What was the first spacecraft to photograph the far side (dark side) of the moon?

Luna 3 was a spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1959. It was the first successful mission to photograph the far side (dark side which is hidden from earth) of the moon. These views showed mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two dark, low-lying regions which were named Mare Moscoviense (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire). Mare Desiderii was later found to be composed of a smaller mare, Mare Ingenii (Sea of Ingenuity), and several other dark craters. The reason for this difference between the two sides of the Moon is still not fully understood.

The space probe passed within 6,200 km of the Moon near its south pole at the closest lunar approach on October 6, 1959, and continued on over to the far side. On October 7, the photocell on the upper end of the space probe detected the sunlit far side of the Moon, and the photography sequence was started. The first picture was taken at a distance of 63,500 km from the Moon, and the last picture was taken 40 minutes later from a distance of 66,700 km. A total of 29 pictures were taken on October 7, 1959, covering 70% of the far side of the moon. Of these, only 17 poor but viewable images were successfully transmitted to Earth.