Trivia: Which mission was NASA’s first attempt to land on the moon?
Surveyor 2
Apollo 7
Apollo 11
Ranger 3
The correct answer is Ranger 3
So why is this answer correct? : In 1959, the Soviet Union’s Luna 2 became the first human-made object to touch the lunar surface, sparking a fierce rivalry between the U.S. and Soviet Union to land an object on the moon. Multiple attempts, both manned and unmanned, were made through the ’60s. NASA’s first attempt was the Ranger 3 mission in 1962. The goal was to take detailed photos of the surface, but due to a series of technical glitches, the spacecraft was unable to enter lunar orbit.