1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all on Eve's and you're listening to 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast for people interested 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: in the big and small moments in history. Today it's 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: June second. The day was June second, nineteen sixty six, 6 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: NASA's Lunar Lander Surveyor one landed on the Moon. The 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: event marked the first time an American space probe made 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: a successful soft landing on the Moon. On February three, 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six, the Soviet Union's Lunar nine became the 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: first spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon. 11 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: By this time, the Soviets and the Americans had successfully 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: crash landed probes on the surface of the Moon, but 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: landing required something to cushion the landing, like rockets, as 14 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: well as a way to send the information back to Earth. 15 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: For Luna nine, the entire spacecraft descended to the surface, 16 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: but a landing capsule was ejected just before impact. NASA 17 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: launched the Surveyor program to demonstrate the feasibility of lunar 18 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: surface landings. The program was also designed to get data 19 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: in preparation for NASA's Apollo space missions. Surveyor one was 20 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: the first of the series of seven robotic spacecraft sent 21 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: to the Moon as part of the program. It was 22 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: designed as an engineering test flight for demonstration of its 23 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: launch vehicle, the Atlas Center. It also served to demonstrate 24 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: the spacecraft's mid chorus and terminal maneuvers, as well as 25 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: radar and rocket controlled soft landing. Another one of the 26 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: missions objectives was to demonstrate the ability of the Surveyor 27 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: communication system and deep space network to maintain communications with 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: the spacecraft during its flight and after a soft landing. 29 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: The planned landing site for Surveyor one was the southwest 30 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: part of Oceana's Procellarum, a vast dark plaine on the 31 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: western edge of the near side of the Moon. Surveyor 32 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: one lifted off from Cape Kennedy on May nineteen sixty six. 33 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: On June two, ninety six, Surveyor one made a low 34 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: speed three point landing on the Moon after a flight 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: that lasted more than sixty three hours. It landed about 36 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: nine miles or fifteen kilometers away from its target point. 37 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: The space probe used a retro rocket and thrusters to 38 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: slow the lander speed down before it touched the surface 39 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: of the Moon. It was the first U. S spacecraft 40 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: to land softly on the Moon. The lander's first hour 41 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: on the Moon was spent on engineering tests. It carried 42 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: two television cameras. Before nightfall on June fourteenth, Surveyor one 43 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: transmitted more than eleven thousand high resolution television pictures. The 44 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: images sent back showed that the lunar surface was strong 45 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,239 Speaker 1: enough to support a landed vehicle or human. The under 46 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: made it through the first lunar night, which is about 47 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: fourteen earth days long, on July. The mission was ended 48 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: because of a dramatic drop in battery voltage just after sunset. 49 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: Engineering information continued to be returned until January seven, nine 50 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: sixty seven. Surveyor two launched in September of nineteen sixty six, 51 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: but it crashed into the Moon. Five of the Surveyor 52 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,679 Speaker 1: spacecraft successfully soft landed on the Moon. The Surveyor program 53 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: ended in nine Altogether, it cost four hundred and sixty 54 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: nine million dollars. I'm eave Stephcote and hopefully you know 55 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 56 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: And if you have any comment, start suggestions, or any 57 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: kind words you'd like to send us. You can't hit 58 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: us up at this day at iHeart media dot com. 59 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: You can also follow us on social media where at 60 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:57,119 Speaker 1: t D i HC podcast on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 61 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening to the show and we'll 62 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 63 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 64 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.