Luna 16 was an uncrewed 1970 space mission, part of the Soviet Luna program. It was the first robotic probe to land on the Moon and return a sample of lunar soil to Earth. The 101 grams sample was returned from Mare Fecunditatis. It represented the first successful lunar sample return mission by the Soviet Union and was the third lunar sample return mission overall.
Luna 16
Luna 16 at the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
Luna 16 at the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics
Image: The Soviet Union 1970 CPA 3951 stamp (Luna 16 in Flight (1970.09.12))
The Luna programme, occasionally called Lunik by western media, was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. The programme accomplished many firsts in space exploration, including first flyby of the Moon, first impact of the Moon and first photos of the far side of the Moon. Each mission was designed as either an orbiter or lander. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation.
Luna 1 impactor
Model of Lunokhod vehicle
Image: FP2A3122 (23497693608)
Image: DLR School Lab Dresden (20)