Top Secret Rover: How the USSR Conquered the Moon Remotely

Video Description

During the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a feverish competition: which of the two Cold War empires would be the first to set foot on the Moon? We know who won this race, but less about a secret chapter: the Soviets may not have sent a man to the Moon, but they successfully guided two small robots by remote control from the Earth. For sixteen months between 1970 and 1973, these “Lunookhods” traveled more than thirty miles over the Moon’s surface! “Tank on the Moon” tells the incredible story of these vehicles designed in the utmost secrecy by Soviet laboratories—one of the greatest technological achievements in the history of the USSR. These pioneering robots were back in the news in 1986, when a newer model was sent to clean up the radioactive debris in the rubble of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. In the 1990s, American scientists were finally able to meet their Russian counterparts, and drew on the Soviets’ research to design and construct their Martian Rovers. With the declassification of the former USSR space archives, along with recollections by several of the key participants in the Lunokhod program, the true story of the Russian lunar robots, which remained secret for more than two decades, can finally be told! Documentary: Tank on the Moon Director: Jean Afanassieff Production: ZED (2007) #documentary #freedocumentary #documentaries #engine #moon #space #robotics #soviet #coldwar #technology #lunar #rover #history #innovation #exploration #spacerace #secrets #machines #chernobyl