Hortensius Report #2
© 1998 Steve Troy

Upon completion of my initial investigation and report on anomalous lunar areas of LOIII123M, Hortensius with Mike Bara, I ordered the hi-res H-frames for this frame through NSSDC.

LO-III-123M [1]

The additional Hortensius anomaly to be discussed here as a result of investigating the H-frames of this area makes this area the FIFTH lunar site where I have discovered its existence. Before reporting on it until now, I tried to find corroborating and other photography showing this anomaly, which I did, and have subsequently shared with professional geologists and other lunar teams. As a result of close examination of this anomaly, I verify its nature through work done by other researchers on this anomaly, and also pose an artificiality hypothesis for its nature.


Before finding this anomaly, which appears redundantly over and over again in an area, I first saw them presented on a video showing a Lunar Orbiter III image. The video was produced by Richard C. Hoagland and the now, Enterprise Mission and is called The Moon Mars Connection. [2] The anomalies were clearly shown and seen on the video in the frame III85M
and H-frames in the region of Murchison/Pallas craters on the northern edge of Sinus Medii.


In this region are micro-size "double-crater" cavities -- a field of them all in exact, precise alignment with one another . They are seen in rows and on different levels of the terrain and lie 40 degrees off the north -south line. These are seen on the raw data without computer enhancement. On enhancements, internal 3-D hexagonal geometric organizations can be discerned within each double. After finding an areas similar to this on other data, I wanted to find more. Finally at Hortensius these doubles were seen yet again.


There is literally a blanket of them around Hortensius crater to the east and north. One needs good eyesight and perhaps a magnifying glass to see them on analog prints. Unlike other lunar artifacts which are difficult to discern in the gray levels without blowing up sectionals from the negatives, these "doubles" are quite obvious. Sectionals however, do bring them into remarkable view.

LO-III-123-H1

The alignment angle of the doubles at Hortensius show them running SE to NW. Looking carefully at them, one can see that each double-cavity is divided by an internal partition that separates each cavity. With computer enhancement such as on the work done by Hoagland, these partitions and internal geometries can be seen.

Sketch by Steve Troy

I believe, as others do, that these are mini-artificial archologies. I also think that some may have been used as structural support bases for past architectural applications such as glass trusses that may have supported larger archologies from the surface that are no longer visible due to meteoric bombardment over a long, long time. The hexagonal, 3-D geometry within them remains. The doubles lie adjacent to one another. Some are in series, others are separated. There are hundreds of these structures and they are more frequent at Hortensius than at any site I have investigated to this time.

LO-III-123-H2

I don't believe these can be explained geologically. They are not related to the natural domes present at Hortensius (see my first report) . Although these blankets of "doubles" can be seen on top of pyroclastic material, flows, or both [3], identical ones have been found on impact terra areas in Sinus Medii and on other extrusive material of Oceanus Procellarum -- on level areas as well as highlands. So strictly endogenic sources I believe, can be ruled out. Volcanic activity on the moon certainly wouldn't leave such astonishing geometry within these cavities anyway!

The impact hypothesis is out as well. Investigators, first of all, pursuing this data may see that Copernicus lies only 150 km to the NE of Hortensius crater. They may be tempted to associate the "doubles" with possible secondary or satellitic holes made by the Copernican event. Ejecta from Copernicus launched first by its impactor would, of course, be launched first, fly farther,
hit harder, and dig larger holes in a radial pattern away from the site. The deposits would not cause micro-double cavities that are aligned in a direction that crosses the Copernican ejecta and ray system path at 90 degrees ! Copernicus ejecta crosses Hortensius from the NE going SW. The "doubles" are aligned going SE to NW. One only needs to check a good lunar map to see and compare locations and angles. There is no association between the "doubles" and Copernicus. If the "doubles" were from natural impact, there would not be the incredible alignment evident now. The doubles would be seen at ALL angles and in random angles to one another and not all in line.


In future reports, other areas of these "doubles" will be discussed along with comparative alignments. I am in the process of trying to discern if there might be a pattern and reasons that could relate the sites where these "doubles" have been found. STAY TUNED!!

FOOTNOTES;

1. NASA, SP-242, Guide to Lunar Orbiter Photographs, p. 89
2. Hoagland, Richard C. The Moon Mars Connection, (video), Enterprise Mission and B.C. Video, Burlington, Vt.
3. Schmitt, Trask, Shoemaker, Geologic Map of Copernicus Quad., I-515, LAC 58, 1967.