page_title: Space research
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Space research / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Historic photo - the first full view of significant quality (croped frame number 29)&#91;1&#93;, of the first series of photos of the far side of the Moon, taken by Luna 3, October 7, 1959. The dark patches at left include Mare Crisium (on the near side), Mare Smythii, and Mare Marginis (on the border of the near and far sides). At bottom is Mare Ausatrale. The dark patch above right of center is Mare Moscoviense, and below right of center is Tsiolkovskiy crater. Below and to the right of Tsiolkovskiy is Jules Verne crater.
context_page_description: Space research is scientific study carried out in outer space, and by studying outer space. From the use of space technology to the observable universe, space research is a wide research field. Earth science, materials science, biology, medicine, and physics all apply to the space research environment. The term includes scientific payloads at any altitude from deep space to low Earth orbit, extended to include sounding rocket research in the upper atmosphere, and high-altitude balloons.
  Space exploration is also a form of space research.
caption: First image of the far side of the Moon, sent back to Earth by the Luna 3 mission
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