Luna 1:
Luna 1, like three prior spacecraft in the Ye-1 series, was intended to impact the Moon. The goals of the mission were to study interplanetary matter, cosmic radiation and the magnetic fields of the Moon and Earth.
The spacecraft was the first to escape Earth's gravity, but a guidance system malfunction caused it to miss the Moon. The spacecraft instead flew past the Moon at a distance of 6,400 km (3,976 miles). The spacecraft released a trail of natrium that was photographed by observers on Earth. Contact with the spacecraft was lost 62 hours after launch.
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Luna 1 was the first spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity.
