Ranger 8 Image Taken 2 Seconds Before Impact
![Image of the surface of the Moon, showing blurry craters.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/detail_ra8_a060.jpg?w=4096&format=jpeg)
NASA
July 9, 2018
Credit | NASA |
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Historical Date | February 20, 1965 |
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Last image taken by Ranger 8 camera-A from a distance of 4.2 km, 2 seconds before impact on 20 February 1965. The area shown is at 2.7 N, 24.55 E and the image is about 1.4 km across. The right side of the image is missing because Ranger 8 crashed before completing transmission. This area is about 60 km from the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquillity. These Ranger close-ups showed for the first time that even areas on the Moon which looked smooth from Earth were peppered with small impact craters. North is up. (Ranger 8, A060)