Folks
While perusing nando.net I came across this intersting story a few days ago.
Some of you may know of the controversy surrounding a certain geopgrhical
feature on Mars, some may not. Enjoy.
Scientist believes Martian 'face' is no accident of nature
Copyright 1998 Nando.net
Copyright 1998 Scripps Howard
Nando's special report: 1997 Year in Review
WASHINGTON (January 8, 1998 00:07 a.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- The
mysterious "Face on Mars" is not an optical illusion or a natural feature on
the Red Planet, a scientist reported Wednesday at a major astronomical
conference.
Dr. Tom Van Flandern reached the conclusion after new studies of the Cydonia
region, where strange-looking landforms have excited science fiction and
life-on-other-worlds buffs for decades.
His report, presented at the 191st national meeting of the American
Astronomical Society (AAS), attracted unusual attention because sharp new
images of the "Face" may soon be available. The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Global Surveyor spacecraft, now orbiting Mars, is
scheduled to begin imaging in 1999.
Global Surveyor's camera is capable of making images with 30 times the
resolution, or sharpness, of the Viking cameras. It can distinguish objects
as small as 4.6 feet across, and will try to image the "Face."
Van Flandern holds a doctorate in astronomy from Yale University. Until
1991, he was chief of the celestial mechanics branch at the U. S. Naval
Observatory, a respected astronomy facility. He then founded Meta Research,
an organization based here, that fosters research on topics that conflict
with mainstream
theories in astronomy.
The "Face on Mars," he explained, certainly fits that bill. Some people
claim that images of the Cydonia region, taken in the 1970s from the Viking
spacecraft, show a gigantic human face, a pyramid, and other structures left
by some ancient extra-terrestrial civilization.In the eyes of some, the
"Face" bears a striking resemblance to the "death masks" that ancient
Egyptians used to adorn the sarcophagus of King Tut and other rulers.
Indeed, some hint that the "Face" may be part of an immense tomb on the Red
Planet.
Believers have come up with all kinds of intricate mathematical
relationships between the Face and several associated landforms that
supposedly prove the structures are artificial.Conspiracy theories, charging
NASA and the military with a cover-up, also abound."The conventional view is
that this is all nonsense," says Dr. Michael C. Malin. He is chief
investigator for the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera. Cydonia, he
explained, is a desert-like region that has undergone the same kinds of
weathering that carve weird landforms in terrestrial deserts. He regards the
features at Cydonia as strictly natural, the result of Martian weathering
and erosion.
Van Flandern said his study undermines the main argument against an
artificial origin for the "Face:" Its apparently random orientation on the
Martian surface.
"No apparent purpose is served by a face monument looking upward toward
space if it is not oriented right-side up and in an attention-getting
location with respect to the surface of the planet," he said.On Earth, one
such location, visible for great distances from space, might be right on the
equator, he indicated.
Van Flandern analyzed data from previous studies showing that the Martian
north and south poles occupied a different position in the past. A meteor
impact or other cataclysmic event relocated the poles to their current
position millions of years ago. He concluded that the "Face" originally was
in a much different location. "It was a great shock to me to discover that
the Cydonia area was right on the old Martian equator," he said.
Further analysis showed that the "Face" is oriented perpendicular to that
old equator. The bridge of its "nose" is oriented almost exactly
north-to-south.
"This has only about a 1 percent probability of occurring by chance," Dr.
Van Flandern said. "The weight of existing evidence appears to have shifted
in favor of an artificial origin of the Cydonia complex." Van Flandern
predicted that the Mars Global Surveyor's high-resolution cameras will
finally determine whether the "Face" is a natural geologic structure, or
something constructed by an earlier civilization.Almost as an afterthought,
he observed to a standing-room- only audience of about 400 astronomers, "I
suggest that in view of these test results we prepare ourselves for a
cultural shock certainly unrivaled in recent times."
By MICHAEL WOODS, Toledo Blade
Dave "well that about wraps it up for Humanity then" Barlow
Bring me my Broadsword | http://www.sartar.demon.co.uk
and clear understanding | BBb Bass player extraordinaire
While perusing nando.net I came across this intersting story a few days ago.
Some of you may know of the controversy surrounding a certain geopgrhical
feature on Mars, some may not. Enjoy.
Scientist believes Martian 'face' is no accident of nature
Copyright 1998 Nando.net
Copyright 1998 Scripps Howard
Nando's special report: 1997 Year in Review
WASHINGTON (January 8, 1998 00:07 a.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- The
mysterious "Face on Mars" is not an optical illusion or a natural feature on
the Red Planet, a scientist reported Wednesday at a major astronomical
conference.
Dr. Tom Van Flandern reached the conclusion after new studies of the Cydonia
region, where strange-looking landforms have excited science fiction and
life-on-other-worlds buffs for decades.
His report, presented at the 191st national meeting of the American
Astronomical Society (AAS), attracted unusual attention because sharp new
images of the "Face" may soon be available. The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Global Surveyor spacecraft, now orbiting Mars, is
scheduled to begin imaging in 1999.
Global Surveyor's camera is capable of making images with 30 times the
resolution, or sharpness, of the Viking cameras. It can distinguish objects
as small as 4.6 feet across, and will try to image the "Face."
Van Flandern holds a doctorate in astronomy from Yale University. Until
1991, he was chief of the celestial mechanics branch at the U. S. Naval
Observatory, a respected astronomy facility. He then founded Meta Research,
an organization based here, that fosters research on topics that conflict
with mainstream
theories in astronomy.
The "Face on Mars," he explained, certainly fits that bill. Some people
claim that images of the Cydonia region, taken in the 1970s from the Viking
spacecraft, show a gigantic human face, a pyramid, and other structures left
by some ancient extra-terrestrial civilization.In the eyes of some, the
"Face" bears a striking resemblance to the "death masks" that ancient
Egyptians used to adorn the sarcophagus of King Tut and other rulers.
Indeed, some hint that the "Face" may be part of an immense tomb on the Red
Planet.
Believers have come up with all kinds of intricate mathematical
relationships between the Face and several associated landforms that
supposedly prove the structures are artificial.Conspiracy theories, charging
NASA and the military with a cover-up, also abound."The conventional view is
that this is all nonsense," says Dr. Michael C. Malin. He is chief
investigator for the Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Camera. Cydonia, he
explained, is a desert-like region that has undergone the same kinds of
weathering that carve weird landforms in terrestrial deserts. He regards the
features at Cydonia as strictly natural, the result of Martian weathering
and erosion.
Van Flandern said his study undermines the main argument against an
artificial origin for the "Face:" Its apparently random orientation on the
Martian surface.
"No apparent purpose is served by a face monument looking upward toward
space if it is not oriented right-side up and in an attention-getting
location with respect to the surface of the planet," he said.On Earth, one
such location, visible for great distances from space, might be right on the
equator, he indicated.
Van Flandern analyzed data from previous studies showing that the Martian
north and south poles occupied a different position in the past. A meteor
impact or other cataclysmic event relocated the poles to their current
position millions of years ago. He concluded that the "Face" originally was
in a much different location. "It was a great shock to me to discover that
the Cydonia area was right on the old Martian equator," he said.
Further analysis showed that the "Face" is oriented perpendicular to that
old equator. The bridge of its "nose" is oriented almost exactly
north-to-south.
"This has only about a 1 percent probability of occurring by chance," Dr.
Van Flandern said. "The weight of existing evidence appears to have shifted
in favor of an artificial origin of the Cydonia complex." Van Flandern
predicted that the Mars Global Surveyor's high-resolution cameras will
finally determine whether the "Face" is a natural geologic structure, or
something constructed by an earlier civilization.Almost as an afterthought,
he observed to a standing-room- only audience of about 400 astronomers, "I
suggest that in view of these test results we prepare ourselves for a
cultural shock certainly unrivaled in recent times."
By MICHAEL WOODS, Toledo Blade
Dave "well that about wraps it up for Humanity then" Barlow
Bring me my Broadsword | http://www.sartar.demon.co.uk
and clear understanding | BBb Bass player extraordinaire