Viking Missions (1976)

The story of Cydonia began with NASA's Viking 1 orbiter, which captured the first images of the region on July 25, 1976. These low-resolution images (with pixels representing about 50 meters) showed what appeared to be a face-like feature under specific lighting conditions. NASA scientists initially noted the face-like appearance as a curious light and shadow effect but did not attribute any artificial origin to it.

Mars Global Surveyor (1998-2006)

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission captured much higher resolution images of the Cydonia region in 1998 and 2001. The MGS Camera, capable of resolving features as small as 1.5 meters across, revealed that the "Face" was a natural geological formation - an eroded mesa similar to many others in the region. These detailed images showed that the facial features apparent in the Viking images were the result of low resolution, specific lighting conditions, and human pareidolia (the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns in random stimuli).

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2006-Present)

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), with its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, has provided the most detailed views of Cydonia to date. These images, with resolution down to about 30 centimeters per pixel, have further confirmed the natural geological origin of the features in Cydonia. The detailed topography revealed by MRO shows that the "Face" and other features are consistent with natural erosional processes common on Mars.

Scientific Conclusions

NASA's scientific analysis of the Cydonia region has consistently concluded that the features are natural geological formations. The agency's position is that the face-like appearance in the original Viking images was due to the combination of low resolution, specific lighting conditions at the time of imaging, and the human tendency to recognize familiar patterns (particularly faces) in random stimuli.

Geologists have identified the "Face" as a mesa, a common landform in this region of Mars where erosion has shaped the landscape. The apparent symmetry and facial features visible in the Viking images disappeared when viewed at higher resolution and from different angles, supporting the conclusion that they were artifacts of imaging conditions rather than evidence of artificial construction.

The Monuments of Mars

In his 1987 book "The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever," Hoagland presented his analysis of the Cydonia region. He proposed that the "Face on Mars" and nearby pyramidal structures might be artificial monuments constructed by an ancient Martian civilization. Hoagland's work built upon earlier analyses by Vincent DiPietro and Gregory Molenaar, who had enhanced the Viking images using computer processing techniques they called the "Starburst Pixel Interleaving Technique" (SPIT).

Geometric Analysis

A significant aspect of Hoagland's research involves geometric analysis of the relationship between various features in Cydonia. He and his colleagues at the Enterprise Mission identified what they call a "geometric relationship model" among the Face, D&M Pyramid, and other features in the region. According to their analysis, these structures are arranged in a pattern that incorporates specific mathematical constants, including π (pi), e (the base of natural logarithms), and the square root of 2.

Hoagland argues that these mathematical relationships would be highly unlikely to occur naturally and suggests they may represent a form of "mathematical communication" intended to be discovered by future observers.

Tetrahedral Geometry

Another aspect of Hoagland's research involves what he terms "hyperdimensional physics" and tetrahedral geometry. He has proposed that the placement of the Cydonia complex at 19.5 degrees from the Martian equator is significant, as this latitude corresponds to the points of a tetrahedron inscribed within a sphere. Hoagland suggests this might relate to energy patterns that could have been utilized by the proposed ancient civilization.

Response to Later NASA Images

When NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter returned higher-resolution images of Cydonia, Hoagland maintained that these images still showed evidence of artificial structures. He argued that certain aspects of the Face, including what he describes as symmetrical features and regular geometry, remained evident in the new data. Hoagland has also suggested that some of the newer images may have been processed in ways that obscured artificial features.

Hoagland continues to analyze new data from Mars missions, looking for patterns and anomalies that might support his hypothesis about ancient artificial structures on Mars.