Full moon atlas8/18/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() However, Ranger missions 7-9 were an astounding success. The first six Ranger missions were declared either partial or total failures. The spacecraft were affixed with cameras that would capture and send images of the Moon back to Earth just before impact. In the early 1960s, NASA ran the Ranger project, the first U.S.-led effort to launch probes directly into the surface of the Moon. The final map of this study “shows the principal lunar rays, many of which are so prominent they are observable at full moon with binoculars.” The next map in this study “Divides the rock formations on the surface into Pre-Maria, Maria, and Post-Maria age…the photogeologic map, in addition, identifies individual impact craters, and indicates whether or not the crater has a central peak or mountain.” RG 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Lunar Maps, 1961–1962 ( NAID 1077479) The major divisions of the moon consist of the Lunar Highlands containing thousands of craters, and the Lunar Lowlands consisting of the maria and associated features.” RG 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Lunar Maps, 1961–1962 ( NAID 1077479) This first map “divides the moon into physiographic regions, based on degree of similarity or difference in type of surface features, extent of preservation, type of modification, type of surface material, elevations, slopes, and structural disturbances. The charts, alongside a table of data, comprise “The Engineer Special Study of the Surface of the Moon.” RG 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Lunar Maps, 1961–1962 ( NAID 1077479) Geological Survey in July 1960, these charts, each of which come in two pieces, were created from a photogeologic analysis using stereoscopic vision to examine photographs taken from McDonald Observatory (TX), Yerkes Observatory (WI), Lick Observatory (CA), and the Paris Observatory in France. Compiled under the direction of the Military Geology Branch, U.S. The earliest charts depicting the Moon I unearthed in our collection hail from Record Group 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. So, without further ado, let’s go to the Moon! Fortunately for me (and perhaps for you, dear reader), I work in the Cartographic Branch of the National Archives, and maps are our specialty. My excitement for the years to come is palpable and I thought there no better way to celebrate this next step in lunar exploration than by revisiting some of humankind’s earlier efforts to map out the surface of the Moon. Unlike the generations before me (a middling Millennial), I have never known the exhilaration of watching my fellow human beings set foot on the moon during my lifetime. The mission, dubbed “Artemis II,” seeks to establish humanity’s first long-term presence on the Moon, and will set the stage to land the first woman and next man on the Moon during the subsequent “Artemis III” mission. Four astronauts, Americans, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremey Hansen, are set to embark on a 10-day journey aboard the Orion spacecraft in a mission NASA hopes will pave the way for sending the first astronauts to Mars. On April 3, 2023, NASA announced that humans are soaring back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, since the return of Apollo 17 in 1972. RG 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Lunar Maps, 1961–1962 ( NAID 1077479) ![]()
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