Ranger 7

The Ranger 7 lunar lander was the first true success in the United States' early quest to explore the moon and heralded a new era of exploration that saw dramatically more mission successes than failures. Like its predecessor, Ranger 7 was principally built to take high-resolution photographs of the moon before impacting the lunar surface.

On July 31, 1964, Ranger 7 approached the moon precisely on target and transmitted 4,308 images in the 15 minutes before it impacted the lunar surface on the northern rim of the Sea of Clouds. The images, which showed the lunar surface in stunning detail, were the harbinger of future human exploration of the moon.