20th Century FoxThe Red Planet is a constant source of curiosity for scientists and conspiracy theorists alike.
Only the brave, courageous and fictional likes of Matt Damon in The Martian can even come close to contemplating the complexity of Mars. Damon, and NASA, of course.
The Space Agency’s fact-finding Mars Exploration Rover has been beaming back images from the surface of the planet since it mission commenced in 2003, and many UFOlogists take joy in jumping to conclusions about the photographs Rover captures.
NASAUsually, the casual observer would be forgiven for setting their default reaction to cynical when the Believers claim to spot a spaceship or alien-like foreign body.
But the latest capture dating back to March looks mighty convincing.
GettyThe clear image shows the surface of Mars, flat as a pancake on Shrove Tuesday, with the exception of an artificial static object that looks suspiciously like a Star Wars landspeeder.
The photograph was posted to Reddit, the oracle of all alien Internet knowledge, and many were quick to point out the unidentified object looked a lot like your typical sci-fi spaceship.
As imaginations ran wild, some suggested the object is simply the Mars Rover’s own entry debris.
NASAAmid space speculation, a Reddit user who goes by the name OnceReturned wrote:
Apparently the Rover was near its own entry debris on that date and was photographing it. The object certainly appears to be artificial. We know that the Rover was taking pictures of its own entry debris at that time.
There’s nothing particularly alien about the object in question – it could easily be entry debris, at least in my opinion.
He added: “Sure, it could be the smoking gun, but I think that given the context provided by the timestamped image above, it seems that entry debris would be the most parsimonious explanation. It’s a great find though. It certainly captured my interest.”
NASA are yet to comment on the revelations.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.