RANGER 2 (launched November 18, 1961) - Lot 46

RANGER 2 (launched November 18, 1961) Lot of 5 photographic prints: - 2 prints of the Ranger 2 probe: - The aerodynamic cap as technicians carefully lower it onto the probe, vintage JPL silver print, 20.5 x 25.5cm, numbered 314-5041b. - 1 NASA print of technicians completing Ranger 2 assembly (captioned on back, no. 61-RangerII-2). - 3 prints of unnumbered and uncaptioned drawings from a series similar to the previous lot, but of Ranger 2. The Ranger program was designed to take precise snapshots of the moon and gather information on the composition of the lunar surface. 9 Ranger probes were launched from 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 from Ranger 1 to Ranger 6, the program was a success from Ranger 7 onwards.