This image, which has been flipped horizontally, was taken by Viking Lander 1 on August 1, 1976, 12 sols after landing. Much like images that have returned from Phoenix, the soil beneath Viking 1 has been exposed due to exhaust from thruster engines during descent. This is visible to the right of the struts of Viking's surface-sampler arm housing, seen on the left.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.