Viking 1
Lander shell (top) and orbiter | |
| Mission type | Mars Orbiter/Lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | |
| SATCAT no. |
|
| Website | Viking Project Information |
| Mission duration | Orbiter: 1,846 days (1797 sols) Lander: 2,306 days (2,245 sols) Launch to last contact: 2,642 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Orbiter: JPL Lander: Martin Marietta |
| Launch mass | 3,530 kg |
| Dry mass | Orbiter: 883 kg (1,947 lb) Lander: 572 kg (1,261 lb) |
| Power | Orbiter: 620 W Lander: 70 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21:22, August 20, 1975 (UTC) |
| Rocket | Titan IIIE/Centaur |
| Launch site | LC-41, Cape Canaveral |
| Contractor | Martin Marietta |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | November 11, 1982 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Eccentricity | 0.88221 |
| Periareion altitude | 320 km (200 mi) |
| Apoareion altitude | 56,000 km (35,000 mi) |
| Inclination | 39.3° |
| Period | 47.26 hours |
| Epoch | August 7, 1980 |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Spacecraft component | Viking 1 Orbiter |
| Orbital insertion | June 19, 1976 |
| Mars lander | |
| Spacecraft component | Viking 1 Lander |
| Landing date | July 20, 1976 11:53:06 UTC (MSD 36455 18:40 AMT) |
| Landing site | 22°16′N 312°03′E / 22.27°N 312.05°E |
|
Large Strategic Science Missions Planetary Science Division | |
Viking 1 was 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. The lander touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976, the first successful Mars lander in history. Viking 1 operated on Mars for 2,307 days (over 61⁄4 years) or 2245 Martian solar days, the longest extraterrestrial surface mission until the record was broken by the Opportunity rover on May 19, 2010.