There may be some
points from that old discussion that you find helpful.

Out of my own curiosity, I poked around that old thread and found this:

________
From: (Stuf4)
Newsgroups: sci.space.history
Subject: Soviets landing first human on the Moon (take 2)
Date: 29 Dec 2001 23:46:52 -0800
Message-ID:
--------------
Here is just one NASA reference that uses the term 'hard landing'
synonymously with 'impact' (craft destroyed):

Location & Time Information
Date/Time (UT): 1965-02-20 T 9:57:36
Distance/Range (km): 1
Central Latitude/Longitude (deg): +02.71, 024.61 E
Orbit(s): Impact - Hard Landing

(see http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/ht.../ra8_p020.html)


And here is a source that refers to hard landing probes that serve as
"penetrators":

http://www.isas.ac.jp/publications/r...677/67702.html
_____________


Both links are still active. Here is a quote from the first one:

===
Earth's Moon - Ranger 8
....
Location & Time Information
Date/Time (UT): 1965-02-20 T 9:57:36
Distance/Range (km): 1
Central Latitude/Longitude (deg): +02.71, 024.61 E
Orbit(s): Impact - Hard Landing
===


And here is a quote from that second link:

===
Several planetary missions to use a hard landing probe, called a
"penetrator" have been proposed (e.g., LUNAR-A, Deep Space 2, Mars-96,
Rosetta). Utilization of penetrators for planetary explora-tion has
many advantages over soft landing probes.
===


So you have an old reference and a much newer reference that uses the
terminology "hard landing" as synonymous with impact/penetrator.


~ CT