Sol-averaged Footpad Temperature Sensor Data
                          May 22, 1979 (Ls 286.0 MY 13) to Nov 13, 1982 (Ls 226.5 MY 15)



    The Sol-averaged Viking Lander Footpad Temperature Sensor measurements obtained during the Viking Lander mission. Footpad temperatures were not always obtained during each sol, and sometimes for a given sol the coverage was not complete; thus the 'average' may be a poor representation of the true sol average, as illustrated by the outlier 'hot' and 'cold' values during the Ls 0-180 seasonal intervals in the graph.









    Footpad #2 (bottom image above) contained the Footpad Temperature Sensor, and was buried ~16 cm deep within surface material. Footpad #3 was not buried (top image).






























    Useful Mission Documents

    The Data

    Description of the Data

    This dataset consists of the daily average footpad temperature values and relevant statistics presented on a sol by sol basis. They were obtained from the Viking Lander 1 and 2 thermocouple footpad temperature sensors during VL1 sols 1008-2245 (VL2 values span only VL2 sols 1000-1050).

    Retrieving the Data

    Go to Volume vl_1002 where Viking 1 and 2 data file and label are identified as vl_avet.dat, vl_avet.xml and vl_avet.lbl within the data folder. A single file contains the VL1 and VL2 data.

    Citing datasets for Publication

    Tillman, J.E., VL1/VL2-M-FTS-4-SOL-AVG-FTPD-TEMP-V1.0, NASA Planetary Data System, 1989.