Lunokhod-1 (tantalum)

The 500 tenge silver coin Lunokhod-1 is part of the space-themed collector issues of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Lunokhod-1 coin is dedicated to the world's first planetary rover that operated on another celestial body. The Luna-17 automatic station launched from Baikonur on November 10, 1970, and on November 17 delivered the self-propelled vehicle to the surface of the Moon in the area of the Sea of Rains. Lunokhod-1 weighed about 756 kilograms and was equipped with eight independently rotating wheels, television cameras, a solar panel, and a radioisotope heater that allowed it to survive the lunar night.

The rover was controlled from Earth by a crew of operators who navigated it using television images. It operated significantly longer than its planned lifespan—about 11 lunar days, until September 1971—traveled more than ten kilometers, transmitted hundreds of panoramas and tens of thousands of images of the lunar surface to Earth, as well as data on the chemical composition of the soil. The results helped scientists better understand the structure of the Moon and test remote control technologies. The 2010 issue is timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of this expedition, which began at the Kazakh cosmodrome.

Obverse

The official side of the coin bears the state designations. Around the circumference are inscriptions: at the top "ҚАЗАҚСТАН РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫ" in Kazakh, at the bottom "REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN" in English. To the right of the center is the face value: the number "500" and below it the word "ТЕҢГЕ" — five hundred tenge. Below the face value in small print are the designations of the metals and the weight of each — 925 fineness silver and tantalum, thus indicating the bimetallic composition of the coin on the coin itself. Next to the technical data is the trademark of the Kazakhstan Mint. The central field continues the space theme: a vertical line divides it into two parts, on one side a starry sky with orbits and stars is shown, on the other — a full-length silhouette of a person against the background of a spiral galaxy, and small dots are scattered in the upper part. This composition is uniform for all coins in the series, making it easy to recognize the issue and distinguish it from ordinary circulation coins.

The uniformity of the design of the official side emphasizes that we are looking at parts of a general thematic project: the drawing on the artistic side changes, while the state part remains recognizable. The strict arrangement of the inscriptions along the arc and the clear relief of the numbers ensure the readability of the face value, and the mint mark indicates the place of minting. The contrast between the smooth field and the relief elements preserves the expressiveness of the composition under any lighting. Such a side serves both as a document of the coin and as part of its design, which is why it is just as important in a collection as the artistic one.

Reverse

On the artistic side in the center, Lunokhod-1 itself is shown on the lunar surface: the eight wheels, the body with the open solar panel lid, and the antennas are clearly distinguishable. In the upper right part, the disk of the Moon with craters is rendered, and dots representing stars are scattered between the apparatus and the Moon.

The inscriptions are placed around the circumference: "ЛУНОХОД-1" at the top and "LUNOKHOD-1" at the bottom, and directly under the apparatus are the dates "1970-2010". Along the outer rim are twelve five-pointed stars, giving the composition a festive appearance. The dark oxidized surface successfully conveys the lunar landscape, and the polished relief of the apparatus stands out against it just as a metal body would stand out on real soil.