The landform on Mars is very similar to the mesas or platues of the North America's Southwest. The Face of Mars is indeed a natural ocurrance. It has been proven with some very expensive and accurate technology that it is not an alien artifact. It would be in NASA's interest to share it if it is an artifact. The first 1976 Viking photo is not creditable.

The credibility of the Mars Global Surveyor has been tested twice on the Face. It took its first picture of the Face in 1998. Sceptics blamed the weather for covering up "hidden alien signs." Three years later, the Mars Global Surveyor took another picture of the Face. This picture was taken with optimul weather conditions and on the highest resolution possible for that camera. The clearity showed that the Face of Mars was mearly an amazing landform, not an alien artifact.

If for some absurd chance it was an artifact of some ancient alien race it would have helped NASA. They could have recieved more funds to go explore and find remenants of the alien civilization. They would have told everyone. They could make a huge profit from it. NASA could get more money from investors and taxpayers. It would have been to there benifit.

The Viking 1 photo is 40 years-old. The quality of it is not near;y the same as the Mars Global Surveyor. The Face of Mars may have only been seen because of weather conditions that day. In 1998, the Mars Global Surveyor took a picture ten times sharper than the already 22 years-old. The Mars Orbiter Camera took a picture that was a lot clearer but still not good enough for some.

In conclusion, the conspiracy theorists have no reliable information. It has been proven by the MOC and the Mars Global Surveyor that it is just a landform. The 1976 picture is too old to be reliable. All it shows is a mesa with amazing shadows. NASA probably dreams it was an artifact so they could get a budget increase. All of these points lead to one obvious answer, the Face of Mars is just a mesa on Mars.