Historic pairing of original vintage circa 1976 chromogenic photographs of the first color image ever taken on the surface of Mars: a semi-glossy 10 x 8 photo of the rocky soil of the 'red planet' taken by the Viking 1 lander on July 21, 1976, with mimeographed NASA press caption affixed to the reverse; and a semi-glossy 6.75 x 5.5 photo of the same image, with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Image Processing Laboratory data printed in the borders. Both have "This Paper Manufactured by Kodak" watermarks on the reverse.
The NASA caption reads, in part: "This color picture of Mars was taken July 21—the day following Viking 1's successful landing on the planet. The local time on Mars is approximately noon…Orange-red surface materials cover most of the surface, apparently forming a thin veneer over darker bedrock exposed in patches, as in the lower right…The scene was scanned three times by the spacecraft's camera #2, through a different color filter each time. To assist in balancing the colors, a second picture was taken of a test chart mounted on the rear of the spacecraft. Color data for these patches were adjusted until the patches were an appropriate color of gray. The same calibration was then used for the entire scene. Another version of this photo (Viking 1-46) with a sky that appeared more pink, gray and blue, was shown last week. This interpretation has been modified with further processing." In overall fine condition, with a tiny crease to the top border of the smaller JPL photo.
From the Tony C.D. Knight Collection.
