076-viking-orbiter-dixon – As the lander explores the surface, the Viking Orbiter photographs Mars and its moons and serves as a radio relay ; This astronomical illustration features the Viking Orbiter spacecraft in high orbit above Mars, showcasing its extended solar panels and prominent high-gain dish antenna. The background is dominated by the gibbous disk of Mars, revealing a cratered orange surface partially shrouded by an atmospheric limb haze. In the lower-left foreground, the planet's small, irregular, and heavily pockmarked inner moon Phobos drifts against the blackness of deep space. gouache on illustration board, 1975
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