When scientists first saw the face, they figured it was just another Martian mesa. Martian mesa's are pretty common in Cydonia, and this is the only one that had unusual shadows that made it look like an Egyptian Pharaoh. After NASA looked at it for a few days they let it out to the public. Scientists believed it was a huge rock formation that just "looks" like a human head. Then, they said that the shadows made it look like it had a nose, eyes, and mouth.

The first web site the Face ever appeared on was JPL web site. It showed a natural land form, and no alien monument after all. However, Alien Researchers believe that since MGS had to peer through whispy clouds to see the face that alien markings were hidden by the haze. Because of this, Mission controllers took a second trip. They took better pictures than the Viking photo and had great results.

Garvin was the Mission Controller in command and he points out that that things in a digital come up three times bigger than the original image. He also says, "So, if there were objects in this picture like airplanes on the ground or Egyptian-style pyramids or even small shacks, you could see what the were!" He tells us that this is rule of thumb and that he knows what he is doing because this is his job. From this point it would crealy state, comming for Mission Control, that it is in fact not an alien siting. In conclusion, "What the picture actually shows in the Martian equivalent of a butt or masa-landforms common around the American West."