Preliminary Analysis of Luna 9 Photography, June 1966

March 8, 2024

The document is a declassified report from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) titled “Preliminary Analysis of Luna-9 Photography” (NPIC/R-5017/66) dated June 1966. It was released in full as per a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) referral of CIA EOM-2019-00951. The report contains the results of a preliminary analysis of photography from the Luna-9 spacecraft, conducted by the Technical Intelligence Division of the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC). The analysis aimed to provide information about the photographic system, the spacecraft, and the lunar surface independent of previously published Soviet and U.S. data.

Key findings from the analysis include:

The azimuthal angular field of view of the Luna-9 camera was determined to be 360 degrees, with a vertical angular field of view of 30 degrees.
The tilt of the scanner rotation axis varied between 16 and 22.5 degrees during different transmissions.
The axis of spacecraft movement was approximately 35 degrees relative to a prominent feature on the spacecraft.
Dimensions of the Luna-9 capsule and various lunar surface features were estimated based on the analysis of the photography and ground photography from a Luna-9 exhibit.

The report also provides detailed technical explanations of the photogrammetric basis for the preliminary results, including calculations for the angular field of view, tilt values, axis of spacecraft movement, and dimensions of lunar surface features. The analysis was based on a combination of Luna-9 panoramas, ground photography, telemetry reports, and other sources.

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