Viking 1

Launch data: Designation  08108 / 75075A Launch date  20 Aug 1975 - 21:22 UT Launch site  CC, LC-41 Launch vehicle  Titan-3E Centaur-D1T (#23E-4/TC-4) Mission  Mars lander Satellite type   Heliocentric orbit Perihelion / Aphelion  1.003 x 1.672 AU Eccentricity  0.250 Inclination  4.48 deg Period  565 days Mars orbit on 1976 Jun 19: Perihelion / Aphelion  1500 x 50600 km Eccentricity  0.834 Inclination  37.8? deg Period  2544 min Mars orbit on 1979 Jul 20: Perihelion / Aphelion  357 x 33943 km Eccentricity  0.817 Inclination  39.9 deg Period  1487 min Mars orbit on 1980 Aug 08: Perihelion / Aphelion  320 x 56000 km Eccentricity  0.760 Inclination  40? deg Period  2830 min

Viking 1 Orbiter

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor   Operator   Platform   Mass at launch  2325 kg (full) Dry Mass   kg Basic shape  Octagonal box + 4 vanes Dimension  3.3 high - 1.8 wide - 1.5 deep Solar array   Stabilization   DC power   Design lifetime  44 years? - In Mars orbit

Viking lander model

Mission details:

• Entered aerocentric orbit on 1976 Jul 19, then ejected lander at 1976 Jul 20.37.
• Viking 1 Lander (09024 / 75075C) landed on Mars on 20 Jul 1976 at 22N 48W (Chryse Planitia, Lunae Palus province).
• Viking Lander 1 (since renamed Mutch Memorial Station) was originally meant to land on July 4, 1976 on the rougher A-1 site. When Viking 1 reached Mars orbit in Jun 1976 and started imaging site A-1, JPL decided that the terrain was too rough, and delayed the landing while they searched for a smoother site, eventually settling on the Chryse Planitia site where Viking landed on 1976 Jul 20.
  Mars Pathfinder was able to land on the rougher A-1 site, on July 4, 1997, because of its robust airbag landing system, and indeed the rocky images from "Sagan Memorial Station" suggest that it was a really good thing Viking didn't try landing there.
• The Orbiter flew 88 km by Phobos on 1977 Feb 20.
• On 1980, the Viking 1 Orbiter was in a 411 x 56275 x 37.9 orbit.