Back in 1969, it took us 3 days to reach the moon and land on it.
It took the Eurotrash 3 years to get to the point where they could crash it on the moon. They launched in September 2003.
Some superiors.
"The prime object of this mission was to test the ion propulsion," mission manager Gerhard Schwehm said.
"This is a very efficient means to get a spacecraft over large distances with a very small mass of fuel. It worked really well."
Instead of burning rocket fuel, the PPS-1350 engine from French aerospace firm Snecma generates a stream of electrically charged atoms called ions. That creates minuscule amounts of thrust - roughly enough to hold up a postcard.
Riding that small, steady push, SMART-1 made it to the moon in 14 months, gradually accelerating and raising its orbit around the earth until it was high enough to be grabbed by the moon's gravity.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/08/31/290660/SMART_1_to_crash_on_moon__039_s_surface.htm
more here
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html