The Viking retarding potential analyzer flown to Mars in 1976 had negative retarding potential sweeps in addition to the positive ion sweeps. This paper presents an analysis of the electron mode sweeps made in Viking 2 above the ionosphere. An observation of the electron energy spectrum over the range 0 to 78 eV was recorded in 1 s and observations were made at intervals of 4 or 8 s. The portion of the orbit where measurements were made was entirely behind the shock front and in the dawn sector. Observations were made from an altitude of 15,644 km at 0304 LT down to 791 km at 0715 LT, at which point sunlight fell on the entrance grids and further analysis of the electron observations was not possible. The concentrations and temperatures were highly variable in the altitude range 14 000 to 9000 km (solar zenith angles 133¿ to 123¿). Evidence for two Maxwellian components was present in most of the records. The general trend of concentration and temperature for the predominant component was from 2 cm-3 and 100 000 K at 15 600 km to 5 cm-3 and 220 000 K at 900 km, in good agreement with the Mars 3 observations of Gringauz et al. (1974). The higher-temperature component was generally characterized by a temperature near 400 000 K and concentrations near 0.1 cm-3. The electron plasma pressures near 800 km were about a factor of 20 lower than those obtained from Viking 1, the difference being much greater than expected from the normal distribution around the stagnation point in the shocked solar wind. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1992