Lunar Orbiter Missions Summary

Larry Klaes

LUNAR ORBITER (LUNAR SURFACE PHOTOGRAPHY)

LUNAR ORBITER 1 through 5 were designed to orbit the Moon and image various sites being studied as landing areas for the manned APOLLO missions of 1969-1972. The probes also contributed greatly to our understanding of lunar surface features, particularly the lunar farside. All five probes of the series, launched from 1966 to 1967, were essentially successful in their missions. They were the first U.S. probes to orbit the Moon. All Lunar Orbiters were eventually crashed into the lunar surface to avoid interference with the manned APOLLO missions.