Model, Lunar Lander, Surveyor

This 1:24 scale model of the Surveyor lunar soft-lander accurately depicts the five spacecraft successfully landed by NASA on the Moon during the period from May 30, 1966 to January 9, 1968. The overall objectives of the Surveyor program were to accomplish soft landings on the Moon, obtain data concerning temperature, chemical composition, and load-bearing characteristics of the lunar soil in support of the Apollo program, televise high quality photographs of the lunar surface, and perform operations on the lunar surface that would contribute new scientific knowledge about the Moon.The Hughes Aircraft Company donated this to the Museum in 1975.