Fifty years ago | Viking craft lands on Mars, sends back clear pictures
This archival piece recounts the 1976 landing of the Viking space probe on Mars, which provided the first clear images of the Martian surface. The mission provided early scientific insights into the planet's geology and terrain.
Why it matters
The Viking mission was a foundational event in space exploration that paved the way for modern planetary science.
Pasadena, July 20: The American unmanned Viking space probe lander touched its three slender aluminium legs down on Mars today after an 11-month 800 million-kilometre voyage from Earth, and sent back two “unbelievably” clear photographs showing hills and small rocks.
Scientists at Mission Control here speculated that the terrain seen in the second photo up to three of five kilometres from the 600 kg craft on the Martian plain of Chryse could be made of volcanic lava or basalt.
The ground was soft with rocks and gravel, but the aluminium legs did not sink in. One leg could be seen in the first photo. Several of the rocks about 30 cm across had sharp angles as if they had been broken by sandstorm.
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