PIA00363: Soil Sample Site
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Viking
 Spacecraft:  Viking Lander 2
 Instrument:  Camera 2 
 Product Size:  1187 x 512 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Producer ID:  P17687
 Addition Date:  1997-01-08
 Primary Data Set:  Viking EDRs
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA00363.tif (353.3 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA00363.jpg (143.2 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

High-resolution photo of the Martian surface near the Viking Lander 2 shows a few square meters (yards) at one of the possible spots for acquiring a soil sample. The sample will be collected next Saturday (September 11) by the Lander's trenching scoop and delivered to the spacecraft instruments. The rock in the right foreground is about 25 centimeters (10 inches) across. Most rocks appear to have vesicles, or small holes, in them. Such rocks on Earth can be produced by either volcanic processes or by hypervelocity impacts of meteorites. Some areas are lighter than others, suggesting the presence of two kinds of fine-grained materials, which also can be produced by both volcanic and impact processes. A nearby large impact crater, named Mie, may be the source of the rocks and fine-grained material at the landing site.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
1997-01-08