Ranger 1

NSSDC ID: 1961-021A

Description:
Ranger 1 was a spacecraft whose primary mission was to test the
performance of those functions and parts necessary for carrying
out subsequent lunar and planetary missions using essentially the
same spacecraft design. A secondary objective was to study the
nature of particles and fields in interplanetary space. 

The spacecraft was of the Ranger Block 1 design and consisted of
a hexagonal base 1.5 m across upon which was mounted a cone-
shaped 4 m high tower of aluminum struts and braces. Two solar
panel wings measuring 5.2 m from tip to tip extended from the
base. A high-gain directional dish antenna was attached to the
bottom of the base. Spacecraft experiments and other equipment
were mounted on the base and tower. Instruments aboard the
spacecraft included a Lyman-alpha telescope, a rubidium-vapor
magnetometer, electrostatic analyzers, medium-energy range
particle detectors, two triple coincidence telescopes, a cosmic-
ray integrating ionization chamber, cosmic dust detectors, and
solar X-ray scintillation counters. 

The communications system included the high gain antenna and
an omni-directional medium gain antenna and two transmitters,
one at 960.1-mhz with 0.25 W power output and the other at
960.05-mhz with 3 W power output. Power was to be furnished
by 8680