Viking 1 - Chryse Planitia

Viking 1, the first spacecraft to sucessfully land and conduct science on the surface of another planet, landed at Chryse Planitia on July 20th, 1976. At left is the first image taken on the surface of Mars.

The Viking program use two identical orbiters and landers, which were put down on nearly opposite sides of the planet. Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia. Chryse Planitia is a smooth and featureless flood plain, adjacent to major channel systems. Viking Orbiter 1 functioned until July 25, 1978, while Viking Lander 1 made its final transmission to Earth November 11, 1982.

Below are images of Chryse Planitia and the Viking 1 landing spot. At left is a MOLA image showing where Viking 1 landed. The elevations are shown on the key below. At right is a image of the Viking 1 landing location taken by the MOC on the Mars Global Surveyor. The image is courtesy of Malin Space Science Systems/NASA If you click on the images, you will be taken to larger versions.

MOLA

MOC image

Elevation Key for MOLA image.

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