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Science 17 December 1976:
Vol. 194. no. 4271, pp. 1277 - 1283
DOI: 10.1126/science.194.4271.1277
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Articles

The Surface of Mars: The View from the Viking 2 Lander

T. A. MUTCH 1, S. U. GRENANDER 1, K. L. JONES 1, W. PATTERSON 1, R. E. ARVIDSON 2, E. A. GUINNESS 2, P. AVRIN 3, C. E. CARLSTON 3, A. B. BINDER 4, C. SAGAN 5, E. W. DUNHAM 5, P. L. Fox 5, D. C. PIERI 5, F. O. HUCK 6, C. W. ROWLAND 6, G. R. TAYLOR 6, S. D. WALL 6, R. KAHN 7, E. C. LEVINTHAL 8, S. LIEBES JR. 8, R. B. TUCKER 8, E. C. MORRIS 9, J. B. POLLACK 10, R. S. SAUNDERS 11, and M. R. WOLF 11

1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
2 McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
3 Martin Marietta Corporation, Denver, Colorado 80201
4 Institut für Geophysik, University of Kiel, Federal Republic of Germany, and Science Applications, Inc., Pasadena, California 91101
5 Laboratory for Planetary Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
6 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665
7 Center for Earth and Planetary Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
8 Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305
9 U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff Arizona 86001
10 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94305
11 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91103

Viking 2 lander began imaging the surface of Mars at Utopia Planitia on 3 September 1976. The surface is a boulder-strewn reddish desert cut by troughs that probably form a polygonal network. A plateau can be seen to the east of the spacecraft, which for the most probable lander location is approximately the direction of a tongue of ejecta from the crater Mie. Boulders at the lander 2 site are generally more vesicular than those near lander i. Fines at both lander sites appear to be very fine-grained and to be bound in a duricrust. The pinkish color of the sky, similar to that observed at the lander I site, indicates suspension of surface material. However, the atmospheric optical depth is less than that at the lander I site. After dissipation of a cloud of dust stirred during landing, no changes other than those stemming from sampling activities have been detected in the landscape. No signs of large organisms are apparent at either landing site.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Possible Ancient Oceans on Mars: Evidence from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter Data.
J. W. Head III, H. Hiesinger, M. A. Ivanov, M. A. Kreslavsky, S. Pratt, and B. J. Thomson (1999)
Science 286, 2134-2137
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One Mars Year: Viking Lander Imaging Observations.
K. L. Jones, K. L. Jones, R. E. Arvidson, E. A. Guinness, S. L. Bragg, S. D. Wall, C. E. Carlston, and D. G. Pidek (1979)
Science 204, 799-806
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Scientific Results of the Viking Missions.
G. A. Soffen and G. A. SOFFEN (1976)
Science 194, 1274-1276
   Abstract »    PDF »
Viking Magnetic Properties Investigation: Further Results.
R. B. Hargraves, R. B. HARGRAVES, D. W. COLLINSON, R. E. ARVIDSON, and C. R. SPITZER (1976)
Science 194, 1303-1309
   Abstract »    PDF »
The Environs of Viking 2 Lander.
R. W. Shorthill, R. W. SHORTHILL, H. J. MOORE II, R. E. HUTTON, R. F. SCOTT, and C. R. SPITZER (1976)
Science 194, 1309-1318
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Soil and Surface Temperatures at the Viking Landing Sites.
H. H. Kieffer and H. H. KIEFFER (1976)
Science 194, 1344-1346
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