Evening star., 1961-07-24
U.S.. Is Ready to Test Space Craft
That Will Be Used on Trip to Moon
BY the Associated Press

version of a vehicle that later
this year may crash-land on the
moon-will be launched on a
million-mile round-trip jour-
ney into space within the next
few days.
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration described
in detail today its. newest and
most complicated experiment in
lunar and planetary explora-
ton. But NASA declined to give
the exact date the launching
attempt will be made at Cape
Canaveral, Fla.
NASA said the 675-pound
Ranger will be fired first into
a brief parking orbit" lis miles
above the earth. For about 13
minutes Ranger I will zoom
along at $4,000 miles an hour,
high above the Atlantic Ocean,
as though it were an earth
satellite.
Then its Agenda-B second
stage rocket will fire up for a
second time to accelerate
Ranger I to a velocity of %, 300
miles an hour and start it on
a trajectory $4,000 miles out
into space.
Deliberately it will not be
aimed at the moon.
1880 ElectrOnic Parts
The craft Isl expected to
reach the perigee, or closest
point to earth, of it's eccentric
orbit in September at an alti-
tude of $500 milestone So
days after launching.
The SpacSehip may be unable
to regain orbital course, how
ever, and may plunge into the
earth's atmosphere and be de-
Stroyed by fire. :,
NASA said there is a slight
possibility the craft may reach
earth-escape velocity. In that
event, it would join two United
States probes-Pioneer w and
Pioneer Wand two Soviet
probes in orbit around the sun.
Designed to test an enor-
mously complicated spacecraft
system, Ranger I had 1880
working electronic parts. J
g It is a forerunner of vehicles 7
that will rough-land inStru-
mented packages on the moon.
With further refinements, it is I
expected eventually to make 7
soft landings there and on the c
planets. Later craft-of the {
Surveyor, Prospector and Voy-
ager serieS-are being designed f
ultimately to achieve manned q
occupation of the moon. f
Moon Pictures Expected
Ranger II, a similar test shot, v
is planned for this autumn. r
Ranger III is on NASA's pro- r
gram for late this year. 1t is r
designated to take televiSion =
pictures of the moon and to :
crash into the moon shortly :
after releasing a 50-pound in 6
Strument pack that might sur
vive a lunar landing and send 8
moonquake data back to earth. :,
The remaining two shots in !.
the Ranger series would come :
next year. 2
Although the primary mis- :,
sion of Ranger I is to develop !
and test the equipment and v
technique for lunar and inter-
planetary research, the craft :
will carry a dazzling array of I
experiments of its own.
Among the eight scientific L
assemblies aboard will be de-
vices to study the nature and :
activity of cosmic rays, mag
netic fields and radiation and
dust particles in space. :
Standard Shape Planned
The craft will try also to de- J
'termine whether the earth, as z
viewed from a distance of y
100000 miles, is followed |
around the sun by a comet 9
like tail of hydrogen gas.
NASA said engineers at Cali :
fornia Institute of Technology'S :
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who 8
developed Ranger, have decided
that its hexagonal shape will
become standard for a whole !
generation of spacecraft, even .
though the missions of the va 3
rious ehicles may differ
greatly. =
The laboratory said this is
part of it's concept of attain
ing reliability by use of the
same type of parts many times.
The basic hexagon to be used
in many JPL spacecraft is the
best because, essentially un-
changed in form, it will be able
to go to the moon or the planets
with the snenifin inStr11fnantS