May 24, 2001 was the date it all started. When the "Face on Mars" conspiracy began. NASA'S Viking 1 spacecraft was circling a region of Mars called Cydonia. The Viking 1 was taking snapshots of the Cydonia when it spoted a shadowy figure close of a human face. This snapshot was sent to the Viking 1's sister ship Viking 2. After careful review at the mission controllers at the Jet Propulision Lab they found out that it wasn't a human face. It turned out to be Martian mesa, which is common around Cydonia. Although this one had an unsual shadows that made it look like an Egyptian Pharaoh.

After a few days of the finding of the "Face" NASA unveiled the image for all the public to see. They added a capition to the image that quoted "huge rock formation...which resembles a human head... formed by shadows giving the illusion of eyes, nose, and mouth." The authors used the photo as a propaganda to get the publics attention to Mars, and it rsulted on good high notes. The "Face of Mars" became an pop icon from starring in a Hollywood film, books, magazines, radio talk shows, and haunted grocery store checkut lines for 25years! Then to clear up that the "Face" didn't show signs of life Michael Malin and his Mars Orbiter Camera snapped the same image ten times sharper and it revealed a natural landform. There was no alien momument after all. They tried another picture after people wouldn't believe the landform idea and the Martian came equivalent of a butte or mesa. Jim Garvin said it reminded him of the Middle Butte in the Snake River Plain of Idaho.

In conclusion the image of the "Face On Mars" sparked contrivsory in if it was a face or a natural landfrom. You had all the public believing it was a face and NASA saying it was a landform. This challenged NASA to prove that the face was indeed a landfrom. They got sharper images in where it clearly shows a butte/mesa. Although the public didn't believe in NASA it sure did make NASA have a reason for its reaseach. The shared their discoveries with everyone and the public responded. Which I say it was what NASA wanted all along.