NASA calls Curiosity rock image natural, not alien missile

A resurfaced photograph from NASA's Curiosity rover has ignited online speculation that an object on Mars could be an unexploded alien missile, a claim that scientists and the space agency have dismissed as a misinterpretation of a natural rock formation. The image, captured inside Gale Crater, shows a long, narrow object protruding from the Martian surface.

UFO researcher Scott C. Waring brought the image to renewed attention, claiming it shows an extraterrestrial weapon measuring roughly eight feet long. Waring argued the object is proof of an ancient, apocalyptic war that wiped out a thriving civilization on Mars. He further speculated that governments would be interested in retrieving such advanced technology for military purposes and that this potential significance explains why space agencies have not commented on it.

NASA has consistently identified the object as a natural rock formation and has offered no indication it is artificial or of alien origin. The agency maintains it has found no evidence of extraterrestrial life, past or present, on Mars. Scientists point to the planet's long geological history, shaped by billions of years of volcanic activity, meteorite...