Posts: 22
From: Beaver Dam, WI
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 01-20-2004 01:28 AM               

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Where were you during the Viking missions? Or what are your memories of that program?

My first memory of the project was while I was hearing about it sitting in the car while going to my grandparents one night. I remember looking up and wondering what it was all about. I was really excited about the idea of going to Mars, and I guess I still am. Anyone else?

Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003

Posts: 1512
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 01-20-2004 01:02 PM               

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I was working construction, building a nuclear power plant in Burlington, Kansas the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college. Had decided to give up my dream of being in the space biz (the '70s were pretty bleak for space) and make a career in nuclear power.

One rainout day I bought and devoured Mike Collins' outstanding book "Carrying the Fire." A few days later, Viking landed, generating the kind of excitement unseen since Apollo. Between the two, I realized that space was where I needed to be regardless of how bleak the employment opportunities looked at the time. Best decision I ever made in my life!

Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 01-20-2004 04:03 PM               

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Like the others before me, I will always have found memories of the Viking Mars Project. Just having graduated from high school and entering college, NASA approved my Viking news media credentials in covering both A/B missions from the Cape. If I can recall correctly, the twin Viking missions were only my second or third media assignment for a couple of space-related publications that I started to work for; one as a veteran, but still a very young and wet-behind-the ears enthusiastic, "on-site" Space Coast reporter.

So many memories of this exciting, and very first attempt to softly land on the Martian surface. Both missions, consisting of a two-part spacecraft for each, went so well from their Earthly-liftoffs in August/September 1975 to their remarkable pinpoint landings on the Red Planet from just over a year journey.

From a collecting standpoint, some of my favorite space age relics and memorabilia are from the Viking missions to Mars. Tons of cachet covers were created and related stamps issued depicting all aspects of the incredible voyages with hundreds of signed covers, photos, letters, etc., from the NASA and contractor folks that were a key factor in putting America on Mars.

To this day, I consider the Viking Mars Project as one of NASA's finsest hours, as with the current Mars Rover expeditions, but there was nothing like doing it for the very first time; July 20, 1976, also, the seventh anniversary of when man first walked on another world.

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Posts: 132
From: Palm Harbor, FL 34684
Registered: Nov 1999

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From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001

Posts: 2113
From: Staffs, UK
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 01-22-2004 03:09 PM            

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Watched every minute I could — especially remembering that first image from Viking 1. Superb!

Did a formal lecture for British Interplanetary Society in London on Viking and did several others throughout UK. Also,small items for some regional press.

Had a lot do with Martin Marietta and JPL leading up to mission when they supplied details etc for the mission in support of the lectures, including a test image (which I've still got) of the slit eyed cameras taking shot of JPL car park!

Some years later got involved in getting details about the mineralogy and publicising this in UK.

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Posts: 3120
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 01-22-2004 08:16 PM            

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Ah! Happy memories. I was at Kennedy Space Center in July, 1975, to watch the ASTP launch. About three days later I got to see the two Viking Titan-Centaur launch vehicles being worked on inside an enclosed hangar. (I was looking in from the outside). I think at least one of the Vikings had already been attached to its booster. I also got chatting to a Titan-Centaur engineer in Cocoa Beach who gave me a lot of insights into the launch vehicle and the Vikings. This all gave me a personal link with the Vikings, so I was all the more delighted when they both landed safely. (By the way, I think that engineer's name was Ed Procrasky, have any of you ever heard of him?)

Viking 1 landed around 1.00 p.m. BST on 20 July, 1976. I was on a student holiday job in a factory, loading container lorries. I brought a radio inside one of the containers to hear the news of the safe landing. The regular workers must have thought I was a nut!

Viking 2 landed late on Friday 3 September. I was at a party, on a sofa, getting extremely well acquainted with a young lady, who got a bit of a shock at two minutes to midnight when I said: "Excuse me while I rush out to the car to hear about Viking 2 on the midnight news." Fortunately she was still there, waiting for me, when I came back having heard the news of the safe landing! (How's that for dedication to space...)

Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 01-27-2004 11:14 AM               

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The Viking-A spacecraft — both the Lander and Orbiter vehicles — were delivered to Pad 41 on July 28, 1975, for their Titan 3E/TC-4 launch vehicle mating.

The spacecrafts were not a part of Titan's early launch processing while TC-4 was still inside Complex 41's Titan ITL area. The Viking-A spacecraft payload, while atop its Titan launch booster, was rolled out to Pad 41 on June 2, 1975. I think I was also a part of your press tour after the ASTP launch in viewing Viking's Titan launch vehicle processing while over at the Cape side's Titan ITL area... but I just can't remember too much of that particular incident as I did cover many Viking-related activities, both from the Cape and at KSC.

Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
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Posts: 1255
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 01-27-2004 03:55 PM               

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I worked as an intern for Itek. They were in the process of completing the design for the slit cameras. The main building had a mockup of the Viking lander in the lobby with a complete demonstration of the cameras at work.

I was mainly a gopher for scientists and engineers working on determining the proper reflective coating for the Hubble telescope.

That was way back in 1971.

Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 01-27-2004 07:13 PM               

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I also was at KSC in July 1975 for the ASTP launch, and remember very clearly taking the tour and seeing the Titan 4 vehicle on Pad 41, roughly a month before launch.

Weren't the spacecraft switched about three weeks before launch, due to a battery drain problem on Viking "A"?

Posts: 1512
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 02-01-2004 05:16 PM               

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Yes, the Viking-A spacecraft (both lander and orbiter) was originally scheduled to fly on the first Viking mission to Mars. When pre-launch testing was underway, it was discovered the orbiter batteries had to be replaced; thus putting the Viking-A spacecraft behind schedule in order to meet certain launch deadlines.

In light of this major problem, NASA decided to substitute the "behind-scheduled" Viking-A spacecraft with the "on-schedule" Viking-B spacecraft. Therefore, with this new decision, the Viking-B was to be flown on the first mission that was launched on Aug. 20, 1975.

The "switching" of Viking probes that was substituted is commonly referred to as "turnaround" activities. The first Viking-A "turnaround" rollout occurred early in the morning on Aug. 27, 1975. This was the first time a Viking craft was mated to its launch vehicle rocket, Titan 3E, or better known as Titan-Centaur #3 (TC-3) for the second Mars mission.

A few days after Viking-A was mated to the launch booster, more problems were encountered on the spacecraft when testing started with the combined Viking craft and launch vehicle systems at the pad. The problem wasn't corrected at the pad in the time required, therefore, NASA had to demate Viking-A from the launch vehicle and move it back (both lander and orbiter) to its servicing and testing hangar (SAEF-1) at KSC's Indudtrial Area.

The problem was later solved and the next "turnaround" rollout from SAEF-1 to Launch Complex 41 occurred Sept. 5. The second, which was to be the last, Viking-A rollout was completed into the early morning hours of Sept. 6. Such a "rollout" of this capacity consisted of both Viking lander and orbiter crafts enclosed in the Centaur protective shroud on a special transport vehicle with a support convoy.

Three days later, on Sept. 9, Viking-A was finally launched on this country's second Mars landing mission attempt.

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From: Brussels, Belgium
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From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
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