September 20th 1970: Soviet probe collects moon rock

The Russian space probe, Luna 16, has landed on the Moon to collect samples from its surface. It is the first time an unmanned probe has been used to bring objects back to Earth from space, and it is the first time an attempt has been made to fire a spacecraft back to Earth by remote control. Luna 16 is the second Soviet attempt to return samples from the Moon: the first, Luna 15, provoked widespread controversy when it was launched just three days before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. The successful landing of Luna 16 has revived the debate over the need to send men to the Moon in order to explore its surface. The Soviet Union has long argued that many complicated space experiments can be carried out with automatic devices, without risking the lives of men. However, America argues that trained scientists sent as astronauts to the Moon can collect larger and better selected samples than a probe.