Did NASA Find a Message from God on Mars?

A story circulating claims that NASA announced that the rover Curiosity found a message from God on the Martian surface.

The story is satire.

The report was published by the satirical website The Daily Currant. Although it was originally posted in July 2013, the story saw a surge in sharing in early December 2013 and again in April and October 2014. In the fictitious article, we read of two stone slabs discovered containing biblical passages in several languages. The story, however, is completely fictional.

While most readers are aware that The Daily Currant is humorous, those not familiar with the satirical nature of the website have shared the article with the belief that it is a real news item.

The “About” page on The Daily Currant clearly states that the contents are works of fiction:

Q. Are your news stories real?

A. No. Our stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in the world.

Google Trends

As you can see in the Google Trends chart below, interest in this story has had several peaks over the past year, with an initial surge when the article was first written, increased interest in December 2013, and two small resurgences in 2014.

Bottom Line

NASA did not find a message from God on Mars. The article is a work of fiction from the satirical website The Daily Currant that was posted in July 2013.

Source

• NASA Finds Message From God on Mars (The Daily Currant: July 1, 2013)

Originally published December 5, 2013
Updated October 25, 2014