After the Moon Race: Russian Robotic Missions and Lunar Surface Features

Abstract

The Soviet-American competition in space exploration culminated in the Moon race at the threshold of 1960–1970s. It was driven by political motivations and serves as a good lesson for the next generations. After being the leader, the former USSR eventually let the USA win the ambitious program to land a man on the lunar surface. Instead, the Soviets successfully implemented a program of robotic Moon exploration, including the world’s first automatic lunar sample returns and rover operations on the lunar surface. Both Apollo expeditions and robotic missions greatly advanced our knowledge of the Moon and planetary sciences in general.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) contributed to scientific exploration of our closest neighborhood, astronomers playing an especially important role in the mapping/naming the Moon surface features, and getting insight into the lunar/planetary astronomy, geology and geochemistry. This activity was mostly conducted in the framework of the IAU “Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature” (WGPSN). The productive work of the WGPSN allowed to identify and select the sites for safe landings on the Moon, and at the same time, to accommodate requirements of scientific interest. It paved the road for the future Moon missions, as well as for missions to other planets. The experience gained at the WGPSN is an invaluable legacy of the international cooperation and in particular, in resolving complicated scientific-cultural and political problems, a key of diplomacy. The author was a member of the WGPSN for several decades, and describes here his own experience and that of colleagues in this group as a good example of astronomers’ actions as diplomats. The author also gives some other illustrations drawn from his personal career, combining professional skills as space physicist/astronomer with diplomatic activities.