On Sept. 20, 1970, the Soviet Union's Luna 16 moon probe landed on the moon to retrieve a soil sample.
Four days later, it became the first robotic spacecraft to return a sample of lunar soil to Earth. Luna 16 was the first robotic spacecraft to succeed in landing on the moon, scooping up a soil sample and returning it to Earth. Before Luna 16, the Soviet space program had tried and failed five times to return a sample from the moon. Overall, this was the third lunar sample brought to Earth. NASA's Apollo 11 and 12 missions had also brought back some rocks and soil from the moon. Luna 16 made a soft landing on the lunar surface in a mare known as "the Sea of Fertility," where it retrieved 101 grams of lunar soil.
Four days later, it became the first robotic spacecraft to return a sample of lunar soil to Earth. Luna 16 was the first robotic spacecraft to succeed in landing on the moon, scooping up a soil sample and returning it to Earth. Before Luna 16, the Soviet space program had tried and failed five times to return a sample from the moon. Overall, this was the third lunar sample brought to Earth. NASA's Apollo 11 and 12 missions had also brought back some rocks and soil from the moon. Luna 16 made a soft landing on the lunar surface in a mare known as "the Sea of Fertility," where it retrieved 101 grams of lunar soil.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1970, the Soviet Union's Luna-16 moon probe landed on the moon to retrieve a soil sample.
00:09Four days later, it became the first robotic spacecraft to return a sample of lunar soil to Earth.
00:14Luna-16 made a soft landing on the lunar surface in a mare known as the Sea of Fertility,
00:19where it retrieved 101 grams of lunar soil.
00:22It was the first robotic spacecraft to succeed in landing on the moon,
00:25scooping up a soil sample and returning it to Earth.
00:28Before Luna-16, the Soviet space program had tried and failed five times to return a sample from the moon.
00:33Overall, this was the third lunar sample brought to Earth.
00:36NASA's Apollo 11 and 12 missions had also brought some rocks and soil back from the moon.
00:41Back on Earth, tiny portions of moon dust retrieved from Luna-16
00:44were eventually auctioned off for almost half a million dollars.
00:48And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:51NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology