NASA’s Viking program sent the twin Viking spacecraft to Mars, both consisting of an orbiter and a lander. The Viking 1 was the first ever spacecraft to land on the red planet, and operated continuously for six years, far exceeding expectations. The Viking 2 did not quite last that long, but still provided a lot of valuable data on the conditions on Mars.

On this day, September 3, in 1976, the Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars. It operated for close to four years before its batteries failed and it was turned off.

If you were to stand on the spot of the lander, you would see a rosy, rust-colored dirt, similar to what is found in some parts of the American Southwest, underneath a pink sky. The surface you would see uneven, with many furrows and lots of rocks that look perched on top of small columns of dirt, a result of the ever-present but light wind.