Goals: Ranger 8 was designed to take a series of high-quality photos before crashing into the lunar surface.

Accomplishments: Ranger 8 snapped 7,137 high-resolution photographs in the 23 minutes before it crashed into the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Impact coordinates were 2°43' north latitude and 24°38' east longitude, just 24 kilometers from its intended target. Ranger images helped scientists determine if there were safe landing sites on the Moon for Apollo astronauts.