Human-Made Lunar Impacts: From Luna 2 to a SpaceX Falcon 9 Upper Stage

Scott Manley traces the history of human-made impacts on the Moon, from the first Soviet and US probes to the recent unintended crash of a spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage. It explains how numerous spacecraft have deliberately or accidentally struck the lunar surface and how some of these impacts were used for scientific measurements.

■ Early deliberate impacts (1959–1960s)
- Soviet Luna 2 and US Ranger impact probes, plus Lunar Orbiter disposals
■ Apollo-era and Soviet lunar activities
- Saturn V upper-stage crashes for seismic calibration, Apollo hardware impacts; Luna soft landers, sample returns, and failed impactors
■ Modern lunar impactors and the recent Falcon 9 stage
- Hiten, Lunar Prospector, SMART-1, Kaguya, Chang'e 1, Chandrayaan-1, LCROSS; recent lander crashes and the unintended Falcon 9 upper-stage impact

Viewers interested in spaceflight history, lunar exploration, and planetary science can gain a chronological overview of intentional and accidental lunar impacts and the scientific purposes some of them served. It also provides context for discussions about lunar debris and future Moon missions.