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Viking 1 launched
Mass: 576 kilograms 1,270 pounds
Science instruments: Biology instrument, gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, seismometer, meteorology instrument, stereo color cameras, physical and magnetic properties of soil, aerodynamic properties and composition of Martian atmosphere with changes in altitude -
Viking 2 launched
The two Landers had the same payload -
Period: to
NASA Viking missions
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Viking 1 Orbiter Arrival
The Viking 1 arrived to the designated area above the martian atmosphere -
Viking 1 Lander Arrives
The Viking 1 Lander lands on the western slope of Chryse Planitia -
First Image From Mars Surface
The Viking 1 took the very first colored image of the Martian surface -
Viking 2 Orbiter Arrival
The Viking 2 Orbiter arrived to the orbit shortly after Viking 1 approximately 4,600 miles from the other lander -
Viking 2 Lander Arrives
The Viking 2 lander touched down at the Utopia Planitia -
Estimated Viking 1 Lifespan
NASA had anticipated that the orbiter and lander would only last for 90 days, but in reality it lasted much longer. -
Estimated Viking 2 Lifespan
The Viking 2 was also estimated to only last for 90 days, but like the Viking 1, it lasted much longer than anticipated. -
Viking 2 Stops Functioning
The Viking 2 only lasted about half the amount of time that the Viking 1 did. This was mostly due to "variations in sunlight" which caused the power source of the Viking 2 to decay much quicker. -
Viking 2's Last Transmission
Though it stopped fully functioning in 1978, the Viking 2 continued to transmit data to NASA research centers on Earth for about two more years. -
Viking 1 Mission Conclusion
The Viking 1 lasted about four years and completed a total of 1,489 orbits of Mars -
Last Transmission from the Viking 1
The last transmission from the Viking 1, much like the Viking 2, came two years after it stopped fully functioning. -
Possibility of Water on Mars
The Spirit and Opportunity rovers, inspired by the Viking missions, made major headway to finding life on Mars when they discovered a region that had a wet and possibly habitable environment many years ago -
NASA's Phoenix Lander
The Phoenix Mars Lander finds that Martian soil that was examined by the Viking 1 lander in 1980 may have contained carbon based chemical building blocks of life
