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Viking Orbiter

The Viking Mars mission was performed by two spacecraft, Viking 1 launched on August 20, 1975, and Viking 2, launched September 9, 1975. Each spacecraft consisted of an orbiter and a lander, which traveled attached together for nearly a year to reach Mars orbit.

The orbiters then began taking pictures of the Martian surface, from which a landing site was selected. The orbiters also conducted atmospheric water vapor measurements and infrared thermal mapping.

The Viking 1 orbiter flew within 90 kilometers of Phobos to take images of this larger, inner moon of Mars. The Viking missions revealed further details of volcanoes, lava plains, huge canyons, and the effects of wind and water. Analysis of the soils at the landing sites showed them to be rich in iron, but devoid of any signs of life. The overall mission came to an end May 21, 1983.