Three feet. A new foothold.
told by Surveyor 1
Three feet. A new foothold.
Told by Surveyor 1
- Chapters
- 5
- Reading
- 10 min
- Ways to read
- 2
I needed to slow down, stand up, and send the evidence home. Follow an uncertain antenna, a careful landing, and the little details that helped people prepare for the Moon.
Chapters
Each chapter is one true event. Start anywhere.
- 01A question in flightLaunch and an antenna that did not deploy as expected2 min
- 02Three feet downAutomatic braking, radar-controlled descent and touchdown2 min
- 03A footprint and a pictureTelevision images and landing measurements reveal the local surface2 min
- 04Through the long nightNight survival, careful charging and a damaged radiator segment2 min
- 05The long shadowThe end of imaging, later engineering contact and an orbital view2 min
About this book
Surveyor 1 tells its own story in an imagined voice. Those lines are retellings, not quotations. The events, dates and numbers come from the mission records listed here, and each chapter links its own sources as you read.
The machine illustration is AI-made. Photos are from the NASA Image and Video Library and are credited where they appear.
Meet Surveyor 1Sources · 10
- A question in flightjpl.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 · NSSDCA Master Catalognssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 · NASA Sciencescience.nasa.gov
- Luna 9: First Soft Lander · NASA APODapod.nasa.gov
- Surveyor I Mission Report, Part I · JPL TR 32-1023ntrs.nasa.gov
- 55 Years Ago: Surveyor 1 Makes a Soft Landing on the Moonnasa.gov
- Surveyor I Mission Report, Part II · Scientific Data and Resultsntrs.nasa.gov
- Through the long nightjpl.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 — America’s First Soft Lunar Landing · LROClroc.asu.edu
- Coordinates of Lunar Anthropogenic Targets · LROClroc.im-ldi.com
Sources
- A question in flightjpl.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 · NSSDCA Master Catalognssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 · NASA Sciencescience.nasa.gov
- Luna 9: First Soft Lander · NASA APODapod.nasa.gov
- Surveyor I Mission Report, Part I · JPL TR 32-1023ntrs.nasa.gov
- 55 Years Ago: Surveyor 1 Makes a Soft Landing on the Moonnasa.gov
- Surveyor I Mission Report, Part II · Scientific Data and Resultsntrs.nasa.gov
- Through the long nightjpl.nasa.gov
- Surveyor 1 — America’s First Soft Lunar Landing · LROClroc.asu.edu
- Coordinates of Lunar Anthropogenic Targets · LROClroc.im-ldi.com
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