Viking Project

NASA's Viking Project found a place in history when it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface.

Occurred 46 years ago

Type

Orbiter & Lander

Landing

Viking 1 July 20, 1976

Viking 2 Sept. 3, 1976

Destination

Mars

Objective

Land and orbit Mars

NASA's Viking Project found a place in history when it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface. Two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter, were built. Each orbiter-lander pair flew together and entered Mars orbit; the landers then separated and descended to the planet's surface.

Retro-style video features animation of one of NASA's Viking spacecraft en route to Mars and landing there in the mid-1970s. Video includes actual footage of NASA mission control for Viking, and the Deep Space Network in California's Mojave Desert, which communicates with spacecraft

NASA/JPL_Caltech

Viking 1

The first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, Viking 1 was part of a two-part mission to investigate the Red Planet and search for signs of life. Viking 1 consisted of both an orbiter and a lander designed to take high-resolution images and study the Martian surface and atmosphere.

Operating on Mars' Chryse Planitia (22.27° N, 312.05° E, planetocentric) for more than six years, Viking 1 performed the first Martian soil sample using its robotic arm and a special biological laboratory. While it found no traces of life, Viking 1 did help better characterize Mars as a cold planet with volcanic soil, a thin, dry carbon dioxide atmosphere, and striking evidence for ancient river beds and vast flooding.

The Viking mission was planned to continue for 90 days after landing. Each orbiter and lander operated far beyond its design lifetime. Viking Orbiter 1 continued for four years and 1,489 orbits of Mars, concluding its mission Aug. 7, 1980. Because of the variations in available sunlight, both landers were powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) – devices that create electricity from heat given off by the natural decay of plutonium. That power source allowed long-term science investigations that otherwise would not have been possible. Viking Lander 1 made its final transmission to Earth on Nov. 11, 1982.

Rocks on the surface of Mars in the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars.

Taken by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on Mars, this image is the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars. It was taken on July 20, 1976. The primary objectives of the Viking mission, which was composed of two spacecraft, were to obtain high-resolution images of the Martian surface, characterize the structure and composition of the atmosphere and surface and search for evidence of life on Mars.

NASA

Viking 1 Lander & Orbiter Quick Facts

Launch Date: Aug. 20, 1975

Launch Vehicle: Titan IIIE-Centaur

Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States

Mass: 883 kilograms

Nominal Power: 620 Watts

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Viking 1 Orbiter image of Central Tithonium Chasma, a rock formation on Mars

This Viking 1 Orbiter image of Central Tithonium Chasma, Mars forms the left side of a stereo pair with image 064A22. Landslide lobes can be seen in the 6 km deep canyon floor. Some layering is visible in the south wall.The image is 130 km across. North is at ~11:30. (Viking Orbiter 057A45)

NASA

Viking 1 Orbiter Quick Facts

Orbit Insertion: June 19, 1976

Orbiter End of Mission: Aug. 17, 1980

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Viking 1 Lander Quick Facts

Landing: July 20, 1976

Landing Site: Chryse Planitia ("Golden Plain")

Lander End of Mission: November 13, 1982

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A panorama of Chryse Planitia on the surface of Mars

This is the first panoramic view ever returned from the surface of Mars. This view from Camera 2 on Viking 1 shows Chryse Planitia on 20 July 1976, shortly after Viking landed.

NASA

Viking 2

Viking 2 landed on Mars at Utopia Planitia (47.64° N, 134.29° E, planetocentric) on Sept. 3, 1976 -- immediately following the first successful spacecraft landing on Mars by Viking 1 -- and was part of NASA's early two-part mission to investigate the Red Planet and search for signs of life. While neither spacecraft found traces of life, they did find all the elements essential to life on Earth: carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus.

Like its predecessor, the Viking 2 mission consisted of a lander and an orbiter designed to take high-resolution images and study the Martian surface and atmosphere. The Viking Orbiter 2 functioned until July 25, 1978. The last data from Viking Lander 2 arrived at Earth on April 11, 1980.

Viking 2 Lander & Orbiter Quick Facts

Launch: Sept. 9, 1975 UTC

Launch Vehicle: Titan IIIE-Centaur

Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States

Mass: 883 kilograms

Nominal Power: 620 Watts

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Part of Viking 2 seen with Martian boulder field in the background.

NASA's Viking 2 on the surface of Mars.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Viking 2 Orbiter Quick Facts

Orbit Insertion: Aug. 7, 1976

Orbiter End of Mission: July 25, 1978

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This Viking Orbiter 2 image shows a large dust storm over the Thaumasia region on Mars. This large disturbance soon grew into the first global dust storm observed by the Viking Orbiters.

NASA/ JPL-Caltech

Viking 2 Lander Quick Facts

Landing: Sept. 3, 1976

Landing Site: Utopia Planitia, Mars

Lander End of Mission: April 11, 1980

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The first color picture taken by Viking 2 on the Martian surface shows a rocky reddish surface much like that seen by Viking 1 more than 4000 miles away.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Science

Besides taking photographs and collecting other science data on the Martian surface, the two Viking landers conducted three biology experiments designed to look for possible signs of life. These experiments discovered unexpected and enigmatic chemical activity in the Martian soil, but provided no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms in soil near the landing sites.

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Color mosaic of Viking Orbiter 1 and 2 images showing Candor Chasma, part of the Valles Marineris system on Mars. This oblique view is looking from the north over the 497 miles (800 kilometers) wide chasm, which is centered at about 6.5 South, 71. West. The walls and floor show evidence of erosion and mass wasting and complex geomorphology.

NASA/ JPL-Caltech

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