• Black and white image of a robot lunar rover with a pie-shaped base and multiple probes, cameras, and antennae attached to the base.
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    On November 17, 1970 the Soviet Luna 17 spacecraft landed the first roving remote-controlled robot on the Moon. Known as Lunokhod 1, it weighed just under 2,000 pounds and was designed to operate for 90 days while guided in real-time by a five person team at the Deep Space Center near Moscow, USSR, Planet Earth. The futuristic looking eight wheeler rode on top of a descent module that extended ramps from both sides offering alternative routes to the surface in case one side was blocked by boulders. Lunokhod 1 toured the lunar Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) for 11 months in one of the greatest successes of the Soviet lunar exploration program

  • Black and white image of a robot lunar rover with a pie-shaped base and multiple probes, cameras, and antennae attached to the base.

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WEB12065-2011

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