← ALL LANDERS
LANDING SITEMare Tranquillitatis
LAT1.41°
LON23.18°
MOON
Sep 11, 1967
LANDING DATE
1967
3 months
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-173 to 127 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
279
KG
MASS
3
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Surveyor 5 is a lander mission by NASA / JPL on Moon. Landed September 11, 1967. Landing site: Mare Tranquillitatis.
ABOUT SURVEYOR 5
Surveyor 5 performed the first chemical analysis of the lunar surface using an alpha-scattering instrument that bombarded the soil with alpha particles. Despite a serious helium leak discovered during transit that threatened the mission, engineers devised a new landing sequence that saved the spacecraft. It landed in Mare Tranquillitatis, near the future Apollo 11 landing site, and determined that the soil was basaltic.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- First chemical analysis of another world surface
- Lunar soil is basaltic in composition
- Vernier engine firing experiment showed soil erosion effects
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First chemical analysis of lunar soil
- Alpha-scattering instrument for elemental composition
- Landed despite helium leak in vernier propulsion system
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (3)
Television camera
Alpha-scattering instrument
Vernier engine erosion experiment
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass279 kg (615 lbs)
PowerSolar panels + Battery
CommunicationsS-band transmitter
Design Life1 lunar day
Landing DateSeptember 11, 1967
Mission EndDecember 17, 1967
ProgramSurveyor
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-173 to 127 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION