Luna 1

"Mechta" 
NSSDC ID: 61959-012A

Description:
Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the Moon, and the first
of a series of Soviet automatic interplanetary stations suc-
cessfully launched in the direction of the Moon. The spacecraft
was sphere-shaped. Five antennae extended from one hemi-
sphere. Instrument ports also protruded from the surface of the
sphere. There were no propulsion systems on the Luna 1
spacecraft itself. Because of its high velocity and its announced
package of various metallic emblems with the Soviet coat of arms,
it was concluded that Luna 1 was intended to impact the Moon. 

On 2 January 1959, after reaching escape velocity, Luna 1
separated from its 1472 kg third stage. The third stage, 5.2 m
long and 2.4 m in diameter, travelled along with Luna 1. On 3
January, at a distance of 13,000 km from Earth, a large (1 kg)
cloud of sodium gas was released by the spacecraft. This glowing
orange trail of gas, visible over the Indian Ocean with the bright-
ness of a sixth-magnitude star, allowed astronomers to track the
spacecraft. It also served as an experiment on the behavior of
gas in outer space. Luna 1 passed within 5995 km of the Moon's
surface on 4 January after 34 hours of flight. It went into orbit
around the Sun, between the orbits of Earth and Mars. 

The spacecraft contained radio equipment, a tracking transmitter,
and telemetering system, five different sets of scientific devices for
studying interplanetary space, including a magnetometer, geiger
counter, scintillation counter, and micrometeorite detector, and