Luna 1958A
Encyclopedia
Luna E-1 No.1, sometimes identified by NASA as Luna 1958A, was a Soviet
Luna E-1 spacecraft which was intended to impact the Moon
. It did not accomplish this objective as it was lost in a launch failure. It was the first of four E-1 missions to be launched.
Luna E-1 No.1 was a 361 kilograms (795.9 lb) spacecraft which marked the first Soviet attempt to send a spacecraft to the towards the Moon. It was also the first mission of the Luna programme
. The spacecraft was intended to release 1 kilograms (2.2 lb) of sodium
, in order to create a "comet" of the metal which could be observed from Earth, allowing the spacecraft to be tracked. Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempted lunar impact mission.
Luna E-1 No.1 was launched on 23 September 1958 atop a Luna
8K72 carrier rocket, flying from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. Ninety two seconds after launch, longitudinal resonance within the rocket's strap-on booster rockets caused the vehicle to disintegrate.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Luna E-1 spacecraft which was intended to impact the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. It did not accomplish this objective as it was lost in a launch failure. It was the first of four E-1 missions to be launched.
Luna E-1 No.1 was a 361 kilograms (795.9 lb) spacecraft which marked the first Soviet attempt to send a spacecraft to the towards the Moon. It was also the first mission of the Luna programme
Luna programme
The Luna programme , occasionally called Lunik or Lunnik, was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. Fifteen were successful, each designed as either an orbiter or lander, and accomplished many firsts in space exploration...
. The spacecraft was intended to release 1 kilograms (2.2 lb) of sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
, in order to create a "comet" of the metal which could be observed from Earth, allowing the spacecraft to be tracked. Prior to the release of information about its mission, NASA correctly identified that it had been an attempted lunar impact mission.
Luna E-1 No.1 was launched on 23 September 1958 atop a Luna
Luna (rocket)
The Luna 8K72 vehicles were carrier rockets used by the Soviet Union for nine space probe launch attempts in the Luna programme between 1958-09-23 and 1960-04-16...
8K72 carrier rocket, flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
. Ninety two seconds after launch, longitudinal resonance within the rocket's strap-on booster rockets caused the vehicle to disintegrate.