Lunar Orbiter 2
Lunar Orbiter 2 — the second lunar mapping orbiter (launched 6 November 1966). Among its images was a dramatic oblique view of the crater Copernicus, hailed at the time as the 'Picture of the Century'. It was commanded to impact the Moon in 1967.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- NASA / JPL
- Launched
- November 6, 1966
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 1.01 AU
- Distance from Earth
- 85,644 km
- Distance from Venus
- 0.602 AU
Mission
Lunar Orbiter 2 continued the mapping campaign and returned one of the most admired photographs of the era. Launched on 6 November 1966, it extended the survey of potential Apollo landing sites across the near side. Among its thousands of frames was a striking oblique view of the crater Copernicus, its terraced walls and central peaks lit from a low angle — a picture the press dubbed the 'Picture of the Century' for making the Moon look, for the first time, like a real and rugged place rather than a flat disc. Its mapping done, it was commanded to impact the Moon in 1967.
Images
Images from open archives · credit shown per image