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60 years ago: Ranger 8 moon photos aid in Apollo site selection

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89% Informative

Until 1964 , no closeup photographs of the lunar surface existed, only those obtained by Earth -based telescopes.

NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory managed the Ranger program, a series of spacecraft designed to return closeup images.

Ranger 8 launched from Cape Kennedy , now Cape Canaveral , Florida , on Feb. 17, 1965 .

The spacecraft impacted 16 miles from its intended target in the Sea of Tranquility , ending a flight of 248,900 miles .