9/24/2026
The Chart Room · space

On this day in space! Sept. 15, 1968: Russian tortoises (& other critters) launch around the moon on Zond 5 spacecraft in wild first circumlunar flight

Filed by Dana Graviton
On this day in space! Sept. 15, 1968: Russian tortoises (& other critters) launch around the moon on Zond 5 spacecraft in wild first circumlunar flight
On Sept. 15, 1968, the Soviet Union launched the Zond 5 spacecraft carrying tortoises and more on a mission to loop around the moon and return to Earth. Here's why it mattered.
D
Dana Graviton
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On this day in space! Sept. 15, 1968: Russian tortoises (& other critters) launch around the moon on Zond 5 spacecraft in wild first circumlunar flight — The Chart Room