecember 28, 1966
ProgramLuna
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-150 to 120 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION