Lunar Orbiter

A series of American lunar probes launched in 1966 and 1967 with the primary objective of mapping the Moon and locating suitable landing sites for the manned Apollo programme. It was the first systematic exploration of the Moon's surface and all five craft in the series were very successful. Photography was carried out using conventional photographic film that was developed automatically on board, then scanned so that the information could be transmitted back to Earth for reconstruction.