A series of nine uncrewed NASA missions flown between 1961 and 1965 whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the lunar surface before impact. The first six missions failed; Ranger 7 succeeded in 1964, photographing its way down to a lunar plain later named Mare Cognitum and sending back more than 4,300 pictures from six cameras. Rangers 8 and 9 repeated the success. The images revealed that impact craters, not the smooth plains earlier telescopes suggested, dominate the Moon's surface at close range, informing the later Surveyor and Apollo landing-site studies.
Facts
Mission TypeUncrewed lunar reconnaissance (impactor) 1 OutcomeNine missions flown, five failures and four successes (Rangers 7, 8 and 9). The new images revealed that impact craters, even in seemingly smooth plains, dominate the Moon's surface, reshaping how landing sites for later missions were chosen. 1 Mission Type
Mission Type (category) Connections
Operated By
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source Ranger program (Wikipedia)Ranger program (Wikipedia) - operator
Spacecraft Of
Source Ranger 1 (Wikipedia)
Source Ranger 2 (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Ranger 3
Source Wikipedia: Ranger 4
Source Ranger 5 (Wikipedia)
Source Ranger 6 (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia - Ranger 7
Source Wikipedia: Ranger 8
Source Ranger 9 (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationRanger program (Wikipedia) - first launch
1961-1965
Ranger program (Wikipedia) - outcome
The new images revealed that craters caused by impact were the dominant features of the Moon's surface, even in the seemingly smooth and empty plains.
View the Source Ranger program (Wikipedia)
Ranger program (Wikipedia) - lead summary
The Ranger program was a series of uncrewed space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon.
Ranger program (Wikipedia) - mission type
obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon
Operated By: NASA, Ranger program (Wikipedia) - operator
The Ranger program was a series of uncrewed space missions by the United States in the 1960s
In Group: Early Satellite and Lunar Probe Programs, Lead sentence
The Ranger program was a series of uncrewed space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon.
View the SourceWikipedia - Ranger 7
Includes: Ranger 7, Lead paragraph, part-of
It was also the first completely successful flight of the Ranger program.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 7, Lead paragraph, mission-of
It was also the first completely successful flight of the Ranger program.
View the SourceWikipedia: Ranger 4
Includes: Ranger 4, Lead paragraph, part-of
Ranger 4 was a spacecraft of the Ranger program, launched in 1962.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 4, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Ranger 4 was a spacecraft of the Ranger program, launched in 1962.
View the SourceWikipedia: Ranger 8
Includes: Ranger 8, Lead paragraph, part-of
Ranger 8 was a lunar probe in the Ranger program, a robotic spacecraft series launched by NASA in the early-to-mid-1960s to obtain the first close-up images of the Moon's surface.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 8, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Ranger 8 was a lunar probe in the Ranger program, a robotic spacecraft series launched by NASA in the early-to-mid-1960s to obtain the first close-up images of the Moon's surface.
View the SourceWikipedia: Ranger 3
Includes: Ranger 3, Lead paragraph, part-of
The Ranger 3 robotic spacecraft was launched January 26, 1962 as part of the Ranger program.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 3, Lead paragraph, mission-of
The Ranger 3 robotic spacecraft was launched January 26, 1962 as part of the Ranger program.
View the SourceRanger 6 (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ranger 6, Lead paragraph, part-of
Ranger 6 was a lunar probe in the NASA Ranger program, a series of robotic spacecraft of the early and mid-1960s to obtain close-up images of the Moon's surface.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 6, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Ranger 6 was a lunar probe in the NASA Ranger program, a series of robotic spacecraft of the early and mid-1960s to obtain close-up images of the Moon's surface.
View the SourceRanger 1 (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ranger 1, Lead paragraph, part-of
Ranger 1 was a prototype spacecraft launched as part of the Ranger program of uncrewed space missions.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 1, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Ranger 1 was a prototype spacecraft launched as part of the Ranger program of uncrewed space missions.
View the SourceRanger 2 (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ranger 2, Lead paragraph, part-of
Ranger 2 was a flight test of the Ranger spacecraft system of the NASA Ranger program designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions.
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 2, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Ranger 2 was a flight test of the Ranger spacecraft system of the NASA Ranger program designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions.
View the SourceRanger 9 (Wikipedia)
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 9, Lead sentence
Ranger 9 was a Lunar probe, launched in 1965 by NASA.
Includes: Ranger 9, Lead sentence
Ranger 9 was a Lunar probe, launched in 1965 by NASA.
View the SourceRanger 5 (Wikipedia)
Spacecraft Of: Ranger 5, Lead sentence
Ranger 5 was a spacecraft of the Ranger program designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to impacting on the Moon, to rough-land a seismometer capsule on the Moon, to collect gamma-ray data in flight, to study radar reflectivity of the lunar surface, and to continue testing of the Ranger program for development of lunar and interplanetary spacecraft.
Includes: Ranger 5, Lead sentence
Ranger 5 was a spacecraft of the Ranger program designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to impacting on the Moon, to rough-land a seismometer capsule on the Moon, to collect gamma-ray data in flight, to study radar reflectivity of the lunar surface, and to continue testing of the Ranger program for development of lunar and interplanetary spacecraft.
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