Lunar module
A lunar module is a landing and ascent vehicle for lunar exploration that allows astronauts to travel between a spacecraft in lunar orbit and the lunar surface.
To date, only lunar modules (the LM) of the American (NASA) Apollo program have successfully landed on the Moon.
History
Exploration of the Moon began with the Apollo program in the USA, with a concurrent Soviet lunar exploration program.
Lunar module versions
American
The American Apollo LM was carried atop a Saturn V launch vehicle.[1] It flew six times to the Moon and 15 Apollo LMs were made.
The Constellation program from 2005–09 had a lunar module craft. The project was then cancelled. It would have been launched on an Ares I launcher.
The Artemis program is planned for a 2023 crewed flyby orbit of the Moon by Artemis 2 and a possible manned landing by the Artemis 3 lunar module craft in 2024. The unmanned Artemis 1 is planned to fly around the Moon in November 2021, launched on the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle.
Soviet
For the proposed Soviet crewed lunar programs, the lunar module was known as the LK (Lunniy Korabl).
The Soviet Moon orbiter was called the LOK - Lunnyi Orbitalnyi Korabl, the Soyuz 7K-LOK.
The LK was 5.2m high with a 1440kg spherical cabin module, a 2950kg engine unit, and 1260kg landing gear.
It weighed only a third of the US lunar module, and had room for only one cosmonaut. It would take off from Earth on the N1 (rocket); its 30 rocket motors on the first stage made it the most powerful rocket stage ever built. The Earth to Moon journey would be powered by the Blok D engine.
The LK was tested successfully three times, when unmanned, in Earth orbit, disguised as a Kosmos satellite launch, with Kosmos 379 on 24 November 1970, Kosmos 398 on 26 February 1971 and Kosmos 434 in August 1971. The orbital tests were launched on a Soyuz-L launch vehicle. The Soviet lunar module was the only part of the Soviet lunar project that was fully functional.
See also
- Command module
- Moon landing
References
External links
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