Monday, February 1, 1999

Ranger 9

  1965-023A


Ranger IX (Ranger D) was the final Ranger mission. It was launched at 2137:02 on 1965 Mar 21 by Atlas Agena B from Cape Canaveral. The original trajectory set it for an impact 600 km N of Alphonsus. A midcourse correction burn was made at 1230:10 on Mar 23, with terminal orientation (the only time this was done) at 1331 on Mar 24. Ranger IX returned its last pictures just before impact at 1408:21 on Mar 24, only 4 km from the aimpoint. Impact was at a -64.9 deg angle at 2.67 km/s. 


Ranger 9 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1965 Feb 17  2137:02  Launch by Atlas LV-3A/ Agena B  CKAFS LC12 
  Azimuth 94.3 deg 
 2139:21  BECO 
 2142:08  Fairing 
 2142:11  Atlas sep 
 2142:52  Agena MES-1 
 2145:24  Agena MECO-1  188 x 188 x28 
 2148:22  Agena MES-2 86s 
 2149:48  Agena MECO-2 20.53N 42.32W 197 km 10.967 km/s 
 2152:26  Agena sep 
 2158:59  Agena avoidance 
 2237  Solar panel deploy  188 x 772332 x 28.5  
1965 Mar 23  1230:09 MCC 30s 18.2m/s at 291014 km, Ve=1.308 km/s 
 1230:39 MCC end at 291054 km  -678 x 786041 x 28.3  
1965 Mar 24  1331  Terminal orientation 
 1349:34  Imaging begins 
 1408:21 Impact 13.1S 2.4W  -1363 x -8703 x 15.67 
 1900?  Agena flyby at 5355 km 

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