Categories: ScienceSpace

Preliminary Analysis of Luna 9 Photography, June 1966

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.

Continue scrolling for more...

Document Archive

Preliminary Analysis of Luna 9 Photography, June 1966 [14 Pages, 4.7MB]

 

Follow The Black Vault on Social Media:

This post was published on March 8, 2024 3:12 am

John Greenewald

Recent Posts

Air Force Confirms Drone Swarms Over Wright-Patterson AFB Led to Airspace Shutdown; Videos and Reports Released

Newly released Air Force records confirm that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio experienced…

July 11, 2025

Navy Withheld Nearly 500 Pages About UAP Video Release Decision, Records Show FOIA Pressure Drove Disclosure

Newly released documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that the U.S.…

July 9, 2025

CIA Mishandles UFO Files Again: Intelligence on Soviet UFO Reports Lost Forever

The CIA’s history of losing or mismanaging UFO-related records continues with yet another example, this…

July 7, 2025

FBI Files: American Military

Welcome to the FBI Files on American Military Personnel archive at The Black Vault. This…

July 4, 2025

FBI Files: Directors, Agents and Personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Background The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National…

July 4, 2025

Private/Unlisted YouTube Videos of U.S. Government Agencies

Background Many U.S. government agencies and military branches have public YouTube pages. That is no…

July 3, 2025