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The Viking 1 and Viking 2 Landers were launched three weeks apart in 1975, both launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard Titan IIIE/Centaur launch vehicles. The landers traveled to Mars enclosed in a protective aeroshell attached to an orbiter. Upon arrival at Mars after an 11-month journey, the two spacecraft braked into Mars orbit, then separated from the orbiters and entered the atmosphere. They landed in July 1976 on opposite sides of the planet at Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia. Viking 1 was the first fully successful landing on Mars.
The landers were equipped with several scientific instruments, some of which were designed to look for signs of possible life. Despite some tantalizing clues, no definitive evidence for life was found. The landers were powered by two SNAP-19 42.6-Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), which create electricity from the heat of the natural decay of plutonium. Both landers exceeded their 90-day design life goal, with missions extending six and four years, respectively. The orbiters collected imagery of 97% of the surface of Mars and served as communication relay for the landers.
The full list of scientific instruments aboard the two Viking spacecraft includes the following:
Orbiter
- Imaging System (2 Vidicon Cameras) (VIS)
- Infrared Spectrometer for Water Vapor Mapping (MAWD)
- Infrared Radiometer for Thermal Mapping (IRTM)
Lander
- Imaging System (2 facsimile cameras)
- Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS)
- Seismometer
- X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
- Biological Laboratory
- Weather Instrument Package (Temperature, Pressure, Wind Velocity)
- Remote Sampler Arm
Aeroshell
- Retarding Potential Analyzer
- Upper-Atmosphere Mass Spectrometer
- Pressure, Temperature, and Density Sensors
The Museum’s artifact is the only Viking Lander Flight Capsule (FC) body remaining on Earth. (There are two additional lander prototypes that were made for ground testing and component design.) Professor James Tillman served as a member of the Viking Meteorology Science Team and Director of the Viking Computer Facility at the University of Washington. At the insistence of his daughter Rachel, Tillman saved the FC #3 lander body, which was destined to be melted down for scrap. Chris Vancil, Dr. Eckart Schmidt, and students from the University of Washington performed the restoration of the lander. The capsule is now on loan to the Museum from the Tillmans.
The Viking 1 and Viking 2 Landers were launched three weeks apart in 1975, both launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard Titan IIIE/Centaur launch vehicles. The landers traveled to Mars enclosed in a protective aeroshell attached to an orbiter. Upon arrival at Mars after an 11-month journey, the two spacecraft braked into Mars orbit, then separated from the orbiters and entered the atmosphere. They landed in July 1976 on opposite sides of the planet at Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia. Viking 1 was the first fully successful landing on Mars.
The landers were equipped with several scientific instruments, some of which were designed to look for signs of possible life. Despite some tantalizing clues, no definitive evidence for life was found. The landers were powered by two SNAP-19 42.6-Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs), which create electricity from the heat of the natural decay of plutonium. Both landers exceeded their 90-day design life goal, with missions extending six and four years, respectively. The orbiters collected imagery of 97% of the surface of Mars and served as communication relay for the landers.
The full list of scientific instruments aboard the two Viking spacecraft includes the following:
Orbiter
- Imaging System (2 Vidicon Cameras) (VIS)
- Infrared Spectrometer for Water Vapor Mapping (MAWD)
- Infrared Radiometer for Thermal Mapping (IRTM)
Lander
- Imaging System (2 facsimile cameras)
- Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GCMS)
- Seismometer
- X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
- Biological Laboratory
- Weather Instrument Package (Temperature, Pressure, Wind Velocity)
- Remote Sampler Arm
Aeroshell
- Retarding Potential Analyzer
- Upper-Atmosphere Mass Spectrometer
- Pressure, Temperature, and Density Sensors
The Museum’s artifact is the only Viking Lander Flight Capsule (FC) body remaining on Earth. (There are two additional lander prototypes that were made for ground testing and component design.) Professor James Tillman served as a member of the Viking Meteorology Science Team and Director of the Viking Computer Facility at the University of Washington. At the insistence of his daughter Rachel, Tillman saved the FC #3 lander body, which was destined to be melted down for scrap. Chris Vancil, Dr. Eckart Schmidt, and students from the University of Washington performed the restoration of the lander. The capsule is now on loan to the Museum from the Tillmans.
Now located in: APOLLO
