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
Venture to the Moon Venture to the Moon "Venture to the Moon" is a group of six linked science fiction short stories by English writer Arthur C. Clarke. It was originally published in htew British newspaper "Evening Standard" in 1956. The stories describe the first manned mission to the Moon in 1975, as a joint American-Russian-British mission, and are narrated in first person from the point of view of the British team commander. Despite the death described in the third story, they are written in a humorous vein. They are collected in "The Other Side of the Sky". Damon Knight dismissed the stories as