did russia make it to the moon first
Russia won the first round of the space race when it launched the first man to orbit the Earth, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr, however, fulfilled John F Kennedyâs promise to reach the Moon by the end of the decade, landing there on July 20, 1969, with Nasaâs Apollo 11.The Soviet Union subsequently cancelled its lunar programmes.rmstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr, however, fulfilled John F Kennedyâs promise to reach the Moon by the end of the decade, landing there on July 20, 1969, with Nasaâs Apollo 11.