Ranger 5

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference

Ranger 5 was a 20th century NASA Ranger Block II space probe launched by the United States of America in 1962. The probe was designed to transmit pictures of the moon's surface back to Earth before impacting on the Moon.

The Ranger 5 was equipped with several pieces of advanced technology for the period, including: lunar capsule, omnidirectional antenna, radar altimeter, solar panels, thermal shroud, gamma-ray spectrometer, midcourse motor, retrorocket, TV camera and high-gain antenna.

A diagram depicting this satellite was stored in the USS Enterprise's library computer in 2254, and was among the materials viewed by the Talosians when they scanned the Enterprise computer. (TOS: "The Cage")

The image of Ranger 5 that appeared in "The Cage" was archived by NASA on August 14, 1964, thirteen weeks before the episode's filming began. [1]

[edit] External link

• Ranger 5, from the archives of the National Space Science Data Center
• Ranger 5 at Wikipedia