On September 15, 1968, the Soviet Union launched Zond 5 on a trajectory that flew the probe around the moon and back to earth again. It splashed down in the Indian Ocean on September 21, 1968 and recovered by the Russian. Zond 5 carried a biological payload (including two russian tortoises, wine flies, meal worms, plants, seeds, bacteria, and other living matter) flew around the moon and returned to Earth six days later. The success of Zond 5 added pressure on the US Apollo program to make its 1969 landing goal. There was speculation within NASA and the press that the Soviet might be preparing to launch cosmonauts on a similar circumlunar mission before the end of 1968.
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| Zond 5 launch cover with Tartu postmark on September 16, 1968. |
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| Photo: Photograph of earth taken by Zond-5 on September 21, 1968. |
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| Zond 5 recovery cover with Tartu postmark on September 22, 1968. |
(Reference from
Zond 5)
