The first mission to Mars was launched in 1960 -- little known fact! -- although that Soviet mission failed to even achieve Earth orbit. The first successful mission to Mars occurred in 1965 with the US Mariner 4 spacecraft flyby. Mariner 4 gave us our first close images of Mars and confirmed that it looked like water had once flowed on the surface on Mars.

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/

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