Mission Details
| Mission Name: Luna 12 |
| Mission Type: Lunar Orbiter |
| Operator: Soviet Union (Roscosmos) |
| Launching State: Soviet Union/Russia |
| Location: Precise location undetermined or undisclosed. |
| Latitude: N/A |
| Longitude: N/A |
| Launch Date: 22 October 1966, 08:38:00 UT |
| Landing Date: N/A |
| Objects on or Related to Site: Luna 12 |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Luna 12 was launched to complete the mission that Luna 11 failed to accomplish: to take high resolution photos of the Moon from lunar orbit.
Read more:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-12/in-depth/
Heritage Consideration
First high resolution of the Moon taken from lunar orbit.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Luna 12 | |
| Cospar: 1966-094A | |
| Norad: N/A | |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. | |
| Launch Date: 22 October 1966, 08:38:00 UT | |
| Landing Date: N/A | |
| Deployment: N/A | |
| End Date: 19 January 1967 | |
| Function: Obtain high resolution photographs of the Moon’s surface from lunar orbit. | |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Luna 12 was launched towards the Moon from an earth-orbiting platform and achieved lunar orbit on October 25, 1966. The spacecraft was equipped with a television system that obtained and transmitted photographs of the lunar surface. The photographs contained 1100 scan lines with a maximum resolution of 14.9 to 19.8 meters (49 to 65 feet). Pictures of the lunar surface were returned on October 27, 1966. The number of photographs is not known. Radio transmissions from Luna 12 ceased on January 19, 1967, after 602 lunar orbits and 302 radio transmissions.
