Chris Jones wrote:

The early, unsuccessful Ranger lunar probes (numbers 3 to 5) intended to
carry out what they called a rough landing of an instrument package on
the moon. Braked by a solid rocket, the package was to be cushioned in
a balsa enclosure and surrounded by fluids. It would hit the moon at 61
m/sec, taking 3000 g's.



I always liked the part where the two .22 caliber bullets fired out
through the balsa sphere to vent the liquid freon after the inner
insturment sphere aligned itself facing upwards.
Yup, this is an American probe- we haven't been on the Moon ten minutes,
and already we've opened fire and started Chlorofluorocarbon pollution. :-D

Pat