Luna 16

Key facts

Mission & specifications

Mission

Luna 16 was the first robot to bring a piece of another world back to Earth, and a triumph of automation at a time when the United States relied on astronauts to do the same job. Launched on 12 September 1970, it entered lunar orbit five days later and descended to Mare Fecunditatis, the Sea of Fertility, touching down in darkness on 20 September. A drill on an extending arm bored about 35 centimetres into the soil and sealed 101 grams of rock and dust into a small return capsule atop the ascent stage. Roughly a day later that stage blasted straight off the lunar surface — there was no orbital rendezvous, the capsule simply flew home — and on 24 September its small sphere parachuted down onto the steppe of Kazakhstan. Although the sample was far smaller than the hauls returned by the contemporaneous Apollo missions, Luna 16 proved that geology could be done by machine, without risking human life. The Soviet Union repeated the feat with Luna 20 and Luna 24, and the technique it pioneered underlies modern robotic sample-return missions to asteroids and, one day, to Mars.

1. 1970Launch toward the MoonLaunch

   Luna 16 sets out on the first fully robotic mission to bring back a piece of another world.

2. 1970Lunar orbitArrival

   Enters orbit around the Moon and prepares for a night-time descent.

3. 1970Landing in Mare FecunditatisLanding

   Touches down in darkness; a drill bores ~35 cm and seals 101 g of soil in the return capsule.

4. 1970Ascent from the MoonAscent

   The upper stage lifts straight off the surface and heads directly back to Earth.

5. 1970Sample capsule returns to EarthLanding

   The capsule parachutes onto the steppe of Kazakhstan with the first robotic lunar sample.

Images

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