The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission, on 13 September 1959.
It was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon. Luna 2, took a direct path to the Moon, with a velocity high enough to result in a travel time of around 36 hours.
Luna 2 Design - Luna 2 had a spherical spacecraft with protruding antennas and instrumentation.
Once Luna 2 was split from its upper stage it started transmitting information back to Earth using three different transmitters. These transmitters provided precise information on its course, allowing scientists to calculate that Luna 2 would hit its mark on the Moon around 00:05 on September 14.
