Ranger 2 on the Pad
Date: 18 Nov 1961

Ranger 2 was a flight test of spacecraft systems designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions. Ranger 2 was equipped to make scientific observations of cosmic rays, magnetic fields, radiation and dust particles.


A rocket malfunction left Ranger 2 standed in low Earth orbit. The spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on Nov. 20, 1961.

Credit: NASA