When did humanity first see the surface of Mars?

Humans first saw the surface of Mars in 1965 when a spaceship called Mariner 4 flew by and took the first close-up photos.

Imagine you are playing hide-and-seek. Mars is like a friend hiding behind a big tree. For a long time, we could only see the tree. In 1965, Mariner 4 was like a tiny camera on a long stick. It flew past Mars and snapped 21 grainy black-and-white pictures. These were the very first close-up views. They showed us that Mars is not smooth and perfect. It looked more like a worn-out basketball with lots of bumps and holes.

After Mariner 4, other ships kept visiting. By 1976, two robots named Viking 1 and Viking 2 actually landed on the ground. This was like sending a mailbox to visit a faraway friend. They sent back clearer pictures of rocks and dust. We learned Mars is cold, red, and dusty. It looks like a giant, rusty desert.

Fun fact: The first pictures were so blurry that they looked like old newspaper photos, but they proved Mars has craters!

So, we first saw the surface clearly in 1965. We first touched and explored it in 1976. It took a long time, but now we have robots walking there every day!