Even rightly so, too often the Apollo program dominates the narrative of early lunar exploration. The Soviet Union ran its own lunar program in the 1960s and '70s, and it was so successful early on that it looked like the Moon would be Soviet territory. The first ever man-made object to land on its surface in 1959 was the Soviet-launched Luna 2. The first image of the lunar far side came during a flyby by Luna 3 the same year. In 1966, Luna 9 transmitted the first pictures from the surface of the Moon, and Luna 10 would enter into its orbit. In 1968, a handful of turtles and other simple organisms even made the first circumlunar voyage aboard Zond 5. But Apollo 8 swept the rug out from the Soviet's feet; three astronauts going into orbit in December of that year all but assured the world that the political victory of landing on the Moon would go to the Americans. So the Soviets reshaped their lunar program, choosing to focus on inexpensive robotic mission that put science goals at the core.

Just over forty-three years ago, Neil Armstrong made human history by being the first man to step foot on the moon. Now, at the age of 82, he has died.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong took the photo above 43 years ago to the day on July 20, 1969. It was his first snap after setting foot on the surface of the moon. Soon after, Buzz Aldrin would also climb down from the Apollo 11 lunar module, called Eagle, and the pair would become the first humans to walk on a celestial body other than Earth.

It's official, folks: Brita can start selling lunar water filters. NASA confirmed the presence of lunar agua today with a cheeky: "The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water." Oh, NASA! One month ago...