Luna 24

Launch data: Designation 09272 / 76081A Launch date 09 Aug 1976 Launch site B, LC-81/23 Launch vehicle Proton-K/Blok-D Satellite type  Ye-8-5M #3 Mission Lunar Orbiter/Lander Selencentric orbit Perihelion / Aphelion  115 x 115 Incl. to ecliptic   120.0° Period   min

Two artist's views of Luna 24, the third attempt to recover a sample from the unexplored Mare Crisium.

Specifications: Manufacturer  Lavochkin Operator   Mass at launch 5306 kg Dry mass kg Dimension   Basic shape   Solar array

A diagram shows how the Soviet Luna 24 spacecraft returned soil samples from the Moon.

Decay: Out of service:   Cause:   Landed on Moon date:  18 Aug 1976 - 02:00 UT Sonde recovered date (on Earth):  22 Aug 1976 Lifetime:  days

The capsule used by Luna 24 to return samples from the Moon to Earth

Mission details:

• Lunar Sample Return. Landed on Moon 18 Aug 1976 at 02:00:00 GMT, Latitude 12.25 N, Longitude 62.20 E - Mare Crisium (Sea of Crisis). The last of the Luna series of spacecraft, Luna 24 was the third Soviet mission to retrieve lunar ground samples (the first two were returned by Luna 16 and 20).
• The mission successfully returned 170 grams of lunar samples to the Earth on 22 August 1976.