Photograph from Ranger VII Spacecraft Just before Impact on the Moon, July 28, 1964
Leading up to the Apollo missions, NASA worked to learn about the lunar surface and excite the public for the coming manned mission. Project Ranger fulfilled both objectives by flying satellites directly into the moon. Just before impact, the Ranger probes would send back a flurry of high definition images of the lunar surface. While the first six Ranger probes failed, Ranger VII managed to transmit stunning images of the moon, like this one, back to Earth.
Photograph from Ranger VII Spacecraft Just before Impact on the Moon, July 28, 1964; Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46.
Return to Congress and the Early Exploration of Space Documents