← ALL LANDERS
LANDING SITENear Tycho crater rim
LAT-40.86°
LON-11.47°
MOON
Jan 10, 1968
LANDING DATE
1968
6 weeks
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
-173 to 127 C
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
290
KG
MASS
4
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Surveyor 7 is a lander mission by NASA / JPL on Moon. Landed January 10, 1968. Landing site: Near Tycho crater rim.
ABOUT SURVEYOR 7
Surveyor 7 was the last and most scientifically ambitious of the Surveyor series. Unlike all previous Surveyors that landed on flat mare regions, it targeted the rugged highland terrain near Tycho crater. It carried a surface sampler, alpha-scattering instrument, and camera, discovering that highland soil is chemically different from mare basalt, with higher aluminum content suggesting anorthosite composition.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- Highland soil differs chemically from mare basalt
- Higher aluminum content in highlands indicates anorthosite
- Magnetic material present in lunar soil
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- Only Surveyor mission to land in lunar highlands
- Most scientifically capable Surveyor mission
- Combined scoop, camera, and chemical analysis
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (4)
Television camera
Alpha-scattering instrument
Surface sampler (scoop)
Bar magnets on footpad
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass290 kg (639 lbs)
PowerSolar panels + Battery
CommunicationsS-band transmitter
Design Life1 lunar day
Landing DateJanuary 10, 1968
Mission EndFebruary 21, 1968
ProgramSurveyor
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature-173 to 127 C
OTHER MOON LANDERS
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION