At a press conference, a NASA official once remarked that Mars is an "evil place." A most curious remark from a scientist. It was probably one of those off-hand remarks that people make which they sometimes regret, as we focus on that single remark with relentless energy and enthusiasm. As Dickens' character once remarked, it was probably "an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato," or perhaps born of frustration during the disappointing conclusions to the Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter missions.

On the other hand, there is ample evidence of a kind of alarming persona that could cause some of us to lock our doors and draw our blankets up closer under our chins. We should attempt to overcome our natural reluctance to look frightening things directly in the face. Remember, we are brave, we are bold, we have dental plans.

The image M10-000822, which is the detail image of M10-000823, is a very large image file. It is too large to reproduce here. It encompasses part of the upper mountain area and sweeps down to the floor of Melas Chasma. For the most part, it is composed of long stretches of empty terrain with large, languid upcrops of shiny albedo ridges. For this study, I abstracted the areas of interest. Those who wish to see more context must visit the link. The following images are processed without comment, except to say that occasionally areas are repeated to bring out individual details of interest, which may cause other parts of the image to be too dark or too light to see in total context.

 

Second Face

Can you see the second horror face/teeth on the left (looks reptilian)? In this optical illusion, you have your choice of the reptilian monster snarling at you, or the downcast, skull-like face looking to the left. In total keeping with the Martian theme of always including other distinct objects as details of larger objects, usually faces, these two teeth areas combined together form a rather scary looking werewolf-like face. The inside areas of the teeth seem to suggest pupils. The larger effigy also has teeth in the appropriate spot. Can you see this (below)?

I tried repeatedly to bring out the area of the nose/teeth. There is an object on top the looks very interesting; also perhaps a smaller face below and to the right. However, it eluded me. Still, you can see a strange shape on the right half about midcenter (below).

This mask-like form is located downslope from the teeth

Face located downslope but to the right of the teeth.