Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the moon launched by the Soviet Union. It was launched on the evening of January 2, 1959. The Luna 1 is the first man-made object to escape the earth’s gravitational force and to reach the heliocentric orbit. This orbit lies between the orbits of earth and mars. The spacecraft was spherical in shape with external sensors at its surface. These sensors are used to detect external radiation and magnetic field. It is equipped with two antennas, radio system, cosmic ray detector and emergency ejector system. There are two proton traps and two piezo-electric pick-ups. The proton traps are used for analyzing the gas particles of interplanetary matter and the piezo-electric pick-ups are used to study the meteoric particles present in the space. The measurements made out of the data transmitted gives us the information about radiation belt of earth and the ionized plasma emanating from the sun. This space program was a milestone in reaching the moon.
Mar 10 2010