Surveyor 1
NSSDC ID: 66-045A
Description:
The Surveyor spacecraft was designed to attain the engineering objectives of the
Surveyor program, which included the first lunar soft landing. No instrumentation
was carried specifically for scientific experiments, but considerable scientific
information was obtained. The spacecraft carried two televisioncameras -- one for
approach, which was not used, and one for operations on the lunar surface. Over 100
engineering sensors were on board. The television system transmitted pictures of
the spacecraft footpad and surrounding lunar terrain and surface materials. The spacecraft
also acquired data on the radar reflectivity of the lunar surface, bearing strength
of the lunar surface, and spacecraft temperatures for use in the analysis of the
lunar surface temperatures. The spacecraft was launched May 30, 1966, directly into
a lunar impact trajectory. Engines were turned off at a height of 3.4 m above the
lunar surface. The spacecraft fell freely from this height, landing on the lunar
surface on June 2, 1966, in Oceanus Procellarum -- 2.45 deg s latitude, 43.22 deg
w longitude (selenographic coordinates). The spacecraft transmitted data from shortly
after touchdown until July 14, 1966, with an interval of no operation during lunar
night (June 14 to July 7, 1966). Engineering interrogations continued until January
7, 1967. |
Launch Information:
Launch Date/Time: 1966-05-30 at 14:41:00 UTC
Launch Site/Country: Cape Canaveral, United States
Launch Vehicle: Atlas-Centaur |
Orbital Information:
Orbit: Lander
Central Body: Moon
Epoch start date/time: 1966.153:06:17:37 (02
June)
Latitude: -2.45 degrees
Longitude: 316.79 degrees |
Project Manager
Mr. Howard H. Haglund
Code 180-805
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109 |
Project Scientist
Dr. Leonard D. Jaffe
Mail Stop 301-485
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109 |
Discipline(s)
Planetary Science |
Sponsoring Agencies/Countries
NASA-Office of Space Science Applications/United
States |
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