On this day in space! Aug. 7, 1980: NASA's Viking 1 Mars orbiter shuts down 4 years into a 90-day mission
On August 7, 1980, NASA officially shut down the Viking 1 orbiter after four years of successful operations around Mars. The mission was a landmark achievement, providing the first successful landing on the Red Planet and extensive surface data.
Why it matters
The Viking 1 mission remains a foundational milestone in planetary exploration, setting the stage for all subsequent Mars research.
The Viking 1 Orbiter circled Mars far longer than NASA ever dared to dream.
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Click for next article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On Aug. 7, 1980, NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft ended its epic and historic mission on the Red Planet.
Viking 1 was the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars . It was one of two Viking missions NASA launched in 1975 to go look for evidence of life on Mars . Each of the Viking missions were composed of an orbiter and a lander. Viking 1's orbiter took photos of the Martian surface that helped NASA decide where to drop the lander.
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