Barsoom . ... Credit Copyright: The Viking Project , NASA Explanation: "Yes, I have been to Barsoom again ..." begins John Carter in Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1913 science fiction classic "The Gods of Mars" . In Burroughs' novels describing Carter's adventures on Mars, "Barsoom" is the local name for the red planet. ... Soon it will again be invaded by spacecraft from Earth . This dramatic picture of a crescent Mars was taken by NASA's Viking 2 spacecraft in 1976. ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...