How Many Lunar Spacecraft? Options

[ljk4-1]

Depending on how you want to play it, you could add the sub-satellites left in lunar orbit by Apollos 15 and 16.  Each was carried aboard the CSM's SIM bay, and was deployed from the CSM before the crew headed back to Earth.

In fact, these were the very first operational satellites released from any manned vehicle, either in Earth or lunar orbit.

-the other Doug

An analysis of navigation performance for the subsatellite experiment

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntr..._1979072329.pdf

Expected communication performance of the Apollo subsatellite

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntr..._1979073184.pdf

[babakm]

Didn't do any real science (besides validating the concept.. unintentionally), but AsiaSat3 should count too. Swung around the moon a couple of times.

[JTN]

I am interested in how many spacecraft have been to the Moon.

HGS-1 (aka AsiaSat 3, aka PAS 22) went round the moon to tweak its orbit. Would you count that? (See the Wikipedia article.)
[Edit: rats.]

[ljk4-1]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "operational satellite."  The Mercury balloons were inert, simply meant to be an object wiith which the Mercury pilot could make certain attitude-control maneuvers.  The REP had some active electronics, but it was only designed to be used, for *any* reason, by the Gemini V vehicle that released it (and was only designed to operate for a few hours, which meant it was never actually *used* for its intended purpose, since Gemini V's rendezvous tests were postponed until well after the REP fell silent).

-the other Doug

Flashing-Beacon Experiment for Mercury-Atlas 9 /MA-9/ Mission

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntr..._1964016501.pdf

[ljk4-1]

I am interested in how many spacecraft have been to the Moon.  On our web site we have (what I hope is) a complete listing of missions
http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/ou...n/missions.html

I counted the number of spacecraft from this list and came up with a number I have been quoting in public venues.  But, it is a tricky business.  Failed spacecraft count, landers and rovers flying together but separating on the surface count as two, etc.  So if anyone would care to give me their count I would appreciate it.

See also:

Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntr..._2002087773.pdf

[djellison]

If one counts spacecraft that 'split' - then the apollo decent stages plus their LSEP's might count seperately, and indeed given their own comms ability, so might the LRV's.

You could take this to the n'th degree I suppose

Doug

[JRehling]

If one counts spacecraft that 'split' - then the apollo decent stages plus their LSEP's might count seperately, and indeed given their own comms ability, so might the LRV's.

Neil Armstrong... Buzz Aldrin... Pete Conrad through Gene Cernan... the various Command Module pilots who did spacewalks...

[Bob Shaw]

Neil Armstrong... Buzz Aldrin... Pete Conrad through Gene Cernan... the various Command Module pilots who did spacewalks... 

The CMPs were all still tied on to the spacecraft, so don't count! Bruce McCandless & Co with the MMU, the guys who tried out SAFER, they count, though! And the Soviet free-flier is (allegedly) a myth!

Bob Shaw

[ljk4-1]

The CMPs were all still tied on to the spacecraft, so don't count! Bruce McCandless & Co with the MMU, the guys who tried out SAFER, they count, though! And the Soviet free-flier is (allegedly) a myth!

Bob Shaw

About that free-floating cosmonaut, the following is quoted from pages 37-38 of Walking to Olympus (the mission took place in early 1977):

"Because Soyuz 25 could not dock at Salyut 6’s front port, Flight
Engineer Grechko was given the additional task of inspecting and recertifying the port for future Soyuz Ferry dockings. Grechko opened the front docking port and pulled himself halfway out so that he could inspect and manipulate the outer surfaces of the docking mechanism using special tools. He found everything to be in perfect working order.

"For years Soviet spaceflight observers believed that mission Commander Romanenko, in his eagerness to look out the open hatch, nearly drifted free
of the station, and that only quick action by Grechko prevented him from being lost in space. Grechko now denies categorically that his commander was ever in danger, and adds ruefully that “Yuri was very angry about the story.”

"Romanenko says that the story had its start in a “bad joke” Grechko told which was misunderstood, and adds that, even though his short safety tether was not secured, his electricity/communications umbilical firmly fastened him to Salyut 6.
Depressurized time was 88 min, but SEVA time was only 20 min."

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/fact...dfs/EVACron.pdf

I distinctly recall Time magazine stating in a news item back then that the cosmonaut broke free of his tether and was drifting across the space station,
ready to become the first semi-permanent human satellite. His fellow
cosmonaut had to pull himself across the station grabbing whatever he
could to reach the drifting spaceman in time, which he just barely did
(I think he grabbed the tether in dramatic Hollywood style). Wheh!

Much more exciting than just two cosmonauts denying and apologizing about
it, don't you think?

[Toma B]

...And the Soviet free-flier is (allegedly) a myth!...

From Wikipedia
"Russian SPK
The former Soviet Union also used a cosmonaut propulsion system on flights to the space station Mir. The SPK (or UMK) was larger than the Space Shuttle MMU, contained oxygen instead of nitrogen and was attached to a safety tether. Despite the tether, the SPK allowed the cosmonaut, wearing the self-contained Orlan spacesuit, to "fly around" the orbiting complex, allowing access to areas nearly impossible to access otherwise. Though tested about Mir in 1990, the cosmonauts preferred using the Strela crane (equivalent to the Mobile Servicing System), and the SPK, which was left attached to the outside, was destroyed when Mir re-entered the atmosphere after decommissioning."
Sergei Krikalev was actually first to ride SPK (or UMK).

Why do you think it was a myth Bob?

[Bob Shaw]

From Wikipedia
"Russian SPK
The former Soviet Union also used a cosmonaut propulsion system on flights to the space station Mir. The SPK (or UMK) was larger than the Space Shuttle MMU, contained oxygen instead of nitrogen and was attached to a safety tether. Despite the tether, the SPK allowed the cosmonaut, wearing the self-contained Orlan spacesuit, to "fly around" the orbiting complex, allowing access to areas nearly impossible to access otherwise. Though tested about Mir in 1990, the cosmonauts preferred using the Strela crane (equivalent to the Mobile Servicing System), and the SPK, which was left attached to the outside, was destroyed when Mir re-entered the atmosphere after decommissioning."

Why do you think it was a myth Bob?

Toma:

Not the SPK, the well-known tale (see above) of the careless cosmonaut who (allegedly) nearly drifted out of the airlock aboard Mir. The SPK doesn't count, though, as it still had a tether! And yes, it certainly existed.

Bob Shaw

[Bob Shaw]

Oops. Talkin' to meself again!

Sorry!

Bob Shaw

[ljk4-1]

I can't believe I missed this anniversary:

The very first "probe" on the surface of Earth's moon Luna happened
when researchers of the Engineering Laboratories, U.S. Army Signals
Corps, established the first radio link with the Moon by bouncing radar
signals off the lunar surface on January 10, 1946, sixty years ago.

This is the text of the original report:

Radar Echoes From the Moon

http://www.eagle.ca/~harry/ba/eme/

[tty]

I can't believe I missed this anniversary:

The very first "probe" on the surface of Earth's moon Luna happened
when researchers of the Engineering Laboratories, U.S. Army Signals
Corps, established the first radio link with the Moon by bouncing radar
signals off the lunar surface on January 10, 1946, sixty years ago.

This is the text of the original report:

Radar Echoes From the Moon

http://www.eagle.ca/~harry/ba/eme/

Actually this was not the first time this was done. The first radar to detect reflections from the Moon was the Telefunken experimental radar "Würzmann" which combined a modified Würzburg Riese radar set with a Wassermann M antenna. This set delivered 120 kW at 560 MHz to a 36 meter high antenna array. I don't know the exact date but it must have been in 1943-44. For details see D. Pritchard 1989. The Radar War, Chapter 5.

tty