Editing Lunokhod programme

{{short description|Soviet Moon rover program}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
[[Image:Lunokhod-mission.jpg|thumb|The Lunokhod mission diagram]]
[[File:Soviet moonrover.JPG|thumb|Soviet lunar rover]]

'''Lunokhod''' ({{lang-rus|Луноход|p=lʊnɐˈxot}}, "Moonwalker") was a series of [[Soviet space program|Soviet]] [[robotic spacecraft|robotic]] [[lunar rover]]s designed to [[Moon landing|land on the Moon]] between 1969 and 1977. Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on an extraterrestrial body.

The 1969 Lunokhod 1A (Lunokhod 0, Lunokhod No.&nbsp;201) was destroyed during launch, the 1970 ''[[Lunokhod 1]]'' and the 1973 ''[[Lunokhod 2]]'' landed on the Moon, and ''Lunokhod 3'' (Lunokhod No.&nbsp;205, planned for 1977) was never launched. The successful missions were in operation concurrently with the [[Zond program|Zond]] and [[Luna programme|Luna]] series of Moon flyby, [[orbiter]] and landing missions.

The Lunokhods were primarily designed to support the [[Soviet crewed lunar programs|Soviet human Moon missions]] during the [[Moon race]]. Instead, they were used as remote-controlled [[robot]]s for exploration of the lunar surface and returning pictures, after the [[Apollo program|Apollo]] human lunar landings and cancellation of the Soviet human Moon programme.

The Lunokhods were transported to the lunar surface by [[Luna programme|Luna]] spacecraft, which were launched by [[Proton-K]] rockets.

==Development==
[[Image:TNA-400.jpg|thumb|Parabolic dish TNA-400 and abandoned NIP-10]]

Lunokhod's original primary mission was to be the back-up for [[Soviet crewed lunar programs|L3 crewed Moon expeditions]] and for the later [[Zvezda (moonbase)|Zvezda]] [[Colonization of the Moon|lunar base]].{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} For mission safety, weeks before the human mission on a [[LK (spacecraft)|LK lander]], an LK-R uncrewed lander from the L3 lunar expedition complex and two Lunokhod automated rovers would be sent to the Moon for a preliminary study of the surface around LK-R and LK sites, to act as radio beacons for precision landings of LK-R and LK, and for a visual evaluation of the status of the site.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soyuz 7K-LOK |url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/soyuz7k-lok.html |access-date=2022-11-07 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref>

In mid-1968, at the facility KIP-10 or NIP-10 (КИП-10 or НИП-10, located at {{Coordinates|45.052703|33.890256}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kik-sssr.ru/10.7_Lunohody.htm|title=10.7 Луноходы Симф|website=kik-sssr.ru|access-date=2015-07-27|archive-date=2021-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027185436/http://www.kik-sssr.ru/10.7_Lunohody.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref> in the [[Closed city|closed town]] {{ill|Shkolnoye (Simferopol-28)|ru|Школьное (Крым)}}, near [[Simferopol]], [[Crimea]], a lunodrom (лунодром - Moondrome, located at {{Coordinates|45.054212|33.893627}}) was built. It covered an area of one hectare (120 meters by 70 meters) and was very similar to some parts of the lunar surface. It was constructed using more than 3,000 cubic meters of soil, and included 54 craters up to 16 m in diameter and around about 160 rocks of various sizes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/martintrolle/8811026706|title=NIP-10 Simferopol Near Earth Satellite Center, The Lunokhod Moon Drome|website=flickr.com|date=30 August 2011}}</ref> The whole area was surrounded with bricks, painted in gray and black. It was used to analyze problems with the Lunokhod chassis and cosmonaut's skill to control one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.astronaut.ru/luna/crew.htm|script-title=ru:Космическая энциклопедия|language=ru|date=September 18, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panoramio.com/photo/8994008|title=Panoramio is no longer available|website=www.panoramio.com|access-date=2017-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928162733/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/8994008|archive-date=2017-09-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> 

Closed town Simferopol-28 contained the most significant tracking facility in the Soviet Union, having the largest number of antennas, the largest area, and the most personnel of any of the Soviet tracking facilities. The facility was one of a network of ten facilities which contain earth satellite vehicle tracking equipment and provide command/control for Soviet near-space civil and military events. Additionally, this facility supported [[Exploration of the Moon|all lunar programmes]] of the Soviet Union, in association with the [[Pluton (complex)|Evpatoria Deep Space Tracking Facility]].<ref>NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER June 1969 [http://rumlin.narod.ru/files/nip-10_CIA_report.pdf SIMFEROPOL SPACEFLIGHT CENTER]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/978-0-8032-3446-8-Infinity-Beckoned,677015.aspx?skuid=25752|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904043800/http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/978-0-8032-3446-8-Infinity-Beckoned,677015.aspx?skuid=25752  |url-status=dead |title=Infinity Beckoned by Jay Gallentine|archive-date=September 4, 2015}}</ref>

At least four complete vehicles were constructed, with the serial numbers 201, 203, 204 and 205.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

==Rover design==
[[Image:Lunokhod-2 model.jpg|thumb|Model of Lunokhod vehicle]]
[[Image:Lunokhod-2 model, detail.jpg|thumb|Detail of Lunokhod's wheels]]

The Lunokhod rovers were lunar vehicles formed of a tub-like compartment with a large convex lid on eight independently-powered wheels. They were equipped with a cone-shaped antenna, a highly directional [[helical antenna]], [[television cameras]], and special extendable devices to impact the lunar soil for density measurements and mechanical property tests, plus a scientific payload which varied with the mission.

The Lunokhods were designed under the leadership of  [[Georgy Babakin]]<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Cosmic Mirror|date=March 6, 2003|issue=250|url=http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~dfischer/mirror/250.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030501225021/http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~dfischer/mirror/250.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 1, 2003|title=Lunochod's chief designer is dead}}</ref> at [[Lavochkin]] design bureau. The metal chassis themselves were designed by [[Alexander Kemurdzhian]].

The vehicles were powered by [[battery (electricity)|batteries]]. The rover ran during the lunar day, stopping occasionally to recharge its batteries using its solar panels. The power was supplied during the lunar day by a [[GaAs]] solar array on the inside of a round hinged lid which covered the instrument bay, which would charge the batteries when opened. During the lunar nights, the lid was closed and a [[polonium-210]] [[radioisotope heater unit]] kept the internal components at [[operating temperature]].<ref>Blair, Sean (March 14, 2011)." [https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2011/03/rovers-learning-from-lunokhod/ Rovers learning from Lunokhod]", ''E&T News''. Retrieved 23 June 2022.</ref>

To be able to work in a vacuum a special fluoride-based [[Materials for use in vacuum#Lubricants|lubricant]] was used for the rover's mechanical parts, and the electric motors, one in each wheel hub, were enclosed in pressurised containers.<ref>{{cite episode|network=[[SVT2]]|series=Vetenskapens värld|title=Den ryska månbilen|airdate=11 February 2008|url=http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=32313&a=1049140&lid=is_search527895&lpos=0&queryArt527895=m%E5nbil&sortOrder527895=0&doneSearch=true&sd=47225&from=siteSearch&pageArt527895=0|language=sv|access-date=11 February 2008|archive-date=2 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602170839/http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=32313&a=1049140&lid=is_search527895&lpos=0&queryArt527895=m%E5nbil&sortOrder527895=0&doneSearch=true&sd=47225&from=siteSearch&pageArt527895=0|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.synlube.com/moon.htm |publisher=Synlube Lube-4-Life |title=Moon applications}}</ref>

The rovers stood {{convert|135|cm|ftin|abbr=off}} high and had a mass of {{convert|840|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It was about {{convert|170|cm|ftin|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|160|cm|ftin|abbr=off}} wide and had eight wheels each with an independent suspension, motor and brake. The rover had two speeds, approximately {{convert|1|and|2|km/h|mph|abbr=on|1}}.

The Lunokhods were transported to the lunar surface by [[Luna programme|Luna]] spacecraft, which were launched by [[Proton-K]] rockets. The Moon lander part of the Luna spacecraft for Lunokhods was similar to the one for [[sample-return mission]]s.

==Lunokhod Rovers==

===Lunokhod 201===
After years of secret engineering development and training, the first Lunokhod (vehicle 8ЕЛ№201) was launched on February 19, 1969. Within a few seconds the rocket disintegrated and the first Lunokhod was lost. The rest of the world did not learn of the rocket's valuable payload until years later.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite episode|title=Tank on the Moon |series=The Nature of Things with David Suzuki |network=CBC-TV |airdate=December 6, 2007 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/magazine2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226123643/http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/magazine2.html |archive-date=December 26, 2008 }}</ref> The failure resulted in the radioactive heat source, [[polonium 210]], being spread over a large region of Russia.<ref name="eneryspace">{{cite web|url=http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/2014/01/16/energy-resources-space-missions/ |title=Energy Resources for Space Missions |first=Göktuğ |last=Karacalıoğlu |work=Space Safety Magazine |date=January 6, 2014 |access-date=January 18, 2014}}</ref>

===''Lunokhod 1''===
{{Main|Lunokhod 1}}
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2019}}
[[File:FP2A3576 (23497689198).jpg|thumb|Lunokhod 1 model in the Museum of Cosmonautics (Moscow)]]
[[Image:USSR Lunokhod 1 (6586684979) (6).jpg|thumb|First photo made by Lunokhod 1 on Moon surface]]

After the destruction of the original Lunokhod, Soviet engineers began work immediately on another lunar vehicle.  ''[[Lunokhod 1]]'' (vehicle 8ЕЛ№203) was the first of two uncrewed lunar rovers successfully landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of its Lunokhod programme. The spacecraft which carried ''Lunokhod 1'' was named ''[[Luna 17]]''. ''Lunokhod 1'' was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world.

''Luna 17'' was launched on November 10, 1970 at 14:44:01 UTC. After reaching Earth [[parking orbit]], the final stage of ''Luna 17''{{'}}s launching rocket fired to place it into a trajectory towards the Moon (November 10, 1970 at 14:54 UTC). After two course correction manoeuvres (on November 12 and 14) it entered lunar orbit on November 15, 1970 at 22:00 UTC.

The spacecraft soft-landed on the Moon in the [[Mare Imbrium|Sea of Rains]] on November 17, 1970 at 03:47 UTC. The lander had dual ramps from which the payload, ''Lunokhod 1'', could descend to the surface. At 06:28 UT the rover moved down the ramps and onto the Moon.

The rover's payload included cameras (two television and four panoramic telephotometers), a RIFMA [[X-ray spectrometer|X-ray fluorescence spectrometer]], an RT-1 [[X-ray telescope]], a PrOP odometer/penetrometer, a RV-2N radiation detector, and a TL laser retroreflector.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Depth {{!}} Luna 17 |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-17/in-depth |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=NASA Solar System Exploration |archive-date=2022-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629221716/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-17/in-depth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

An urban legend was spread among the Soviet Union that the Lunokhod rover was driven by a “[[KGB]] Dwarf”,<ref>{{Cite web |title=KGB Dwarf |url=http://www.astronautix.com/k/kgbdwarf.html |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=www.astronautix.com}}</ref> however it was never explained how supplies were stored to keep them alive for an 11-month mission.

===''Lunokhod 2''===
{{Main|Lunokhod 2}}
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2019}}
[[File:Lunokhod 2 in Kaluga 01.jpg|thumb|Lunokhod 2 model in the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics]]

''[[Lunokhod 2]]'' (vehicle 8ЕЛ№204) was the second and more advanced of the two Lunokhod rovers. The launcher put the spacecraft into Earth parking orbit on January 8, 1973, followed by a [[translunar injection]]. On January 12, 1973, ''[[Luna 21]]'' was braked into a {{convert|90|by|100|km|mi|abbr=in|0}} [[lunar orbit]].

The ''[[Luna 21]]'' spacecraft landed on the Moon to deploy the second Soviet lunar rover, ''Lunokhod 2''. The primary objectives of the mission were to collect images of the lunar surface, examine ambient light levels to determine the feasibility of astronomical observations from the Moon, perform laser ranging experiments from Earth, observe solar X-rays, measure local magnetic fields, and study mechanical properties of the lunar surface material.

The landing occurred on January 15, 1973 at 23:35 UT in [[Le Monnier (crater)|Le Monnier crater]] (25.85 degrees N, 30.45 degrees E).

After landing the ''Lunokhod 2'' took television images of the surrounding area, then rolled down a ramp to the surface at 01:14 UT on 1973-01-16. It then took pictures of the ''Luna 21'' lander and landing site.

The rover was equipped with three [[slow-scan television]] cameras, one mounted high on the rover for navigation, which could return high resolution images at different rates&mdash;3.2, 5.7, 10.9 or 21.1 seconds per frame (not frames per second). These images were used by the five-man team of controllers on Earth who sent driving commands to the rover in real time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronaut.ru/luna/crew.htm|title=Экипажи Лунохода|website=www.astronaut.ru}}</ref> There were four panoramic cameras mounted on the rover.

Scientific instruments included a [[soil mechanics]] tester, solar X-ray experiment, an [[photometer|astrophotometer]] to measure visible and [[ultraviolet]] light levels, a [[magnetometer]] deployed in front of the rover on the end of a 2.5 [[metre|m]] (8&nbsp;ft 2 in) boom, a [[radiometer]], a [[photodetector]] (Rubin-1) for laser detection experiments, and a French-supplied laser [[corner reflector]].

====Payload====
* Cameras (three television and four panoramic [[telephotometer]]s)
* RIFMA-M [[X-ray fluorescence]] spectrometer
* [[X-ray telescope]]
* PROP [[odometer]]/[[penetrometer]]
* RV-2N-LS [[radiation detector]]
* TL laser [[retroreflector]]
* AF-3L UV/visible [[photometer|astrophotometer]]
* SG-70A [[magnetometer]]
* Rubin 1 [[photodetector]]

===''Lunokhod 3''===
[[File:Lunokhod-3 side.jpg|200px|thumb|''Lunokhod 3'' (side view)]]
[[File:Lunokhod-3 back.jpg|200px|thumb|''Lunokhod 3'' (front view)]]

'''''Lunokhod 3''''' (vehicle 8ЕЛ№205) was built for a [[Moon landing]] in 1977 as ''Luna 25'',<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVeY7vMCtOkC&pg=PA280 |title=Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration |first=Brian |last=Harvey |date=17 August 2007 |page=280 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9780387218960 |access-date=2014-04-20}}</ref> but never flew to the Moon due to lack of launchers and funding. It remains at the NPO Lavochkin museum.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/other-moon.html|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140511103222/http://www.airspacemag.com/space/the-other-moon-landings-6457729/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-05-11|title=The Other Moon Landings|first=Andy|last=Chaikin|journal=Air & Space|date=February–March 2004}}</ref>

==Results==
During its 322 Earth days of operations, ''[[Lunokhod 1]]'' travelled {{convert|10.5|km|mi|abbr=in|1}} and returned more than 20,000 television images and 206 high-resolution panoramas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetology.ru/panoramas/lunokhod1.php?language=english |title=Lunokhod 1 Panoramas |work=planetology.ru |access-date=April 30, 2013}}</ref> In addition, it performed twenty-five soil analyses with its RIFMA x-ray fluorescence spectrometer and used its penetrometer at 500 different locations.

''[[Lunokhod 2]]'' operated for about four months, covered {{convert|42|km|mi|abbr=in|0}} of terrain,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/21923-soviet-moon-rover-driving-record.html |title=NASA Moon Probe Helps Revise Off-Planet Driving Record {{!}} Lunokhod 2 |work=Space.com |first=Mike |last=Wall |date=July 11, 2013 |access-date=July 12, 2013}}</ref> including driving into hilly upland areas and [[rilles]]. ''Lunokhod 2'' held the record for the longest distance of surface travel of any extraterrestrial vehicle until 2014.<ref name="autogenerated1" />  It sent back 86 panoramic images and over 80,000 television pictures. Many mechanical tests of the Moon's surface, [[laser ranging]] measurements, and other experiments were completed during this time.

In 2010, nearly forty years after the 1971 loss of signal from ''Lunokhod 1'', the [[NASA]] [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]] photographed its tracks and final location, and researchers, using a telescopic pulsed-laser rangefinder, detected the robot's [[retroreflector]].<ref name="Bleicher">{{cite journal |title=Forgotten Soviet Moon Rover Beams Light Back to Earth |first=Ariel |last=Bleicher |date=August 2010 |journal=IEEE Spectrum |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/robotic-exploration/forgotten-soviet-moon-rover-beams-light-back-to-earth/0 |access-date=2011-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820073007/https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/robotic-exploration/forgotten-soviet-moon-rover-beams-light-back-to-earth/0 |archive-date=2011-08-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Not until [[Mars Pathfinder]]'s deployment of the "[[Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner]]" Rover in 1997 was another remote-controlled vehicle put on an extraterrestrial body. For comparison, the similarly sized NASA [[Mars Exploration Rover]]s, ''[[Spirit rover|Spirit]]'' and ''[[Opportunity rover|Opportunity]]'' had, by their fifth anniversary in January 2009, traveled a total of {{convert|21|km|mi|abbr=in|0}} and transmitted over 125,000 images.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://marsrover.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20090112a.html |publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |title=Public Events Mark Mars Rovers' Five-Year Anniversary |date=January 12, 2009 |access-date=April 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509102333/http://marsrover.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20090112a.html |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Chernobyl legacy==
According to a French documentary television film ''[[Tank on the Moon]]'' by Jean Afanassieff, the Lunokhod design returned to the limelight 15 years later due to the [[Chernobyl disaster|Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster]] on April 26, 1986.<ref name=rightpundits>{{cite web |url=http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=8415 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318020753/http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=8415 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 18, 2011 |title=Lunokhod: From the Moon to Chernobyl, the Little Robot That Could! |first=Andrew |last=Zarowny |website=Right Pundits |date=March 16, 2011 |access-date=June 21, 2016 }}</ref> The [[East German]]-built remote controlled [[bulldozer]]s available to Soviet [[civil defense]] troops weighed dozens of tons{{snd}} too heavy to operate on the remaining parts of the partially collapsed reactor building roof. Human labourers could not be employed to shovel debris since work shifts were limited to 90-second intervals due to intense [[ionizing radiation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com/2009/02/lunokhod-and-art-of-space.html |title=Lunokhod and the Art of Space |first=Heather |last=McDougal |work=Cabinet of Wonders |date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>

Lunokhod designers were called back from retirement, and in two weeks rovers were made which used [[nuclear decay]] heat sources for internal rack climate control, their electronic systems were already hardened to partly resist radiation.<ref name=rightpundits/> This benefit allowed the 1986 designers to quickly devise a derived vehicle type for nuclear disaster recovery work. On July 15, two rovers, called STR-1,<ref name="autogenerated1" /> were delivered to the Chernobyl accident zone and proved useful for clearing debris, earning awards for the designers. Due to extremely high radiation levels, both STR-1 rovers eventually failed, and human workers (later named [[Liquidator (Chernobyl)|liquidators]]) were called in once again.<ref name=rightpundits/><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/10861/title/Soviet-Official-Admits-That-Robots-Couldn-t-Handle-Chernobyl-Cleanup/ |title=Soviet Official Admits That Robots Couldn't Handle Chernobyl Cleanup |first=Christopher |last=Anderson |journal=The Scientist |location=Canada |date=January 20, 1990 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>

==Locations and ownership==
[[File:Lunokhod1 l 17 with map.jpg|right|thumb|''Luna 17'' and ''Lunokhod 1'' landing site photographed by [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LRO]]]]

Until 2010, the final location of ''Lunokhod 1'' was uncertain by a few kilometers.<ref>{{cite conference|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2005/pdf/1194.pdf |last=Stooke|first= P.J.|year= 2005|conference= Lunar & Planetary Science XXXVI|title=Lunar laser ranging and the location of Lunokhod 1}}</ref> [[Lunar laser ranging experiment]]s had failed to detect a return signal from its retroreflector since the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060327_mystery_monday.html |publisher=SPACE.com |title= Lunar Lost & Found: The Search for Old Spacecraft |first= Leonard |last=David|date=March 27, 2006}}</ref>  On March 17, 2010, Albert Abdrakhimov found both the lander and the rover<ref>{{Cite web|first=Emily|last=Lakdawalla|title=And now for Luna 17 and Lunokhod 1|date=March 17, 2010|url=http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002395/|publisher=Planetary Report|access-date=April 12, 2010|archive-date=March 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318040855/http://planetary.org/blog/article/00002395|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter]] image M114185541RC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc/view_lroc/LRO-L-LROC-2-EDR-V1.0/M114185541RE|title=LROC Observation M114185541R|publisher=Arizona State University}}</ref> On April 22, Tom Murphy ([[University of California, San Diego|UCSD]]) and Russet McMillan at the [[Apache Point Observatory]] detected the robot's retroreflector using the Apache Point telescopic pulsed-laser rangefinder.<ref name="Bleicher"/>

''Lunokhod 2'' continues to be detected by [[lunar laser ranging experiment]]s and its position is known to sub-metre accuracy. Ownership of ''Lunokhod 2'' and the ''Luna 21'' lander was sold by the [[Lavochkin]] Association for {{USD|68,500}} in December 1993 at a [[Sotheby's]] auction in New York<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://discovermagazine.com/1994/apr/thebloconthebloc363 |title=The Bloc on the Block |first= Jeffrey |last=Kluger|journal= Discover Magazine|date=April 1994}}</ref> (although the catalogue incorrectly lists lot 68A as ''Luna 17/Lunokhod 1'').<ref>Sotheby's Catalogue - ''Russian Space History'', Addendum, Lot 68A, December 11, 1993</ref> The buyer was computer gaming entrepreneur and astronaut's son [[Richard Garriott]], who is also known by the name of his gaming character [[List of Ultima characters#Lord British|Lord British]]. Garriott stated in a 2001 interview: "I purchased ''Lunakod 21'' {{sic}} from the Russians. I am now the world's only private owner of an object on a foreign celestial body. Though there are international treaties that say no government shall lay claim to geography off planet earth, I am not a government. Summarily, I claim the Moon in the name of [[List of Ultima characters#Lord British|Lord British]]!"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yans|first= Cindy|url=http://demiurg.net/games/lb/ |title=Lord British, we hardly knew ye|work=[[Computer Games Magazine]]|publisher= via Demiurg.net |date=April 13, 2001}}</ref> In 2007, Garriott said he is still the owner of ''Lunokhod 2''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-100207a.html |title=The Astronaut's Son's Secret Sputnik|publisher= CollectSPACE |date=October 2, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite interview|last=Garriott|first=Owen|url=http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Sputnik_50_Years_One_Month_Two_Weeks_Later| title=Sputnik: 50 Years, One Month, Two Weeks Later|work= Are We Alone |publisher= SETI Institute |interviewer=Seth Shostak|date= December 10, 2007}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Exploration of the Moon]]
* [[Mars Exploration Rovers]]
* [[Mars Pathfinder]]
* ''[[Tank on the Moon]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|editor=Vinogradov, A. P. |year=1971|title=Peredvizhnaya Laboratoriya na Lune Lunokhod-1. Tom 1|location= Moscow|publisher= Nauka|language=ru}}
* {{Cite book|editor=Barsukov, V. L. |year=1978|title=Peredvizhnaya Laboratoriya na Lune Lunokhod-1. Tom 2|location= Moscow|publisher= Nauka|language=ru}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|bullet=none|Lunokhod program}}
*[http://selena.sai.msu.ru/Home/moone.htm Lunar and Planetary Department Moscow University]
*[http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php Exploring the Moon (1969-1976)] - a diary of significant events in Soviet lunar exploration, including those associated with the Lunokhod programme
*[http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_CatalogMoon.htm Don P. Mitchell's catalog of Soviet Moon Images] including many from the Lunokhod programme
*[http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/ziv/2005/2-lunohod.html Remote control lunokhods and planetrovers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812160016/http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/ziv/2005/2-lunohod.html |date=2020-08-12 }} {{in lang|ru}}
*[http://www.mentallandscape.com/V_Cameras.htm Details of the cameras used in the Lunokhods] (about halfway down the page, or search the page for "Lunokhod")

{{Lunar rovers}}
{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{URSS space probes}}
{{Lavochkin aircraft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunokhod Programme}}
[[Category:Lunokhod programme| ]]
[[Category:Missions to the Moon]]
[[Category:Lunar rovers]]
[[Category:Soviet lunar program]]
[[Category:Space missions that ended in failure]]