Surveyor 1 took over 11,000 images of the Moon's surface, including this picture of its own shadow. Credit: NASA
About 63 hours after its launch, Surveyor 1 landed on the Moon on June 2, 1966. The 2,200-pound (998 kilograms) craft touched down inside a 62-mile (100 kilometers) crater north of Flamsteed Crater in Oceanus Procellarum, or the Ocean of Storms. Surveyor 1 took more than 11,000 photos, and measured the Moon’s temperature and the surface’s ability to bear weight, paving the way for the upcoming Apollo missions.
