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| "SpaceCraft" Surveyor 5 launch cover cancelled at Cape Canaveral, September 8, 1967. Signed by Surveyor Project Manager, Benjamin MilwitZky. |
Surveyor 5, launched on 8 September 1967, carried an alpha-ray scattering experimental package to conduct chemical tests on the soil composition.
Despite a serious helium leak that occurred during its trip to the Moon, Surveyor 5 touchdown successfully on 11 September 1967. Once on the ground, experiment work began to test analyzed the soil beneath it. The experiment indicated the existence of basalt and silicon. Surveyor 5 survived a lunar night and commenced operations again on October 15. The final transmission from the spacecraft was received on 17 December 1967.
