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| Ranger 2 launch cover with Swanson cachet, postmarked at Patrick Air Force Base, November 18, 1961. |
Ranger 2 was a flight test of the Ranger spacecraft system of the NASA Ranger program designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions. Ranger 2 was designed to test various systems for future exploration and to conduct scientific observations of cosmic rays, magnetic fields, radiation, dust particles, and a possible hydrogen gas "tail" trailing the Earth. Launched on November 18, 1961, Ranger 2, like Ranger 1, was designed as a test vehicle. The spacecraft's engines failed to re-ignite after the spacecraft entered a low earth orbit. The spacecraft burned up in earth's atmosphere just two days after launch.
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| Photo: Launch of Ranger 2 on November 18, 1961. |
(Reference from
Ranger 2)
