UFO UpDates Mailing List
From: Mark Cashman <mcashman@ix.netcom.com> Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 12:47:16 -0700 Fwd Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 16:02:03 -0400 Subject: Re: NASA's Mars Images May Show Archeological Site > From: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net>, on 9/15/97 8:41 AM: > Date: Sun, 14 Sep 1997 15:35:48 -0400 > From: Gary Alevy <galevy@pipeline.com> > To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <updates@globalserve.net> > Subject: Re: UFO UpDate: Re: NASA's Mars Images May Show Archeological Site > > It's not a very scientific approach to the problem. > > ------- > > Mark Cashman, creator of the Temporal Doorway at > Mark, > The problem is that you do not seem to understand that > this is NOT a scientific issue... (big snip) Gary - Yes, I do understand the "politics" of the situation. Although I am at a loss to understand why NASA would not exploit the discovery of signs of ET life, since an instant budget boost could be expected, particularly if the signs were "archaological" and did not appear to represent a "current" presence. The problem is that, in science, you must be able to accept negative (disconfirming) evidence. The attitude that "NASA is lying if they tell us Cydonia isn't an artifact", immediately makes moot any information NASA will provide unless it is "Cydonia is an artifact". Now, anyone interested in the subject knows that there are three possible answers to "Is Cydonia an artifact": Yes. No. Maybe. 1) What does it take to produce a Maybe answer? a) No known geological process(es) can account for the formation. b) No combination of geological process(es) and image processing errors can account for the formation. c) No similar formation which has a known natural cause can be found in similar photos of Earth. 2) I think that if all of these criteria are met, we have a case for an "unknown". But it is not a case for the Yes answer, yet. Why? a) Mars has an unusual geology - extensive subsurface permafrost and permafrost modified landforms, unusual aeolian effects from long duration wind patterns and lack of other normal erosive forces (water, biology, etc.), and, finally, lack of plate tectonics yet active volcanism. b) Mars has an unusual climate - major variations in temperature, atmospheric pressure and composition, dust cycles, etc, many of which have no parallels on] earth. c) Mars has no major intrinsic magnetic field - the induced magnetic field offers some protection from solar wind particles, but we do not yet know of any effects from such particles which might get through on erosive processes; for instance it is well known that the Martian soil chemistry is unusual and active, possibly due to such particles, or possibly due to the UV flux which arrives through Mars thinner atmosphere, and this active soil chemistry might, in conjunction with or separately from the permafrost component of the Martian crust / regolith, lead to unusual erosive patterns. Again, because of the lack of tectonics and the long time spans during which Martian landforms exist, we cannot necessarily predict the consequences. 3) However, it is easier to arrive at a no answer. All we need is for one or more of the criteria of point (1) above to be met. Now, to get a Yes is much harder, at least if we are relying on remote sensing (such as orbital photography). a) Unambiguously artificial features - girders, struts, glass, antennae, which cast unambiguous shadows across background features (thinness indicates a low probability of naturalness, in a geologic environment). b) Unambiguous evidence of continuing changes to the formation or to accessory formations. c) Unambiguous signs of construction machinery and/or roads used in construction or operation. d) Unambiguous evidence (perhaps via radar or temperature sensing) of "hollowness". Without these, I am unclear as to how a yes can be proven by remote sensing. a) Regular cracks and even rectilinear jointing can be geologically formed. b) Euclidean (regular) shapes can be geologically formed and can be made even odder looking by erosional processes, particularly in a permafrost environment. c) In a faulted area producing regular volcanic and or fault-related formations, the production of several similar-appearing formations of similar and varied dimensions can be expected. Minor variations due to slumping and erosion can be expected. In short, there are lots of ways for geology to produce odd looking but quite natural formations, and Mars seems to have quite a few of these. ------- Mark Cashman, creator of the Temporal Doorway at http://www.geocities.com/~mcashman http://www.infohaus.com/access/by-seller/The_Temporal_Doorway_Storefront Original digital art, writing and UFO research mcashman@ix.netcom.com --------------------------------
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