Archaeology on Alien Planets
Indiana Jones in Space!
Dr. James Benford is a PhD physicist who runs Microwave Sciences out of Lafayette, California. He normally focuses on finding novel applications for high powered energies, but sometimes he suggests new ways to look for aliens. He has a history of advancing alternative methods to help with the search — developing a theory in 2010 with his twin-brother, Gregory (a PhD in astrophysics), that essentially accused the multi-million dollar institute Searching for ExtraTerrestial Intelligence (SETI) of doing it all wrong.
His idea regarding selective ‘Benford beacons’ holds that alien civilizations wouldn’t haphazardly transmit continuous signals of their existence across the universe. Instead, they’d be more discriminating and choose to aim narrowly directed pulses at strategic areas of space — signals SETI wasn’t set up to detect.
Even though they gave him a sympathetic ear and room to present at professional gatherings, the Institute hasn’t re-tuned their equipment to listen for Benford’s brief bursts.
Undeterred, the physicist has been refining his thoughts on another concept that involves turning the search closer to home. In a 2019 paper (“Looking for Lurkers: Co-orbiters as SETI Observables”) he proposed that an advanced race of ETs might elect to deploy “monitoring devices on or near the worlds of other evolving species to track their progress.” These robotic lookouts would only reveal themselves to a developing society “once that race had reached a certain technological threshold.”
Probes have an inherent advantage over fleeting radio broadcasts: they allow for an extended reconnaissance period of a target planet. Even if the “Lurker” is centuries or millennia-old, its physical remains might also be visible long after they power down. In other words, SETI’s approach of scanning the galaxy for technosignatures — traces of radio waves or other signs of ET technology — should be scrapped in favor of the hunt for ancient alien artifacts within our solar system. This concept is known as SETA (Search for Extraterrestrial Artifacts).
Most large planetary bodies are surrounded by co-orbiters — quasi-satellites, asteroids and other space objects that get caught in an unstable trajectory. Earth has more than a few of these companions, and it's there that Benford suggests alien “Lurkers” might be hiding. He advocates for manned-missions to explore any accessible near-Earth objects — with the asteroid known as 2016 HO3 identified as a prime candidate. It closely shares Earth’s orbit around the Sun and offers an ideal vantage point for extraterrestrial observers to watch our planet.
A great place to lurk! Asteroid 2016 HO3 has an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth. It’s a recent addition, having slotted into orbit only a century ago. NASA calculations project it will stick around our vicinity for centuries to come. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechA one-way flight to the ‘mini-moon’ would take astronauts approximately 115 days, but the endeavor is surprisingly feasible. China is preparing an unmanned trip to 2016 HO3 before the end of this decade. Benford believes the risk is worth the potential pay-off: “Perhaps probes are waiting on these objects, listening to us, and waiting for us to find them. They may remain silent and simply report back to wherever they communicate to.”
In March of this year, Dr. Benford authored a piece for the peer-reviewed journal, Astrobiology (“A Drake Equation for Alien Artifacts”) that he hopes will strengthen the argument for his crusade. He goes through a reworking of the famous Drake Equation — the “formula” that attempts to estimate the number of alien societies capable of transmitting a detectable signal. The equation is often used to justify SETI’s passive approach of simply listening for interstellar technosignatures — a strategy that Benford reminds us has “thus far found no artificial signals of technological origin.” In contrast, the tentative conclusions reached in his latest paper convincingly show that a SETA-centric approach could “increase the chance of contact.”
The idea that we should investigate the solar system for extraterrestrial relics fits into the framework of xenology — a nascent, proto-scientific area of research best described as “alien studies.”
Benford sees the hunt for ET artifacts as “a strategy of ETI archeology.” Distinct from the field of astrobiology, which concerns itself with the discovery of living organisms elsewhere in the cosmos, xenoarchaeology (also known as exoarchaeology) seeks to understand another planet’s culture and history by studying the physical artifacts left behind. Much like terrestrial archaeologists who recreate humanity’s past by analyzing the remains, their outer space counterparts need a unique set of skills to properly inspect and interpret any surviving fragments of an ancient extraterrestrial civilization.
Future space missions to near-Earth objects and planets could reveal alien "Lurker" probes already in our solar system. Some scientists are advocating for a change in SETI policy to focus its limited resources on the search for physical ET artifacts.Startlingly, Benford’s analysis reveals that there are millions of detailed lunar photographs within a resolution of 3 feet that have gone unstudied. The same is true for an abundance of pictures taken of Mars. He smartly suggests that imaging software should be created to intelligently scan the photos for signs of potential artifacts or unnatural formations.
Analyzing off-world images for surface anomalies has traditionally been the domain of a small but vocal contingent of fringe investigators. Researchers like Richard C. Hoagland and Mark Carlotto cut their teeth scrutinizing print-outs from the Voyager orbiters that took pictures of Mars in 1976. The images appeared to reveal a wealth of curious construction and fabricated features across the Martian landscape. Most of these landforms are concentrated in Mars’ northern hemisphere in an area known as Cydonia — the holy grail of exploration for future xenoarchaeologists. Situated on the shoreline of an ancient, long-dry ocean, researchers have documented what they believe to be five-sided pyramids, manufactured mounds and a mile-wide statue resembling a human face, among other geometrically significant arrangements. They argue that these formations aren’t the result of random geology, but the remains of artificial structures.
A book published in the late 1980s by Vincent DiPietro and friends from the Society for Planetary SETI Research (SPSR) was one of the first to scrutinize structural anomalies on Mars.Others take the ‘ruins on Mars’ speculation further. Dr. John Brandenburg contends that isotopic evidence proves an advanced culture existed on a habitable Mars in the distant past. By analyzing the levels of trace elements found in Martian meteorites and debris, he theorizes that a nuclear-armageddon was responsible for eradicating all signs of life and turning the planet into a barren rock. Brandenburg is all-in on his hypothesis: “We must immediately send astronauts to Mars to maximize our knowledge of what happened there, and learn how to avoid Mars’ fate.”
Where have all the Martians gone? Dr. Brandenburg suggests a nuclear explosion was to blame for their extinction.Clearer images of the Cydonia ‘complex’ taken by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) since 1976 have eroded much of the mystery surrounding “The Face,” but additional strange formations remain unexamined.
Perhaps the outpouring of rovers and orbiters sent to Mars in the past 12 months will yield further xenoarchaeological implications. NASA currently has two operational rovers and a helicopter on the dusty planet. This follows their previous three Mars missions that included surface exploration vehicles. China successfully landed their first rover (Zhurong) on Martian soil in May 2021, and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope spacecraft is also circling the planet, loaded with a bevvy of scientific instrumentation and high-resolution cameras at the ready. There is clearly a renewed effort to scour the sands of the Red Planet.
What does Dr. Benford think about the presence of alien relics on our Moon or Mars? While he feels confident that “nothing has been seen except our own artifacts we sent there,” a growing chorus of technical analysts and researchers disagree. Even the famous astronomer Carl Sagan pondered on physical remains that might await us in the universe: “It is not out of the question that artifacts of these visits still exist, or even that some kind of base is maintained (possibly automatically) within the solar system.” Until future xenoarchaeologists are able to dust rocks in outer space, the debate over the existence of artificial structures within our solar system will likely continue.
Elysium:In 1971 theMariner 9spacecraft circled Mars and sent thousands of low-res images of the Red Planet back to Earth. On the vast plains of a region known as Elysium, odd landforms resembling pyramids were detected. These organized shapes stood out against the endless expanse of sand and caught the eye of astronomer Carl Sagan.
In the seriesCosmos, he describes the “Pyramids of Elysium” as “one of the strangest features on Mars.” He speculated that they may simply be “mountains carved by the fierce winds,” while also leaving open the possibility that “perhaps... they're something else.”
The Elysium plateau's name is a reference to the “Elysian Fields” of Greek legend. This “abode of the blessed” was the place where mythical heroes and gods went in the afterlife.
Cydonia: The Cydonia Complex is seen in this picture taken by theViking 1orbiter in 1976. “The Face” is situated in the bottom right corner. Circled in the bottom left is the five-sided “D&M Pyramid,” originally studied by Vincent DiPietro and Gregory Molenaar. The pentagonal structure shows signs of geometric precision and purposeful alignment with other enigmatic features on the Martian landscape. Attempts to explain its creation by natural processes have been unsuccessful.
The ancient shorelines of Cydonia also seem to show the ruins of a city. Researchers of these surface anomalies cite the presence of small, artificial mounds that look to be arranged in a deliberate pattern.Monuments on Mars(1987), by Richard C. Hoagland, compiles most of the early image analysis of curious Martian landforms.
Martial Law. Marshalling. Marching. Mergers. Martyrdom. Murder. Marring. These familiar terms of conquest are named after the planet of conquest: Mars. The origins of these words suggest systems of control imposed upon us by humans who associate themselves with the planet Mars. The headquarters of the Deep State is located in the secret places of the Earth, as well as places we were told Humans cannot live, like on the inside of the planet Mars.
Q: Why would the Deep State be on Mars?
Ancient testimony tells us the 'true' origin story of Earth, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and the Sun! (oh and the other planets were sorta involved too). The real history of our solar system is recent, not millions or billions of years long. Earth shares an incubated safe space with Mercury, Venus, and Mars that allows for periodic quantum entanglement without interference. Occasionally, Birkeland currents will flow between these planets. The coma tail of Venus prevents quantum entanglement and safe travel, as does the asteroid belt. Mercury may be a viable quantum-tunnel travel location. The most natural and safest periodic quantum gates exist between Earth and Mars. These gates were formed during inter-planetary discharges of electricity, the same kind of lightning scarring that carved the Grand Canyons.
This quantum-entanglement technology allowed technocratic Deep State to establish a Pyramidal Empire on Earth and Mars which spread across the planets converting or killing every indigenous civilization it encountered. This inland empire still dominates inner solar system affairs today.
Q: What is 'Quantum Entanglement'?
All pyramids were built around naturally occurring star-gates that no longer function today. The pyramid structure is built around the gate to make it stable and safe for passage. There are pyramid structures all over the Earth, not just in Egypt and South America. They are not tombs for Egyptian Pharaohs. They were not created by Ancient Aliens. The enduring mystery of the pyramids has spawned decades of debates and conspiracy theories with no consensus.
Q: What is the 'Pyramidal Empire'?
The questions of who built the Pyramids of earth, and why, represent the biggest unsolved mystery of human construction projects in history. In times of cataclysm, humans on each planet would uncover natural electromagnetic ley lines and built Pyramids and Ziggurats upon those locations. There are hundreds of pyramids the size of Giza or bigger built along the Earth's Equator, including hundreds of thousands of smaller pyramidal structures. In less than 200 years, humans built all pyramids in Egypt, Sudan, Mesopotamia, England, China, and in South America Andes.
This network of pyramids allowed the Deep State to rule earth by employing real-time communication between each location. This enabled the critical function of simulating gods and other visions at each location. The concept of a simulated deity appearing within a temple has been redacted into the children's story Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, simulated deity worship became the primary instrument of Deep State control and allowed them to establish the Egyptian Empire which lasted 30 centuries. In addition to communication, each pyramid enabled quantum teleportation between locations during periods of planetary alignment.
The Pyramidal Empire collapsed following the Exodus Event of 1492 B.C. when changing conditions within the solar system prevented the pyramids from functioning ever again. The Deep State would embed itself further in the secret places of the world. The humans of Mars would become cut off from Earth, unable to return for the rest of their lives.
Q: How can humans survive on Mars?
On the inside. All planets are hollow. Not Flat. Hollow. It's nicer on the inside, however resources are limited, creating a natural necessity, a contextual evil, that leaches off of Earth's resources to survive. If planets are hollow (and they are), it's time to take a second look at the possibility of life on Mars.
Q: Why haven't I heard about this theory before?
Well, maybe you have!
:No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century... that the twentieth century would label over 300 years of Mars Literature as 'Science Fiction'.:
Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), and others wrote in detail about Earth contact with Mars, including the first voyages to the planet, sometimes as an invasion force, more often for the purposes of exploration.
In 1784, Sir William Herschel, British Astronomer Royal, studied Mars with telescopes he built himself. Herschel believed that ALL the planets were inhabited and that there were even intelligent beings living in a cool area under the surface of the hollow Sun!
Giovanni Exposes Mars to the Public
In 1877, Giovanni Schiaparelli observed a dense network of linear structures on the surface of Mars which he called "canali" (Channels in Italian).
Percival Lowell Maps Mars in Detail
From 1880 to 1895, Percival Lowell studied Mars extensively at his observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and made intricate drawings of canals, oases, cities, and other "non-natural features". He described in detail the vast skein of mechanically constructed canal systems that traversed the red planet unmistakably grown around the Antarctic regions. Lowell then published his views in three books: Mars (1895), Mars and Its Canals (1906), and Mars As the Abode of Life (1908).
Percival Lowell states in the New York Times in 1907:
“It is a direct sequitur from this that the planet is at present the abode of intelligent constructive life, I may say in this connection that the theory of such life upon Mars was in no way an a priori hypothesis on my part, but deduced from the outcome of observation, and that my observations since have fully confirmed it. No other supposition is consonant with all the facts here.”
Polar melting is Nature's signal to the Martians to embark on their Aeroplanes and Airships
Lowell announces Life on Mars 1907, and then dies. LoL!!~
After making this announcement in the New York Times, as often happens, his health mysteriously and rapidly deteriorated. He died from a stroke in the middle of World War One on November 12, 1916, aged 61 and is buried on Mars Hill near his Flagstaff observatory. Lowell's announcement had the power to change the world in positive ways that nobody could have foreseen, but instead, his announcement was perceived as a threat by the controlling faction of inhabitants of Mars.
If Martians influenced War on Earth, it is logical that World War 1 may have been triggered by Lowell's announcement of Life on Mars. Shortly after this, World War One changed the world in negative ways that nobody could have foreseen.