Begginings of the space age

 This documentary from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL and the Space Age displays the efforts that finally allowed the first ever photographs of Mars from orbit to landing While Russia put the first satellite in space we landed men on the moon, and also performed the historic fly by with a digital photo of Mars, the first orbit and landing  Two decades later the space age program continues to teach us about the worlds around us

 Mariner 4

 First photograph of Mars surface that confirmed the presence of rivers that no longer exist

Initial photos of Mars from the planet's surface