The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project

The collective intelligence of our history is expressed through great achievements but what happens when they fade?

Viking 1 was the Mars probe with longest operational period on the surface of Mars - 2245 Sols (in 1976) until Opportunity overtook it on May 19, 2010. And Viking 2 was the second longest operational duration on the surface of Mars for a lander or rover until August 11, 2007, when Spirit overtook it at 1282 Sols, one Sol longer.

~ Perspective: it took 30 years to "best" Viking

Viking technology, methodology, and lessons permeate aerospace missions today from throttle-able terminal descent engines of Blue Origin and SpaceX, to camera systems on Spirit and Opportunity, and industries from healthcare to manufacturing and computing. But equally important are the peer influences, that have continued to extend Viking reach into asteroid recovery OSIRIS REx, Hubble, Orbital ATK, and the educational and cultural fabric that guides future generations through teaching and the arts. Viking influence can be seen everywhere.

Our mission is to preserve and share the history, artifacts, and documents of Viking and to extend the understanding of the mission beyond the iconic achievements into the personal experiences of Viking through conducting Oral History interviews and supporting dialogue and interaction between the Vikings and the public through activities and educational materials.

The online Viking Mission Museum will grow as we curate and develop the interview content into produced material. Please enjoy this first high level overview and nuggets provided by the Vikings themselves, and produced by our organization.