The Lunar Orbiter project was a complete success. All spacecraft operated properly, photographing a total of more than 36-million square kilometers (14-million square miles) of the moon’s surface.

Prime contractor for the Lunar Orbiter program was the Boeing Company. Principal subcontractors were Eastman Kodak Company and RCA.

The Lunar Orbiter in the National Air and Space Museum’s collection was used for thermal testing of spacecraft systems.


Lunar Orbiter is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Maximum span
Antenna booms 5.6 m. (18 ft., 6 in.)
Solar panels 3.7 m. (12 ft., 2 in.)
Height 1.68 m. (5 ft., 6 in.) without panels
Weight 385.6 kg. (850 lb.)
Power Electrical; four solar panels with a total area of just over 4.8 sq. m. (58 sq. ft.) providing 375 w. to nickel-cadmium batteries
Velocity control system A 45.4 kg (100 lb.) thrust engine burning a hydrazine mixture and nitrogen-tetroxide oxidizer

Surveyor

43. Surveyor.

High-gain Antenna Omnidirectional Antenna A Thermally Controlled Compartment A Radar Altitude - Doppler Velocity Sensor Vernier Propellant Tanks Footpad 2 Crushable Block Attitude Control Gas Tank (Nitrogen) Solar Panel TV Camera Thermally Controlled Compartment B Alpha Scattering Instrument Electronics Canopus Star Sensor Omnidirectional Antenna B Footpad 3 Vernier Engine 3 Vernier Propellant Pressurizing Gas Tank (Helium) Alpha Scattering Instrument