Courtesy of NASA's National Space Science Data Center
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.
Space History