The USSR’s uncrewed Luna 20 lunar lander successfully touched down on the surface of the Moon.
The purpose of the mission was to collect a lunar soil sample, much like the previous successful mission in 1970. Luna 20 was the Soviet Union’s second spacecraft to make it to the moon and safely return a sample to Earth. This mission’s sample weighed just 1.94 ounces (55 grams) and differed from the previous mission’s sample in its composition.