Lunokhod 1
In 1970, fifty years ago, the USSR launched Luna 17, to get Lunokhod 1 (aka: Луноход-1 or ‘Moonwalker 1’) to the moon, and this saw the wheeled vehicle to drive on the surface of another celestial body. It followed a previous attempt in Feb 1969, but the launch failed.
The rover arrived in lunar orbit after a five day transit. It landed on the 17th, driving by day and parking by night (which lasts 14 days on the moon). Last contact was on Sept 14th, 1971, though in 2012, its exact location was found by the Lunar Reconnaissance orbiter, and can be used as a reflector to range-find the moon.
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Title image: Mine (taken at a Cosmonaut exhibition in London)
