Viking-2-Orbiter

Viking-2 Orbiter (One of the mission of Viking Program)

    Viking-2 Orbiter is a part of Viking Program and similar to Viking-1-Program  sent to Mars.This mission consist of a Orbiter and a Lander. It was the second landing on the surface of Mars.Viking-2 was launched on 9 September 1975 carried by Titan IIIE Rocket with a launch mass of 1455 kilogram.

MISSION OVERVIEW:

     Viking-2 Orbiter started to beam images of Mars after the successful orbital insertion on 7 August 1976. The lander separated from the orbiter on 3 September 1976 and landed at Utopia Planitia.

RESULTS OF VIKING-2 MISSION:

ORBITER:

• It created an idea for Huge water on Mars
• River Valleys were found in many areas on the surface of Mars
• It discovered flow of water in carved deep valleys, eroded grooves, cracks of bed-rock
• It found Ravi Vallis which formed from catastropic floods came from ground.

LANDER:

• After analysing soil it found the presence of magnesium, aluminium, sulphur, calcium, titanium, strontium and yttrium.
• These minerals were the products of Igneous rocks 
• VIKING-2 BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT: It consist of instruments like
• Pyrolytic Release Experiment
• Labeled Release Experiment
• Gas Exchange Experiment
• Gas Chromatograph 
• Mass Spectrometer

• Scientists found that Viking Program gave positive results to the search of life, but still it is not confirmed