Coast to Coast AM - Nov 30 2011 - Mars & Phobos

Host: George Noory
Guests: Richard C. Hoagland, Jerome Corsi

Hour 1 - Author Jerome Corsi provided an update on escelating tensions with Iran.

He observed that the withdrawal of British officials from Iran represents "a complete deterioration of relations" between the two countries. Coupled with potentially crippling US sanctions, Corsi said that Iran likely sees these developments as "a prelude to war." The situation has escalated so much that he lamented that negotiations are likely to be futile at this point and that "a war is imminent and I don't think there's anything that can be done to stop a war at this point." Additionally, Corsi warned that, should Iran fully develop nuclear weapons, then "immediately, there will be a half dozen countries" which will claim that they should have those weapons as well. Given the historically tumultuous nature of the Middle East, he opined that the region would quickly become a "powder keg."

Hours 2, 3 & 4 - C2C Science Advisor and head of the Enterprise Mission, Richard C. Hoagland, discussed the latest American and Russian unmanned efforts to reach Mars and what may be the true nature of those missions.

He suggested that the agenda behind the Russian Phobos-Grunt craft is not to travel to the Martian inner moon, but to actually journey to the YU55 asteroid that recently passed by Earth. He theorized that the Russians are interested in this object because it is not merely an asteroid, but is actually a craft. The origins of this craft, Hoagland said, could be from an ancient civilization that once populated the galaxy but was destroyed in a massive war.

While the dueling Martian missions of the US and Russia may appear to be a new space race, Hoagland put forward the idea that it is really "a covert cooperation with the illusion of a competition." In this scenario, he said, the Russians are hoping to land their craft on the YU55 and take samples of it. Meanwhile, the Americans may have used their secret spy plane, known as the X-37B, to "rendezvous with YU55 as it comes through the system" and take tremendously detailed images of the object. Hoagland pointed to news that the X-37B was ending its latest mission early as a potential sign that "it's bringing something home." He cited a BBC report which quoted a Russian astronomer who described "strange structures" on YU55 as well as the repeated comparisons of the 'asteroid' to an aircraft carrier as potentially leaked clues to what the object really is.

Regarding NASA's Curiosity Rover, Hoagland surmised that, if his theories are correct, it will ultimately lead to the disclosure that there was once an ancient race of people on Mars. He explained that the planned landing site for Curiosity is inside the Gale Crater on Mars, where a mysterious mountain sits in the center. This origins of this mountain, Hoagland noted, baffles astronomers. Based on his study of photos of this land mass, he contended that it is "an ancient structure" that is incredibly old. Noting that Curiosity is nuclear powered, rather than solar powered like previous Mars rovers, Hoagland speculated that perhaps NASA plans on using the vehicle to go inside this ancient structure.