Now Reading: Soviet tortoises circled Moon before Apollo 8 in 1968
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Soviet tortoises circled Moon before Apollo 8 in 1968
In September 1968, three months before Apollo 8, two Central Asian steppe tortoises launched aboard the Soviet Zond 5 spacecraft became the first living organisms to circle the Moon and return alive.…
The Story in Brief
In September 1968, three months before Apollo 8, two Central Asian steppe tortoises launched aboard the Soviet Zond 5 spacecraft became the first living organisms to circle the Moon and return alive. They travelled with wine flies, worms and plants as a biological payload to test survival on a circumlunar flight, passing 1,950 km above the lunar far side.
A guidance fault caused Zond 5 to splash down in the Indian Ocean instead of Soviet territory. Recovered by a Soviet ship and flown to Moscow, the tortoises were found healthy except for some weight loss. According to NASA, their success is thought to have pushed the US to accelerate Apollo 8's crewed mission.
The Indian Opinion
The tortoises' journey challenges the common narrative that the space race was a purely American triumph. The Soviet Union quietly achieved a biological milestone that directly influenced Apollo 8's timing. As India plans its Gaganyaan mission, the key test will be whether it includes similar animal experiments to validate crew safety before risking human lives.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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