1999 · Mars
The Mars 'glass worm'
Whenc. 1999 - 2009
WhereMars
Backing3 independent
Witnesses1 named
Evidencesensor data, documents
Ribbed, tube-like features in MOC frame M04-00291 that Arthur C. Clarke called a 'glass worm' and cited for his 2001 statement that life on Mars had been found. Hal Puthoff asked astrophysicist Bernard Haisch what he knew about the image; Haisch and JPL's David Pieri called it dunes. HiRISE re-imaged the site (ESP_013137_2190).
Evidence, in date order (3)
- Mike BarawitnessPoints to 90-degree struts in the feature Mike Bara
- c. 1999NASA Mars Global Surveyorsensor dataMOC frame M04-00291 showing the ribbed tube-like features Mars Global Surveyor (MOC camera)
- c. 2000-2001The Enterprise MissiondocumentArgues the uneven spacing does not rule out a structure 'Glass worms 1' (The Enterprise Mission) with the Haisch and Pieri e-mails
How plausible · Low
A feature in a real Mars Global Surveyor frame read as a structure by Clarke and others; JPL calls it dunes.
- ●○Access The image is public mission data.
- ●○No gain sought Nothing sold.
- ●○Checkable details check out Anyone can examine the frame.
- ●○Character record Arthur C. Clarke commented on it.
Against
- −Lone source, no corroboration Clarke and others's reading is the only one that calls it anomalous.
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 2026-10-23.
Similar cases · sharing people, threads, topics or era
People and organizations
Mars Global Surveyor (MOC camera) missionMars Reconnaissance Orbiter (HiRISE) missionArthur C. Clarke personBernard Haisch personDavid C. Pieri personHal Puthoff personMike Bara personArthur C. Clarke on life on Mars (space.com, 2001) document'Glass worms 1' (The Enterprise Mission) with the Haisch and Pieri e-mails documentReality Check: 'Is there a ruined civilization on Mars? A theoretical physicist runs the numbers' document