Seasons Greetings & THANKS. Viking FC3 is standing on its three legs!!!
Greetings to the Viking FC3 Lander team.
Thanks to everyones efforts as of 20 December, 2002, the Viking lander is standing on its three legs in the Electrical Engineering building. Today I decided to erect it. EE staff lifted the body and the blocks were inserted. (I DID NOT LIFT!) I then installed the legs and we bolted the boom on.
Now that its on its feet, it can be moved easily. I rotated it so that the MSA (Meteorology Sensor Array), end of the boom is more than an arms length from the outside. Chris, your MSA model won't go on until the area is more secure.
David Holmes will be installing a slow scan video with web interface in the near future. Initially it will only be iternally viewable at our site http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~mars/viking/lander/viking_lander/, or one in EE. Some version will be passworded but in the interm, please don't give this one out. It is a mismash of old, and incorrect information.
This figure, (http://www.atmos.washington.edu/~mars/viking/lander/viking_lander/VL2_sol376_dust_deck_frost-01.jpg) will be used to illustrate both frost at the 48 North, VL-2 site, and dust on the lander grid, showing this application of the grid.
Please remember, the finished landers are white like the Meteorology boom.
My daughter Rachel, redesigned some of the display materials and provided some very valuable guidance that I couldn't afford.
(She helped me design the digitall graphics and image display for the original "Live from Mars", now the permanent"Viking View of Mars" exhibit at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Its now in its 20th year. Her graphics/technical/writing expertise also includes developing, and producing trade show exhibits for Intel.)
The revised graphics are far cleaner and clearer. Thanks Rachel.
Again, many thanks for your contributions, help and support and we Martians wish you many happy sols!!
Jim