Astronomy Down Under

MRO images the Vikings

5 Dec at 14:57 by Wilson

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter keeps sending great images of the surface of Mars; the latest offerings are pictures of the equipment of previous missions, now sitting on the planet. Opportunity had already posed for the cameras, and now Viking I (pictured), Viking II and Spirit join the family album. The Vikings have been in Mars since 1976, but all parts of the vehicles (heat shields, parachutes and the actual lander) are clearly visible in the pictures taken from above.

No word on the Beagle yet, and the MRO was’nt able to find Mars Express either, unfortunately. Anyway, I can’t wait for Google Mars to incorporate the MRO high resolution images…