Zond Mission Summaries, 1965 - 1970
Courtesy of NASA's National Space Science Data Center
Contents
Zond 3, 5,
6, 7, 8
Launch Date/Time: 1965-07-18 at 14:38:00 UTC
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage +
Escape Stage
On-orbit dry mass: 960.00 kg. (2,112 lb.)
Description
Zond 3 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (65-056B) Earth orbiting
platform towards the Moon and interplanetary space. The spacecraft was
equipped with a TV system that provided automatic in-flight film processing.
On July 20, during lunar flyby, 25 pictures of very good quality were taken
of the lunar farside from distances of 11,570 to 9,960 kilometers (7,190
to 6,190 miles). The photos covered 19 million square kilometers (7.3
million square miles) of the lunar surface. Photo transmissions by
facsimile were returned to Earth from a distance of 2.2 million kilometers
(1.4 million miles) and were retransmitted from a distance of 31.5 million
kilometers (19.6 million miles), thus proving the ability of the
communications system. After the lunar flyby, Zond 3 continued space
exploration in a heliocentric orbit.
Launch Date: 1968-09-14
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
On-orbit dry mass: 5,375.00 kg. (11,825 lb.)
Description
Zond 5 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking
orbit to make scientific probes during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth.
On September 18, 1968, the spacecraft flew around the Moon. The closest
distance was 1,950 kilometers (1,212 miles). High-quality photographs of the Earth were taken at a
distance of 90,000 kilometers (56,000 miles). A biological payload of turtles, wine flies, meal
worms, plants, seeds, bacteria, and other living matter was included in the
flight. On September 21, 1968, the re-entry capsule entered the Earth's
atmosphere, braked aerodynamically, and deployed parachutes at 7 kilometers (4.35 miles) . The
capsule splashed down in the Indian Ocean and was successfully recovered.
The spacecraft was a precursor to manned spacecraft.
Launch Date: 1968-11-10
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
On-orbit dry mass: 5375.00 kg. (11,825 lb.)
Description
Zond 6 was launched on a lunar flyby mission from a parent satellite
in Earth parking orbit. The spacecraft, which carried scientific
probes including cosmic-ray and micrometeoroid detectors, photography
equipment, and a biological payload, was a precursor to manned spaceflight.
Zond 6 flew around the Moon on November 14, 1968, at a minimum distance of
2,420 kilometers (1,504 kilometers).
Photographs of the lunar near and farside were obtained with
panchromatic film. This experiment had the purpose of photographing the lunar surface,
especially areas missed by earlier missions, and to overlap with better
photography those areas that had been previously covered. Each photo was 12.70 by 17.78 centimeters (5 by 7 inches). Some of the views allowed for stereo pictures. The photos were taken from distances of approximately 11,000 kilometers (6,835 miles) and 3,300 kilometers (2,050 miles). Controlled reentry of the spacecraft
occurred on November 17, 1968, and Zond 6 landed in a predetermined region
of the Soviet Union.
Launch Date: 1969-08-07
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
On-orbit dry mass: 5,979.00 kg. (13,150 lb.)
Description
Zond 7 was launched towards the Moon from a mother spacecraft on a
mission of further studies of the Moon and circulmunar space, to obtain
color photography of the Earth and the Moon from varying distances, and to
flight test the spacecraft systems. Earth photos were obtained on August 9,
1969. On August 11, 1969, the spacecraft flew past the Moon at a distance of
1984.6 kilometers (1,233.2 miles) and conducted two picture taking sessions. Zond 7 reentered the
Earth's atmosphere on August 14, 1969, and achieved a soft landing in a
preset region south of Kustanai.
Launch Date: 1970-10-20
Launch Site/Country: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
On-orbit dry mass: 5375.00 kg. (11,825 lb.)
Description
Zond 8 was launched from an Earth orbiting platform, Tyazheliy Sputnik, towards the Moon. The announced objectives were investigations of the Moon and circumlunar space and testing of onboard systems and units. The spacecraft obtained photographs of the Earth on October 21 from a distance of 64,480 kilometers (40,070 miles). The spacecraft transmitted flight images of the earth for
three days. Zond 8 flew past the Moon on October 24, 1970, at a distance of
1,110.4 kilometers (690 miles) and obtained both black and white and color photographs of the
lunar surface. Scientific measurements were also obtained during the flight.
Zond 8 reentered the Earth's atmosphere and splashed down in the Indian
Ocean on October 27, 1970.
Space History
