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> First image of martian soil

First image of martian soil

author: Nasa/Novapix

reference: a-mar04-02000

Image Size 300 DPI: 21 * 7 cm

This is the first photograph ever taken on the surface of the planet Mars. It was obtained by Viking 1 just minutes after the spacecraft landed successfullyon july 20 1976. The center of the image is about 1.4 meters (five feet) from Viking Lander camera 2. Many of the small foreground rocks are flat with angular facets. Extending from left rock toward the camera is a vertical linear dark band which may be due to a one-minute partial obscuration of the landscape due to clouds or dust intervening between the sun and the surface. The large rock in the center is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) across and shows three rough facets. To its lower right is a rock near a smooth portion of the Martian surface probably composed of very fine-grained material. It is possible that the rock was moved during Viking 1 descent maneuvers, revealing the finer-grained basement substratum; or that the fine-grained material has accumulated adjacent to the rock. At right is a portion of footpad. Small quantities of fine grained sand and dust are seen at the center of the footpad near the strut and were deposited at landing. The shadow to the left of the footpad clearly exhibits detail, due to scattering of light either from the Martian atmosphere or from the spacecraft, observable because the Martian sky scatters light into shadowed areas.  

Keywords for this photo:

1976 - ASTRONOMY - BLACK AND WHITE - CHRYSE PLANITIA - MARS - MARTIAN SURFACE - PLANET - SOIL - SPACECRAFT - SPACEPROBE - VIKING - VIKING 1 -