First Mars Panorama

Photojournal: PIA00383

This image is the first panoramic view of the Martian surface, taken by the Viking 1 lander.

This view from Viking shows Chryse Planitia shortly after the lander touched down. The local time was late afternoon, the brightness on the right side of the frame is due to the Sun to the west. The panorama covers 300 degrees. In the foreground are parts of the lander: the meteorology boom at extreme left, the housing for the sample arm, which has not been deployed yet, at left the cover for the radioisotope thermoelectric generator, and at far left the high-gain dish antenna.