RANGER 4 CRASHES ON THE MOON
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) Just 3 months after US spacecraft Ranger 3 failed to reach the moon, Ranger 4* made a crash landing on the moon on April 26, 1962.
Ranger 4, launched without incident from the Cape's Complex 12 on April 23rd, was sent to the moon to transmit pictures of the lunar surface back to earth for a ten minute period before crashing.
A problem developed when an on board computer failed as a result of solar panel and navigation systems deployment.
*Ranger 4 weighed 730 pounds & was manufactured at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was launched by an Atlas-Agena rocket.
Ranger 4 Spacecraft
