Serial Number 001. Would love to learn more if anyone is familiar with its use during the first Mars lander mission.
From NASA Facts: Viking Mission to Mars: “The lander spacecraft was composed of five basic systems: the lander body, the bioshield cap and base, the aeroshell, the base cover and parachute system and lander subsystems.
The aeroshell was an aerodynamic heat shield made of aluminum alloy in a 140-degree, flat cone shape and stiffened with concentric rings. Bonded to its exterior was a lightweight, cork-like ablative material that burned away to protect the lander from aerodynamic heating at entry temperatures which may have reached 1,500 degrees C.
The interior of the aeroshell contained twelve small reaction control engines, in four clusters of three around the aeroshell’s edge.
The engines controlled the pitch and yaw to align the lander for entry, help slow the craft during early entry and maintain roll control.
During the long cruise phase, an umbilical connection through the aeroshell provided power from the orbiter to the lander; housekeeping data also flowed through this connection.”
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