This Week in History

September 13, 1959, Soviet satellite Luna 2 became the first spacecraft to make physical contact with another celestial body when it impacted the Moon. The first three attempts to reach the Moon by the Soviets occurred in 1958, all ended in launch failures.

Luna 2 impacted in an area about 160 miles from where Apollo 15 landed 12 years later. The satellite carried two metallic spheres with Soviet...