© Mark Ollig
On Jan. 2, 1959, the Soviet Union launched the Luna 1 probe (Lunik 1) toward the moon using its Luna 8K72 rocket.
In Latin and Russian, “Luna” and “Lunik” mean “moon,” respectively, with “Luna” commonly used today.
The 8K72 rocket was derived from the R-7 missile, which had originally been developed as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Luna 1 missed its intended lunar surface impact by 3,700 miles and continued past the moon; its batteries became drained 62 hours after launch, at a distance of 370,000 miles from Earth.
It ended up becoming the first human-made object to enter a heliocentric orbit, circling the sun.
Luna 2 was launched on Sept. 12, 1959, from Baikonur Cosmodrome, USSR.
Once the Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) rocket, a variant of the R-7 missile, broke free from Earth’s gravitational pull, Luna 2 detached from the rocket’s third stage and began its journey toward the moon, traveling at a speed of approximately 25,000 mph.
Luna 2 released bright orange sodium gas from its containers at about 97,000 miles from Earth to aid in tracking the spacecraft and studying the behavior of gaseous fumes in space.
The Luna 2 spacecraft weighed 860.2 pounds and carried two scientific instruments to the moon: a Geiger counter and a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer powered by a 360-volt battery.
The Geiger counter on board the Luna 2 spacecraft studied the electron spectrum of the outer Van Allen radiation belt.
The triaxial fluxgate magnetometer collected data on the spacecraft’s location and navigation and the Earth’s magnetic field composition.
The Luna 2 spacecraft transmitted data to Earth using radio telemetry while en route to the moon.
On September 13, 1959, at 4:02 p.m. CDT, in Minnesota, the spherical-shaped, multiple-antennae Luna 2 spacecraft stopped transmitting its radio signals, confirming its impact on the moon, which was 234,140 miles from Earth at that time.
Luna 2 became the first spacecraft from Earth to make physical contact with a celestial body within our solar system.
Since the Luna 2 spacecraft did not contain an independent propulsion system, it could not perform a controlled power descent to land safely on the moon.
Instead, the spacecraft intentionally crashed on the lunar surface between Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis at 7,382 mph.
Pieces of Luna 2 now lie about 30 to 35 miles south of the Autolycus crater and approximately 160 miles southwest of the Apollo 15 lunar module Falcon’s July 30, 1971, landing site, near the Hadley Rille in the Palus Putredinis region of the Imbrium Basin.
Pentagonal metal sphere pendants with the USSR hammer and sickle on one side and the launch date on the other were scattered across the lunar surface by Luna 2’s crash, as they were designed to do.
Professor Bernard Lovell, director of the Jodrell Bank Radio Astronomy Station in England, wrote a Sept. 28, 1959, article in LIFE magazine about his tracking Luna 2 to the moon to prove it was not a “faked mission.”
Lovell was able to verify the reception of the Luna 2 telemetry signals using the giant radio telescope at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, Northwest England.
He shared Luna 2’s signals with American counterparts, saying: “I held the transatlantic telephone to our loudspeaker so they could hear the bleeps [audible radio signals] for themselves.”
Lovell described the signals as “strong and clear” before they abruptly stopped, indicating Luna 2 had hit the moon.
July 28, 1964, NASA launched Ranger 7 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., which became the first U.S. spacecraft to take close-up photos of and make contact with the moon.
Ranger 7, using its high-gain antenna, sent 4,316 photographs of the lunar surface to Earth.
On July 31, 1964, Ranger 7 took its last two photos of the lunar surface from heights of approximately 3,510 feet and 1,702 feet just before intentionally colliding with the moon.
On April 20, 1967, NASA’s Surveyor 3 lander safely landed on the moon and, for 14 days, sent data back to Earth used for the upcoming Apollo moon landings, including 6,326 TV pictures from the lunar surface.
On Nov. 19, 1969, the Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr., and Alan L. Bean landed their Intrepid Lunar Module approximately 590 feet from Surveyor 3.
The next day, they visited the Surveyor 3 site.
The astronauts took out the television camera and other parts to bring back to Earth. Scientists studied how the lunar environment affected these human-made materials during prolonged exposure.
On Feb. 22, 2024, the Texas-based Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, touched down near the moon’s south pole.
Despite tipping over, the uncrewed lander operated for about five days, conducting experiments and sending data and images to Earth.
On June 1, 2024, Chang’e 6 landed on the far side of the moon, collected lunar soil samples, and returned them to Earth on June 25, 2024.
China aspires to send astronauts to the moon by 2030 and establish a research base at the lunar south pole, an area believed to contain water ice.
I sense a new space race beginning.
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| NASA photo from Dec. 20, 1972. Apollo 17 astronaut Charles Conrad. Jr. (Commander) inspecting the Surveyor 3 lander. The photo was taken by Alan L. Bean. (Lunar Module Pilot). The Lunar Module, Intrepid, is seen about 590 feet in the background. |