Behold: the first image of the Moon taken by an American spacecraft ✨⁣ ⁣ On July 31, 1964, the Ranger 7 spacecraft captured this image of the lunar surface. 17 minutes later, the spacecraft crashed into the Moon on the northern rim of the Sea of Clouds as intended. The 4,316 images sent back helped identify safe Moon landing sites for Apollo astronauts.⁣ ⁣ Until 1964, no closeup photographs of the lunar surface existed. Ranger 7 returned the first high resolution close-up photographs of the lunar surface. The mission marked a turning point in America’s lunar exploration program, taking the country one step closer to a human Moon landing.⁣ ⁣ Image description: A black and white image of the cratered lunar surface.⁣ ⁣ Credit: NASAJPL⁣ ⁣ #Moon #OTD #Apollo #Artemis #Ranger7 #STEM #Spacecraft #LunarSurface #LunarExploration⁣