From the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida,
the U.S. unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6 was launched into
an orbit around the earth. The spacecraft, commonly known
as the “Paddlewheel” satellite, featured a photocell scanner
that transmitted a crude picture of the earth’s surface and
cloud cover from a distance of 17,000 miles. The photo,
received in Hawaii, took nearly 40 minutes to transmit.

Released by NASA in September, the first photograph ever
taken of the earth by a U.S. satellite (below) depicted a
crescent shape of part of the planet in sunlight. It was
Mexico, captured by Explorer 6 as it raced westward over
the earth at speeds in excess of 20,000 miles an hour. 

First satellite image of the Earth from space, taken by
Explorer 6 in 1959.

Explorer 6 Satellite (Reconstructed Replica) at the National Space Museum.

Nichelle Nichols (Grace Dell Nichols)
(December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022)

Actress, singer and dancer Nichelle Nichols is best
known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek:
The Original Series, and its film sequels. Nichols’
portrayal was ground-breaking for African American
actresses on American television. From 1977 until
2015, Nichols volunteered her time to promote
NASA‘s programs, and to recruit diverse astronauts,
including women and ethnic minorities. Nichols died
of natural causes.

Ranger 7, an unmanned U.S. lunar probe, took the first close-up
images of the moon—4,308 in total—before it impacts with the
lunar surface northwest of the Sea of Clouds. The images were
1,000 times as clear as anything ever seen through earth-bound telescopes.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had attempted a similar mission earlier in the year—Ranger 6—but
the probe’s cameras had failed as it descended to the lunar
surface. Ranger 7, launched from Earth on July 28, successfully activated its cameras 17 minutes, or 1,300 miles, before impact
and began beaming the images back to NASA’s receiving station
in California.

An artist’s concept of NASA’s Ranger 7 approaching the
Moon.

At 12:51 EDT on July 24, 1969, Apollo 11, the U.S. spacecraft that
had taken the first astronauts to the surface of the moon, safely
returned to Earth.

The American effort to send astronauts to the moon had its origins
in a famous appeal President John F. Kennedy made to a special
joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: “I believe this nation
should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is
out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to
Earth.”

Tests of a VIPER prototype (Image: NASA)

A new lunar rover is under development by Lockheed Martin
and Goodyear as NASA gears up for a return to the moon.

Unlike the rover first used during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971,
built to last only a few days and for short trips, the new lunar
vehicle is being built for extended use. And this time, it’s not
just for NASA.

Aside from Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, and Lockheed
Martin, MDA of Canada will provide its commercial robotic
arm technology for the vehicles.

The companies anticipate having their first vehicle on the
moon’s surface at the same time as NASA’s mission, planned
for 2025.

Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene A. Cernan makes a
short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early
part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity.