2nd anniversary of the & quot; Viking 1 & quot; on Mars - letter, USA

This letter was published on the 2nd anniversary of the landing of the "Viking 1" on Mars. The letter shows the portraits of Nicolaus Copernicus and Wernher von Braun. The American rocket pioneer Goddard is shown in the background. The letter was canceled with the special postmark. The stamp shows the portrait of Sir Isaac Newton and the design of a rocket by Konstantin Tsilkovsky.

In the "Viking" program, NASA sent two space probes (Viking 1 and 2) to Mars. The Viking 1 space probe launched on August 20, 1975 in Cape Canaveral for Mars. The spacecraft entered orbit on June 19, 1976. On July 20, 1976, it landed on an extensive plain on the planet Mars. At six years and 116 days, this mission was the longest of its time. The record was broken in 2010 with the "Rover Opportunity".