Luna 2

"Lunik 2"
NSSDC ID: 59-014A

Description:
Luna 2 was the second of a series of spacecraft launched in the
direction of the Moon. The first spacecraft to land on the Moon, it
impacted the lunar surface east of Mare Serenitatis near the
Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus craters. Luna 2 was similar
in design to Luna 1, a spherical spacecraft with protruding
antennae and instrument parts. The instrumentation was also
similar, including scintillation- and geiger- counters, a magneto-
meter, and micrometeorite detectors. The spacecraft also
carried Soviet pennants. There were no propulsion systems on
Luna 2 itself. 

After launch and attainment of escape velocity on 12 September 
1959, Luna 2 separated from its third stage, which travelled
along with it towards the Moon. On 13 September the spacecraft
released a bright orange cloud of sodium gas which aided in
spacecraft tracking and acted as an experiment on the behavior
of gas in space. On 14 September, after 33.5 hours of flight,
radio signals from Luna 2 abruptly ceased, indicating it had
impacted on the Moon. The impact point, in the Palus
Putredinus region, is roughly estimated to have occurred at
0 degrees longitude, 29.1 degrees N latitude. Some 30
minutes after Luna 2, the third stage of its rocket also impacted
the Moon. The mission confirmed that the Moon had no
appreciable magnetic field, and found no evidence of radiation
belts at the Moon.