Viking Lander

The Viking Mars mission was performed by two spacecraft, Viking 1 launched on August 20, 1975, and Viking 2, launched September 9, 1975. Each spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander, which traveled attached together for nearly a year to reach Mars orbit. The landers then separated from the orbiters and soft landed.

The Viking landers took full 360-degree pictures, collected and analyzed samples of the Martian soil, and monitored the temperature, wind direction, and wind speed. The Viking missions revealed further details of volcanoes, lava plains, huge canyons, and the effects of wind and water. Analysis of the soils at the landing sites showed them to be rich in iron, but devoid of any signs of life.

The last data from Viking Lander 2 arrived at Earth on April 11, 1980. Lander 1 made its final transmission to Earth Nov. 11, 1982. Controllers at JPL tried unsuccessfully for another six and one-half months to regain contact with Viking Lander 1. The overall mission came to an end May 21, 1983.