Key Dates:
- 02.17.65: Launch (17:05 UT)
- 02.18.65: Lunar Impact (09:57:37 UT)
- Status: Crashed on the Moon
Scientific Instruments:
- Six Television Cameras
Ranger 8 Information:
Each Ranger spacecraft was designed to make a "kazikaze" dive straight into the Moon and send close-range images back to Earth right up until they crashed into the surface. The cameras onboard each spacecraft were designed to provide different exposure times, fields of view, lenses, and scan rates, and they were arranged in two separate self-contained chains, each with its own power supply, timer, and transmitter.
Another success. NASA's accuracy was improving with each mission. Ranger 8 landed within 24 km (15 miles) of its intended impact site in the Sea of Tranquility. The coordinates are 2°43' north latitude and 24°38' east longitude. It back 7,137 high-quality images of the lunar surface in last 23 minutes of flight. It The final image taken before impact had a resolution of 1.5 meters per pixel.
