On this day: Zond 5 Rocket Launched

by Ian Brown

On this day in 1968, Russia launched the Zond 5 rocket from Baikonur. It was the first spacecraft to travel around the moon and return to Earth; serving a mainly scientific purpose, the expedition carried two tortoises and assorted insects and plants. After splashing down in the Indian Ocean, the craft was retrieved and the tortoises found to be still alive!