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Missions and Programs

Surveyor Program

Robotic Lunar Exploration Missions

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A NASA program of seven robotic lunar landers launched between 1966 and 1968 to demonstrate soft-landing technology and characterize the lunar surface ahead of the crewed Apollo landings. Five of the seven missions landed successfully, returning thousands of images and direct measurements of lunar soil mechanics that confirmed the ground could bear a crewed lander's weight.

Facts
Mission Type
Robotic lunar soft-landing program 1
Launch Date
1966-05-30 1
Date of Surveyor 1, the program's first mission.
End Date
1968-01-07 1
Date of Surveyor 7, the program's final mission.
Outcome
Successful; five of seven landers reached the surface intact, directly informing the selection and engineering of Apollo landing sites. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Operated By

NASA, Space Agencies and Companies
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Surveyor program, lead section
Quote, Wikipedia: Surveyor program, lead section
Its primary goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Surveyor program, mission listView the Source
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