Lunar Orbiter Photographers Celebrate 51st Anniversary

August 10, 1966 marks the day the first of five lunar orbiters became legendary photographers as they began capturing images of the Moon’s surface. Some 3,062 photos later, NASA had a clear view of 99 percent of the Moon’s surface, allowing engineers to pinpoint precise landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. Data retrieved during the Lunar Orbiter Program, which was led out of NASA’s Langley Research Center, also allowed engineers to confirm that the hardware for the Apollo spacecraft would protect astronauts from solar-particle events. Click here to learn more.

Credit: NASA

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