On this day - 20 July
Historical items of interest as featured in the papers of the day.
Successful landing of Viking 1 on Mars
Viking 1 landed successfully on Mars on July 20th 1976. For over 6 years Viking 1 remained active on the surface of Mars, completing science experiments including work on the search for life on Mars. Viking 1 also provided the first picture of the surface of Mars when it took a picture of its landing pad.
Less than a month later Viking 2 joined it. Viking 2 was essentially identical to Viking 1 and the surface lander operated for nearly 4 years before its batteries failed.
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