Zond 5
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| Major contractors | OKB-1 |
|---|---|
| Bus | Soyuz 7K-L1 |
| Mission type | Lunar flyby Spacecraft test |
| Launch date | 15 September 1968 21:42:11 UTC |
| Carrier rocket | Proton-K/D |
| Launch site | Baikonur |
| Landing site | 32°38′S 65°33′E |
| Mass | 5,375 kilograms (11,850 lb) |
Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (68-076B) in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth.
Zond-5 became the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return to land on Earth. On September 18, 1968, the spacecraft flew around the Moon. The closest distance was 1,950 km. High quality photographs of the Earth were taken at a distance of 90,000 km. A biological payload of two russian tortoises, wine flies, meal worms, plants, seeds, bacteria, and other living matter was included in the flight.
September 21, 1968, the reentry capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere, braked aerodynamically by means of skip reentry, and deployed its parachutes at 7 km. The capsule splashed down in the Indian Ocean and was successfully recovered by the USSR recovery vessels Borovichy and Vasiliy Golovin.[1][2] The biological payload was intact, proving that it was possible to survive a lunar flyby and safely return to Earth. It was announced that the tortoises had lost about 10% of their body weight but remained active and showed no loss of appetite. The spacecraft was planned as a precursor to manned lunar spacecraft. Zond 5 return capsule is on display at the RKK Energiya museum, in Russia.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Zond 5, Recovery Ship, Miss Distance", Red Moon By Michael Cassutt - page 320, Recovery Ship and Miss Distance.
- ^ "Zond 5, Landing Point, Miss Distance", NASA Solar System Exploration - Zond 5, Landing Point, Miss Distance.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Zond 4 |
Zond program (circumlunar) | Succeeded by Zond 6 |
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This article was originally based on material from NASA (NSSDC) information on Zond 5
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