Viking Mars lander Credit - NASA Media Gallery

First successful soft landings made at two locations on the Martian surface and returned the first images from the surface. The orbiters extensively mapped the surface of the planet. Viking was designed to orbit Mars and to land and operate on the planet's surface. Two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter, were built. These spacecraft were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1975. They spent nearly a year cruising to Mars. Viking 1 reached Mars orbit June 19, 1976, and Viking 2 began orbiting August 7, 1976. Viking 1 landed on Mars July 20, 1976 on the western slope of Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold) at 22.3 deg N latitude, 48 deg longitude.

Mass: 3,399 kg (7,493 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E.

• 1966 January 16 - National Academy of Sciences report outlining research objectives in lunar and planetary exploration for the 1970s and early 1980s. - Program: Skylab.

  The Space Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report outlining research objectives in lunar and planetary exploration for the 1970s and early 1980s. The report affirmed earlier recommendations by the Space Science Board to NASA that unmanned exploration of Mars should have first priority in the post- Apollo space era. Secondary importance was assigned to detailed investigation of the lunar surface and to unmanned Venus probes. Clearly, the report reflected a predominant mood within the scientific community that scientific research in space take predominance over manned programs whose chief objectives, said the report, were 'other than scientific.'Additional Details: National Academy of Sciences report outlining research objectives in lunar and planetary exploration for the 1970s and early 1980s. (21946).

• 1974 February 11 - Viking Dynamic Simulator - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E. FAILURE: Failure.

• 1975 August 20 - Viking 1 Lander - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E.

  Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

• 1975 August 20 - Viking 1 Orbiter - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E. Mass: 3,399 kg (7,493 lb).

  Combined Mars orbiter and lander mission; orbiter inserted in Mars orbit 6/19/76; lander soft landed on Martian surface 7/20/76Mars. Mars Orbit. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

• 1975 September 9 - Viking 2 Orbiter - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E. Mass: 3,399 kg (7,493 lb).

  Combined Mars orbiter and lander mission; orbiter inserted in Mars orbit 8/7/76; lander soft landed on Martian surface 9/3/76Mars. Mars Orbit. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

• 1975 September 9 - Viking 2 Lander - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Titan 3E.

  Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

• 1976 August 7 - Viking 2, Mars Orbit Insertion -

• 1976 July 20 - Viking 1, Mars Landing -

• 1976 July 20 - Viking 1 landed on Mars -

  Viking 1 reached Mars orbit June 19, 1976. Landing was planned for the US Bicentennial on July 4, but was delayed until a suitable landing site was located. The lander separated from the orbiter and touched down on the western slope of Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold) at 22.3 deg N latitude, 48 deg longitude.

• 1976 September 3 - Viking 2, Mars Landing -

• NASA Report, Phobos: Close Encounter Imaging From The Viking Orbiters, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19840024260_1984024260.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking orbiter views of Mars, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810003458_1981003458.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, The Viking mission to Mars, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19740026174_1974026174.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, The Martian landscape; Viking Mars mission and photographs, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19790004813_1979004813.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking 75 project: Viking lander system primary mission performance report, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770022101_1977022101.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking 1: early results; Mars atmosphere and surface examinations, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19760021208_1976021208.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking-1 post launch report no. 1, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770076359_1977076359.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking '75 Spacecraft Design and Test Summary. Volume 1: Lander Design, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810001592_1981001592.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, The Viking Mission To Mars, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19740026174_1974026174.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, The Viking Mosaic Catalog, Volume 1, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19820014252_1982014252.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking-1 Post Launch Report No. 1, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770076359_1977076359.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking '75 Spacecraft Design and Test summary. Volume 2: Orbiter Design, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810001593_1981001593.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking Mission to Mars Factsheet, . Accessed at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/viking.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking 75 orbiter system test and launch operations. Volume 2: Launch operations, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770013188_1977013188.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking Lander Atlas of Mars, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830005765_1983005765.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking 75 Orbiter system test and launch operations. Volume 1: System test, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770012196_1977012196.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking MarsLander 1975 Dynamic Test Model/Orbiter Developmental Test Model Forced Vibration Test, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19750003956_1975003956.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking '75 Spacecraft Design and Test Summary. Volume 3: Engineering Test Summary, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19810002594_1981002594.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Viking 75 Project: Viking Data Analysis Team Report, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930074112_1993074112.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• NASA Report, Flight and mission operations support for Voyager spacecraft launching and Viking-Mars mission, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19780015007_1978015007.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.