Face on Mars is Not a Face
Posted on September 25, 2006
New images taken by Mars Express show that the Face on Mars does not appear to be a face but a natural rock formation. The top image shows the face-like appearance of Cydonia from a photograph taken by Viking 1 Orbiter in 1976. The bottom image is a new close-up image of the "face" obtained by Mars Express. You can see more images of Cydonia here on the ESA's Mars Express website.
The ESA says the new Cydonia image was recorded during orbits 3253 and 1216 by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the Mars Express. The image has a ground resolution of 13.7 meters per pixel.
Technically, the mars face was unmasked in 2001. For those interested in keeping the hope that an ancient civilization once lived on Mars alive the ESA does have a photograph of a skull-shaped structure. You can see it on the same page that contains the new Cydonia photograph.