VIKING I LANDER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: OPEN

Approved For Release 2000/08/11 :
' THIS PAGE
FOLDS OUT
Practicing a dig, a Viking
lander at the-Jet Propulsion'
Laboratory (above) extei ds
its surface sampler over sim-
ulated Martian rocks-Sty-
rofoam-to scoop simulated
Martian soil--earth sand.
In this manner, techni-
cians rehearsed operations
on earth before Viking per-
formed them on Mars.
CAMERA
TEST TARGET
In addition to the biology
instrument and two cameras,
the jeep-size lander carries
other devices (below) to
sample weather, analyze
soil and atmosphere, and re-
cord any seismic tremors.
Data from the tests are
stored on magnetic tape,
then transmitted to the or-
biter for relay to earth.
HIGH-GAIN
ANTENNA
TERMINAL-DESCENT
ENGINE
9TSED ON MARTIN MARIETTA CORPORATION DRAWING
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ART DIVISION
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
1 Viking I enters
orbit
Viking 2
landing site
Utopia Planitia,
48.0 ? N., 225.7? W.
~~,~tiG r
f 4
the orbiter will continue to
circle Mars, snapping high-
resolution photographs
of the planet's surface
for up to two years.
2 Orbiter releases lander
"We have touchdown !I
T O ]ENTER ORBIT, Viking 1 fires its braking
engine (1). Landing-site safety check complete,
the orbiter releases the lander, cocooned in a sau-
cerlike, protective aeroshell (2). Since it takes as
long as 22 minutes for a radio signal to reach Mars
from earth, a computer in the lander masterminds
the landing sequence.
First, it ignites the de-orbit engines that nudge
3 Lander T1t,-over;
de-orbit engines fire
0 Terminal-descent
engines fire at
the aeroshell out of orbit and into a landing tra-
jectory (3). As the aeroshell plunges into the Mar-
tian atmosphere, frictional temperatures up to
1,500? Celsius (2,730? F.) sear the ablative shield
(4). When the aeroshell has slowed to less than 600
miles an hour, the computer deploys a parachute
for further braking and jettisons the protective
shield (5). Later, the parachute is released.
Terminal-descent engines (6) slow the lander to
five mph and triumphant touchdown (7).
4 Entry into the
Martian atmosphere
5 Parachute deploys and 4
aeroshell shield jettisons at 19,400 feet
13
Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792R000700490001-7
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Approved For Release 2000/08/11: CIA-RDP96-00792R0007004
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