SOLAR SYSTEM

Detailed explanation-1: -The first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars, Viking 1 was part of a two-part mission to investigate the Red Planet and search for signs of life. Viking 1 consisted of both an orbiter and a lander designed to take high-resolution images, and study the Martian surface and atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Viking 1 lander touched down on the western slope of Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold), while the Viking 2 lander settled down at Utopia Planitia.

Detailed explanation-3: -Viking 1 launched on August 20, 1975. It arrived in Mars orbit on June 19, 1976 and the lander touched down on July 20, 1976. Viking 2 launched less than a month after Viking 1 on September 9, 1975.

Detailed explanation-4: -Two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter, were built. Each orbiter-lander pair flew together and entered Mars orbit; the landers then separated and descended to the planet’s surface.

Detailed explanation-5: -Over the past two years, Curiosity’s onboard Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory has detected methane, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and other organic molecules. Researchers suspect that these organic substances may have formed on Mars or been carried there by meteorites.