Luna E-3 No.2

Luna E-3 No.2
Major contractors OKB-1
Bus Luna E-3
Mission type Lunar flyby
Launch date 16 April 1960
16:07:41 UTC
Carrier rocket Luna 8K72 s/n L1-9A
Launch site Baikonur Site 1/5
Mass 279 kilograms (620 lb)
Orbital elements
Regime Circumlunar (planned)
Failed to achieve orbit

Luna E-3 No.2,[1] sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1960B,[2] was a Soviet spacecraft which was lost in a launch failure in 1960. It was a 279-kilogram (620 lb) Luna E-3 spacecraft,[3] the second of two to be launched,[4] both of which were lost in launch failures.[4] It was intended to fly around the moon on a circumlunar trajectory in order to image the surface of the Moon, including the far side. The E-3 spacecraft were similar in design to the E-2A which had been used for the earlier Luna 3 mission, however they carried higher resolution cameras, and were intended to make closer flybys.

Luna E-3 No.2 was launched at 16:07:41 UTC on 16 April 1960, atop a Luna 8K72 carrier rocket,[5] flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[1] The Blok-B strap-on booster failed to generate sufficient thrust, and sheered away from the core stage around 0.4 seconds into the flight.[5] This caused the other strap-ons to separate prematurely as well, leaving the rocket with insufficient thrust to achieve orbit.[5] Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempted circumlunar imagery mission.[2]

External links

References

  1. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. Retrieved 26 July 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Williams, David R. (6 January 2005). "Tentatively Identified Missions and Launch Failures". NASA NSSDC. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/tent_launch.html. Retrieved 30 July 2010. 
  3. ^ Wade, Mark. "Luna E-3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/lunae3.htm. Retrieved 26 July 2010. 
  4. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Luna E-3". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/luna_e3.htm. Retrieved 26 July 2010. 
  5. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/soyuz.htm. Retrieved 26 July 2010. 
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