Martian surface and Viking 2. Viking Lander 2 image of the Martian surface. Part of the lander is seen in the foreground. This image was taken at Utop

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Martian surface and Viking 2. Viking Lander 2 image of the Martian surface. Part of the lander is seen in the foreground. This image was taken at Utopia Planitia, Viking 2's landing site. The Viking 2 mission consisted of a lander and an orbiter and was launched on 9 September 1975. The orbiter was inserted into Mars orbit on 7 August 1976. The lander separated from the orbiter and landed on Mars on 3 September 1976. When the orbiter stopped working in July 1978 it had returned almost 16,000 images. The lander continued to work until April 1980, when its batteries failed.

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Size: 2818px × 2224px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1, 1900s, 1970s, 2, 20th, astronomical, astronomy, camera, century, cosmology, exploration, lander, landing, mars, martian, planet, planetary, planitia, rock, rocks, rocky, science, site, soil, solar, surface, system, utopia, viking