Russian Soft Landers, Orbiters, and Rovers

Abstract

Following exploration by impactor and flyby spacecraft, the Soviet Union (Russia) launched a series of soft landing spacecraft to the moon. That effort included spacecraft that landed on the moon and conducted photographic surveys; capable spacecraft that landed, gathered samples of soil, and returned the samples to earth; and spacecraft that orbited the moon. Lunar roving vehicles were also soft-landed on the moon. Driven from earth, these vehicles conducted sophisticated scientific experiments during lengthy sorties on the lunar surface.