Luna 2
Luna 2 was a Soviet spacecraft that struck the Moon on September 13, 1959, becoming the first human-made object to reach its surface.
Luna 1: A Soviet spacecraft that passed near the Moon in January 1959 and became the first probe to reach heliocentric orbit. Its near-miss exposed the challenge of precise lunar targeting that Luna 2 overcame.
Soviet space program: The state-directed effort by the Soviet Union to develop rockets, satellites, and crewed and robotic spaceflight. It organized and funded the development and launch of Luna 2.
Sputnik 1: The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. Its launch began the sequence of Soviet space milestones that Luna 2 extended to the Moon.
Luna 2 impact site: The region of the Moon where Luna 2 struck on September 13, 1959, between the craters Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus. This is the specific surface location that established the mission’s first.
Luna 3: A Soviet spacecraft that photographed the Moon’s far side for the first time in 1959. It followed Luna 2 and used the same early lunar-probe program to achieve a different milestone.
Sergei Korolev: The Soviet rocket engineer who led the design bureau responsible for early Soviet launch vehicles and spacecraft. His bureau developed the rocket and probe systems used for the Luna missions.
Space Race: The Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve milestones in spaceflight. Luna 2 supplied the Soviet Union with a striking early lunar first.
Luna 2 pennants: Small metal objects carried by Luna 2, including spherical pennants designed to disperse Soviet emblems on impact. They turned the collision into a symbolic act as well as a technical achievement.
Luna program: The Soviet series of robotic spacecraft missions to the Moon, launched from 1959 through the 1970s. Luna 2 was the program’s first mission to reach the lunar surface.
R-7 Semyorka: The first Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile and the basis for several early space launch vehicles. An R-7-derived rocket launched Luna 2 toward the Moon.