In 1976, Viking 1 snapped a photo of what looked to be a Egyptian Pharaoh. A few days later NASA released the picture to the public. The "Face on Mars" became a pop icon. It starred in a Hollywood film, appeared in books, magazines, radio talk shows, and even haunted grocery store checkout lines for 25 years! Some people still believe that the "Face on Mars" is the work of aliens. I believe the "Face on Mars" is not the work of aliens, but a natural landform.

The article gives good evidence that the "Face on Mars" is just another weird natural landform on Mars. In paragraph 5, conspiracy theorists claim the "Face on Mars" is bona fide evidence of life on Mars and evidence that NASA would rather hide. In paragraph 3, NASA unveiled the image for all to see in 1976. The caption noted, "a huge rock formation...which resembles the shape of a human head...formed by shadows giving the illusion of eyes, nose, and mouth." The authors reasoned it would be a good way to engage the public and attract attention to Mars; which it certainly did just that. The authors of the article wanted to attract attention towards Mars and NASA even claimed that it was a huge rock formation in the caption. Later, stating that shadows gave the huge rock formation the illusion of eyes, nose, and mouth. On April 5, 1998, when Mars Global Surveyor flew over Cydonia for the first time, Micheal Malin and his Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) team snapped a picture ten times shaper and clearer than the original Viking photos. The picture taken in April of 1998, would most likely not have shadows to give illusions of the face, nose, and mouth. Thousands of anxious web surfers were waiting when the image first appeared on a JPL web site, revealing...a natural landform. There was no alien monument after all. NASA again stating and proving that the "Face on Mars" was just another out of place natural landform on Mars. On April 8, 2001, a cloudless summer day in Cydonia, Mars Global Surveyor drew close enough for a second look. "We had to roll the spacecraft 25 degrees to center the Face in the field of view," said Garvin. "Marlin's team captured an extraordinary photo using the camera's absolute maxium resolution." Here again we can see NASA trying to prove that the "Face on Mars" in still just a weird natural landform on Mars. Someone who stills believes that the "Face on Mars" is the work of aliens might say something like this. The "Face on Mars" is located at 41 degrees north martian latitude where it was winter in April 1998-a cloudy time of year on the Red Planet. The camera on board MGS had to peer through wispy clouds to see the Face. Perhaps alien markings were by haze, skeptics claim. However, that was back in April of 1998, and the most recent photo taken was back in 2001. The photo taken in April 2001, the weather was perfect-a cloudless summer day in Cydonia. The photo taken that year still looks like a natural landform on Mars.

The excellent reasons stated above prove yet again that the so called "Face on Mars" is just a natural landform. NASA has clearly proven that the "Face on Mars" is just another strange landform on Mars.