Luna 1958C , also known as Luna E-1 No.3 , was a Soviet lunar probe and, after the failed Soviet attempts Luna 1958A and Luna 1958B, was supposed to be the first spacecraft to overcome the earth's gravity field and hit the moon hard . 245 seconds after take-off, a hydrogen peroxide pump got stuck due to insufficient lubrication , so that the engines of the core stage failed. 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. Another E-1 mission followed, which was the only one to be partially successful, as the earth's gravitational field was overcome but the moon was missed.
Soviet Union
