On this day in 1959, the Soviet spacecraft Luna I became the first human-made satellite to almost reach the moon.

Missed It By That Much. Due to a failure of the launch vehicle control system, the satellite passed within 4,750 miles of the moon. But it became the first human-made satellite to achieve lunar orbit.

It's Not Made Of Green Cheese and It's Got No Magnetic Field. Via its detailed instruments, Luna I discovered that the moon had no magnetic field.

A Satellite By Any Other Name... As soon as Soviet scientists realized that Luna I was to become the first man-made object to orbit the Moon, they renamed it Mechta ~ The Dream.

Follow the Orange Gas Trail. A day after its launch, Luna I released a large cloud of sodium gas. This glowing orange trail, which could be seen over the Indian Ocean, allowed astronomers to track the spacecraft.

Fly Me to the Moon... The Luna Program was a long-running program, lasting from 1959 to 1976. The program was designed to:

• collect information about the Moon and its environment, for scientific purposes
• for the planning of future lunar missions, including manned missions to the Moon.
  

Let's Do It Again... And Again. The Soviet Lunar program had 20 successful missions to the Moon and achieved a number of notable lunar firsts.

Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the Moon... The spacecraft was sphere-shaped. Five antennae extended from one hemisphere. Instrument ports also protruded from the surface of the sphere.

Soviet Lunar Looks.

Luna's picture on a stamp.

A space exploration timeline.