The VMMEPP Mission is to preserve the history, artifacts, original documents, and data from the Viking Missions, to inspire current and future leaders and thinkers, and to instill collaboration and equity into missions of tomorrow.
Viking was a collaborative effort between many NASA Centers and Contractors, led by the Langley Viking Project Office and Martin Marietta, with critical instrumentation designed and built by TRW. The TRW Viking Lander Biology Instrument (VLBI), comprised of 3 chemistry laboratories, and the Viking Meteorology Instrument System evolved in a very intense development cycle. All 4 TRW instruments along with the other instruments on both landers and orbiters, operated successfully, and provided first of a kind data from the Mars surface.
As part of our project, we will be publishing every document from the Viking mission in a series of exhibits. This first exhibit which contains the Design Doc is only a very high level overview if the mission to share basics with a layperson audience. Exceptions are a few design docs, the first proposal from Martin Marietta, and a few reports. Later exhibits will drill down into each instrument, craft and system, the science, discoveries, and eventually Bios and interviews with each Viking we interview.
To see the 1972 TRW MET Design Document, click here.