Few stories from Jodrell

[tedward]

Just came across this and thought it merits a mention as its woven into the landing.
www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/news/2009/luna15-apollo11/

There is a link in there to an interview with Sir Bernard Lovell that takes you to the Times web site.

Forgot how to set up the links. Must have a look around.

[Kiwi]

A few more stories from Jodrell Bank as they reached New Zealand and Australian newspapers in July 1969. Worth reading for the sense of "now" rather than "back then," and for the interesting little bits that don't make their way into the history books.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Monday 14 July 1969, page 1
U.S. tracks Soviet moon probe
NZPA-Reuter Cape Kennedy, July 13
Space officials at Cape Kennedy are keeping track of the unmanned Soviet lunar probe, Luna-XV, launched early today, to see if it will affect Apollo-XI, America's attempt to land a man on the moon.
Observers said that unless the Russians are deliberately trying to interfere with America's moon shot, which is not considered probable, the probe should have no effect on it.
In Moscow there was immediate foreign speculation that the Russian moon shot was an attempt to land a space vehicle on the moon and bring it back to earth again with a sample of moon soil. Such an eleventh hour mission would take some of the gloss of the United States mission.
If all goes well, the new Soviet craft will reach the area of the moon only hours before the Apollo-XI blast-off.
The Associated Press reported from London that Sir Harrie Massey, chairman of the British National Committee for Space Research, said he thought Luna-XV was not of very special significance.
"It seems to be a typical mission with an unmanned craft."
The United States astronaut, Frank Borman, said today it was his guess the Russian satellite was aimed at bringing back a sample of the moon's surface.
But Sir Bernard Lovell, director of the Jodrell Bank space-tracking station, said he did not expect the probe to bring back moon soil. He thought the Russian space shot was the beginning of a new series of Soviet lunar flights leading to the recovery of moon rocks "without the intervention of man."
Meanwhile, the Apollo-XI astronauts and the ground crew preparing the giant Saturn-V rocket took the day off today. It was the last day of rest for Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins, and the longest scheduled hold for the ground crew.
The chief physician to the astronauts, Dr Charles Berry, said, "We don't want to launch a tired crew."
Dr Berry continued to keep silent today on the controversy over the President's dinner.
He was accused yesterday by Frank Borman of being too concerned with germs when he said he did not want President Nixon to have dinner with the Apollo-XI astronauts the night before their flight.
However, sources close to Dr Berry said he was very upset.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Monday 14 July 1969, page 4
Soviet may be in race to moon and back
NZPA-Reuter Moscow, July 13
The Soviet Union today launched an unmanned craft towards the moon in what may be an eleventh-hour attempt to beat the Americans in the race to land equipment on the moon, then return it to earth.
The craft, Luna-15, blasted off early today from an unspecified point in the Soviet Union — only three days before the scheduled launching of America's Apollo-XI in an attempt to land the first men on the moon.
An official announcement said the aim of the Soviet flight is to "...further scientific studies of the moon and near-moon space."
This vague phrase, used to describe the aim of most recent Soviet moon-shots, did not give away anything of the shot's precise aims.
For months Communist sources here have been predicting that the Russians will try to land a craft on the moon and bring it back to earth with sample of moon soil before the Apollo-XI astronauts set foot on the moon.
Moscow Radio said the craft was launched at 0555 Moscow time (1255 AEST) from the orbit of an artificial earth satellite, and by noon (1900 AEST) was about 41,000 miles from earth.
Earlier this year cosmonaut Alexei Leonov told Japanese correspondents he expected that moon rock would be exhibited by the Soviet Union at the 1970 World Fair, and indicated that an unmanned craft would pick it up.
Western experts here said the Soviet Union has so far shown no evidence of having a rocket powerful enough for a moon landing and return to earth.
This would need a rocket or rockets that could slow the spacecraft into an orbit round the moon, soft-land a lunar vehicle on the surface, raise it up into lunar orbit again, blast it out of lunar orbit towards earth and soft-land it back on earth.
Neither of the two latest Zond flights went into moon orbit. They followed a ballistic trajectory, using the moon's gravitational pull to swing them round and back to earth.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Tuesday 15 July 1969, page 1
Test for a direct landing?
NZPA-Reuter Bochum, July 14
The Soviet moon probe Luna-XV is probably a test for a direct moon landing without the help of a landing module, a West German space scientist suggested today.
Mr Heinz Kaminski, director of the Bochum Space Research Institute, based this deduction on two articles which appeared on June 13 in the Soviet magazine Cosmic Analysis. These discussed a moon landing with the least energy expenditure, Mr Kaminski said.
He added that the articles did not refer to space craft in moon orbit as a mother ship, separation of landing gear, and rendezvous with the mother ship after a moon landing. "This can probably be seen as an indication of the purpose of Luna-XV," Mr Kaminski said.
Luna-XV could be capable of landing on the moon and re-launching itself from there. Picking up surface samples is a lesser problem.
"Only such an attempt could be psychologically and tactically a counterpart to the scientifically broadly based United States programme," he said.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Wednesday 16 July 1969, page 1
Russian craft slows down
NZPA Jodrell Bank, July 15
The director of the Jodrell Bank tracking station, Sir Bernard Lovell, said today the unmanned Soviet spacecraft, Luna-XV, may be attempting "something new" such as the recovery of lunar rock.
Sir Bernard spoke after the giant radio telescope had discovered a different trajectory this time in the flight path of the Soviet spacecraft. He said Luna-XV was moving at a slower speed and would take longer than the usual three and a half days to reach the moon.
"This is unique as far as luniks are concerned," Professor Lovell said. "This indicates that a new form of operation is intended," he added. "It supports the theory that Luna-XV may be attempting to recover lunar rock."
There has been widespread speculation in Moscow that the Soviets may be attempting to steal some of the glory from the planned American manned landing on the moon by bringing back some moon rock first.
Luna-XV had been expected to reach the vicinity of the moon on Wednesday, but Professor Lovell said, after studying the latest signals picked up from the Soviet spacecraft, that it would not reach the moon's vicinity until Thursday morning.
He did not elaborate, but scientists described his reasoning this way: Luna-XV is moving more slowly towards the moon because it is heavier, carrying new equipment for a new mission. A slower approach to the moon would save fuel needed to brake the spacecraft for landing and reserve fuel needed for relaunching it for the return trip.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Thursday 17 July 1969, page 1
Luna-XV signals pause
Manchester, July 16
Signals from the Russian moon probe Luna-XV stopped just four minutes before Apollo-XI lifted off from Cape Kennedy, the Jodrell Bank space tracking station said today.
"The probe has been transmitting at irregular intervals since soon after its launch," a spokesman said. According to latest calculations Luna-XV should reach the immediate vicinity of the moon tomorrow (late tonight New Zealand time).
Reconfirming yesterday's statement by the director of the station, Sir Bernard Lovell, that the Soviet shot may attempt to recover rocks from the moon, the spokesman said there were several new features to the probe.
"The flight will last about 100 hours instead of the 80 hours taken by previous Russian moon shots, and Luna-XV has a completely new signal," he said.
"The signal is a very high-pitched whistle that we have not heard from previous Russian moon probes," he said.


The West Australian, Friday 18 July 1969, page 1
Luna 15 in moon orbit
Moscow, Thursday
The Soviet Union said today its unmanned Luna 15 space craft had gone into orbit round the moon.
An announcement read over Moscow Radio said the craft, launched early on Sunday morning, had "become an artificial satellite of the moon."
The wording strongly implied that no attempt would be made to land either the craft or a module from it on the moon's surface as had been forecast widely in Moscow and abroad.
The announcement was the first official word on the progress of the craft since the initial statement that it would make further scientific studies of the moon and near-moon space.
In recent *{obliterated in microfilm}* unofficial Soviet and other Communist sources had forecast that the Russians would try to land a module on the moon and bring back a sample of lunar dust. But Western experts here said they doubted whether the Russians were capable of such a feat yet.
An announcement by the news agency Tass said Luna 15 was put into orbit when it was on the dark side of the moon. It said everything on board was working normally and radio contact continued.
The flight from earth was described as taking 102 hours with the trajectory corrected once, on Monday.
In Manchester, Sir Bernard Lovell, director of the giant British tracking station, Jodrell Bank, told a television interviewer: "My personal opinion is that this is not the end of the exercise but the beginning. I think Luna 15 will stay in orbit for the rest of the day and then attempt to land either the whole spaceship or a bit or it to take some samples of rock.
"There is very little evidence to go on but I feel it is inconceivable that at this stage the Russians are going to leave the ship in orbit because there is relatively little information to be gained by doing that."
Sir Bernard admitted that the whole situation looked very obscure.
—A.A.P.-Reuters


The West Australian, Friday 18 July 1969, page 16
Russians hail Apollo
The Soviet news agency Tass yesterday put out an 800-word story outlining America's moon programme and hailing the three Apollo 11 astronauts.
Tass described the three men as "those courageous people entrusted with the most responsible task of landing on the moon."
Pravda, the Soviet Communist Party newspaper, wished the astronauts bon voyage. It said: "Let us wish its courageous crew a happy voyage and full success."
No report
Communist China's official newspapers and radio have so far not reported the launching.
In Hong Kong, three Communist newspapers attacked the mission as a cover-up for the Americans' failure to win the Vietnam war and said that it was an effort to extend imperialism into space.
In Korea the U.S. embassy in Seoul put up a 20-foot-square television screen to show the launch, and about 50,000 South Koreans gathered to watch. Apollo programmes will be presented every night till splash-down next week.
Newspapers throughout Europe filled their pages with pictures of the blast-off. The French newspaper Le Figaro said: "The greatest adventure in the history of humanity has started," and devoted four pages to reports from Cape Kennedy and diagrams of the mission.
In Britain, the Communist Morning Star said: "The challenge of Yuri Gagarin's immortal pioneer orbit and the shame of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba is being expunged in the rocket's fire."
The Daily Mall cartoonist portrayed two starving children in Biafra gazing at the moon and saying: "Maybe they'll discover it is made of cheese and bring some back for us to eat."
Major Yugoslav newspapers devoted three to six pages to Apollo. One issued a special edition.
—A.A.P.-Reuters

[Kiwi]

Continued...

Manawatu Evening Standard, Saturday 19 July 1969, page 1
No threat to moon crew from Luna-XV
Soviet assurance to U.S.
NZPA-Reuter Houston, Texas, July 18
The Soviet Union today assured the United States that their Luna-XV, orbiting the moon, would not interfere with Apollo-XI.
The Russian assurance was given in a cable to Col. Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo-VIII moon-circling last December, the Space Agency announced at Houston.
Col. Borman early yesterday personally telephoned Soviet academician Professor M. V. Keldysh, president of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
Professor Keldysh replied last night, informing Col. Borman that Luna-XV would not intersect the "published trajectory" of Apollo-XI at any point, and that he would be informed if any change develops.
The Space Agency announcement said that Col. Borman placed a call to Professor Keldysh on Wednesday at the request of Mr Christopher Kraft, director of flight operations.
The call, plus a second to the Institute for Soviet-American Relations, which entertained Col. Borman on his recent trip to the Soviet Union, was completed yesterday (Thursday) from Houston.
Last night Col. Borman received a cable from Professor Keldysh giving the lunar orbital parameters of the Luna-XV flight.
Col. Borman was told Luna-XV went into orbit around the moon at 1 a.m., Moscow time, on July 17. The orbital period is 2 hours and 30 seconds.
Although every new development on the Apollo flight is being quickly transmitted by the Americans to a waiting world, the Russians are keeping silent on Luna-XV, and all new information on its progress is coming from Britain's Jodrell Bank observatory.
Many Western observers in Moscow are surprised that Luna-XV has not performed anything more dramatic than switching into lunar orbit after an unusually long flight from earth.
But the possibility of some spectacular action — probably connected with the burst of signals from the Soviet craft reported by Jodrell Bank — is still far from ruled out.
More reason
There is nothing unusual about Soviet silence on their space experiments, and this time the Russians have more reason to say nothing about their plans until have actually carried them out.
As long as it says nothing about the programme of Luna-XV no one can say for certain that it was an aborted effort to forestall Apollo-XI in bringing moon soil back to earth, or to perform some other unsuspected spectacular feat.
Already Luna-XV has carried out one of the tasks almost certainly set it by the Russians: it has distracted some attention away from the Apollo-XI flight and reminded the world that the Soviet Union can still get to the moon.
The tight secrecy around it has, in fact, added to the interest, and given rise to speculation that it might be aimed at doing things which, in fact, Soviet scientists never intended it to do.
The best suggestions in Moscow tonight were the same as those which have been circulating since the launching — either that Luna-XV will land itself on the moon and return to earth, or that it will land a robot lunar module.
UK watch
British scientists have settled back to watch what they feel sure will be an effort by the Russian craft to go down and scoop up moon dust by remote control before the Americans can get there.
The 250ft aerial of the Jodrell Bank radio telescope is locked on to Luna-XV as it cruises round the moon.
Signals keep coming back in bursts, but nobody at Jodrell Bank has the key to decipher what they mean.
What the British scientists have been able to determine, however, is that the unmanned Luna-XV is swinging above areas of the moon at a height of some 60 miles, well away from the spot where Apollo-XI is due to land.


The West Australian, Monday 21 July 1969, page 8
Luna changes orbit
London, Sunday
Astronomers at the Jodrell Bank radio-telescope said last night that the Soviet unmanned Luna 15 probe had changed its orbit significantly, after circling the moon in an unaltered course for more than two days.
They could not say if the changed orbit meant the craft might attempt to land and take a sample of moon-soil, or if it would return to earth.
The scientists said that during its 26th orbit, Luna 15 had transmitted radio signals for an hour — its longest transmission — and had gone into a stabilised position. Earlier, it had been spinning as it orbited.
There is thought to be no chance of Luna 15 interfering with Apollo 11.
Washington: President Nixon would speak to the Apollo astronauts over live television shortly after they stepped on the lunar surface, the White House said.
Houston: Neil Armstrong reported in the weekend that a mast used to support a floodlight on the lunar module was charred, apparently from the heat generated by rocket engines either during launch or at some other point in the flight. The light, which illuminates the exteriors of the two spacecraft, would be used as an aid in an emergency transfer of the lunar module crew into the command module.
Canberra: An electrical fire at Tidbinbilla, one of the key Australian tracking stations, put a transmitter out of action for most of the weekend. The fire occurred on Friday night, but a round-the-clock effort by a team of technicians had the transmitter back in action this morning.


Manawatu Evening Standard, First Edition, Monday 21 July 1969, page 1
New orbit for Russian spacecraft
NZPA-Reuter Moscow, July 20
The Soviet Union announced tonight that its Luna-XV is in a new orbit bringing it within 10 miles of the moon's surface.
The Soviet news agency, Tass, reported that the latest correction of the near-moon orbit was the second so far. Luna-XV was now swinging around the moon at minimum distance of 10 miles and a maximum of 68 miles, it said.
The space station, launched eight days ago, is now orbiting the moon once every one hour and 54 minutes, Tass said.
The announcement, as usual, was brief and vague about Soviet aims, saying only: "The automatic station Luna-XV continues scientific exploration in the near-moon outer space." All systems and scientific equipment were functioning normally.
The change of orbit came only a few hours before the American Apollo-XI astronauts were due to touch down on the lunar surface. Russia has assured the United States that there is no risk of Luna-XV causing any interference to the Apollo mission.
"Strange"
Meanwhile space scientist Sir Bernard Lovell at Jodrell Bank, England, said it was strange that the Russians had carried out their latest manoeuvre only a short time before the Apollo landing.
"We still do not know if it's going to land or is exploring near-moon space including a close reconnaissance of the United States' landing site."
He said the orbital change brought it closer to that of the Apollo craft but the two spacecraft were widely separated in time in their orbits.
Asked whether the Luna-XV posed any danger to Apollo, Sir Bernard said: "The chances of any interference are quite negligible."
Professor John Davies, a member of the team, was asked by reporters if it would be possible for Luna-XV to fly in formation with Apollo-XI. He said the Russian vehicle would have to make more orbital corrections to do this.
He said that Luna-XV could not be left on its new orbit all night because it would hit magnetic pockets around the moon. It would either have to land or pull out of orbit soon, he said.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Monday 21 July 1969, page 1
World acclaims American triumph
NZPA London, July 20
A roar of cheers erupted tonight from Trafalgar Square, the heart of London, as America's astronauts landed on the moon. The cheer, almost a scream of delight, symbolised the feelings of millions of Europeans watching the historic moment on live television.
Men and women, some with babies in arms, crammed between the Trafalgar fountains as Apollo-XI's touchdown was flashed on a giant screen.
"Thank God they've made it, a woman cried. Then the crowd fell silent as word came from the Mission Control Centre on the success of the landing.
Medals
The British Interplanetary Society announced an award of gold medals to the three Apollo astronauts.
In Germany, normally bustling city streets were deserted as people stayed home to watch the landing on television. For Germans — who feel a closeness to American space projects through German natives such as United States space pioneer Wernher von Braun — Apollo's moon landing had a special meaning. One housewife asked if stones from the moon will go on sale, and others wanted to know if the astronauts were armed against any potential moon enemy. They were all told no.
In Munich, the West German Finance Minister, Mr Franz Joseph, served beer and sausages to 150 guests invited to an Apollo-watching party at a local television station. Scientists were on hand to give a layman's interpretation of the touchdown.
Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger watched the landing in his vacation home in Ladis, Austria, a tiny Alps village.
"Wonderful," "I still can't believe it" and "I hope they will return safely" were some of the comments from Japanese who sat up throughout the night in Tokyo waiting for the historic moment of man's first lunar landing. All Japanese official and commercial radio and television stations extended their regular broadcast hours throughout the night to report the historic moment.
"Great drama"
Sir Bernard Lovell, director of the radio astronomy centre at Jodrell Bank, tonight hailed the Apollo-XI touchdown as "one of the moments of greatest drama in the history of man".
Space scientists and research students watching the touchdown on a special television set clapped spontaneously when the spaceship reached the moon's surface.
Sir Bernard said: "The success of this part of the enterprise opens the most enormous opportunities for the future exploration of the universe.
"It remains hard to comprehend the superb nature of the American technological and engineering achievement in this landing. Those of us who have watched the developments of the science programme will wish to convey our heartfelt congratulations to the Americans on this demonstration of their tremendous superiority."


The West Australian, Tuesday 22 July 1969, page 7
Soviet probe
London, Monday
Luna 15 spun into its fifth day around the moon today still with no certain sign of the spectacular feats that Western observers had expected from the Soviet unmanned probe.
Sir Bernard Lovell, director of Jodrell Bank's radio telescope observatory, said that signals from the probe were picked up soon after moonrise when Luna 15 was in its 50th orbit.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Tuesday 22 July 1969, page 24
Together again for long voyage home
From Page 1
...rendezvous, the two moon explorers would have been left stranded in space.
A fiery burst from a small engine propelled Armstrong and Aldrin off the moon. They had camped at the base named Tranquillity for 21 hours 36 minutes, raising the banner of their nation above it and fulfilling a dream of the ages.
Columbia and Eagle had worked in close radio harmony as the critical firing neared. Precisely 69 seconds after Collins flashed over the landing site, Armstrong and Aldrin took off.
By the time they reached orbit, Columbia was 300 miles ahead and the chase was on. Armstrong and Aldrin executed several intricate manoeuvres, triggered by engine firings, to close the gap and catch its fleeting target.
Replica
AAP-Reuter said as the lunar module shot off the Tranquillity base Armstrong advised that they were leaving behind a replica of their Apollo-Xl mission badge, which shows an Eagle swooping down towards the moon with olive branches clutched in his claws. The capsule communicator answered: "Roger, Eagle, the whole world is proud of you."
The spacemen also left behind scientific equipment, messages from world leaders and a plaque proclaiming that the astronauts "came in peace."
An instrument to measure moon quakes and a mirror to reflect laser light beams to give scientists a precise measurement of the distance from earth to moon were left behind.
The seismometer had already begun to work yesterday, recording the footfalls of the astronauts and the pounding of their geological picks and hammers on the soil.
An attempt was expected later today by the Lick observatory in California to beam a laser off the mirror.
Just hours before Eagle departed, the moon received another visitor, the Associated Press reported. Russia's unmanned Luna-XV landed in the Sea of Crises, 500 miles from the Americans, after orbiting the moon for several days on a mystery mission.
Britain's Jodrell Bank observatory reported Luna's radio transmitting device had been travelling at about 300 miles an hour when the signals stopped and "it is unlikely that anything could have survived such an impact."
President Nixon, who talked to the astronauts on the moon last night, said "Good news" when told of the successful launch and orbit.
Both spacemen were taciturn and calm on the lift-off in comparison to the enthusiastic descriptions of the lunar landscape they gave on the descent to Tranquillity base.
Armstrong's heart rate reached 90 beats a minute and Aldrin, who normally has a lower heart rate, soared to 120. Both quickly dropped down to the 80s after orbit was achieved.
President Nixon, jubilant over the moon landing, made a string of telephone calls to thank the British Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, the West German Chancellor, Dr Kessinger, and other leaders personally for their congratulatory messages.
Delighted
"Just talking to Harold Wilson on the phone, and he told me he was delighted with the shot," the beaming President reported to a handful of newsmen who were summoned to his office. "The interest abroad is about as great as at home," he added.
Mr Nixon interrupted a busy schedule to make the calls, as he continued to watch the Apollo-XI mission on television and completed preparations for his own 12-day round-the-world trip.
The President is to leave Washington tomorrow night, stay overnight in San Francisco, and later watch the recovery of the Apollo-XI astronauts in the mid-Pacific on Thursday before making his first Asian stop.
Admitting he was tired after staying up half the night to watch the moon walk, Mr Nixon explained that cables were going off in reply to most of the messages from world leaders, but he was using the telephone personally where he could communicate with a foreign leader in English.
Explanation
The Space Agency later offered a tentative explanation of the troublesome docking: As Collins moved in and inserted Columbia's docking probe into Eagle and docked, he didn't realise for a moment that they were together. He tried to pull his ship back to test the connection. At that moment a thruster on Eagle fired briefly.
Armstrong and Aldrin rejoined their crewmate in the main cabin of Apollo-XI, and Eagle was jettisoned, two hours ahead of schedule. Armstrong and Aldrin had returned to their couches in the mother ship when they cast off the lander.
Since Armstrong and Aldrin had left the lunar module it was unnecessary to keep two craft linked any longer. Their early exit advanced the flight plan, controllers said.


Manawatu Evening Standard, Tuesday 22 July 1969, page 24
Luna-XV dies on moon
NZPA Moscow, July 21
The Soviet Union tonight announced that its Luna-XV rocket had landed on the moon and ended its work. The announcement disposed of speculation that the Soviet controllers would try to bring a sample of moon rock down to earth.
"As it was already reported, the automatic station Luna-XV was put into a trajectory of flight to the moon on July 13 this year," the Soviet Union said. During the flight there were 86 communications sessions during which the work of the new systems of the station was checked, the parameters of the trajectory of the movement were measured and scientific research was conducted.
"During its flight on the lunar orbit, the automatic station Luna-XV made 52 revolutions around the moon. Unlike the previous automatic stations — Luna-IX and Luna-XIII — Luna-XV can land in various areas of the lunar surface through changing the orbit.
"Two such changes of the orbit were carried out on July 18 and July 19 of this year and the new automatic navigation system were tried out.
"During the flight in the orbit of the moon's satellite, the station was used for scientific research in the space near the moon and yielded important data about the work of the systems on board the station. The results of these measurements are being processed."


The West Australian, Wednesday 23 July 1969, page 8
Luna 15 crashes
Moscow, Tuesday
The nine-day flight of the mysterious Soviet space probe Luna 15 ended late yesterday with a probable crash landing on the moon.
The official Soviet news agency Tass announced that Luna 15 had completed its programme of research in space near the moon and had ended its mission with a landing.
It did not mention completion of its planned exploration of the moon, which the original launch announcement on July 13 said it would carry out. Such omissions are as close as the Soviet space programme comes to admitting failure. Well-informed experts said early this month that it would try to scoop up a sample of moon-soil and return it to earth.
The Tass announcement said that unlike the previous automatic stations, Luna 9 and Luna 13, Luna 15 could land in various areas of the Iunar surface through changing its orbit.
The craft's braking system was switched on at 11:47 p.m. W.A. time and it then moved out of orbit down to the lunar surface.
"Work with the station Luna 15 ended," the announcement said.
It did not say at what speed the probe was moving when it hit the moon, but the British observatory at Jodrell Bank, which had tracked Luna 15, estimated that it had come down at 300 m.p.h.

[If Jodrell Bank is right about the last figure, which is way below normal lunar orbital speed, Luna 15 must have been attempting a soft-landing.]