Smithsonian
  • Navigating
    at Sea
    • Challenges of Sea Navigation
    • Navigating Without a Clock
    • The Longitude Problem
    • The U.S. Goes to Sea
    • Navigate at Sea! Activity
  • Navigating
    in the Air
    • Challenges of Air Navigation
    • Early Air Navigators
    • Navigation at War
    • Navigate the Skies! Activity
  • Navigating
    in Space
    • Challenges of Space Navigation
    • Reaching for the Moon
    • Navigating in Deep Space
    • Navigate in Space! Activity
  • Satellite Navigation
    • Challenges of Satellite Navigation
    • Reliable Global Navigation
    • Global Positioning System (GPS)
    • Who Uses Satellite Navigation
  • Navigation
    for Everyone
    • Meet a Professional Navigator
    • Personal Navigation Stories
  • Timeline of Innovation
  • Artifacts
  • Learning Resources
  • Multimedia Gallery
  • Research
  • Visit the Exhibition

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Time and Navigation Home
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Time and Navigation
The untold story of getting from here to there.
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  • Navigating at Sea
  • Navigating in the Air
  • Navigating in Space
  • Satellite Navigation
  • Navigation for Everyone
  • Timeline of Innovation
  • Artifacts
  • Learning Resources
  • Multimedia Gallery
  • Research Journal
  • Visit the Exhibition
  • Challenges of Space Navigation
    • Navigation Gone Wrong: Mariner 1
    • Navigate in Space! Activity
  • Reaching for the Moon
    • First Attempts
    • Hitting the Moon
    • Human Steps
      • Meet the Navigator: James A. Lovell, Jr.
  • Navigating in Deep Space
    • Gravity Assist
    • Radio Network
    • Visiting Other Worlds
    • Meet the Navigator: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Navigate in Space! Activity

Did You Know?

Today, you could purchase a $10 calculator with as much computing power as the Apollo Guidance and Navigation System had.

Explore More

How Astronavigation Prototype Works »
Pioneer 4 Trajectory »
Opportunity Rover on Mars »
Engineers prepare for Pioneer 4 »
Ranger 1 Satellite 1/24 Scale Model  »

Reaching for the Moon

The United States and the Soviet Union each tried to reach the Moon with robotic spacecraft in the early 1960s.

They sent spacecraft to orbit the Moon, pass nearby, or crash land on the surface. After some initial failures, advances in navigation and propulsion technology eventually led to success.

With the Pioneer probes, the United States tried to send small spacecraft to the vicinity of the Moon. The later Ranger probes succeeded in crashing onto the lunar surface.

The Pioneer and Ranger programs led to successes with later robotic programs and eventually human landings on the Moon.

Assignment: Shoot the Moon (Episode 5)

Assignment: Shoot the Moon (Episode 5)
Length: 25 Minutes, 15 Seconds
Credit: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
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  • First Attempts »

    The Pioneer program was a series of missions to send small spacecraft to the vicinity of the Moon.

  • Hitting the Moon »

    Ranger spacecraft were designed to impact the surface of the Moon. Launches began in 1961.

  • Human Steps »

    In December 1968, Apollo 8 left Earth orbit and traveled a vast distance to a precise orbit around the Moon.

  • Navigating at Sea
    • Challenges of Sea Navigation
    • Navigating Without a Clock
    • The Longitude Problem
    • The U.S. Goes to Sea
    • Navigate at Sea! Activity
  • Navigating in the Air
    • Challenges of Air Navigation
    • Early Air Navigators
    • Navigation at War
    • Navigate the Skies! Activity
  • Navigating in Space
    • Challenges of Space Navigation
    • Reaching for the Moon
      • First Attempts
      • Hitting the Moon
      • Human Steps
    • Navigating in Deep Space
    • Navigate in Space! Activity
  • Satellite Navigation
    • Challenges of Satellite Navigation
    • Reliable Global Navigation
    • Global Positioning System (GPS)
    • Who Uses Satellite Navigation
  • Navigation for Everyone
    • Meet a Professional Navigator
    • Personal Navigation Stories
  • Timeline of Innovation
  • Artifacts
  • Learning Resources
  • Multimedia Gallery
  • Research
  • Visit the Exhibition
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  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Sponsors
  • Press
  • Donate
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