To gain insight on how the Soviet Union built moon-bound gear, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out a covert spy job on a Soviet exhibit in 1959.

“A team of CIA officers gained unrestricted access to the display for 24 hours, which turned out not to be a replica but a fully-operational system comparable to the Lunik 2.”

The team disassembled the vehicle, the posting adds, “photographed all the parts without removing it from its crate before putting everything back in its place, gaining invaluable intelligence on its design and capabilities.”

Wow, that’s quite the task, and a great story.