LUNA 1 AWARD MEDAL. PRESENTED ONLY TO THOSE WHO WERE PART OF THE SOVIET LUNA PROGRAM. Circular bronze medal, 2 1/2 inch diameter, 1/8 inch thick, in Russian, on obverse: ["In Glory of Great Motherland / January 1959"], with rocket flying over the University of Lomonosov (the main Soviet scientific institution), the reverse centered with dated pentagon and quote from Russian/Soviet rock et pioneer Konstanin Tsiolkovsky: ["I believe that many of yours will be witnesses of first out of atmosphere journey"]; edged with: ["In commemoration of launch of the first in the world space rocket"]. Minted by the Moscow Mint for the Academy of Science to commemorate the first spacecraft to leave geocentric orbit. The Luna 1 was intended to strike the Moon, but due to an incorrect calculation missed and eventually also became the first spacecraft to achieve heliocentric orbit. It is speculated that as few as 30 examples of the medal were minted.
LUNA 1 AWARD MEDAL. PRESENTED ONLY TO THOSE WHO WERE PART OF THE SOVIET LUNA PROGRAM. Circular bronze medal, 2 1/2 inch diameter, 1/8 inch thick, in Russian, on obverse: ["In Glory of Great Motherland / January 1959"], with rocket flying over the University of Lomonosov (the main Soviet scientific institution), the reverse centered with dated pentagon and quote from Russian/Soviet rock et pioneer Konstanin Tsiolkovsky: ["I believe that many of yours will be witnesses of first out of atmosphere journey"]; edged with: ["In commemoration of launch of the first in the world space rocket"]. Minted by the Moscow Mint for the Academy of Science to commemorate the first spacecraft to leave geocentric orbit. The Luna 1 was intended to strike the Moon, but due to an incorrect calculation missed and eventually also became the first spacecraft to achieve heliocentric orbit. It is speculated that as few as 30 examples of the medal were minted.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
