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Zond 8

NSSDC/COSPAR ID: 1970-088A

Description

Zond 8 was launched from an earth orbiting platform, Tyazheliy Sputnik (70-088B), 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 km. 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 1110.4 km 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.

Alternate Names

  • 04591

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 1970-10-20
Launch Vehicle: Proton Booster Plus Upper Stage and Escape Stages
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Mass: 5375.0 kg

Funding Agency

  • Unknown (U.S.S.R)

Discipline

  • Planetary Science

Additional Information

Questions or comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office.

 

Selected References

Kisliuk, V. S., Profile of the farside of the moon from data obtained by the 'Zond 8' spacecraft survey, Astron. i Astrofiz., No. 27, 31-36, 1975.

Harvey, B., The new Russian space programme from competition to collaboration, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England, 1996.

Johnson, N. L., Handbook of soviet lunar and planetary exploration - volume 47 science and technology series, Amer. Astronau. Soc. Publ., 1979.

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