Surveyor 1NASA’s First Moon Landing Before Neil Armstrong: June 2, 1966

Before “One Small Step,” There Was Surveyor 1. On June 2, 1966, NASA’s Surveyor 1 made history by becoming the first American spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon — three years before Apollo 11. This robotic pioneer sent back over 11,000 images, helping NASA prepare for the first human landing.