View source for Zond 7

{{Short description|1969 Soviet test spaceflight to the Moon}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = Zond 7
| names_list            = Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 11<!--list of previous names if the spacecraft has been renamed. 
Include the dates applicable if possible, and separate each name with a linebreak. 
Omit if the spacecraft has only ever been known by one name. 
Do not include Harvard, COSPAR/NSSDC or SATCAT/NORAD/NASA designations as alternative names-->

<!--image of the spacecraft/mission-->
| image                 = Zond L1 drawing.svg
| image_caption         = Zond 7
| image_alt             = <!--image alt text-->
| image_size            = 180px<!--include px/em; defaults to 220px-->

<!--Basic details-->
| mission_type          = [[The Moon|Lunar]] flyby<br/>Spacecraft test
| operator              = [[OKB-1]]
| Harvard_designation   = <!--spacecraft launched 1962 and earlier only (eg. 1957 Alpha 2)-->
| COSPAR_ID             = 1969-067A
| SATCAT                = 04062
| website               = <!--Homepage of the craft/mission, OFFICIAL PAGES ONLY-->
| mission_duration      = 6 days, 18 hours, & 25 minutes<ref name="Zond_7" />
| distance_travelled    = <!--How far the spacecraft travelled (if known)-->
| orbits_completed      = <!--number of times the spacecraft orbited the Earth - see below for spacecraft beyond Earth orbit-->
| suborbital_range      = <!--downrange distance reached if spacecraft did not enter orbit-->
| suborbital_apogee     = <!--altitude reached if spacecraft did not enter orbit-->

<!--Spacecraft properties-->
| spacecraft            = <!--Spacecraft name/serial number (eg. Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', Apollo CM-118), etc-->
| spacecraft_type       = <!--eg. GPS Block II, Kobalt-M, US-K, etc-->
| spacecraft_bus        = [[Soyuz 7K-L1]]
| manufacturer          = [[OKB-1]]
| launch_mass           = {{convert|5375|kg}}<ref name="Zond_7">{{Cite book |last=Siddiqi |first=Asif |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/beyond-earth-tagged.pdf |title=Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016 |publisher=NASA History Program Office |year=2018 |edition=second |page=91 |chapter=Zond 7}}</ref>
| BOL_mass              = <!--spacecraft mass in orbit at beginning of operational life, after LEOP phase-->
| landing_mass          = <!--Mass after landing (recovered spacecraft only)-->
| dry_mass              = <!--spacecraft mass in orbit without fuel-->
| payload_mass          = <!--Mass of cargo carried by spacecraft (eg. for Space Shuttle), or total mass of instrumentation/equipment/experiments for mission-->
| dimensions            = <!--body dimensions and solar array span-->
| power                 = <!--end-of-life power, in watts-->

<!--Launch details-->
| launch_date           = August 7, 1969, 23:48:06 UTC<ref name=Zond_7/>
| launch_rocket         = [[Proton-K]] [[Block D|D]] 
| launch_site           = [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]] [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81|81/23]]
| launch_contractor     = <!--organisation(s) that conducted the launch (eg. United Launch Alliance, Arianespace, etc)-->
| deployment_from       = <!--place where deployed from-->
| deployment_date       = <!--date deployed-->
| entered_service       = <!--date on which the spacecraft entered service, if it did not do so immediately after launch-->
<!-- * - e.g. Proton-M/Briz-M not Proton-M, but Titan IV(401)A not Titan IV(401)A-Centaur-->

<!--end of mission-->
| disposal_type         = [[Soft landing (rocketry)|Soft landing]] and recovery
| deactivated           = <!--when craft was decommissioned-->
| destroyed             = <!--when craft was destroyed (if other than by re-entry)-->
| last_contact          = <!--when last signal received if not decommissioned-->
| recovery_by           = [[Soviet Union]]
| recovery_date         = <!--recovery date-->
| decay_date            = <!--when craft re-entered the atmosphere, not needed if it landed-->
| landing_date          = {{end date|1969|08|14}} at 20:13 UTC
| landing_site          = 50 km south of [[Kustanai]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[USSR]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/zond-7/in-depth|title=In Depth {{!}} Zond 7|website=NASA Solar System Exploration|access-date=July 29, 2019|archive-date=2019-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729213516/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/zond-7/in-depth/}}</ref>
<!--
    The following template should be used for ONE of the three above fields "end_of_mission", "decay" or "landing" if the spacecraft is no longer operational.
    If it landed intact, use it for the landing time, otherwise for the date it ceased operations, or the decay date if it was still operational when it re-entered.
    {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD|hh|mm|ss|TZ=Z}} (for Zulu/UTC) or {{end date|YYYY|MM|DD}} (if time unknown) 
-->

<!--orbit parameters-->
<!--as science-related articles, SI units should be the principal units of measurement, however we usually use {{convert}} to display imperial units in parentheses after the initial values-->
| orbit_reference       = <!--geocentric, selenocentric, etc - please link (e.g. [[Geocentric orbit|Geocentric]])-->
| orbit_regime          = <!--high, low, medium, molniya, GSO - please link (e.g. [[Low Earth orbit|Low Earth]] - please don't use acronyms-->
| orbit_longitude       = <!--geosynchronous satellites only-->
| orbit_slot            = <!--Designation of orbital position or slot, if not longitude (e.g plane and position of a GPS satellite)-->
| orbit_semimajor       = <!--semimajor axis-->
| orbit_eccentricity    = <!--orbital eccentricity-->
| orbit_periapsis       = <!--periapsis altitude--> 
| orbit_apoapsis        = <!--apoapsis altitude--> 
| orbit_inclination     = <!--orbital inclination--> 
| orbit_period          = <!--time taken to complete an orbit-->
| orbit_RAAN            = <!--right ascension of the ascending node-->
| orbit_arg_periapsis   = <!--argument of perigee/periapsis-->
| orbit_mean_anomaly    = <!--mean anomaly at epoch, only use in conjunction with an epoch value-->
| orbit_mean_motion     = <!--mean motion of the satellite, usually measured in orbits per day-->
| orbit_repeat          = <!--repeat interval/revisit time-->
| orbit_velocity        = <!--speed at which the spacecraft was travelling at epoch - only use for spacecraft with low orbital eccentricity-->
| orbit_epoch           = <!--the date at which the orbit parameters were correct-->
| orbit_rev_number      = <!--revolution number-->
| apsis                 = <!--planet specific apsis term (eg. gee/helion/selene/etc - defaults to generic "apsis")-->

|interplanetary         = <!--Infobox spaceflight/IP can be called multiple times for missions with multiple targets or combined orbiter/lander missions, etc-->
 {{Infobox spaceflight/IP
   |type                = flyby
   |object              = [[Moon]]
   |orbits              = <!--number of orbits completed at target body (if applicable and known)-->
   |component           = <!--part of the spacecraft involved, if spacecraft split into multiple components-->
   |arrival_date        = August 11, 1969
   |departure_date      = <!--Date of leaving orbit for orbiters, date of launch for landers which took off again-->
   |location            = <!--landing/impact site, including EOM impacts for atmospheric probes and lunar/asteroid orbiters-->
   |distance            = {{convert|1984.6|km|abbr=on}}
 }}

<!--transponder parameters-->
| trans_band            = <!--Transponder frequency bands-->
| trans_frequency       = <!--specific frequencies-->
| trans_bandwidth       = <!--bandwidth-->
| trans_capacity        = <!--capacity of the transponders-->
| trans_coverage        = <!--area covered-->
| trans_TWTA            = <!--TWTA output power-->
| trans_EIRP            = <!--equivalent isotropic power-->
| trans_HPBW            = <!--half-power beam width-->

<!--Only use where a spacecraft/mission is part of a clear programme of sequential missions. 
If in doubt, leave it out-->
| programme             = [[Zond program|Zond]]
| previous_mission      = [[Zond 6]]
| next_mission          = [[Zond 8]]

<!--mission insignia or patch-->
| insignia              = <!--omit the "file" prefix-->
| insignia_caption      = <!--image caption-->
| insignia_alt          = <!--image alt text-->
| insignia_size         = <!--include px/em; defaults to 180px-->
}}

The '''Zond 7''' spacecraft, part of the Soviet [[Zond program]], was launched towards the Moon on a [[Proton (rocket family)|Proton-K D rocket]] on August 7, 1969. Its mission was to support studies of the Moon and [[circumlunar trajectory|circumlunar space]], to obtain color photography of Earth and the Moon from varying distances, and to flight test the spacecraft systems. It was an unpiloted version of the [[Soyuz 7K-L1]], a crewed Moon-flyby spacecraft.

Earth photos were obtained on August 9, 1969. On August 11, 1969, the spacecraft flew past the Moon at a distance of 1984.6&nbsp;km and conducted two picture taking sessions. On its way back from the Moon the spacecraft tested its radio systems by transmitting recorded voices.<ref name=Harvey216>{{cite book |last=Harvey |first=Brian |date=2007 |title=Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration |publisher=Springer-Praxis |pages=216–217 |isbn=978-0-387-21896-0}}</ref>

Zond 7 carried four turtles,<ref name=Harvey216 /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sutulov |first1=L. S. |last2=Kulkin |first2=S. G. |last3=Saxonov |first3=P. P. |last4=Sutulov |first4=J. L. |last5=Konnova |first5=N. I. |last6=Truchina |first6=L. V. |last7=Severgina |first7=E. S. |last8=Samsonova |first8=L. L. |last9=Sonina |first9=S. N. |last10=Selivanova |first10=T. V. |last11=Solovyev |first11=V. I. |date=1971 |title=Post-flight histological analysis of turtles aboard Zond 7 |journal=Life Sciences and Space Research |volume=9 |pages=125–128 |issn=0075-9422 |pmid=11942356}}</ref> a follow-up to the September 1968 [[Zond 5]] mission which carried two tortoises on a circumlunar lunar mission, and the November 1968 [[Zond 6]] mission which also carried turtles.

A human-like tissue-equivalent phantom for radiation measurements was placed aboard. The phantom was equipped with 20 channels for radiation detectors (thermoluminescent glasses and nuclear photoemulsions) distributed along the whole body for measurement of doses in critical organs. The doses accumulated during the flight through the radiation belts and around the Moon were between 0.2 and 0.7 rad in different points at the depth of 3 g/cm<sup>2</sup> from the body surface.<ref name="smi73">{{Cite conference |last1=Smirennyi  |first1=L. N. |last2=Litvinova  |first2=E. G. |last3=Khortsev  |first3=A. V. |year=1973 |title=Study of Spatial Distribution of Tissue Doses with the Aid of a Phantom-mannequin |url=http://www.irpa.net/members/OCR_IRPA_3_Proceedings_reduced.pdf#page=677 |location=Oak Ridge, Tennessee |publisher=U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION |pages=648–653 |id=CONF 730907 P1 |book-title=Proceedings of the Third International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association; Washington, DC, September 9–14, 1973}}</ref>

Like other [[Zond program|Zond]] circumlunar craft, Zond 7 used a relatively uncommon technique called [[skip reentry]] to shed velocity upon returning to Earth.
Of all circumlunar Soviet Zond craft launches, Zond 7 would have been the first to make a safe flight for a cosmonaut had it been crewed.

Zond 7 reentered Earth's atmosphere on August 14, 1969, and achieved a soft landing in a preset region south of [[Kustanai]], Kazakhstan.  
The return capsule is on display at the [[Dmitrov]] Facility of [[Bauman Moscow State Technical University|Bauman University]] in Orevo, Russia.

<gallery>
File:Miniature sheet of the USSR - Zond-6 and Zond-7.jpg|Zond 7 orbit, photographs of the Earth and the Moon on a USSR [[miniature sheet]], 1969
File:Postage stamp of the USSR - a picture of the Earth from Zond-7.jpg|A photograph of the Earth taken by Zond 7 on a postage stamp of the USSR in 1969
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[Animals in space]]
* [[Timeline of first images of Earth from space]]
* [[Zond 5]], two tortoises who flew to the Moon on the Soviet Union's September 1968 Zond 5 circumlunar flight
* [[Zond 6]], turtles on a circumlunar mission in November 1968
* [[Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey]], five mice who orbited the Moon a record 75 times on the December 1972 [[Apollo 17]] mission
* [[List of missions to the Moon]]

== Notes ==
* ''This article was originally based on material from [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-067A NASA (NSSDC) information on Zond 7] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630014131/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-067A |date=2019-06-30  }}''

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_CatalogMoon.htm Soviet Lunar Images]
* [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-067A NASA page on Zond 7 NSSDC ID: 1969-067A] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630014131/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-067A |date=2019-06-30  }}
*[https://www.planetary.org/space-images/zond-7-image-of-earth Zond 7 image of Earth] and [https://www.planetary.org/space-images/zond_earthset Earthset from Zond 7] on the Bruce Murray Space Image Library
{{Sequence|
 prev=[[Zond 6]]|
 list=[[Zond program|Zond program (circumlunar)]]|
 next=[[Zond 8]]
}}

{{Zond program}}
{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{N1-L3}}
{{Orbital launches in 1969}}
{{Individual turtles}}

__NOTOC__
[[Category:Missions to the Moon]]
[[Category:Zond program]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1969]]
[[Category:1969 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Lunar flybys]]
[[Category:Animals in space]]
[[Category:Individual turtles]]
[[Category:Successful space missions]]