Luna 1958B , also known as Luna E-1 No.2 , was a Soviet lunar probe and, after the unsuccessful launch of Luna 1958A , was supposed to be the first spacecraft to overcome the earth's gravitational field and hit the moon hard . Due to the failure of the launcher, the probe did not reach space. It was planned to emit one kilogram of sodium on the flight to the moon , which would form a cloud that was visible from Earth. So one wanted to follow the path of the probe. Two more E-1 missions followed, only the last one being a partial success, as the earth's gravitational field was overcome but the moon was missed. On the launch day of Luna 1958B, the American space agency NASA also launched the Pioneer 1 lunar probe , which, however, also failed to reach the moon due to an error in the launcher.
Soviet Union
