Nope, America soft-landed spacecraft on Mars 30 years ago (the Viking Mars Lander Program, 1976), and sent back full-color pictures (look upthread a few comments).
And you want to see the Program Mission Patch/Insignia? Check this out:
A freakin' "male" symbol! Gotta love it!!
Well, that’s just the symbol for Mars. Nice coincidence, but simply shows that they weren’t tough enough to send a lander to Venus. ;)