Luna 1
Mission type | Lunar impactor[1] | |
---|---|---|
Operator | Soviet Union | |
Harvard designation | 1959 Mu 1 | |
COSPAR ID | 1959-012A[2] | |
SATCAT no. | 00112[2] | |
Mission duration | Approximately 62 hours[1] | |
Spacecraft properties | ||
Spacecraft type | Ye-1 | |
Manufacturer | OKB-1 | |
Launch mass | 361.3 kilograms (797 lb)[1] | |
Start of mission | ||
Launch date | 2 January 1959, 16:41:21 Site 1/5 | |
End of mission | ||
Last contact | 5 January 1959 | |
Orbital parameters | ||
Reference system | Semi-major axis 1.146 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.14767 | |
Perihelion altitude | 0.9766 AU | |
Aphelion altitude | 1.315 AU | |
Inclination | 0.01° | |
Period | 450 days | |
Epoch | 1 January 1959, 19:00:00 GMT[3] | |
Lunar flyby (failed impact) | ||
Closest approach | 4 January 1959 | |
Distance | 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) | |
Luna 1, also known as Mechta (Russian: Мечта [mʲɪt͡ɕˈta], lit.: Dream), E-1 No.4 and First Lunar Rover,[4] was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of Earth's Moon, the first spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as a Moon impactor, Luna 1 was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959.
A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the upper stage rocket's burn time, and the spacecraft missed the Moon by 5,900 km (more than three times the Moon's radius). Luna 1 became the first human-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was dubbed "Artificial Planet 1"[5] and renamed Mechta (Dream).[6] Luna 1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Ship",[5] in reference to its achievement of Earth escape velocity.
Spacecraft
The satellite and rocket carrying Luna 1 was originally referred to as the Soviet Space Rocket by the Soviet Press.
The spherical satellite was powered by
Luna 1 was designed to impact the Moon, delivering two metallic pennants with the
The spacecraft weighed 361.3 kilograms (797 lb) at launch.[1] It was about 1.22 metres (4.0 ft) in diameter.[11]
Launch
Luna 1 was launched at 16:41 GMT (22:41
Consequently Luna 1 missed its target by 5,995 kilometers (3,725 mi). The spacecraft passed within 5,995–6,400 kilometers (3,725–3,977 mi) of the Moon's surface on 4 January after 34 hours of flight, and then became the first human made object to leave Earth's orbit on January 6, 1959.[2][1] Luna 1 ran out of battery power on 5 January, when it was 597,000 kilometers (371,000 mi) from Earth, making it impossible to track further.[1][13] The batteries were designed for a minimum of 40 hours but lasted for 62.[13]
Luna 1 became the first artificial object to reach the escape velocity of the Earth,[14] along with its carrier rocket's 1,472-kilogram (3,245 lb)[2] upper stage, which it separated from after being the first spacecraft to reach heliocentric orbit.[1] It remains in orbit around the Sun, between the orbits of Earth and Mars.[2]
Experiment results
At 00:57 GMT on 3 January 1959, at a distance of 113,000 kilometres (70,000 mi) from Earth,
While traveling through the outer Van Allen radiation belt, the spacecraft's scintillator made observations indicating that a small number of high-energy particles exist in the outer belt. The measurements obtained during this mission provided new data on the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. The craft was unable to detect a lunar magnetic field which placed an upper limit on its strength of 1/10,000th of Earth's.[2][17] The first-ever direct observations and measurements of solar wind,[4][2] a strong flow of ionized plasma emanating from the Sun and streaming through interplanetary space, were performed.[2] The ionized plasma concentration was measured to be some 700 particles per cm3 at altitudes of 20,000–25,000 km and 300 to 400 particles per cm3 at altitudes of 100,000–150,000 km.[16] The spacecraft also marked the first instance of radio communication at the half-million-kilometer distance.
Reaction
Some doubted the veracity of the Soviets' claim of mission success. Lloyd Mallan wrote about it in a book called The Big Red Lie. Many in the West did not receive transmissions from the spacecraft even though the Soviets publicized them before the flight. By the time the Earth rotated so that scientists in America could pick up signals from the spacecraft, it was already 171,000 kilometers (106,000 mi) away.[18] In May 1959 several hearings Soviet Space Technology before the Committee on Science and Astronautics and Special Subcommittee on Lunik Probe of the United States House of Representatives attested the achievements of the Soviet mission and its sophisticated guidance technology.[19]
The Soviet Union issued stamps to commemorate their success.[20]
Subsequent missions
Luna 2, the second spacecraft of the Ye-1A series, successfully completed the mission on 13 September 1959.[21]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Siddiqi 2018, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Luna 1". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive.
- ^ "Luna 1 Launch and Trajectory Information". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ a b Harvey 2007a, p. 26.
- ^ a b "Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Cormack 2012, p. 342.
- ^ a b "New Soviet Rocket Given Name 'Mechta'". The Plain Speaker. Associated Press. 5 January 1959. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Darling 2003, p. 244.
- ^ "Triaxial Fluxgate Magnetometer". NASA NSSDCA. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Harvey 2007b, p. 26.
- ^ Reichhardt, Tony (2 January 2013). "The Luna 1 Hoax Hoax". Smithsonian Magazine.
- ^ Reichl 2019, p. 20.
- ^ a b Reichl 2019, p. 21.
- ^ Siddiqi 2018, p. 1.
- ^ Carey, Frank E. (3 January 1959). "Soviet Moon Rocket Releases Sodium Cloud as 'Tail Light'". St. Louis Post Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. Associated Press. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISSN 0523-9613. Archived from the originalon 18 January 2008.
- ISBN 978-1-4419-7897-4.
- ^ Harvey 2007b, pp. 28–29.
- ^ "Soviet Space Technology" (PDF). CIA (published 31 August 2004). 1959. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Harvey 2007b, p. 30.
- ^ "Chronology – Five key dates in the race to the moon". Reuters. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1-4426-0446-9.
- Darling, David (2003). The complete book of spaceflight: from Apollo 1 to zero gravity. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-05649-2.
- Harvey, Brian (2007a). Russian planetary exploration: history, development, legacy, prospects. Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-46343-8.
- Harvey, Brian (2007b). Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration. Chichester, UK: Springer. LCCN 2006935327.
- Reichl, Eugen (2019). The Soviet Space Program: the Lunar Mission Years 1959–1976. Translated by David Johnston. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. LCCN 2017955750.
- Siddiqi, Asif A. (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016 (PDF). The NASA history series (second ed.). Washington, D.C.: NASA History Program Office. LCCN 2017059404. SP2018-4041.
- Boris Chertok, "Rakety i liudi: goriachie dni, kholodnoy voyny", Moscow, "Mashinostroenie", 2nd edition (1999). Sect. 2–7.
- Zarya – Luna 1 chronology