Mars - Viking 2 Lander
Frost at the Utopia Planitia site on Mars
Viking 2 Lander image showing patches of ground frost at the
Utopia Planitia site on Mars. The image was taken at 12:32
local time in late northern winter. The frost layer is
extremely thin, only a few hundredths of a mm thick.
The frost persisted at temperatures higher than the
freezing point of carbon dioxide, and so must be water
ice or some combination of water and carbon dioxide ice.
The landing site is at 47.6 N, 225.7 W and the view is
looking due SWW. The colors have been distorted to
enhance the contrast.
(Viking 2 Lander, 22E169)
