Ranger 3
Atlas Agena B
United States Air Force
Mission
Ranger 3
- Type: Lunar Exploration
- Orbit: Heliocentric N/A
- Launch Cost: $14,210,000
Ranger 3 was a spacecraft designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface during the last 10 minutes prior to impacting the Moon. A malfunction in the booster guidance system resulted in excessive spacecraft speed. Ranger 3 missed the Moon by 36,800 km and is now in a heliocentric orbit.
Location
Launch Complex 12
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Launch Complex 12 has witnessed the launch of 23 rockets, including 21 orbital launch attempts, while Cape Canaveral, FL, USA, has been the site for 967 rocket launches.
Rocket
United States Air Force Atlas LV-3 Agena B
The Atlas LV-3A was a largely unsuccessful configuration until it was given an Agena B upper stage. It was responsible for the launch of Mariner II to Venus and had one of the first engines that could be restarted in orbit.
Agency
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.
