Viking '73

[Graham2001]

NASA originally planned the Viking mission to launch in 1973, but for various reasons the flight was delayed to 1975.

Recently some of the studies for that mission have gone up on the NTRS. The most interesting of these looks to be the distant ancestor of Phoenix. It features a solar powered lander that reaches Mars on a direct-descent from flyby. (See attached illustrations).

I thought this might make for an interesting payload for the CVEL Titans and an interesting mission to fly.

Sources:

1. http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690006268_1969006268.pdf

2. http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690006269_1969006269.pdf

3. http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690006270_1969006270.pdf

 

[ryan]

I think there something like that simulated in the Grand Exploration thing, but i could never get all them working.

 

[Matte]

it was simulated in the Grand Exploration Program by Missleman01, but it was for version 030217. i think he started working on it again to upgrade. there should be a thread on this forum...

 

[ryan]

and we strongly emphesise the word ''SHOULD''

 

[Matte]

yes. i remember those add-ons with love.
it was the period i joined Orbiter and they were the first real probes i sent around. Magellan around Venus was really the first. then Galileo, Pioneer Voyager and so on...ah, good old times :beach:

 

[ryan]

I remember the time i first flew in orbiter, i landed the space shuttle, and of corse i didnt know the controls and i crashed it through the VAB, then when i stopped the speakers said ''Wheel Stop'' and i said ''he he i didnt even deploy the gears and there was a wheel stop''

 

[Matte]

ahahah, nice experience.
i've found my old pictures of GEP:

 

[Graham2001]

and we strongly emphasize the word ''SHOULD''

Actually there is such a thread [See: Here]

But to get slightly back onto topic, the mission documents I've linked to deal with NASA's revised plans after the cancellation of the Saturn V based Voyager-Mars.

What NASA planned to do was follow-up Mariner 9 (1971) with two solar powered landers in 1973 (Mariner '10' & '11', had they flown, Mariner 10 would have been Mariner '12') which would have been sent to Mars either in the form shown in the OP or using something similar to Viking (upgraded Mariner 9 type spacecraft).

The follow-up landings 1975 & 1977 were to be left to the Viking style RTG powered landers. In the event NASA went straight to Viking, skipped the intermediate step and were unable to follow up on their success for 20 years...

A mod based on the documents in the OP would give people a chance to simulate the 'mssing' aspects of NASA's Mars exploration program.

 

[Graham2001]

Thought I'd bump this thread as this is one spacecraft/mission idea I'd love to see made available.

 

[Graham2001]

GE Mars Hard Lander

Alternate to the design in the OP. Was to be released from a Modified version of the 1971 Mariner spacecraft.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026508_1968026508.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026509_1968026509.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026510_1968026510.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026511_1968026511.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026512_1968026512.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026513_1968026513.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026514_1968026514.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680026515_1968026515.pdf

 

[Graham2001]

Another GE design for a Mars Lander dating from 1969. With all of these designs the launch vehicle was a Titan.

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690009827_1969009827.pdf

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690009828_1969009828.pdf

 

[Graham2001]

Just thought I'd give an update. All documents linked to this thread are currently offline due to the security scare. Attached are the parameters of the reference mission used for the GE 1969 Mars Lander design.

 

[4throck]

There should really be an online reference for all the parameters.
I guess that Orbiter Wiki might be a good place for that, at least more quiet than Wikipedia.

 

[Graham2001]

I have found on a back-up drive all the files relating to these proposals I had downloaded. Until they are back online these documents can be downloaded as a single 170mb zip file from the following link.

Box.Net (Mars 73.Zip)