Photos: 50 Years Since Viking 1 Landed on Mars3 hours agohttps://www.theatlantic.com/photography/2026/07/photos-50-years-since-viking-1-l...On July 20, 1976, Viking 1 became the first successful Mars lander in history.NASA's Viking Program included two pairs of orbiters and landers sent to Mars.The mission gathered a vast amount of data and imagery from 1976 to 1982.