VIKING 1’S LEGACY AND FUTURE MARS EXPLORATION, July 20, 2026, Denver, CO, 11:00 am-12:00 pm MOUNTAIN Time
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Lockheed Martin will sponsor a panel session at Denver’s Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum on July 20, 2026 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm MOUNTAIN Time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landing of Viking 1 on Mars, the first time the United States landed a spacecraft on another planet. (Before Viking, a Soviet spacecraft, Mars 3, made a soft landing on Mars in 1971, but ceased transmitting almost immediately. Two others crashed. A fourth missed the planet.)
Two U.S. orbiter/landers, Viking 1 and Viking 2, were launched. The landers for Viking 1 and Viking 2 were built in Denver by Martin Marietta (before it merged with Lockheed). This panel features four current or retired Lockheed Martin experts, moderated by space journalist Leonard David.
More information is on the event’s website.