Soviet’s ‘Luna 24’ successfully landed on moon on this day in 1976

On this day, August 18, 1976, Russia’s spacecraft Luna 24 completed successful “soft landing” on the site of a large mass concentration on the Moon. It was the Soviet’s third attempt to obtain a soil sample from the lunar surface at about 6.6 feet (2 meters) beneath the moon’s land and return its rover to the Earth. Known as Russia’s last and the final lunar probe, the mission delivered about six ounces (more than 170 grams) of soil to the Soviet Union from the Mare Crisium region of the Moon, according to NASA’s Solar system Exploration release.  

While Lunar 24 was launched on August 9, 1976, it entered the lunar orbit on August 14. It managed to land on the moon’s surface for the first time on this day in history, August 18 which was a significant breakthrough for Russia after the launch failure in October 1975. August 19, the rover initiated sample collection from the ‘mascon’ location. As per NASA, the trajectory correction delayed the Luna 24’s orbit entry on the moon by at least three days. It touched down the lunar surface at 06:36 UT on Aug. 18, 1976, at 12 degrees 45 minutes north latitude and 62 degrees 12 inches east longitude.  

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After appropriate commands from ground control, the lander deployed its sample arm and pushed its drilling head about 6.6 feet (2 meters) into the nearby soil, NASA wrote in the release.

The sample was safely stowed in the small return capsule, and after nearly a day on the Moon, Luna 24 lifted off successfully from the Moon at 05:25 UT on Aug. 19, 1976, it added.

Collected “laminated” soil

After the historic mission, Luna 24's capsule entered Earth's atmosphere at 05:55 UT on Aug. 23, 1976, about 124 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Surgut in western Siberia. Samples of soils, with “laminated” characteristics, were shared with NASA in December 1976. Prior to Lunar 24, Russia had launched over 20 successful missions to the Moon and achieved a number of notable lunar "firsts". Russia released images of the flyby and the lunar farside, first soft landing, first lunar orbiter, and the first circumlunar probe to return to Earth, also shared by NASA. 

[Samples of soils, with “laminated” characteristics brought by Luna 24. Credit: Russia Space Web]

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