Lunar Orbiter 2
Replica of a Lunar Orbiter spacecraft | |||||||||||
| Mission type | Lunar orbiter | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1966-100A | ||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 2534 | ||||||||||
| Website | science.nasa.gov | ||||||||||
| Mission duration | 11 months, 5 days | ||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Langley Research Center | ||||||||||
| Launch mass | 385.6 kg (850 lb) | ||||||||||
| Dimensions | 3.72 × 1.65 × 1.5 m (12.2 × 5.4 × 4.9 ft) | ||||||||||
| Power | 375 watts | ||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||
| Launch date | November 6, 1966, 23:21:00 UTC | ||||||||||
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D | ||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-13 | ||||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||||
| Disposal | Deorbited | ||||||||||
| Decay date | October 11, 1967, 07:12:54 UTC | ||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
| Reference system | Selenocentric | ||||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 2,694 km (1,674 mi) | ||||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.35 | ||||||||||
| Periselene altitude | 1,790 km (1,110 mi) | ||||||||||
| Aposelene altitude | 3,598 km (2,236 mi) | ||||||||||
| Inclination | 11.9 degrees | ||||||||||
| Period | 208.07 minutes | ||||||||||
| Epoch | November 9, 1966, 19:00:00 UTC | ||||||||||
| Lunar orbiter | |||||||||||
| Orbital insertion | November 10, 1966 | ||||||||||
| Impact site | 3°00′N 119°06′E / 3.0°N 119.1°E | ||||||||||
| Orbits | 2,346 | ||||||||||
| Transponders | |||||||||||
| Frequency | 2295 MHz | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
The 1966 Lunar Orbiter 2 robotic spacecraft mission, part of the Lunar Orbiter Program, was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. It was also equipped to collect selenodetic, radiation intensity, and micrometeoroid impact data.