A space history mystery: What happened to the Viking arm used 50 years ago?
Summary
The National Air and Space Museum opened on July 1, 1976, with President Gerald Ford attending the ceremony. A key part of the event was a ribbon-cutting using a model arm from NASA’s Viking Mars lander, which was later taken back by NASA. The real Viking 1 spacecraft was then on its way to Mars, about 20 days from landing.Key Facts
- The National Air and Space Museum opened on July 1, 1976.
- President Gerald Ford spoke at the opening ceremony.
- The ceremony included a ribbon-cutting with the surface sampler arm from a Viking Mars lander model.
- The Viking 1 spacecraft was heading to Mars at the time, about 20 days from arrival.
- NASA took back the Viking engineering arm after the ceremony.
- The event featured performances, an invocation, and a flyover by the Thunderbirds.
- Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, was also present and involved in the event.
- Communications with the Viking 1 spacecraft had an 18-minute delay each way due to its distance from Earth.
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