Surveyor 2

Infobox Spacecraft
Name=Surveyor 2


Caption=Surveyor model on Earth
Organization=NASA
Major_Contractors= Hughes Aircraft
Mission_Type=Lander
Satellite_of= Moon
Launch= September 20, 1966 12:32:00 UTC
Launch_Vehicle= Atlas-Centaur
Decay= Impacted on moon September 23, 1966, 03:18:00 UTC
at Lunar coords and quad cat|4.0|S|11.0|W
Mission_Duration= 62 hours 46 minutes
Mass= 292 kg after fuel used
NSSDC_ID= 1966-084A

Surveyor 2 was the second American lunar lander in the Surveyor program that explored the Moon.

*Launched September 20, 1966; landed September 23, 1966
*Weight on landing: 644 lb (292 kg)

A mid-course correction failure resulted in the spacecraft tumbling and losing control. The spacecraft was targeted at Sinus Medii, but crashed near Copernicus crater.

This spacecraft was the second of a series designed to achieve a soft landing on the moon and to return lunar surface photography for determining characteristics of the lunar terrain for Apollo lunar landing missions. It was also equipped to return data on radar reflectivity of the lunar surface, bearing strength of the lunar surface, and spacecraft temperatures for use in the analysis of lunar surface temperatures. The target area proposed was within Sinus Medii. The Atlas-Centaur had placed Surveyor 2 on a path to the moon that was only 130 km from its aim point. During the midcourse correction maneuver, one vernier engine failed to ignite, resulting in an unbalanced thrust that caused the spacecraft to tumble. Attempts to salvage the mission failed. Contact was lost with the spacecraft at 9:35 UTC, September 22. The spacecraft impacted the lunar surface at 03:18 UTC, September 23, 1966.

External links

* [http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680009188_1968009188.pdf Surveyor 2 flight performance Final report - Jan 1967 (PDF)]
* [http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690027073_1969027073.pdf Surveyor Program Results (PDF) 1969]