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James S. Martin, Jr.

James S. Martin, Jr.

James S. Martin, Jr.

James S. Martin, Jr. (19202002) was the NASA Program Manager for the Viking Project that successfully landed the robotic Viking I and Viking II spacecraft on Mars in 1976. The Viking landers made the first successful soft touchdowns by spacecraft on another planet, and their companion orbiters sent the first global maps of Mars back to Earth the following year. Martin led this unprecedented effort and the 750-member nationwide team of NASA, industry and academia. The highly successful Viking mission was accomplished after many years of hard effort by Jim Martin and his team.

Martin was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Springfield, Illinois, graduating from Springfield High School in 1938. His main hobby was designing and flying gas-powered model airplanes. He earned his bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1942, and later completed a management program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business. After graduating from Michigan, Martin worked for the Republic Aviation Corporation in Farmingdale, New York. At Republic, he moved up from assistant chief technical engineer to chief research engineer, and finally to manager of space systems requirements.

In 1964, Martin joined NASA Langley Research Center as assistant manager for the Lunar Orbiter program, which provided detailed images of the moon’s surface vital to the identification of suitable landing sites for the manned Apollo landings. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal in 1967.

In June 1967, Langley Director Floyd Thompson announced the appointment of Martin as manager of the Voyager Capsule Bus System, a key role for Langley in Project Voyager, which included other roles for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Marshall Space Flight Center. His outstanding contributions as manager of Langley’s Voyager activities resulted in his being selected as project manager for the Viking Program.

The Langley experts that had participated in the highly successful Lunar Orbiter Project were available, and the Viking project to place a lander on Mars began under Martin’s management. Over 20 techniques for the Mars landing were considered. An approach in which an orbiter and lander would first go into orbit around Mars was chosen. The lander would then separate and make a soft landing on Mars, while the orbiter continued to fly to support the lander, take pictures of Mars, measure the Martian surface temperature, and measure water content in the Martian atmosphere. Martin managed the overall project and was responsible for the Lander; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was responsible for the Orbiter and Deep Space Net and Space Flight Operations Control facility; and the NASA Lewis Research Center (now the NASA Glenn Research Center) was responsible for the launch vehicle.

The project successfully resolved significant issues, including how to deploy a parachute behind a blunt body at supersonic speeds, developing a terminal-descent rocket engine configuration that would not dig holes in the Martian soil, finalizing the critical landing computer, and sterilizing the spacecraft to avoid contamination of Mars. After seven years of hard work, the Viking I spacecraft was ready and launched on August 20, 1975.

While the Viking team was occupied with the Mars mission, a planned ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., was underway. The traditional ribbon-cutting would be achieved by a signal sent from Viking I while orbiting Mars–using a Langley modified Viking Lander surface-sampler arm mounted on a pedestal. A special hot wire attached to the end of the arm was activated from the orbiting spacecraft, achieving the cutting on schedule. The successful ribbon-cutting on July 1, 1976, was attended by Chief Justice Warren Burger, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, President Gerald Ford, Museum Director and former astronaut Michael Collins, and Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley.

After the 10-month voyage to Mars, the Viking I Orbiter returned global images of Mars, and the Viking Lander touched down on July 20, 1976. After a de-orbit maneuver, the Lander separated from the Orbiter, descended, and entered the Martian atmosphere with the onboard computer supplying control using inputs from aerodynamic sensors, gyroscopes and accelerometers. At a high altitude, a parachute was deployed, the aeroshell (blunt heat-protective nosecone) was released from the Lander body, and the computer guided the Lander to the surface while cutting bolts, allowing springs to extend the Lander’s legs.

As Viking 1 landed on Mars, Martin hung up on a congratulatory call from President Ford, telling him that he was “busy right now” and to call back in three hours. The President called back three hours later, at which time Martin, along with then-NASA Administrator Dr. James Fletcher, briefed him on the landing. During the conversation, Ford asked Fletcher, “Do we have any plans for a Viking III?” Martin quickly replied, “Mr. President, the team is ready for Vikings III, IV, V, and VI!”

Jim Martin consistently demonstrated the highest level of management skills and critical decision making based on a thorough understanding of the technical issues. Viking Management Operations Manager Angelo “Gus” Guastaferro remembers Martin’s legacy; “The greatest achievement in his professional life was the way Jim allowed individuals to grow. Many Viking team members dedicated nearly a decade to the formulation, development, and operation of the Viking project. Each of us was provided an opportunity to grow as engineers, scientists, and leaders.” Martin was a commanding presence and a natural leader who expected and got more from his people than they were trained to do. In the process, he won their devotion and became a mentor to many. If you were to write a specification for a leader, he would be it,” said Guastaferro. “He put a lot of pressure on people, but he was a joy to work for.”

Tom Young, Viking’s Mission Director, said “Jim Martin was the epitome of leadership. Jim had the experience. He knew what it took to make a project successful. He had the strength and the integrity to do those things that were necessary to make it work.”

Martin left NASA in 1976 to become vice president of advanced programs and planning for Martin Marietta Aerospace in Bethesda, Maryland. He retired in 1985; but in 2000, NASA called him out of retirement to help restructure the space agency’s Mars program after the 1999 failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander missions.

Jim Martin died on April 14, 2002, at the age of 81. He was survived by his second wife, the former Frieda Rexroth; two sons, Neil F. Martin (an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), and James S. Martin III; and two daughters, Lori Stamm and Margot Duncan.

On Martin’s death, Langley Director Dr. Jeremiah F. Creedon said, “This country has lost one of the major contributors to the U.S. space program. Jim Martin’s strong management of Project Viking ensured that one of NASA’s most complex and difficult assignments was also one of the Agency’s most successful endeavors.”