The Viking 2 mission was part of the American Viking program to Mars, and consisted of an orbiter and a lander essentially identical to that of the Viking 1 mission. Viking 2 was operational on Mars for 1281 sols. The Viking 2 lander operated on the surface for 1,316 days, or 1281 sols, and was turned off on April 12, 1980, when its batteries failed. The orbiter worked until July 25, 1978, returning almost 16,000 images in 706 orbits around Mars.
Viking Orbiter
Proof test article of the Viking Mars Lander
Viking 2 lander Camera 1 NOON HIGH RESOLUTION MOSAIC (With Low Resolution Color).
Viking 2 Lander Camera 2 FROST (Low Resolution Color) Sol 1028, 1030 and 1050 between 11:34 and 12:40.
The Viking program consisted of a pair of identical American space probes, Viking 1 and Viking 2, which landed on Mars in 1976. The mission effort began in 1968 and was managed by the NASA Langley Research Center. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts: an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface. The orbiters also served as communication relays for the landers once they touched down.
Artist impression of a Viking orbiter releasing a lander descent capsule
Mars image mosaic from the Viking 1 orbiter
Streamlined islands show that large floods occurred on Mars. (Lunae Palus quadrangle)
Scour patterns were produced by flowing water. Dromore crater is at bottom. (Lunae Palus quadrangle)