Moon's far side from Luna 3, 1959 One of the first recorded views of the Moon's far side, part of a 29-photograph sequence taken by the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft on October 7, 1959. Mare Smythii, which lies on the boundary between the near and far sides, is the circular dark patch below and left of center, and Mare Moscoviense is the dark circle at upper right. At lower right, appearing as a dark spot with an inner white dot, is the crater Tsiolkovskiy with its central peak. (more) Moon exploration Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/Moon-exploration Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/science/Moon-exploration Also known as: lunar exploration Written by James D. Burke Member (retired on-call), Technical Staff, Spacecraft Systems Engineering, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Technical Editor The Planetary Report. James D. Burke Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 5, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Key People: Eugene Cernan Harrison Schmitt (Show more) Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question Moon exploration, the investigation and study of the Moon by robotic and crewed spacecraft. Following the launch in 1957 of the U.S.S.R.’s satellite Sputnik, the first spacecraft to orbit Earth, the next major goal of both the Soviet and the U.S. space programs was the Moon. The United States quickly prepared a few robotic probes, most of which failed and none of which reached the Moon. The Soviet Union had more success, achieving in 1959 the first impact on the lunar surface with Luna 2 and the first photograph of the Moon’s far side with Luna 3. After NASA was ...(100 of 1591 words)

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