Have we seen the back of the moon?

Question

Have we seen the back? I heard the Russians or somebody tried going to the back of the moon and just disappeared, is this true?

Answer 1

The Apollo moon missions all did moon orbits, with lots of photos. There have also been unmanned moon orbits.

One of the other answers suggested that the side of the moon we can't see is dark. This is not true. The moon keeps the same side to earth all the time, so there is part of the moon that can't be seen from earth, but that side still gets exposed to the sun as the earth and moon go around the sun.

Answer 2

The Apollo missions first saw the back of the moon. I remember that sort of vaguely because I was very young.

edit to add: The moon always shows the same face to the Earth. The Russians did have at least one craft crash into the moon when they tried to beat us to the moon.

Answer 3

I think if you check the history, the Russians were first to photo the reverse side of the moon.

Then of course, Apollo 8 in the first manned orbit of the moon saw it from just 60 miles up.

Answer 4

Yes, but only because we have sent a spacecraft to that side of the moon. The moon spins on its own spin axis in a manner that keeps that side hidden from observation from the earth. The way in which the moon and earth move relative to each other are actually quite complicated in that: 1) the earth rotates on its own spin axis, 2) the moon rotates on its spins axis, 3) both the earth and moon revolve about a common center of gravity, and 4) the moon revolves about the earth in a lunar month (28 days) from 23 degrees N above the equator to 23 degrees S of the equator.

Answer 5

The US Apollo missions saw the back of the moon, and USSR probes, but they did not "disappear"; they were merely out of radio contact because the vast bulk of the moon was interfering with the signals.

Answer 6

Not true. We have orbitted the moon many times and seen all sides. When you are on the back side you can not communicate with earth but no one has disappeared.

Answer 7

So far there have been no expeditions exclusively to see the back of the moon (therefore, there certainly couldn't be any failed expeditions)

Astronauts circling the moon during a return to earth may have seen some of the dark side of the moon, but only if they brought their own light source. The dark side of the moon is dark because the sun never shines there. If there is no light to reflect off it, you can't see it.

Answer 8

James Lovell saw something interesting when he was orbiting the Moon during the Apollo 8 mission. He was coming around the backside of the Moon and was quoted as saying "Please be advised there is a Santa Claus." What did he mean by this?.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBRnSZ0b6Rg

Answer 9

Nobody has landed there, but the lunar astronauts saw it directly while orbiting the moon. Several spacecraft have taken pictures, and good atlases of both front and back are now available.

Answer 10

Of course we've seen that 'back' of the moon. We had to orbit it before we could land on it. You couldn't just go straight there; your approach would be to fast and you would crash on the surface.