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Today in History: Viking 1 achieves first Mars spacecraft landing

7/20/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On July 20 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 lander achieved the first soft touchdown on Mars, marking the inaugural successful extraterrestrial surface mission. The orbiter-lander pair operated for 2,307 Earth days (2,245 sols), setting a surface-mission record that stood until Opportunity surpassed it in 2010.

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Story summary

On July 20 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 lander achieved the first soft touchdown on Mars, marking the inaugural successful extraterrestrial surface mission. The orbiter-lander pair operated for 2,307 Earth days (2,245 sols), setting a surface-mission record that stood until Opportunity surpassed it in 2010.