Based on what I've read some believe that there's a face on Mars, and it could be linked to extra-terrestrial life. But I don't find this to be truthful here's why. If you look at the picture from 1976 it can resemble a face, but if you look at the 2001 picture it just looks like a landform. Here's another thing, the one from 1998 looks like volcanic activity is emerging, which could be the case. These pictures contain important information, and data that can be analyzed, which will help NASA find out more about this.

Let's go back to the Viking 1 spacecraft. This machine was built in 1976, which could possibly mean the machines camera was broken, or malfunctioning. One major factor in this is NASA. NASA is a company who study's life outside our atmosphere. When they launch probes into space it costs millions of dollars to do so. When they find real life outside our atmosphere they get paid for all the research they've done.

Then there's the rumors that certain people spread around. Usually it's untrue, but there's a possibility that it's true. These are theorists, they do this to gain popularity for themselves, or sometimes even money. The "Face on Mars" did gain lots of popularity for itself among time. It got movies, magazines, even haunted grocery checkout lines. But among that it caused other things.