Star Trek on Mars: NASA spots Starfleet logo in dune footprint
Beam me down to Mars, Scotty.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter looks down on the Red Planet and sees all sorts of fantastical formations that resemble everything from Beaker the Muppet to Pac-Man. A new MRO view will inspire you to whip out your Vulcan salute.
The MRO HiRise camera team at the University of Arizona on Wednesday highlighted a Martian sand dune formation that could be a doppelganger for the classic swooping Starfleet logo.
"Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo," the team quipped.
The intriguing Mars formation has a long geologic history. It started as a crescent-shaped dune that became an island in a sea of lava, but the sand eventually blew away in the wind.
"These are also called 'dune casts' and record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava," planetary scientist Ross Beyer explained.
A wider MRO view of the landscape shows more of the insignia-like impressions.
Beyer made sure to point out the resemblance to the Star Trek logo is "only a coincidence." There is no credible evidence of Star Trek fans having reached the surface of Mars. Yet.