The mystery surrounding a Soviet spacecraft that mysteriously went missing on the Moon nearly 60 years ago may finally have been solved.
In 1966, the sudden disappearance of Luna 9 left scientists puzzled, despite the mission having achieved the historic milestone of becoming the first human-made object to make a soft landing on the lunar surface.
Fortunately, it was an uncrewed mission. The first human landing on the Moon was successfully completed three years later by NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Nevertheless, Luna 9 proved to be a fundamental milestone in our understanding of the Moon.
It confirmed that the Moon’s surface is solid and that landing on it is possible - contrary to earlier fears that it might be a vast layer of dust into which spacecraft could sink.
The mission was declared a success and transmitted remarkable images of the lunar surface back to Earth. However, shortly afterwards, the lander became inactive and mysteriously went missing.
