23, 1966, Lunar Orbiter 2 took perhaps the most memorable photo of any in the series, a spectacular shot looking across the Copernicus crater from an altitude of only 28 miles (45 kilometers) that vividly emphasized the three-dimensional nature of the lunar surface. The high-gain transmitter failed during this time but did not significantly affect the coverage afforded by the photos. These photos covered nearly 1.6 million square miles (4 million square kilometers) of the lunar surface. 7, 1966, by which time the probe had transmitted back 211 pictures of both the near side of the Moon and large areas of the far side. 26, 1966, and transmission of the images was concluded Dec. The spacecraft ended its photography mission Nov. 18, 1966, Lunar Orbiter 2 began its photography mission, returning excellent quality medium and high-resolution photographs, including the impact point of Ranger 8. After 33 orbits, Lunar Orbiter 2 was moved to its photographic orbit with a perilune (closest point to the surface) of about 31 miles (49.7 kilometers). Lunar Orbiter 2’s mission was to photograph 13 primary and 17 secondary landings sites for the Apollo program in the northern region of the Moon’s near side equatorial area.Īfter a course correction on the way to the Moon, on Nov. 11, 1967: Spacecraft deliberately crashed on the Moon In Depth: Lunar Orbiter 2 10, 1966: Spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit The spacecraft took photos covering nearly 1.6 million square miles (4 million square kilometers) of the Moon's surface.Ītlas Agena D (Atlas Agena D no. NASA's Lunar Orbiter 2's primary mission was to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface to help select safe landing sites for the Apollo missions.
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