Why was it important for the united states to put a man on the moon before the soviets?

The US and the Soviets were in a fierce arms race to become the World's leading power. Since neither could actually go to war due to Mutually Assured Destruction, they instead established their dominance within the Space Race.

True is the correct answer

The one that most represents the earths mantle would be the skin since the mantle is the upper part of the earths depths which is just like the skin of an apple.