Photo: A model of the Viking 1 Lander. First Mars landing mission July 20, 1976 36 years ago to day. SOURCE NASA (Public Domain).

from Discovery News

Analysis by Ray Villard
Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:47 AM ET

As we count down to the much anticipated landing of NASA’s six-wheeled Mars Science Lab (MSL) on Aug. 5/6th, it’s noteworthy that 36 years ago today mankind made the first successful touchdown on the Red Planet.

The nuclear-powered Viking 1 lander settled down in a burst of retrorocket fire on a smooth circular plain close to the great volcanic Tharsis Bulge on July 20, 1976. Four billion years ago this region may have been a water-filled bay on Mars. . . . Read complete Report

from youtube

Uploaded by mars2057 on Jul 20, 2010