KSP - Ranger 3, 4, 5

This video depicts aspects of Ranger 3/4/5 in Kerbal Space Program. It uses a number of fan-made mods such as Bluedog Design Bureau, Chatterer, PlanetShine, Scatterer, and others.

While the Block I spacecraft of Ranger 1 and 2 were meant just to operate in deep space as prototypes, the Block II spacecraft had a mission to impact on the Moon. The mission involved an impactor probe that could be detached from the main probe, and an attached retro rocket would slow it down enough to deploy a balsa wood-covered ball.

Unfortunately, Ranger 3 had a launch failure that had it skip the Moon entirely, and its computer failed while engineers tried to upload a new program for it to return data from a heliocentric orbit. Ranger 4 had a bit more success in that it actually impacted on the far side of the Moon but didn't return any useful data. Lastly, Ranger 5 ran out of power and ceased operation and only flew by the Moon.

If you wish to learn more about the real-life mission:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/rang...

If you have Kerbal Space Program (the original game, not the sequel) then you can download the craft used in this video:

https://kerbalx.com/gc1ceo/Bossart-Be...