Saturday, December 19, 1992

Lunar Orbiter 4

  1967-041A


LO spacecraft 7 was launched at 1926 on 1967 May 4 by Atlas Agena D from Cape Kennedy. Lunar orbit insertion, at 1517 on May 8, was into a 2700 x 6000 km x 85.5 deg orbit for global lunar mapping, since the first three missions had completed the basic Apollo requirements. The photo mission was mostly successful despite problems with a stuck thermal cover and with the readout system. The spacecraft was modified for better thermal protection in the high operational orbit.

Orbit adjustments were made at 2316 on Jun 5 and 2230 on Jun 8 to lower the orbit to 77 x 3943 km, to aid in trajectory planning for the final mission. Contact with Lunar Orbiter IV was lost on 1967 Jul 17 and the probe is calculated to have impacted the lunar far side some months later.


Lunar Orbiter IV 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1967 May 4  2225:00  Launch by Atlas Agena D CK LC13 
 2227:08T+2:08 BECO 
 2227:12T+2:12 Booster jettison 
 2229:49T+4:49 SECO 
 2230:10T+5:10 VECO  -4091 x 181 x 29.74 
 2230:13T+5:13 Fairing 
 2230:15T+5:15 Atlas 5804 sep 
 2231:06T+6:06 Agena 6633 burn 1, 152s 
 2233:38  T+8:38 Agena MECO160 x 160 x 29.7? 
 2254:21  T+29:21 Agena burn 2 
 2255:49  T+30:49 Agena MECO 
 2258:35T+33:35 Agena sep 
 2316   191 x 416471 x 29.9 
1967 May 5  1645  TCM 60.9m/s 52s 
   334 x 435516 x 22.7 
1967 May 8  1508:46  LOI burn 659.6m/s 501.9s burn  
 1517:08  LOI MECO  721.0 2706 x 6111 x 85.48 
1967 May 11  1546  Photo survey begins 
1967 May 26   Photos complete 
1967 Jun 1   Readout complete 
1967 Jun 5  2316:16  TCM 186.7m/s 117.9s  74 x 6084 x 85.5 
1967 Jun 8  2239:27  TCM 70.5m/s 42.8s 77 x 3943 x 85.5 
1967 Jul 17   Last contact 

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