Lunakod 1 and the Luna 17 'landing bus'.
The lander
| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle. | Proton 8K82K + Blok D |
| Launch date. | 10 November 1970 14:44:01UTC |
| Launch site. | Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Ceased operations. | Last contact 14 September 1971 13:05 |
| Owner(s). | GSMZ Lavochkin (?) |
| Major contractor(s) | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| Is it still in orbit. | It is on the surface of the Moon in a unknown condition. |
| Launch mass | 5,700 kg (12,600 lb) |
| Nationality(s). | Soviet |
| Satellite type. | Moon lander |
| Links | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_17 |
The rover
| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle. | Luna 17 |
| Launch date. | November 17, 1970, 03:47:00 UTC |
| Launch site. | Luna 17 |
| Ceased operations. | September 14, 1971 |
| Owner(s). | GSMZ Lavochkin (?) |
| Major contractor(s) | GSMZ Lavochkin |
| Is it still in orbit. | It is on the surface of the Moon in a unknown condition. |
| Launch mass | 5,600 kilograms (12,300 lb) |
| Nationality(s). | Soviet |
| Satellite type. | Lunar rover |
| Links | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_1 |
A Soviet Lunokhod moonrover, from 70-ties of 20th century.
The mission
The Soviet's lunar lander Lunokhod 1 (Луноход, moon walker in Russian; Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 203, vehicle 8ЕЛ№203) was carryed to the moon in Luna 17. It was to roam around the Moon's surface taking pictures and testing the soil with it's instatements.
- It travelled 10,540 metres (6.55 miles).
- It returned more than 20,000 TV images and 206 high-resolution panoramas.
- It performed 25 lunar soil analyses with its RIFMA x-ray fluorescence spectrometer.
- It used its penetrometer at 500 different locations.
Conspiracy theories
The Soviet's "Bath tub debate"
The Soviet's "Bath tub debate" was centred on the fact that it's body looked as if it was made out a metal bath tub. It was in fact not a bath tub, but probably manufactured in a place using similar machinery and materials. It did not need to be awesome and was just required to do it's job and so did not need to look any better bath tub.
The Soviets's "Highly trained KGB officer debate"
The Soviets "Highly trained KGB officer debate" was centred on the fact that most Soviets and some Poles thought such a machine was impossible to make and thus must have a short space-person, who was generally defined as a "highly trained KGB officer", inside it to do the tests instead of a computer. This was in fact untrue.
The political and scientific aftermath
The political and scientific aftermath was heavy. The West, and especially the USA, were shocked and realised the USSR was not backward as they once thought.