Meanwhile, the photographs show that the western wall of the face appears to have moved down as a huge mass. Since the debris apron around the face is minor, the scientists suggest former, larger debris aprons may have been covered by lava flows. The latest images show the beginnings of what are called debris aprons, or gentle landslides, surrounding hills. "Other opinions on the basis of other approaches are of course welcome and encouraged."Īlien face or eroded surface, the face on Mars is of interest to planetary geologists like Garvin and these latest images reveal new geological details. "Please realise that as a scientist of Martian landscapes, my position is that of a traditional scientist, and requires that I utilise the paradigms associated with multiple-working hypotheses grounded in the physics of landscape development," he says. Garvin, for his part, doesn't want to discourage anyone from coming up with their own explanations. Some may be eager to offer up theories to explain this new site. In addition to the well-known face and 'pyramids' in the region, a previously unseen skull-shaped structure also appears in some of the new Mars Express images. So of course it doesn't look much like a face." "The reality is that it is highly unlikely that any of us would recognise a picture of our own grandmother if it was stretched horizontally, flattened, compressed and shown upside down. In movies, books and on the web, some have argued this is a massive sculpture built by intelligent life and that surrounding conical-like structures are pyramids, or remnants of a great city, built by a complex civilisation.Īttempts to say the face is just an accident of geology are often met by claims that scientists have something to hide.įor example, in response to the NASA images released in 2001, web author Richard Hoagland retorted: Since the spooky, face-like structure was first photographed by NASA's Viking 1 Orbiter 30 years ago, the site has been the subject of breathless speculation. Such formations are common in the Mars region of Cydonia, which is located between the planet's southern highlands and northern plains. NASA's chief scientist for Mars exploration Dr Jim Garvin describes the formation as the equivalent of a butte or mesa. "They not only provide a completely fresh and detailed view of an area famous to fans of space myths worldwide, but also provide an impressive close-up over an area of great interest for planetary geologists."Ĭhicarro and his team say the high-resolution images further confirm what NASA scientists have been saying for years: it's not a face, but a raised, eroded surface. "These images of the Cydonia region on Mars are truly spectacular," says Dr Agustin Chicarro, ESA Mars Express project scientist. Still, after several attempts, the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board ESA's Mars Express captured a series of images with a ground resolution of approximately 13.7 metres per pixel. The site, located at 41° north Martian latitude, is often obscured by atmospheric dust and haze. ![]() The face may be a popular target for orbiters - NASA's Mars Global Surveyor snapped images in 19 - but it's not an easy one. The European Space Agency has released new detailed images of the controversial, face-like formation first captured by a Viking orbiter at the Cydonia region of Mars in 1976. The famous 'Face on Mars', seen by some as evidence of intelligent life on the Red Planet, can now be seen close up. How the Man in the Moon was born, Science Online,.Piece of Mars lands in Antarctica, Science Online,.Methane on Mars may signal volcanoes, Science Online,.
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