The 'Blair cuspids': spires in a Lunar Orbiter II frame (1966)
In November 1966 Lunar Orbiter II photographed a cluster of pointed spires casting long shadows in Mare Tranquillitatis. William Blair of the Boeing Institute of Biotechnology argued that they formed a regular geometric arrangement; the Soviet magazine Tekhnika Molodezhi ran the image on its cover, and George Leonard reproduced the frames in 1976. Low-sun shadows of ordinary rocks have been proposed as the explanation, not demonstrated.
How plausible · Moderate
Real NASA frames and a named Boeing scientist's reading; the case for artificial arrangement rests on interpretation of long shadows.
- ●●Checkable details check out The LO-II frames and LRO coverage are public.
- ●○Access Blair worked from the public NASA frames.
- ●○No gain sought No evident gain.
- ●○Physical traces or official reaction The photographs.
- ●○Restraint Blair described a pattern, not a builder.
- ●○Independent convergence Taken up independently by the Soviet press.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-28.