La storia dell’esplorazione di Marte   Mars Express, launched on 2 June 2003, at 23h45 (local time) on board a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.   Mariner 4 was the fourth in a series of spacecraft used for planetary exploration in a fly-by mode and represented the first successful fly-by of the planet Mars, returning the first pictures of the martian surface. It was designed to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to transmit these observations to earth. Other mission objectives were to perform field and particle measurements in interplanetary space in the vicinity of Mars and to provide experience in and knowledge of the engineering capabilities for interplanetary flights of long duration.   The Soviet Mars 3's primary scientific objectives were to image the Martian surface and clouds, determine the temperature on Mars, study the topography, composition and physical properties of the surface, measure properties of the atmosphere, and monitor the solar wind and the interplanetary and martian magnetic fields.   Two Viking landers were the first spacecraft to conduct prolonged scientific studies on the surface of another planet. Viking 1 began its 10-month journey to Mars on 20 August 1975. Viking 2 followed on 9 September. After entering Mars orbit, the spacecraft orbiters conducted photographic surveys of the planet's surface to assist in the search for safe landing sites. Viking 1 landed on 20 July 1976; Viking 2 landed on 3 September 1976.