Surveyor 1 shadow against the lunar surface.
Credit: NASA/JPL

June 3, 2025

On June 2, 1966, Surveyor 1 softly landed on the lunar surface, and NASA celebrated a significant success in the Space Race. Both the Soviet Union and the United States placed a priority on space dominance. The Soviet program reached the lunar surface first with a hard landing in 1959 (intentionally crashing the spacecraft into the surface) and a soft landing in 1966, just four months before Surveyor 1. But the Surveyor probe proved a far more advanced version than the Soviet Luna 9. Its technologies and testing were designed specifically to scope out needs for a successful crewed mission. Surveyor 1 collected lunar temperatures while sending over 11,000 pictures back to Earth, including panoramas, area surveys, and even celestial photography.

Surveyor’s first attempt at landing success was nearly greeted with surprise. Probabilities had given the mission 10–15 percent odds due to failures with previous Ranger spacecraft missions.

Seven planned Surveyor missions made five successful landings, each performing critical experiments anticipating a crewed Apollo arrival. In 1969, two years after Surveyor 3’s successful landing, Pete Conrad, commander of the Apollo 12 mission, visited it. Parts of Surveyor 3 came home to Earth to be examined for long-term effects of the Moon’s harsh environment.

To date, five countries have made successful moon landings: Soviet Union-Russia, United States, China, India, and most recently, Japan.

Are you as fascinated by the night sky as we are?

Join us for SkyWatch: Carnegie Science Center’s monthly opportunity to catch a glimpse of the stars with professional telescopes. Get a great view of the Pittsburgh skyline as you stargaze with other space enthusiasts. Plus, watch a feature show at the Buhl Planetarium and participate in fun, astronomy-themed activities.