Martian Surface By Viking 1. This shows a red, rocky landscape on the surface of Mars. Viking 1 was launched on 20th August 1975 and landed in the Chryse Planitia region of Mars on 20th July 1976, where it studied the Martian environment, soil constituents and searched for simple life (NASA Media Archives). Buy this as a superb wall poster, a canvas print or a framed print.