# Mars Rovers and Cydonia
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 12, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405 "2017-08-12T03:43:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/1 "2017-08-12T03:43:59Z")
Does NASA plan to allow any of the rovers to visit that place on Mars where there is a “Face” and “Pyramids”?
[ ](https://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/moc2_msss_labels.gif)
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/2 "2017-08-12T03:57:15Z")
Is there something of scientific interest there? That is, moreso than elsewhere on the planet?
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/3 "2017-08-12T04:42:17Z")
I suppose I should elaborate on my brief response above.
The two currently active rovers don’t move very fast or far. They aren’t close enough to Cydonia that they could reach it in their remaining expected lifetimes. So you’d have to send a new rover to explore it. In order for NASA to do so, they’d need a good scientific reason to do so. As far as I know, the only special reason to send one is because some people have created an elaborate fantasy based on some random morphological landforms. This is not a good scientific reason. So the answer is, no.
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/4 "2017-08-12T04:43:06Z")
There is no ‘face’ or ‘pyramid’ in the sense of a constructed arcitecture. On a planet with 145,000 km[SUP]2[/SUP] subject to bombardment, erosive wind, and former volcanism, it would be not unexpected to find natural features which, to a credulous eye, look like faces or other patterns.
The exploratory sites on Mars are selected for proximiy to safe landing sites, accessibility, and scientific interest, in that order. Satisfying the insatiable interests of conspiracy nutters in validating unsubstaniated claims does not factor in.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/5 "2017-08-12T06:26:23Z")
Numerous fly-overs at ever-increasing resolution have looked at the ‘Face’. Its clear that the earlier resemblances were suggestive shading combined with pareidolia that triggers you to construct order from randomness. There is no more ‘mystery’ to be solved.
A better use of NASA money would be to investigate why Jesus keeps appearing in Mexican food, but I think we should expect Mexico to pay for it.
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### Author:  [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/6 "2017-08-12T06:46:31Z")
Here is the MGS image of the “face”
[ ](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/image/mgs_cydonia3.jpg)
As mentioned above it is not really that much of a “face”
Edited to add their comparison page
[https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/mgs\_cydonia.html](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/mgs_cydonia.html)
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/7 "2017-08-12T07:41:23Z")
Because it would only encourage more idiots to make stupid demands.
Because credulous acceptance of dumb, over-complicated stories is the exact opposite of science, and should not drive scientific research.
Because there are more interesting things to do than create fodder for the Alex Jones crowd.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2017, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-rovers-and-cydonia/793405/8 "2017-08-12T07:59:38Z")
Because if the truth were to come out, it would cause the masses to rise up and eat the ruling class.
Uh… I mean… there’s no scientific justification to spend time and money to visit Cydonia.