Continued
Continued
1-20-01
"Aircraft"-like Anomaly Found on Mars
Anomaly hunters were recently startled by an image of what appeared to be a clearly defined, brightly lit square formation resting atop a shadowy Martian hill. Post after post debated the nature of the apparent "strange square" until close inspection showed that the perplexing "square" was an imaging artifact caused by JPL's image compression software. The image was revised and the "square" disappeared. But the mystery didn't.
The so-called "manta," probably a Martian "yardang."
In the corrected image, an unusual manta-shaped formation is visible. Surrounded by a lightly wind-tousled desert, the feature isn't easily reconciled with the region's geology. Its "nose" is crisply defined by a band of shadow; the object has apparently tipped a few degrees, with the "wing" formations having sunk slightly in the sand.
"Ribs" or "spines" can be seen radiating from the feature's center, much like support structure on a conventional airframe. One can speculate that if this is indeed a crashed (or abandoned) Martian "UFO," then the exterior of the craft has been abraded away by sandstorms. Could the "ribs" be sand dunes? While this is a logical prosaic explanation, it's ruled out by the fact that they're facing the wrong direction when observed in context with the surrounding terrain.
Perhaps the proposed "ribs" are an illusion due to natural ridges etched into the sides of a flat rock. In this case, the manta-shaped "wreck" may be a geological feature predating the surrounding desert -- or possibly even a chunk of debris tossed out of a long-dormant Martian volcano.
Thanks to Efrain Palermo for once again calling our attention to a most interesting Martian anomaly.
1-25-01
John Shirley Comments on Mars Anomalies
Click to order.
Author John Shirley, one of the principal figures of the Cyberpunk Movement and author of "Silicon Embrace," "City Come A Walkin'" (newly reissued, with an introduction by William Gibson) and "The Crow" (screenplay) responds to recent additions to the Cydonian Imperative in the email below. Shirley's online column, The Skeptical Believer, epitomizes my own attitude toward anomalies such as the ones discussed on this site; I wish his attitude of open skepticism was shared by our space agency.
"Looking over the Cydonian Imperative site 11 etc.--I really enjoy puzzling over the pictures. It's definitely fun. The bushy-looking formations look to me like a field of eroded or pitted boulders. I don't see anything convincingly like organic life seen from orbit, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if flowing water and some form of primitive organism(s) are found on Mars. Artifacts would surprise me. That monolith one is intriguing. It could be some kind of computer-enhancement artifact or mistake though. It does seem anomalous, if not that. But who the hell knows? A lot of the formations--maybe that one--seem to me to be geological formations that were once underground, have over billions of years been exposed by storm scouring and such; some may even be really large crystaline formations or the results of fractures in hard rock (as in the pyramids). The monument could be the exposed lava-core of a volcano, the core being made of something much harder that remained after the rest was worn or broken away. [...] Geological explanations are always going to be more likely. The 'Rorschach inkblot effect' should always be kept in mind when one is looking at some vaguely-seen anomaly. But if there were a way for me to do it, I'd urge NASA to send expeditions, robotic or human, to some of these sites--because who knows! They could be artifacts. Maybe. Possibly. Probably not. But...why not look?"
1-28-01
Results from First Cydonian Imperative Poll
Here are the results from the first Cydonian Imperative opinion poll. This was not a scientific survey; nevertheless it shows an overwhelmingly negative attitude towards NASA's openness with the public. The poll assessed the opinions of 194 participants.
When asked, "Is NASA's Mars exploration timetable satisfactory in terms of planetary SETI?"
47% responded that NASA would hide evidence of artificiality.
26% responded that NASA would "downgrade the issue" of potential artifacts.
13% responded that "future probes will tell us more."
6% were undecided.
4% responded that "NASA would like to find artifacts."
3% responded that we would send people to Mars soon.
2-1-01
New Cydonia Photos: A Preliminary Report
Malin Space Science Systems has once again produced an unannounced collection of Cydonia images. Though marred with several black strips indicating loss of data, the new images both confirm and refute predictions made by anomaly researchers.
This context photo by Malin Space Science Systems shows the newly revealed Cydonia features.
The "Cliff" is one of the most contentious features among the new photographs, boasting a central ruler-straight "ramp." The "ramp" is either an unprecedented fluke of geology or else the handiwork of intelligence. My earlier piece on the Cliff mentions the mystifying lack of impact ejecta that should have reduced this feature to rubble. Instead, we see a precise feature apparently undamaged by the adjacent meteor collision. I know of no geomorphological mechanism that could have produced this feature; the Cliff presents us with a unique scientific puzzle.
While the Cliff is rather more architectural-looking than I privately suspected, the facial features I postulated in an earlier essay are absent. Unfortunately, the section of the Cliff containing the hypothesized "mouth" was not successfully returned by the Mars Global Surveyor, and its nature remains unconfirmed. Regardless of the lack of facial features, the Cliff is among the most provocative images thus returned by the MGS, and constitutes compelling evidence in favor of the Artificiality Hypothesis.
A new close-up image of the Face itself is perhaps the most spectacular image returned. It confirms suspicions aroused by the previous Face image loosed upon the public in the form of the infamous "catbox" in 1998. While only the extreme western portion of the Face has been captured in the new image, the features thought to represent an eye and pupil are clearly visible (though degraded, as expected). Mysterious fine lines along the "headdress" are also visible, as are the "lips" and "teardrop" identified on previous images. The facial resemblance remains striking and consistent with claims of artificiality.
An image of the Face's eastern half, never photographed under ideal conditions, is necessary to accurately assess the Face's bisymmetry. Meanwhile, the available photographs imply artificiality: the Face looks like a massive, windblown sculpture of a humanoid head, complete with enigmatic ornamentation. Whether this resemblance is the result of spurious geology or conscious design remains unconfirmed. The Face's proximity to other anomalies, such as the aforementioned Cliff, increase its chances of representing hard evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Other anomalous features photographed include "Mound P" and its attendant hexagonal formation and the "Egyptian" pyramid located on the SW City landmass.
2-2-01
Eye to Eye: The Face Looks Back
Image courtesy Kurt Jonach.
The image above is an artistic reconstruction of the apparent "eye" visible in the new Face image. While the artist emphasizes that imaginative licence was used to reconstruct the eye, the final rendering isn't terribly far from reality.
The new Face photo, showing "eye" with "pupil."
After the MGS took the Face's picture in 1998, researchers were left to wonder if the dark, almond-shaped area below the Face's "brow" was a spurious shadow or an actual depression corresponding to an anatomically correct eye. The new image suggests the latter possibility.
Mound P and "Egyptian" Pyramid: 1998 and Now
"Mound P" in 1998.
"Mound P" now...
"Egyptian"-scale pyramid in 1998.
"Egyptian"-scale pyramid now...
