On October 20, 1970, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 8 spacecraft on a mission to the moon. ‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com
This was the last mission in the Zond program. After the first three Zond missions explored Venus and Mars, the next ones were circumlunar missions that flew around the moon before returning to Earth. Although there was no crew on board, the Zond spacecraft was designed with cosmonauts in mind. The Zond missions served as test flights for the Soviet Union's plans to send cosmonauts to the moon. But those plans for crewed flights never came to fruition. This was partly because the U.S. had already put astronauts on the moon, but also because the Zond missions had a lot of technical problems. Zond 8 was considered a success — even though its guidance system malfunctioned on the way back to Earth. The spacecraft still returned to Earth safely and splashed down in the Indian Ocean one week after it launched.
This was the last mission in the Zond program. After the first three Zond missions explored Venus and Mars, the next ones were circumlunar missions that flew around the moon before returning to Earth. Although there was no crew on board, the Zond spacecraft was designed with cosmonauts in mind. The Zond missions served as test flights for the Soviet Union's plans to send cosmonauts to the moon. But those plans for crewed flights never came to fruition. This was partly because the U.S. had already put astronauts on the moon, but also because the Zond missions had a lot of technical problems. Zond 8 was considered a success — even though its guidance system malfunctioned on the way back to Earth. The spacecraft still returned to Earth safely and splashed down in the Indian Ocean one week after it launched.
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00:00On this day in space.
00:03On October 20th, 1970, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 8 spacecraft on a mission to the moon.
00:09This was the last mission in the Zond program.
00:12After the first three Zond missions explored Venus and Mars,
00:15the next ones were circumlunar missions that flew around the moon before returning to Earth.
00:19Although there was no crew on board, the Zond spacecraft was designed with cosmonauts in mind.
00:23The Zond mission served as test flights for the Soviet Union's plans to send cosmonauts to the moon.
00:28But those plans for crewed flights never came to fruition.
00:31This was partly because the U.S. had already put astronauts on the moon,
00:34but also because the Zond missions had a lot of technical problems.
00:37Zond 8 was considered a success, even though its guidance system malfunctioned on the way back to Earth.
00:42The spacecraft still returned to Earth safely and splashed down one week after it launched.
00:46And that's what happened on this day in space.