Luna 1, launched on 2 January 1959, was intended to crash–land on the Moon; but due to a miscalculation it missed, and entered heliocentric orbit (in which it remains to this day).
Luna 2 was launched on 12 September 1959, and succeeded in crash–landing on the moon two days later.
Luna 3 was launced on 4 October 1959. It took the first photographs of the far side of the moon, making its closest approach two days after launch.
On 12 February 1961, the Soviet Union launched Venera 1. This passed within 100,000 km of Venus on 19 May, becoming the first spacecraft to visit another planet. No data was returned as radio contact was lost before the flyby.
While Venera 1 was on its way to Venus, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. He orbited the Earth once in Vostok 1, launched on 12 April 1961. Twenty-three days later, Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut, but didn't orbit. The first American to orbit was John Glenn, who was launched in Mercury 7 on 20 February 1962.
John Glenn was the third American astronaut. The second was Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, who made a very similar flight to Shepard's on 21 July 1961. Grissom narrowly escaped drowning after the hatch of his capsule was blown off during splashdown and (after he had left the capsule) his space suit began to deflate. Fortunately for him, he was picked up just in time by the US Navy.
The Luna programme continued until 1976, when Luna 24 became the seventh Soviet spacefraft to land on the Moon. Of the 24 Luna missions, fifteen were counted as successes - not including Luna 2 (see above).
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