Luna 2 Smashes Moon: First Man-Made Object Arrives
The Soviet Union's Luna 2 probe struck the Moon's surface east of Mare Imbrium on September 14, 1959, becoming the first human-made object to reach another celestial body. The spacecraft carried no landing system; it was designed to crash. It hit at roughly 7,500 mph, scattering Soviet pennants across the impact site. The probe carried instruments that confirmed the Moon had no significant magnetic field and no radiation belts. Luna 2's success came just two years after Sputnik and deepened American anxiety about falling behind in the Space Race. The mission proved that navigation to another world was possible with available technology and directly stimulated the acceleration of NASA's Mercury and Apollo programs.
September 14, 1959
67 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 14
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Helena was 77 years old and traveling through Palestine when she reportedly found what she believed to be the True Cross — buried under a pagan temple on Golgot…
Emperor Heraclius paraded through the Golden Gate of Constantinople, carrying the True Cross he had reclaimed from the Sassanid Persians. This victory ended a g…
Three caliphs ruled the Islamic world in a single night. Al-Hadi died — some say poisoned on his mother's orders — and his brother Harun al-Rashid inherited an …
Niall Glúndub — 'Niall of the Black Knee' — was the most powerful king in Ireland, and he rode out to fight the Dublin Vikings with a coalition behind him. The …
Roger of Salerno crushed a larger Seljuk force at the Battle of Sarmin, securing the Principality of Antioch against Ilghazi’s encroaching troops. By utilizing …
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