Continued
Continued
7-18-00
New Images, New Questions
The Enterprise Mission has expounded on its contention that Mars' surface masks an elaborate network of underground water pipes. Richard Hoagland identifies the bright, elongated formations shown below as pipes or ducts, exposed either deliberately or by surface erosion. I personally lean toward a geological explanation for these and similar features such as the "tunnel" discussed on the previous page.
Unusually bright linear features under scrutiny by independent Mars researchers.
Additionally, Hoagland identifies "cubed" Martian terrain that appears curiously similar to terrestrial architecture.
The interesting terrain in this image recalls satellite photography of earthly cities. The coarse geometry on display is consistent with eroded buildings. But is this what we're seeing? The image resolution is approximately 1.5 meters/pixel.
Are we seeing a Martian "city" or seeking a signal among so much noise? While I don't share the Enterprise Mission's conviction that certain recently discovered anomalies must be artificial (indeed, I think the jury is still out on the "Face" itself), I'm intrigued by these unlikely Martian "suburbs." If artificial, they don't conform to the scenario invoked to explain potentially artificial structures such as the D&M and City Pyramid.
The latter formations, while easily defying known terrestrial architecture, conform well to what has been called the "Arcology Hypothesis," which holds that conditions on Mars were once so severe that the hypothetical inhabitants were forced to build massive enclosures to sustain an artificial ecosystem.
The "suburbs," however, suggest that Martian civilization was once able to thrive unprotected. We could be looking back in time to two separate epochs. Or perhaps the "arcology" presumption is premature; the "new" findings of liquid water on Mars promise to rewrite much of what we "know" about our sister planet. The "suburbs" are particularly interesting when taken in context with the many proposed "pipes." Viewed together, they suggest a culture eerily similar to that postulated by astronomer Pervical Lowell, who convinced many that Mars was inhabited by an environmentally threatened population who built enormous canals to transport water from the planet's dying polar caps.
The inherent defecencies in remote sensing technology lead me to suspect that the Artificiality Hypothesis will never be vindicated or defeated by orbital observations. NASA's recent plans to send an "airplane" to Mars in 2003 and various proposals to set instrumented balloons aloft in the Martian atmosphere might give us the resolution we need to solve some of these issues. As always, a crewed mission is preferable, and there is no convincing reason why a manned mission to Mars cannot be underway within the next ten years.
Van Flandern Cites Evidence That "Proves" Face is Artificial
Tom Van Flandern's Meta Research site contains a fascinating new article that explains the steps taken in obtaining the latest enhancement of the 1998 Face image (see below, far right).
Three frames from a new animation showing likely overhead appearance of the Face. The image on the right is the most accurate reconstruction yet attempted.
In my opinion, Van Flandern's reconstruction (produced by computer graphics specialist Mark Kelly) is the most accurate yet seen. Confirming details such as headpiece ornamentation, symmetrical base, nostrils, lips, and eye cavities (with strategic use of shadow-casting structure that maintain facial integrity under a variety of lighting conditions) argue in favor of artificiality. While Van Flandern's claim of "proof" is arguably premature, he has successfully shown that the Face is a great deal weirder and more provocative than JPL's initial "enhancements" led the media to believe two years ago.
[Update (8-13-00): Lan Fleming has published an excellent review of Kelly's enhancement procedure that adds weight to the Artificiality Hypothesis.]
Anomaly on Phobos
While prevailing astronomical theory maintains that Phobos, Mars' largest moon, is a captured asteroid, a case can be made for the moon being an artificially modified asteroid. Phobos' unique orbit has long teased astronomers with the possibility that it is hollow. In addition, scientists have yet to explain the origin of the many straight "grooves" that emanate from Crater Stickney, Phobos' dominant surface feature. Stickney itself is something of an enigma; if the impact that produced it had been even slightly larger, chances are Phobos would have disintegrated. The possibility remains that Phobos is at least partially hollow and that Stickney is a manufactured opening.
Graphic showing apparent "monolith" jutting from the otherwise flat, smooth surface of Mars' moon Phobos.
Recently, researchers Lan Fleming and Efrain Palermo produced a provocative analysis of an apparent "monolith" on Phobos' surface. The "monolith," shown above, appears to be an unexpectedly tall outcropping. Since it appears in isolation and contradicts the surrounding terrain, an argument can be made for artificial origin.
A similar feature is shown above alongside a speculative reconstruction by Palermo.
Palermo's "monolith" and "outcropping" shown in line-of-sight context.
While the overall appearance of the second, smaller feature is similar to the "monolith," it doesn't appear to be nearly as tall. It's reasonable to conclude that if these features are natural, then the same geological mechanism is responsible for both of them. Conversely, if they are artificial, it's likely that were designed to serve similar functions.
Evidence of Image Tampering?
Many Mars theorists have claimed that Malin Space Science Systems, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor camera contractor, has been "airbrushing" or omitting anomalous surface features that would tend to confirm artificiality. The evidence for this, so far as I can tell, is nonexistent. However, the following image raises suspicions.
Look closely; several of the landforms in the picture are alongside exact duplicates.
When satellite images are returned to Earth, they are assembled into mosaics that reflect the planet's entirety. Assembling a coherent, global picture of a planetary body such as Mars is careful and exacting work. The alarming aspect of the above image is the exact, side-by-side reproduction of specific surface features, producing a kind of topological "double vision." This image apparently consists of two images that have been erroneously positioned in their respective mosaic. While this could certainly be an accident, it could also represent a deliberate attempt to conceal features or censor imaging data. This image can be found at NASA's Planetary Photojournal. Go to "Mars" and search for catalogue number PIA02391.
7-26-00
Small "Orion's Belt" Pyramids on Mars?
Anomaly investigator Holger Isenberg recently posted the following image of three small, triangular formations of the Martian surface (originally discovered by John Dyck). Isenberg notes that the triangles, when enlarged and superimposed on aerial photographs of Earth, tmirror the geometry of the Pyramids in Egypt. (The Martian triangles are small features about fifteen meters tall, easily dwarfed by the pyramids found in Cydonia.)
Egyptologists now contend that the three main Pyramids, shown below, were built to commemorate the constellation known as the "Belt of Orion" (also pictured).
Government Mars Site Retracts Cydonia Image
Deep Drilling on Mars isn't a Cydonia website, per se, but it has an interesting history. When it first went online, the title graphic was a panorama of the Cydonia "City" (a logical choice, since water ice -- present at Cydonia -- is the goal of the drilling in question). The site's proprietor quickly retracted the Cydonia image with a dismissive remark about its being merely "playful" and of no relevance. Playful, certainly . . . but of no relevance? I suppose NASA would rather blindly scour the Martian deserts for ice rather than drill where we already know there is ice.
7-30-00
Image Processing Specialist Demonstrates Fraud in 1998's "Catbox" Image
Lan Fleming, NASA image processor and contributor to "The Case for the Face," acted on my recent suggestion to apply the same "enhancement" procedure subjected to the "Face" on Mars to a familiar terrestrial landmark.
The image above was once a clear black and white photo of the Pentagon. Note the absence of depth and tonal variety also lacking in the JPL image of the Face, below.
Fleming is critical of JPL's press release image of the Face (aptly termed "Malin's catbox" by radio host Art Bell). It now seems virtually certain that JPL's "catbox" was part of a calculated efort to kill interest in Cydonia research. Hours after the "catbox" was released to the media, another image emerged from JPL -- better than the first in some respects but unfortunately having been "orthorectified" so that the Face's centerline appeared at the formation's far right.
Fleming notes that orthorectification, while a perfectly valid image processing technique, works only when imaging essentially flat features such as crater rims (making them appear properly round instead of elliptical). But the Face is 1,500 feet tall, accounting for is grossly misplaced centerline in the second JPL image. Despite its radical flaws, the incorrectly rectified image (comparable to a cubist portrait in stone) has gone on to appear in virtually every publication that mentions the 1998 Face image, from both would-be debunkers and more open-minded parties.
Some researchers hope that JPL will be held legally accountable for loosing the "catbox" on the public. NASA's charter calls for open release of relevant space science data to the public; sadly, the "catbox" and its subsequent "enhancement" indicate an organized attempt to relegate the Cydonia issue into tabloid oblivion. In so doing, NASA has violated its self-stated mission and done a grave injustice to impartial anomaly research.
8-24-00
New Face-like Formation Located
The picture above (right) reveals a feature similar to the Face on Mars. It appears to have at least one "eye," a "mouth" and a "framing mesa" consistent with the face found in Cydonia (left). Poor resolution prohibits any definitive test of symmetry, although the new "face" is accompanied by a striking geometric feature (below).
This feature appears quite architectural at first glance. However, I suspect the interesting triangular shape may be due to erosion caused by running water in the distant past (the "building" is located at the mouth of a branching channel). Perhaps more intriguing is this hexagonal formation located in the same area.
Looking over the above formations are at least two sharply pointed cones reminescent of the "Tholus" found in Cydonia.
8-27-00
Additional Anomalies Noted by Efrain Palermo
In keeping with his analysis of Phobos' surface, Efrain Palermo has detected several anomalous "cones" that challenge current theories regarding the moonlet's origin.
Efrain Palermo's mosaic of unexplained conical formations on the surface of Mars' moon Phobos.
Since no volcanic activity is thought to have ever been possible on Phobos, these protrusions, like the "monolith," remain unexplained. It's possible they are artificial structures.
