As the sun rose ever so slowly over the lunar Ocean of Storms, the spidery, three-legged newcomer hesitantly extended and flexed its aluminum, accordion-like arm. Then, reassured that the numbing cold of its flight through space had done no harm, it reached down and pressed its steel-tipped claw into the moon's surface, leaving a small dent. Opening its claw, it deliberately gouged a small trench near its feet, curiously watching each movement to determine the nature of the lunar soil. Thus last week Surveyor 3 became the second U.S. spacecraft to achieve a successful lunar soft landing. "We've not...
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