This is a ZERO star book, but Amazon doesn't give that option. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. Better to get a latte and relax with News of the World or some other tabloid. It's not even as believable that the trash at the supermarket checkout!

As a scientist (geologist, geochemist, etc.), I was sent an advance copy of Dark Mission to review for a prestigious national publication. Even though it cost me the fee I would have received for writing the review, I convinced the publication's editor that the book was worthless and not deserving of any review.

I have never received any funding of any kind from NASA.

ALL of Hoagland and Bara's claims about crystalline structures on the moon are spurious. First and foremost, the structures they describe could not survive the continuous impacts of micrometeorites on the lunar surface. There is no atmosphere around the Moon which can protect the surface from the high-speed impacts of space debris, and supposedly abandoned "crystalline towers" which Hoagland and Bara claim are visible in the photos they published in their book would be rapidly pulverized.

The multitude of geochemical analyses which have been conducted on lunar materials by scientists located in laboratories all over the world show that silica (the material that makes glass) is deficient in lunar rocks. If large amounts of manufactured glass had been found on the moon's surface, it would have shown up in the numerous published geochemical analyses of the lunar regolith. Thousands of researchers around the world received and analyzed lunar samples, and if such an anomalous amount of non-natural silica found, the results would have been published and debated in the independent scientific literature.

The irregular pyramidal forms that the authors claim are artificial pyramids in fact are undoubtedly of natural occurence, representing on the Moon remnant impact features (most probably central uplift features) and on the Mars possible glacial features (cirques and similar kinds of structures that one can see in the Alps, in Arctic and Antarctic mountains, and even on Mt. Rainier).

Again, the morphology of geological features is an arcane subject, unfamiliar to the general public. The features of impact structures both on the Moon (where there is no atmosphere or ocean) and on Earth (where both atmosphere and ocean influence the remnant structures of impact features) have been studied intensively. Studies have included laboratory simulations of bullets hitting targets, rocks dropped on sand, and many other experimental models. These studies clearly show that the range of impact features is dependent on the direction of impact (straight up versus at an angle), on the size of the impactor, on the velocity of the impactor, and on the composition (a rocky meteorite vs. a comet, for example).

Anyone who wishes to learn more about this research (which has been conducted over the past 40-50 years) can type "impact structures" into their internet search engine and find more than enough information, including hundreds of references in scholarly journals which are entirely independent of NASA.

Similarly, anyone who wishes to know how the lunar surface has changed over time can type "lunar regolith" into their search engine and be rewarded with dozens of websites and journal titles. Regolith is the "soil" that results from the continuous impact of micrometeorites which reduces the surface matter of a planetary body to a fine-grained sediment.

AT BEST, the material presented in this book can only be called PSUEDOSCIENCE. The features which Hoagland and Bara claim to see in their Mars photos are entirely spurious and frankly rather irrational. In photos of the Martian surface, they claim to see geometrical relationships among these supposed "pyramids" that they claim are proof that the geometry is intentional -- that is, that the structures they connect were built by constructive beings. In fact, the connections they claim to show are meaningless. When one removes all those lines, a sensible geologists sees natural glaciated and/or remnant impact peaks and rims blanketed or partially buried in regolith. That is all they are. The photos do NOT show "buried ancient cities". Only the most desperately deluded can imagine that.

As an independent scientist, I have read dozens of NASA histories and there is much about NASA that can and should be criticized. It is an agency in dire need of fundamental reform. However, there is no secret Nazi hierarchy within NASA that has driven the agency's programs. Nor is there a conspiracy related to Orion or any other distant star assemblage. The lengths to which Hoagland and Bara stretch to make their links between this photo and that photo are in the end hilarious to the scientifically informed reader. The book was, in my opinion, so ridiculous, with so much that is false, inaccurate, and utterly mythological, citing "proofs" that are so fantastic and so unsupported by real data, that no one could or should take it seriously. It is not worth spending money on, and it is certainly not worth the paper and ink required to produce it.

For those whose desire for conspiracies needs factual support, I recommend (highly) two recent books on NASA history:
The Man Who Ran the Moon: James E. Webb, NASA, and the Secret History of Project Apollo
Challenger Revealed: An Insider's Account of How the Reagan Administration Caused the Greatest Tragedy of the Space Age
Both of these books provide MORE than enough factual scandal to keep NASA reformers productively busy for years to come.

There is a strange community of people who desperately want to believe that space aliens have visited the Solar System and Earth in the past. This belief is related to their own psychological needs and is not supported by any scientific facts.

My evaluation of Dark Mission is based on being forced to read it after being assigned to review it. It was very hard not to gag. My professional critical conclusion was that it was so false that it was not worthy of a review in a serious publication. It is bunk -- bunkity bunk bunk -- of the worst sort.

It never ceases to amaze me how throughout time, no matter what the subject, no matter what the evidence, there are those who have a mental block to anything other than what our government has told us. I chuckle sometimes, but then realize just how powerful we could be, and how we could eliminate all pain and suffering if we could open our minds to different possibilities. All one has to do, is look at our past, and see how there has always been groups controlling other groups, and while not so in the open today, power still remains the ultimate goal for some. It's at work all around us, so to deny that it exists is to be blind. I could care less about calculations that don't match up...Hoagland's pieces of information fit well into the puzzle of information from other sources. The information that we don't understand today, will become very understandable and clear in the very near future. I hope people will find a way to be more open-minded soon, because those are the people that will hold us back when we will need to join together for the greater good of all.

It never ceases to amaze me how throughout time, no matter what the subject, no matter what the evidence, there are those who have a mental block to anything other than what our government has told us. I chuckle sometimes, but then realize just how powerful we could be, and how we could eliminate all pain and suffering if we could open our minds to different possibilities. All one has to do, is look at our past, and see how there has always been groups controlling other groups, and while not so in the open today, power still remains the ultimate goal for some. It's at work all around us, so to deny that it exists is to be blind. I could care less about calculations that don't match up...Hoagland's pieces of information fit well into the puzzle of information from other sources. The information that we don't understand today, will become very understandable and clear in the very near future. I hope people will find a way to be more open-minded soon, because those are the people that will hold us back when we will need to join together for the greater good of all.

When I saw the title of the book, I was hoping that it would be a more overall history of NASA covering up any UFO information, sightings by astronauts during their flights, etc. While it does very briefly touch on these subjects, most of the contents deals exclusively with the "Face" on Mars, and the so called "City of Cydonia",and crystal structures on the moon, which were supposedly "revealed" in the book by absolutely worthless photos that showed nothing..................

Vast sections of the book are too technical for most readers, who will become restless and skip over whole chapters as I did.


I'm not ruling out the existence of alien structures on Mars or elsewhere, and there eventually might be something to this subject, but this book didn't have it.

I waited months for the release of this book and was excited when it arrived. However, as I began wading through the pages and pages of technical information, with blurry pictures, and a poorly organized presentation; I finally gave up about half way through the book. While I am extremely open-minded and have no problem accepting some of the concepts (glass structures above the moon), I wish the authors would have hired a good editor to present the information in such a way that a non-scientific person could understand it. Maybe a revised edition could accomplish that.

This book is rife with grammatical and spelling errors, which to me is just unprofessional and unacceptable in a published, $25 book. My reaction to Hoagland's writing is that he is an ego-maniac because he thinks that everyone is out to foil his "research" (even other Cydonia research colleagues that disagreed with him) and that his "research" scared THEM so much, that THEY would purposely try to destroy a $300M mission to Mars. Even when NASA gives him the data he wants, there's a conspiracy because it was too convenient and they are trying to confuse the public. NASA is definitely damned if you do and damned if you don't in Hoagland's eyes. His arguments are weak and rely very much on interpretation on the personal level and on flimsy coincidences. His geometric 19.5 deg angles (which he highly focuses on in the book) drawn on images of Cydonia can be any angle from 15-21 deg depending on where you choose to have vertices on the "Face" and the "D&M Pyramid" (pg. 388). He mocks other Cydonia research teams because they had totally "absurd scientific position(s)" that weren't at all different than any position he had earlier in the book; just in this case he saw it a different way ("Letters from Mars", pg. 312).

Here is one big inaccuracy that highlights the either misleading or just incompetent nature of Hoagland's arguments: Figure 4-45 on page 198 (also repeated as color Figure 6). The actual graph shows the ABSORBANCE vs. the wavelength of light for a gold film, yet Hoagland just renames the graph as the "Gold Film Spectral TRANSMISSION Curve". Absorbance and transmission are two opposite phenomena (i.e. the higher the absorbance of a material (A), the lower its transmission (T), specifically A = log(1/T) ). Hoagland states that NASA "claims" that a gold coating is used on the astronauts' glass visor on their helmets to protect astronauts from UV light. Well, this is exactly what the gold coating does as it has high absorbance in the UV range (i.e. low transmission of UV light). But because Hoagland incorrectly interpreted the graph as "Transmission", he argues that the gold coating actually "enhances" UV light to allow the astronauts to better see the UV scattered light off of the Moon's "glass ruins". Hoagland can't even get basic scientific terminology right; or he is being deliberately misleading. However, I believe he just doesn't understand, because if he was trying to be misleading he wouldn't be too smart for leaving the absorbance axis labeled that way in the published figure.

This book, while having some interesting pictures and somewhat entertaining explanations (as in, "what is this guy smoking?"), was a complete waste of time. It left me frustrated, because I've seen so many people willing to take Hoagland's evidence as hard scientific fact; I fear for the intellectual future of society. But, if you're the die-hard conspiracy believer, nothing I can point out will stop you from your belief that "they are hiding something". As they say, you can't convince a conspiracy theorist that the sky is blue, even if they were looking straight up on a clear, sunny day. Please, just don't drag respectable science down.

Highly technical, but ultimately well worth the purchase price... however, it raises a host of new questions regarding NASA's TRUE purposes behind missions to both the moon and Mars.

Obviously thoroughly researched, this book is quite frankly critical of NASA, and will surely create doubts in the minds of readers concerning the nearly-sacred status of that agency. NOT light reading!!

I AM HALF WAY THROUGH THIS BOOK AND i FIND IT EXCELLENT READING AND VERY INFORMATIVE REGARDING THE MOON LANDINGS. THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE READ BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO LEARN THE TRUTH AND BE WOKEN UP TO REALITY.
CONGRATULATIONS TO RICHARD AND HIS CO AUTHOR.

The authors bite off a bit more more than they can chew in this book, but they deserve praise for making the effort to uncover the black hole known as NASA. People who think the face and the pyramids at Cydonia are natural rock formations are the same people who think the Giza pyramids were built by the elbow grease of a bunch of Egyptian primitives who just got lucky with their measurements. Evidence to the contrary is characterized as "conspiracy theory". Those of us who are skeptical of conventional wisdom regularly encounter this mindset.

Masonic connections at NASA are beyond dispute, but what do they really mean? Difficult to know without first understanding what the origins of Freemasonry are. Hoagland and Bara dance around this issue, but hint, and correctly in my view, that Masonry is based upon the concept that our earth-based humanity is indebted to a set of extraterrestrial, though humanoid, predescessors. Masonry's allegiance, as demonstrated in its rituals and its obssession with secrets, is not to any earthly religion or philosophy. Accordingly, NASA knew in advance about the ancient settlements on Mars....and on the Moon.

Makes sense, and might explain why NASA strangely let the Russians probes check out the Martian moon, Phobos. The authors imply that NASA knows Phobos still has settlers, who would shoot down probes sent to photograph what they are doing. So what are they doing? Mining for gold because the atmosphere on the 12th planet requires it - as Sitchin claimed all those years ago? Is that was this is all about?

Hoagland and Bara don't know or don't speculate. All they claim to know is that NASA is not what it seems to be. That NASA has covered up the truth about life on Mars, that it has an ulterior and highly deceptive agenda. That it can never be trusted to act on our best interests. That it has a ruthless and manipulative streak masked by its glossy PR, a compliant media, and by muzzling people with frequent oaths to National Security. The book claims that NASA's scientific and philosophical roots lie in Nazi Germany. Who, in their right mind, would disagree?

The authors bite off a bit more more than they can chew in this book, but they deserve praise for making the effort to uncover the black hole known as NASA. People who think the face and the pyramids at Cydonia are natural rock formations are the same people who think the Giza pyramids were built by the elbow grease of a bunch of Egyptian primitives who just got lucky with their measurements. Evidence to the contrary is characterized as "conspiracy theory". Those of us who are skeptical of conventional wisdom regularly encounter this mindset.

Masonic connections at NASA are beyond dispute, but what do they really mean? Difficult to know without first understanding what the origins of Freemasonry are. Hoagland and Bara dance around this issue, but hint, and correctly in my view, that Masonry is based upon the concept that our earth-based humanity is indebted to a set of extraterrestrial, though humanoid, predescessors. Masonry's allegiance, as demonstrated in its rituals and its obssession with secrets, is not to any earthly religion or philosophy. Accordingly, NASA knew in advance about the ancient settlements on Mars....and on the Moon.

Makes sense, and might explain why NASA strangely let the Russians probes check out the Martian moon, Phobos. The authors imply that NASA knows Phobos still has settlers, who would shoot down probes sent to photograph what they are doing. So what are they doing? Mining for gold because the atmosphere on the 12th planet requires it - as Sitchin claimed all those years ago? Is that was this is all about?

Hoagland and Bara don't know or don't speculate. All they claim to know is that NASA is not what it seems to be. That NASA has covered up the truth about life on Mars, that it has an ulterior and highly deceptive agenda. That it can never be trusted to act on our best interests. Who in their right mind - and familiar with acronymic and clandestine institutions (NSA,CIA, etc ad nauseum) - would disagree?

The authors bite off a bit more more than they can chew in this book, but they deserve praise for making the effort to uncover the black hole known as NASA. People who think the face and the pyramids at Cydonia are natural rock formations are the same people who think the Giza pyramids were built by the elbow grease of a bunch of Egyptian primitives who just got lucky with their measurements. Evidence to the contrary is characterized as "conspiracy theory". Those of us who are skeptical of conventional wisdom regularly encounter this mindset.

Masonic connections at NASA are beyond dispute, but what do they really mean? Difficult to know without first understanding what the origins of Freemasonry are. Hoagland and Bara dance around this issue, but hint, and correctly in my view, that Masonry is based upon the concept that our earth-based humanity is indebted to a set of extraterrestrial, though humanoid, predescessors. Masonry's allegiance, as demonstrated in its rituals and its obssession with secrets, is not to any earthly religion or philosophy. Accordingly, NASA knew in advance about the ancient settlements on Mars....and on the Moon.

Makes sense, and might explain why NASA strangely let the Russians probes check out the Martian moon, Phobos. The authors imply that NASA knows Phobos still has settlers, who would shoot down probes sent to photograph what they are doing. So what are they doing? Mining for gold because the atmosphere on the 12th planet requires it - as Sitchin claimed all those years ago? Is that was this is all about?

Hoagland and Bara don't know or don't speculate. All they claim to know is that NASA is not what it seems to be. That NASA has covered up the truth about life on Mars, that it has an ulterior and highly deceptive agenda. That is can never be trusted to act on our best interests. That it only operates to suit its treasonable purposes. Who, in their right mind, would disagree?

Brilliant! Hoagland is on to it. His presentation is engaging, thought provoking, and easy for the layman to follow. I particularly enjoyed his explanations about hyper-dimensional space. It has enhanced my understanding about where I am placed in the drama of the ages, as we/I approach 2012.

I'M SURE THE AUTHORS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY. I COULD NOT SEE IN THE PICTURES WHAT THEY WERE CLAIMING WAS THERE. THEY ALSO LEFT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF PUBLISHING-AN EDITOR! YOU WADE THRU A TON OF VERBAGE FOR ONE NUGGET OF INFORMATION OF TRUTH, YOU GET SO TIRED YOU DON'T CARE.

Richard C. Hoagland just loves to bash NASA. (aka "Never A Straight Answer", as he is so fond of saying over and over and over....) But the truth is, without NASA he would be nowhere. Without such a convenient scapegoat to blame, he might actually have to provide annoying things like "proof" for his hare-brained theories and wild-*ssed claims.

But the really scary part is that Mr. Hoagland appears to genuinely believe the outlandish ideas he espouses. He applies Occam's razor in reverse: all things equal, the most fantastic, improbable and outrageous explanation must be the truth.

Wake up! If there were any truth to these claims, then WHY would NASA cover it up? For an organization fighting budget cuts for over 35 years, you would think that they would jump at the chance to disclose something which would effectively get them a blank check from the taxpayers.

Richard, *please* get some psychological help, before it's too late!!

XXXXX

Consider the following:

(1) The "Face" on planet Mars is an artificial structure and the "face" is part of a city on Cydonia Planitia (a region of Mars) .
(2) Numerous objects surrounding the landing sites of the Mars Exploratory Rovers (called Spirit and Opportunity that are still exploring Mars) are, in fact, pieces of Martian machinery.
(3) There are large semi-transparent structures constructed of glass on the moon's surface.
(4) The twelve moon-walkers "have had their memories selectively edited" so that they no longer remember seeing evidence of a lunar civilization.
(5) The evidence of a advanced civilization that once existed on the moon and Mars is being suppressed by NASA.

The above five claims are just some of the tamer claims (there are many, some of which really (I mean really) become outlandish) that you will find in this book, authored by Richard Hoagland (perhaps best known as "principal investigator" of the Internet site called the "Enterprise Mission", an organization that examines NASA data for the "possibility of archaeological ruins on Mars and the Moon") and Michael Bara (an aerospace structural engineer).

(For those that don't know, the name "Enterprise" was used for the name of the spaceship or "star ship" in the 1960's science fiction television show "Star Trek." The title of this review is actually a popular phrase from that TV show. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott was the Enterprise's Chief Engineer.)

Each chapter of this book has black and white images or pictures at the end of the chapter. The chapter's narrative indicates when the reader is to look at a particular picture. I counted over 200 captioned images.

As well, in the middle of the book are nearly thirty color captioned images.

As far as the pictures go, I had trouble seeing what the authors saw unless I used a heavy dose of imagination. These pictures reminded me of a Rorschach test (after the psychiatrist who had this last name) or more generally an inkblot test where the person looking at the blot states freely what he or she sees. I predict that hardcore science fiction readers and/or those that cannot distinguish between science and science fiction will adore reading this book.

I also noticed that all the images were manipulated (enhanced, filtered, etc.) in some way. If you manipulate photos enough, you're bound to come up with something interesting.

With respect to the main narrative, I noticed that it was filled with assumptions, beliefs, a jumping to conclusions, etc. Conspiracy theories abound in this book. Thus, conspiracy addicts should also enjoy reading it.

It also seems to me that Hoagland "lost it" in the last few pages of the book's epilogue. To see why, you're going to have to read the book. (Hint: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter probe with its high resolution camera did not reveal in images released in April 2007 what Hoagland expected.)

Finally, before I even began reading the main narrative of this book, I first read Hoagland's brief biography on the last page. (Hoagland seems to be the principal author.) There were things that I read in it that didn't seem right. I checked his credentials on the Internet. My suspicions were confirmed!! There are significant problems with his credentials.

In conclusion, if you are either a conspiracy addict and/or a hardcore science fiction reader, then you should thoroughly enjoy this book.

Review written star date 21831.8

(first published 2007; introduction; 12 chapters; epilogue; main narrative 540 pages; endnotes; acknowledgements; about the authors)

<>

XXXXX

This story is not just interesting, it's fascinating; and it is also credible. However, the authors have chosen to present their arguments in a format that is evocative of tabloid yellow journalism. In doing so, they have undercut their intended effect: to bring serious consideration to what may be a very compelling story.

Their book is full of dizzying tangents, and stories-within-stories. Their paragraphs contain many unnecessary parenthesis, quotes, and dashes that make reading annoying.. Their pictures and corresponding captions may be significant to the trained eye; but, to the layman, they are, for the most part, thoroughly unconvincing. To be fair, there are a few compelling pictures and arguments, which, if the reader can overlook the tiresome read, can be stimulating.

It does not seem that the authors availed themselves of the services of a professional editor.

Poorly written, and the book is of poor quality, with dubious and biased opinions. The endnotes are inferior, and obviously the book is an exercise in self-aggrandization for the author.

Poorly written, and the book is of poor quality, with dubious and biased opinions. The endnotes are inferior, and obviously the book is an exercise in self-aggrandization for the author.

One very impressive and dense book, that makes you think. I am going to look for other Hoagland works. Future will say if he is right or wrong.

I loved this book. This book is not just about space. The book confirms there was another shooter on that dark day in Dallas. A blown up picture shows what appears to be a crew cut policeman firing off the kill shot. This book is thoroughly documented. A book NASA will not want you to read. You will learn what the Apollo astronauts were really looking for on the Moon. There is even a chapter that explains why the Apollo astronauts don't remember much from the moon trip. A must read!

I loved this book. This book is not just about space. The book confirms there was another shooter on that dark day in Dallas. A blown up picture shows what appears to be a crew cut policeman firing off the kill shot. This book is thoroughly documented. A book NASA will not want you to read. You will learn what the Apollo astronauts were really looking for on the Moon. There is even a chapter that explains why the Apollo astronauts don't remember much from the moon trip. A must read!

Richard Hoagland has been my hero for many a year, and it is breathtaking to see all this information at last in writing. The disparity between what we're told, and the Truth about Space will make you Gasp. Then it will make you Mad. From statements from the Astronauts, to true history from NASA insiders; from retouched and blurred photos from NASA, to the REAL pics of the moon and mars. What is out there is our right to know, and to demand our rights, and soon, is an urgent necessity. There's Big Plans going on for our Solar System, and they don't seem to include Us.

I heartily recommend this book. Good reading, although it bogs a little in the front part with a lot of technical jargon.

Hoagland has done his research very well and exposes NASA as another of those wonderful government branches which will LIE to the American people to further it's hidden goals.

I always wondered what the true reason was behind the sudden stoppage of the Apollo missions in the Mid-70s.

I leave the verbosity to the other reviewers here... as they seem to enjoy that! ;-)

I have been a fan of Richard Hoagland and his findings for some time now and this new book is just another example of his commitment to his work and humanity. The information contained within is essential for anyone who has a thirst for the truth. It reaches beyond the mere cover up that NASA (and others) have perpetuated for over 50 years, to the very core of existence. Who are we?; Where did we come from? and ultimately, where could we be going? A fascinating read, highly recommended!!

This is Richard Hoagland's best book ever and also confirms what I had suspected for many years. As a retired USAF Colonel, I have heard and seen many things of great "interest". As a pilot for 44 years, I have also heard and seen many things of even greater interest. This books gives me more solid evidence that I have not been a bit "crazy" over all of these years. The book lets us know that our tax dollars for NASA are going to "covert" and "black" ops programs and to keep the world ignorant of the truth of what has been found on the earth, the moon, and Mars.

This was sure a funny book. Thanks for a great laugh! If I thought that this book was series I would feel sad for the author. However, since this is obviously intended as a comedic work I had no problem laughing right along with him! Great stuff!!

This is a very in depth book that goes in to triginometry and hyperdimensional physics. It is very thorough in backing up its claims with evidence and information. Good book but not a light quick read.

If the reflection of the American flag in the astronaughts helmet on the cover of the book doesn't prove to you that it is a hoax, I don't know what will.

I picked up this book solely to see the pictoral "evidence" of structures on the moon, etc.... and I have to say, the bulk of the images (as with others I've seen in the past) are still ~completely~ unconvincing. A few are marginally interesting, if you want to believe. But if you're sure you see the crystal lattice domes et al in these images, well, sorry to say, but you've been drinking the kool-aid. And the "missing images" info tenously used to back up the surpressed moon-scrapers is also unconvincing, imhop.

I love this genre, have read tons of similar titles, and even enjoyed some of the other material in the book... but the much touted images in this volume do not make it worth the price of purchase as others have gushed.

I hope we find evidence of "others" in our solar system, but this book didn't convince me of diddly. Especially when it spends so much time playing the martyr card and slagging others in the field... a common trait in fringe literature, unfortunately. This comes off as mean-spirited and nakedly paranoid. Note to "alternative genre" authors- just resist that temptation. It really doesn't help your case. Ever. Really. I won't even let John Keel get away with it, and he writes rings around most folks!

Overall, I'd say get this one from a library if you must see for yourself... I honestly felt ripped off by the hype, which I rarely do in this genre, knowing what I'm getting going in.

You'd be much better off picking up a copy of "Who Built the Moon?" by Christopher Knight or "Secrets of Our Spaceship Moon" by Don Wilson, both of which are more believable and vastly more entertaining than this dullish doorstopper.

This is a fascinating book, if you have a love of space exploration, a strong interest in science and a belief that government agencies are not always forthright and conspiratorial. Getting through the chapter on physics takes a bit of effort, but the background helps to get the idea that we have not been told the full story about our exploration of the moon and Mars. Intrigued about the possiblity that visitors from a different planet not within our solar system? This book lends credence to that likely hood. Or, are the geographic features on the lunar and martian landscape merely the result of meteoric impacts and misunderstood light refraction due to an airless environment. Dark Mission is a good read, but not a book for relaxation. A little conspiracy and scepticism is good for the scientific soul. KAMJr.

I'd like to know the backgrounds of previous reviewers, both postive vs. negative. What kind of a total loser would spend every day online just to attack positive reviews the minute they are posted. Have they no real lives? And if that is not the reason then why not do what members of the real science community do when presented with a proposal that does not seem likely--they IGNORE it until it goes away, as a bad idea always does.

But do the negative reviewers do that? No, they attack. Which says a lot psychologically. There is secondary gain--look it up in a medical textbook if you don't understand, boys! (1) they are jealous of the authors having a best-selling book (2) they have no life, as previously stated, or (3) they are on the government payroll.

Having a science background and 9 years of college taught me how to sift through piles of material and find a few pearls. I found a few here, although I cannot agree with all that is said--perhaps due to a lack of technical background in photographic analysis?

While I agree with a lot of the history contained in this book--and was suspicious of motivations at the time, having been born a long time ago--I can't really see much in the photos that are included. However, the photos are a very small part of what this man actually has to say.

No, I have not been abducted by aliens. Nor have I seen Bigfoot or Nessie. But I was raised to keep my eyes open and observe, then question. Every citizen of planet earth should read this book--all the way through. And keep an open mind.

I'd like to know the backgrounds of previous reviewers, both postive vs. negative. Having a science background and 9 years of college taught me how to sift through piles of material and find a few pearls. I found a few here, although I cannot agree with all that is said--perhaps due to a lack of technical background in photographic analysis?

While I agree with a lot of the history contained in this book--and was suspicious of motivations at the time, having been born a long time ago--I can't really see much in the photos that are included. However, the photos are a very small part of what this man actually has to say.

No, I have not been abducted by aliens. Nor have I seen Bigfoot or Nessie. But I was raised to keep my eyes open and observe, then question. Every citizen of planet earth should read this book--all the way through. And keep an open mind.

This is not a history of NASA at all. Hoagland is a conspiracy theorist who sees shadows behind trees, saying they must be ghosts. ("What else could they be?") He takes "it must be" and molds it, through convoluted logic, into "fact". He has difficulty distinguishing between coincidence, opinion and fact. Don't waste your time or money on this book.
Gary Stevens Las Cruces, New Mexico June 5, 2008

It is plain to me that ets exist and that they visit this planet. It is also plain that if you acknowledge the reality of ufos you acknowledge the deceptive tactics of the mai9nstr8eam media. It should be plain that the mnstrm media is an adversary to truth on all levels and subjects, not just ufos. That being said, it is very disappointing to see the authors insert chapters on the 2e3lectio4n of 2y00k0 in 7flor6rid6a that parrot the mnstrm media's assertion and are wholly contrary to the facts. This subverts the authors' credibility. Also, the authors' claims regarding tSadd6am gHu5ss2ein and his "atgtac6ks" on the US are in direct conflict with the facts. This book is infested with inaccurate information that attempts to make tge9orge ibu2sh and his cronies look good. Were the authors and publisher forced to insert these chapters in order to guarantee media access and publicity? Or did they do it of their own free will?

It seems wildly outside the scope of this book to comment on an el2ectio3n or rsad8da1m ghuiss6ein and it is unfortunate that the author's judgement and skills at observation have failed at such a simple test. It doesn't take an award winning researcher to know the things these authors can't seem to figure out.

It is plain to me that ets exist and that they visit this planet. It is also plain that if you acknowledge the reality of ufos you acknowledge the deceptive tactics of the mai9nstr8eam media. It should be plain that the mnstrm media is an adversary to truth on all levels and subjects, not just ufos. That being said, it is very disappointing to see the authors insert chapters on the 2e3lectio4n of 2y00k0 in 7flor6rid6a that parrot the mnstrm media's assertion and are wholly contrary to the facts. This subverts the authors' credibility.

It seems wildly outside the scope of this book to comment on an el2ectio3n and it is unfortunate that the author's judgement and skills at observation have failed at such a simple test.

In Dark Mission, the authors cover the U.S. government's space initiatives, the inner workings of NASA, and the missions to the Moon and Mars, over the last 50 years. They find conspiracy at work everywhere and conclude that:
1. The Brookings Report essentially defines the government's strategy to space exploration, which is to cover up any evidence of extraterrestrials.
2. NASA consists of not one, but three, secret cabals - Magicians, Masons, and Nazis - each with their own hidden agenda for space exploration. With respect to the Masons, it is specifically the 33 degree Scottish Rite Freemasons who hold the most influence and include a number of mission directors and astronauts as members.
3. NASA and its space missions are heavily influenced by Egyptian and Greek mythology, Masonic rituals, and Nazi idealism. The special numbers 19.5 and 33 are frequently manifested in space missions.
4. The Moon is literally covered with the remains of immense glass domes.
5. The Cydonia area of Mars has artificial surface structures that correspond to ancient cities, tetrahedral pyramids, and one structure that resembles a human/alien face. In addition, the ruins at Cydonia embody/encode the mathematics of hyperdimensional physics.
6. Key mission images made publicly available by NASA, JPL, etc. have been "doctored" to hide their real contents.
7. JFK was assassinated because he wanted to join with Russia in the race for the Moon.

Dark Mission is an interesting book although it is written in a tedious and repetitive style. The author's conclusions that artificial artifacts can be observed on the Moon and Mars are based solely on their scientific analysis of mission images which they have digitally manipulated (or corrected in some cases) to achieve the desired result. Unfortunately, they don't seem to apply the "scientific method" in their overall approach, which is to look for supporting evidence apart from the images, or consider alternative theories for their findings, or to assume that what applies on Earth should also apply on other planets. The authors may be right about they see in the Moon and Mars images, but contrary to their claims they have not provided sufficient evidence to support their conclusions of artificial/alien artifacts. If your looking for an interesting anomaly try looking at the Cydonia face images in the Epilogue upside down!!!

I have not read the entire book by Richard Hoagland but I have read about 1/3 of it and looked at all
of the Black and white photos. Hoagland claims he can see where NASA has altered many of the photos
and can see glass domes and tall glass like structures. I see very blurry -out of focus pictures that may
be structures but I can't be sure as the photos are not clear at all. This was the same thing in his other
book about Mars: "The Monuments of Mars". Lots of pictures of the "City" but is it a city or just a bunch
of pyramid shaped hills? I need to see some close up sharp photos before I can say what is in these pics.

The DARK MISSION is 545 pages long with lots of photographs and printed on good paper. The soft-
cover book is in the larger format :6" x 9" and is 1 1/4" thick.

I havent read this book, but i have read all the 1 star ratings and comments. I find it funny when people disregard a subject due to one read of one source of a topic. Hmm, maybe go to the the european space agency's site download some mars photos and look for yourself, or go to the nasa site, and look at the even more profound and very obvious smudging of lunar anomalies, and geometric shaped buildings. You don't need to read this book, YOU CAN LOOK For yourself! and not be another dumb F%$#&!$^ skeptic unwilling to research. wake up and smell the lies folks, peace... ( i set it as 5 star due to the fact that I have listened to hoagland many times and respect his opinion)

I've read almost everything there is on the subject of artificial structures on Mars and the Moon, from Hoagland, Rux, Sitchin, Hancock, Carlotto and Tonnie to even "Who Built the Moon?'' by Knight and Butler."Dark Mission'' takes that body of knowledge one step forward by speculating that NASA, essentially a government defense agency, could be responsible for hiding firm evidence about these artificial structures from the American public. Although I'm not as convinced by the photographic evidence given in the book, I'd have to admit that there MAY be things there that are artificial. For this, Hoagland and Bara are to be applauded. The science relating to hyperdimensional physics might be a bit difficult to follow (for greater depth I recommend "The Monkey and the Tetrahedron'' by Jinks) but who's to say that it's wrong? To me, the most mind-blowing assertion has to be that JFK might have been assassinated because he had invited the Russians to participate with NASA in sending a man to the moon. So yes, I'd say this book is a revealing and useful addition to the conspiracy, ET genre. My gripe however, is with the frequency with which the reader has to suffer punctuation and spelling errors, plus Hoagland's annoying habit of italicising words or using inverted commas in every other sentence. The Boston University geologist who weather-dated the Sphinx is Robert Schoch and not Schock, the WW2 German missile testing facility is given as Mittelwerk first and then Mittelwork later then Mittelwerk again. "Words'' are suddenly "placed'' in inverted commas, sometimes with only opening "commas but without closure. Italicising is so commonplace that it becomes tiresome. To be fair, I should have known - Hoagland's "Monuments of Mars'' is exactly the same and it irritated me no end when I read that book. So even though I think Hoagland and Bara have undoubtedly something intriguing to sell, I'd have to minus two stars for the annoyance factor.

Filled with conspiracy theories that make absolutely no sense and a whole pile of junk science. Don't waste your money on this complete nonsense. Plus, it's very poorly written on top of that!

As an amateur astronomer and a professional scientist, I can only say this book really is sheer junk. From the cover in which the actual flag (not the one described) is an American flag (note the visor reflection) to the absurdity that says in an organization as large as NASA a conspiracy of this type is possible, this is sheer junk! The moon has been an object of careful study by many for many years. If there were any evidence of crystal domes, large objects of any description, they would have been confirmed in many ways long since. The blurry photographs the authors display certainly are not convincing. It seems, for a buck, anything is possible, For the more skeptical this book is hardly plausible no less convincing. Save your money. Read carefully; this books absurdity is obvious except to the truly naive..

Dark Mission: The Secret History of NASA

I viewed some Hoagland interviews on the internet. His performances intrigued me enough to purchase
the book.

I got to page 4 and read "Since the Face was not a profile view as seen in terrestrial rock faces like the
Old Man in the Mountain in New Jersey,". There once was an 'Old Man in the Mountain' in New Hampshire.
It collapsed on May 3, 2003. Now I question if said collapse had help.

I suspect this error is intentional and telltale of the book.

Still worth a read, but no answers. I would like to believe we went to the moon, but I am unconvinced.

Forget the conspiracy theories aspects. Dig deeper in the context of the book. It is quite revealing. The author is known for his inquisitive mind and it shows in this current work. Frightening book but an essential. All the black projects and hidden scientific agenda are revealed. Powerful piece of work, no doubt. Add it to your library!!

I tend to agree with most of the comments that this was a waste of my time and money. It is extremely dry, boring, and difficult to read. Has this guy ever been called a "Chicken Little" I wonder? Anyway, I don't see any of the anomolies in the pictures and am quite unimpressed with the authors' knowledge of ancient Egyptian gods and such. I wonder if enough time was spent in analysis if MY life could be a ritual set of happenings. I was considering Monuments of Mars or Hoagland's Mars DVDs but am at least thankful that this book has convinced me they are probably time and money wasters as well.
Joe

The way this book is written is just awful. Italics all over the place. just because its written in italics doesn't mean it's truthful. the whole tone of the book is just Bara and Hoagland back slapping each other over some fuzzy photographs and scratched negatives. throughout the book there are references to stuructures they can see but we never get a photo to prove it.

I gave up reading this book about halfway through. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Oh and next time you try and dupe us with a photoshopped cover, please remember things get reflected in visors. pathetic.

This book would be an interesting science-fiction item if it were billed as such.
This book is for:
a) those very attracted to conspiracy theories
b) those that have a lot of fun reading how wacky are some ideas floating around about even pretty straightforward subjects

This book is not for:
a) those that will be revolted by the fallacies of the book
b) researchers that expect to find more information about the incidents listed but will be led to a completely irrelevant track

As for me, I feel sorry I wasted those hours reading this piece of fiction

This book was a lot of fun to read. It was full of ideas and statements that would be really cool if they were eventually found to be true. The book has pictures to support these ideas and statements. The pictures aren't all that cool to look at. In fact, I just can't see the things that the author is telling us are present in those pictures. Dome cities, intelligently created towers etc. I look and look at those pictures in this book and I simply can't see them. But wouldn't it be cool if they really existed! A fun book to read, but... A lot of wishful thinking went into this book.

While many will cast aspersions at Hoagland's and Bara's thesis, they lay out a stupendous case for a conspiracy of silence, omission, and lies in the US Space Program. Exhaustively researched, this book delves into a variety of topics that are all linked by that common thread. Strong writing, the authors never pull their points.

However, they are a bit repetitive at times. Their mix of scholarly, detached writing with constant appeals to the reader is often jarring. And, unfortunately, far too many of the photographs they use as "clear evidence" are, well, murky and hard to make out. What they claim clearly shows this or that is often anything but clear.

Still, a fascinating read and one that definitely makes you think, hmmmm.

I purchased this book after hearing co-authors Richard Hoagland and Mike Bara on Coast to Coast AM. Mike Bara in particular, tells a fairly engaging story on live radio. I was eager read these carefully constructed Mars/Moon/NASA arguments in detail.

530 pages later I never could tell who wrote which parts of the book, because the authors refer to each other (and themselves) in the third person throughout. There is very heavy use of italics and quotations in every chapter... I found this highly distracting. The story is one tenuous series of arguments built upon even more dubious assumptions, and you have to pass these to make any progress reading. I had a very hard time keeping an open-mind, much less knocking out 10-15 pages per sitting before my mind began to wander.

This is a book about photographs that resemble a Rorschach Test. Be prepared to thumb back and forth nonstop - from the plates back to the text, back to the plates. Be prepared for a lengthy discourse about camera pixels and resolution, and elementary trigonometry. To say this book is often tedious would be an understatement.

My big question to the authors would be as follows: why would 'the cabal within NASA' ever release photographs to impugn NASA, themselves, and cast light on the very 'evidence' they are allegedly hiding? I would sooner believe all of this had Mr. Hoagland and Mr. Bara broken into JPL and stolen the film themselves.

Dark Mission is not an easy read, nor is it very juicy. If you're somewhere between alien abduction and SETI, this is probably correctly gauged for your level of conspiracy-theory tolerance. If you love Egyptology and symbolism, by all means have at it. It was neither here nor there for me - not enough science to be scientific, nor enough punchline to keep me awake wondering.

This book documents Hoagland's (and others') battle for the truth that NASA (and the US government) have been hiding about the moon and Mars. Using NASA's own pictures, Hoagland shows that there are artifacts in both places that the American people have not been informed about by the very people who should have done that. And why have they not? A long-ago report (Brookings) that basically states that the American public should remain ignorant about such things until the powers that be decide that we are ready for that knowledge.

It has been my observation that the US government will do whatever it wants, whenever it wants, however it wants, to whoever it wants in order to achieve their own ends -- whether that is in the public's interest or not. Hoagland takes NASA (and the government) to task about their interests regarding 'the final frontier'. Since Hoagland has some high credentials, his book cannot be lightly dismissed.

It is my hope that this book will spur those in power to at least be forthright about NASA and their space missions (that's the most I can expect them to be forthright about anything).