SUBJECT: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ON THE MARS INVESTIGATION FILE: UFO2246 Recent Developments After 13 years, the Mars Investigation finally seems to be "coming in from the cold." Here are a few highlights of what has happened lately: Several months ago, after 13 years of research outside of NASA, we were finally asked to present our findings to a Colloquium of NASA engineers and scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center, outside Washington. Mark Carlotto (The Analytic Sciences Corporation), Erol Torun (Defense Mapping) and I spent about two and a half hours (we were originally allotted only 45 minutes!) detailing the results of our various analyses of the "enigmatic landforms" at Cydonia -- from Mark's most recent fractal analysis" of the Face (in comparison with the surrounding mesas); to Erol's discovery of key mathematical constants in the D&M Pyramid (see pyramid.rsh); to my own confirmation of the same constants in the entire "complex" The reaction to our briefing was most interesting: there was a very serious consideration of our data by the general audience of NASA personel; there was vociferous indignation from the minority of "planetary scientists" attending. Later, feedback from this minority -- who have been given an essential "monopoly" in exploring the solar system for the past thirty years, if not in subsequent interpretation of the results -- was "Those guys [ the majority of the technical audience at Goddard] actually sat there and listened, then asked questions -- as if they believed that crap!" A 40-minute color video (VHS) of "the Goddard presentation" is available from the MARS MISSION. The second major development has been our recent one-to-one meeting with the Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, the Honorable Robert A. Roe (D-New Jersey). If we are going to get NASA to do what good science now mandates must be done -- take additional pictures of Cydonia, with Mars Observer in 1993 -- it is becoming clear that the ONLY way we are going to get those pictures is via legislation; NASA, for somewhat obscure reasons, has refused to put our data to a simple test: new photographs from Mars Observer. It is obvious therefore, that NASA must be mandated by law to rephotograph Cydonia -- as it's spacecraft, Mars Observer, once a month passes overhead in polar orbit. The key point to keep in mind: this will cost NO ADDITIONAL MONEY. Even so, NASA still refuses, so legislation is now necessary. It shouldn't be that way -- but it is. For this reason, our hour-long meeting with Congressman Roe was a most important milestone on the road to ultimate verification of our data. At the end of the hour-long meeting -- during which we detailed not only the significant developments in our research, but the apparently inexplicable political obstacles within NASA to simple confirmation -- the Congressman asked me for a Memo of Recommendations (see MARS3.TXT) -- detailing the next steps to verification of the Intelligence Hypothesis. A few days ago I received a letter from the Chairman, saying "I enjoyed your visitation and the opportunity to discuss the Mars Mission," and "I am looking into the recommendations you have made." Because of this continuing dialogue, I would urge all who want verification of our findings to drop a line to Congressman Roe (Suite 2321, Rayburn Building, Washington D. C. 20515) supporting the details in our Memo. Only the Congress can intervene in what is now essentially a political decision by NASA: to ignore some extraordinarily provocative research. If allowed to continue this policy, the space agency will be able to successfully subvert the entire scientific process -- which at this point DEMANDS that we go back and get those crucial pictures. If we are wrong, then let the Mars Observer images prove it! If we are right . . . The third development -- which makes the other two pale a bit by comparison -- is that we think we've finally done it: We think we may have "cracked the code" of Cydonia . . . and are actually now "reading" the mathematical and geometric message! Since the proof of this "radical statement" is extensive ( though not hard at all to follow), I will not go into it here. I will say, however, that the interlocking logic -- and what the "Cydonia message" seems to successfully predict, in the way of a verifiable geophysical phenomenon -- is easily tested. We ourselves are proposing one key test, during the upcoming Voyager 2 Encounter of the planet Neptune: based on the "Cydonia Equations," we believe it possible to predict the polarity of the Neptune magnetic field. And we will do so -- it's opposite the Earth's, and basically parallel to Jupiter's. The spacecraft will not enter the actual Neptune "magnetosphere" until sometime after August 24 -- so this prediction is a gamble. But, if we are "reading" what the Cydonia equations are now trying to tell us, Voyager 2 should prove it. Because of the dramatic breakthorugh this represents in our research -- if not the entire 13-year effort to understand the "enigmas of Cydonia" -- we are in the planning stages for a major news conference, at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., to announce how we've decoded these mathematics, and what we think they mean. When final details are determined, we will post them here -- so please be patient. It is our intention to publish, through this electronic medium, all serious attempts to verify (or falsify!) this work -- provided those undertaking these attempts work from original sources. To this end, interested investigators should also contact Dr. Paul Butterworth, the National Space Science Data Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, to order copies of the original Viking Cydonia digital imaging tapes. The frames one should request are: 35A70, 71, 72, 73, and 74; and (35 days later, in the Viking mission) frames 70A11, 12, and 13. (BTW: orthographically-rectified versions of the data tapes will be essential, to adequately test our mathematical and geometric findings.) Finally, the President's proposal to "go to Mars by way of the Moon." If one DOESN'T want to send men and women to Mars, in our opinion, this is the quickest way to "turn off the American people on the entire enterprise." Simply price it out of existence! The President's proposal has unnecessarily added at least ONE HUNDRED BILLION dollars to the cost of going to Mars with men and women. Therefore, in the coming days, we will be uploading serious, cost-effective alternatives to the Bush proposal -- including mission scenarios formulated by Science Applications Inc. (a JPL-NASA consulting firm), and by Dr. Brian O'Leary -- a former scientist-astronaut (originally chosen to be a member of the crew to go to Mars!) and a member of the current Mars Investigation. O'Leary's plan -- to use existing hardware, space shuttle components, space-station technologies, etc., and assemble a "lean, mean Mars mission in Earth orbit" -- will not only cost ONE TENTH the President's proposal, it could get us there TEN TIMES SOONER . . . by 1999, if Congress enacted the proper legislation. And the country would wind up making money in the process! Again, given the on-going dialogue established between the MARS MISSION and the members of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, we are confident that we can -- with your vital input and assistance -- place these options before the right committees in the Congress. That . . . And the extraordinary reason for going there at all: actual extraterretrial ruins . . . and now, "a message." Stay tuned. Richard C. Hoagland, Founder The Mars Mission: P.O. Box 981, Wytheville, VA 24382 (703) 228-7822 ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************