That Famous "Face on Mars"

General Questions
#1

I saw the Sierra Nevada Mts for the first time, and in the wrinkles and folds of these barren hills you can see faces and anything else you wish much like cloud watching. So, in light of this PLUS the fact it is impossible to judge the real 3D of an object from a 2D photo…was NASA and/or space enthusists simply stupid to assume the “face on Mars” was some kind of unnatural, alien formation? I recall this being kicked around quite a bit in the late 1970s as if it were proof of intellegent life, but what intellegent life on earth jumped to that conclusion???

What’s the SD on how this formation could cause such a stir?

  • Jinx
#2

The original low-res photo DID look like a face. But, human brains have “face detectors” in them, so lots of things look like faces. NASA took some high-res photos of the same spot from a slightly different angle, and it looks nothing like a face in those photos. I’ll try to find a link.

#3

Here ya’ go: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast24may_1.htm

#4

What’s the question? How can people get excited over seeing what’s essentially a face in the clouds? Or who first identified it as a face? The former question seems more GD/deep philosophy (spotted any Virgin Mary-shaped formations lately?). The latter answer:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/09/22/mars.face/index.html

The article also offers a (mostly unsupported) hypothesis to answer the former question:

#5

I learned of the “face detectors” in the human brain over 25 years ago…

#6

Here’s a staff report on the face.
Even under full resolution the thing still looks bizarre. Not a face, but still odd.
The general vacinity around that feature would make a great place to land a manned mission, but wouldn’t that give nut jobs extra conspiracy ammo?

#7

The way you posed your question makes it sound like you think that the NASA people were the one’s saying “there’s a face on Mars!” As you see in toadspittle’s quote, the folks in the know basically reacted by saying “Hey, that’s cool. It looks like a face. Hey Jim, did I tell you about the clouds I saw on the way to work this morning that looked like boobs?” It was the crazy mind-so-open-the-brains-fell-out crowd that insisted (and still insist) that Martians love us so much they carve their mountains into our likeness.

#8

Well, it’s better than the other side of the planet - the ass of Mars.

#9

Why would NASA even bother making any attempt to cover up evidence of an alien civilization in the first place? :dubious: If it were true they’d never have to worry about funding again.

#10

Actually, Valles Marineris is only a little bit southwest of the face.

#11

As I recall, this thing was very popular-books, TV movies, TV shows about the “FACE ON MARS” were going on all the time. What a pity it wasn’t true! But what about the Jesus, Mary pictures that people see in dirty windows, burnt tortillas, etc.?

#12

Oh, those are all true…

#13

I know, that’s what kills me about this. NASA scientists covering up evidence of life on Mars? Are they fucking high? That would be like the tabloids covering up naked pictures of Brittney Spears.

#14

As has been noted, we see faces everywhere. We see them in clouds, mud spatters on a fence, jelly rolls, you name it.

In fact, if you are in the right place here, Abe Lincoln’s profile as it is on the penny appears on the crest of the Sierra Nevada 15 miles west.

#15

Maybe he’s talking about this (Astronomy Picture of the day, titled “A-Hole in Mars”… well, almost). Although I guess that’s not far from Valles Marineris either.

#16

They already filled in the canals, so the face is next to go right? :dubious:

#17

Just a minute, didn’t Gary Sinise & Co find the face in the film Mission to Mars"

#18

Yeah, that’s what they want you to think. If you really want your mind blown, check into why we had to fake the Moon landings instead of just going there with the flying saucer technology we got from Roswell. Remember – your mind will be blown.

#19

There are more convincingly freaky ‘faces’ found on Earth than the one that was seen on Mars.

#20

Damn!