WI: More interesting photos from Mars during early 1960s

What if instead of OTL Mariner 4's photos, ATL probe would send more interesting photos from Red Planet? Something that could suggest that there is or there was life? And what part of Mars should to photographed by probe in this case?
 
Hard to say, when we haven't find signs about life. And even if there was life, it was probably something bacteria level life. Only way that it could get such photos from space is that there would has been so advanced civilisation that there is still large buildings left.
 
I'll give you an interesting idea: technical problems or other happenstance mean the probe sends back information that is misinterpreted. A smudge, an odd weather pattern that turns out to be just that, or whatever it may be. And as a result, that fuels speculation on life (bacterial or otherwise), simple plant life (which was considered a real possibility), etc, spurring more space interest.
 

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Whatever was observed would need to be comparatively large, with a distinct shape. The level of transmittable images back then wasn't as precise as today - pretty grainy. Give credit where it's due though, pretty impressive work for the era.
 
I'll give you an interesting idea: technical problems or other happenstance mean the probe sends back information that is misinterpreted. A smudge, an odd weather pattern that turns out to be just that, or whatever it may be. And as a result, that fuels speculation on life (bacterial or otherwise), simple plant life (which was considered a real possibility), etc, spurring more space interest.

That could work. I wonder how long the search for the nonexistent signs of life would continue, though.
 
Hard to say, when we haven't find signs about life. And even if there was life, it was probably something bacteria level life. Only way that it could get such photos from space is that there would has been so advanced civilisation that there is still large buildings left.

I think this should go to Alien Space Bats, as that's the only way I can see something interesting about Mars being picked up from space.

Actually, future Mariner probes would send back images that significantly encourage scientists, like those of canyons and mountains. Marnier 4 had the misfortune of flying by the more boring part of Mars. Viking and the search for life on Mars was actually helped along by the later images. What you can do to get more interest is to delay Mariner 4's launch, do that it flies by the interesting side of the Martian regolith instead.
 
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