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N EWS RELEAS E
NATNAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
400 MARYLA4ND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20546
TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155 WORTH34925
CONTENTS PAGE 2i
IIUTRODUCTIO1N . ........
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 .............
Previous Ranger Missions . . . . . . . . . 4
Ranger Improyement Program . . . . . . . . 5
RANGtR A DZSCRIPTIOII .. . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . .'.. 8
Midcourse Motor . . . . . . . .. . . . . 10
Communications . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 11
Stabilization System . . . . . .. . . .. 13
Television System . . . . . . .. . . .. 1
Ranger Dimensions . . . . .. ..... 19
Ranger ',feight . . . . . . . . ...... 20
RAI4GER A TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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INTRODUCTION ImXC~I
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EST on February 5.
-more-
A24. Impact outside this area, however, could
of
The Ranger program is directed by NASA's Office
Space Science and Applications. It has assigned project
Pasadena, Calif.,
management to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
of Technology.
whiah is operated by the California Institute
& . * .
Id
has project manage-
NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, O.,
Space Flight
ment for the AtlaD-Agena launch vehicle and Goddard
will supervise the
Center's Field Project Branch at Cape Kennedy
A will be by the
launch. Tracking and communication with Ranger
NASA/JPL Deep Space Network (DSN). Five scientific investigators
1962.
This is the first Ranger flight since October
Ranger I
Earlier Ranger spacecraft had two assignments.
concept
and II were development launches to prove the spacecraft
Although the launch
and make deep space scientific measurements.
orbit,
vehicles did not place the spacecraft in the desired
of the spacecraft
Rangers I and II were deemed successful tests
concept.
on the
Rangers III, IV, and V were to rough-land a capsule
resolution
lunar surface to return seismic information, medium
measure-
TV pictures of the lunar surface, and other scientific
by the launch
mnents. Ranger III was given excessive velocity
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TRAJECTORY LIMITATIONS ON RANGER
PHOTOGRAPHIC IONS
FIRST THIRD
QUARTERQUARTER
MOON MOON
TRAJECTORY
I -I
MOON
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vehicle and crossed the Moon's orbital path too soon. The
spacecraft, however, achieved Earth and Sun lock and a
decision was made to attempt a long-range photograph of the,
Moon by 24,000 miles. Midcourse was planned to raise this to
26,000 miles to provide a better angle for the antenna at
the Goldstone tracking station. An error in the midcourse
computation lowered the miss distance figure to 22,000 miles.
At terminal maneuver, in an attempt to point the spacecraft's
television camera at the Moon, a malfunction occurred in the
Central Computer and Sequencer and the maneuver was unsuccessful.
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JI
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RANWER A DSCRIPTION
Power Supply
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[
FrI
i-i
I
I w 1I
ai
a -
aI
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Si
a -I
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Two silver zinc batteries will provide power for the
bus during launch, prior to opening the solar panels, and
during the midcourse and terminal maneuvers when the panels
do not point towards the Sun. The batteries each have a
capacity for nine hours of spacecraft operation and provide
26.5 volts ebach. A single battery is capable of providing
power for launch, midcourse and terminal maneuvers.
-more-
Two antennas are employed on the spacecraft. The low
Midcourse Motor
per square inch is admitted inside the pressure dome and squeezes
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starting fluid, nitrogen tetroxide, is admitted into the
Burning stops when the valves turn off nitrogen pressure and
fuel flow.
four jet vanes which protrude into the rocket exhaust for
gyros.
of 98.5 seconds.
Communications
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* '4
recorded by the six TV cameras. One transmitter will
handle the two full scan (wide angle) cameras; the second
will transmit for the four partial scan (narrow angle)
cameras.
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Stabilization System
The four primary Sun sensors are mounted on four of the six
legs of the hexagon and the two secondary sensors on the backs
of the solar panels. These are light-sensitive diodes which inform
the attitude control system when they see the Sun. The attitude
control zystem responds to these signals by turning the spacecraft
and pointing the longitudinal or roll axis toward the Sun. The
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apa~ccraft is turned by the cold gas jets fed by the nitrogen
The CC&S provides the basic timing for the spacecraft sub-
CC&S sequences.
Television System
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mile. This means that peering through the thick layer of
The line of sight for the cameras will be down the descent path.
path.
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The 375-pound television package, designed and built
by RCA's Astro-Electronics Division, Princeton, N.J., is
shaped like a truncated cone 59 inches high, 27 inches wide
at the base, and 16 inches wide on top. It is mounted on the
hexagonal base of the Ranger spacecraft bus. It is covered
The six cameras, which are located near the top of the
payload tower, are designated F (for full-scan) and P (for
partial-scan) cameras. Of the two F cameras, one has a 25mm
lens with a speed of f/1l and field of view of 25 degrees. The
other camera has a 75mm, f/2 lens with a field of 8.4 degrees.
Cameras P-1 and P-2 have 75mm, f/2 lenses with 2.1 degree
field of view, while P-3 and P-4 have 25mm, f/l lenses with 6.3
degree fields.
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-1/
is 1/500 of a second for the P cameras; 1/200 of a second
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.
of electrons. The beam is capable of differentiating light and
dark areas by their electrical resistance -- high resistance
being a light area, low resistance, dark.
-tore-
The vidicon face plates are erased in the following
are
manner: Special liahts built around the vidicon tubes
The plate is then scanned
flashed to saturate the face plate.
of the previous
twice by the electron beam to remove all traces
image.
and P-4.
80 watt
70 watt hours of power, while the P channel will use
Ranger Dimensions
Diameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 feet
..
Heigt .. ..
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .8.25 feet
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In cruise position, panels unfo'ded
Span . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 feet
Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.25f eet
Ranger Weight
Propulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.74pounds
TV Subsystem
Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.95 pounds
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of launch.
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moon.
ylhydrazine.
spacecraft adapter.
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RANGER A TRAJECTORY
.- --
AGENA COASTS
INCIRCULAR- / .o-,
FIRING DIRECTION k.,
PARKING ORBIT C\ANGES
ALTTUDE15O MPH, MOON CORRIDOR
RELATIVELY FIXED
FINAL ABOUT A IN SPACE FOR ANY *
the pictures.
The new Moon and full Moon phases are not acceptable
The spacecraft locks onto the sun and earth for orientation
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and his launch angles are limited, means he can only fire
Sun.
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MISSION DESCRIPTION
over.
miles an hour.
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Acquisition Modes
the Sun sensor system, gas jet system and command the attitude
control system to seek the Sun. At the same time that the
about until its long axis is pointed at the Sun thus aligning
the solar panels with the Sun. A back-up command for Sun
acquisition will also be given by the mechanical timer. Both
the Sun sensors and the gyros can activate the gas jet valves.
the Sun.
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The Sun acquisition process is expected to take about
from the panels. The batteries will now only supply power
this point) and order a roll search. The gas jets will fire
the roll, the Earth sensor will see the Earth and inform the
gas jets. The jets will fire to keep the Earth in view of
the sensor and thus lock onto the Earth. Earth acquisition
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I
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search for the Earth, may see the Moon and lock onto it, but
hinge angle and then order another roll search. When the
Midcourse Maneuver
The cruise mode will continue until time for the mid-
at JPL.
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sent to JPL and fed into a large scale computer system. The
involves commands for roll, pitch and motor burn. Roll and
of flight.
and amount of roll required, the second will give the direc-
tion and amount of pitch needed, and the third will give the
the maneuver.
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37
are powered and pitch and roll turns are initiated. During
the maneuver the CC&S will inform the attitude control sub-
course motor will be turned on and burn for the required time.
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Terminal Sequence
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Goldstone station at one hour from impact and the CC&S will
switch the attitude control system from the primary Sun sensors
to the gyros and command the first pitch turn. The pitch turn
spacecraft's solar panels are now turned partly away from the
craft batteries.
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The spacecraft will be 2000 miles from the Moon and its
of .2 seconds.
of the lunar surface that are 151,000 and 16,800 square miles
for the F cameras and 9,460 and 1,050 square miles on the P
cameras.
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These first pictures should have resolution comparable
resolution.
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DEEP SPACE NETWORK
time they are injected into orbits until they complete their
missions.
near Johannesburg.
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The mobile station will be used in that location because
the initial Ranger A acquistion and loss times for the DSN
stations are:
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rJ
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RANGER A TEAM
Goble.
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Fahnestock.
determination head.
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Teb Inc. Structural Components
El Monte, Calif.
Texas Instruments, Inc. Spacecraft Command Subsystem and
Apparatus Div. Associated Operational Support Equip-
Dallas, Texas ment
Transonic Pacific Transducers
Los Angeles, Calif. Voltage Controlled Oscillators
Weber Metals and Supply Co. Forgings
Paramount, Calif. -
Ace of Space, Inc. Electronic Chassis
Pasadena, Calif.
Brockell Mfg. Co. Electronic Chassis
Culver City, Calif.
Dunlap and Whitehead Mfg. Electronic Chassis
Van Nuys, Calif.
Hodgson Mfg. Co. Electronic Chassis
La Crescenta, Calif.
Milbore Co. Electronic Chassis
Glendale, Calif.
X-Cell Tool and Mfg. Co. Electronic Chassis
Hawthorne, Calif.
Minneapolis-Honeywell Gyroscopes
Regulator Co.
Aero Division
Minneapolis, M1inn.
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