Viking Lander Mosaics of Mars

The Viking Lander 1 and 2 cameras acquired many high-resolution pictures of the Chryse Planitia and Utopia Planitia landing sites. Based on computer-processed data of a selected number of these pictures, eight high-resolution mosaics were published by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Atlas of Mars, Miscellaneous Investigation Series. The mosaics are composites of the best picture elements (pixels) of all the Lander pictures used. Each complete mosaic extends 342.5 deg in azimuth, from approximately 5 deg above the horizon to 60 deg below, and incorporates approximately 15 million pixels. Each mosaic is shown in a set of five sheets. One sheet contains the full panorama from one camera taken in either morning or evening. The other four sheets show sectors of the panorama at an enlarged scale; when joined together they make a panorama approximately 2' X 9'.