Chryse Planitia. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Viking 1 sent this postcard from Mars on its arrival. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Viking 1 landed on Mars on July 19, 1976, and the next day it recorded our first close view of Mars rocky surface, and its own foot. Viking 1 continued to operate at Chryse Planitia for over four years.

This video on the Viking Missions shows the launch of Viking 1 and the control room during the return of the first ever images from the surface.