The Soviet Union immediately announced that it ... exactly two years after Sputnik, Luna 3 performed a flyby and photographed most of the moon's far side. The Soviets now appeared to be winning ...

December 6: Pioneer 3, an American unmanned satellite, fails to reach the moon, but discovers a second radiation belt around the Earth. January: Luna 1 launches from the Soviet Union towards the ...

For contrast, the three successful Soviet Luna missions brought close to 0.625 pounds while NASA’s Apollo astronauts ferried 842 pounds of moon rock and soil back to the Earth. From liftoff to ...