#Lunar orbiter 1 full#
#Lunar orbiter 1 series#

Communications were via a 10 W transmitter and the directional 1 m diameter high gain antenna for transmission of photographs and a 0.5 W transmitter and omnidirectional low-gain antenna for other communications. Navigational knowledge was provided by five Sun sensors, Canopus star sensor, and the IRU equipped with internal gyros. Three axis stabilization and attitude control were provided by four one lbf (4 N) nitrogen gas jets. Propulsion for major maneuvers was provided by the gimballed velocity control engine, a hypergolic 100 pound-force (445 N) thrust Marquardt rocket motor. The batteries were used during brief periods of occultation when no solar power was available. Power of 375 W was provided by the four solar arrays containing 10,856 n/p solar cells which would directly run the spacecraft and also charge the 12 A Mounted on the perimeter of the top deck were four attitude control thrusters. The nozzle of the engine protruded through the center of the shield. The third deck consisted of a heat shield to protect the spacecraft from the firing of the velocity control engine. Above the equipment deck, the middle deck held the velocity control engine, propellant, oxidizer and pressurization tanks, Sun sensors, and micro-meteoroid detectors. Also extending out from the base of the spacecraft were a high gain antenna on a 1.32 m ( Template:Convert/outAnd) boom and a low-gain antenna on a 2.08 m ( Template:Convert/outAnd) boom. Four solar panels were mounted to extend out from this deck with a total span across of 3.72 m ( Template:Convert/round ft). The equipment deck at the base of the craft held the battery, transponder, flight programmer, inertial reference unit (IRU), Canopus star tracker, command decoder, multiplex encoder, traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA), and the photographic system. The spacecraft was composed of three decks supported by trusses and an arch. The main bus of the Lunar Orbiter had the general shape of a truncated cone, 1.65 m ( Template:Convert/outAnd) tall and 1.5 m ( Template:Convert/outAnd) in diameter at the base. The Boeing-Eastman Kodak proposal was announced by NASA on 20 December 1963. A second photo of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter 5 on 10 November 1967.

#Lunar orbiter 1 full#

The first full picture of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter 5 on 8 August 1967. The film was then processed, scanned, and the images transmitted back to Earth.ĭuring the Lunar Orbiter missions, the first pictures of Earth as a whole were taken, beginning with Earth-rise over the lunar surface by Lunar Orbiter 1 in August, 1966. The film was moved during exposure to compensate for the spacecraft velocity, which was estimated by an electro-optical sensor. The axes of the two cameras were coincident so the area imaged in the HR frames were centered within the MR frame areas. Both lenses, a 610 mm ( Template:Convert/round in) narrow angle high resolution (HR) lens and an 80 mm ( Template:Convert/round in) wide angle medium resolution (MR) lens, placed their frame exposures on a single roll of 70 mm film. The Lunar Orbiters had an ingenious imaging system, which consisted of a dual-lens camera, a film processing unit, a readout scanner, and a film handling apparatus. All Lunar Orbiter craft were launched by an Atlas-Agena D launch vehicle. Lunar Orbiter 4 photographed the entire nearside and 9% of the far side, and Lunar Orbiter 5 completed the far side coverage and acquired medium (20 m ( Template:Convert/round ft)) and high (2 m ( Template:Convert/outAnd)) resolution images of 36 pre-selected areas. The fourth and fifth missions were devoted to broader scientific objectives and were flown in high-altitude polar orbits. These were flown at low-inclination orbits. The first three missions were dedicated to imaging 20 potential manned lunar landing sites, selected based on Earth-based observations.

Intended to help select Apollo landing sites by mapping the Moon's surface, they provided the first photographs from lunar orbit.Īll five missions were successful, and 99% of the Moon was mapped from photographs taken with a resolution of 60 meters ( Template:Convert/round ft) or better.

#Lunar orbiter 1 series#

The Lunar Orbiter program was a series of five unmanned lunar orbiter missions launched by the United States from 1966 through 1967.