Valiant 11 is the name of the Virgo II moon landing mission's lunar lander. It was used in the first manned lunar landing mission, and made contact with the lunar surface on July 16, 1969. The crew of this United States Space Agency spacecraft consisted of Captain Richard Wade, Captain Mark Garris and Captain Michael Hagen. These American astronauts became the first humans to walk on a celestial body other than Earth. On November 14, 1969, the Virgo III Lander Valiant 12 also landed on the moon.
Lander replica
A replica of the Virgo II was on display in the Museum of Technology in Washington, D.C. at the time of the Great War in 2077, and remains there during the events of Fallout 3. In the quest Galaxy News Radio, Three Dog sends the Lone Wanderer to recover the communications relay dish from the lander in order to improve the signal strength of the broadcast.
Notes
- The Virgo II mission is the Fallout world's counterpart to the real world's Apollo 11. The date given for the Virgo II landing is the launch date for Apollo 11, four days before the latter landed on the moon.
- The craft itself greatly resembles the LK Objekt, the one man lunar landing craft the Soviet Union, created for their manned moon shot, planned seriously but never launched. Considering the general fifties aesthetic of all Fallout vehicles, it may be due to the rounder and more bulbous design of the LK, as opposed to the more practical-looking Lunar Module (LM) that was flown in real life by the US.
- The Valiant 11 can be seen in Museum of Technology's poster, which can be found in multiple locations in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
- A Virgo series lander can be seen in the mural in the Museum of Freedom (see below) in Concord, indicating that they were also used by elements of the United States Armed Forces during a (apparently short lived) conflict centered around the Sea of Tranquility.[1] Nothing is currently known about this conflict save for what can be gleaned from the mural and its accompanying description.
“This mural commemorates the many sacrifices of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. From Lexington and Concord to the shores of Iwo Jima, from the Sea of Tranquility to the Anchorage Front Line, Americans have fought and died through the ages to secure our nation's freedom. May their sacrifices remind us all that freedom is a privilege afforded to the many, yet hard won by a noble few.[2]”
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References
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