Author Topic: Viking and the Face on Mars  (Read 6355 times)

Offline ADC9

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Viking and the Face on Mars
« on: 12/25/2005 11:13 pm »
I believe it was a Viking image that first took the imfamous Face on Mars picture. Was it released as such at the time?

Offline SpaceCat

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #1 on: 12/26/2005 04:02 am »
Oh nooooo- not the "FACE" again!
But yes, it did come in from Viking I in July '76 while it was scanning possible landing locations for Viking II.
Here's a JPL page with lots of links to the Malin camera services, which hopefully has debunked the "face" once and for all-
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/4_6_98_face_release/

Offline Colby

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #2 on: 12/26/2005 04:52 am »

Here is a picture of the "face" taken in 2001. Can you believe that a few conspiracy theorists thought the United States sent a nuclear warhead to Mars to alter the "face" as to cover up the evidence of a Martian civilization?!? Oh geez...

Colby

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #3 on: 12/26/2005 10:55 am »
Uh oh, Richard Hoagland time.
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Offline rsp1202

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #4 on: 12/26/2005 01:52 pm »
Hadn't heard of the A-bomb on Mars. Ah, it keeps getting better all the time.

It was Hoagland's contention that Malin Space Science Systems was doctoring the newer "face" photos. He really had it in for Malin and NASA; most of his claims are even wilder. He represents the comedy wing of the space exploration pavilion.

What's more interesting is this:
http://www.curiousnotions.com/mars/mars_plants.html

and this:
http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa030501e.htm

Let's hope the new Mars orbiter can bring some hi-rez photos to bear to clear this up -- AFTER it finds the Polar Lander and some interesting future manned landing sites.

Offline Dobbins

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #5 on: 12/26/2005 02:19 pm »
Quote
rsp1202 - 26/12/2005  9:52 AM

Let's hope the new Mars orbiter can bring some hi-rez photos to bear to clear this up -- AFTER it finds the Polar Lander and some interesting future manned landing sites.

Fat chance! All new pictures will result in is the loons claiming the new "doctored" pictures are proof that NASA is covering up the truth about the face.

There are two kinds of people of are into this sort of thing, fakes and flakes. Most of them are flakes who have a psychological need to believe in strange theories and conspiracies because it fills some personal need. The rest are fakes, con-artists that know it's BS but who also know they can make money off the flakes.

John B. Dobbins

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #6 on: 12/26/2005 02:29 pm »
Agreed. I actually thought about wiping this thread. Reason why it's staying is part of helping the awareness of people who might visit this site, such people who hold some level of alliance with the views of the these conspiracy type people.
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Offline Dobbins

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #7 on: 12/26/2005 03:01 pm »
Quote
Chris Bergin - 26/12/2005  10:29 AM

Agreed. I actually thought about wiping this thread. Reason why it's staying is part of helping the awareness of people who might visit this site, such people who hold some level of alliance with the views of the these conspiracy type people.

The Martian face is like the "faked" Moon landings. The hard core true believers simply aren't open to any logic, facts, or reason. Their beliefs are closer to blind faith than to anything else. Nothing you can say or do will convince a religious cult member that his Guru is a fraud or a crackpot and the same is true of the "cultists" who have paranoid conspiracy beliefs that center on space.

John B. Dobbins

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #8 on: 12/26/2005 03:14 pm »
True - although at least we can be be sure that if there's some teenager in a small town near Manchester (for example) who comes across this "face," then happens to stumble across this thread - or others that show it's not as it appears - they might stand a better chance of not joining those aforementioned ranks.

There happened to be a lot of people on the Space Cadets (The Channel 4 fake space flight reality show) forum who know very little about space flight or the Apollo missions, heard the Moon Conspiracy guy on the second E4 follow-up show (not even a good conspiracy guy - flag waving, light sources etc. Yawn) and got it into their heads he had to be right.

Just took a quick linking to the badastronomy site with the lists of de-bunks and the job was done. The forum hardly saw a mention of this afterwards.

I agree there's a hardcore that will never be swayed on the issues such as the Apollo missions, but the important thing for us all is to ensure there's a safety net for those that just need to hear the truth.
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Offline rsp1202

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #9 on: 12/26/2005 03:34 pm »
I used to think the whole subject was entertaining, which is how I approached this thread. But I'm now reminded why I gave up dealing with it years ago: the vitriol from both sides can be poisonous. I'd rather just concentrate on CEV particulars and returning to the moon.

For me, the fake Apollo landing bit was the final straw. I've met and talked with astronauts, and these trailer-park trash "experts" couldn't hold their water.

Offline Dobbins

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #10 on: 12/26/2005 09:00 pm »
I quit thinking it was funny when I started seeing good forums wrecked by paranoid conspiracy theorists. These people have an evangelical zeal about spreading their nonsense and they keep ranting on and on if they aren't quickly banned. It only takes one or two crackpots to ruin a forum. That is why I like the zero tolerance policy here.

John B. Dobbins

Offline ADC9

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #11 on: 12/26/2005 09:02 pm »
Sorry, I should have added that I do not in any way work on the conspriacy theory of these images. I was simply wondering if the images were released at the time of the Viking images and caused any sort of reaction at the time.

Offline Bruce H

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RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #12 on: 12/26/2005 09:10 pm »
Not at the time. It was someone going through the many images that decided to start this snowball rolling, mainly underground and then through Hoagland on your usual PBS channel.

Offline Chris Bergin

RE: Viking and the Face on Mars
« Reply #13 on: 12/26/2005 09:12 pm »
Ok, I think that rounds this up and answers the question. Getting an unpleasant taste from this thread being part of our forum now. If someone wants to start a thread about the Viking probe, then please do so. We'll leave this topic on the Viking mission here.

Thread locked.
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