ranger vi press kit

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N EWS RELEAS ENATNAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION400 MARYLA4ND AVENUE, SW , WASHINGTON, D. C. 20546TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155 WORTH34925FOR RELEASE: SUNDAYJanuary 26, 1964

RELEASE NO: 64-16NASA TO LAUNCH SIXTH RANOIER

2iONTENTS PAGEIIUTRODUCTIO1N . ......... . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ............Previous Ranger Missions . . . . . . . . . 4Ranger Improyement Program . . . . . . . . 5RANGtR A DZSCRIPTIOII .. . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . .'.. 8Midcourse Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Stabilization System . . . . . . . . . .. 13Television System . . . . . . . . . . .. 1Ranger Dimensions . . . . .. ..... 19Ranger ',feight . . . . . . . . ...... 20ATLAS-AGENA LAUNCIJ VHCLE . . . . . . . . . 21Agena B Second Stage . . . . . . . . . .. 23Atla3 D Booster Stage .......... 24RANGER A TRAJECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . 26MISSION DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Launch and Separation . . . . . . . . . . 31Acqulsition Mpdes . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Midcourse laneuver . . . . . . . . . . .. 35Ter~minal Sequence . . . . . . . . . . .. 3Television System Operation . . . . . , 4-DEEP SPACE NET14ORK . . . . . . . a . . . . 43RAI4GER A TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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INTRODUCTION ImXC~IThe sixth RanGer spacecraft will be launched on a

lunar photographic mission by an Atlas-Agena vehicle bythe National Aeronautics and Space Administration fromCape Kennedy, Fla., no earlier than January 30.

Ten minutes prior to impacting the Moon, six tele-vision cameras aboard Ranger will beGin taking a largenumber of photographs of the lunar surface. These pictureswill support the Surveyor unmanned aoft-landing spacecraftand the Apollo manned lunar landing program and will providescientific data on the lunar topography.

If this Ranger mission is successful, it will return toEarth the first detailed photographs ol' the visible race ofthe Moon. They would be the first space photographs of theMoon since the Soviets' Lunik III made pictures of the backside of the Moon in October 1959.

Although this is the sixth Ranger mlsaion, the spacecraftwill be called Ranger A to conform with a recont ;TASA change, nspacecraft designations. If the launch lo succeaosul, the space-crait will be named Ranger VI.

Rangr A vi.ll weiCh a total o" 304 pounds i:ncludlng thetelev'sion system ah.'ch wzill weigh 375 pounds. There will be noother Scientific cxpar:biento aboard.

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Ranger A can be launched only during certain launchwindows. These are when the Earth, Sun, and Moon are inrelation to each other in space so as to give the space-craft orientation points during its flight and when illumi-nation of the lunar impact area by the Sun is such thatshadows will provide contrast in the photographs.

The launch period opens on January 30 and lasts hroughFebruary 5. Another launch attempt would then have to waitsome 25 days.

On January 30, a 90-minute launch window opens at ap- lproximately 10:15 a.m., EST. For each day thereafter, thewindow slips about 75 minutes a day, opening at about 6:00 p.m.,EST on February 5.

The flight to the Moon will take about 66 to 68 hours.Ranger A will crash on the Moon's surface at a velocity ofsome 6,000 miles an hour to terminate the mission.

During the last ten ninutes of the flight, the cameras --two wide-angle and four narrow-angle -- will provide more than3,000 photographs if all goes well. The preferred area for thepicture- is on the lead'ng visible quarter of the Moon withinten to 40 degrees of the shadow line or terminator and 20 degreesabove and below the lunar equator. This is a rectangle about

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A4. Impact outside this area, however, couldprovide acceptable pictures.

The Ranger program is directed by NASA's Office ofSpace Science and Applications. It has assigned projectmanagement to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,whiah is operated by the California Institute of Technology.

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NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, O., has project manage-ment for the AtlaD-Agena launch vehicle and Goddard Space FlightCenter's Field Project Branch at Cape Kennedy will supervise thelaunch. Tracking and communication with Ranger A will be by theNASA/JPL Deep Space Network (DSN). Five scientific investigatorswill analyze the photographs.

Previous Ranger Missions

This is the first Ranger flight since October 1962.

Earlier Ranger spacecraft had two assignments. Ranger Iand II were development launches to prove the spacecraft conceptand make deep space scientific measurements. Although the launchvehicles did not place the spacecraft in the desired orbit,Rangers I and II were deemed successful tests of the spacecraftconcept.

Rangers III, IV, and V were torough-land a capsule on the

lunar surface to return seismic information, medium resolutionTV pictures of the lunar surface, and other scientific measure-mnents. Ranger III was given excessive velocity by the launch

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TRAJECTORY LIMITATIONS ON RANGERPHOTOGRAPHIC IONS

W SHADED I-E-NM WECMMEKeRA1 SEARTH AND SUN SENSORS CANNOTAUTY OMIENT SCEOFT

ONLY REWON WHERE RANGER MPACTSNEAR-VERTICALLY ON SUNUT SIDE OFA-WFCT POSSILE MY ON/:-\ I HRs cnOO N AND WHERE SPACECRAFTDARK SIDE OF MOON -IENTATION IS ADEQUATE

FIRST THIRDQUARTERQUARTERMOON MOONTRAJECTORY

MOON

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vehicle and crossed the Moon's orbital path too soon. Thespacecraft, however, achieved Earth and Sun lock and adecision was made to attempt a long-range photograph of the,Moon by 24,000 miles. Midcourse was planned to raise this to26,000 miles to provide a better angle for the antenna atthe Goldstone tracking station. An error in the midcoursecomputation lowered the miss distance figure to 22,000 miles.At terminal maneuver, in an attempt to point the spacecraft'stelevision camera at the Moon, a malfunction occurred in theCentral Computer and Sequencer and the maneuver was unsuccessful.

Ranger IV failed shortly after injection. The failure wasbelieved to be in the Central Computer and Sequencer. Thelaunch vehicle, however, performed excellently and trackingrevealed that Ranger IV crashed into the hiuden side of theMoon.

Ranger V also feiled shortly after injection. The failurewas believed to be in the switching and logic circuitry of thepower supply.

Ranger Improvement ProgramThe Associate Administrator fo r Space Science and Applica-

tions, Dr. Homer E. Newell, ordered an exhaustive review of theRanger system after the Ranger V failure. The review by a group

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-6-of NASA experts from Headquarters and several field centers,confirmed the soundness of the basic spacecraft concept.Each subsystem, however, was carefully studied by JPL andchanges were made to improve reliability. These changes in-cluded the use of screened or high-reliability electroniccomponents, some repackaging and circuitry re-design and pro-vision for redundancy in some areas. In addition, sterilizationrequirements for Ranger spacecraft were relaxed as it is be-lieved heat sterilization possibly contributed to the failures.The new requirements specify clean-room assembly and check-out

and use of surface sterilants.The original Ranger scheduled for this mission was used as

a Life Test Vehicle and flew a number of simulated 66-hour lunarmissions in an environmental chamber.

Redundancy designed into Ranger A includes back-up devicesto initiate comanands to the spacecraft in event of a failure ofthe Central Computer and Sequencer (CC&S) or failure of thespacecraft to respond to commands radioed from Earth.

A mechanical timer will back-up three crucial commands:Arming of explosive devices to deploy solar panels; firing ofexplosives to deploy solar panels; initiation of Sun acquisition

by the spacecraft.

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JIA CC&S command to warm up (low power) the television systems

will be backed-up by a command radioed from Earth. The fullpower command will be given by the television sequencers, whichare in turn, backed-up by a command from the CC&S. A clockmechanism in the TV payload will be set to initiate warm-upof the wide-angle cameras and transmitters 30 minutes beforenominal impact time. The television clock can be inhibited bya radioed command if this back-up capability is not required.

Redundant clock mechanisms are included in the decoder inthe command subsystem and in the encoder in the telemetry sub-system. These clocks will function in the event the master clockshould fail. The master clock provides the basic timing for allspacecraft functions.

A back-up command capability is provided by radioed commandfrom Earth for Earth acquisition.

Redundancy is also provided by two spacecraft batteries,either of which can provide sufficient power for battery-poweredportions of the mission, and two attitude control gas Jet systems,each capable of completing the mission, and two systems for armingand firing of explosive squibs to deploy the solar panels andactuate the midcourse motor valves.

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RANWER A DSCRIPTIONThe Ranger A spacecraft was designed and built by the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A number of industrial contrac-tors provided subsystems and components.

Ranger A continues the design concept used in earlierRangers and in the Mariner II Venus fly-by spacecraft, of abasic unit capable of carrying varying payloads. This unit,sor bus, provides power, communication, attitude control, com-mand functions, trajectory correction and a stabilized plat-form for mounting scientific instruments.

The bus is a hexagon framework constructed of aluminumand magnesium tubing and structural members. Electronicscases are attached to the six sides and a high-gain, dishshaped antenna is hinged to the bottom. The midcourse motoris set inside the hexagonal structure with the rocket nozzlefacing down. The bus also includes a hat-shaped omni-directionaljantenna which is mounted at the peak of the conical televisionsystem structure.

Power SupplyTwo solar panels are hinged to the base of the hexagon

and are folded up like butterfly wings during launch. Thepanels provide 24.4 square feet of solar cell area and will de-liver 200 watts of raw power to.the spacecraft. There are 4,896solar cells in each panel.

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-9-Two silver zinc batteries will provide power for the

bus during launch, prior to opening the solar panels, andduring the midcourse and terminal maneuvers when the panelsdo not point towards the Sun. The batteries each have acapacity for nine hours of spacecraft operation and provide26.5 volts ebach. A single battery is capable of providingpower for launch, midcourse and terminal maneuvers.

The TV system will carry two batteries to operate thecameras for one hour and to provide a nominal 33 volts.

Ranger A is five feet in diameter at the base of thehexagon and 8.25 feet high. With the solar panels extendedand the high-gain antenna deployed, the spacecraft is 15 feetacross and 10.25 feet high.

The six cases girdling the spacecraft house the IVollow:Lng:case 1, Central Computer and Sequencer and command subsystem;case 2, radio receiver and transmitter; case 3, data encoder(telemetry); case 4, attitude control, (command switchingand logic, gyros, auto pilot); case 5, spacecraft launch andmaneuver battery; case 6A, power booster regulator, power switch-ing logic and squib firing assembly; case 6B, second spacecraftlaunch and maneuver battery.

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Two antennas are employed on the spacecraft. The lowgain, omni-directional antenna transmits during the launchsequence and the midcourse maneuver only. It functions atall other times throughout the flight as a receiving antennafor commands radioed from Earth.

A dish s1ped, high gain directional antenna is employedin the cruis.e and terminal modes. The hinged, directionalantenna is equipped with a drive mechanism allowing it to beset at appropriate angles. An Earth sensor is mounted on the

antenna yoke near the rim of the dish-shaped antenna to keepthe antenna pointed at Earth. During midcourse Maneuver thedirectional antenna is moved out of the path of the rocket ex-haust and transmission is switched to the omni-antenna.

Midcourse Motor

The midcourse rocket motor is a liquid monopropellantengine weighing 46 pounds with fuel and nitrogen pressure gassystem. Hydrazine fuel is held in a rubber bladder containedinside a doorknob-shaped container called the pressure dome.On the command to fire, nitrogen under 300, pounds of pressureper square inch is admitted inside the pressure dome and squeezesthe rubber bladder containing the fuel.

The hydrazine is thus forced into the combustion chamber,but because it is a monopropellant, it needs a starting fluid t'oinitiate combustion and a catalyst to maintain combustion. The

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starting fluid, nitrogen tetroxide, is admitted into thecombustion chamber by means of a pressurized cartridge.The introduction of the nitrogen tetroxide causes ignition,and the burning in the combustion chamber is maintained bythe catalyst -- aluminum oxide pellets stored in the chamber.Burning stops when the valves turn off nitrogen pressure andfuel flow.

At the bottom of the nozzle of the midcourse motor arefour jet vanes which protrude into the rocket exhaust forattitude control of the spacecraft during the midcourse motorbur"n. The vanes are controlled by an autopilot linked togyros.

The midcourse motor can burn in bursts of aslittle as 50milliseconds and can alter velocity i.n aay direction by aslittle as four inches per second or as much as 190 feet persecond. It has a thrust of 50 pounds for a maximum burn timeof 98.5 seconds.

Communications

Aboard the spacecraft are three radios: the three-wattreceiver/transmitter in the bus and two 60-watt transmittersin the television section of the payload. The television 'Uraniz-mitters will transmit, during terminal sequence, the images j

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recorded by the six TV cameras. One transmitter willhandle the two full scan (wide angle) cameras; the secondwill transmit for the four partial scan (narrow angle)cameras.

During the cruise portion of the flight, before thecameras are switched on, the bus transmitter will transmitall the telemetry (engineering data) for the spacecraft in-cluding the TV system. After terminal maneuver, with thetelevision cameras turned on, the TV transmitters will sendadditional engineering data mixed with the signals represent-ing the television images.

Telemetry will provide 110 engineering measurements(temperatures, voltages, pressures) on the spacecraft duringthe cruise portion of the flight. This will include I- datapoints on the TV system. When the cameras are turned on, 90additional engineering measurements on the Tb system perfovinazceawill be transmitted.

The communications system for the bus includes: data on-coders which translate the engineering measurements for 'Ua:n"-mission to Earth and a detector and a decoder in the commandsubsystem, which translates incoming commands to the spacacraftfrom a binary form into electrical impulses. Commands radioodto the spacecraft are routed to the proper destination by thecommand subsystem. A real-time command from earth actuates

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the designated relay within the command decoder thus executingthe command. Stored commands are relayed to the CC&S in serialbinary form to be held and acted upon at a later time.

The TV system includes separate encoders to condition thetelevision images for transmission in analog form.

Stabilization SystemStabilization and maneuvering of the spacecraft is pro-

vided by 12 cold gas Jets mounted in six locations and fed bytwo titanium bottles containing a total of five pounds of nitro-gen gas pressurized at 3500 psi. The Jets are linked by logiccircuitry to three gyros in the attitude control subsystem, tothe Earth sensor on the directional antenna and to six Sunsensors mounted on the spacecraft frame and on the backs Of thetwo panels. There are two complete gas Jet systems of six jetsand one bottle each. Either system can handle the mission inthe event the other system fails.

The four primary Sun sensors are mounted on four of the sixlegs of the hexagon and the two secondary sensors on the backsof the solar panels. These are light-sensitive diodes which informthe attitude control system when they see the Sun. The attitudecontrol zystem responds to these signals by turning the spacecraftand pointing the longitudinal or roll axis toward the Sun. The

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-14-apa~ccraft is turned by the cold gas jets fed by the nitrogengas regulated to 15 pounds per square inch pressure.

Computation and the issuance of commands is the functionof the digital Central Computer and Sequencer. All events ofthe spacecraft are contained in three CC&S sequences. Thelaunch sequence controls events from launch through the cruisemode. The midcourse propulsion sequence controls the midcoursetrajectory correction maneuver. The terminal sequence providesrequired commands as Ranger A nears the Moon.

The CC&S provides the basic timing for the spacecraft sub-systems. This time-base will be supplied by a crystal controloscillator in the CC&S operating at 307.2 kilocycles. Thecontrol oscillator provides the basic counting rate for the CC&Sto determine issuance of commands at the right time in the threeCC&S sequences.

Television System

Although the Moon has been the object of astronomicalstudies for centuries, there has been a great deal of speculationabout the texture of its surface, but little scientific proof.The best information available comes from observations of theMoon through large optical telescopes. Although these instru-ments provide many details about the Moon's surface, their reso-lution, or ability to detect objects, is limited to about half a

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mile. This means that peering through the thick layer ofatmosphere around the Earth, astronomers would not be ableto detect an aircraft carrier on the lunar surface.

With such limited knowledge about the Moon's surface, itis virtually impossible to design a manned spacecraft to landon the Moon. Ranger is designed to provide information as tothe nature of the lunar surface.

The first pictures, to be taken about 900 miles above thelunar surface, will be roughly comparable in resolution to thosetaken by large telescopes on Earth. The last few pictures willbe taken a fraction of a second before the Ranger crashes.These pictures, which will be telemetered approximately 240,000miles back to Earth, may be able to distinguish objects on theMoon which are the size of an automobile.

Instructions radioed to the spacecraft for the terminalmaneuver will be computed to reorient the spacecraft to point thecameras downward as Ranger A drops towards the Moon's surface.The line of sight for the cameras will be down the descent path.To achieve this, the spacecraft will descend to the Moon'ssurface, tilted at an angle of 38 degrees relative to the descentpath.

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-16-The 375-pound television package, designed and built

by RCA's Astro-Electronics Division, Princeton, N.J., isshaped like a truncated cone 59 inches high, 27 inches wideat the base, and 16 inches wide on top. It is mounted on thehexagonal base of the Ranger spacecraft bus. It is coveredby a shroud of polished aluminum with a 13-inch opening nearthe top for the television cameras. The shroud is circled byfour one-inch-wide fins that are designed to supply properthermal balance by absorbing solar heat during the cruise mode.

The payload consists of two wide-angle and four narrow-angle television cameras, camera sequencer, a video combiner,telemetry system, transmitters, and power supplies.

The six cameras, which are located near the top of thepayload tower, are designated F (for full-scan) and P (forpartial-scan) cameras. Of the two F cameras, one has a 25mmlens with a speed of f/1l and field of view of 25 degrees. Theother 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 degreefield of view, while P-3 and P-4 have 25mm, f/l lenses with 6.3degree fields.

All cameras have high-quality lenses with five elements andmetallic focal plane or slit-type shutters. This shutter is notcocked as in conventional cameras, but moves from one side of thelens to the other each time a picture is taken. The shutter speed

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-1/is 1/500 of a second for the P cameras; 1/200 of a secondfor the F cameras.

The entire six-camera assembly weighs 59 pounds. It ismounted so that the cameras are pointed at an angle of 38 de-grees from the roll axis of the spacecraft.

All the cameras have a fixed-focus but will be able to takepictures from about 900 miles to about one-half mile from theMoonts surface.

One reason for having several cameras with different lensaperatures is that the local lighting conditions on the Mooncannot be accurately determined from Earth. The differentlenses provide greater exposure latitude. They are set totake pictures from 2,600 to 30 foot lamberts. This correspondsroughly to lighting conditions on Earth from noon to dusk on awinter day. A foot lambert is a measure of brightness.

Behind each of the cameras is a vidicon tube one inch indiameter and 4.5 inches long. The inside of the face plateof the tubes are coated with a photo-conductive material thatacts in much the same way as tubes in commercial televisioncameras. When a picture is taken the light and dark areas forman Image on the face plate of what the lens gathered as theshutter was snapped. This image is rapidly scanned by a beam

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of electrons. The beam is capable of differentiating light anddark areas by their electrical resistance -- high resistancebeing a light area, low resistance, dark.

The image projected on the face plate of the F cameras is.44 inches square, while the P camera vidicon face plates useonly .11 inches square. The F camera pictures are scanned 1152times by the electron-beam, but because they occupy a smallerarea, the P camera are scanned only 300 times.

The scan lines, each containing information about some partof the picture are converted into an electrical signal. They aresent through the cameras' amplifier where they are amplified1,000 times.

Once amplified, the signal is sent to one of two videocombiners in the payload. There is one video combiner for theF cameras and one for the P cameras. They sequentially combinethe output of the cameras to which they are mated. The outputof the video combiners are then converted to a frequency modulated(FM) signal and sent to one of the two 60 watt transmitters. Onetransmitter sends pictures to Earth from the F cameras on959.52 me and the P pictures are sent on 960.58 me,

Another vital component of the payload is the camera sequencer.The camera sequencer sends three types of instructions to thecameras: (1) snap shutter, (2) read-out vidicon face plate, (3)erase face plates and prepare for next picture.

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The vidicon face plates are erased in the followingmanner: Special liahts built around the vidicon tubes areflashed to saturate the face plate. The plate is then scanned

twice by the electron beam to remove alltraces of the previous

image.

Thus, in the case of the F cameras, the camera sequencerwould send instructions alternately to each camera at 2.56-second intervals. While one camera is taking a picture, readingout. and transmitting it, the other will be erasing its vidiconnace plate. The camera sequencer for the P cameras sends instruc-tions every .2 seconds in the following order: P-i, P-3, P-2,and P-4.

The TV subsystem also includes two batteries, one for eachchannel. Each battery weighs 43 pounds. They are made of 22sealed silver zinc oxide cells and provide about `3 volts.During the 10 minutes of operation, the F channel will use about 470 watt hours of power, while the P channel will use 80 watthours. The total power capacity is 1,600 watt houts.

Ranger Dimensions

In launch position, foldedDiameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 feet

Heigt .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .8.25 feet

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-20-In cruise position, panels unfo'dedSpan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 feetHeight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.25 eet

Ranger Weight

Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90.37 poundsSolar Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . 47.82 poundsElectronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154.36 poundsPropulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.74poundsLaunch-Backup Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.75 poundsMiscellaneous Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.89 poundsRanger Bus Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427.93poundsTV SubsystemCameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.95 poundsCamera Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.68 poundsVideo Combiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.17 poundsSequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.92 poundsBatteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.24 poundsTransmitters and Associated Equipment . . . . . . 70.24 poundsStructure and Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . 115.74 pounds5TV Subsystem Total ........3,.1... pound.,GROSS WEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S03.37po nl ii

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ATLAS-AGENA LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Atlas-Agena-B--NASA's launch vehicle for Ranger A--

is a combination of two vehicles.

The Atlas D is the booster and the Agena B is the secondstage.

Built by General Dynamics/Astronautica, Atlas is pur-chased for NASA through the Space Systems D.;.vision of theU.S. Air Force Systems Command. The Agena B vehicle and itsmission modification is purchased directly from the LockheedMissiles and Space Company by NASA's Lewis Research Center.

All engines of the Atlas booster, sustainer and vernier,area burning at liftoff. The booster is programmed to burnabout 2* minutes, the sustainer about 4-'- minutes and theverniers about five minutes. At Atlas burnout, the vehicleshould be at an altitude of about 92 statute miles.

When vernier cutoff occurs, the entire vehicle goes intoa coast of about half a minute. First the shroud protectingRanger A during its exit through the Earth's atmosphere isseparated by a series of springs. Next small explosivecharges release the Agena carrying the spacecraft from theAtlas. Retrorockets on the booster fire, Blowing its upward

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flight and allowing the Agena to separate. Then the Agenapneumatic control system begins a pitch maneuver to orientthe vehicle into a horizontal attitude. This pitch maneuveris programmed to be completed before the timer signalsignition of the Agena engine.

At engine start, the hydraulic control system takesover, keeping the vehicle horizontal during the approximately2j minutes the engine is operating. The infrared horizon-sensing device sends minute corrections to the control system.

At Agena engine cutoff, the vehicle and its Ranger pay-load will be in a near circular orbit at an altitude of about115 miles with a velocity of 17,500 miles an hour. This isthe parking orbit.

The Agena then coasts in this orbit for approximately15 to 30 minutes, depending on the day and hour of launch.The pneumatic control system again takes over, maintainingthe vehicle in the proper attitude with respect to the Earth.At the proper instant, the timer again signals the Agenaengine to begin operation. This second burn is programmedfor approximately 11 minutes.

About 21 minutes after the final engine shutdown, Rangeris separated from the Agena by springs. This occurs about 25to 40 minutes after liftoff, depending on the day and hourof launch.

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At separation from the Agena, the Ranger spacecraftshould be traveling about 23,8.00 miles per hour. This velo-city will place it in a trajectory that will carry it to themoon.

Agena B Second Stage

The Agena B stage of the launch vehicle has been usedon many NASA and Air Force launches.

The Agena B vehicle has integral, load-carrying propellanttanks and is powered by a Bell Aerospace turbopump-fed engine.It burns unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel andinhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) as the oxidizer.

The rocket's guidance system is capable of establishingattitude references and aligning the vehicle with them duringthe coast and engine operation phases. It also initiatesprogrammed signals for the starting, stopping and maintain-ing of various equipment during flight.

Here is a description of the Agena B:Propulsion -- Single rocket engine using liquid propellants

-- inhibited red fuming nitric acid and unsymmetrical dimeth-ylhydrazine.

Thrust -- 16,000 pounds at altitude.Size -- Approximately 22 feet long, including Ranger

spacecraft adapter.

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Control Systems -- Pneumatic, using high-pressure gasmetered through external jets for use during coast phases.Hydraulic, through gimballing rocket engine for pitch and yawcontrol during powered portions of flight. Both fed by pro-grammer initiated by airborne timers. Corrections providedby airborne guidance system.

Guidance -- The guidance system, which is made up oftiming devices, an inertial reference system, a velocity meterand an infrared horizon-sensing device, is entirely self-contained.

Atlas D Booster StagePropulsion -- Three rocket engines--two boosters, one

sustainer using liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants.Speed-- Appriximately 12,600 statute miles per hour for

the Ranger missions.Thrust -- Total nominal thrust at sea level more than

360,000 pounds.Size -- Approximately 78 feet high, including adapter

for Agena; 16 feet wide across flared engine nacelles. Tenfeet wide across tank section.

Weight -- Approximately 260,000 pounds at launch, fullyloaded with propellants.

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Guidance -- Radio command guidance quipment is furnishedby General Electric. Airborne elements transmit informationfrom which the velocity and position of the vehicle can becaputed by the Burroughs Computer.

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RANGER A TRAJECTORY

To launch a Ranger spacecraft on a trajectory fromEarth that will put the craft on an acceptable course to theMoon requires threading the vehicle through a 10-mile Diam-eter target 120 statute miles above the Earth's surface ata velocity within 16 mph of 24,500 miles per hour. If theseaccuracies are achieved, then a midcourse maneuver is capableof adjusting the trajectory to yield an impact on the Moonin the desired area.

This circular target (injection point) remains relativelyfixed in space each day of the firing period. The CapeKennedy launch site, however, is continually moving eastwardas the Earth rotates. Therefore, the firing angle (azimuthangle) from the launch site and the length cf time spent ina parking orbit must change minute by minute to compensatefor the Earth's rotation. Actually, the trajectory engineercomputes a series of lunar trajectories for each day of alaunch period.

In calculating a trajectory for a Moon flight, thetrajectory engineer must include the influence on the pathof the spacecraft of the gravitation pull of the Earth, Moon,Sun, Venus, Mars, and the giant planet Jupiter, At thesame time he must satisfy numerous constraints imposed bymechanical limitations of the spacecraft, a moving launchsite, photographic requirements and tracking and communicationconsiderations. 2Mro


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TYPICAL RANGER LAUNCH TO MOONZEAUL.Y nJ DAY - MOON

NORTH POLEMIDCOURSE MANEUVERCORRECTS INITIAL GUIDANCEERRORS OF POSITIONATLAS AND VELOCITYFIRINGj L.AT C3E:\R IN D A YIStAGENA

FIRING FIRINC DIRECTION EARTH ROTATESEASTWARD--

AGENA COASTSINCIRCULAR- / .o-, FIRING DIRECTION k.,PARKING ORBIT C\ANGESALTTUDE15O MPH, MOON CORRIDOR

RELATIVELY FIXEDFINAL ABOUT A IN SPACE FOR ANY *

ACENA FIRING 10 .DIA / ONE LAUNCH DAY \ tIF ANGER ENTERS 10-MILE-DIAMETERCIRCLE WITHIN 16 MPH OF DESIREDINJECTION VELOCITY, THEN MIDCOURSE / /MOTOR CA N ADJUST TRAJECTORY FOR AGENA COASTLUNAR IMPACT. DESIRED INJECTION TIME SHORTERVELOCITY VARIES FROM 24,520 TO 24,540MPH DEPENDING ON DATE OF LAUNCH CORRIDOR OPENINGOVER SO. ATLANTIC


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-27-For example, Ranger A can only be launched during a

portion of the Moon's third quarter. For photographic pur-poses the Ranger must impacv the Moon almost verticallyon the sunlit side visible from Earth and within ten to40 degrees of the terminator or shadow line. The verticalimpact will give nesting of the photographs for continuityand the lighting angles will provide good shadow detail inthe pictures.

The new Moon and full Moon phases are not acceptablebecause of attitude control requirements for the spacecraft.The spacecraft locks onto the sun and earth for orientationand in these periods the orientation is insufficientlyaccurate to provide adequate midcourse or terminal maneuvers.

In the first quarter of the Moon the sunlit side isthe trailing edge and a near vertical impact cannot beachieved in the sunlit region.

This leaves the third quarter as the only acceptablelunar phase for launching.

A verti4cal impact which satisfies the lightingrequirements and results in the most desirable nesting canonly be achieved on two days in the third quarter. In orderto provide a longer firing period, the trajectory engineermay use near-vertical impacts, not more than 20 degrees offvertical. This type of impact trajectory, called a biased

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trajectory, can add five or six days to the launch periodin the third quarter and -atlSfy photographic requirements.These biased trajectories cause a slight, but acceptablepenalty in the nesting characteristics of the photographs.

Know ng the days of the month in which he can launch,the trajectory engineer must now determine which portion ofeach day is acceptable. Only a few hours of each day areuseable. The fact that his launch site is moving eastwardand his launch angles are limited, means he can only fireat certain times and reach the circular injection area abovethe surface of the Earth0

Othey constraints imposed include the requirement thatthe Moon be visible to the Goldstone tracking station in theMojave Desert at impact, The transit time to the Moon, con-trolled by the injection velocity, must conform to thisrequirement. The injection Velocity changes from day to day,from 24,520 mph to 24,540 mph as the moon's distance anddeclination relative to Earth changes.

Further, the trajectory selected must not place thespacecraft in the Earth's shadow beyond specified amountsof time. Too much time in the Earth's shadow would chillspacecraft components anl then subject them to too rapidheating when the spacecraft emergiJ into the glare of theSun.


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-29-Assume that a set of trajectories for the launch period

have now been computed that satisfy all the myriad constraintsthat are imposed. The launch vehicle may then impose errorsin the flight trajectories due to inherent limitations inthe guidance system. Guidance errors, within design limits,can be corrected by the small rocket engine carried byRanger A. This midcourse correction occurs at about 16 hoursafter launch. Prior tracking of the spacecraft will haverevealed if any corrections are required.

Additional tracking of the spacecraft after the midcoursemaneuver will verify and/or determine the final portion o2lthe trajectory and the resulting impact location. This willallow accurate calculation of the terminal maneuver (chan-ing; of attitude of spacecraft to yield desired pointingdirection of camera) to be performed prior to impact.

The spacecraft will be accelerated as it nears the Noonby the lunar gravitational pull. This will slightly alterthe trajectory from the original elliptical path about theearth and yield a lunar impact.

The location of the impact can oly be predeterminedwitlin a circle approximately 24 miles in diameter. Thiscircle is defined by the effects of the uncertainties of:location cf the Ploon in resoect to Earth, evaluation oftracking data, influence of Sun, Moon, and planets on the

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MISSION DESCRIPTION

Here is the sequence of events in Ranger A's 66- to68-hour flight to the Moon.

Launch and Separation

The Atlas-Agena launch vehicle will boost Ranger A toan altitude of 115 miles and an orbital speed of 17,500 milesan hour to use the parking orbit technique rioneered in thefirst Ranger flights. Orbital speed will be achieved by thefirst bunrr of Agena after Atlas has separated.

Some 23 minutes after 2aunch, Rarsger's Central Computerand Sequencer (CC&S) will give its first command, orderingthe Ranger transmitter to full three-watt power. Until thistime, the transmitter had been kept at recuced power -- about1.1 watts. This is required during the time the launchv-hicle passes through a critical region between 150,000 and250,000 feet altitude wrhere high voltage devices can arcover.

Agena and Ranger then coast in the parking orbit overthe Altantic Ocean until they reach a point where the secondfiring of the Agena will aim the spacecraft at the taeget inspace where the Moon will be 66 to 68 hours later. Thesecond firing will accelerate the spacecraft to about 24,500miles an hour.

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Spring loaded explosive bolts then separate the Agenafrom the spacecraft. The Agena will perform a 180-degreeturn and a retro maneuver to remove it from the spacecrafttrajectory. Propulsion for the retro maneuver is providedby a small solid fuel rocket motor. The retro maneuverinsures that the Agena will not impact the Moon and that itwill not be in a position to reflect light that could confusethe Ranger's optical sensors and cause them to mistake theAgena for the Earth.

Separation from the Agena may cause the Rrnger to begina tumbling motion. These residual separation rates continueuntil cancelled out by the attitude control system duringSun acquisition. The yaw, pitch and roll gyros will generatesignals to fire the cold gas Jets to counteract the tumblingmotion.

Separation of the Agena will start tne mechanical back-uptimer, the TV back-up clocks and release the CC&S for issuanceof flight commands. During launch the CC&S will be partiallyinhibited to insure that flight canmands will not be giveninadvertently.

Approximately 17 minutes after separation from the Agena,the mechanical timer will turn on the payload cruise telemetryand about one hour after launch the CC&S will order deployment

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of the solar panels. Explosive pin pullers holding thesolar panels in their launch positicn then will be detonatedto allow the spring-loaded solar panels to open and assumetheir cruise position.

Acquisition Modes

With the solar panels deployed, the CC&S will activatethe Sun sensor system, gas jet system and command the attitudecontrol system to seek the Sun. At the same time that theCC&S orders Sun acquisition, it will order the high-gaindirectional antenna extended. The drive motor then willextend the antenna to a pre-set hinge angle that was deter-mined before launch and stored in the antenna control module.

In the Sun acquisition mode, the Sun sensors will providesignals to the gas Jet system that jockeys the spacecraftabout until its long axis is pointed at the Sun thus aligningthe solar panels with the Sun. A back-up command for Sunacquisition will also be given by the mechanical timer. Boththe Sun sensors and the gyros can activate the gas jet valves.

In order to conserve gas, the attitude control systempermits a pointing error toward the Sun of one degree, ora half-a-degree limit in each direction. It is calculatedthat the gas jets will fire one-fiftieth of a second each60 minutes to keep the spacecraft's solar panels pointed atthe Sun.

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The Sun acquisition process is expected to take about30 minutes. As soon as the solar panels are locked on theSun, the power system will begin drawing electric powerfrom the panels. The batteries will now only supply powerin the event of a peak demand which the panels cannot handleand during midcourse maneuver and terminal sequence.

The next event initiated by CC&S is the acquisition ofEarth by the Earth sensor. This will occur at about threeand one-half hours after launch. The CC&S will activatethe Earth sensor (turning off the secondary Sun sensors atthis point) and order a roll search. The gas jets will fireto initiate the roll. A radio command capability is providedto back up the initiation of this event.

During Earth acquisition, the spacecraft will maintainits lock on the Sun, but with its high-gain directionalantenna pointed at a preset angle, it rolls about its long axisand starts to look for the Earth. It does this by means ofthe three-section, photo-multiplier-tube operated Earth sensormounted on and aligned with the high-gain antenna. Duringthe roll, the Earth sensor will see the Earth and inform thegas jets. The jets will fire to keep the Earth in view ofthe sensor and thus lock onto the Earth. Earth acquisitionrequires one-half hour.

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The spacecraft now is stabilized on all three axes.There is some possibility that the Earth sensor, during itssearch for the Earth, may see the Moon and lock onto it, buttelemetry later will indicate if this has occurred, and theDeep Space Network stations have the ability to send an over-ride command to the attitude control system to tell it tolook again for the Earth. If this is not sufficient, thestations can send a hinge override command to change thehinge angle and then order another roll search. When theEarth is acquired, the transmitter is switched from the omni-antenna to the high-gain antenna by a command from Earth.

A rise in signal strength will be an indication thatEarth acquisition has been achieved by the parabolic antenna.

With Sun and Earth acquisition achieved, Ranger A nowis in its cruise mode.

Midcourse Maneuver

The cruise mode will continue until time for the mid-course trajectory correction maneuver. After launch, mostof the activity on the lunar mission will be centered atthe DSN stations and at the Space Flight Operations Centerat JPL.

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Tracking data collected by the DSN stations will besent to JPL and fed into a large scale computer system. Thecomputer will compare the actual trajectory of Ranger A withthe course required for impact on the Moon. If guidanceerrors before injection have put Ranger A off the optimumtrajectory, the computer will provide the necessary figuresto command the spacecraft to alter its trajectory. Thisinvolves commands for roll, pitch and motor burn. Roll andpitch orient the spacecraft and motor burn controls thevelocity increment required to alter the flight path and timeof flight.

The first command from Goldstone will give the directionand amount of roll required, the second will give the direc-tion and amount of pitch needed, and the third will give thevelocity change needed. This data is stored in the CC&Suntil Goldstone transmits a "go" command.

Prior to the "go" command, Goldstone will have orderedthe Ranger A transmitter to switch from the dish-shapeddirectional antenna at the base of the craft, to the omni-directional antenna mounted at the peak of the superstructure.The directional antenna will not remain Earth-oriented during

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Commands preprogrammed in the CC&S for the midcoursesequence initiate the following: the Earth sensor, mountedon the dish-shaped antenna, is turned off; the hinge-mounteddirectional antenna itself is moved out of the path of themid-course motor's exhaust; the autopilot and accelerometerare powered and pitch and roll turns are initiated. Duringthe maneuver the CC&S will inform the attitude control sub-system of the pitch and roll turns as they occur, forreference against the orders from Earth. An accelerometerwill provide acceleration rates to the CC&S during motor burnto the CC&S. Each pulse from the accelerometer represents avelocity increment of 0.03 meters per second.

The roll maneuver requires a maximum of 9.5 minutes oftime, including two minutes of settling time, and the pitchmaneuver requires a maximum of 17 minutes including twominutes of settling time. When these are completed, the mid-course motor will be turned on and burn for the required time.As the attitude control gas jets are not powerful enough tomaintain the stability of the spacecraft during the propulsionphase of the midcourse maneuver, moveable jet vanes extendinginto the exhaust of the midcourse motor control the attitudeof the spacecraft in this period.

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The jet vanes are controlled by an autopilot in the atti-tude control subsystem that functions only during the mid-course maneuver. The autopilot accepts information from thegyros to direct the thrust of the motor through the spacecraft'scenter of gravity to stabilize the craft.

After the midcourse maneuver has put Ranger A on thedesired trajectory, the spacecraft will again go through theSun and Earth acquisition modes.

During midcourse, Ranger A had been transmitting throughthe omni-antenna. When Earth is acquired, the transmitteris switched to the high-gain directional antenna. Thi.s antennawill be used for the duration of the flight.

Ranger A is again in the cruise mode. This will continueuntil time for the terminal maneuver.

Terminal Sequence

Approximately 65 hours after launch the Goldstone stationwill transmit radio commands to Ranger A to instruct the space-craft to perform the terminal maneuver. This maneuver willposition Ranger A in the proper attitude to align the six

cameras with the descent path of the spacecraft as it dropsto the Moon's surface.

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JPL Space Flight Operations personnel will have analyzedthe orientation of the spacecraft in its cruise mode inrelation to the desired orientation for the terminal phaseand computers will calculate the required angle and durationof the terminal maneuver commands.

These are encoded and transmitted to the spacecraft andstored in the CC&S.

A "go" command will be sent to Ranger A from the DSNGoldstone station at one hour from impact and the CC&S willswitch the attitude control system from the primary Sun sensorsto the gyros and command the first pitch turn. The pitch turnis followed by a yaw turn and tl-n a second pitch turn. Thespacecraft's solar panels are now turned partly away from theSun and electrical power is supplied by one of the two space-craft batteries.

Completion of the terminal maneuver will require about34 minutes. The spacecraft at this time will be 4160 milesfiom the Moon traveling at 3550 miles an hour.

At impact minus 15 minutes, the CC&S will send a commandto turn on the television system to allow it to warm up. Aradioed command for this event will be sent as a back-up.

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The spacecraft will be 2000 miles from the Moon and itsvelocity hill have increased to 4120 miles an hour due tothe increasing effect of lunar gravity.

At impact minus ten minutes, the camera sequencer turnsthe television system on to full power. This command willbe backed up by another from CC&S.

At this time, when the spacecraft is 900 miles from theMoon, the cameras will start taking pictures and returningthem to Earth by the two 60-watt transmitters.

Television System OperationFrom this point until the Ranger crashes on the Moon's

surface the wide-angle cameras will take one picture every2.56 seconds or about 117 pictures each. Because the space-craft will be going 5190 mph a picture will be taken by theF cameras every 4.4 miles.

Each of the P cameras will take 714 pictures during thedescent phase, ov one picture every .34 miles, at intervalsof .2 seconds.

The first pictures taken by the cameras will show areasof the lunar surface that are 151,000 and 16,800 square milesfor the F cameras and 9,460 and 1,050 square miles on the Pcameras.

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These first pictures should have resolution comparableto those taken by Earth-based telescopes. They will be vital,however, in making positive identification of the generalimpact area of the spacecraft. As tne spacecraft approachesthe Moon the pictures will decrease in area and increase inresolution.

The two F cameras are pointed at angles so that theirpictures overlap slightly. The P cameras also provide addi-tional overlapping pictures within the area covered by Fcameras. This process, called nesting, will result in a con-tinuous sequence of a given area on the lunar surface takenwith lenses of different focal lengths and apertures.

The pictures with the best resolution will be taken afew seconds prior to lunar impact. In the case of the Fcameras a picture taken at impact minus 2.5 seconds the 25mmlens would record an area of 32 square miles. The 75mm ienswould cover about one-half a square mile. At this time, Rangerwould be four miles from impact.

The P camera could take the last complete picture at .2seconds before impact when the spacecraft is about 1750 feetfrom the Moon. The P cameras' 25mm lenses would provide apicture 37,760 square feet and the 75mm lenses would coverarea of 4,200 square feet.

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It is impossible, however, to tell beforehand whichcamera will take the last picture. Because of this fact, plusthe unknown -Aghting onditions, and the possibility that theangle of impact might not be vertical, the resolving powerof the cameras cannot be exactly predicted.

The pictures transmitted to Earth will be received bytwo 85-foot-diameter parabolic antennas at the DSN GoldstoneTracking Station. The stations have special equipment torecord the pictures on 35mm film and also on magnetic tape.

For the last ten minutes of the mission, there will beabout 16 feet of film for the pictures from the F cameras andabout 50 feet of film from the P cameras.

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- 3.DEEP SPACE NETWORK

The Deep Space Network (DSN) consists of three permanentspace communication stations, located approximately 120degrees apart around the Earth, a mobile station which can

be located to suit the purpose of a particular mission, anda launch tracking station at Cape Kennedy. The three per-manent stations are Goldstone, California; Woomera,Australia; and near Johannesburg, South Africa.

The DSN is under the technical direction of theCalifornia Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratoryfor the National Aercnautics and Space Admtnistration.

DSN's mission is to track, receive telemetry from andsend commands to lunar and planetary spacecraft from thetime they are injected into orbits until they complete theirmissions.

Since they are located approximately 120 degrees apart,the three stations can provide 360 degree coverage aroundthe Earth so that one of the three always will be able tocommunicate with a distant spacecraft.

in the case of Ranger, the mobile station is locatedat a position approximately one mile east of the DSIF stationnear Johannesburg.

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-44-The mobile station will be used in that location because

it has the advantage of having a 10-foot diameter dish witha seven degree beam width -- nine times as wide as the 85-foot-in-dianeter dish -- and it can track at a rate ol 20 degreesper second, better than 20 times as fast as the big dishes.Since its antenna is not so large as the big dishes, itcannot match the big dishes in communication range and cor.-sequently will be used oi.y in the initial part of the flight.

Based on nominal performance and a nominal trajectory,the initial Ranger A acquistion and loss times for the DSN

stations are:Mobile Station, South Africa -- Acquires 25 minutes

after launch, and tracks for 3 hours.DSN, Woomera -- Acquires 45 minutes after launch an,-

tracks for 6.5 hours.DSN, Johannesburg -- Acquires 30 minutes aster launch

and tracks ior li; hours.DSL, Goldstone -- Acquires 13.h hours after launchi an'

tracks fhor 11.43 hours. Near the end of themission Goldstone will reacquire approximately61 hours after launch and track Ranger A untilabout 66 hours when it impacts the Moon.

The midcourse and terminal maneuver commands will besent by Goldstone, which also will sends c'.;h1r con-mands a,noeded to tie spacscraft.

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Each station of the DSN is equipped with an 35-foot-diameter antenna and receiving, data handling, and inter-station communication equipment. In addition, the stationsat Goldstone and Johannesburg have command capability6

The Australian DSN is 15 miles from Woomera Villagein South Australi', The Woomera station is operated bythe Australian Department of Supply, Weapons ResearchEstablishment.

The South African station is located. in a bowl-shapedvalley approximately 40 miles northwest of Johannesburg.The South African station is operated by the South Africangovernment t'rough the National Institute for Telecommunica-tions Research. NITR is a division of the Council forScientific and industrial Research.

The two overseas stations and Goldstone are linkedby a communications network which allows tracking and telem-etry information to be sent to the JPL Communication Centerin Pasadena for processing by JPL's IBM 7090 computer0

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RANGER A TEAM

NASA's programs for unmanned investigation of spaceare directed by Associate Administrator for Space Scienceand Applications, Dr. Homer E. Newell. The director of theLunar and Planetary Programs Division is Oran W. Nicks andhanger Program Manager is Newton W. Cunningham.

OSSA's Launch Vehicle and Propulsion Programs Divisionis directed by Dr. Richard D. Morrison and Agena ProgramManager is Joseph B. Mahon.

NASA has assigned Ranger project management to its JetPropulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which is operatedby the California institute of Technology. Assistant DirectorRobert J. Parks headsJPLts lunar and planetary projects.

JPL Ranger Project Manager is H. M. Schurmeier. Space-craft Systems Manager is A. E. Wolfe' Space Flight OperationsDirector is P. J. Rygh, aind Spacecraft Test Director :I s Max E.Goble.

Five lunar scientists will evaluate Ranger A photographsof the Moon to determine characteristios of the lunar topography.Principal Investigator is Dr. Gerard P. Kuiper of the Lunar andPlanetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona at Tucson.

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-47-Co-experimenters are Dr. Harold Urey of the University ofCalifornia at La Jolla; Dr. Eugene Shoemaker of the UnitedStates Geological Survey at Flagstaff, Ariz.; Ewen A. Whitackerof the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University ofArizona; and Raymond L. Heacock of Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Tracking and communication with Ranger is the responsibilityof the NASA/JPL Deep Space Network. JPL's Assistant Directorfor Tracking and Data Acquisition is Dr. Eberhardt Rechtin andDSN Operations Manager is R. K. Mallis.

The Goldstone DSN station is operated for JPL by the BendixRadio Corporation. JPL's engineer in charge is Walter Lar'kin.

The Woomera, Australia, station is operated by the WeaponsResearch Establishment of the Australian Department of Supplyrepresented by Dr. Frank Wood. JPL resident engineer is RLchardFahnestock.

The Johannesburg, South Africa, station is operated by theNational Institute for Telecommunications Research, directed byDr. Frank Hewitt. JPL resident engineer is Paul Jones.

JPL's orbital determination group is led by Donald W. Trask.Responsible for pre-flight trajectory calculations and in-flightorbital determinations are: W. E. Kirhofer, trajectory engineer;D. '.. urkendall, maneuver operation head; and W. L. Sjogren, orbitdetermination head.

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NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, O., has projectmanagement for the Atlas-Ageala launch vehicle. Agena ProjectManager is Dr. S. C. Himmel.

The Atlas, designed and built by General Dynamics/Astronautics, San Diego, Calif., is purchased through the SpaceSystems Division of the U.S. Air Force Systems CQmmand. Rocket-dyne Division of North America Aviation, Inc., of Canoga Park,Calif., builds the propulsion system. Radio command guidance isby Defense Division of General Electric Company and groundguidance commuter by the Burroughs Corporation. The Agern. Bstage and its mission modifications are purchased directly bythe Lewis Center from Lockheed Missiles and Space Company,Sunnyvale, Calif. Bell Aerosystems Company, Buffalo, N.Y.,provides the propulsion system.

Launchings for the Lewis Center are directed by the GoddardSpace Flight Center's Field Project Branch at Cape Kennedy.Director of the FPB is Robert H. Gray.

Thirty-seven subcontractors to the Jet PropulsionLaboratory provide instruments and hardware for the Ranger Aspacecraft. These contracts amounted to 932.5 million.

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Following are Major Subcontractors on Block 3 Rangers:

Astrodata, Inc. Time Code Translators, Time CodeAnaheim, Calif. Generators, Ground Command Read-Write and Verify EquipmentAmpex Corp. Tape Recorder for VideoInstrumentation Div.Redwood City, Calif.Airite Products Midcourse Motor Fuel TanksLos AngelesBeckman Instruments, Inc. Data Monitoring Consoles for TelemetrySystems Division Operational Support Equipment, DigitalFullerton, Calif. Measuring/Recording System for PowerOperational Support EquipmentBarry Controls Hi-gain AntennaGlendale, Calif.Bell Aero Systems Co. Digital Accelerometer ModulesCleveland, OhioConax Corp. Midcourse Propulsion Explosive ValvesBuffalo, New York SquibsControlled Products Structural Supportsand ElectronicsHuntington Park, Calif.Dynamics Instrumentation Co. DC AmplifirsMonterey Park, Calif.Electro-Mechanical Subcarrier Discriminators for TelemetryResearch Inc. Operational Support EquipmentSarasota, FloridaElectro-Optical Systems Power SubsystemPasadena, Calif.Electronic Memories. Inc. Magnetic Counter Modules for the CC&SLos Angeles.. Calif.Fargo Rubber Corp. Midcourse Propulsion Fuel Tank BladdersLos Angeles, Calif.

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Heliotek Division Solar CellsTextron Electronics, Inc.Sylmar, Calif.Instrument Machine Co. Pin PullersSo. El Monte, Calif.Link Division Video Processing Film ConverterGeneral Precision, Inc.Palo Alto, Calif.Mincom Division Tape Recorders for Ground TelemetryMinnesota Mining and EquipmentManufacturingLos Angeles, Calif.Motorola, Inc. Spacecraft Data Encoders; Transponder,Military Electronics Div. and Associated Operational SupportScottsdale, Arizona EquipmentNortroniics Spacecraft CC&S Subsystem, AttitudeA Division of Northrop Corp. Control Subsystem, and AssociatedPalos Verdes, Calif. Operational Support EquipmentOptical Coating Laboratory, Solar Cell Cover SlipsInc.Santa Rosa, Calif.Ryan Aeronautical Co. Solar PanelsAerospace Div.San Diego, Calif.Radio Corporation of America Lunar Impact Television SubsystemAstro Electronic Division and Associated Operational SupportPrinceton, New Jersey EquipmentRantec Corp. Directional Couplers, Diplexers, andCalabasas, Calif. Circulators for the RF SubsystemResdel Engineering Co. RF AmplifiersPasadena, Calif.G. T. Schjeldahl Co. Thermo ShieldNorthfield, Minn.Skarda Manufacturing Structural ComponentsEl Monte, Calif.

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Teb Inc. Structural ComponentsEl Monte, Calif.Texas Instruments, Inc. Spacecraft Command Subsystem andApparatus Div. Associated Operational Support Equip-Dallas, Texas ment

Transonic Pacific TransducersLos Angeles, Calif. Voltage Controlled OscillatorsWeber Metals and Supply Co. ForgingsParamount, Calif. -Ace of Space, Inc. Electronic ChassisPasadena, Calif.Brockell Mfg. Co. Electronic ChassisCulver City, Calif.Dunlap and Whitehead Mfg. Electronic ChassisVan Nuys, Calif.

Hodgson Mfg. Co. Electronic ChassisLa Crescenta, Calif.Milbore Co. Electronic ChassisGlendale, Calif.X-Cell Tool and Mfg. Co. Electronic ChassisHawthorne, Calif.Minneapolis-Honeywell GyroscopesRegulator Co.Aero DivisionMinneapolis, M1inn.

In addition to these subcontractors, there were 1200 in-dustrial firms who contributed to Rangers A-D.

ranger vi press kit

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