Soviet Moonshot

Okay, so a long time ago there was a big competition between two countries called the Soviet Union and the United States. They both wanted to be the first ones to go to the moon. The Soviet Union also wanted to be famous and show the world that they were super smart and strong.

The Soviet Union sent a spacecraft called Luna 1 to fly by the moon in 1959. It was the first spacecraft to ever enter the moon's orbit. However, it did not land on the moon like the U.S. spacecraft did later.

Then, the Soviet Union built a spacecraft called Luna 2 which was supposed to crash into the moon. It was like throwing a rock at the moon to see what would happen. And it happened in 1959. The spacecraft successfully crashed onto the moon's surface and sent back pictures of the moon's surface. This was the first time anyone had ever seen the moon’s surface up close.

The Soviet Union also sent a spacecraft called Luna 3 to take pictures of the far side of the moon. It was like taking a picture of the back of your head. It sent back photos of the moon’s far side in 1959, which was also impressive.

These missions were a big deal because they helped us learn more about the moon and what it’s like up there. But the Soviet Union never actually landed on the moon with people, like the U.S. did. So, the U.S. was ultimately the first country to put people on the moon in 1969.