The Ringmakers

Saturn certainly is one of the most spectacular members of our planetary family. The planets body could hold roughly 750 Earths, and it's mass is nearly one hundred times ours. But it is mainly its characteristic rings that makes it stand out among the rest of our neighbors, and quite rightfully so; for they are just as mysterious as they are beautiful. 

The established astronomic consensus says that these rings are made up of ice chunks, with sizes ranging from specks of dust to blocks up to 10 meter in diameter. They reach the length of hundreds of thousands of kilometer, yet their thickness of a mere 10 meter conforms to that of a razor blade to a basketball.

Two close up pictures of the rings. Click for enlargments.

Besides size and material the astronomers don't really know much about them. Questions like how they remain stable, how old they are and why they are there in the first place remains unanswered to this very day. And yes, it’s not only one but several distinguishable rings, all of them perfectly aligned.

The expert

But a lack of mainstream explanations doesn’t equal lack of explanations. Some years ago I came across a book with the intriguing title Ringmakers of Saturn* by Norman Bergrun. In the book he presents a plethora of (very) technical information, which according to him, answers the question of their origin. 

Now before we go into the actual data and its additional comments, a short presentation of the author is in order. 

 

Norman Bergrun and his book Ringmakers of Saturn.

Dr. Norman Bergrun has had quite a career working 12 years as a researcher at NACA (predecessor to NASA) before he moved on to Lockheed Missile and Space Company (later Lockheed Martin) where he during his 13 years of service, among other things, was in charge of planning and analysis of flight tests for the Navy Polaris Underwater Launch Missile System. His background is quite extensive and you can read more about it here, or see his complete cv listed at the bottom of this article. Needless to say, this guy is about as knowledgeable as they come.

It’s therefore very interesting to read his book which is made up of Bergrun’s meticulous scrutiny of circa 40 pictures of Saturn and it's rings taken by Voyager 1 and 2. The info is extremely dry and technical, but if you start from the beginning and read it slowly to the end, and take time to carefully study every picture that is being presented, you can kind of see where he's coming from and what he’s aiming at, but as he himself put it “if you are looking for entertainment, this is not the book”.

Some of the images are easier to understand than others,  but please note that there's a textual context to take into account when studying them. During his career Dr. Bergrun went through literally miles of  photo coverage-film, so he should know what's up.

According to Bergrun several of the Voyager pictures shows evidence of gigantic cylindrical vehicles residing in the rings. Furthermore, some of them even seem to spew out exhaust energy of some kind, which in combination with the fact that the rings change form and sometimes brakes, leads him to conclude that they are in fact the results of these space craft’s emissions.

The tricky lingo and the hard-to-tell-what's-going-on-pictures are hurdles that perhaps only a degree in engineering might overcome, but all-in-all his theory is coherent. Albeit far out, but least it’s something compared to the nix of the establishment. 

How the vehicles may look like,
according to the photographic evidence.
It sure looks rad, wouldn't mind a patch.

In the closing chapter of the book he allows for some personal reflection on the matter. One of the things he brings up is the Tunguska incident in 1908, where some kind of object – according to eye witnesses cylindrical in shape – appeared over the Siberian skies and exploded with a force greater than a thousand Hiroshima bombs [sic].

Many theories have been put forth as to what caused the immense blast, but none as good as to explain all of the aspects involved. Bergrun however, suggests that the object likely was some kind of craft of Saturnian origin.

I wouldn't normally make much fuss about a claim like this [particular] one, but as a matter of fact I've stumbled upon a couple of remarkable correlations from other sources that leaves me no other choice but to seriously consider the reality of the Saturnian Overlords.

The Council

About the same time as Dr. Bergrun sat somewhere in Nevada working on Ringmakers a group of three quite extraordinary individuals in Kentucky were hard at work

During 1981-1984 a group of three individuals was hard at work channeling an intelligence called Ra, a societal mind complex, who gave extraordinary and consistent answers to the group’s questions regarding existence, cosmos, ethics, humankind, physics and more.

All together, a cosmic philosophy, based on the idea that everything, us included, ultimately is part of One Intelligent Infinity, is being presented**.

 

The Law of One: Book 1 and the group that helped bring it forth, starting from left: 

Carla L. Rueckert, Don Elkins, Jim McCarty. 

This philosophy has played a significant role in my life, and to this day continues to inspire and give meaning to it. As I consider it to be trustworthy I don’t dismiss anything of it, and so far haven’t had any reason to either.

All of the statements, the more outlandish ones included, seem to be independently confirmed by other (fringe) sources. In my Swedish blog I have followed up on several of Ra’s mentions, e.g. Bigfoot, Breakaway Civilizations and Saturn; and there’s always something there to be found, usually of a highly fascinating as well as entertaining nature.

The topic of Saturn is touched upon in three separate channeling sessions (6, 14 and 30). In both #6 and #30 Ra tells us about a Council of benevolent beings who dwell in what we see as the rings:

"6.8 Questioner: Where is this Council located?
Ra: This Council is located in the octave, or eight[h] dimension, of the planet Saturn, taking its place in an area which you understand in third-dimensional terms as the rings."  

"30.14 Questioner: Thank you. Can you give me a brief history of the metaphysical principles of the development of each of our planets around the sun and their function with respect to evolution of beings?
Ra: I am Ra. [...] The planet known as Saturn has a great affinity for the infinite intelligence and thus it has been dwelled upon in its magnetic fields of time/space by those who wish to protect your system."

So both are talking about Saturnians, even though it’s not clear if we should be able to see the Council or not, seeing as it is positioned in the eight octave/dimension of the planet’s rings. 

For years I've found it curious that they both talk about intelligent beings around Saturn. However it wasn’t until about six months ago, when I read through the whole Ringmakers of Saturn, that I found out that they also have similar views on what happened over Tunguska.

Let’s take a look at what they have to say, starting with the passage from Bergrun's book:

[...] To illustrate, a sudden change in the surface of the Earth occurred 30 June 1908. On this day, a violent thunderous explosion rocked an area near Tunguska in Central Siberia, USSR. Twelve hundred square miles became devastated. Small villages and wildlife disappeared during this blast. A large forest was flattened. According to eye-witness accounts, a flaming cylindrical object was sighted in the vicinity just prior to the explosion. After years of intensive study and scientific research, a firm conclusion has been drawn that the devastation had been caused by an aerial nuclear explosion. Supporting this conclusion is the Hiroshima nuclear-bomb destruction which produced a surfacedevastation pattern similar to that recorded at Tunguska. Some scientists go farther with an assertion that the devastation had been caused by an extraterrestrial spaceship which exploded. After all nuclear bombs had not been invented at the time of the 1908 explosion; and furthermore, they submit, there were eyewitnesses. The Tunguska story affirms the existence of cylindrical vehicles and their nuclear character.

Was an alien space ship from Saturn responsible for the Tunguska blast? Two unrelated sources suggest just that. 

"17.3 Questioner: In meditation a few nights ago I had the impression of a question about a crater in Russia. I believe it was in Tunguska. Can you tell me what caused the crater?
Ra: I am Ra. The destruction of a fission reactor caused this crater.  

17.4 Questioner: Whose reactor?
Ra: I am Ra. This was what you may call a “drone” sent by Confederation which malfunctioned. It was moved to an area where its destruction would not cause infringement upon the will of mind/body/spirit complexes. It was then detonated.  

17.5 Questioner: What was its purpose in coming here?
Ra: It was a drone designed to listen to the various signals of your peoples. You were, at that time, beginning work in a more technical sphere. We were interested in determining the extent and the rapidity of your advances. This drone was powered by a simple fission motor or engine as you would call it. It was not that type which you now know, but was very small. However, it has the same destructive effect upon third-density molecular structures. Thus as it malfunctioned we felt it was best to pick a place for its destruction rather than attempt to retrieve it, for the possibility/probability modes of this maneuver looked very, very minute."

The following conclusion therefore can be made: at two completely unrelated instances, information came about suggesting that more developed intelligences, with accompanying crafts, reside in the rings of Saturn. 

They also suggested that the Tunguska event was the result of a (malfunctioning) vehicle associated with these ring dwelling entities (although indirect in Ra's case, as there's a difference between the Confederation and the Council).

The LoO-session happened in February, 1981. Now Bergrun’s book was published in 1986, but according to the author it was written the same year, in 1981. 

...

There is something about the implausible. When two unrelated events randomly cross paths in a meaningful way, one can not deny that certain spark of magic that makes you joyful for a moment or two. 

In my case, I didn't give them much attention until perhaps 2-3 years ago, but since then I've more often than not written them down, and much like dreams they manifest more regularly the more you take time to reflect upon them. 

One such occurrence happened when I researched the subjects of this article. Important or not, if there's one thing I've learned when it comes to synchronicities in my own life, it is: they come with wonder.

Sources and whatnot:
*Available as a PDF here: http://podcast.sjrdesign.net/files/070_RingmakersOfSaturn.pdf
**The 106 channeling sessions has been compiled into 5 book volumes,  All of the material is freely available through their website: http://www.llresearch.org/library/the_law_of_one_pdf/the_law_of_one_pdf.aspx

Ringmakers of Saturn, Bergrun, Norman, Pentland Press, 1986.

http://emvsinfo.blogspot.de/2011/03/1999-interview-with-dr-norman-bergrun_18.html
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/index.cfm?SciencePageID=55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHmgZymhJL8

Norman Bergrun's credibilities:

Education: B.S.M.E., Cornell University, 1943; L.L.B., LaSalle University (Extension), 1955; Postgraduate Study, Stanford University, 1947; Continuing Education, Foothill College, 1982. Military: Served in the United States Navy, 1944-46, attaining the rank of Chief Specialist.

Career: Executive, Bergrun Companies (Research, Engineering, Construction, Properties); Thermodynamicist, Douglas Aircraft Company, El Segundo, 1943-44; Aero Research Scientist, NACA Ames Laboratory, 1944-56; Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Van Nuys (CA), Supervisor Flight Test 1956-68, Manager Flight Test Analysis 1958-62, Manager Test Plans and Direction 1962-63, Manager Re-Entry Test Operations 1963-67, Staff Scientist Satellite Systems Applications 1967-69; Director, Management Information Systems, Nielsen Engineering and Research, Mt. View, California.

Organizational Memberships: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chairman San Francisco Section 1962, Regional Director 1963, Associate Fellow; California Society of Professional Engineers, State Director 1973-74 and 1979-83, Vice-President, 1986. National Society of Professional Engineers, National Director, 1975-76; California Space and Defense Council, 1982; Co-founder and Acting Chairman of the Board, California Professional Engineering Center, 1986. Charter Member Aviation Hall of Fame. Community.

Honors and Awards: Engineer of the Year, California Society of Professional Engineers, Penisula Chapter, 1978; Appreciation for Sustained Contributions Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1972; Extraordinary Service Award, National Management Association, 1968; Recognition of Distinctive Service, Institute of Aerospace Sciences, 1962; Appreciation for Contributions to First Polaris Launching, Navy Department, 1960.

Squaring the Circle

Most people of today are convinced that an anonymous group of people, equipped with wooden planks and string, are responsible for the crop circle phenomenon; but can all of the remarkable patterns really be explained away that easily, or are we dealing with a genuine mystery here? And if this is the case, what is it trying to tell us?

For hundreds of years, strange formations have been reported in the crop fields of southern Britain. These patterns have often appeared within very short periods of time, mostly over night, but in some documented cases lesser than an hour, in broad daylight. 

Many times mysterious white orbs have been seen in the vicinity, and people have also experienced malfunctioning of electric equipment upon entering the creations. Explanations for them have varied, ranging from bizarre weather to the Devil himself; however, due to an asinine confession and chequebook journalism the crop circle phenomenon as a whole was written off as a man-made hoax in the early 90's. Until this day, the mainstream maintains this stance.

Separating the wheat from the chaff

Obviously many of the circles are man-made and usually they're easy to spot due to their limited size and rough execution, although there are those of a more refined character. Nonetheless some of them display attributes to which no reasonable explanation has ever been given, namely the following two: elongated nodes (thus allowing them to be bent without being damaged) and blown nodes.

 

The characteristics have been thoroughly documented. During the 90's notable biophysicist Dr. W C. Levengood conducted a series of in depth investigations of the phenomenon, in which he compared stalks from circles to control samples outside of them. Not only did the nodes stand out to the naked eye, but microscopic analysis further revealed that the crystalline structure of the circle plants showed significant changes in comparison to the control samples.

It should be mentioned that the skeptical community wants to blame the added length on phototropism and the blown ones on the heat of the sun [sic]. It's true that phototropism has an effect on the plants in question, but it's trifling at best, and doesn't account for the great changes that some crop show.

With the help of microscopes another oddity has been found. Soil samples from certain circles have revealed tiny magnetized spheres. They consist of pure iron and their quality indicates that a magnetic field was present when they came to existence. Control samples from outside the formations did not feature any spheres.

These are 10-40 micron diameter, the photomicrograph shows them magnified x100. 

Before we continue let me present a few of the most astounding designs to date. Please remember that all of these were created during night time, within a time frame of approximately 5 hours and not seldom during rainfall.

Milk Hill, Wiltshire, 12th of August, 2001.. The design features 409 circles and was almost 240 meter in length. 

Avebury Trusloe, 22nd July, 2000. The complexity is striking.

West Overton, 21 May 2003. Only very slightly were the stems on this field bent, which caused it to be harder to spot from above. Because of the negligible harm inflicted, a speedy recovery was to follow. As the bent among the outlines differed, the motif gave an impression of fading away; combined with the wind it must have been an exquisite visual experience.

Mind the Disinfo

Even though it's perfectly clear that a human touch hasn't been involved in the creation of some of the circles, it shall not be forgotten that some of us are capable of creating quite complex patterns even during night time. This has been proven several times and skeptics frequently use it as an argument; if humans can do it, why look for other explanations? Aside from the points previously mentioned there are other limitations to our capabilities that are often overlooked.

When first watching this video I was very impressed and even started questioning my previous conclusions about the phenomenon. It sure is convincing in it's presentation. After looking at it a few more times it became clear that even though it proclaims to solve the enigma it leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

For example the question of complex woven patterns is being addressed, but their explanation „the design of the formation dictates the lay of the crop, plus size of the board are in part responsible for the complex woven patterns“ have little to none substance, especially when applied to a formation like this:

Eastfield, Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, 14th July, 2009. Yet another pristine effect could be enjoyed through this crop circle. Sadly the field was harvested a few hours after its discovery. 

It should also be mentioned that they don't show any close ups of the crop. Most likely this was intentional. They also throw in some horrendously bad man-made circles with 'authentic' ones during the first half of the clip. National Geographic has also been involved in a similar coup of deceit. You can see it being debunked here and here.

There is more to be said about this, but when it all comes down to it the circle artists rely heavily on the public's eagerness for convenient explanations. No other reason can justify how they can get away with mere assertions over the Internet. I find that this interview, taken from cropcirclemakers.com - a site dedicated to explain them all as works of wooden boards - with an alleged circle maker named Rob Dickinson perfectly underlines the absurdity of the issue, here are a couple of excerpts:

I pointed out that the Stonehenge Julia Set had evidently appeared in broad daylight, in a span of perhaps 45 minutes.
RD: "That isn't true," Rod insisted. "It was made the previous night, by three people, in about two and three-quarters hours, starting around 2:45 am (on Sunday morning, July 7). It was there all that day. When that doctor flew over, he just didn't see it the first time. That happens a lot. His report was wrong. He just didn't see it."
//
ML: "OK, so you say that the Stonehenge Julia Set was created in less than three hours, in pitch darkness, by three people, and you know who they are...
RD: "Yes"
//
ML: "Did the group that made the Stonehenge Julia Set also make the Triple Julia?"
RD: "Yes, same group."
ML: "What evidence could they show for that?" I asked.
RD: "Well, there is a diagram of the formation, which I've seen. That's about all."
I returned to the question of getting the "artists" who created the Julia Sets to come forward and demonstrate how they did it. [...]
ML: "If they came forward and made another one just like the Stonehenge Julia Set, what would it really prove?" Rod asked me. "Would it convince the believers that there are no real circles?"

Is a comment even necessary? 

The phenomenon was once actually considered a genuine mystery by the mainstream until two elderly gentlemen by the names of Doug and Dave came along and claimed responsibility for it in 1991. The media quickly bought their story and since then ... Well, not much has changed. As a matter of fact they actually agreed to create one for everybody to see, strangely enough it didn't get much attention compared to their narrative.

Game Over

Entering Strangeness

During broad day light almost next to one of Britain's best guarded monuments, a spectacular crop circle arose within a time period of roughly 45 minutes. This was in 1996 and the monument was of course Stonehenge. Not only is a busy highway running right between them but the air space above is heavily trafficked, it has therefore been possible to nail down the time frame to a surprisingly exact number of minutes.

Because it all happened during day time and near a highway, lots of witnesses apparently saw the magnificent structure take form. Very few testimonies have found their way to the web, researcher Lucy Pringle fortunately has one on her excellent webpage though. According to the witness, who happened to be driving by during its formation, this is what happened:

“A car drew out and she managed to pull into the empty space and got out and joined the crowd of other people who were also watching what was happening. "There was an apparition, an isolated mist over it and as the circle was getting bigger the mist was rising above the circle. As the mist rose it got bigger and corn circle got bigger."

“There was a mist was about 2-3 feet off the ground and it was sort of spinning around and on the ground a circular shape was appearing which seemed to get bigger and bigger as simultaneously the mist get bigger and bigger and swirled faster."*

For the experienced researcher this may contradict various other witness testimonies in which the circles form in a matter of seconds, and rather by light phenomenon than mist. For example reports of light beams have been observed just before the appearance of new formations, the most common oddity however, is the sphere of light. There have been many reports and even video recordings of them flying nearby freshly made ones. Only in the infamous Oliver's Castle-video** they're actually involved in creating one, in the rest of the footage acquired they simply move around.

White orbs checking out freshly made crop circles. For a video snippet of one in action, click here.

Another bizarre case involves an off duty police officer who happened to see three persons on a field while driving home from work on the 6th of July 2009. He stopped his car and started to walk towards them. As he got closer he noticed that they all were of unusual height, at least 185 cm, and all with long blonde hair. They wore clothing resembling white coveralls. 

An artist's rendering of what went down on the field. There one second, gone the other; one has to wonder if the uniform had anything to with it.

He tried to shout at them but they failed to notice him. As the officer entered the field he started to hear a buzzing sound similar to that of static electricity. The hair on his arms and neck began to stand up. A moment later they turned their heads and saw him: and apparently they weren't keen on being discovered so they took off on foot. In the words of the witness:

“They ran faster than any man I have ever seen. I’m no slouch but they were moving so fast. I looked away for a second and when I looked back they were gone. I then got scared. The noise was still around,but I got an uneasy feeling and headed for the car. For the rest of the day I had a pounding headache I couldn’t shift”.***

The formation in question.

Notice how the policeman got the impression that there was some kind of electric energy present. This is something that has been reported in many other instances as well; in fact it's quite common that electrical equipment behaves strange inside circles. Cell phones and video cameras often shut down and refuse to resume, batteries drain in moments, compasses spin around and the instruments in helicopters and air planes are affected in such a high degree that pilots often refuse to fly right over a formation.

A technical analysis of the electromagnetic qualities and more can be found here..

Colin Andrews is one of, if not -the-, leading crop circle researcher in the world, he even coined the term. In the year 2000 he conducted several magnetometer surveys on various formations in the UK. The picture above shows the result of 92 measurements executed on that particular formation. As you can see, well-defined magnetic fields were associated with each of the four outer circles.****

Could the magnetic fields account for the irregular behavior of electric devices used in a circle? Surely a linkage must be considered.

The Content

While the identity of the makers remains a mystery, the content of their creations is oftentimes clear. Mathematical principles and sacred geometry intermingled with cultural symbolism are dominant themes. From pi and the golden ratio to Mayan art and DNA-helixes - in other words: cosmic beauty. More often than not (if not always) the designs encompass a spiritual significance, evident through the presence of a square and circle – and the ratios between them.

Lurkley Hill, East Kennett, 25th of June, 2005. The diagram is one of many from researcher Bert Janssen, check out his brilliant breakdown of this pattern in regards to squaring the O.

Ogbourne, St George, Wiltshire, 15th of June, 2003. A huge design with 3d-effects due to the different amount of bending inflicted on the crop. 

There exists an ancient mathematical problem called squaring the circle. It addresses the problem of creating a square with the exact same area of a given circle, using only compass and straightedge. In 1882 the task was concluded impossible. Interestingly enough many of the crop formations suggest (near) perfect solutions to the problem, in a very elegant way to add.

Christian and tibetan mandala.

The circle typically represents the spirit - the divine, metaphysical - whereas the square stands for matter, the physical world, and in many senses: ourselves. When they appear together a reunification of flesh and soul is implied. Considering how regularly these forms show up in crop arrangements, it could well be that the responsible intelligence is trying to convey something of great importance to us.

Into the Future

I've been researching the fringe for many years now and I've come to notice that mysteries have a tendency to manifest in ways that leave room for doubt. I suspect that the key reason for this is to keep our free will intact. The growth of any entity is dependent on the choices it makes, to leave no room for question would be the equivalent of giving an order; thus dismantling any opportunity for learning.

None of us doubt our feelings; they even rule our lives to such a degree that they define us and our phenomenology. Yet they are outside of the realms of the scientific methodology, being neither reproducible nor measurable. Faith, in this case, seems to suffice.

The crop circle phenomenon reminds us that we are part of a reality beyond our comprehension, part of an impenetrable, wondrous mystery - and at the same time, it suggests that all is well, understanding is not of importance

Assuming there's a metaphysical component to us, we must remain open to the idea that the next step in our evolution very well could be spiritual in nature. This would mean that we ourselves are in control of our evolutionary progress.

Maybe the intelligence behind the formations sees this and is offering those of us who have an urge and a willingness to remember a helping hand - bringing together the circle with the square - in the most tangible sense.

Sources:
http://www.cropcirclesecrets.org/biophysical.html
http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/anasazi/time2012a.html
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/circulos_cultivos/esp_circuloscultivos14.htm
http://www.temporarytemples.co.uk/imagelibrary/
http://www.lucypringle.co.uk/photos/

What on Earth: A very well made documentary by Suzanne Taylor. Much focus is on the people who are attracted by the phenomenon.

Crop Circles - Hyperspace Gateways: Another great documentary by Terje Toftenes. Definitively worth a watch.

Asterisks:
*http://www.lucypringle.co.uk/news/stonehenge-julia-set-eyewitness.shtml
**It's intriguing footage, but close up pictures of the formation heavily suggest that it's a roughly executed man made one. When adding that National Geographic made up information about it, one probably should just walk away from this one. How one goes faking it beats me though, and the footage is very impressive indeed, fake or not.
***https://thefreedomagenda.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/police-officer-witnesses-alien-beings-in-crop-circle-the-silbury-hill-stargate/
****http://cropcirclesresearchfoundation.org/dr-john-horn-m-d-submitted-this-paper-to-ccrf-thank-you-dr-horn-for-this-contribution/

Mars Revisited: Face the facts

It is known as the bastard son of esoterica and has become the go to-example whenever pareidolia is mentioned. Even though our space organizations have refuted any artificial aspects to it, the facts indeed point the other way. Let us dare to take another look at the infamous Face on Mars.

Preface

In Carl Sagan's last book The Demon Haunted World he wrote the following regarding the puzzling structures on Mars:

It was probably sculpted by slow geological process over millions of years. But I might be wrong. […] 

Much more detailed photos of the Face would surely settle issues of symmetry and help resolve the debate between geology and monumental sculpture. 

[…] I hope that forthcoming American and Russian missions to Mars, especially orbiters with high-resolution television cameras, will make a special effort – among hundreds of other scientific questions - to look much more closely at the pyramids and what some people call the Face and the city.

Today we have the data that Sagan was hoping for, and I'm positive that he would be quite intrigued by what it tells us, especially regarding the issues of symmetry. But first I believe a quick historical recap is in order. Let's turn back the clock to 1976, it's late July and NASA has finally succeeded with sending an orbiter to Mars ...

The Appearance and the Banishment

It is during a fly over of a region known as Cydonia, when the Viking 1-orbiter snaps an intriguing shot of what appears to be a gigantic structure resembling a human face. NASA honors the find with a press release saying that a unique face like feature has been found on Mars. However, the mystique instantly fades when the media is informed that another picture, taken mere hours after, reveals that the face indeed was nothing more than an optical illusion; trickery of light and shadows - a curiosity at best. “Nothing to see here folks, move along...”

Frame 35A72m is the first and probably the most famous picture of the Face on Mars.

Even though the (second) picture in question never gets shown, the public quickly backs off. Nevermind that NASA shortly after the announcement changed Viking 2's landing spot, which originally was supposed to be the Cydonia region, to a much rockier zone called Utopia, far away from any enigmatic monument. 

Four years later, in 1980, two engineers, Vincent DiPietro and Greg Molenaar, were blessed with the task of going through all the data that the Viking orbiter had collected. In doing so they stumbled upon the mysterious second picture, and as it turned out, the face was still there, despite differing light conditions and another camera angle.

Frame 70A13 was taken almost a month after the first picture. The light and angle differs, yet the facial features remains.  

Further examination revealed that the photo was taken almost a month after the first one, and that the orbiter not only didn't but also couldn't have taken another snapshot of the face a few hours after wards, as it was mapping out the other side of the sphere at that time. In other words: they lied about the second picture.

Ultimately the engineers publish a detailed analysis of the anomalous structures in the Cydonia area called Unusual Martian Surface Features, favoring an artificial origin to them. Regrettably, neither NASA or the public pay any attention to their findings. It will take two decades before the Face resurfaces from the murky depths of oblivion.

The late 90's Cat-roversy

Although few scientists believed the Face was an alien artifact, photographing Cydonia became a priority for NASA when Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) arrived at the Red Planet in Sept. 1997, eighteen long years after the Viking missions ended. "We felt this was important to taxpayers," explained Jim Garvin, chief scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "We photographed the Face as soon as we could get a good shot at it."

When reading the story on NASA's official web page you easily get the impression that during the end of the millennium they indeed had a great interest in the anomalies of Mars. This is clearly not the case seeing as how not too long ago the object of interest was discarded as a pile of rocks by the very same agency.

A press conference was held shortly after the new pictures were taken, and once again the Face was declared to be the work of people's imaginations. The picture that was sent out to international press seemingly confirms this.

The "Cat Box" picture that was sent out to media around the world.

As you can see the facial features are completely gone, instead we are looking at something more similar to the random mess of a cat's litter box, hence the nickname "The Cat Box". However, one must admit that it looks rather strange, not really on par with what you would expect the Martian terrain to actually look like. 

Comprehensive image analysis from various independent researchers concludes that the picture has been subject to manipulation.* Most obvious being the excessive filtering rendering the mesa to look virtually flat. Moreover only a total of 42 out of 256 possible gray values are featured. Alas, the agency of no straight answers pulled off yet another deceptive stunt. Strike two.

The Face with the Horn on it's Head

The question of actuality takes a new turn in 2006 when the European Space Agency (ESA) releases a fresh batch of slides. Finally we get a fair trail in the case of the martian mug shoot.

Detailed view of the Cydonia region. Taken by ESA's Mars Express.

Zoom in on the face from the picture above. 

"These images of the Cydonia region on Mars are truly spectacular," said Dr Agustin Chicarro, ESA Mars Express Project Scientist. "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, and show once more the high capability of the Mars Express camera."

Spectacular pictures yes, the rest of the statement raises some questions. You would think that the new pictures, which look a lot more like the original Viking ones than the 1998 MGS frauds, would re-spark some kind of debate, but no. Instead they are interpreted as the last nail in the coffin for all the "space myth fans" (the whole article called ESA's View of Cydonia - The Face on Mars is filled with similar derogatory references, Mac Tonnies eloquently addressed them here.) out there. 

But at least the pictures didn't lie this time ... Well, not entirely. For some reason ESA also decided to publish a 3D animated version of the Face featuring a horn on it's forehead, a trait that does not exist. The Cydonia Institute does a great job in pointing out the absence of any horned feature in any other of the pictures and renderings of the mesa, including those by ESA. No explanation for the horn has been given and inquiries** continues to be ignored, thus strongly suggesting a blunt disinformation ploy. Strike three.

Unlocking the Secrets of Cydonia

It has been demonstrated that the various space agencies are pushing a certain agenda regarding the structures in the Cydonia region. Sadly, this means that the official conclusions are not to be trusted. Ironically the lying and manipulation of data ultimately gives less credence to the idea they so desperately want you to believe. 

If we ignore their speculative assertions and instead follow the data we can still manage to get a grasp of what we are dealing with here. For example, looking at the latest image of the Face one may notice the two perfectly straight lines in the upper left corner, framing the facial features. This reminds us of the symmetrical aspects which Carl Sagan in his last book said would be the game breaker. Evidently, the elements of regularity are striking.

This break down made by the deviantart user "jubran" makes a strong case for the Face being a construct.

The Face is located within close proximity of other enigmatic formations referred to as "The City", "The Fort", "The D&M Pyramid" and more. Of course this further supports the idea of artificiality. But NASA doesn't agree, not surprisingly the whole region gets the same type of cold hand treatment. In comparison to what geologists and archaeologists find interesting here on Earth, you'll have to once again wonder how this can be.

These aerial photos showing potential pyramids in Egypt caused quite some stir in the world of archaeology in 2013. 

The D&M Pyramid in Cydonia, effectively causing zero stir in world of academia since it's discovery in the 70s.

Let us then assume for a moment that we are dealing with remnants of an ancient civilization on Mars. Plainly this has tremendous implications, one being that a sophisticated intelligence existed in our solar system long before modern man lit his first fire. This would likely cause or view of ourselves as a unique type of intelligence to shatter in a heartbeat, no longer would we be the masters of our realm. 

Furthermore we might ask who they were and where they went. Were they extinct or are there still some of them there? Perhaps they took off  to some other place, maybe even Earth? And if so, could they have influenced our history? In the light of the severe ramifications that would follow a disclosure, NASA's stance does make sense. Why upset the Status Quo when one can simply lie. 

And what if the truth is too much for us to handle ...

What if ... 

Sources:

http://thecydoniainstitute.com/The-1976-Face-on-Mars.php
http://posthumanblues.blogspot.de/2006/09/misleading-text-from-esa-face-on-mars.html
http://www.saeti.org/The_Face_on_Mars_of_ESA.htm

http://www.vgl.org/webfiles/mars/face/catbox.htm
http://thecydoniainstitute.com/The-ESA-Team-Creates-a-Horned-Face.php
http://thecydoniainstitute.com/The-%22Cat-Box%22.php
http://jubran.deviantart.com/art/Face-on-Mars-355347580

*See the following links for a detailed analysis:
http://www.enterprisemission.com/shrunk.html
http://www.metaresearch.org/solar%20system/cydonia/proof_files/proof.asp
http://thecydoniainstitute.com/The-%22Cat-Box%22.php
http://www.vgl.org/webfiles/mars/face/catbox.htm

**One of the chief team members of ESA, Dr. Gerhard Neukum, openly admits that the horned feature is of doubtful nature, saying in a letter "we are also not convinced that the “peak” exists in the way it appears in the second DTM.". For further references see the bottom of this page: http://thecydoniainstitute.com/The-ESA-Team-Creates-a-Horned-Face.php