Ranger 7: the story
Ranger 7 · Chapter 1 of 6
28 July 1964
Launch
Ranger 7 left Earth on a Atlas LV-3 Agena-B from Launch Complex 12.
Ranger 7 · Chapter 2 of 6
1964
The first success
After 13 failures in a row, Ranger 7 was the first clear U.S. success at the Moon.
Ranger 7 · Chapter 3 of 6
31 July 1964
First close-up
Its first picture, taken about 17 minutes before impact, was the first image of the Moon from a U.S. spacecraft.
Ranger 7 · Chapter 4 of 6
31 July 1964
Guericke crater
Frame after frame closed in on the surface as it fell, including this view of Guericke crater.
Ranger 7 · Chapter 5 of 6
31 July 1964
The last picture
The last image reached Earth 2.3 seconds before impact, at 13:25:49 UT.
Ranger 7 · Chapter 6 of 6
31 July 1964
Impact
Ranger 7 kept its cameras running all the way down and hit the Moon in the region later named Mare Cognitum, the Known Sea.
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