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Photograph of Surveyor 3 lunar landing spacecraft taken by Apollo 12 astronauts (descriptions added). (NASA)
Photograph of Surveyor 3 lunar landing spacecraft taken by Apollo 12 astronauts (descriptions added). (NASA)

The Surveyor Program was a NASA program that, from 1966 through 1968, sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program A robotic spacecraft is a Spacecraft with no humans on board that is usually under Telerobotic control Its primary goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon. Landing is the last part of a Flight, where a flying Animal, Aircraft, or Spacecraft returns to the ground The program was implemented by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to prepare for the Apollo Program. The spacecraft are still on the Moon; none of the missions included returning them to Earth. Some parts of Surveyor 3 were returned to Earth by Apollo 12. Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. The camera is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. The National Air and Space Museum (NASM of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington D

Contents

Goals

Surveyor 7 landing site landscape
Surveyor 7 landing site landscape

The program performed several other services beyond its primary goal of demonstrating soft landings. The ability of spacecraft to make midcourse corrections was demonstrated, and the landers carried instruments to help evaluate the suitability of their landing sites for manned Apollo landings. Several Surveyor spacecraft had robotic shovels designed to test lunar soil mechanics. Before this project, it was unknown how deep the dust on the moon was. If the dust was too deep, then no astronaut could land. The Surveyor program proved that landings were possible. Some of the Surveyors also had alpha scattering instruments and magnets, which helped determine the chemical composition of the soil.

Missions

Location of Surveyor missions on the Moon
Location of Surveyor missions on the Moon

There were seven Surveyor missions; five were successful. Surveyors 2 and 4 failed. Each consisted of a single unmanned spacecraft designed and built by Hughes Aircraft Company. Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes.

Surveyor 6 was the first spacecraft to lift off from the Moon's surface, and Apollo 12 landed within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 landing site. Surveyor 1 was the first lunar lander in the American Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Oceanus Procellarum (oʊˈsiːənəs ˌprɒsəˈlɛərəm Latin for "Ocean of Storms" is a vast Lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Surveyor 2 was the second American lunar lander in the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Copernicus is a prominent lunar Impact crater located in eastern Oceanus Procellarum. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Oceanus Procellarum (oʊˈsiːənəs ˌprɒsəˈlɛərəm Latin for "Ocean of Storms" is a vast Lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Surveyor 4 was the fourth lunar lander in the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Sinus Medii ( Latin for "Bay of the Center" is a small Lunar mare that is located at the intersection of the Moon 's Equator and Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Surveyor 5 was the fifth lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Mare Tranquillitatis ( Latin for Sea of Tranquility) is a Lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on Earth 's Moon Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Surveyor 6 was the sixth lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Sinus Medii ( Latin for "Bay of the Center" is a small Lunar mare that is located at the intersection of the Moon 's Equator and Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Surveyor 7 was the seventh and last lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Tycho is a prominent lunar Impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands named after the Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon.

Space Race competition

During the time of the Surveyor missions, the United States was actively involved in a Space Race with the Soviet Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Space Race was a competition of space exploration between the Soviet Union and the United States, which lasted roughly from 1957 to 1975 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Thus the Surveyor 1 landing in June of 1966, only four months after the Soviet Luna 9 probe landed in February, was an indication the programs were at similar stages. Sources

External links

See also


 

Surveyor Surveyor 3 visited by Apollo 12 astronaut Charles Conrad Jr.
Previous mission:  Ranger Next mission:  None, see contemporaneous program Lunar Orbiters
Surveyor 1 | Surveyor 2 | Surveyor 3 | Surveyor 4 | Surveyor 5 | Surveyor 6 | Surveyor 7
Atlas is a family of US space Launch vehicles The original Atlas missile was designed in the late 1950s The Luna programme (from the Russian word "Luna" meaning "Moon" occasionally called Lunik or Lunnik, was a series of Robotic spacecraft The Lunar Orbiter program was a series of five unmanned Lunar orbiter missions launched by the United States in 1966 through 1967 The Ranger program was a series of Unmanned space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface The Ranger program was a series of Unmanned space missions by the United States in the 1960s whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface The Lunar Orbiter program was a series of five unmanned Lunar orbiter missions launched by the United States in 1966 through 1967 Surveyor 1 was the first lunar lander in the American Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 2 was the second American lunar lander in the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 4 was the fourth lunar lander in the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 5 was the fifth lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 6 was the sixth lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon. Surveyor 7 was the seventh and last lunar lander of the Surveyor program that explored the Moon.
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