When did Surveyor 3 land on the Moon?
Surveyor 3 landed on the Moon during the early hours of the 20th of April 1967. The spacecraft touched down inside a small crater within the Mare Cognitum region of the Oceanus Procellarum.
Questions about Surveyor 3
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where is the Surveyor 3 landing site located?
The coordinates for the Surveyor 3 landing site are S3° 01' 41.43
What happened to Surveyor 3 after the first lunar nightfall?
The probe shut down when the first lunar nightfall arrived on the 3rd of May 1967. Solar panels stopped producing electricity due to darkness and extremely cold temperatures prevented restart at the next lunar dawn.
Which Apollo mission visited Surveyor 3?
Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean landed near Surveyor 3 on the 19th of November 1969. They excised several components from the lander including the soil sampling scoop and television camera for return to Earth.
How long did the Surveyor 3 camera survive in space?
Analysis found that the camera withstood 947 days in the vacuum of space. It endured 32 two-week lunar nights where temperatures dropped below minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit.