Ranger 7 reaches the moon, transmits pictures back to Earth 50 years ago this hour (July 31 1964)

1960s, space exploration


Video: 'Ranger VII Photographs of the Moon 1964 NASA JPL First Successful US Lunar Spacecraft'

(Friday, July 31, 1964, 16:50:00 UTC) — Ranger 7 radioed to earth today the first close-up pictures of the moon — a historic collection of 4,000 pictures one thousand times as clear as anything ever seen through earth-bound telescopes.