Lunar Orbiter 1

{{Infobox spaceflight |auto=all

| name = Lunar Orbiter 1

| image = NASM-A19700318000-NASM2018-00097.jpg

| image_caption = Replica of a Lunar Orbiter spacecraft

| image_size = 300px

| mission_type = Lunar orbiter

| operator = NASA

| COSPAR_ID = 1966-073A

| SATCAT = 2394

| website = [https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lunar-orbiters-program/ science.nasa.gov]

| mission_duration = {{time interval|10 Aug 1966|29 Oct 1966|sep=,}}

| manufacturer = Boeing

| launch_mass = {{cvt|386.9|kg|lb}}

| dry_mass =

| dimensions = {{cvt|3.72|xx|1.65|xx|1.5|m|ft}}

| power = 375 watts

| launch_date = {{start-date|August 10, 1966, 19:31}} UTC

| launch_rocket = Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D

| launch_site = Cape Canaveral LC-13

| disposal_type = Deorbited

| decay_date = {{end-date|October 29, 1966, 13:29:06}} UTC{{r|drewex|nssdc1}}

| orbit_reference = Selenocentric

| orbit_semimajor = {{cvt|2694|km|mi}}

| orbit_eccentricity = 0.33

| orbit_periapsis = {{cvt|189.1|to|40.5|km|mi}}

| orbit_apoapsis = {{cvt|1866.8|km|mi}}

| orbit_inclination = 12 degrees

| orbit_period = 208.1 minutes

| apsis = selene

| trans_frequency = 2295 MHz

|interplanetary =

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

|type = orbiter

|object = Lunar

|orbits = 577

|arrival_date = August 14, 1966

|location = {{Lunar coords and quad cat|6.35|N|160.72|E}}

}}

| instruments_list =

{{Infobox spaceflight/Instruments

|acronym1 = - | name1 = Cesium Iodide Dosimeters

|acronym2 = - | name2 = Lunar Photographic Studies

|acronym3 = - | name3 = Meteoroid Detectors

|acronym4 = - | name4 = Selenodesy

}}

| programme = Lunar Orbiter program

| previous_mission =

| next_mission = Lunar Orbiter 2

}}

The 1966 Lunar Orbiter 1 robotic spacecraft mission, part of NASA's Lunar Orbiter program, was the first American spacecraft to orbit the Moon. It was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic, radiation intensity, and micrometeoroid impact data.

Mission summary

Mission controllers injected the spacecraft into a parking orbit around Earth on August 10, 1966, at 19:31 UTC. The trans-lunar injection burn occurred at 20:04 UTC. The spacecraft experienced a temporary failure of the Canopus star tracker (probably due to stray sunlight) and overheating during its cruise to the Moon. The star tracker problem was resolved by navigating using the Moon as a reference, and the overheating was abated by orienting the spacecraft 36 degrees off-Sun to lower the temperature.

Lunar Orbiter 1 was injected into an elliptical near-equatorial lunar orbit 92.1 hours after launch. The initial orbit was {{cvt|189.1|x|1866.8|km|mi}} and had a period of 3 hours 37 minutes and an inclination of 12.2 degrees. On August 21, perilune was dropped to {{cvt|58|km|mi}} and on August 25 to {{cvt|40.5|km|mi}}. The spacecraft acquired photographic data from August 18 to 29, 1966, and readout occurred through September 14, 1966.

File:Lunar Orbiter 1 coverage.jpg

A total of 42 high-resolution and 187 medium-resolution frames were taken and transmitted to Earth covering more than 5 million square kilometers of the Moon's surface, accomplishing about 75% of the intended mission, although a number of the early high-resolution photos showed severe smearing. It also took the first two pictures of Earth from the Moon. Accurate data were acquired from all other experiments throughout the mission.

While not disclosed until after the end of the Cold War, the imaging system on the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft were the same Eastman Kodak cameras developed by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for the SAMOS reconnaissance satellites. NASA extended the camera innovation further by developing the film onboard the spacecraft and then scanning the photos for transmission via a video signal.

Orbit tracking showed a slight "pear-shape" of the Moon based on the gravity field, and no micrometeorite impacts were detected. The spacecraft was tracked until it impacted the lunar surface on command at 7 degrees north latitude, 161 degrees east longitude (selenographic coordinates) on the Moon's far side on October 29, 1966, on its 577th orbit. The early end of the nominal one-year mission resulted from a shortage of remaining attitude control gas and other deteriorating conditions and was planned to avoid transmission interference with Lunar Orbiter 2.

class="wikitable" \|+Instruments
Lunar Photographic Studies \| Evaluation of Apollo and Surveyor landing sites
Meteoroid Detectors \| Detection of micrometeoroids in the lunar environment
Caesium Iodide Dosimeters \| Radiation environment en route to and near the Moon
Selenodesy \| Gravitational field and physical properties of the Moon

class="wikitable"

|+Instruments

Lunar Photographic Studies

| Evaluation of Apollo and Surveyor landing sites

Meteoroid Detectors

| Detection of micrometeoroids in the lunar environment

Caesium Iodide Dosimeters

| Radiation environment en route to and near the Moon

Selenodesy

| Gravitational field and physical properties of the Moon

Image:Lunar Orbiter I Launch - GPN-2000-001898.jpg|Launch of Lunar Orbiter 1 from an Atlas-Agena rocket in August 10, 1966

Image:First View of Earth from Moon.jpg|The first image of Earth from the distance of the Moon, August 23, 1966. The image (frame 1102; image 102 of Lunar Orbiter 1) consists of three parts h1-h3.{{cite web | title=The Moon | website=Lunar Orbiter 1 | date=1966-08-23 | url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/lo1_h102_123.html | access-date=2025-03-04}} Since its original publication its raw analog data has been used to digitally produce the image in higher resolution and clarity (see below).{{cite web | title=Scanning and Image Processing | website=Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) | url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/processing/ | access-date=2025-03-04}} This probe took a second such image on August 25.

Image:First View of Earth from Moon - reprocessed.png|Part of the photo to the left as reprocessed by LOIRP in 2008.

Image:First View of Earth from Moon - reprocessed wide.jpg|Full reprocessed image from 2008.

Image:Lunar Orbiter 1 - FRAME 1102-M - DPLA - 7a4fb8fc80531e2e033f91b4ce3bc1b2.jpg|Wide angle frame 1102-m image

Image:Earthrise 23 Aug 1966.jpg|Central 1102-h image.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite book

| author1= B. A. Byers

| title= Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program

| url= https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19770016195

| publisher= NASA

| date= 1976

| access-date= 12 November 2022

| isbn= 978-1-495-92029-5

| id= NASA-TM-X-3487 }}

{{cite web

| url= https://www.drewexmachina.com/2016/08/14/lunar-orbiter-1-americas-first-lunar-satellite/

| title= Lunar Orbiter 1: America's First Lunar Satellite

| website= Drew Ex Machina

| date= 14 August 2016

| access-date= 13 November 2022 }}

{{cite book

| author1= Thomas P. Hansen

| title= Guide to Lunar Orbiter Photographs

| url= https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19710026703

| publisher= NASA

| date= 1970

| access-date= 13 November 2022

| isbn= 978-1-499-16108-3

| id= NASA-SP-242 }}

{{cite web

| author1= Jon Kelvey

| title= Lunar Orbiter 1: One "Ingenious" Invention Changed Space Exploration Forever

| url= https://www.inverse.com/science/lunar-orbiter-1-set-the-bar-for-planetary-science-more-than-50-years-ago

| website= Inverse.com

| date= 10 August 2021

| access-date= 13 November 2022 }}

{{cite web

| url= http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/mission/?1

| title= Lunar Orbiter Photo Gallery - Mission 1

| publisher= Lunar and Planetary Institute

| access-date= 13 November 2022 }}

{{cite web

| title= Lunar Orbiter 1

| url= https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lunar-orbiter-1/

| website= science.nasa.gov

| publisher= NASA

| date= 12 September 2019

| access-date= 13 November 2022 }}

{{cite report

| title= Lunar Orbiter I: Extended Mission Spacecraft Subsystem Performance

| url= https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19670026411

| publisher= NASA

| page= 37

| date= September 1967

| id= NASA-CR-870 }}

{{cite web

| author1= R. Cargill Hall

| title= SAMOS to the Moon: The Clandestine Transfer of Reconnaissance Technology Between Government Agencies

| url= https://www.nro.gov/Portals/65/documents/history/csnr/programs/docs/prog-hist-01.pdf

| date= October 2001

| website= www.nro.gov

| publisher= National Reconnaissance Office

| access-date= 13 November 2022 }}

{{cite web

| title= Lunar Orbiter 1

| url= https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-073A