Zond 5 (Russian: Зонд 5, lit. 'Probe 5') was a spacecraft of the Soviet Zond program. In September 1968 it became the first spaceship to travel to and circle the Moon in a circumlunar trajectory, the first Moon mission to include animals, and the first to return safely to Earth.

Sep 18, 2018 · Russia's Zond 5 spacecraft carried two steppe tortoises on the first successful flight around the moon. The tortoises lived through their splash down in the Indian Ocean and were returned safely to Moscow, proving life could survive the trip around the moon.

Sep 18, 2018 · Zond 5 launched successfully on September 15, 1968, from the Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and after a short time in a low Earth parking orbit, the Proton’s upper stage ignited for a second time to send the spacecraft toward the Moon.

Two tortoises and other lifeforms aboard Zond 5 were the first terrestrial organisms to travel around the Moon and return to Earth. The first three missions were based on the model 3MV planetary probe, intended to explore Venus and Mars.

6 days ago · Zond 5 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (68-076B) in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth. En route to the Moon the main stellar attitude control optical surface became contaminated and was rendered unusable.

May 30, 2008 · ussia's Zond 5 -- carrying an extensive biological payload including two steppe tortoises -- was the first successful circumlunar mission. It carried its biological payload around …

Sep 17, 2018 · Zond-5: A prototype of the Soviet crew ship loops behind the Moon! In September 1968, alarms probably sounded at US intelligence agencies and NASA, as the USSR finally succeeded in flying a crew vehicle prototype around the Moon during the Zond-5 mission.

Sep 18, 2024 · The Zond 5 caused a scare in the United States when on 19 September 1968, the voices of cosmonauts Valery Bykovsky, Vitaly Sevastyanov and Pavel Popovich were transmitted from the spacecraft and intercepted by Jodrell Bank Observatory and the CIA.

Apr 16, 2024 · Russia’s Zond 5 spacecraft, carrying an extensive biological payload including two Russian tortoises, was the first successful mission to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth. The tortoises survived landing in the Indian Ocean and were returned to Moscow.

Zond 5 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit to make scientific probes during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth. On September 18, 1968, the spacecraft flew around the Moon. The closest distance was 1,950 kilometers (1,212 miles).