Luna 24

Luna 24

Luna 24 landed on the northwestern rim of a 64 m diameter impact crater Lev, on the volcanic plains of Mare Crisium
Mission type	Lunar sample return
Operator	Soviet space program
COSPAR ID	1976-081A
SATCAT no.	9272
Mission duration	13 days, 2 hours and 51 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Ye-8-5M
Manufacturer	NPO Lavochkin
Launch mass	5,800 kg (12,800 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	9 August 1976, 15:04:12 UTC[1]
Rocket	Proton-K/DM s/n 288-02
Launch site	Baikonur 81/23
Contractor	Krunichev
End of mission
Landing date	22 August 1976, 17:55 UTC
Landing site	61°3′36″N 75°54′0″E / 61.06000°N 75.90000°E / 61.06000; 75.90000,[2] 200 km (120 mi) South-East of Surgut, Western Siberia
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Selenocentric
Periselene altitude	115 km (71 mi)
Aposelene altitude	115 km (71 mi)
Inclination	120.0°
Period	1 hour 59 minutes
Lunar orbiter
Orbital insertion	14 August 1976
Orbits	~48
Lunar lander
Landing date	18 August 1976, 06:36 UTC
Return launch	19 August 1976, 05:25 UTC
Landing site	12°42′52″N 62°12′35″E / 12.7145°N 62.2097°E / 12.7145; 62.2097 [3], Mare Crisium
Sample mass	170.1 g (6.00 oz)
Instruments
Stereo photographic imaging system Improved drill/Remote arm for sample collection Radiation detector Radio-altimeter
Luna programme ← Luna 1975A Luna 25 →

Luna 24 was a robotic probe of the Soviet Union's Luna programme. The 24th mission of the Luna series of spacecraft, the mission of the Luna 24 probe was the third Soviet mission to return lunar soil samples from the Moon (the first two sample return missions were Luna 16 and Luna 20). The probe landed in Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises). The mission returned 170.1 g (6.00 oz) of lunar samples to the Earth on 22 August 1976.