Azimuth Notebook for Viking Lander 1

Azimuth Notebook for Viking Lander 1 SOL0: This image shows the first page of the first notebook used to plan where to take images for science and mission planning purposes. These notebooks were hand constructed of image copies produced as soon as they were available but not necessarily at the highest resolution or with aesthetic attention. These were working notebooks used by the Mission Planning Team to make decisions about where to take an image next. Each photo sequence is preceded by an Azimuth Chart that shows a 360 degree view based on the location of the Viking cameras on the Lander body. As such, you can see both lander body parts in various configurations in the images that conform to the lander element in various deployment and use states, as well as the Mars surface and horizon lines. The Azimuth charts were prepared based on the Lander configuration, and were used to determine positioning of the lander as well as to plan image sequences. The red rectangle was hand drawn by the Mision Planning Team member to represent each image. In this first image you see the Azimuth chart indicating where the first desired picture would be taken. You can see the footpad #3 which was in fact the first image taken, and can be seen in the next image in its photo form. The footpad was an important first image as it indicated the state of the Lander in context with the surface. Before landing, the surface makeup was hypothosized based on more primitive data and techniques, and numerous models were made to provide a range of surfaces that the footpads and landing gear could be designed for. Determining the actual surface properties was critically important and this first image was the best data to support that objective.