Viking 1-Viking 2

Vikings 1 and 2 became the first space probes to successfully land on the surface of Mars. Viking Lander 1 was the first U.S. spacecraft to successfully touch down on any planet other than Earth. Both spacecraft were launched in 1976, the year in which the United States celebrated its bicentennial. The Viking probes analyzed gases in the Martian atmosphere and chemicals in the soil for evidence of the existence of simple life. The probes also measured wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric temperature, and atmospheric pressure. The Viking orbiters mapped the Martian surface.

All spacecraft images courtesy NASA
© The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 1999