The Viking 1 and 2 spacecraft were launched in August and September, 1975 on a ten month journey to begin an in depth study of the nature, origin and evolution of Mars. Upon arrival at Mars, the previously selected Viking 1 landing site was found to be unsuitable and a new site was selected by means of cameras mounted on the Viking orbiter, which also revealed features suggesting a history of liquid water on the Martian surface. Once the new site in the Cryse basin was selected, the Viking 1 lander separated from the orbiter and landed on July 20, 1976, followed by the Viking 2 lander in August, 1976 at a site considerably to the north of the first site. At the two sites, scanning facsimile cameras allowed the panoramic imaging of the terrain and measurements were made of local atmospheric and soil compositions, temperatures, pressures, winds and seasonal changes. Soil analyzers have not detected the presence of organic materials at these sites, and although the results of the life detection experiments are ambiguous, the likelihood of life on Mars seems extremely remote.
Viking - The exploration of Mars
Origin of life; Second ISSOL Meeting and Fifth ICOL Meeting ; 1977 ; Kyoto, Japan
01.01.1978
Sonstige
Keine Angabe
Englisch
NTRS | 1973
|Viking: The exploration of Mars
NTRS | 1984
NTRS | 1976
NTRS | 1977
|NTRS | 1977
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