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September 23, 1999: Loss of Mars Orbiter - Richard C. Hoagland
Published 1 year, 8 months ago
Description
Art Bell welcomes Richard C. Hoagland to discuss the sudden disappearance of NASA's $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter, which vanished as it approached the red planet after traveling 416 million miles. Hoagland questions the official explanation of a navigation error, noting that the spacecraft dove 12 to 15 miles deeper into the Martian atmosphere than planned, a mistake he considers nearly impossible given 30 years of precision spaceflight experience.
The conversation draws parallels to the 1993 loss of the Mars Observer probe and explores Hoagland's theory that a rogue element within NASA may be deliberately sabotaging missions to prevent the public from seeing certain discoveries on Mars. Hoagland reveals that four engineers contacted him after the Mars Observer incident claiming the spacecraft was still operational and had been taken into classified programs.
In a surprise announcement, Hoagland discloses that he and filmmaker Paul Davids have spent six years developing a major motion picture about the Face on Mars, with the script currently under review by Universal Pictures chairman Ron Meyer. He urges listeners to email Universal in support of the film as a means of bringing public pressure to bear on the secrecy surrounding Mars exploration.
The conversation draws parallels to the 1993 loss of the Mars Observer probe and explores Hoagland's theory that a rogue element within NASA may be deliberately sabotaging missions to prevent the public from seeing certain discoveries on Mars. Hoagland reveals that four engineers contacted him after the Mars Observer incident claiming the spacecraft was still operational and had been taken into classified programs.
In a surprise announcement, Hoagland discloses that he and filmmaker Paul Davids have spent six years developing a major motion picture about the Face on Mars, with the script currently under review by Universal Pictures chairman Ron Meyer. He urges listeners to email Universal in support of the film as a means of bringing public pressure to bear on the secrecy surrounding Mars exploration.