← ALL LANDERS
LANDING SITEMare Crisium
LAT12.75°
LON62.20°
MOON
Aug 18, 1976
LANDING DATE
1976
4 days
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-150 to 120 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
5,600
KG
MASS
3
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Luna 24 is a sample return lander mission by NPO Lavochkin on Moon. Landed August 18, 1976. Landing site: Mare Crisium.
ABOUT LUNA 24
Luna 24 was the last mission of the Soviet Luna program and the last successful Moon landing for 37 years. It drilled to a depth of 1.6 meters — the deepest lunar drill sample ever — and returned 170.1 grams of soil to Earth. Remarkably, Soviet scientists detected traces of water in the samples (about 0.1% by mass), a finding that was largely overlooked until water was independently confirmed on the Moon decades later.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Returned 170.1 grams of lunar soil from up to 2m depth
- Traces of water detected in samples (0.1% by mass) u2014 decades before confirmation
- Mare Crisium basalt geochemistry characterized
- Last successful Moon mission until Chang'e 3 in 2013
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- Last Luna program mission and last Soviet Moon mission
- Deepest lunar drill sample: 1.6 meters
- Preserved core stratigraphy in segmented tube
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (3)
Drill sampling arm (2m depth capable)
Television cameras
Return capsule
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass5,600 kg (12,348 lbs)
PowerBattery
CommunicationsRadio transmitter
Design Life5 days
Landing DateAugust 18, 1976
Mission EndAugust 22, 1976
ProgramLuna
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-150 to 120 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS