What can the reader infer about current missions to Mars based on the following statement from "Scratching the Surface of Mars"?

Question

                                                             What can the reader infer about current missions to Mars based on the following statement from "Scratching the Surface of Mars"?

"The first attempts by the Soviet Union and the United States to use spacecraft to take close-up photographs of Mars both failed for technical reasons."                                                            

Answer 1

The question is foucused on the point of current missions to Mars so this is where ou focus your answer. Although the United States has had many robots sending back pictures and gathering data, "Scratiching the surface" infers that we really have only begun to understand what is on the surface and below this planet and have much to still learn.