Past:

Pioneer 3    Pioneer 3 and 4 were early satellites designed to be lofted toward the Moon. Because of a slight error, Pioneer 3 did not reach the Moon; instead it achieved a peak altitude of 102,320 kilometers (63,580 feet).	Launch Date:  December 6, 1958
Pioneer 4    Pioneer 3 and 4 were early satellites designed to be lofted toward the Moon. Because of a slight error, Pioneer 3 did not reach the Moon; instead it achieved a peak altitude of 102,320 kilometers (63,580 feet).	Launch Date:  March 3, 1959
Ranger Project    The Ranger project of the 1960s was the first U.S. effort to launch probes directly toward the Moon. The craft were designed to relay pictures and other data as they approached the Moon and finally crash-landed into its surface. Although the first attempts failed, the later Ranges were a complete success.	Launch Date:  Various Dates
Ranger 1    Rocket engine failed and reentered Earth's atmosphere shortly after launch.	Launch Date:  August 23, 1961
Ranger 2    Rocket engine failed and reentered Earth's atmosphere shortly after launch.	Launch Date:  January 26, 1962
Ranger 3    Missed the Moon.	Launch Date:  January 26, 1962
Ranger 4    Perfect launch but craft disabled.	Launch Date:  April 23, 1962
Ranger 5    Missed the Moon.	Launch Date:  October 18, 1962
Ranger 6    Flawless flight and an impact on the Moon. However, its television system was disabled and could not take pictures.	Launch Date:  January 30, 1964
Ranger 7    Successful mission, sending back more than 4,300 pictures.	Launch Date:  July 28, 1964
Ranger 8    Successful mission with a planned crash-landing in the site where Apollo 11 astronauts would land 4-1/2 years later.	Launch Date:  February 17, 1965
Ranger 9    Successfully impacted the Moon and sent back more than 5,800 images.	Launch Date:  March 21, 1965
Surveyor Missions    The Surveyor missions were the first U.S. effort to make a soft landing on the Moon. Most were successful and the Surveyor series acquired almost 90,000 images.	Launch Date:  Various Dates
Surveyor 1    Reached Moon successfully and sent back 11,240 images. The lander operated until January 7, 1967.	Launch Date:  May 30, 1966
Surveyor 2    Crashed into Moon.	Launch Date:  September 20, 1966
Surveyor 3    Successful mission and operated on Moon until May 4, 1967. Two years later, Apollo 12 atronauts revisited the landing site.	Launch Date:  April 17, 1967
Surveyor 4    Signal lost 2-1/2 minutes after lunar impact.	Launch Date:  July 14, 1967
Surveyor 5    Successful mission and operated until December 17, 1967.	Launch Date:  September 8, 1967
Surveyor 6    Success mission and operated until December 14, 1967.	Launch Date:  November 7, 1967
Surveyor 7    Successful mission and operated until February 21, 1968.	Launch Date:  January 7, 1968