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Luna 6
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Luna 6
Luna 6 Mission to Earth's Moon

Goals: Like Luna 4 and 5, this was a Soviet attempt at a soft lunar landing.

Accomplishments: An error sent the spacecraft on the wrong trajectory, causing it to miss the Moon by 161,000 km. But mission controllers put Luna 6 through all the motions of an actual landing, jettisoning the lander and deploying the airbags as a practice run for an actual lunar landing.
Key Dates
8 Jun 1965:  Launch
Status: Unsuccessful
Fast Facts
Luna 6 Facts This was the Soviet Union's third attempt to make a survivable landing on the Moon.

Although it missed the Moon, mission controllers used the flight to practive for an actual landing.

The Soviet Union launched 10 of the 15 interplanety spacecraft sent into deep space in 1965.
Links
Solar System Bodies: Earth's Moon
NSSDC Master Catalog: Luna 6
NSSDC Soviet Lunar Missions HIstory
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Last Updated: 29 Nov 2010