Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Aiming at the Heavens
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
With the new found power and guidance combination of the Atlas-Agena system, we now had the ability to successfully aim unmanned exploratory missions at other worlds. Teams of scientists, who could only explore the heavens with telescopes until now, set about building robot scouts to extend our curious eyes and ears into space.
In January 1962, the Atlas-Agena launched Ranger 3 and sent it racing toward the moon. The plan was to capture and send home pictures of the moon until impact with the lunar surface. But Ranger 3 missed the target and headed for the sun. There were eight missions in the Ranger program. They sent back 11,000 detailed pictures of the lunar surface, including close-ups of the Sea of Tranquility where Apollo 11 would touch down in 1969.
Rocket Data: Atlas-Agena
Height: 105.3 ft (32.1 m)
Diameter: 10 ft (3 m)
Diameter:
(Agena): 5 ft (1.5 m)
First stage propellants: Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and RP-1
Upper stage propellants: Solid Fuel
Lift-off thrust: 366.213 lbs
Erected by Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration • War, Cold. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1962.
Location. 28° 31.408′ N, 80° 40.973′ W. Marker is on Merritt Island, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Nasa Parkway West, on the left when traveling east. The marker stands within the Rocket Garden exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 405 Nasa Pkwy W, Merritt Island FL 32953, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Learning to Drive (a few steps from this marker); The Sun Rides a Workhorse (a few steps from this marker); Swords Into Plowshares (a few steps from this marker); Shooting the Moon, Dreaming of Stars (within shouting distance of this marker); Global Television Arrives (within shouting distance of this marker); Learning to Phone Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Chasing the Russian Bear (within shouting distance of this marker); The Power of Apollo (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Merritt Island.
Also see . . .
1. Ranger 3. (Submitted on July 4, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Submitted on July 4, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 108 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 4, 2021, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.