50 Years Ago Today - Ranger IV launched to the Moon

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Launched from Cape Canaveral, the rocket was quickly discovered to have a stability issue, turning what was a camera/data probe, researching potential landing sites for the Apollo missions, into nothing more than a rather expensive missile.

Three day later it became the first US piece of machinery to reach the moon and 'land' on it, almost two and a half years after the Russians with Luna 2.


_http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/masterCatalog.do?sc=1962-012A
 
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