I’ve always had an interest in space travel.  I’m just fascinated by the history and technology.  Space travel technology is just all so primitive, really.  The shuttles, satellites and suits all seem so fragile.  It makes me think of some kind or alternate, Flash Gordon like universe of undersea adventure.  Whenever I see a space suit it makes me think of those old deep sea diving suits.  The huge, bulky ones with the rusty metal dome helmets complete with that swinging gate in the front.

I particularly like the early years, the U.S.S.R. stuff (No, I’m not a commie red.  I’m as blue-blooded as the next American).  It seems an absolute miracle to me that we ever made it to the moon first.  Since the beginning of the space race it was the Soviets all over the place, ahead of us at every turn.

The U.S.S.R.’s Lunar Program was the one that was kicking our capitalist asses.  But of the infamous Lunar satellites (Which include many ‘firsts’ like: first lunar flyby (Luna 1), first photographs from the dark side of the moon (Luna 3) and first deployment of a lunar rover and analysis of lunar soil (Luna 17)) it’s Luna 2 that I find most fascinating.

Fascinating probably isn’t that right word, though.  Let’s try…  “Humorous”.  I say that because Luna 2 was the first man made artifact to strike the moon.  The emphasis being “strike”.  It struck the moon.  That was its purpose.  It didn’t quietly drop down onto the surface like a downy feather, full of sunshine rainbows (the first “successful” soft landing on the lunar surface didn’t come about until Luna 13.  That’s 11 Luna’s later) It literally struck it.  The goal of Luna 2 was simply to hit the moon.  “We know it’s there… We flew by it…  Let’s see if we can hit it!".  I just love the idea that for thousands of years there's complete silence on the lunar surface and then all of a sudden...  BAM!  And this pointed, metal ball slams into it.

It’s a goal that goes back to cave man days when Neanderthals used to throw rocks at the moon in a vain attempt to bring it down (So they could possess its demonic powers, of course).  And you can’t tell me that the people who were alive during the short time that the moon was believed to be made of cheese didn’t occasionally desire to strike it down and fest on the sweet reward.  So now, thousands of years later, we’ve finally reached our goal…  We’ve finally accomplished hitting the moon with a multi-million dollar rock.

Love and Madness,

D. Bradford

p.s. - I forgot to mention...  It was on Sept. 14, 1959 that Luna 2 hit the moon.  I know you were dying to know!