Zond 5
Encyclopedia
Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program
and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1
manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (68-076B) in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby
and to return to Earth.
Zond-5 became the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return to land on Earth. On September 18, 1968, the spacecraft flew around the Moon. The closest distance was 1,950 km. High quality photographs of the Earth were taken at a distance of 90,000 km. A biological payload of two russian tortoise
s, wine flies, meal worms, plant
s, seed
s, bacteria
, and other living matter was included in the flight.
September 21, 1968, the reentry capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere, braked aerodynamically
by means of skip reentry
, and deployed its parachutes at 7 km. The capsule splashed down in the Indian Ocean and was successfully recovered by the USSR recovery vessels Borovichy and Vasiliy Golovin. The biological payload was intact, proving that it was possible to survive a lunar flyby and safely return to Earth. It was announced that the tortoises had lost about 10% of their body weight but remained active and showed no loss of appetite. The spacecraft was planned as a precursor to manned lunar spacecraft. Zond 5 return capsule is on display at the RKK Energiya museum
, in Russia.
This article was originally based on material from NASA (NSSDC) information on Zond 5
Zond program
Zond was the name given to two distinct series of Soviet unmanned space program undertaken from 1964 to 1970. The first series based on 3MV planetary probe was intended to gather information about nearby planets...
and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1
Soyuz 7K-L1
The Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft was designed to launch men from the Earth to circle the Moon without going into lunar orbit in the context of the Soviet manned moon-flyby program in Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK with several components stripped out to reduce the vehicle weight...
manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (68-076B) in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby
Flyby
Flyby may refer to:* Flypast or flyover, a celebratory display or ceremonial flight* Planetary flyby, a type of interplanetary spacecraft mission* Gravity assist, a spaceflight maneuver* "Fly by II", a single released by the UK band Blue...
and to return to Earth.
Zond-5 became the first spacecraft to circle the Moon and return to land on Earth. On September 18, 1968, the spacecraft flew around the Moon. The closest distance was 1,950 km. High quality photographs of the Earth were taken at a distance of 90,000 km. A biological payload of two russian tortoise
Russian Tortoise
The Russian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise or Central Asian tortoise is a species of tortoise that is a popular pet...
s, wine flies, meal worms, plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, and other living matter was included in the flight.
September 21, 1968, the reentry capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere, braked aerodynamically
Aerobraking
Aerobraking is a spaceflight maneuver that reduces the high point of an elliptical orbit by flying the vehicle through the atmosphere at the low point of the orbit . The resulting drag slows the spacecraft...
by means of skip reentry
Skip reentry
Skip reentry is a reentry technique involving one or more successive "skips" off the atmosphere to achieve greater entry range or to slow the spacecraft before final entry, which helps to dissipate the huge amount of heat that is usually generated on faster descents...
, and deployed its parachutes at 7 km. The capsule splashed down in the Indian Ocean and was successfully recovered by the USSR recovery vessels Borovichy and Vasiliy Golovin. The biological payload was intact, proving that it was possible to survive a lunar flyby and safely return to Earth. It was announced that the tortoises had lost about 10% of their body weight but remained active and showed no loss of appetite. The spacecraft was planned as a precursor to manned lunar spacecraft. Zond 5 return capsule is on display at the RKK Energiya museum
RKK Energiya museum
The RKK Energiya museum is a museum dedicated to the early achievements of Russian space exploration programmes. It is located on the grounds of the RKK Energiya factory in Korolyov, near Moscow....
, in Russia.
External links
This article was originally based on material from NASA (NSSDC) information on Zond 5