Ranger 9 (nonfiction)
Ranger 9 was a Lunar probe, launched in on March 1, 1965 by NASA.
It was designed to achieve a lunar impact trajectory and to transmit high-resolution photographs of the lunar surface during the final minutes of flight up to impact.
The spacecraft carried six television vidicon cameras -- two wide-angle (channel F, cameras A and B) and four narrow-angle (channel P) -- to accomplish these objectives. The cameras were arranged in two separate chains, or channels, each self-contained with separate power supplies, timers, and transmitters so as to afford the greatest reliability and probability of obtaining high-quality television pictures.
These images were broadcast live on television to millions of viewers across the United States.
No other experiments were carried on the spacecraft.
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External links:
- Ranger 9 @ Wikipedia