RANGER 5 (launched on October 18, 1962): set of 6 photos - Lot 49

RANGER 5 (launched on October 18, 1962): set of 6 photos -1 photo showing technicians adjusting the thermal insulation on Ranger 5 (NASA photo with caption on the back, No. 62-Ranger 5-9). -1 photo of one of Ranger 5’s solar panels being cleaned by a technician (NASA photo captioned on the back, No. 62-Ranger V-2). -3 numbered and captioned drawings of Ranger 5’s flight plan, its various phases, and trajectories (photos numbered P-1747, P-1756, and 62-Ranger-6). - 1 drawing of the detailed anatomy of the Ranger 5 probe (photo no. P-1887). 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 a few 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.