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Calendar of Lunar Events
Compiled from various sources including Jonathon McDowell's Man Made Objects on the Moon. Note that the Encounter date is when a spacecraft reached the Moon, not when it was launched or crashed. Also, there are differences in landing lat/long among different sources. Please send me corrections and additions for this lunar day book. Thanks, Chuck
|
Mission/Person |
Country | Encounter month/day |
Year |
End Lunar Mission |
Mission Type/Event | Achievement | Lat | Long | Landing Area | |
| Luna 01 | USSR | 01-04 |
1959 |
|
Flyby | First flyby | ||||
| Luna 21 | USSR | 01-08 |
1973 |
|
Lander and Rover | Lunakhod 2 | N26.5 | E30.6 | Le Monnier | |
| Surveyor 7 | USA | 01-10 |
1968 |
|
Soft Lander | 1st landing in highlands | S40.9 | W11.4 | Tycho N rim | |
| Lunar Prospector | USA | 01-11 |
1998 |
07-31 |
Orbiter | Composition, magnetism, gravity mapping | South Pole | |||
| Korolev | USSR | 01-12 |
1907 |
1966 |
Birthday | Russian von Braun | ||||
| Hevelius, Johannes | Holland | 01-28 |
1611 |
1687 |
Birthday | 1647 Selenographia, 1st accurate map | ||||
| Ranger 3 | USA | 01-28 |
1962 |
|
Hard Lander | Missed Moon | ||||
| Ranger 6 | USA | 02-02 |
1964 |
|
Hard Lander | 1st US contact, cameras failed | N9.4 | E21.5 | Mare Tranquillitatis | |
| Luna 09 | USSR | 02-03 |
1966 |
|
Soft Lander | 1st landing & surface photos | N07.08 | W64.4 | Oceanus Proc, Planitia Descensus | |
| Apollo 14-Antares | USA | 02-05 |
1971 |
|
Manned Lander | 1st human landing in highlands | S03.65 | W19.3 | Fra Mauro | |
| Galilei, Galileo | Italy | 02-15 |
1564 |
1642 |
Birthday | 1st profound observer | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 3 | USA | 02-08 |
1967 |
02-23 |
Orbiter | Orbital photography | ||||
| Clementine | USA | 02-19 |
1994 |
05-05 |
Orbiter | Topo & geochem mapping | ||||
| Ranger 8 | USA | 02-20 |
1965 |
|
Hard Lander | Pre-impact photography | N02.67 | E024.65 | Mare Tranquillitatis | |
| Luna 20 | USSR | 02-21 |
1972 |
|
Lander | Sample return | N03.5 | E56.6 | Apollonius C | |
| Pioneer 4 | USA | 03-03 |
1959 |
|
Lunar Distant Flyby | Too far from Moon for sensors to work - 1st US spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity | ||||
| Hiten/Muses A | Japan | 03-18 |
1990 |
04-10-1993 |
Flyby, Orbiter, Impact | Impact, orbiter failed | S34.0 | E55.3 | S of Stevinus | |
| Proctor, Richard Anthony | England | 03-23 |
1837 |
1888 |
Birthday | 1st -1873-craters impact | ||||
| von Braun, Werner | Germany, USA | 03-23 |
1912 |
1977 |
Birthday | Made Apollo possible | ||||
| Ranger 9 | USA | 03-24 |
1965 |
|
Hard Lander | Last pre-impact photography | S12.83 | W02.4 | Alphonsus | |
| Grimaldi, P. Francisco | Italy | 04-02 |
1618 |
1663 |
Birthday | 1651 accurate map in Riccioli's book | ||||
| Luna 10 | USSR | 04-03 |
1966 |
05-30 |
Orbiter | 1st orbital data, gamma ray | ||||
| Luna 04 | USSR | 04-05 |
1963 |
|
Probe | Missed Moon | ||||
| Luna 14 | USSR | 04-07 |
1968 |
|
Orbiter | Gravity, radiation & engineering studies | ||||
| Apollo 13 | USA | 04-14 |
1970 |
|
Manned Lander | 1st aborted human landing | ||||
| Riccioli, Giovanni | Italy | 04-17 |
1598 |
1671 |
Birthday | 3rd nomenclature system, but stuck | ||||
| Hawkins, Gerald S. | UK | 04-20 |
1928 |
2003 |
Birthday | Stonehenge lunar observatory | ||||
| Surveyor 3 | USA | 04-20 |
1967 |
05-04 |
Soft Lander | Landing | S03.2 | W23.4 | Mare Insularum | |
| Apollo 16-Orion | USA | 04-21 |
1972 |
|
Manned Lander | Human landing, human rover | S08.97 | E15.50 | Descartes Plain | |
| Ranger 4 | USA | 04-26 |
1962 |
|
Hard Lander | 1st US lunar impact,cameras failed | S15.5 | W130.7 | Joffe crater | |
| Luna 05 | USSR | 05-09 |
1965 |
|
Lunar Soft Lander | Crash landing | S02 | W25 | Mare Insularum | |
| Lunar Orbiter 4 | USA | 05-08 |
1967 |
05-26 |
Orbiter | Orbital photography | ||||
| Apollo 10 | USA | 05-21 |
1969 |
|
Manned Orbiter | 2nd human orbiter | ||||
| Barringer, Daniel Moreau | USA | 05-25 |
1860 |
1929 |
Birthday | 1905 theory meteor impact | ||||
| Kennedy, John | USA | 05-25 |
1961 |
|
Speech | Moon goal speech | ||||
| Madler, Johann H. | Germany | 05-29 |
1794 |
1874 |
Birthday | 1st quad map | ||||
| Surveyor 1 | USA | 06-02 |
1966 |
|
Soft Lander | 1st US landing | S02.45 | W43.23 | Flamsteed P | |
| Luna 22 | USSR | 06-02 |
1974 |
|
Orbiter | Imaging, gamma rays, magnetism | ||||
| Moon Impact? | England | 06-18 |
1178 |
|
impact? | Cantebury Chronicle; G. Bruno formed? | ||||
| Luna 06 | USSR | 06-xx |
1965 |
|
Soft Lander | Missed Moon | ||||
| Luna 15 | USSR | 07-13 |
1969 |
|
Lander | Crash landing | ||||
| Surveyor 4 | USA | 07-17 |
1967 |
|
Soft Lander | Crash landing | N00.4 | W01.3 | Sinus Medii | |
| Hooke, Robert | England | 07-18 |
1635 |
1703 |
Birthday | 1st drawing single crater | ||||
| Explorer 35 | USA | 07-19 |
1967 |
|
Orbiter | Orbital magnetics | ||||
| Zond 03 | USSR | 07-20 |
1965 |
|
Flyby | 1st photography - farside | ||||
| Apollo 11-Eagle | USA | 07-20 |
1969 |
|
Manned Lander | 1st human landing | N00.67 | E023.47 | Mare Tranquillitatis | |
| Apollo 15-Falcon | USA | 07-30 |
1971 |
|
Manned Lander, 1st car | Human landing, human rover | N 26.13 | E03.63 | Hadley Rille | |
| Ranger 7 | USA | 07-31 |
1964 |
|
Hard Lander | 1st pre-impact photography | S10.7 | W20.7 | Mare Cognitum | |
| Lunar Orbiter 5 | USA | 08-06 |
1967 |
08-18 |
Orbiter | Orbital photography | S028 | W83.0 | Cordillera Mts | |
| Luna 24 | USSR | 08-09 |
1976 |
|
Lander | Last robotic sample return | N12.7 | E62.2 | SE Mare Crisium | |
| Zond 07 | USSR | 08-11 |
1969 |
|
Flyby/Earth return | Flyby, returned film | ||||
| Pioneer 0 | USA | 08-17 |
1958 |
|
Orbiter | Launch failure | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 1 | USA | 08-14 |
1966 |
08-29 |
Orbiter | 1st orbital photography | N06.7 | E162 | Mandelshtam | |
| Luna 11 | USSR | 08-28 |
1966 |
10-01 |
Orbiter | Orbital photography | ||||
| Luna 18 | USSR | 09-0 |
1971 |
|
Lunar Lander | Crash landing | N03.6 | E56.5 | Apollonius C | |
| Luna 19 | USSR | 09-02 |
1971 |
|
Orbiter | Orbital | ||||
| Surveyor 5 | USA | 09-11 |
1967 |
|
Soft Lander | Landing, 1st chemical analysis | N01.41 | E023.18 | Mare Tranquillitatis | |
| Luna 02 | USSR | 09-13 |
1959 |
|
Hard Lander | 1st impact | N29.10 | E00.0 | Palus Putredinis, Sinus Lunicus | |
| Zond 05 | USSR | 09-18 |
1968 |
|
Flyby/Earth return | Biological payload | . | |||
| Luna 16 | USSR | 09-20 |
1970 |
|
Lander | 1st robotic sample return | S00.66 | E56.3 | ||
| Surveyor 2 | USA | 09-23 |
1966 |
|
Soft Lander | Crash landing | N05.5 | W12 | Mare Insularum | |
| Smart-1 | ESA | 09-27 |
2003 |
|
Orbiter -Launch | 1st European lunar mission | ||||
| Luna 07 | USSR | 10-07 |
1965 |
|
Soft Lander, crashed | Crash landing | N04 | W40 | Oceanus Proc | |
| Luna 03 | USSR | 10-07 |
1959 |
|
Lunar Farside Flyby | First farside image | ||||
| Lunar Orbiter 2 | USA | 10-10 |
1966 |
|
Orbiter | Orbital Photography | S04 | E98 | Hirayama | |
| Ranger 5 | USA | 10-18 |
1962 |
|
Hard lander | Missed Moon | ||||
| Zond 08 | USSR | 10-24 |
1970 |
|
Flyby/Earth return | Flyby, returned film | ||||
| Luna 12 | USSR | 10-25 |
1966 |
01-19-1967 |
Orbiter | Orbital photography | ||||
| Luna 23 | USSR | 10-28 |
1974 |
|
Lander | Crash landing, failed sample return | N13.5 | E56.5 | SW Mare Crisium | |
| Surveyor 6 | USA | 11-10 |
1967 |
|
Soft Lander | 1st take off/jump | N00.46 | W01.4 | Sinus Medii | |
| Luna 17 | USSR | 11-10 |
1970 |
|
Lander and Rover | Lunakhod 1 - 1st rover | N38.3 | W35 | W Mare Imbrium | |
| Zond 06 | USSR | 11-14 |
1968 |
|
Flyby/Earth return | 1st returned film | ||||
| Apollo 12-Intrepid | USA | 11-19 |
1969 |
|
Manned Lander | Human landing | S03.2 | W23.42 | Mare Insularum | |
| Luna 08 | USSR | 12-06 |
1965 |
|
Lunar Soft Lander | Crash landing | N09.1 | W63.3 | Oceanus PROC | |
| Pioneer 3 | USA | 12-06 |
1958 |
|
Lunar Flyby | Launch falure | ||||
| Kuiper, Gerard P | USA | 12-07 |
1905 |
1973 |
Birthday | Atlas compiler | ||||
| Galileo - 2 | USA & Europe | 12-07 |
1992 |
|
Jupiter Orbiter-Moon Flyby | Geochem mapping - 2nd flyby | ||||
| Galileo - 1 | USA & Europe | 12-08 |
1990 |
|
Jupiter Orbiter-Moon Flyby | Geochem mapping | ||||
| Apollo 17-Challenger | USA | 12-11 |
1972 |
|
Manned Lander | Last human landing, human rover | N20.19 | E30.77 | Taurus-Littrow | |
| Brahe, Tycho | Denmark | 12-14 |
1546 |
1601 |
Birthday | Lunar theory, eclipses | ||||
| Luna 13 | USSR | 12-24 |
1966 |
|
Soft Lander | Landing | N18.87 | W62.0 | Oceanus Proc | |
| Apollo 08 | USA | 12-24 |
1968 |
|
Manned Orbiter | 1st human orbit | . | |||
| Kepler, Johann | Germany | 12-27 |
1571 |
1630 |
Birthday | 1st? sci fi story about Moon | ||||
| Schroeter, Johann H. | Germany |
1745 |
1816 |
Birthday | Dedicated lunar observer | |||||
| Lohrmann, Wilhelm G. | Germany |
1796 |
1840 |
Birthday | 1st multi-sheet map | |||||
| Schmidt, J.F. Julius | Germany/Greece |
1825 |
1884 |
Birthday | Apex of visual mapping | |||||
| Elger, Thomas Gwyn | England |
1838 |
1897 |
Birthday | Lunar charts, head BAA Lunar Section | |||||
| Gilbert, Grove Karl | USA |
1843 |
1918 |
Birthday | USGS, recognized Imrium sculpture, impacts | |||||
| Goodacre, Walter | England |
1856 |
1938 |
Birthday | Lunar charts, head BAA Lunar Section | |||||
| Fauth, Phillip | Germany |
1867 |
1941 |
Birthday | Lunar charts | |||||
| Spurr, Josiah | USA |
1870 |
1950 |
Birthday | Argued dullingly for volcanic origins craters | |||||
| Urey, Harold | USA |
1893 |
1981 |
Birthday | Convinced US to go to Moon | |||||
| Wilkins, Hugh P. | England |
1896 |
1960 |
Birthday | Lunar charts, head BAA Lunar Section | |||||
| Baldwin, Ralph B. | USA |
1912 |
|
Birthday | Proved impact origin craters | |||||
| Whitaker, Ewen A. | England, USA |
1922 |
|
Birthday | Map historian | |||||
| Moore, Patrick | England |
1923 |
|
Birthday | Astronomy popularizer | |||||
| Shoemaker, Eugene | USA |
1928 |
1997 |
Birthday | Impact mechanics, rays; buried on Moon | |||||
| Wilhelms, Don E. | USA |
1930 |
|
Birthday | Pre-eminent USGS Moon mapper | |||||
| Rukl, Antonin | Czech |
1932 |
|
Birthday | Pre-eminent lunar cartographer | |||||
| Hartmann, William K. | USA |
1939 |
|
Birthday | Discovered many lunar basins & big splash theory origin | |||||
| Head, James W. | USA |
1941 |
|
Birthday | Major lunar research in 1970s-80s | |||||
| Hawke, B. Ray | USA |
1946 |
|
Birthday | Expert remote sensing of Moon | |||||
| Spudis, Paul | USA |
1952 |
|
Birthday | Clementine leader, basin mapper | |||||
| Selene | Japan |
2005 |
|
Lunar Orbiter and Lander | Mineral, element, topo, gravity mapping | |||||
| Lunar A | Japan |
2005 |
|
Orbiter and Penetrators | Imaging, thermal, seismicity |