![Viking 1 lander sampling arm (lower centre) and several trenches that it dug in the sandy soil of …[Credits : NASA]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/27/75427-004-FEE80942.jpg)
Viking 1 lander sampling arm (lower centre) and several trenches that it dug in the sandy soil of Mars’s Chryse Planitia, in a photograph made by the lander. The digging and collection tool on the end of the arm was designed to scoop samples of material and deposit them into a chamber in the lander for distribution to the appropriate experiments. The larger jointed boom at the left holds the meteorology sensors.
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