Suppressed Inventions and Other Discoveries (66 page)

Although the length of the Martian year is nearly double our 365-day year, the seasons on Mars vary and alternate just like on Earth. When the northern hemisphere is in its summer cycle, the southern hemisphere has its winter. The length of the Martian day is 24 hours and 37 minutes, and the inclination of its axis is 25 degrees, which is very close to Earth's 23 degrees.

Both the northern and southern polar caps extend nearly half way to the Martian equator during their respective winters. With the onset of spring in either hemisphere, its ice cap recedes and a wave of darkening over broad areas spreads slowly towards the equator. This cyclic surface darkening was widely considered to be seasonal vegetation growth as water was liberated from the polar caps. Each polar cap will shrink considerably during its respective summer cycle. Sometimes the southern polar cap melts completely.

The broad areas near the equator, such as Mare Serpentis, Mare Sirenium, and Syrtis Major, change from their winter shade of brown, to light green and then to dark green. This latter stage has often been described as a dark blue-green. Astronomers also noted that as the seasons changed to autumn, the colors would gradually turn to yellow and gold, finally returning to brown in winter. (The surface color of Mars is not dark red, as I will prove later.)

The parade of colorful seasons was interpreted by open-minded astronomers as the seasonal growth and ripening of vegetation. Cyclic growth coincided regularly with the natural climatic changes on the planet, just as we have here on Earth. I am not discussing the canals and their irrigation for crop growing, at the moment. These seasonal changes showing cyclic plant life would be taking place even if man were not there on Mars.

The presence of vegetation on Mars was held to be a certainty in some quarters, but hotly debated by others. But the way to end all argument was to prove the existence of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and the water in the Martian environment, which would indicate that photosynthesis (the life process) of plants was in fact taking place. Carbon dioxide was there in abundance—even conservative scientists agreed on that, for it was commonly speculated that the atmosphere's chief constituent was carbon dioxide. Oxygen seemed likely, though it could not be detected in the atmosphere from earth-based studies. The evidence for oxygen was indicated by some regional soil colors, which indicated that certain areas contained a large amount of ferrous oxide, or limonite. We have some tropical regions on Earth where the soil is reddish-brown limonite, and two things are necessary for its formation: abundant oxygen and extreme humidity in the air. Apparently, oxygen was in the atmosphere of Mars, as the natural product of plant photosynthesis.

To briefly explain photosynthesis, it is the biological process by which green plants containing chlorophyll use the energy of sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. Six molecules of water and six molecules of carbon dioxide are transformed with the aid of solar energy into one molecule of glucose and six molecules of oxygen. The oxygen is then liberated into the atmosphere. We breathe in the oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which in turn the green plants use in photosynthesis, and oxygen is returned to the atmosphere. This is Nature's perfect cycle. If all the green plants were suddenly removed from the Earth, all human and animal life would die, because the oxygen we breathe would not be replenished.

The last thing that needed to be confirmed in order to prove the seasonal vegetation on Mars, was the existence of water. For this evidence it is easiest to jump ahead for a moment to the U.S. Viking project of 1976. The Viking I orbiter photographed extensive ground fog, mists, and cloud rover in the northern hemisphere, and from readings taken by sensitive instruments on the orbiting probe, it was proven once and for all, that the polar caps were frozen water.
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If the polar caps were completely melted, it was estimated that the water produced would cover the entire planet to a depth of about 20 feet.

Along with the early ultraviolet photographs showing a substantial atmosphere, it has been shown that the environmental constituents for life exists on Mars. The three basic parameters are carbon dioxide, water, and oxygen—the ferrous oxide soil being the indirect evidence for oxygen. It is necessary to point to the indirect evidence for oxygen, since NASA refuses to confirm the presence of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere. That is the single remaining ace in their hand. And they keep it, because they know that only the process of photosynthesis by living plants can account for the presence of oxygen in any planet's atmosphere. During the Viking mission, NASA admitted finding nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and water vapor, although they kept the relative percentages and overall density out of proportion to the true conditions. But NASA is holding out on the oxygen and will not admit finding it with the Viking probes, because atmospheric oxygen would be recognized by scientists as positive proof that life exists on Mars. But the remaining evidence to be discussed will prove the case.

Before the space agency came into existence on October 1, 1958, scientific astronomers at the large observatories were still the experts and authorities on the planets. It seems as though it was preordained in the heavens that the independent thinkers would have one last chance to probe the mystery of our neighboring planet, as Mars swung by in favorable opposition in 1954 and 1956. In its first approach, Mars came within a distance of 39,800,000 miles. The second time, in 1956, the planet was only 35,120,000 miles away. It would not be that close again until 1971, when planetary exploration and pronouncements were in the hands of NASA.

But in 1954 the excitement ran high in astronomical circles, because an international Mars Committee had been formed, to plan an around the world "Mars patrol." Prominent scientists from seventeen countries would be coordinating telescopic studies from the world's largest observatories, as Mars made its closest approach in July. Some of the countries involved included the United States, France, Italy, Turkey, India, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Java, Egypt, and Argentina.
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The international team of scientists was headed by the world's greatest Mars expert, Dr. E. C. Slipher, then the Director of the Lowell Observatory [Flagstaff, Arizona]. He and most of the committee members were well aware of all the previous astronomical records—the mysterious clouds, flares, markings, radio signals, and the evidence for canals and vegetation. Some privately believed that there was an intelligent civilization on Mars, for in 1938, it had been announced that the Lowell Observatory found evidence of changes in the canal system, and the changes appeared to have been altered by design. This 1954 Mars "expedition" was primarily planned to settle the question. It is quite possible that some members linked the numerous flying saucer sightings that had been widely reported since 1947, to the renewed and intense interest in Mars.

Because the government was heavily guarding the UFO evidence, the National Security Agency made it a top priority to use its influence to keep check on the developments of the Mars patrol study. It was imperative that planetary speculations and press statements be kept in a totally ambiguous light. The censors were especially concerned about the Mars patrol because of the caliber of open-minded men who were involved with the project. They included Dr. Seymour Hess, a meteorology expert who was on record as having sighted a UFO; Dr. Harold C. Urey, a prominent astrophysicist who was genuinely curious about life on other planets; and Dr. Slipher, who was following in the footsteps of the pioneer Percival Lowell. Dr. Slipher assigned himself to make observations from the best location possible—the Lamont Hussey Observatory in South Africa. It had the largest refracting telescope in the southern hemisphere, and Mars would be passing directly overhead each night during opposition. And before the project got underway, Slipher publicly stated that if he found proof of life on Mars, he would announce it to the world.

The Mars Expedition took 20,000 photographs and confirmed the presence of both the canals and vegetation. The canals did not meander at all like a river would; they followed great-circle courses, which are the shortest distance between two points on a globe. Many planetary astronomers had speculated previously, that if photographs showed that the canals were along great circle paths, it could be concluded that they were the work of intelligent beings. The scientists were getting exceptional pictures also, because the Lowell Observatory was using a new electronic camera that could amplify faint markings, and photograph in one-tenth of a second to prevent atmospheric turbulence from blurring the details. One canal was found to run straight as an arrow for 1,500 miles, something that no natural water channel could do.

Dr. Slipher brought enough photographs back from South Africa to prove that the canals were real, and man-made. While providing abundant vegetation growth alongside their straight-line courses, the canals also proved to be the common link between the green oases. An intricate pumping system seemed to be the only explanation when considering the distances involved. More than 40 canals and 15 oases were photographed in the first week.
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But the Mars Committee reports never became public, and they were therefore unknown outside a very limited part of the astronomy community. The new findings were privately logged at the observatories, and sparing details were barely covered in only a few astronomical journals. But everything was kept out of the newspapers.

The government's intelligence agency had succeeded in blocking the Committee's early plans for public reports and press conferences. Then they firmly executed their plans for a blackout of real information about Mars. The government keeps itself in control by keeping a world-wide opinion in control, especially with regard to sensitive and dramatic issues. Allowing an announcement by an international team of scientists suggesting that Mars was inhabited, would be tantamount to the government confirming that UFOs are visiting our planet. So the censors knew what they had to do.

Pressure was put on those who headed the project to furnish no reports to the public press. Though the astronomers studied Mars for five months, only one little statement was given to the public at the beginning. Dr. Slipher had announced that some new and interesting changes were observed on Mars with their photographic study. Following that report, there was only silence. All plans for further publicity were blocked, and no worthy Mars Patrol bulletins were ever released.
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The excuses given out were in the category of "difficulties in communication and coordination, disagreement as to what had been seen and photographed, months of studies and review were necessary to properly analyze, and so on."

How can any silencing agency of the government achieve such suppression of this, or any other, kind of dramatic information? It is difficult to determine for each case just what methods are employed, but their forceful persuasion does escalate until the cooperation is achieved. Presumably, they start out with the position that such information is related to the national security, and that the government is the entrusted agency to best handle the social implications of confirmed announcements. They imply that the public isn't quite ready for this information, that the world isn't ready for this information. That the economy isn't prepared for this type of information. They fear that there would be an upheaval in thinking (although I am certain that it would be an "upliftment" in thinking, and this is the real problem that threatens the censors).

They will say that the public might panic, or they could offer the excuse that there might be an attack from Mars. The possibilities for persuasive argument are endless, but the only end requirement is that planetary evidence be shown as inconclusive, vague, and debatable. It has always been maintained officially, that known life does not exist beyond the Earth, unless possibly it is light years away from us in another part of the galaxy. In which case, the distance is so great that our civilizations will never meet.

After being persuaded to withhold the significant findings, including the discovery of the great-circle paths of the canals, the Mars Committee only issued a simple press release. Dr. Slipher made a statement to the effect that Mars is alive. That certainly satisfied the censors' insistence in keeping things nebulous. (Alive—how? Geologically with volcanos, dust storms, and polar cap shrinkage? Or alive in the sense of intelligent constructions?) He noted that there were color changes in the Martian geography that were more interesting than in his previous observations over the years. But the tiny report was essentially meaningless, and obviously did not affect public or scientific opinion. The question of Mars might have still been left open, but the orthodox theories of inhability were not threatened in the least.

It was not until eight years afterwards that notable documentation of the 1954 Mars observations was published, in a book titled The Photographic Story of Mars. Recently, I obtained a copy of this book, and it appears that the publication had a relatively small printing, and was mainly published to be a reference type of book for science libraries. Certainly, few in the public would have been inclined to buy such a costly book, and take it on their own to study an involved scientific text. Yet the answers are there if one wishes to read through complex analyses and carefully worded discussions. The book was written by Dr. Slipher in 1962, and the full text is based on fifty years of telescopic studies, and thousands of photographic images taken at the world's largest observatories. The conclusions also referenced the last major finding by astronomy regarding the Martian environment.

During the November 1958 opposition, Dr. William Sinton conducted studies at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The scientistastronomer performed careful infrared scans of the bright desert areas and the dark green oases, and found that the sun's energy was absorbed in certain wavelengths over the dark areas, but not over the desert regions. The absorption wavelengths were at 3.43, 3.56, and 3.67 microns*, and these are exactly the same wavelengths absorbed by hydrocarbon compounds. His study proved that there is green plant life on the broad oases of Mars, and that it is organically composed of carbon-hydrogen compounds, the same as our own terrestrial vegetation. In other words, his scientific evidence showed that Martian plant life is based on the same carbon cycle as we find on Earth.