Continued
Continued
10-21-00
Open Letters to NASA
The following open letter by Michael Kronenthal is one of the most articulate expressions of dissatisfaction regarding JPL's mishandling of the "Face" I have yet to read. Kronenthal has put his text in the public domain in the hope that it may do some good if signed by enough people. Feel free to download, sign, and refer to NASA at the following website: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oig/hq.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NASA OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
I, the undersigned taxpayer, welcome NASA's efforts to rid itself of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, etc., and understand that this is done in order to make the most responsible use of our - the taxpayers' - money. However, it is apparent that there is an even more important reason. As the agency which has embarked upon the awesome task of spearheading the exploration of the cosmos, with the distinct possibility of someday encountering other sentient life-forms, NASA has concomitantly taken upon itself an additional responsibility. Neil Armstrong gave voice to it some thirty years ago as he placed the first human footprint into the lunar surface, and it is still true today: NASA speaks for all mankind. And that carries with it the imperative that this agency's public persona be of the highest integrity possible.
It has come to our attention that recent actions of one of NASA's prime contractors - The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, along with their subcontractor Malin Space Sciences Systems (MSSS) in San Diego, CA - may possibly fail to meet those criteria of integrity. In fact they may fall into the category of Fraud and Abuse (of public trust).
The actions in question consisted of placing in the public record, at a very critical point in time, an improperly rendered photograph from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft (April 5. 1998 image of Cydonia region of Mars). The target area of the photograph - a Cydonian feature caled "The Face" - had been the subject of a long-standing controversy. However the specific timing of the data's initial public exposure, and the improper rendering of the raw data, had the net effect of giving the (false) impression that the controversy had been resolved, thereby immediately diverting public attention and derailing any continuing interest on the part of the mainstream scientific community in the controversy - a controversy having a potentially enormous impact on human society and scientific knowledge. We therefore request that this matter be investigated promptly and fully. Independent scientists such as astronomer Dr Tom Van Flandern and imaging expert Dr Mark Carlotto should be able to provide you with all the pertinent information/documentation.
NASA's Release 2000-094 details the case against three Mexican nationals who are facing up to ten years in prison for allegedly working for a NASA contractor without valid immigration papers. While misrepresentation of immigration status is not excusable, we consider misrepresentation of scientific data to the public to be an offense against the integrity of NASA's fundamental mission, calling into question NASA's very raison d'etre.
If your investigation should find that JPL/MSSS acted wrongfully, I do not demand the same level of punishment as is being meted out to the three Mexican nationals. The only demand is that the responsible JPL/MSSS employees give a full and accurate public accounting of their actions; issue a formal apology; and set the record sufficiently straight such that the aforementioned controversy can be settled publically in an unbiased and scientific manner.
Thanking you for listening to this taxpayer's concerns
Signed,
Michael Kronenthal
10-22-00
Triangular Features Noted
The above image shows a profusion of triangular formations of uncommon regularity.
10-23-00
On the Face, Arcologies, and Landscape Modification
Reason suggests that a civilization inhabiting megascale structures such as the D&M Pyramid and Fort wouldn't pass up the potential shelter offered by the "Face" itself. While the Face may be a sculpture and nothing more, I suspect it probably served as a habitat for the (always hypothetical) Martian civilization.
It's a reasonably good bet that the Cydonia complex was assembled late in Mars' life as a water-rich, bio-friendly world. The Martian population, indigenous or otherwise, probably would have countered the vanishing atmosphere and oceans by retreating into arcologies consisting largely of subterranean enclosures. This would allow near-limitless climate-control as well as the ability to block harmful solar and cosmic radiation -- not to mention incoming meteors. The presence of the "Cliff" on top of a meteoric ejecta blanket strongly implies that the Martians had at least begun to deal with the reality of meteor strikes while the Cydonia complex was still under construction.
The Face is extremely interesting seen in this environmental context. The "headdress," thought to be decorative, may have functioned as an access road or drainage channel built to minimize water erosion on the Face's surface. The Cliff also features an apparent "access road" that may have played a role in its construction or subsequent use. It's unlikely that a civilization that built on the scale suggested by the "monuments" of Cydonia would forego the Face as a piece of habitable real-estate.
Another candidate modified landform is the feature named the "Hollow." This irregularly shaped mesa is "notched" in a manner similar to that seen around the perimeter of the City Pyramid. In addition, it features a triangular interior space that may have served as a platform for habitation.
The "Hollow": note puzzling "hollowed-out" "roof" and evidence of modification at northern end. This engaging feature lies extremely close to the Face.
10-30-00
Predictions for New High-Resolution Cydonia Images
1. The "Face"
Before the "Face" was reimaged in 1998, astrophysicist Tom Van Flandern addressed secondary facial features not visible on the Viking photos. Most of his predictions were vindicated once properly processed images of the Face were made available.
Perhaps the most blatant secondary features are the "nostrils," which remain distinguishable even on JPL's fraudulent "catbox" high-pass enhancement (see previous page). Additionally, lip-like features, "eyebrows," and a candidate "pupil" in the right eye socket have been verified. It remains a distinct possibility that a matching pupil will be found in the left-hand "eye socket," which has yet to be properly photographed by the Mars Global Surveyor.
2. The "City" (and Beyond)
While the Face has withstood scientific prediction, the status of the "City" area, most of which has now been photographed, is less certain. Despite not knowing what to expect (after all, if these features are artificial, then they are literally alien), the City has yielded many anomalies and at least one confirmed prediction seated in the Artificiality Hypothesis: in the original pictures, it was uncertain if the "Main City Pyramid" was symmetrical. MGS data shows that not only is it highly symmetrical, but its proportions are similar to those of the much larger (and differently oriented) D&M Pyramid to the south.
Additional detail consistent with the Artificiality Hypothesis includes the "Coathanger/Dolphin," with its inexplicable bright, regularly spaced lines. Similar features appear on the mesa in between the "Coathanger" and the Face. Furthermore, the "Fort" presents evidence of internal deformation and appears to be surrounded by a geometric platform like those at the base of the Face and Rounded Formation.
Other Cydonia features that suggest artificial origin include the southwestern landform in the City, which is topped with several intriguing morphologies invisible at Viking's resolution. The "City Square" contains at least two small formations worth a careful look, including what appears to be a collapsed geometric structure of some kind. And of the "Mounds" brought to attention by Stanley McDaniel and Horace Crater, both "P" and "E" exhibit internal and contextual detail possibly best explained in architectural terms. The latter discovery is of special scientific relevance because the Mounds were suggested to be non-natural features based not on their appearance -- about which little or nothing could be said based on the Viking data -- but on their placement on the Martian surface. In this respect, they are much like the confirming "nostrils" and "pupil" found on the Face.)
3.) Future Investigation
So, how to proceed?
In my opinion, it's doubtful if NASA will devote any time to the Cydonia enigmas before the MGS completes its mapping mission. Fortunately, NASA has announced a new orbiter to be sent to Mars in 2005, which will include a camera with a resolution of mere centimeters -- enough to identify the minuscule Sojourner rover. While I suspect that confirmation of Cydonia's status as a possible archeological site will probably not be verified by the MGS' photographs (given the massive erosion and incredible age of the alleged artifacts), the clarity provided by the 2005 orbiter may be sufficient to arrive at more useful assessments.
In the event that Cydonia is rephotographed by the MGS or any future probe (not a certainty by any means, given NASA's past dealings with the subject of artifacts), it will behoove Cydonia researchers to have a list of priority targets at hand, as well as specific predictions based on the Artificiality Hypothesis. Of the features yet to be photographed in the Cydonia region, the most promising are the D&M Pyramid, Cliff and the Rounded Formation found to the far west of the City complex.
Our predictions can enjoy a relatively novel specificity; since we now understand the role of erosion in the Cydonia region, it's folly to dismiss a given feature on the basis of a few rounded edges attributable to age and weathering. If planetary SETI is to advance as a discipline, then we must shed our terrestrial bias regarding "what artificial structures look like."
11-3-00
The "Cliff": Predictions for Future High-Resolution Images
In the previous essay I outlined the difficulties involved when dealing with potential artifacts left by a civilization about which we know nothing. Nevertheless, verification of secondary features on the Face demonstrates that Cydonia falls within the arena of scientific methodology. The following is an attempt to predict what the feature known as the "Cliff" will reveal in future high-resolution images.
The Cliff seen in context with "splash" crater.
1.) Context
The "Cliff" is an approximately two-mile long tapered wedge that rests near the perimeter of a "splash"-style crater. Numerous investigators have observed that if the Cliff feature had been present prior to the meteor impact that produced the crater, it would have been destroyed, buried under a shockwave of mud.
The Cliff's axis of symmetry is set at a geologically implausible 90 degrees to the crater. In this writer's opinion, the Cliff constitutes one of the most glaring anomalies in Cydonia, equal to or surpassing the Face. Curiously, it remains one of only three primary candidate formations not photographed by the Mars Global Surveyor.
Close-up of the Cliff. Note apparent facial features.
2.) Morphology
Daniel Drasin was the first to note that the Cliff appears intriguingly face-like, with apparent lidded eyes, mouth, and elongated cheeks. The overall affect is similar to that of an African ritual mask. Viewing the Cliff from an elevated southern perspective, such as that provided by the Tholus, would have the effect of "compressing" the facial features into more anthropomorphic proportion.
Thus, the Cliff seems to represent a second Cydonian Face. If it's artificial, then new photos taken at high-resolutions should show stylized detail consistent with anthropomorphism. Specifically, will the eye-like features, "nose" and "mouth" remain, or will they vanish upon close inspection? If they are indeed actual features, can they be explained in geological terms?
The Cliff's apparent humanoid characteristics appear decidedly abstract. But ignoring it because it doesn't strictly correspond to human anatomy could amount to a major investigative error. After all, humans create all sorts of facial sculptures that don't conform to anatomical reality; are we really prepared to assert that "Martians" would necessarily differ from us in this respect? Even if the candidate facial features were absent, the Cliff's geomorphology and proximity to the "splash" crater demand a closer examination, if only to ascertain how Martian geology -- thought to be comparable to Earth's -- could produce it.
3.) Summary: What to Expect
By applying the Artificiality Hypothesis, it can be logically argued that the following features will be verified or discovered:
a.) Stylized facial motif, possibly but not necessarily including heightened detail corresponding to "mouth," "eyes," "chin," etc.
b.) Reasonable bisymmetry. Even if the Cliff itself proves somewhat less that symmetrical, the facial features, if that is indeed what they are, should appear along a common axis of symmetry.
c.) Possible evidence of construction. The "plowed" terrain visible to the immediate right of the Cliff and extending to the crater rim suggests a possible mining operation. A bright, ruler-straight line appears to descend the crater's ejecta blanket to the desert floor. If this is a real feature, then we might expect it to constitute a ramp of some sort, either emplaced to assist in the Cliff's construction and/or for a cultural purpose. The Cliff's conspicuous relationship with the Tholus adds weight to the theory that that Cliff was designed for aesthetic reasons.
In summary, a properly enhanced, high sun-angle image of the Cliff is especially desirable in the continuing effort to discern potential artifacts on the Martian surface. Should the MGS have a chance to reimage Cydonia before concluding its mapping mission, I hope the Cliff is made a high-priority target and is released to the public in a forthright manner.
11-7-00
The "City Mound"
Kurt Jonach, proprietor of The Electric Warrior, has assembled the first scaled rendition of the "City Mound," an elliptical formation located below the "City Pyramid." This formation has several ridges extending from its central peak. The feature identified as "Mound G" McDaniel and Crater can be seen on the lower left of the image. It appears to be teardrop-shaped, much like the City Mound itself. Whether the broken (?) ridge in its vicinity played a role in its development as a distinct feature is unknown.
The City Mound
The question, of course, is whether or not the City Mound is artificial. While there is no direct confirming evidence, there are several traits I find interesting, such as the ridges noted above. Secondly, there is a "trench" or "moat" encircling the left half of the feature. Are we looking at the effects of ancient water or wind erosion or evidence of a collapsed foundation?
The City Pyramid, for comparison. Both the City Mound and City Pyramid are depicted roughly to scale.
11-27-00
Martian "Monoliths" Pose Questions
1.) Intelligent layout?
Additional independent study indicates that the so-called "Monolith Graveyard" (see top of page) may be an artificial arrangement. The regularity, shape and spacing of the projections appears totally unique: they're not sand dunes or "hills" in any useful sense of the word. And it's just possible that the features seen in the existing MGS frame conform to ronrandom patterns, an almost irrefutable sign of intelligence.
If the "Graveyard" is a deliberate layout, then it's doubtful if the placement of the individual triangular "monoliths" is arbitrary. If alignments with celestial objects (or conformation to some other pattern or design) can be empirically demonstrated, then the monoliths on Mars, like the one in Kubrick's "2001," might constitute a "smoking gun" for extraterrestrial intelligence.
2.) Context
The Martian monoliths get more interesting. Using NASA's Armchair Astronaut software, it was determined that the monoliths appear in the region shown below.
A closer look shows a large circular anomaly (an eroded crater?) alongside what appears to be a narrow vertical cylinder. The feature's discoverer likens its appearance to a sundial.
3.) Afterword
John Dyck has produced a computer-rendered view of the Martian triangles by using elevation data provided by the black and white MGS image. While some elements of Dyck's color version are necessarily speculative, it gives a good idea of what these peculiar features might look like from the ground. The question remains: What are they?
