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
Of a Fire on the Moon its poignant publication in the months following the launch comes as a sobering blow to the consciousness of Americans who have yet to dissect the moon launch as anything other than a moment of American supremacy. The 40th anniversary of the first moon landing was marked in 2009 by the release of an abridged, limited edition of the text, re-packaged with images from NASA and "Life" magazine. This production retitled the work, MoonFire, and was presented in an aluminium box with a lid shaped like the crater-pocked surface of the moon; the object was mounted on four legs resembling lunar