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    Luna 2 - Wikipedia

    • Luna 2 (Russian: Луна 2), originally named the Second Soviet Cosmic Rocket and nicknamed Lunik 2 in contemporaneous media, was the sixth of the Soviet Union's Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon, E-1 No.7. It was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, and the first human-made object to make contact with another celestial bod… See more

    Background

    Luna 1 and the three spacecraft of Luna programme before it were part of the Ye-1 series of spacecraft with a mass of … See more

    Payload

    Luna 2 carried five different types of instruments to conduct various tests while it was on its way to the Moon. The scintillation counters were used to measure any ionizing radiation and the Cherenkov radiation d… See more

    NamesSecond Soviet Cosmic Rocket · Lunik 2
    Mission typeLunar impactor
    OperatorSoviet space program
    Harvard designation1959 ξ 1
    Mission

    There was difficulty getting Luna 2 ready for launch. The first attempt on September 6 failed due to a loose electrical connection. A second attempt two days later also went awry when the core stage LOX tank failed to pressuriz… See more

    Results

    The radiation detectors and magnetometer were searching for lunar magnetic and radiation fields similar to the Van Allen radiation belt around Earth, sending information about once every minute until its last tran… See more

    Cultural significance

    According to Donald William Cox, Americans were starting to believe that they were making progress in the Space Race and that although the Soviet Union might have had larger rockets, the United States had better … See more

    U.S. espionage

    In 1959, a Soviet exhibit of its economic achievements toured several countries. This exhibit included displays of Luna 2. CIA conducted a covert operation to access it to gain information. A team of CIA officers gained unr… See more

    Legacy

    Luna 2 was a success for the Soviets, and was the first in a series of missions (lunar impactors) that were intentionally crashed on the Moon. The later U.S.-made Ranger missions ended in similar impacts. Such controlled c… See more

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    Background
    Payload
    Quick Facts
    Mission
    Results
    Cultural significance
    U.S. espionage
     
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