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Lunar material was dumped on the white surface of Surveyor 3's footpad #2 by the surface sampler scoop to enable close examination of the disturbed soil under good viewing conditions. In the foreground of the photo, mounted on Surveyor's leg, is a color calibration chart, which was used to make color studies of the material. The scene was photographed four times, each time with a different filter (clear, red, green, and blue). The spacecraft eventually returned over 6,300 images to Earth.

Surveyor 3 was launched 30 years ago, one of a series of spacecraft designed to soft land on the moon. Using a TV camera and surface sampler, it provided data used in the Apollo program, in which Americans landed and walked on the moon. It was launched April 17, 1967 and landed April 19 on the moon's Ocean of Storms. The project was managed by JPL and the 620 pound spacecraft was built by Hughes Aircraft Company.