First image taken on the surface of another planet

The first photo beamed back from the surface of another planet was taken by the Soviet Union's Venera-9 lander immediately after it touched down on Venus at 05:13 (UTC) on 22 October 1975.

Venera-9 was the first of a new generation of Soviet Venusian probes, designed to take advantage of the new Proton-K rocket's lift capacity. The probe (which combined an orbiter and a landing module) weighed 4,936 kg (10,882 lb), including a massive 1,560 kg (3,440 lb) lander designed to survive the intense heat and pressure of the Venusian surface.

The probe had two cameras, which were to look out at the Venusian surface from quartz pressure windows on each side of the lander, but only one of the lens covers jettisoned correctly. The lander endured temperatures of 485°C (905°F), clouds of hydrofluoric acid, and an atmospheric pressure of 911 bar (90 atm), holding out for 54 minutes before its systems shut down.

The pictures taken by Venera-9 were low resolution, and only in black and white, but they showed great deal more than many scientists had expected. Instead of an impenetrable cloud of fog and dust, the pictures show a strange barren landscape of small, jagged rocks sitting on a layer of dust. Researchers estimated the visibility extended around 100 m (328 ft) from the lander, and that the light levels were comparable to a heavily overcast day on Earth.