The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project is focused on preserving 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.
The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project is a 501C3 nonprofit funded by individual donations and sponsorship by carefully selected entities that support the mission of global education with a special focus on STEM, collaborative learning, and international cooperation. These are the values that made Viking one of the most successful missions of its era and a leader that set precedent for all future missions.
Space programs of today are based on the successes and learnings of their predecessors as well as the innovations of new contributors and resources. As this world is rapidly shifting from government funded, collaborative academic efforts to commercial sector entities, with rapid global acceleration and shorter development cycles, it is important to understand the history of these successes, to integrate their lessons into future missions. We begin this project using a one of a kind private collection that includes the Viking Mars Lander flight ready body (VL3), and the Viking Mars Mission artifacts and archives owned by Viking team member James E. Tillman, and his daughter Rachel. This collection, and donations from Vikings and contributing institutions are being curated and digitally archived, to develop and enhance new and existing exhibits and educational experiences focused on Viking and aerospace, to benefit the public.
Currently we are accepting queries from museums and institutes interested in hosting future installations. We are also in discussion with educators and experts developing educational content that meets the focus and mission of the project. Our objective is to collaborate with others as well as create unique educational modules to accompany the installations and online experience to extend the “Reach and Teach” opportunities.
We invite others who are developing educational Mars or Viking related curriculum to contact us for collaboration.
Here are just a few things we have done in the last 2 years…
In 2018, we traveled via bus from Washington State through Oregon and California, visiting and interviewing Viking contributors.
January 21, 2015 – For the first time, over 300 artifacts from Viking became available to people around the world as we (The Viking Mars Missions Education & Preservation Project) VMMEPP launched our online Viking Mission Museum. Users will be able to see a complete set of the Viking Mission Bulletins, a previously unpublished detailed specification for the Viking Meteorology Instrument, a unique White House document required for mission launch, a Lunar Orbiter document by the team that helped NASA Langley win the Viking Project Office, and many other treasures of the museum in just a few clicks at The Viking Mission Museum.
Planned and led the only Viking Mission Reunion and all day Mars Education Day in Denver Colorado, July 16th we had over 150 Vikings from around the country come together for an Honor Ceremony.
We brought in students and aerospace leaders to pay tribute to the individuals who worked on Viking in ALL capacities. This event invited people from ALL NASA Centers and contributing Contractors, because Viking was ALL of these people, not just the ones whose names show up on Org charts or in the News. Vikings participated in an all day public education event at Partner venue Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space Museum, supported by our Sponsors including our Founding Sponsor, Lockheed Martin, and education Partners The Space Foundation, and Rocky Mountain AIAA.
We launched our #MarsMaker series with Partners ADX Maker Space and Robot Garden, with Maker events in San Franscisco and Portland. We built two artistic Viking Landers from scrap material with kids 4-15 and 16 and up.
We will be holding these events around the globe beginning in 2017.
We hold education outreach events all around the country in museums, Barnes & Noble stores, Libraries, and schools…
Vikings Pat DeMartine, Virgil Young, Al Treder, Claire Reimers, Bill and Sharon Garber, and surprise guest Ray Weldon, flew in from Virginia, Colorado, and Washington, to participate in our OMSI Science Pub series in Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis, Oregon joined by Peggy Newcomb representing John Newcomb, Viking Project Office.
We supported Writers, Documentary Filmmakers, Artists, and Aerospace Professionals and much, much more…
Three Barnes and Nobles around the country participated in 5 different events in the last year. Look for more in 2017!
Peggy Newcomb sharing “A Bunch of Plumbers” the autobiography of John Newcomb about his years working on Lunar Orbiter and Viking. A great read for 12 and up!
We have also curated over 3000 documents and memos from the mission and are working hard to curate and tag them for our online Viking Mission Museum for the world to discover – educate – collaborate.
If you believe this will inspire future generations and is worth sharing, please consider making a donation today.
Make Aerospace History with VMMEPP
Donations in honor of Vikings can be made to “The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project” (VMMEPP), a 501c3 and mailed to”
5331 S. Macadam Ave.
Portland Oregon 97239
https://square.link/u/X21Q3tjz
We are the sole Viking dedicated organization to preserve the mission. For a neutral and inclusive view of the mission, we need your help! Inquiries can be directed to info@thevikingpreservationproject.org
Thank you,
The VMMEPP Team and Vikings around the world