page_title: List of uncrewed NASA missions
section_title: Lunar Orbiter program (1966–1967)
hierarchical_section_title: List of uncrewed NASA missions / List of missions / Lunar Orbiter program (1966–1967)
caption_attribution_description: Lunar orbiter 1 (large).
context_page_description: Since 1958, NASA has overseen more than 1,000 uncrewed missions into Earth orbit or beyond. It has both launched its own missions and provided funding for private-sector missions. A number of NASA missions, including the Explorers Program, Voyager program, and New Frontiers program, are ongoing.
context_section_description: The Lunar Orbiter program was a series of five uncrewed lunar orbiter missions launched by the United States, starting in 1966. It was intended to help select landing sites for the Apollo program by mapping the Moon's surface. The program produced the first photographs ever taken from lunar orbit.
  All five missions were successful, and 99% of the Moon was mapped from photographs taken with a resolution of 60 meters (200 ft) or better. The first three missions were dedicated to imaging 20 potential human lunar landing sites, selected based on Earth-based observations. These were flown at low inclination orbits. The fourth and fifth missions were devoted to broader scientific objectives and were flown in high-altitude polar orbits. All Lunar Orbiter craft were launched by an Atlas-Agena D launch vehicle.
  During the Lunar Orbiter missions, the first pictures of Earth as a whole were taken, beginning with Earth-rise over the lunar surface by Lunar Orbiter 1 in August 1966.  The first full picture of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter 5 on August 8, 1967. A second photo of the whole Earth was taken by Lunar Orbiter 5 on November 10, 1967.
caption: Lunar Orbiter spacecraft (NASA)
exif: {}