Click on photo to see larger image

Two virtually identical Viking spacecraft were launched on August 20 and September 9, 1975. Each one orbited Mars and sent a lander to the planet's surface, Lander 1 on July 20, 1976 and Lander 2 on September 3 of the same year. These were the first U.S. devices to land on Mars. While the orbiters sent back images of the planet, the landers returned close-up images of the surface, monitored the weather and looked for evidence of life.

This image was taken on September 24, 1976 at Utopia, the site where Viking Lander 2 touched down. The reddish color of the surface is a product of oxidation in the iron-rich soil. Fine particles of dust suspended in the atmosphere create a salmon-colored sky. At left is the lander's thermoelectric generator, with the U.S. flag on its sheild. At right is the high-masted communications antenna.