Utopia Planitia
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Utopia Planitia from Viking 2
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A smooth plain on Mars situated northwest of
the Elysium Planitia volcanoes and chosen as the landing site for Viking
2 in 1976. The image here, taken by Viking 2 Lander camera 2 on
May 18,1979, shows a thin layer of water ice frost on Utopia Planitia. The
layer is thought to be only about two thousandths of a centimeter thick.
It is speculated that dust particles in the atmosphere pick up tiny bits
of water. When it gets cold enough for carbon dioxide to solidify, some
of it attaches to the dust and ice and it falls to the surface. The view
is looking towards the south southeast; the long boulder to the right is
roughly one meter across.
Related categories
• MARS
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• GEOLOGY
AND PLANETARY SCIENCE
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