Exceptional 1:10 scale handmade presentation model of the Luna-16 spacecraft, measuring approximately 16.5 x 15 x 16, constructed of metal with elements of plastic composite, produced as an exclusive project presentation model by the Lavochkin Research and Production Association. Presented on a black 17″ x 17″ base with an engraved plaque. In fine condition.
The spacecraft consisted of an ascent stage mounted on top of a descent stage. Portrayed here in tremendous detail, the lower descent stage featured a cylindrical body with four protruding landing legs, fuel tanks, a landing radar, and a dual descent engine complex, and was equipped with a television camera, radiation and temperature monitors, telecommunications equipment, and an extendable arm with a drilling rig for the collection of a lunar soil sample. The ascent stage was a cylinder with a rounded top and carried a hermetically sealed soil sample container inside a re-entry capsule. The probe launched on September 12, 1970, entered lunar orbit, and then landed on the surface on September 20. It collected a sample of lunar soil and returned to Earth on September 24, becoming the first successful robotic probe to land on the lunar surface. A meticulously crafted model representing this historic automated lunar mission.
