IT is supreme adventure for man's spirit as well as his rockets. The stars and the moon have long been symbols of a remote and indifferent universe, a reproach to man's insignificance. Now man for the first time is challenging the planets themselves."
So said TIME in its Jan. 19, 1959 cover story on space exploration. The cover painting that went with it showed a startled moon having its picture taken by a rocket-mounted camera. Five years later, this painting has come true with the spectacular success of Ranger VII (see SCIENCE).
TIME began watching the moon in its third issue, March 17,...