Editing Luna 2 (section)

==U.S. espionage==
In 1959, a Soviet exhibit of its economic achievements toured several countries. This exhibit included displays of Luna 2. [[CIA]] conducted a covert operation to access it to gain information. A team of CIA officers gained unrestricted access to the display for 24 hours, which turned out to be a fully-operational system comparable to the original and not a replica as expected. The team disassembled the object, photographed the parts without removing it from its crate and then put back in place, gaining intelligence regarding its design and capabilities. The Soviets did not find out, the CIA report being declassified in 2019, 24 years after the dissolution of the USSR.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wesley Finer |first1=Sydney |title=THE KIDNAPING OF THE LUNIK |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/THE%20KIDNAPING%20OF%20THE%20LUNI%5B15732838%5D.pdf |publisher=CIA |access-date=9 August 2024 |date=1967}}{{source-attribution}}</ref>