science

Luna 23

Luna 23 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Luna 23 rather than just read about it. In short: Luna 23 was an uncrewed space mission of the Luna program developed by the Soviet Union. Overview Luna 23 was a Soviet Moon lander mission which was intended to return a lunar sample to Earth.

Key takeaways

Luna 23 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Luna 23 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Luna 23 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Luna 23 was an uncrewed space mission of the Luna program developed by the Soviet Union.

Overview Luna 23 was a Soviet Moon lander mission which was intended to return a lunar sample to Earth. Launched to the Moon by a Proton-K/D, the spacecraft tipped over on its side and was damaged upon landing in Mare Crisium. The sample collecting apparatus could not operate and no samples were returned. The lander continued transmissions for three days after landing. In 1976, Luna 24 landed several hundred meters away and successfully returned samples. The asteroid-like object 2010 KQ is believed to be a rocket that parted the Luna 23 module after launch. Luna 23 was the first modified lunar sample return spacecraft, designed to return a deep core sample of the Moon's surface (hence the change in index from Ye-8-5 to Ye-8-5M). While Luna 16 and Luna 20 had returned samples from a depth of 0.3 meters, the new spacecraft was designed to dig to 2.5 meters. After a midcourse correction on 31 October, Luna 23 entered orbit around the Moon on 2 November 1974. Parameters were 104 × 94 kilometers at 138° inclination. Following several more changes to the orbit, the spacecraft descended to the lunar surface on 6 November and landed in the southernmost portion of Mare Crisium. Landing coordinates were 13° north latitude and 62° east longitude. During landing in "unfavorable" terrain, the lander's drilling device was evidently damaged, preventing fulfillment of the primary mission, the return of lunar soil to Earth. Scientists devised a makeshift plan to conduct a limited science exploration program with the stationary lander. Controllers maintained contact with the spacecraft until 9 November 1974. High resolution orbital photographs taken by the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and released in March 2012 showed the Luna 23 spacecraft lying on its side on the lunar surface. The spacecraft evidently tipped over upon landing, perhaps due to higher than nominal vertical and/or horizontal velocities at touchdown.

In culture In the 2007 BioWare video game Mass Effect, derelict remains of this spacecraft can be found in the accessible parts of Earth's Moon and can be salvaged for random materials.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Luna 23

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Luna 23 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Luna 23 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Luna 23 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Luna 23

In research: Luna 23 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Luna 23 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Luna 23 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1974 in spaceflight, 1974 in the Soviet Union, 1974 on the Moon, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Luna 23 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Luna 23 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Luna 23 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Luna 23 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Luna 23 in simple terms?

Luna 23 was an uncrewed space mission of the Luna program developed by the Soviet Union. Overview Luna 23 was a Soviet Moon lander mission which was intended to return a lunar sample to Earth.

Why does Luna 23 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Luna 23?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Luna 23.