Starfleet insignia from Star Trek appears on Mars

Is Starfleet sending a message from Mars?

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped an image of a symbol very similar to Starfleet insignia, catching the attention of Trekkies and Star Trek alumni alike.

The cause, however, is more science than fiction.

“These curious chevron shapes in southeast Hellas Planitia are the result of a complex story of dunes, lava, and wind,” writes Ross Beyer with the University of Arizona, which manages the MRO High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera. 

“Long ago, there were large crescent-shaped (barchan) dunes that moved across this area, and at some point, there was an eruption. The lava flowed out over the plain and around the dunes, but not over them. The lava solidified, but these dunes still stuck up like islands. However, they were still just dunes, and the wind continued to blow. Eventually, the sand piles that were the dunes migrated away, leaving these footprints in the lava plain. These are also called “dune casts” and record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava.”

It may just be a coincidence. Or it may just be more evidence that Gene Roddenberry had an extremely sharp view of the future.

All I have to say on this is Karma is a boomerang. ???? https://t.co/8tKjohkDaC

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 15, 2019

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