My Pick of Pic's December 21, 2003 Viking I Landing Site A morning view of Chryse Planitia from Viking I. Viking I landed here on July 20, 1976. It was our first view of Mars from the surface. This is a mosiac of numerous images taken over a number of days. Wonderful details can be seen. The foreground shows a blanket of dust that was blown out as the retro rockets fired during decent. A hole left by the surface sampler arm is also visible. Much of the dust that covers this area is active. Small changes, though very minute, over the course of two martian years have been observed. Viking Project Information Viking I Site from Mars Odyssey