NASA Original Files - The "Ranger" Programme
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ra7_a001.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (1)54 visiteLa Storia del Programma di Ricognizione Lunare "Ranger" (il quale ebbe luogo negli Anni 1961-1965) è una storia fatta da 9 Missioni: sei di esse (i "Ranger" da 1 a 6) costiturono dei fiaschi clamorosi - che poi Vi proporremo in scaletta); le ultime tre, invece (I "Ranger" 7, 8 e 9), furono uno storico successo. Attenzione però: noi parliamo di successo "storico" ma, in fondo, si trattava "solo" di spedire un veicolo verso la Luna il cui unico scopo era quello di "scattare delle fotografie" (quante più possibili) e quindi di schiantarsi sulla superficie del nostro Satellite (proprio come ha fatto la Sonda ESA "SMART-1" lo scorso mese di Settembre - 2006). Questa maniera - veramente "pionieristica" - di approcciare la Luna, oggi, ci fa sorridere ma, 45 anni fa, quello che i Ranger-7, 8 e 9 ottennero fu, in fondo, il vero "viatico" per la nascita del Programma Apollo: l'individuazione di uno "spot for a - relatively -safe landing".
Missione Compiuta, ovviamente.MareKromium
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ra7_a100.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (2)54 visiteThe Ranger series was the first U.S. attempt to obtain close-up images of the Lunar Surface.
The Ranger spacecraft were designed to fly straight down towards the Moon and send images back until the moment of impact.
Ranger 7 impacted in a "mare terrain", modified by crater rays. Ranger 8 also impacted in mare terrain, but this area contained a complex system of ridges.
Ranger 9 impacted in a large crater located in the Lunar Highlands.MareKromium
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ra7_a199.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (3)54 visiteRanger-7's ID:
Launched: 28 July 1964
Impacted Moon: 31 July 1964 at 13:25:49 UT
Location of impact: Latitude 10,70° South and Longitude 339,33° East - Mare Cognitum
Ranger-8's ID:
Launched: 17 February 1965
Impacted Moon: 20 February 1965 at 09:57:37 UT
Location of impact: Latitude 2,71° North and Longitude 24,81° East - Mare TranquillitatisMareKromium
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ra7_b001.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (4)54 visiteRanger-9's ID:
Launched: 21 March 1965
Impacted Moon: 24 March 1965 at 14:08:20 UT
Location of impact: Latitude 12,91° South and Longitude 357,62° East - Alphonsus crater
Ranger Spacecraft Technical Data: each Ranger spacecraft had 6 cameras on board. The cameras were fundamentally the same with differences in exposure times, fields of view, lenses and scan rates. The camera system was divided into two channels, P (partial) and F (full). Each channel was self-contained with separate power supplies, timers, and transmitters. The F-channel had 2 cameras: the wide-angle A-camera and the narrow angle B-camera. The P-channel had four cameras: P1 and P2 (narrow angle) and P3 and P4 (wide angle). The final F-channel image was taken between 2,5 and 5" before impact (altitude about 5 Km) and the last P-channel image 0,2 to 0,4" before impact (altitude about 600 mt). The images provided better resolution than was available from Earth based views by a factor of 1000. These highly detailed images showed Apollo planners that finding a smooth landing site was not going to be easy. MareKromium
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ra7_b100.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (5)54 visiteThe "Ranger" Spacecrafts that failed:
Ranger 1: launched 23 August 1961.
Failed to leave Earth parking orbit.
Ranger 2: launched 18 November 1961.
Failed to leave Earth parking orbit.
Ranger 3: launched 26 January 1962.
Earth contact lost, missed the Moon by ~36.800 Km (ricordateVi bene questo dato: BERSAGLIO MANCATO di 36.000 Km!).
Ranger 4: launched 23 April 1962.
Sequencer failed, impacted the Moon 26 April 1962.
Ranger 5: launched 18 October 1962.
Earth contact lost, missed the Moon by 725 Km (un netto miglioramento rispetto al Ranger-3...)
Ranger 6: launched 30 January 1964.
Cameras failed, impacted the Moon 2 February 1964.MareKromium
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ra7_b200.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (6)54 visiteMareKromium
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ra7_p001.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (7)56 visiteCaption NASA:"First P-camera images taken by Ranger 7. The images are numbered by camera (clockwise from upper left) P3, P4, P2, P1. All images were taken from a distance of about 1870 Km about 13,5' before impact. Frame P3 shows Guericke crater (diameter 63 Km) at the upper right.
P4 also shows Guericke at right center. Image P1 is 41 Km across and shows the floor of Mare Nubium north of Opelt crater. The bottom of frame P2 overlaps the upper right corner of P1. P2 is about 40 Km across. North is at 12:30 in all four images (Ranger 7, P001)".MareKromium
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ra7_p100.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (8)56 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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ra7_p200.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-7: Mare Cognitum (9)54 visiteCaption NASA:"The final two images taken by Ranger 7 before its impact on the Moon's surface.
These image were taken by the number 1 and 3 P-channel cameras at 0,39 and 0,19" before impact from an altitude of 1070 and 519 mt, respectively. The pictures are cut off because the spacecraft impacted the surface before completing the transmission. The top image was taken by the P3 camera and the bottom image by P1. The P3 image is about 25 mt across. North is at 12:30 for both images.
The impact occurred on 31 July 1964 at 13:25:48.82 UT (Ranger 7, CP1002)".MareKromium
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ra8_a001.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-8: Mare Tranquillitatis (1)54 visiteCaption NASA:"First full-frame image of the Moon taken by the Ranger 8 camera A from a distance of 2573 Km. The image was taken on 20 Feb. 1965 at 09:34 UT with the spacecraft at an altitude of 2510 Km. The central reticle is at 10,65° South Latitude, 22,4° West Longitude, in the Mare Cognitum area of the Moon. North is up, and the picture extends 1200 Km across, from about 5° North to 30° South Lat. and from 5° West to 45° West Longitude. The craters Campanus and Mercator are visible at the bottom center. Gassandi crater (101 Km diameter) is the bright circle near the edge of the frame at 8:00. The Apollo 12 Landing Site is near top center and Apollo 14 slightly to the right of that (Ranger 8, A001)".MareKromium
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ra8_a030.gifThe Moon from Ranger-8: Mare Tranquillitatis (2) - LR57 visiteCaption NASA:"Ranger 8 image of the Moon from 302 Km. The image was taken on 20 February 1965 and 9:55 UT, 2,5 minutes before the spacecraft impacted on the Lunar Surface. The two large craters at upper center are Ritter (above left) and Sabine, each about 30 Km in diameter. The Apollo 11 Landing Site is just off the right edge of the image at about 4:00. The image is about 130 Km across and North is up (Ranger 8, A030)".MareKromium
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ra8_a030.jpgThe Moon from Ranger-8: Mare Tranquillitatis (2) - HR54 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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