Divided interpretation
Taylor recently took his plight to The Washington Times Corporation, publisher of Insight Magazine. That publication helped fund special snapping sessions using Space Imaging's private satellite, IKONOS 2.
On four separate dates starting in October 1999 into the summer of 2000, photos of the mountain were taken by IKONOS and processed by Space Imaging, based in Thornton, Colorado.
Space Imaging's Ikonos 2 can resolve objects as small as 3.3 feet (1 meter) across.
IKONOS pictures snapped over Mount Ararat then were contrasted with the aircraft photos taken in 1949.
A seven-person team of independent scientists and analysts scrutinized the batch of images. While clearly the photos show some type of feature, the team was divided in their interpretation. While some felt the anomaly could be human-made, others voted for rock or deferred to inconclusive data, Taylor said.
One team member concluded the anomaly had apparently shifted, suggesting that its composition was foreign and not a chunk of the mountain. IKONOS imagery confirms that the anomaly is "broken" in several places.
"The color of the anomaly is uniquely different from the surrounding strato-volcanic rock. The anomaly seems to be very smooth in texture as compared to the jagged rocks," Taylor said.
If it's human-made, then what is it? By using satellites, such as IKONOS, the saga has become a "space-based Indiana Jones," Taylor says.
Ikonos captured this image of the alleged site of Noah's Ark on August 6, 2000.
The annotation show's how this find differs from the anomaly captured in 1949.
'Ark-eology' via satellite
The next step in the search for the Ark takes to the air, quite literally, is just a handful of weeks.
The QuickBird 2 satellite is ready for launch on October 18 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. If successfully orbited, it will become the world's highest resolution commercial satellite.
Operated by EarthWatch Incorporated in Longmont, Colorado, QuickBird 2 can focus on objects down to nearly 20-inches (one-half meter) across. Taylor requested and then received an OK from the firm that they will point the spacecraft's imaging system at the feature in question on Mount Ararat.
"They are going after it," Taylor said.
"As of now we plan to take images … but have not solidified exactly when we will work his requests into our overall mission planning," said Chuck Herring, EarthWatch spokesman.
"Whether we do it in calibration or during commercial operations, we will work with him as it fits in our mission plan," Herring told SPACE.com.
Seeing is not easy
Extremely heavy daily cloud cover and perhaps large buildups of snow at the site make it almost impossible for hikers, planes or satellites to see anything -- unless there is a major avalanche, high-velocity wind, glacial meltdown or dissipation of clouds.
"This is a unique and unexplored site on the mountain," Taylor said. Nearly 99 percent of all Ark hunters, researchers, expeditions to Ararat have been to the Ahora Gorge. That is on the other side of the mountain, he said.
Time is of the essence, with winter closing in, Taylor said. Moreover, as more commercial satellite capability becomes available, there is increased chance that the anomaly will be identified.
In particular, hyperspectral imagery from space offers great promise.
All natural and human-made materials on the surface of the Earth have a unique signature of reflected light from the Sun. This signature is more detailed than can be captured by a conventional camera or the human eye. Hyperspectral sensors can measure this signature and actually identify materials from space.
What if the "Ararat Anomaly" turns out to be less than a Biblical blast from the past?
"I would consider it a great victory either way," Taylor said. "Everybody should realize that the world is truly transparent. The commercialization of space is a direct peace dividend of the Cold War and our space-based military satellites."
"As for the anomaly," Taylor said, "what it is … is what it is … no matter what it is."
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