The Future Looks Grim for Big Soda. Sales of soda are tanking, and beverage companies are hoping bottled water -- and hundreds of other products -- will fill the gap.
The objectives of the program, which made six manned flights from 1961 to 1963, were specific: To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth; To investigate man's ability to function in space; To recover both man and spacecraft safely.
The decision to land a man on the Moon changed the goals and schedule of the Ranger effort. The science program now had a dual purpose: to scout for landing sites for Apollo astronauts and to gather new information about the Moon. The Ranger spacecraft gave Americans their first look at the Moon from close range. Nine Rangers were launched from 1961 through 1965. The first six failed. The spacecraft was redesigned and Rangers 7, 8, and 9 successfully transmitted more than 17,000 television pictures of the lunar surface.