A pair of identical robotic missions, Viking 1 and Viking 2, that each combined an orbiter and a lander to explore Mars. Both launched in 1975 and landed in 1976; Viking 1 was the first mission to land safely on Mars and return images from the surface. The landers carried the first biological experiments sent to another planet, whose inconclusive results left the question of microbial life on Mars unresolved, and the orbiters' imagery of ancient river valleys transformed scientific understanding of the planet through the late 1990s.
Facts
Mission TypePaired Mars orbiter-and-lander mission 1 OutcomeViking 1 achieved the first fully successful landing on Mars; the program's orbital imagery and its inconclusive biology experiments shaped scientific understanding of Mars for two decades, and the question of microbial life on Mars remains unresolved. 2 Mission Type
Mission Type (category) Mission Type (category) Connections
Open Questions
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Operated By
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Spacecraft Of
Source Wikipedia: Viking 1
Source Viking 2 (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationViking program, Science objectives section
Obtain high-resolution images of the Martian surface
Viking program, Wikipedia, infobox (End of mission)
The Viking program ended on May 21, 1983.
Operated By: NASA, Viking program, Specifications table
Operator NASA / JPL
View the Source 2. NASA Solar System Exploration
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA Science, Viking 1 mission pageQuote, NASA Science, Viking 1 mission page
NASA's Viking 1 made the first truly successful landing on Mars.
Viking program (Wikipedia)
Viking program, lead section
The Viking program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes
Viking program, lead section (launch)
Viking 1 was launched on August 20, 1975
In Group: NASA Mars Missions, Lead sentence
The Viking program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes, Viking 1 and Viking 2 both launched in 1975, and landed on Mars in 1976.
View the SourceViking 2 (Wikipedia)
Includes: Viking 2, Lead paragraph, part-of
The Viking 2 mission is part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission.
Spacecraft Of: Viking 2, Lead paragraph, mission-of
The Viking 2 mission is part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission.
View the SourceWikipedia: Viking 1
Wikimedia FoundationSpacecraft Of: Viking 1, Article text
Viking 1 is the first of two spacecraft, along with Viking 2, each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program.
Includes: Viking 1, Article text
Viking 1 is the first of two spacecraft, along with Viking 2, each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program.
View the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
Were the positive results from the Viking landers' biological experiments evidence of microbial life on Mars, or can they be explained by non-biological chemistry in the Martian soil?
The Viking landers' Labeled Release experiment produced results initially read as consistent with biological metabolism, but most scientists later concluded the same results were more likely caused by non-biological, highly oxidizing chemical reactions in the Martian soil. No follow-up mission has definitively settled which explanation is correct.
What would resolve this A mission capable of directly detecting biological molecules or organisms in Martian soil, rather than inferring metabolism indirectly from gas-exchange chemistry, or a complete explanation of the Labeled Release results from soil chemistry alone that leaves no ambiguity.
Astrobiology and planetary soil chemistryViking program (Wikipedia)
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