RANGER 1 (launched on August 23, 1961): set of 5 photos. - Lot 45

RANGER 1 (launched on August 23, 1961): set of 5 photos. - 2 photos of the probe (vintage silver gelatin prints, 20.5 cm × 25.5 cm, numbered P 1629A and 313-64) -3 drawings dating from July 1961: 1 showing the anatomy of the Ranger 1 probe and its Atlas-Agena rocket (unlabeled on the back), 1 detailed drawing of the probe (labeled on the back, No. P 1632), and a drawing of the probe’s trajectory along its elliptical orbit, labeled and numbered P 1631. The Ranger program was designed to take precise photographs of the Moon and gather information on the composition of the lunar surface. Nine Ranger probes were launched aboard an Atlas-Agena B rocket between August 23, 1961, and March 24, 1965. They were produced by JPL, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California). After several failures with Ranger 1 through Ranger 6, the program became a success starting with Ranger 7. All photos are vintage black-and-white silver gelatin prints, measuring 20.5 x 25.5 cm, sourced either from JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) or from NASA.