Space: Conquest of Mars - block of stamps mint never hinged, catalog no. 2832 f. 281, Paraguay

NASA's Viking program was a high point in the exploration of the planet Mars in the 1970s. On July 20, 1976, the Viking 1 space probe landed on Mars and for the first time sent detailed images of the surface of the red planet.

This beautiful souvenir sheet from Paraguay is reminiscent of the successful Viking mission on its stamp. The edge of the block shows ancient gods, the section of a painting.

The background of the block of stamps consists of a reproduction of a section from the etching "Venus and Mars" by A. Houbraken.

The Viking spacecraft launched on September 9, 1975 and entered orbit on August 7, 1976. The separation of the lander from the orbiter and the landing took place on September 3, 1976 in the area of the polar zone.