\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH DATE: \<COLOUR 0> September 14, 1968
\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH SITE: \<COLOUR 0> Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Central Asia
\<COLOUR 1> LAUNCH VEHICLE: \<COLOUR 0> Proton
\<COLOUR 1> WEIGHT: \<COLOUR 0> 5.6 tonnes
\<COLOUR 1> MISSION: \<COLOUR 0> Lunar flyby and return
\<COLOUR 1> CLOSEST APPROACH: \<COLOUR 0> 1,950 km
\<COLOUR 1> RETURN TO EARTH: \<COLOUR 0> September 21, 1968
\<COLOUR 1> COUNTRY: \<COLOUR 0> USSR
\<COLOUR 1> COMMENTS: \<COLOUR 0> First lunar flyby and return; carries turtles and other biological samples; probe based on Soyuz manned spacecraft; splashes down in Indian Ocean; Zond 6 (launched in November 1968) and 8 (October 1970) also successful, 8 being test for manned lunar mission.