Conspiracy theorists can't see the wood for the trees as they spot 'timber plank' on Mars

DailyMail.uk ^ | 02nd December 2008 | Daily Mail Reporter

[yankeedame]

Conspiracy theorists can't see the wood for the trees as they spot 'timber plank' on Mars

An image sent back from the Red Planet has revealed an object bearing an uncanny resemblance to a wooden log. It was captured by the Mars Rover near the Endurance Crater.

The find has excited conspiracy theorists...who claim it is evidence there are vast forests on Mars that have been kept from the public.

Enlarge A picture of what looks like timber (close-up below)
has excited conspiracy theorists who
claim it is proof there are vast forests
on Mars

It is more likely to be a case of pareidolia - where a random stimulus is perceived as having significance, be it a symbol seen in a cloud or a face on a piece of toast.

...one website insists it is a leaked image that 'could get someone killed.' A writer from TheCrit.com said NASA's claims Mars was a desert world were 'lies' and that 'there are vast forests on Mars, ones that are kept from the public.'

They go on to speculate the 'wood' was brought to its present position by a flood of water that must have happened within 40 years 'because the wood is intact.'

Tyre marks indicate the Mars Rover drove over
the 'plank' in this image

However, the 'plank' has the same shading and a similar linear pattern to the surrounding rock....

[HossB86]

Looks like a hunk o’ rock to me.

But, what do I know? :)

Hoss

[Doogle]

looks like the beach at Coney Island NY

[ZX12R]

It looks like a railroad tie, or maybe a plank from Noah’s ark.

[WayneS]

My young son was missing one of the Lincoln Logs from his set when we got back from our last vacation there. So, well, there you go....

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

As they say on Barsoom, SAK!

[SIDENET]

Fake, just like the moon landing.

(lol)

[JimSEA]

Obviously a plank off Noah’s Ark. ;)

[Dan Lacey]

Dinosaur poop.

[Vaquero]

BARSOOM????

methinks Edgar Rice Burroughs spent to much time in a

BAR-ROOM.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

It’s the Mars Railroad!.....

[Vaquero]

Dinosaur poop

ah, your a coprolite specialist eh?

[weegee]

"GILLLIGAN!!!!!"

[mikelets456]

Looks like the after effects of “Cracklin’ Oat bran” the next day!

[econjack]

The find has excited conspiracy theorists...who claim it is evidence there are vast forests on Mars that have been kept from the public.

This is the first I heard of these "conspiracy theorists" and forests on Mars. Does anyone know any more about this?

[IrishPennant]

Oops-guess I missed this sign the first time on the planet:

[egannacht]

Why is it in the realm of conspiracy theory?

[pgkdan]

Forget about the wooden plank. Who laid the brick patio?

[weegee]

That’s from the Islamic Mars Mission of 1400AD. Wooden ships. For wooden minds.

[messierhunter]

I can't believe the nutters dug this back up. This image was shot just days after the rover landed; you can see the heat shield in the background of one of the images. It's just the exposed edge of an upturned slab of rock. You can see the true shape of the "pseudo-log" in this cross-eye stereogram I made from images taken by each of the rover's stereo cameras.



Cross your eyes until the images overlap. There should be three 'images' and the middle one will be in 3D. If it's difficult try stepping back from your monitor a bit. Behold, a slab of rock. Took me about a minute to figure it out when I first heard the claim, too bad conspiracy theorists can't be bothered to validate their own claims in the slightest.

[weegee]

"It's just a harmless Baby Ruth..."

[BlueStateBlues]

A great site for this kind of speculation is Enterprisemission.com Books by the founder, NASA data, a fossil on Mars, lots of good stuff on this site.

On this particular conspiracy, I can’t see the forest for the trees.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Looks like a hunk o’ rock to me.

If that's the case, how do you explain those dark pickup truck tire marks leading up from the rock off to the sawmill just over the Horizon?

Looks like whoever dumped it backed in, doglegged to the right and kicked it off the tailgate. :o)

[Blackhawk]

Okay. I glance at the photo and what do I see? Yep, looks like a plank of wood to me. Now do I go off and start screaming about a conspiracy to cover up the existence of forests on Mars? Hell No! I start screaming about the conspiracy to cover up the fact that the Martians are accomplished craftsmen. After all the “plank” has been squared up and neatly trimmed to length with what appears to be at least a passing level of woodworking skill. But then that's just me.

[weegee]

...one website insists it is a leaked image that 'could get someone killed.' A writer from TheCrit.com said NASA's claims Mars was a desert world were 'lies' and that 'there are vast forests on Mars, ones that are kept from the public.'

If the were vast forests on Mars, moonbats would bit sitting in them and Sierra Club would be making money off of them.

[weegee]

They have SUVs on Mars?

[KarlInOhio]

It's a Baby Ruth.

[VanDeKoik]

That picture was taken outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. I can see a retirement village off in the corner.

[weegee]

Mars Needs Women, and cheap construction labor.

[bmwcyle]

It is just left over from a beach party.

[RobRoy]

You nailed it! Hey, where can I find other stereograms of Mars? The “cross-eyed” ones are my favorites.

[RobRoy]

And notice they cleverly blacked out where the driver threw his beer can!

[RobRoy]

My but that is a strategically placed rocket...

Just sayin’...

[mnehring]

Noah’s ark?

[BibChr]

My very thought.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

The astronauts lost part of their wagon while
planting the American Flag.

Sheila Jackson-Lee

[djf]

Pic of objects in the polar region:

Note the height. Also note that they appear to be casting uniform directional shadows.

Another shot. Different type of "tree".



Naysayers try to explain them away, problem is they look EXACTLY like the trees around my house do from space (Douglas Firs)

A forest


This shot has the exact frame reference number on it, you can go to the NASA website and expore the region and surrounding regions.

People can call me a kook all they want and droll on with their lame tin foil comments but the evidence is quite extraordinary.

[RightWhale]

You need the blue-red glasses, and check spaceweather.com now and then. google glasses 3D.

[RightWhale]

It should be possible to go right up to this feature and scuff it up to see if it is not a piece of rock.

[DogBarkTree]

Looks like the wood in Obama's pants.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=550_1210277599

[50sDad]

Martians doing the work that the Earthicans don't want to do.

[RobRoy]

I have a couple of old pairs at home. I’m gonna have to give that a try.

And Thanks!

[weegee]

These look like crystal structures to me. Think of a snowflake or salt.

[Scythian]

You know what is strange, the tracks actually go over the log, look closely, how bizarre?

[SENTINEL]

It’s a toothpick used by the man with the giant face on Mars....

[dabluesman]

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. A careful study of the Bible has many references to another age before the destruction of parts of the Creation during a war in Heaven. This planet is very very old, as is Mars. It is highly likely IMO, that man was on Earth millions of years ago, maybe even on Mars. Why must we believe that this is the only time that mankind has risen to a level of technical sophistication.?

[djf]

Maybe...
Except...

The weather on Mars ain’t no picnic. We see examples of erosion and deposits laid down by wind.

Snowflakes don’t do well in those conditions.

[cups]

Why would the government cover up the existance of trees on Mars?

Makes no sense, are they afraid of the publics reaction that the US government is secretly logging on Mars?

[djf]

For the same reason Galileo went to jail.

It’s a continuation of that process. Galileo went to jail because he proved the Earth traveled around the sun and was not the center of the universe.

Now, McKinnon is going to jail because he ferreted out info that the Earth, even though it is not the center of the universe, also is not the only place in the universe where life exists.