The
following is taken from Dr. Mark Carlotto’s book, The
Martian Enigmas, A Closer Look.
APPENDIX F
Mars Anomalies Research Chronology
1976
Viking takes first picture (35A72) of the Face on Mars on July 25.
Walter Hain in
1977
Vincent DiPietro finds picture of Face in NASA
archives. DiPietro and Greg Molenaar
find second image of Face (70A13).
1979
DiPietro and Molenaar begin
the process of image enhancement for the Face, including the development of
the Starburst Pixel Interleave Technique (SPIT).
Walter Hain in
artificial.
1980
DiPietro and Molenaar
publish Unusual Martian Surface Features. On June 16, DiPietro
and Molenaar present their work at the 156th Meeting
of the American Astronomical Society in
1981
Richard Hoagland meets DiPietro and Molenaar at the first Case for Mars conference in
1983
Hoagland contacts DiPietro and Molenaar
about a different subject, but on seeing more recent photographic enhancements,
becomes interested in the Face.
Hoagland hypothesizes existence of City. Identifies Fortress
and other pyramidal objects in City as well as smaller mound like objects.
Notices that objects seem to be aligned and that the
alignment may be solsticial.
Hoagland and anthropologist Randy Pozos organize
Independent Mars Investigation computer conference during the summer.
Hoagland begins conference with first entry in December.
1984
"Martian Chronicles" computer conference takes place during the first
quarter of 1984. Participants include John Brandenburg, Lambert Dophin, Bill Beatty, and Jim Channon
along with DiPietro, Molenaar,
Hoagland, and Pozos. Last entry made by Hoagland in
March.
Hoagland and Thomas Rautenberg at the
John Brandenburg presents results of Independent Mars Investigation at Case
for Mars II conference in
August issue of the magazine Soviet Life reports discovery of pyramids on Mars
by Russian author, Vladimir Avinsky.
Discover magazine reports on Case for Mars II conference in September issue-no
mention of Independent Mars Investigation paper. In same issue Carl Sagan proposes joint
In the fall, Rautenberg, economist David Webb, Carl Sagan, and Louis Friedman (Executive Director of The
Planetary Society) meet in
1985
In January, Hoagland and Sagan discuss Mars anomalies
at National Academy of Sciences meeting in
In February, Mark Carlotto contacts Rautenberg and
sets up meeting. Rautenberg provides Carlotto a copy
of Viking data tapes.
Series of newspaper articles come out critical of the Independent Mars
Investigation during the spring.
On June 2, Sagan publishes article entitled:
"The Man in the Moon" in Parade Magazine. Article includes a
colorized version of Viking frame 70A13 in which the crucial shadows are . obscured by the added color. Sagan is highly critical of Face and investigators-none of
which are mentioned by name.
Interviews with Sagan and others at "Steps to
Mars" conference held mid July in
1986
On July 23, 1986, DiPietro speaks with Sagan at the National Academy of Sciences in
Carlotto sends Sagan draft of paper on 3-D analys s of Face. Carlotto and Sagan
exchange letters late in the summer. The paper which is entitled: "Digital
Imagery Analysis of Unusual
Martian Surface Features" is subsequently submitted to the planetary
science journal Icarus.
Brian O'Leary organizes Mars Anomalies Research Society. Members include
Hoagland publishes "The Curious Case of the Humanoid Face on Mars" in
the November issue of Analog magazine.
Two books published in 1986: The Face on Mars by Randy Pozos,
and Planetary Mysteries by Richard Grossinger.
1987
Early in February, O'Leary submits paper to Icarus
entitled: "Comments on Imagery of the Face on Mars and Nearby
Objects."
In mid March, Carlotto's paper is rejected by Icarus
on the grounds that it is "not of sufficient scientific interest."
O'Leary's paper is also rejected by Icarus on similar
grounds. This is the same journal that previously published eleven papers by
O'Leary, none of which had ever been rejected.
Carlotto revIses paper and submits to the journal
Applied Optics in September.
Hoagland's book The Monuments of Mars is published in 1987.
1988
Carlotto's paper is accepted and published in the May 15 issue of Applied
Optics.
Following press conference at National Press Club in
Over the summer, Erol Torun performs geomorphological
analysis of D&M pyramid and concludes that it could not have been formed by
any known geological process on Mars. Also develops a geometrical model of the
D&M in which are embedded numerous universal mathematical constants.
Hoagland subsequently shows these same universal constants are reflected in
relationships between the D&M and other objects in the Cydonia complex and
that latitude of the D&M on Mars can be expressed in terms of the same
constants.
In December, Hoagland, Carlotta, and
On December 18, a new paper entitled: "A Method for Searching for
Artificial Objects on Planetary Surfaces" describing fractal analysis of
the Face is submitted to the journal Nature.
Less than two weeks later the paper is returned, the editor refusing to review
it.
1989
In March erroneous radio transmissions send Phobos II
into an uncontrolled spin as it approached the tiny Martian moon.
Fractal paper is submitted to the Journal of the BrHish
Interplanetary Society OBIS) at the end of March.
Hoagland, Carlotta, and
1990
Fractal paper is accepted and published in May issue of JBIS. Revised version
of O'Leary paper that was rejected by Icarus
entitled: "Analysis of Images of the Face on Mars and Possible Intelligent
Origin" also appeared in same issue.
In July Sagan writes Carlotto to thank him for video
footage used in a revised version of his "Cosmos" series.
1991
Brandenberg, DiPietro and Molenaar publish "The Cydonian
Hypothesis" in the spring issue of the Journal of Scientific Exploration
in where they hypothesize the Face was built by indigenous Martians.
Hoagland suggests the geometry of the D&M pyramid and its external
relations to other nearby objects are based on tetrahedral geometry.
Carlotto's book The Martian Enigmas is published in 1991.
1992
Mars Observer launched on September 25.
Prompted by press coverage of the Face, Professor Stanley V. McDaniel begins an
independent evaluation of the methodology used by researchers studying the
Martian features, and of NASA's response to their research.
1993
Invited paper by Carlotto entitled "Digital image analysis of possible
extraterrestrial artifacts on Mars" appears in April issue of the journal
Digital Signal Processing.
Don Ecker, director of research for UFO magazine,
locates document produced by The Brookings Institution in early 1960s that
suggests scientists may consider suppressing the discovery of extraterrestrial
life or artifacts. Ecker relays this information to
Hoagland, who relays it in turn to McDaniel for inclusion in his report.
Mars Observer is lost in the vicinity of Mars on August 21. This together with
loss of Mars Observer prompts accusations by Hoagland that NASA is covering up
the discovery of artificial structures on Mars.
Mars researchers meet in September in Cody Wyoming at conference organized by
Tom and Cynthia Fell.
McDaniel completes his analysis of the independent Mars investigations as well
as NASA's conduct in the matter. His findings are published in The McDaniel
Report late in 1993.
1994
McDaniel coordinates the formation of the Society for Planetary SETI research
(SPSR) to study the Mars anomalies. Members are drawn from a variety of
academic and professional fields.
Physicist Horace W. Crater begins study of small mound formations at Cydonia.
Geologists James Erjavec and Ronald Nicks begin
development of a geological map of the Cydonia region.
1995
Initial results of Crater's analysis of the mound formations indicate the
presence of a radical statistical anomaly arising from the non-random
distribution of the mounds.
In two papers privately distributed within the SPSR, "Geometric Solution
to the Pentad" and "Geometric Construction of the Square Root 2
rectangle," McDaniel proposes a regular grid pattern accounting for the
geometric distribution of the mounds.
In June, McDaniel and Crater presented two talks at the 14th meeting of the
Society for Scientific Exploration in
1996
In May, Carlotto and archaeologist Jim Strange from the
Helmut Lammer publishes a paper, "Atmospheric
Mass Loss on Mars and the Consequences for the Cydonian
Hypothesis and Early Martian I!.ife-Forms"
i,n the autumn issue of the
Journal of Scientific Exploration. Paper argues against
Sagan publishes his last book, Demon Haunted World.
Although highly skeptical of the Mars anomalies, he states that the hypothesis
can be tested and so opens up the subject to scientific inquiry.
Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor are launched in the fall.
Russians launch Mars 96 Orbiter which fails to reach Earth orbit.
1997
Van Flandern publishes a preprint of "New
Evidence of Artificiality at Cydonia on Mars", showing that the Face was
located close to the old Martian equator and had a "faceupright"
orientation (major axis oriented north-south) with respect to it. Van Flandern finds this fact consistent with his exploded
planet hypothesis, which holds that Mars was a moon of a larger planet since
exploded. The Face would have been prominent on the Mars equator as seen from
such a planet.
Carlotto's paper "Evidence .in Support of the Hypothesis that Certain
Objects on Mars are Artificial in Origin" is published by the Journal of
Scientific Exploration. Paper analyzes all of the evidence to date within a prosabilistic framework showing it to satisfy Sagan's criterion for "extraordinary evidence."
END