Ranger 4
Ranger 4 was NASA’s Block II lunar-impact mission designed to transmit descent images and deliver a seismometer capsule. A central-computer power failure prevented planned operations, but the inert spacecraft reached and impacted the Moon’s far side on April 26, 1962, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Ranger 4Ranger IVRanger 4 Lunar Impact Probe
- Name
- Ranger 4
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Ranger 4 was NASA’s Block II lunar-impact mission designed to transmit descent images and deliver a seismometer capsule. A central-computer power failure prevented planned operations, but the inert spacecraft reached and impacted the Moon’s far side on April 26, 1962, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to reach another celestial body.
- Destination
- Moon
- End Date
- 1962-04-26
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1962-04-23
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ranger-4/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 17:12:04 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 15, 2026 at 00:45:06 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- -
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles