Wrapping up Luna 24 with a zoom in to the landing site. This was a different design than the Luna 16/20 landers and it had no camera. The drill was fixed to the side of the lander to improve its ability to push down into the ground, so there was no need to view the sampling area to look for hazards. As an imaging person I can only say - tragic! I want pictures...

Tomorrow: Luna 25, and then I will look at Russian plans for future missions. #maps #moon #luna24

Some Russians have argued that 23 and 24 are transposed in the interpretation I have given:

Kaydash, V. et al., 2013. Landing of the probes Luna 23 and Luna 24 remains an enigma. Planetary and Space Science, 89, pp.172-182.

Velichko, S. et al., 2022. Photometric analysis of the Luna spacecraft landing sites. Planetary and Space Science, 216, p.105475.

I don't find the argument convincing but it should be acknowledged.

#moon #luna23 #luna24