The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

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On January 15, 1973, Luna 21 touched down in
LeMonnier crater on the Sea of Serenity with
Lunokhod 2 aboard. Over an operating period of
four months, this second rover covered 37 km,
including hilly upland areas and rilles, sent back
over 80,000 TV pictures and 86 panoramic
images, and carried out a variety of experiments,
including mechanical tests of the surface and laser
ranging.
Luna Missions
Lunas 19 and 22
Heavy lunar orbiters that continued mapping the
Moon’s surface and extended earlier studies of the
lunar gravitational field and the location of mascons,
the on-orbit radiation environment, the gammaactive
lunar surface, micrometeoroids, and the solar
wind. Luna 22’s orbit was eventually adjusted so that
its perilune was as low as 25 km.
Launch site: Baikonur
Launch
Luna Date Vehicle Mass (kg) Notes
1 Jan. 2, 1959 Luna 361 Missed Moon by 6,000 km.
2 Sep. 12, 1959 Luna 387 Crashed on Moon Sep. 13.
3 Oct. 4, 1959 Luna 279 Photographed Moon’s farside.
4 Apr. 2, 1963 Molniya 1,422 Fell back to Earth.
5 May 9, 1965 Molniya-M 1,474 Attempted soft-landing; crashed.
6 Jun. 8, 1965 Molniya-M 1,440 Attempted soft-landing; missed Moon.
7 Oct. 4, 1965 Molniya 1,504 Attempted soft-landing; crashed.
8 Dec. 3, 1965 Molniya 1,550 Attempted soft-landing; crashed.
9 Jan. 31, 1966 Molniya 1,580 Landed in Oceanus Procellarum Feb. 3.
10 Mar. 31, 1966 Molniya 1,597 Entered lunar orbit Apr. 3.
11 Aug. 24, 1966 Molniya 1,638 Entered lunar orbit Aug. 27.
12 Oct. 22, 1966 Molniya 1,620 Entered lunar orbit Oct. 25.
13 Dec. 21, 1966 Molniya 1,700 Landed in Oceanus Procellarum Dec. 24.
14 Apr. 7, 1968 Molniya 1,700 Entered lunar orbit Apr. 10.
15 Jul. 13, 1969 Proton 5,600 Attempted sample-return; crashed.
16 Sep. 12, 1970 Proton 5,600 Landed in Mare Fecunditatis Sep. 30; returned
to Earth with 100-g sample Sep. 24.
17 Nov. 10, 1970 Proton 5,600 Landed in Mare Imbrium Nov. 17; carried
Lunokhod 1 rover.
18 Sep. 2, 1971 Proton 5,600 Attempted sample-return; crashed Sep. 11.
19 Sep. 28, 1971 Proton 5,810 Entered lunar orbit Oct. 3.
20 Feb. 14, 1972 Proton 5,600 Landed in Mare Fecunditatis Feb. 21, returned to
Earth with 30-g sample Feb. 25.
21 Jan. 8, 1973 Proton 5,567 Landed in Mare Serenitatis Jan. 15; carried
Lunokhod 2 rover.
22 May 29, 1974 Proton 5,835 Entered lunar orbit Jun. 2.
23 Oct. 28, 1974 Proton 5,300 Landed in Mare Crisium Nov. 6; damaged drill
prevented sample return.
24 Aug. 9, 1976 Proton 5,306 Landed in Mare Crisium Aug. 18; returned to Earth
with 170-g sample Aug. 23.