It's Safe to Land on the Moon,
Thanks to The University of Arizona
In 1965, when NASA was young and the moon’s surface was still a mystery, some respected scientists believed that the dark areas of the moon were unfathomable depths of “Gold dust” and that a landing spacecraft would sink without trace. But photos taken by NASA’s Ranger 9 and analyzed by Dr. Gerard Kuiper, the first director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at The University of Arizona, proved otherwise. Kuiper told NASA that a moon landing would be safe and paved the way for America’s first unmanned spacecraft to land on the moon. Since then UA scientists have been involved in almost all of NASA’s lunar and planetary missions.
Additional Information:
Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
UA Mars Mission
Photomosaic of Ranger IX impact area used in determining bearing strength of floor. Reprinted from the JPL Technical Report No. 32-800, Ranger VIII and IX, Part 11. Experimenters’ Analyses and Interpretations March 15, 1966.