Who went to the moon last time? This question might evoke memories of the historic Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s. However, the answer might surprise you. The last human to set foot on the lunar surface was not an astronaut from NASA or any other space agency, but a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union.
The Soviet space program, known as the Soviet Union’s space agency, made significant strides in space exploration during the Cold War era. Their mission to the moon, known as Luna, was part of their ambitious space program. The Luna program was launched in 1959 and aimed to achieve a series of milestones, including the first soft landing on the moon and the return of lunar samples to Earth.
In 1976, the Luna 24 mission achieved the latter goal. The spacecraft successfully landed on the moon, collected lunar soil samples, and then returned them to Earth. The samples were analyzed by scientists and provided valuable insights into the moon’s geology and composition. This mission marked the last time humans set foot on the moon, as the subsequent Apollo missions ended with the return of the last American astronauts in 1972.
While the Luna program may not be as widely recognized as the Apollo missions, it was a significant achievement for the Soviet Union. The Luna program helped advance the field of space exploration and contributed to the understanding of the moon’s surface and its geological history. Although the Luna program was ultimately canceled, its legacy lives on through the data and samples it provided to scientists around the world.
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in returning humans to the moon. The Artemis program, led by NASA, aims to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface by 2024. This mission will mark a new era of space exploration and human presence on the moon. However, for now, the answer to the question “Who went to the moon last time?” remains the cosmonauts of the Soviet Union, who made that historic landing on the Luna 24 mission in 1976.
