THE UNITED STATES SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ITS RANGER EIGHT PICTURE-TAKING SPACE-CRAFT TOWARDS THE MOON ON WEDNESDAY. A 109-FOOT TALL ATLAS-AGENA ROCKET WAS USED FOR THE LAUNCHING FROM CAPE KENNEDY, FLORIDA.

THE LAUNCHING APPEARED PERFECT. SHORTLY AFTER THE ATLAS-AGENA LIFTED OFF, HIGH POWERED TRACKING CAMERAS FILMED THE SEPARATION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND STAGES.

THE ROCKET PUT THE RANGER EIGHT INTO A PARKING ORBIT. FROM THERE, THE SPACECRAFT WAS TO BE FIRED TOWARDS THE MOON. ABOUT SIXTEEN HOURS AFTER THE LAUNCH, PROJECT OFFICIALS PLANNED TO EXECUTE A DELICATE MIDCOURSE MANOEUVRE WHICH WOULD LEAVE THE RANGER AIMED PRECISELY TOWARDS THE MOON'S SEA OF TRANQUILITY.

THE RANGER EIGHT CARRIES SIX TELEVISION CAMERAS, AS DID ITS PREDECESSOR, RANGER SEVEN. THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN MODIFIED TO MAKE THEM MORE SENSITIVE TO LIGHT, THUS PERMITTING SHARPER PICTURES OF THE AREA LYING ALONG THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

THE RANGER EIGHT, IF ALL GOES WELL, WILL BEGIN SENDING BACK PICTURES WHEN IT IS 1,180 MILES ABOVE THE LUNAR SURFACE. IT WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSMIT THEM FOR THE 13 MINUTES AND FORTY SECONDS REMAINING IN ITS LIFE. THEN IT WILL SMASH INTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON AND BE DESTROYED. OFFICIALS EXPECT THE LAST PICTURE TO BE RELAYED FROM AN ALTITUDE OF 1,000, FEET, OR LESS.

THE RANGER EIGHT LAUNCHING MARKED THE SECOND PART OF AN AMERICAN SPACE "DOUBLE". THE DAY BEFORE, A HUGE SATURN ROCKET PUT A PEGASUS METEOROID-DETECTING SATELLITE INTO ORBIT.