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LANDING SITELe Monnier crater
LAT25.85°
LON30.45°
MOON
Jan 15, 1973
LANDING DATE
1973
5 months
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-150 to 120 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
5,600
KG
MASS
6
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Luna 21 is a lander mission by NPO Lavochkin on Moon. Landed January 15, 1973. Landing site: Le Monnier crater.
ABOUT LUNA 21
Luna 21 delivered Lunokhod 2 to the Moon, landing inside Le Monnier crater on the eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis. Lunokhod 2 was an improved version of its predecessor, with a third television camera for better navigation. Over four months of operation, it traveled 42.1 km — a record for any extraterrestrial rover that stood until Opportunity surpassed it in 2014. It returned over 80,000 television images and performed extensive soil analysis.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Lunokhod 2 traveled 42.1 km u2014 longest rover distance until 2014
- Magnetic field variations detected across traverse
- Over 80,000 television images returned
- Soil mechanical properties measured at hundreds of points
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- Delivered Lunokhod 2, which set distance record for any extraterrestrial rover
- Improved rover design with third TV camera for navigation
- Four months of active exploration
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (6)
Television cameras (4)
RIFMA X-ray fluorescence spectrometer
PROP odometer/penetrometer
Magnetometer
Photodetectors
Astrophotometer
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass5,600 kg (12,348 lbs)
PowerSolar panels + Polonium-210 heater
CommunicationsRadio transmitter
Design Life3 months
Landing DateJanuary 15, 1973
Mission EndJune 4, 1973
ProgramLuna
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-150 to 120 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS