Courtesy of NASA's National Space Science Data Center
Launch Date/Time: 1966-10-22 at 08:38:00 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: 1620.00 kg. (3,564 lb.)
Description
Luna 12 was launched towards the Moon from an earth-orbiting platform and
achieved lunar orbit on October 25, 1966. The spacecraft was equipped with a
television system that obtained and transmitted photographs of the lunar
surface. The photographs contained 1100 scan lines with a maximum resolution
of 14.9 to 19.8 meters (49 to 65 feet). Pictures of the lunar surface were returned on October 27, 1966. The number of photographs is not known. Radio transmissions from Luna 12 ceased on January 19, 1967, after 602 lunar orbits and 302 radio
transmissions.
Space History