Page 22 - (DK) Eyewitness - Mars

The first successful landings

In mid-1975, the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida sent Vikings 1 and 2 on their way to Mars.
Each carried a lander to be placed on the surface.
Launched in August, Viking 1 went into orbit
around Mars in June 1976, and in July its lander
module descended by parachute onto a boulder-
covered northern plain. There, it began searching
the soil for signs of life—the mission’s main task. In
September 1976, Viking 2 put down its lander on a
plain halfway around the globe and farther north. The
landers took dramatic photographs of the Martian
surface and also tested the gases in the atmosphere.
Their journeys, successful landings, and the wealth of
EARTH TO MARS
This dish antenna at a tracking station in Goldstone, data they gathered made Vikings 1 and 2 immense
California, communicated with the two Viking
spacecraft. NASA’s Deep Space Network managed triumphs for NASA. Yet, their most important mission
this station and two others, in Spain and Australia. had disappointing results: they found no Martian life.
Each station had three antennas, with the largest
230 feet (70 m) in diameter.
VIKING PARACHUTES TO MARS
On July 20, 1976, computers on board
Viking 1 separated orbiter and lander, and
the lander’s flight path bent gradually down
to Mars. As the descent through the final
mile (1.6 km) started, a parachute deployed—
as is shown in this illustration. The lander
was still in its protective aeroshell.

APPROACHING TOUCHDOWN VIKING 1 IMAGE OF MARS LANDSCAPE
This painting shows a key moment soon after The northeastern horizon of Chryse
the lander’s parachute opened. The protective Planitia looks familiar to Earthlings who
aeroshell has just ejected, and the landing legs know the rocky deserts of the American
have opened up. In about 50 seconds Southwest. Yet, Mars is more barren than
retrorockets fired, slowing down the descent, any Earthly desertscape, and its sky is
which ended a minute later with a gentle jolt rusty-pink from suspended dust. The large
on Chryse Planitia. Viking 1 was the first boulder, nicknamed “Big Joe,” is about
spacecraft ever to make a successful landing 10 feet (3 m) wide and 3 feet (1 m) high.
on another planet.

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