Explorer 11, also known as S 15, was the first satellite to be launched for the
purpose of detecting the sources of high-energy gamma rays.
1961

Ranger 3 was NASA’s first attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon. The
spacecraft was designed to transmit up-close photos of the lunar surface
before making a rough landing on the moon and deploying a small set of
instruments, including a seismometer. A series of malfunctions sent the spacecraft hurtling past the moon at much higher speeds than planned. Because of the increased speeds Ranger 3 was unable to enter lunar orbit and flew past the moon.
1962

The Pioneer 3 mission was one of the first attempts by the United States to
send a spacecraft to the moon. Because of a malfunction with the spacecraft’s booster rocket, it lacked the velocity to make it beyond Earth orbit and fell back to Earth, burning up over Africa.
1958

Explorer S-45 was launched using a Juno-2 rocket. A malfunction following
booster separation resulted in loss of payload telemetry and the third and
fourth stages failed to ignite. The spacecraft did not achieve orbit and did not receive an Explorer number.
1961

Ranger 1, the first of a series of nine spacecraft launched in the early 1960s
to explore the moon, was a test spacecraft built as a prelude to future lunar
missions. During launch, a rocket malfunction caused the spacecraft to get stranded in low-Earth orbit, and one week after launch, it burned up upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere.
1961

Ranger 3 model.
1962

Explorer 17
Battery power failed on July 10, 1963. Three of the four pressure gauges
and both electrostatic probes operated normally. One spectrometer malfunctioned and the other operated intermittently.
1963

Explorer 10
Deep space probe for measuring the magnetic field in outer space and for
interplanetary plasma measurements. Because of the limited lifetime of the spacecraft batteries, the only useful data were transmitted in real time for 52 h on the ascending portion of the first orbit. All transmission ceased several hours later.
1961

Unknown satellite.
McDonell Douglas
1962

Ariel 1, first british satellite, was among several satellites inadvertently damaged or destroyed by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test on July 9, 1962, and subsequent radiation belt. It decayed from orbit on 24 April 1976.

Explorer XX
The satellite responses to command signals were not dependable after 20
December 1965, and the satellite transmitter, which was often spuriously
turned on, did not respond to a turnoff command.
1964

Ranger 3 was NASA’s first attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon. The
spacecraft was designed to transmit up-close photos of the lunar surface
before making a rough landing on the moon and deploying a small set of
instruments, including a seismometer. A series of malfunctions sent the spacecraft hurtling past the moon at much higher speeds than planned. Because of the increased speeds Ranger 3 was unable to enter lunar orbit and flew past the moon.
1961

Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA)
NASA plans for NERVA included a visit to Mars by 1978 and a permanent
lunar base by 1981. Airbrushed photograph.
1966

OSO 1 (Orbital Solar Observatory) Data were simultaneously recorded on tape and transmitted by FM telemetry. A command system provided for 10 ground-based commands. The spacecraft performed normally until the second onboard tape recorder failed May 15, 1962. The spacecraft provided real-time data until May 1964, when the power cells failed.
1962