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Luna 9 spacecraft. This Soviet spacecraft made the first soft landing on the Moon, on 3rd February 1966. It sent back numerous photographs of the lunar surface. It allowed measurement to be made of several properties of the surface, such as crater structure and surface cohesiveness. The actual landing capsule is at upper right. This was ejected when the front of the spacecraft (lower left) touched the surface. The capsule landed and rolled upright before unfolding supports. Luna 9 was the third Soviet attempt to make a soft landing on the Moon. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/NOVOSTI PHOTO LIBRARY/Str) ======