Saturday, September 12, 2020

Luna 2 launched 1959



Luna 2, launched September 12, 1959 by the Soviet Union, was the first spacecraft to reach the moon.  It was also the first man-made object to contact another celestial body.  Luna 2 searched for magnetic and radiation fields around the moon, but found none.

It hit the lunar surface at about 7,400 mph and released a sodium vapor cloud so it could be seen from Earth. 


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