Ranger
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
The Ranger spacecraft were a series of early Earth space probes, flown by the United States in the 1960s, from a program having been started by NASA in 1959.
A record of the Rangers' flight plans was available in the Enterprise library computer, as well as pictures and plan views of three distinct versions of this design. This data was flashed on a viewscreen when the Talosians scanned the Enterprise computer in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage")
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[edit] Ranger probes
 Block 1 type probe diagram |
 Block 2 type probe photo |
[edit] Background
The Rangers were the first craft to take close-up photos of the moon and reach the lunar surface. The probes share a name with numerous other exploratory and naval vehicles, such as the US Navy's aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61) that appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, playing the role of the USS Enterprise (CVN-65).
[edit] Apocrypha
Some historical craft named Ranger have been the namesakes for starfaring vessels and Federation starships in numerous non-canon works and games. A Ranger-class starship was part of the FASA RPG, appearing in such sources as the Federation Ship Recognition Manual. A different, earlier, Ranger-class based on an unused Matt Jefferies starship design was part of the Last Unicorn Games ship list, appearing in the Starfleet Operations Manual, among others. A Miranda-class USS Ranger appears in Star Trek: Shattered Universe and Star Trek: New Worlds promotional material.
