Luna 1
Luna 1 (also known as the First Cosmic Ship,[3] Cosmic Rocket[4] and Mechta[4] (Russian: Мечта, Literal translation: Dream)) was a space probe of the Soviet Union.[5] It was the first mission in the Luna programme[5] and it was the first spacecraft to reach the Moon.[4][5] Luna 1 made some key scientific discoveries[5] and it is one of the best achievements of the Soviet Union space programme.[5]
 A museum replica | |
| Mission type | Lunar impactor |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet Union |
| Harvard designation | 1959 Mu 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1959-012A |
| SATCAT no. | 112 |
| Mission duration | "Approximately 62 hours"[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 361 kilograms (796 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 2, 1959 16:41:21 UTC |
| Rocket | Luna 8K72 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | "Approximately 62 hours after launch"[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Heliocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 1.146 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.14767 |
| Perihelion | 0.9766 AU |
| Aphelion | 1.315 AU |
| Inclination | 0.01 degrees[2] |
| Period | 450 days |
| Epoch | 1 January 1959, 19:00:00 UTC[2] |
| Lunar flyby (failed impact) | |
| Closest approach | 4 January 1959 |
| Distance | 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) |
Design
The spacecraft was sphere-shaped.[4] Five antennae came out of one end.[4] Instrument ports came out of the surface of the sphere.[4] It also had various metallic emblems with the Soviet coat of arms.[4]
Instruments
Luna 1 had radio equipment,[4][5] a tracking transmitter[4][5] and a telemetering system[4] for communication with Earth.[4][5] The spacecraft carried several scientific devices too.[4] These included a magnetometer,[4][5] a device for measuring magnetic fields,[5] a scintillation counter[4][5] (a device for detecting high energy particles[5]) and a geiger counter[4][5] (a device for measuring radiation[5]). Luna 1 also carried a micrometeorite detector and other equipment.[4]
Mission
The space probe was launched on January 2, 1959[3][4][5] at Baikonur Cosmodrome[3][4][5] by a SS-6 Sapwood rocket.[4][5] The launch was successful and Luna 1 became the first man-made object ever to reach the escape velocity of the Earth.[3][5]
On January 3, 1959, the spacecraft released a cloud of sodium gas so that astronomers could track the probe and also to serve as an experiment on the behaviour of gas in space.[4][5]
Luna 1 was intended to impact the Moon's surface.[4][5] However, on January 4, 1959, it passed within 5995 km[4] of the Moon and began to orbit the Sun[3][4][5] between the orbits of Earth and Mars,[3][4] where it is still orbiting now,[3] on a 450 day orbit.[3] Thus, Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to orbit the Sun.[5]
References
- "Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration".
- "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
- Cox, Brian; Cohen, Andrew (2010). Wonders of the Universe. HarperCollins. p. 8. ISBN 9780007386901.
- "Luna 1". NASA. Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- "Luna 1", How it Works, no. 22, Imagine Publishing, p. 59, 2011-06-16
Other websites
- "Luna - Exploring the Moon". Zarya. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
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