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NASA Image of the Day · July 20, 2026

Our First View of the Surface of Mars

Our First View of the Surface of Mars
Credit: NASA/JPLLicence: NASA media usage guidelinesFull-size image and original page at NASA Image of the Day

Mars in your sky tonight

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From the source

On the morning of July 20, 1976, roughly 40 minutes after mission controllers received word that the Viking 1 lander had successfully touched down on the surface of Mars, this photo gave us our first view from the surface of the Red Planet.

From NASA Image of the Day.

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