Landing of Viking 2 on Mars

Date: September 3, 1976 • Location: Washington, United States

Viking program: The American Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars.

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. The mission effort began in 1968 and was managed by the NASA Langley Research Center. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts: an orbiter spacecraft which photographed the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander which studied the planet from the surface. The orbiters also served as communication relays for the landers once they touched down.