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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Photographs / Triptych of Large Format Photographs of Mars
Vintage chromogenic prints on resin coated paper, each mounted on board. Incredibly beautiful images of Mars taken by Viking 1. 50 years ago this year, NASA’s Viking 1 made the first truly successful landing on the Martian surface, forever changing the way we see the Red Planet. This triptych of large format composite images depict Viking 1’s approach to the surface of Mars. Viking 1 began imaging Mars on June 14, 1976, before entering its orbit five days later. This allowed the creation of a detailed image of the Martian globe. Such images were essential in determining that the initially chosen landing site on the Chryse Planitia (Golden Plain) was far too rocky. The landing was pushed back and an alternative site successfully found, however, even this landing was fraught – images from the lander show a massive boulder mere feet away which could have toppled the craft (which lacked any hazard detection hardware). Once on the surface of Mars, Viking 1 took photographs, soil samples, and weather reports – providing vital evidence in the search for life on Mars. It was also used in an experiment to evidence time dilation consistent with Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Once the initial mission was completed, Viking 1 continued to supply weather and environmental data until November 1982 when communication was interrupted by a faulty command send from Florida. The orbiter, based on the one from the Mariner program, remained operational until 1980, sending back thousands of images to NASA. Eventually it was retired when it ran out of altitude control gas – it is not known whether the orbiter has collided with Mars yet or is still endlessly circling the planet. These remarkable large format images are very aesthetically pleasing but their constituent parts also played a critical role in early exploration of the Martian surface. According to NASA between Viking 1 and its twin, Viking 2, the Viking mission captured over 57,000 images of Mars (including 4,500 from on the surface) and “mapped about 97 percent of the surface at a resolution of 984 feet (300 meters) resolution,” providing the starting point for American Mars missions to this day.
Estimate:£11,355.75
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Estimate:
£11,355.75
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