posted 08-13-2023 09:39 AM               

Space Cover 714: The Ranger Program

The Space Craft cover above was postmarked at Patrick AFB for the launch of Ranger 1 on August 23, 1961. The Space Craft Cachet is #11 in Charles Vukotich's "Space Craft Covers: A Monograph and Catalog" and he lists 300 made for Ranger 1. The cachet shows the unmanned Ranger spacecraft – a small hexagonal "bus", two solar panels on each side, a dish antenna, and then a tower atop the bus to mount scientific instruments on.

Ranger was envisioned to impact the moon, transmitting pictures of the lunar surface right down to impact. Nine Rangers were launched and success wasn't forthcoming until the seventh flight. Here's a chronology:

Ranger 1, launched Aug 23, 1961 (above) - No TV cameras, some deep space environmental instruments. The main goal was to test the ability of the Agena upper stage to restart after reaching Earth orbit and send Ranger 1 into a very high orbit, hopefully passing by the Moon. The Agena did not restart, and Ranger 1's low Earth orbit decayed a few days later.

Ranger 2, launched Nov. 18, 1961 – Intended to do the Ranger 1 mission. The Agena again failed to restart.

Ranger 3, launched Jan 26, 1962 is shown above on the Exhibit Supply Co. Arcade Card #8. It carried a TV camera and a spherical, "lunar capsule" made of crushable balsa wood, which would hopefully be released and bounce to a landing on the moon, carrying a seismometer. The Agena restarted this time, but the trajectory was off, and Ranger 3 missed the Moon by 23,000 miles. No pictures, no bounce.

It is notable that at about this time, the Ranger design was modified into Mariners 1 and 2, the latter of which successfully performed a four month mission to fly-by Venus.

Ranger 4, launched Apr. 23, 1962 was identical to Ranger 3. Unfortunately, the Ranger 4 spacecraft malfunctioned and tumbled, missed the leading edge of the moon by 900 miles, and was thought to have impacted on the far side of the Moon. No pictures, no bounce.

Ranger 5, launched October 18, 1962, again identical to Rangers 3 and 4. Unfortunately the spacecraft lost power shortly after launch. No pictures, no bounce.

By this time, having gone 0 for 5, the Ranger Program was in serious trouble. Through 1963 the Ranger design was modified and simplified to increase the chances of success. The lunar capsule was deleted and more cameras were added in this process in order to concentrate on the main goal of photography.

Ranger 6, launched Jan 30, 1964 was the first of the redesigned Rangers. It impacted the Moon near the crater Arago, however the TV cameras did not work. No pictures. More soul searching for the Ranger Program.

Ranger 7, launched Jul 26, 1964 finally worked!!! The Ranger 7 Space Craft cover at top is Vukotich #84 of which 1000 were made. Ranger 7 successfully impacted near the crater Guericke and transmitted 4,308 images of the lunar surface. We covered Ranger 7 in more detail in SCOTW 273.

Ranger 8, launched Feb 17, 1965 successfully impacted in the Moon's Sea of Tranquility and transmitted more than 7,300 images! Ranger 8's launch is commemorated on the middle Space Craft cover above, Vukotich #107 of which 1000 were made.

Ranger 9, launched Mar. 21, 1965 successfully impacted near the crater Alphonsus, while transmitting more than 5,800 images. Vukotich #108, the bottom Space Craft cover above, commemorates the Ranger 9 launch, and 1000 of these covers were produced.

Ranger was a fascinating story of overcoming adversity - not even being able to hit the front side of the Moon in the first few years after Kennedy's 1961 challenge to send humans to the Moon. And then finishing so perfectly to pave the way for those humans.

I've used selected Space Craft Cachet Ranger covers here to illustrate the program. There are lots more Ranger covers out there! If you have some favorite Ranger covers, let's post them here!

posted 08-14-2023 10:39 AM               

As you know, the later Block III Ranger space vehicles had six high resolution Vidicon cameras onboard that provided large-scale topographic images that would be needed for the upcoming Surveyor and Apollo lunar landing programs.

If you don't mind, Dennis, I thought it would be fun to depict other Ranger mission covers not seen here that have some different cachet designs. Some of the other cachet makers here are by Sarzin, Rank, and Orbit Covers. Bill Ronson of Orbit Covers did a great job on his final Ranger 9 launch cover that has always been a favorite design of mine, but unfortunately, Ronson didn't include the current cover information of Ranger 9 at the very bottom as the cachet was apparently printed too early right after the launch.

There is a Ranger 7 cover included, even though I am not a keen collector of postal cancel locations that really had no direct involvement in their designated cover events. This particular Sarzin cover, posted on July 31, 1964 at "Moon Run, PA," commemorates Ranger 7 in snapping more than 4,000 photos of the moon before crashing into the Sea of Clouds.

I've also included a few original or vintage era mint color postcards by Colourpicture Publishers of Boston, MA, in working with Central Florida Distributors of Winter Park, FL. Older space-themed postcards these days as shown are becoming more difficult to find: The spacecraft pictured is Ranger III along with two other postcard images of Ranger III's launch (left) and the Ranger 7 liftoff from Pad 12 (right) on its 234,000 mile trip to the moon.

posted 08-23-2023 04:40 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by micropooz:
...email him before ordering.

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posted 08-30-2023 03:25 PM               

Below a Zaso cover with photo pasted-on cachet postmarked Port Canaveral, FL Aug 23, 1961 for Ranger 1 launch.

And below a cover postmarked Pasadena, CA Mar 24, 1965 for Ranger 9 photos from Moon surface sent to Earth.