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| Events of 1959
| Date |
Time (UTC) |
Event |
| 1959 Jan 2 |
16:41 |
Luna 1 (E-1-4) spacecraft, also known as 'Mechta' (Dream) launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket on a mission to hit the Moon by way of a direct ascent trajectory |
| 1959 Jan 3 |
00:56 |
At a distance of 113,000 kilometres from Earth, the upper stage of Luna 1 launching rocket releases a cloud of sodium vapour, the glow from which is used to aid visual measurement of the trajectory - it is photographed from an observatory near Alma-Ata |
| 1959 Jan 4 |
02:59 |
Luna 1 passes 5,995 km from the Moon at a speed near 8,900 kilometres per hour and enters heliocentric orbit, thereby becoming the first artificial planet of the Sun |
| 1959 Jan 4 |
06:00 |
Luna 1 is 426,700 kilometres from Earth and 60,400 kilometres beyond the Moon |
| 1959 Jan 4 |
19:00 |
Luna 1 is 513,285 kilometres from Earth |
| 1959 Jan 5 |
07:00 |
Approx time - Luna 1 radio transmitter ceases to operate when the batteries run out of power at a distance of 600,000 kilometres from the Earth |
| 1959 May 1 |
|
Sputnik 3 ceases to return useful information although its radio transmitter continues to function - powered by solar cells |
| 1959 Jun 18 |
08:08 |
E-1-5 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket on a mission to hit the Moon by way of a direct ascent trajectory - a failure of the inertial guidance system 153 seconds after lift-off leads to the rocket being deliberately destroyed |
| 1959 Sep 6 |
00:49 |
Scheduled launch attempt for Luna 2 (E-1-6) - the launch is aborted |
| 1959 Sep 8 |
02:40 |
Scheduled launch attempt for Luna 2 (E-1-6) - the launch is aborted |
| 1959 Sep 9 |
03:40 |
Scheduled launch attempt for Luna 2 (E-1-6) - the launch is aborted |
| 1959 Sep 12 |
06:39 |
Luna 2 (E-1-6) spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket on a mission to hit the Moon by way of a direct ascent trajectory |
| 1959 Sep 12 |
12:00 |
Luna 2 is 126,400 kilometres from Earth above a point to the north of New Guinea |
| 1959 Sep 12 |
18:39 |
En-route to the Moon, the upper stage of Luna 2 launching rocket releases a cloud of sodium vapour, the glow from which is used to aid visual measurement of the trajectory - it is observed in the constellation Aquarius at a stellar magnitude between 4 and 5 |
| 1959 Sep 13 |
21:02 |
Luna 2 impacts on the Moon at a speed of three kilometres per second near 30 degrees north, 1 degree west, in the Palus Putredinis |
| 1959 Sep 13 |
21:32 |
Approximate time - Luna 2 final rocket stage impacts on the Moon |
| 1959 Oct 4 |
00:43 |
Luna 3 (E-2A-1) spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Vostok rocket on a mission to fly past and photograph the Moon by way of direct ascent trajectory. |
| 1959 Oct 6 |
14:16 |
Luna 3 passes 6,200 km from the Moon |
| 1959 Oct 7 |
03:30 |
Luna 3 photographs the hidden side of the Moon from an altitude of 65,200 km altitude - its camera system takes a series of 29 photographs over a period 40 minutes, covering 70% of the surface - film is developed automatically aboard the spacecraft and is then scanned to allow radio transmission of the images |
| 1959 Oct 10 |
|
Luna 3 reaches a distance of 480,000 kilometres from the Earth |
| 1959 Oct 18 |
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Luna 3 is back in the vicinity of Earth and transmits 17 of its photographs in facsimile format - a later attempt at re-transmission fails when signals are not received |
| 1959 Oct 18 |
15:50 |
Luna 3 completes its first orbit of the Earth-Moon system |
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Frequency lists, transmission details
Techniques, analysis and results of tracking activities
Consolidation of individual mission diaries from the site (and more!)
Ongoing Calendar of comings and goings in space
People, reminiscences and tracking equipment
Korolyov's efforts in getting the first satellite into orbit
The Soviet Union's programme of automatic exploration
First pilot to orbit the Earth
Soviet programme to put multiple passengers into space
First docking in orbit of piloted spacecraft
First docking of piloted spacecraft from different nations
Chronology of missions to the first space stations
Detailed calendar of launches and activities in orbit
Mission calendar for the early years
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