The Orbiter That Charted the Moon

This image shows a NASA Lunar Orbiter spacecraft, one of the pioneering probes sent to photograph the Moon in preparation for the Apollo landings. With its wide solar panels and central camera system, the Orbiter captured thousands of images of the lunar surface between 1966 and 1967. These missions mapped potential landing sites, revealed new details about lunar terrain, and laid the groundwork for human exploration of the Moon.