November 25, 2009 Luna-22, a second heavy orbiter, reached the
Moon on June 2, 1974 and operated for more than a year. To
perform photo surveying of the surface, an elliptical orbit was
established, coming as close as 15 to 30 km above the Lunar
surface. From June 9 to 13, it returned 10 panoramas from its
optical-mechanical camera, and then returned to a higher
circular orbit to perform other experiments. The thin line
running along the image is from a spacecraft strut protruding
into the scanline of the camera. Portions of the square-wave
retrace pattern can be seen in some sections, above and below
the video signal. These panoramas are reconstructed from scanned
photos. Topics: Technology Internet, Luna 22, Luna programme,
Orbiter, Lunar Orbiter program, SELENE, Moon, Environment