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On This Day In Space: Nov. 17, 1967: Surveyor 6 makes 1st successful liftoff from the moon

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On This Day In Space: Nov. 17, 1967: Surveyor 6 makes 1st successful liftoff from the moon_65576fbbe6721.jpeg

On Nov. 17, 1967, NASA’s Surveyor 6 spacecraft made the first liftoff from the surface of the moon.

Surveyor 6 was one of several robotic missions NASA sent to scout the lunar surface before sending humans there. It took television pictures of the surface, and learned about the composition of moon soil.

Then came the big liftoff.

A NASA Surveyor model. NASA sent a series of Surveyor spacecraft to the moon to pave the way to the Apollo lunar landings. (Image credit: A NASA Surveyor spacecraft.)
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Surveyor 6 launched from the surface, and hopped to another position about eight feet away. Next, Surveyor 6 took pictures of its original landing site.

Controllers on Earth could see the boot prints of Surveyor 6. They also saw an imprint from the rocket exhaust when Surveyor 6 lifted off. Surveyor 6 showed that spacecraft could land on the moon, and lift off again. Less than two years later, humans did the same thing during Apollo 11.

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