In fact, the Americans did not land on the moon, and the entire Apollo program is a hoax, conceived in order to create the image of a great state in the United States. The lecturer showed an American film that debunks the legend of the landing of astronauts on the moon. The following contradictions seemed particularly convincing.
The American flag on the moon, where there is no atmosphere, flaps as if it were being blown by air currents.
Look at the photo allegedly taken by the Apollo 11 astronauts. Armstrong and Aldrin are the same height, and the shadow of one of the astronauts is one and a half times longer than the other. Probably, they were illuminated from above by a spotlight, which is why the shadows of different lengths turned out, like from a street lamp. By the way, who took this picture? After all, both astronauts are in the frame at once.
There are many other technical inconsistencies: the image in the frame does not twitch, the size of the shadow does not match the position of the Sun, and so on. The lecturer argued that the historical footage of the astronauts' walks on the Moon was made in Hollywood, and the corner light reflectors, by which the paratroopers' parameters were specified, were simply dropped from automatic probes. In 1969-1972, Americans flew to the moon 7 times. With the exception of the Apollo 13 emergency flight, 6 expeditions were successful. Each time, one cosmonaut remained in orbit, while two landed on the moon. Each stage of these flights was recorded literally every minute, detailed documentation and logbooks have been preserved. More than 380 kg of lunar rock was brought to Earth, 13,000 photographs were taken, a seismograph and other instruments were installed on the Moon, equipment, a lunar vehicle and a battery-powered self-propelled gun were tested. Moreover, the astronauts found and delivered to Earth a camera from a probe that visited the Moon two years before man. In the laboratory on this camera, the terrestrial bacteria streptococci that survived in outer space were found. This discovery turned out to be important for understanding the fundamental laws of survival and distribution of living matter in the Universe. In America, they argue whether the Americans went to the moon. In principle, nothing surprising, because in Spain, after the return of Columbus, there were also disputes about what new continents he discovered. Such disputes are inevitable until the new land becomes easily accessible to everyone and everyone. But only a dozen people have walked on the moon so far. Despite the fact that in the USSR there was no live broadcast of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the Moon, our and American scientists closely cooperated in processing the scientific results of the Apollo expeditions. The USSR possessed a rich photo archive, which was compiled on the basis of the results of several flights of the Luna spacecraft, as well as samples of lunar soil. Thus, the Americans had to negotiate not only with Hollywood, but also with the USSR, competition with which could be the only argument in favor of the hoax. I must add that Hollywood at that time had not even heard of computer graphics and simply did not have the technique to fool the whole world. As for the footprint of the astronaut Konrad, then, as explained to us at the Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where lunar soil samples are studied, since the lunar regolith is a very loose rock, the imprint must have remained. There is no air on the Moon, regolith does not dust there and does not scatter to the sides, as on Earth, where it immediately turns into swirling dust underfoot. And the flag behaved as it should. Although there is no and cannot be wind on the Moon, any material (wires, cables, cords) that the astronauts unrolled in low gravity, under the influence of an imbalance of forces, wriggled for several seconds and then froze. Finally, the strange static image is explained by the fact that the astronauts did not hold the camera in their hands, like terrestrial operators, but mounted it on tripods screwed to their chests. The US lunar program could not be a spectacle also because a very high price was paid for it. One of the Apollo crews died during an earth training, the Apollo 13 crew returned to Earth without reaching the Moon. Yes, and NASA's $25 billion financial outlay for the Apollo program has been repeatedly reviewed by numerous audit committees. The version that the Americans did not fly to the moon is not the first fresh sensation. Now in America, an even more exotic legend is growing by leaps and bounds. It turns out (and there is documentary evidence for this), a man still visited the moon. But it was not an American man. And the Soviet one! The USSR sent cosmonauts to the Moon to service their numerous lunar rovers and instruments. But the USSR did not inform the world about these expeditions, because they were suicide cosmonauts. They were not destined to return to their Soviet homeland. American astronauts allegedly saw the skeletons of these nameless heroes on the moon. According to the explanation of specialists from the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where cosmonauts are being prepared for the flight, approximately the same changes will occur with a corpse in a spacesuit on the Moon as with an old can of canned food. There are no decay bacteria on the Moon, and therefore an astronaut, with all his will, cannot turn into a skeleton.
Since ancient times, people have been attracted by the excessive mystery and even the mystical energy of the moon. Let the heavenly night luminary not warm, but rather evoke cold thoughts, unlike the Sun. Nevertheless, it is just as important, as it is the first and only natural satellite of our planet. Many astronauts have spent half their lives preparing and flying to it. However, now, perhaps, even the most erudite person will not say on the Moon, and even more so how many still have to set foot on its surface.
The moon is Earth's twin
Our planet and its satellite are very often called twins, but this is just a joke, since they are not similar in appearance, let alone in size. The mass of the Moon is only a smaller part of the weight of the Earth, about 0.0123, its diameter is comparable to a quarter of the Earth's (about 3476 km). But even despite such a difference, the night luminary is considered to be a fairly large satellite, only the satellites of Jupiter (Io, Ganymede and Callisto) and (Titan) surpass it in size. Along with the larger planets, the Moon is the fifth largest among the satellites, while the Earth itself is in the same fifth, but already in the list of heavyweight planets. Such a coincidence is quite rare. Surely all studies could not be so reliable if we did not know how many people have already visited the moon and contributed to the knowledge of this unusual celestial body.
So why are the Earth and its satellite - double planets? Superstitious astronomers believe that such differences in size are extremely small, because if we take, for example, Mars with its Phobos, the largest of all the "approximate" Red Planet, then it is so small that, if it were in the place of the Moon, not only earthly residents, but even special equipment could not see it.
Who was the first to walk on the moon?
Every schoolchild knows the famous photograph showing the legendary landing on the surface of our satellite. Also, everyone knows the name of this man - Neil Armstrong. But how many people were on the Moon after him, and did anyone dare to leave their mark on the dusty surface of the night star before that? Of course, many scientists and engineers worked on the creation of specialized devices for landing on the moon, but still their attempts turned out to be fruitless. One has only to imagine how happy such a breakthrough brought the American government and how happy they were to finally overtake the Soviet Union.
Be that as it may, but after Yuri Gagarin's flight into space, the forces of the best engineers were thrown into the construction of the rocket, the best resources were bought, again the best conditions were created in order to become better.
So, thanks to the desire to succeed in many years of struggle, in 1969 the command was given from Earth to launch the American Apollo 11, and, without a doubt, the ship went into space with a crew in the person of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. But whether he landed on the moon and how the famous picture was taken is still unclear. But still, after that, the Americans were proud that they were the people who had been on the moon. The photo was distributed in all newspapers, on all channels and advertising stands. The Americans were proud of their victory over the USSR and showed it as best they could.
How many people, so many opinions
While the Americans showed the “live report” from space to the whole world, where the astronauts put their flag, the Russians and the Chinese bit their elbows, because they were denied such an honor. How many people were on the moon that year, whether they were there and how to prove it, still remains a mystery, because there are a lot of reasons for doubt.
Firstly, a few months before the decisive flight, during testing, the equipment was seriously damaged, as it was not brought to mind. It was simply impossible to repair it in such a short time, but the flight took place, and very successfully.
Secondly, Soviet satellites during their patrols of the earth's surface in the Nevada desert noticed fake lunar craters, and the territory looked like a real moon, thus, it was concluded that the Americans really beat the Russians in the cunning competition.
Thirdly, a flag planted on the surface of the Moon flutters in the wind, but where did the wind come from? And finally, the shadows fall in different directions, it's really strange, because they didn't bring lamps and spotlights with them from the Earth, so that the pictures turned out to be more successful?
Points of view
As far as we know, they did not immediately begin to doubt, at first even the most inexperienced believed that the landing on the earth's satellite really took place, but this did not last long, because surprise passes with time, giving way to common sense. After some time, even literature began to appear, documentaries began to be shot, and too bold ones directly expressed their opinion about a high-quality or not very staging.
Skeptics are divided into two camps: some believe that the astronauts did not even get into a rocket, not to mention space flights, and landing on the moon, in their opinion, occurred due to the professionalism of the editors. The latter turned out to be realists and decided that the flight into space had been completed, but the astronauts probably only circled the Moon around.
No matter how many doubts there are and no matter how much evidence of deception is found, Americans are still people who have been to the moon. The Russian cosmonauts have not added their names to the list yet, perhaps this will happen in the near future.
List of people who have walked on the moon
According to official figures, 12 US astronauts have landed on the moon. Probably, of all the people who officially flew to the moon, only Neil Armstrong is known, and this is completely understandable, because, as they say, after returning to his homeland in 1969, all the laurels went to him, since he was the first to leave the spacecraft. But there were other people who visited the names of these “lucky ones” today in the public domain, since so far the space competition between our country and the United States has ceased.
The first landing was carried out by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 21, 1969 and lasted over 21 hours. The first flight gave rise to the second, in the rocket were two astronauts: Charles Conrad and Alan Bean, they stayed on the moon for 31 hours and 31 minutes. Subsequently, they landed on the moon:
- Alan Shepard;
- Edgar Mitchell;
- David Scott;
- James Irwin;
- John Young;
- Charles Duke.
Over the years, the amount of time spent in zero gravity has increased, the highest figure was the last flight made in 1972 by Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. They stayed on the night star for 75 hours.
Earth Satellite Facts
We cannot say exactly how many people were on the moon and whether there is any point in distrusting the Americans. It is better to vouch for already verified facts. For example, in fact, the satellite does not revolve around the Earth, it always moves near it at the same speed. Also, few people know that during the space expedition in 1971, tree seedlings were taken from the surface of the Moon, now they grow in the United States.
July 3, 1969, Baikonur Cosmodrome. In the foreground is the Soviet lunar rocket N-1 (product No. 5L). In the background is a fitting rocket for testing ground launch systems (note that there is no emergency rescue system on the fitting rocket).
The closure of the Soviet manned program of flights to the moon occurred in June 1974, at the same time the entire cosmonaut detachment was disbanded. The following month, rockets ready for launch were cut into pieces. The destruction of the technological backlog led to a 15-year lag in the development of astronautics. What is to blame? Why did they stop trying to get to the moon?
It is often said that the industry of the USSR could not create a spacecraft for flying to the Moon, that there was no appropriate technological base. They also say that it was simply impossible to compete with the United States. But the main reason for the failure of the project, which cost 4 billion rubles at 1974 prices. rub., was the inability of various departments to agree among themselves and the personal aspirations of some leaders.
The US started the lunar program with the sole purpose of surpassing the USSR after the Russians launched the world's first satellite, obtained images of the far side of the moon, and launched the first man into space. Landing a man on the moon was the last chance. To achieve this goal, the best representatives of science were gathered, orders were given to the most suitable corporations in the absence of competition. The USSR usually followed this path.
The Soviet lunar program was just a response to the United States. The Moon itself was not of interest to the leaders of OKB-1 Korolev. But the United States challenged and the USSR accepted it. The N-1 rocket project was a continuation of the existing project, which was developed as a means of delivering a hydrogen bomb and launching large complexes into orbit, many times larger than the later Soyuz, Salyut and Mir.
The implementation of the lunar program was not economically feasible. But the Central Committee of the CPSU did not refuse it. According to the Decree of the Government, issued in 1960, it was planned to create a new rocket system for launching into orbit a heavy spacecraft weighing up to 60-80 tons, to create new rocket engines, control systems and space radio communications. In 1964, a new goal was set - a manned flight to the moon and landing on its surface before the Americans.
The L-1 lunar project became the cause of a fierce struggle between the design bureaus of Korolev and Chelomey. The existing Proton launch vehicle could theoretically make a manned flight around the Moon, but the memories of the participants in the events indicate that Korolev refused to put astronauts on a poisonous rocket. The fact is that heptyl served as fuel for the Proton, and nitric acid served as an oxidizer. In Kazakhstan, many poisonings were recorded among local residents who used the first stages of Protons in their household. Official information claimed that the use of the Proton was abandoned due to too high overloads that the astronauts could not withstand.
A difficult test for the project was the conflict between Korolev and Glushko, as a result of which the latter abandoned the development of an engine for a rocket. The work was transferred to the Kuznetsov design bureau.
It was planned that two astronauts would participate in the lunar project, and only one would descend to the surface of the moon, while the second was supposed to remain in orbit. A.A. was supposed to be the first person to walk on the moon. Leonov, Yu.A. was supposed to act as an understudy. Gagarin. The N-1 launch vehicle was designed to deliver the Soyuz spacecraft with a manned lunar module into the lunar orbit.
So why didn't it happen? One of the reasons was austerity. Four H-1 launches were unsuccessful due to the first stage for which no testbed was built. Since all the first stage engines were tested separately, it was impossible to determine the cause of the stage failure.
When it became known that the Americans were about to go to the moon, Leonov was eager to fly, but they did not let him in, which saved his life. H-1 launched on February 21, 1969 without a crew, six months before the launch of Apollo 11. The rocket exploded shortly after the start of the flight. The second attempt was made on July 3, 1969. The rocket exploded right on the launch pad, almost completely destroying the launch complex. Even then it became clear that we would not be the first to get to the moon.
Korolev and Gagarin pass away. These two deaths were tantamount to the death of Russian astronautics. And it's not that there were no other talented designers and trained cosmonauts. Korolev and Gagarin were well received in the Kremlin, their opinion was listened to. Korolev not only argued with anyone, regardless of rank, he knew how to present his project in such a way that the military advocated the need for its implementation. The first satellite was a beacon for ballistic missiles. He also convinced the military that the construction of a base on the moon would allow the whole world to be held at gunpoint. He kept silent about the practically unbearable cost of the project for the country. The military seized on the idea. In addition, the N-1 rocket could launch stations weighing over 100 tons into orbit, such as the Zvezda station, which was conceived for military purposes.
Korolev knew how to use the needs and desires of the military for his own purposes, knocking out funds for the implementation of his projects. For Korolev himself, the flight to the Moon was only the first step towards a flight to Mars.
The change of leadership in the design office did not bring anything good. Funding decreased significantly, the test bench was not built. The launch complex was restored, but the next attempts to launch the rocket were not successful due to the same reason for the failure of the first stage. And the Americans have already accepted congratulations on the successful landing on the moon. The Soviet lunar program was curtailed, Mars was also forgotten.
However, another attempt was made. The hopes of the domestic cosmonautics were associated with the Energia rocket. The tests were successful. But the rocket was buried under the collapsed roof of the assembly and test building at Baikonur. This put the final end to Russia's plans. The United States has become a leader in space exploration. There is no point in trying to compete with them by spending hundreds of billions on flights.
Russia's leadership in space is a thing of the past due to the curtailment of the lunar program and a change in leadership in astronautics. Today's undisputed leader is the United States. But if the country's leadership had not forgotten Tsiolkovsky's words that he who conquered space would own the world, the situation could have turned out differently.
Who can become the leader tomorrow? Most likely China. Its space program is quite fantastic, the moon landing project should be completed with the construction of a lunar base by 2021. Many do not believe in the feasibility of this project, but China has already proved that it is capable of very unexpected things, at least the super-fast growth of its economy speaks of this.
Photo of the secret lunar program of the USSR
These photographic materials are one of the remaining evidence to date that the USSR also tried to land a man on the moon - obviously, after they could not, or, more precisely, did not have time to do it, they forgot about the program.
However, fortunately, little disappears forever and without a trace. The images we can see show one of the laboratories of the Moscow Aviation Institute, as well as aerospace equipment, including a spacecraft and a lunar lander.
The history of the Moon Race is well known to many contemporaries: before US President John F. Kennedy initiated the launch of the Apollo program, the Soviet Union was noticeably ahead of the United States in matters of lunar exploration. In particular, in 1959 the Luna-2 automatic interplanetary station was delivered to the surface of the Moon, and in 1966 a Soviet satellite entered its orbit.
Like the Americans, Soviet scientists developed a multi-step approach to the task at hand. They also had two separate modules for orbiting and landing.
While the Apollo 11 crew consisted of three members, the entire burden of the Soviet lunar program had to lie on the shoulders of one cosmonaut - thus, the weight of the equipment was significantly reduced. In addition, there were other differences that made the Soviet apparatus lighter. First of all, these include the relative simplicity of the design, the use of the same engine for landing and takeoff, as well as the lack of a direct connection between the orbital and lunar module. This meant that the astronaut would need to go into outer space to transfer to the lander before landing and, later, to climb back into the orbiter after returning from the moon. After that, the lunar module was disconnected, and the spacecraft went to Earth without it.
The main reason that prevented the Soviet side from landing a man on the moon was the failures with launch vehicles. Despite the fact that the first two test launches were successful, the rocket crashed during the third. In the fourth test, conducted in 1971, a test spacecraft returned to Earth along an incorrect trajectory, hitting Australian airspace, as a result of which an international scandal could arise: Soviet diplomats allegedly had to convince the Australians that the object falling on them was a test spacecraft. Kosmos-434 module, not a nuclear warhead.
After several failures, the program became too expensive, and after the Americans presented the world with documentary evidence of the success of the Apollo 11 mission, it completely lost its meaning. As a result, space equipment has become something of a museum piece.
Apollo 11 - 2 people On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first man to walk on the moon, followed by Buzz Aldrin. The lunar landing could hardly be called a "soft landing", Armstrong had to manually land the Lunar Module as the planned landing site was littered with boulders. With Aldrin monitoring altitude and speed, and a nearly empty fuel tank, they landed safely on Tranquility Base (that's what they called their moon landing site).
In total, Neal and Buzz spent 21 hours, 36 minutes, and 21 seconds on the lunar surface (both inside and outside the module), and the total duration of their walks on the Sea of Tranquility (as they called the area they worked in) was 2 hours, 31 minute and 40 seconds. During their lunar activity, they collected stones, planted the US flag, installed a seismograph and the Lunar Corner Reflector, a device for measuring the distances between the Earth and the Moon using lasers directed from the Earth, which is used to this day.
Apollo 12 - 2 people
The next lunar walkers were Pete Conrad and Alan Bean during the Apollo 12 mission. On November 14, 1969, the team suffered two lightning strikes while launching the Saturn V rocket. Powerful shocks disabled the power and control systems, but thanks to the quick response of the Mission Control Center and Bina, everything was soon restored.The Apollo 12 crew proved their precision landing skills by landing just 185 meters from the unmanned Surveyor 3 spacecraft. During one of their walks, Konrad and Bean, passing by the Surveyor, dismantled several of its parts for further analysis on Earth. In total, the astronauts spent two days on the Moon, November 19 and 20, 1969.
Apollo 13 - 0 people
Apollo 13 was supposed to be the next lunar mission, but due to the fact that two days after launch, the oxygen tank on the spacecraft's spare module exploded, the crew was never able to land on the moon. This was followed by a heroically painful and spectacular rescue operation.Apollo 14 - 2 people
Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, who were part of the Apollo 14 mission, successfully landed on the moon. They launched on January 31, 1971 and landed on February 5 at the Fra Mauro area, the site originally planned for Apollo 13. Shepard and Mitchell made two exits; in the first, they conducted a series of seismic experiments to study possible earthquakes on the Moon, using a modular wagon to transport equipment and samples.During the second, they attempted to reach a crater named Cone, but with no visible landmarks in the rocky, repeating landscape, they were unable to find it. Later analysis, which combined images taken by the astronauts with orbital ones, determined that the pair was only 20 meters away from him. During his stay on the moon, Shepard managed to open a golf club and hit a couple of balls. Mitchell joined in, throwing the moon shovel like a spear.
Apollo 15 - 2 people
David Scott and James Irwin landed on July 31, 1971 as part of the Apollo 15 mission, flying for three days, until August 2. Unlike previous missions that landed on flat lunar plains, this team landed between two mountains in an area called Hadley Rill.The astronauts spent about 18.5 hours overboard driving the first Lunokhod in history, which they brought with them. This allowed them to travel much farther from the Lunar Module than previous missions. During three moon walks, Scott and Irwin conducted several scientific experiments and collected 77 kg of lunar rock samples.
Apollo 16 - 2 people
John Young and Charles Duke were the next people to land on the moon with the Apollo 16 mission. When the ship entered lunar orbit, the mission was almost derailed due to problems with the main engine of the control and service module. However, everything worked out, and moreover, it turned out to be the first mission with a landing directly on the lunar hill. They spent 71 hours or three days on the lunar surface, from April 21 to April 23, 1972. During this time, they made three exits with a total duration of 20 hours and 14 minutes, and also dashed off 26.7 kilometers on a lunar rover.
Apollo 17 - 2 people
The last guests on the moon were Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. They left with the first night launch of the Saturn V rocket as part of Apollo 17 and landed on the Moon on December 11, 1972. During their three-day stay, they made three walks, collecting lunar samples and setting up research equipment.After a 12-day mission, the Apollo 17 crew returned to Earth on December 19, 1972. Before leaving, Cernan scratched his daughter Tracy's initials into the lunar regolith. Since the Moon does not have destructive weather conditions such as rain or wind, her initials should remain there to this day.
Since 1972, no one has been honored to go to the Moon or its orbit.
In 1965-1969, Leonov was part of a group of Soviet cosmonauts who were preparing under the Soviet programs for flying around the moon L1 / Zond and landing on it. The flight of the manned spacecraft "Zond-7" under the lunar flyby program was tentatively scheduled for December 8, 1968. Leonov was part of the second crew preparing to fly around the moon in September 1968, and be the first to set foot on its surface. But history decreed otherwise, and the first to visit the moon was the American Neil Armstrong.
After that, the space race ended. no longer makes any sense. The next target was Mars, but until recently, neither the United States nor Russia showed much interest in flying to the Red Planet. Everything changed with the arrival of private companies, including .
Why aren't they flying to the moon now?
A few years ago, dozens of innovative companies about to return to the moon with new technologies and ideas participated in the international competition Google Lunar X Prize. At the end of this year, the winner will be determined, who will receive $ 20 million for the implementation and development of his project.In the coming years, China, the US, Russia and the European Union are preparing manned missions to the moon.
Space exploration in the middle of the last century was of paramount importance for world powers, because it directly testified to their strength and power. The priority of developments in the space industry was not only not hidden from citizens, but, on the contrary, was emphasized in every possible way, instilling a sense of respect and pride for their country.
Despite the desire of many countries to take part in this difficult and interesting business, the main serious struggle unfolded between the two superpowers - the Soviet Union and the United States of America.
The first victories in the space race were for the USSR
The series of successes of the Soviet cosmonautics became an open challenge to the United States, forcing America to speed up work in the field of space exploration and find a way to beat its main competitor - the USSR.
- the first artificial satellite of the earth - the Soviet Sputnik-1 (October 4, 1957) of the USSR;
- the first flights into space of animals - the astronaut dog Laika, the first animal put into orbit of the Earth! (1954 - November 3, 1957) USSR;
- the first manned flight into space - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (April 12, 1961).
And yet, the competition for space continued!
First people on the moon
Today, almost everyone knows that America managed to seize the initiative in the space race by launching its astronauts on. The first manned spacecraft to successfully land on the moon back in 1969 was the American spacecraft Apollo 11, with a crew of astronauts on board - Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.
Many of you remember the photo of Armstrong proudly planting the US flag on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. The American government triumphed that it had managed to overtake the Soviet pioneers of space in the conquest of the moon. But history is full of conjectures and assumptions, and some facts haunt critics and scientific minds so far. To this day, the question is being discussed that the American ship, in all likelihood, reached the moon, took it, but did the astronauts actually descend on its surface? There is a whole caste of skeptics and critics who do not believe in the landing of Americans on the moon, however, let's leave this skepticism on their conscience.
However, for the first time the Soviet spacecraft "Luna-2" reached the Moon on September 13, 1959, that is, the Soviet spacecraft ended up on the Moon 10 years before the landing of American cosmonauts on the Earth's satellite. And therefore, it is especially insulting that few people know about the role of Soviet designers, physicists, and cosmonauts in the exploration of the Moon.
But the work was done enormously, and the results were achieved much earlier than Armstrong's victorious march. The pennant of the USSR was delivered to the surface of the moon a decade earlier than a human foot set foot on its surface. On September 13, 1959, the Luna 2 space station reached the planet it was named after. The world's first spacecraft to reach the Moon (space station Luna-2) landed on the surface of the Moon in the area of the Sea of Rains near the craters Aristillus, Archimedes and Autolycus.
A completely logical question arises: if the Luna-2 station reached the Earth’s satellite, then there should have been Luna-1 too? There was, but its launch, performed a little earlier, turned out to be not so successful and, flying past the Moon ... But even with this outcome, very significant scientific results were obtained during the flight of the Luna-1 station:
- Using ion traps and particle counters, the first direct measurements of solar wind parameters were made.
- The Earth's outer radiation belt was recorded for the first time using an onboard magnetometer.
- It was established that the Moon has no significant magnetic field.
- AMS "Luna-1" became the first spacecraft in the world to reach the second space velocity.
The launch participants were awarded the Lenin Prize, the people did not know their heroes by name, but the common cause - the honor of the country - was a priority.
The US landed the first people on the moon
What about the USA? The flight of Yuri Gagarin into space was a serious blow for America, and in order not to remain forever in the shadow of the Russians, the goal was set - and although the Americans lost the race to land the first spacecraft on the moon, they had a chance to be the first to land cosmonauts on the Earth's satellite ! Work on the improvement of the spacecraft, spacesuits and the necessary equipment went by leaps and bounds, the American government attracted the entire intellectual and technical potential of the country, and, without stint, spent billions of dollars on development. All NASA resources were mobilized and thrown into the furnace of science for a great cause.
The step of an American citizen to the moon is the only way to get out of the shadows, to equal the Soviet Union in this race. It is possible that America would not have been able to realize its ambitious plans, but at that time there was a change in the party leader in the USSR, and the leading designers, Korolev and Chelomey, could not come to a common opinion. Korolev, being an innovator by nature, was inclined to use the latest engine developments, and his colleague stood up for the old, but proven Proton. Thus, the initiative was lost and the first to officially set foot on the surface of the moon were American astronauts.
Did the USSR give up in the lunar race?
Despite the fact that Soviet cosmonauts never managed to land on the moon in the 20th century, the USSR did not give up in the race to explore the moon. So already in 1970, the automatic interplanetary station "Luna-17" carried on its board the world's first, unparalleled, planetary rover capable of fully operating under conditions of a different gravity of the moon. It was named "Lunokhod-1" and was intended to study the surface, properties and composition of the soil, radioactive and X-ray radiation of the Moon. Work on it was carried out at the Khimki Machine-Building Plant. S.A. Lavochkin, led by Babakin Nikolai Grigorievich. The sketch was ready in 1966, and all design documentation was completed by the end of the following year.
"Lunokhod-1" was delivered to the surface of the Earth's satellite in November 1970. The control center was located in Simferopol, in the Space Communications Center and included the control panel of the crew commander, the driver of the lunar rover, the antenna operator, the navigator, and the operational information processing room. The main problem was the time delay of the signal, which prevented full control. Lunokhod worked there for almost a year, until September 14, on that day the last successful communication session took place.
Lunokhod did a great job of studying the planet entrusted to it, having worked much longer than planned. A huge number of photographs, lunar panoramas, were transmitted to Earth. Years later, in 2012, the International Astronomical Union gave names to all twelve craters encountered on the path of Lunokhod-1 - they received male names.
By the way, in 1993 Lunokhod-1 was put up for auction by Sotheby's, the declared price was five thousand dollars. Bidding ended for a much higher amount - sixty-eight and a half thousand US dollars, the son of one of the American astronauts became the buyer. It is characteristic that the precious lot rests on the territory of the Moon; in 2013, it was discovered in images taken by the American orbital probe.
Summing up, it can be noted that the first people to land on the moon (1969) were the Americans, here is a list of US astronauts who landed: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin , John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt. Neil Armstrong lived a long life and died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82, retaining the title of the first man to walk on the moon...
But the first spaceships that conquered the Moon (1959) were Soviet, here the primacy undoubtedly belongs to the Soviet Union and Russian designers and engineers.
