Information AboutLuna 2 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LUNA 2 | |
| luna programme | |
| luna 02 | |
| 1959 in space exploration | |
|
Name=Luna 2
Luna 2 was the second of the Soviet Union's Luna Program spacecraft launched in the direction of the Moon . The first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, it impacted the lunar surface east of Mare Serenitatis near the Aristides , Archimedes , and Autolycus craters. Luna 2 was similar in design to Luna 1 , a spherical spacecraft with protruding antennae and instrument parts. The instrumentation was also similar, including Scintillation Counters , Geiger Counter s, a Magnetometer , Cherenkov detectors, and Micrometeorite Detector s. There were no propulsion systems on Luna 2 itself. Scientifically, Luna 2 is most famous for making the discovery of the Solar Wind , via its hemispherical ion traps designed by Konstantin Gringauz . Luna 1 had provided the first evidence of this phenomenon; and on Luna 2, Gringauz changed the four sensors to a tetrahedral arrangement, instead of planar, to get better measurements of the plasma flux. After launch and attainment of Escape Velocity on September 13 1959 , Luna 2 separated from its third stage, which travelled along with it towards the Moon. On September 13 the spacecraft released a bright orange cloud of Sodium gas which aided in spacecraft tracking and acted as an experiment on the behavior of gas in space. On September 13 , after 33.5 hours of flight, radio signals from Luna 2 abruptly ceased, indicating it had impacted on the Moon. The impact point, in the Palus Putredinis region, is roughly estimated to have occurred at 0 degrees longitude, 29.1 degrees N latitude. Some 30 minutes after Luna 2, the third stage of its rocket also impacted the Moon. The mission confirmed that the Moon had no appreciable Magnetic Field , and found no evidence of the Moon having Radiation Belt s. LUNA 2 AND THE VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELT Luna 2 showed time variations in the Electron Flux and Energy Spectrum within the Outer Belt . Luna 2 was instrumented with a three component fluxgate Magnetometer , similar to that used on Luna 1, but with the dynamic range reduced by a factor of 4 to -750 to +750 Nanotesla s (gammas) so that the quantization uncertainty was -12 to +12 nT. The spacecraft spin period was 840 seconds about the major axis, and there was a precession with a period of 86 seconds. The sampling rate of the instrument was approximately once per minute. According to the Principal Investigator, the errors associated with the experiment zero levels and spacecraft fields were such that the accuracy was approximately 50 to 100 nT. The spacecraft gave results similar to those of Luna 1 in the Earth's radiation belts and, upon impact, placed an upper limit of 100 nT on the lunar magnetic field at the surface. USSR PENNANTS The spacecraft also carried strips placed into it. On each of these strips the USSR Coat of Arms, the words ''1959 СЕНТЯБРЬ'' (English: ''1959 SEPTEMBER'') and the words ''СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК'' (English: ''UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS'') were engraved. On September 15 , 1959 , the USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev presented to the American president Dwight D. Eisenhower a copy of the spherical pennant as a gift. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINK
|
|
|