Luna 16 was one of the most significant Soviet lunar missions. Launched on September 12, 1970, it became the first fully robotic mission to land on the Moon, collect lunar material, and return it safely to Earth. It collected 101 grams (3.56 ounces) of material from Mare Fecunditatis. This mission marked the Soviet Union's first successful lunar sample return and was the third overall lunar sample return mission, following Apollo 11 and Apollo 12.
 |
| A Luna 16 moon landing cover postmarked at Tartu with a hand cancel on September 20, 1970. |
Less than an hour after Luna 16 landed in Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility) on September 20, 1970, its automated drill began penetrating the lunar surface to collect a soil sample. After drilling for approximately seven minutes, it reached a depth of 35 centimeters and stopped. The drill then retracted, carrying the sample upward in an arc to the top of the spacecraft, where it deposited the lunar material into a small spherical capsule mounted on the main spacecraft bus. The column of lunar regolith collected inside the drill tube was subsequently transferred into the sealed soil-sample container for its return to Earth.
 |
| A Luna 16 lunar lift-off cover, postmarked at Tartu with a hand cancel on September 22, 1970, one day after the spacecraft lifted off from the Moon. |
After spending 26 hours and 25 minutes on the lunar surface, Luna 16’s upper stage lifted off at 07:43 UT on September 21, 1970, leaving the lower stage behind to continue transmitting measurements of lunar temperature and radiation. Three days later, on September 24, the return capsule, carrying 101 grams of lunar soil, reentered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 11 kilometers per second without requiring any mid-course corrections. The capsule descended by parachute and landed about 80 kilometers southeast of Jezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 05:25 UT. Analysis of the dark basaltic material revealed a close resemblance to lunar samples collected by the American Apollo 12 mission.
 |
| A cover bearing a special commemorative postmark marking the Luna 16 mission from launch through recovery, postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on September 24, 1970. |
 |
| Photo: Recovery of the Luna 16 space capsule that returned samples of moon soil from the Sea of Fertility. |
 |
| A postcard featuring an illustration of Luna 16 on the moon, postmarked in Kaluga with a hand cancel on October 4, 1977. |
