Viking 1

Mars · space exploration · first landing · NASA

Historic Mars landing. On July 20, 1976, Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to successfully touch down on Mars and send back information about the planet. This was an amazing achievement that showed humans could explore other worlds.

Longest surface mission. Viking 1 worked on Mars for over 2,300 days, longer than any other spacecraft had ever lasted on another planet. It kept sending back discoveries until it finally stopped working in 1982.

Part of a pair. Viking 1 was one of two spacecraft sent to Mars, along with Viking 2, and each one had both an orbiter that circled the planet and a lander that touched down on the ground. This double mission helped scientists learn much more about Mars.

Pioneer of Mars science. Before Viking 1, no one knew much about Mars up close, but this brave little robot sent back pictures and data that taught us Mars was a real place with rocks, dust, and weather patterns. It changed how we understand our neighboring planet.