Which space rocket was the first to impact the moon and successfully reach its surface?

Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the history of space exploration, specifically early missions to the moon. Before humans could land on the lunar surface, space agencies sent unmanned probes and rockets to test trajectories and study the environment. The first rocket to successfully reach the moon and impact its surface marked a major milestone in the space race. The question asks which mission achieved this first impact on the lunar surface.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the first space rocket to hit the moon.
• Options include Apollo II, Luna 9, Lunik 2 and Zond 5.
• We assume that the term Lunik 2 refers to the Soviet Luna 2 mission, often transliterated by that name in earlier literature.
• The candidate is expected to know basic chronological milestones of lunar exploration.

Concept / Approach:
Early lunar exploration was led largely by the Soviet Union and the United States. The first successful mission to reach and impact the moon was the Soviet Luna 2 probe. In some older sources, this mission is written as Lunik 2. It was a hard landing mission, meaning the probe crashed into the lunar surface rather than performing a soft landing. Later missions such as Luna 9 achieved the first soft landing, and Apollo missions carried humans. So the approach is to identify Luna 2 or Lunik 2 as the first successful impact, distinguishing it from later soft landings and crewed missions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Soviet Union launched a series of Luna missions to explore the moon.Step 2: Remember that Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to reach the moon and impact its surface.Step 3: Note that Luna 9 later became the first mission to achieve a soft landing.Step 4: Recognise that Apollo II refers to a crewed American mission but not the first rocket to hit the moon, and Zond 5 was another later lunar related flight.Step 5: Therefore select Lunik 2, the transliterated name for Luna 2, as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
As verification, one can recollect standard space history summaries that clearly list Luna 2 as the first human made object to reach the moon and impact it, in contrast with Luna 9 as the first soft lander and Apollo 11 as the first human landing. Exam guides and encyclopaedias consistently describe Luna or Lunik 2 as this first impact mission. None of the other options match that specific milestone.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Apollo II is part of the American Apollo programme and is famous for human missions, but the first crewed lunar landing was Apollo 11, not Apollo II. Luna 9 was the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on the moon, which is a different achievement from being the first to impact the surface. Zond 5 was a Soviet mission that looped around the moon and returned to Earth but was not the first impactor. Therefore these options do not satisfy the condition of being the first rocket to hit the lunar surface.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse different firsts in lunar exploration: first impact, first soft landing and first human landing. This leads to incorrect choices such as Luna 9 or an Apollo mission. The key is to separate these milestones in memory and associate Lunik 2 or Luna 2 with the very first impact on the moon, Luna 9 with the first soft landing, and Apollo 11 with the first human landing.

Final Answer:
The first space rocket to reach and impact the moon was the Soviet mission known as Lunik 2.