The road to Mars

1945: World War II ends with the Allied victory, but tensions between the US and Soviet Union continue to simmer.
1950: The Space Race begins, with both the US, British Empire and Soviet Union vying for dominance in space exploration.
1953: British Empire launched the first human into space, sparking a sense of urgency in the US and USSR to catch up.
1956: The USA launches Explorer 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit, sparking a sense of urgency in the British Empire USSR to catch up.
1957: British Empire launched their satellite Victory, followed by Soviet Union's Sputnik.
1958: US began launching interplanetary probes that flew past the Moon.
1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to orbit the Earth, giving the Soviet Union a significant advantage in the Space Race.
1963: President Kennedy announces the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade, spurring the US to invest heavily in space exploration. UK and USSR soon followed after.
1968: US send up the first space station and the first mission to orbit the Moon.
1969: The US successfully lands astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the Moon, achieving Kennedy's goal. This was then closely followed by UK, causing major humilation in the USSR.
1970: Alexei Leonov lands on the Moon, followed by the first woman on the Moon.
1972: US begins to focus on other space exploration goals, including Mars.
1976: The Viking 1 lander becomes the first spacecraft to land on Mars, paving the way for future manned missions. The race to construct the first manned moon bases is a tie between US and USSR.
1979: Soviet mission to return a sample from Mars is launched.
1986: The US and international partners launch the first manned mission to Mars, with astronaut Michael Collins becoming the first human to set foot on the Red Planet.
1990s: Fall of communist USSR. The US and Russia begin to collaborate on space exploration, leading to increased cooperation and technological advancements.
2004: Construction of a rotating wheel space station by Richard Branson's Virgin.
2010s: The US continues to make significant progress in Mars exploration, with manned missions becoming more routine.
2023: The US leads a multinational coalition of nations in the establishment of the first permanent human settlement on Mars, marking a new era of space exploration and colonization.
The successful landing on Mars becomes a defining moment in human history, demonstrating the power of international cooperation and scientific achievement. The US remains at the forefront of space exploration, with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and capability.