U.S.A space mission successes.

[zenmaster]

If I see it from the average joe I just see the U.S as superior in space tech and the Russians as having bad luck.

The Russians have some incredible engineers, but that expertise can only be applied so far without adequate funding. So you take shortcuts and consequently much more risk. Take a look at the relative costs of the missions vs their intended goals. Anyway, regardless of cost, there are a million ways something can fail with missions as complex as these. It makes you appreciate the successes all the more.