 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,[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,[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 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.