A New Image of Cydonia

Malin Space Science Systems has unveiled a new Cydonia image taken by the Mars Global Surveyor. Taken in November, the image has only recently appeared on the Web.

According to MSSS, "The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Public Target Request Site began collecting public and science community suggestions for MOC narrow angle imaging on 20 August 2003. Suggested targets are incorporated into the MGS MOC operational database at Malin Space Science Systems. There, they wait until a time in the future when MGS is predicted to pass over the requested site. When the predicted ground track intersects a site of interest, the MOC operations team determines the best way to acquire the requested image, then commands the camera to do so. Several days later, the image is acquired and returned to Earth."

The new Cydonia image is relatively uninteresting, showing various craters, knobs and buttes that litter the controversial region. After a careful viewing, I see none of the oddity that characterizes the Face and anomalies in its vicinity. The two vaguely pyramidal formations look natural and, disappointingly, lack the "starfish" aspect of the City Pyramid and D&M.