Front:
CA
DENA
OCT
1991
PASA
91109
MOON LUNAR ORBITER
29USA
Back:
MOON WITH LUNAR ORBITER
First Day of Issue: October 1, 1991
First Issue Location: Pasadena, California
From 1966 to 1967 — coming as close as 29 miles to the
lunar surface — NASA's Lunar Orbiters photographed
99% of the Moon, including both polar regions and the
mysterious dark side. It was an amazing feat considering
that three of the five Orbiters experienced equipment
failures. From the high-resolution photographs, maps 100
times more accurate than previously possible were cre-
ated, and several primary landing sites for upcoming
Apollo missions were chosen. NASA didn't take any
chances — it was vital to avoid locations where craters,
rocks and holes filled with dust could be hazardous to the
lunar module. Thus, when the Apollo 11 astronauts made
their historic trip, their landing site was the basaltic
surface of the Sea of Tranquillity, an area shown to be
virtually crater-free by the Lunar Orbiters. As a result,
when astronaut Neil Armstrong made his "giant leap for
mankind," he was following in the figurative footsteps of
the intrepid Lunar Orbiters, which had blazed a safe trail
for him and all subsequent Apollo astronauts.
No. 91-83
©1991 The Maximum Card Collection
A division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
® Artwork courtesy of NASA
