- Luna 22
Luna 22 (Ye-8-LS series) was an
unmanned space mission , part of theSoviet Luna program , also called Lunik 22.Luna 22 was a lunarorbit er mission. The spacecraft carried imaging cameras and also had the objectives of studying theMoon 'smagnetic field , surface gamma ray emissions and composition of lunar surface rocks, and thegravitational field , as well asmicrometeorite s andcosmic ray s. Luna 22 was launched into Earthparking orbit and then to the moon. It was inserted into a circular lunar orbit on2 June 1974 . The spacecraft made many orbit adjustments over its 18 month lifetime in order to optimize the operation of various experiments, lowering the perilune to as little as 25 km. Maneuvering fuel was exhausted on2 September and the mission was ended in early November.Luna 22 was the second of two “advanced” lunar orbiters (the first being Luna19) designed to conduct extensive scientific surveys from orbit. Launched about a year after the termination of Lunokhod 2 operations on the
lunar surface , Luna 20 performed a single midcourse correction en route the Moon on30 May before entering lunar orbit on2 June 1974 . Initial orbital parameters were219 x 222 kilometers at 19°35' inclination. In addition to its primary mission of surface photography, Luna 22 also performed investigations to determine the chemical composition of the lunar surface, recorded meteoroid activity, searched for a lunar magnetic field, measured solar and cosmic radiation flux, and continued studies of the irregular magnetic field. Through various orbital changes, Luna 22 performed without any problems and continued to return photos fifteen months into the mission, although its primary mission had ended by2 April 1975 . The spacecraft’s maneuvering propellant was finally depleted on2 September , and the highly successful mission was formally terminated in earlyNovember 1975. Luna 22 remains the final Soviet or Russian lunar orbiter.*Launch Date/Time: 1974-05-29 at 08:57:00 UTC
*On-orbit dry mass: 4000 kgExternal links
* [http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php Zarya - Luna programme chronology]
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