Objective, Scope, and Methodology

Objective

The objective of this investigation is to obtain supporting evidence that will either confirm or refute the claims made by Richard C. Hoagland, Dr. Mark Carlotto, the study group calling itself VGL, and others with regard to the apparent presence of ancient and presumably extraterrestrial artifacts on the Moon.

Scope

The scope of this investigation will be confined to five photographic frames taken on a variety of Lunar missions. The source of these frames is the book "Outpost on Apollo's Moon" by Eric Burgess. Mr. Burgess provided the original .PCX files which are displayed on this site. It will also cover data from Clementine and the 60's Lunar missions related to the craters Tycho, Copernicus and Plato. However, other data which is considered relevant from a contextual standpoint will be included and referenced, and may be displayed for comparison purposes.

Methodology

All photographic source materials will be on 8 x 10 or 8 x 8 inch negatives, obtained from the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) in Maryland. From these negatives, print positives will be made. They will be scanned using a high resolution (1600 dpi) scanner and enlarged, enhanced and analyzed using Corel Photo Paint version 6.0, or Adobe PhotoShop 4.0. As a control set, analog data sets will be developed using standard darkroom techniques to ensure integrity of the findings. No conclusions will be reached concerning any specific image unless the object in question appears on both digital and analog versions of the data. In addition, any corroborating positional or camera setting information will be posted along with the photograph. All findings concerning each of these frames will be posted to this site whether they confirm the presumptions of this paper or refute it.