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Where did the Viking spacecraft land?
Mars
Each orbiter-lander pair flew together and entered Mars orbit; the landers then separated and descended to the planet’s surface. The Viking 1 lander touched down on the western slope of Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold), while the Viking 2 lander settled down at Utopia Planitia.
Did the Viking mission land on Mars?
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.
What was the first thing to land on Mars?
Viking landers
The Viking landers were the first spacecraft to land on Mars in the 1970s. Viking 1 and Viking 2 each had both an orbiter and a lander. On July 20, 1976 the Viking 1 Lander separated from the Orbiter and touched down on the surface of Mars.
How did Viking 2 land?
The lander settled down with one leg on a rock, tilted at 8.2 degrees. The cameras began taking images immediately after landing. The Viking 2 lander was powered by radioisotope generators and operated on the surface until April 12, 1980, when its batteries failed.
When did NASA’s Viking 1 land on Mars?
It was obtained by NASA’s Viking 1 minutes after the spacecraft landed July 20, 1976. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech What was Viking 1? NASA’s Viking 1 made the first truly successful landing on Mars.
What happened to the Viking 2 spacecraft?
The Viking-A spacecraft was scheduled to be launched first but ended up being launched second due to a problem with its batteries. It was redesignated Viking 2. After a successful launch and a course correction Sept. 19, 1975, Viking 2 entered orbit around Mars nearly a year after launch Aug. 7, 1976.
What was the purpose of the Viking 1 mission?
About the mission 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.
Why was the orbit of Viking 1 and 2 orbiters raised?
To prevent an imminent impact with Mars the orbit of Viking 1 orbiter was raised on August 7, 1980 before it was shut down 10 days later. Impact and potential contamination on the planet’s surface is possible from 2019 onwards. It is unknown if the Viking 2 orbiter’s orbit was also raised to prevent an impact.