Exploration of the Moon Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his
Face on Moon South Pole ice in some craters all over the Moon. The craters themselves show a past of being filled with molten lava. Within the Western culture, people have said to have seen “the man in the moon.” Within the East Asian culture, people have seen a rabbit or hands. In addition, various people have seen different imagery such as a tree, a woman, or a toad. When people describe the images they see on the moon, such as a face, they are not directly seeing that image displayed upon the moon. They are rather looking at an irregular section of the Moon’s