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Could Before and After Images Test the Removal Claim

Only preserved before-and-after files could show whether an object was removed, corrected, cropped or changed during routine image processing.

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Preview for Could Before and After Images Test the Removal Claim

On this page

  • What a valid image comparison requires
  • Routine processing versus deliberate removal
  • How hashes and metadata protect the comparison

Introduction

Claims that unusual objects were removed from government imagery cannot be evaluated simply by looking at a single published picture. The crucial question is whether an apparently unusual feature disappeared because of ordinary scientific image processing, or because someone deliberately altered the content. Without both the original source image and the processed version, there is no reliable way to distinguish between those possibilities.

Image Pairs illustration 1

Within discussions surrounding Gary McKinnon’s reported observations of NASA imagery, this distinction is especially important. McKinnon did not preserve the image he described, leaving no before-and-after pair available for independent examination. As a result, neither supporters nor sceptics can test claims that an object was removed, obscured, cropped or otherwise changed. Instead, the discussion remains dependent on recollection rather than verifiable digital evidence.

Could Before-and-After Images Test the Removal Claim?

A valid comparison requires two demonstrably related files:

  • the original image as acquired from the imaging system;
  • the processed version released or distributed afterwards; and
  • evidence showing that one was derived directly from the other.

Only then can investigators identify exactly what changed.

This principle is routine in scientific imaging. NASA missions typically preserve original scientific image data alongside calibrated or enhanced products created for analysis or public release. Processing may include correcting detector artefacts, adjusting brightness, assembling mosaics or applying colour information, while preserving the underlying scientific record. NASA’s documentation explicitly distinguishes between raw archival data and processed images created for scientific interpretation or public presentation. Raw products retain original resolution, bit depth and extensive metadata, whereas processed products are intended to improve usability without inventing new features.[NASA Science]science.nasa.govScience Raw Images FAQNASA ScienceRaw Images FAQ - NASA ScienceNovember 2, 2024…Published: November 2, 2024

If both versions existed for the image McKinnon described, investigators could ask straightforward questions:

  • Did every feature remain present?
  • Was any object removed?
  • Was the image merely cropped?
  • Were contrast or brightness adjustments responsible for making a feature appear or disappear?
  • Were any edits fully documented as part of normal processing?

Without both files, none of these questions can be answered conclusively.

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Routine Processing Versus Deliberate Removal

A common misunderstanding is that any difference between two versions of an image automatically implies censorship. In practice, scientific image processing routinely changes how an image looks without changing what was actually recorded.

Typical legitimate processing includes:

  • calibration to remove detector noise or instrument artefacts;
  • correction for lens distortion or sensor defects;
  • combining multiple exposures;
  • colour balancing or false-colour rendering;
  • contrast enhancement to reveal faint detail;
  • cropping for publication layout or presentation.

NASA’s published guidance explains that such processing is standard scientific practice and serves to improve interpretation of data rather than insert or remove genuine objects. Scientists generally retain access to higher-quality archival data while producing processed images for different analytical or communication purposes.[NASA Science]science.nasa.govScience Raw Images FAQNASA ScienceRaw Images FAQ - NASA ScienceNovember 2, 2024…Published: November 2, 2024

By contrast, deliberate removal of an object would usually leave a different pattern of evidence. Depending on the editing method, investigators might expect inconsistencies between image versions, unexplained missing pixels, altered metadata, undocumented processing steps or discrepancies between archived and published files.

That distinction is precisely why both image versions matter. A processed image alone cannot reveal whether a missing feature reflects legitimate calibration or intentional alteration.

Image Pairs illustration 2

How Hashes and Metadata Protect the Comparison

Even possessing two visually similar images is insufficient unless their authenticity can be established.

Digital forensic practice relies on several complementary safeguards.

Cryptographic hashes. A secure hash functions as a digital fingerprint. If even one pixel changes, the resulting hash changes. Matching hashes demonstrate that a file has remained unchanged since it was preserved, while differing hashes confirm that some modification occurred, although not what the modification was.[NIST Publications]nvlpubs.nist.govPublications NIST Interagency ReportNIST PublicationsNIST Interagency ReportMay 8, 2026…Published: May 8, 2026

Metadata. Scientific image files typically contain far more than visible pixels. Metadata may record acquisition time, exposure settings, instrument identification, calibration history, processing level, software versions and observational geometry. These records help determine whether a processed image was produced through a documented scientific workflow or an undocumented editing process.[NASA Science]science.nasa.govScience Raw Images FAQNASA ScienceRaw Images FAQ - NASA ScienceNovember 2, 2024…Published: November 2, 2024

Documented processing history. A transparent workflow allows investigators to trace how one version became another. Modern scientific archives often preserve raw data while generating calibrated products through repeatable processing pipelines, allowing later researchers to reproduce results independently.[NASA Technical Reports Server]ntrs.nasa.govNASA Technical Reports ServerProcessing Raw HST Data With Up-to-Date Calibration Data - NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)…

Together, hashes, metadata and documented provenance transform an image comparison from a visual impression into a testable forensic exercise.

Image Pairs illustration 3

Why the Evidence Gap Matters

The absence of preserved image pairs is significant because it prevents both confirmation and refutation of removal claims.

If only a processed image survives, it is impossible to determine whether:

  • nothing unusual ever appeared in the original;
  • an unusual feature resulted from imaging artefacts that were correctly removed;
  • later processing legitimately changed the appearance of the scene; or
  • content was intentionally removed.

Likewise, if only an original image survives without documentation of subsequent processing, later published versions cannot be evaluated against an authenticated baseline.

In McKinnon’s case, no publicly authenticated original image corresponding to his account has been preserved alongside a documented processed version. Consequently, there is no evidential basis for conducting the kind of before-and-after forensic comparison that would be required to evaluate claims that unusual objects were removed from government imagery. The missing image pair does not support the removal claim, nor does it disprove it; it leaves the central allegation untestable using accepted methods of digital evidence analysis.

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Endnotes

1. Source: science.nasa.gov
Title: Science Raw Images FAQ
Link:https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/multimedia/raw-images-faq/

Source snippet

NASA ScienceRaw Images FAQ - NASA ScienceNovember 2, 2024...

Published: November 2, 2024

2. Source: ntrs.nasa.gov
Link:https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20090041677

Source snippet

NASA Technical Reports ServerProcessing Raw HST Data With Up-to-Date Calibration Data - NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)...

3. Source: hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov
Title: Hespedia SECCHI_PREP Users Guide
Link:https://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssw/stereo/secchi/doc/secchi_prep.html

4. Source: nvlpubs.nist.gov
Title: Publications NIST Interagency Report
Link:https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2022/NIST.IR.8387.pdf

Source snippet

NIST PublicationsNIST Interagency ReportMay 8, 2026...

Published: May 8, 2026

5. Source: nist.gov
Title: osac 2024 n 0011 standard guide forensic digital image management version 10
Link:https://www.nist.gov/document/osac-2024-n-0011-standard-guide-forensic-digital-image-management-version-10

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OSAC 2024-N-0011Standard Guide for Forensic...

6. Source: standards.nasa.gov
Title: Standards Still and Motion Imagery Metadata Standard | Standards
Link:https://standards.nasa.gov/node/233

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NASA StandardsStill and Motion Imagery Metadata Standard | Standards...

7. Source: science.nasa.gov
Title: how are webbs full color images made
Link:https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/science-overview/science-explainers/how-are-webbs-full-color-images-made/

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NASA ScienceSeptember 3, 2025 — HOW ARE WEBB’S FULL-COLOR IMAGES MADE? A LOT OF CARE IS POURED INTO PROCESSING THE TELESCOPE’S FULL-COLOR...

Published: September 3, 2025

8. Source: data.nasa.gov
Title: dawn fc1 raw edr cruise checkout calibration images v1 0 5af6b
Link:https://data.nasa.gov/dataset/dawn-fc1-raw-edr-cruise-checkout-calibration-images-v1-0-5af6b

9. Source: science.nasa.gov
Title: what are raw images
Link:https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/multimedia/what-are-raw-images/

10. Source: nist.gov
Title: digital evidence
Link:https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/software-quality-group/computer-forensics-tool-testing-program-cftt/digital-evidence

11. Source: nist.gov
Title: digital evidence preservation considerations evidence handlers
Link:https://www.nist.gov/publications/digital-evidence-preservation-considerations-evidence-handlers

12. Source: data.nasa.gov
Title: dawn fc2 calibrated ceres images v1 0 4127b
Link:https://data.nasa.gov/dataset/dawn-fc2-calibrated-ceres-images-v1-0-4127b

13. Source: nist.gov
Link:https://www.nist.gov/publications/media-forensics-challenge-image-provenance-evaluation-and-state-art-analysis-large

14. Source: nist.gov
Link:https://www.nist.gov/publications/media-forensics-challenge-image-provenance-evaluation-and-state-art-analysis-large-0

15. Source: data.nasa.gov
Title: dawn fc2 calibrated ceres images v1 0
Link:https://data.nasa.gov/dataset/dawn-fc2-calibrated-ceres-images-v1-0

16. Source: data.nasa.gov
Title: dawn fc2 raw edr cruise checkout calibration images v1 0 b04c3
Link:https://data.nasa.gov/dataset/dawn-fc2-raw-edr-cruise-checkout-calibration-images-v1-0-b04c3

17. Source: catalog.data.gov
Title: dawn fc2 calibrated cruise checkout calib images v1 0 711ad
Link:https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/dawn-fc2-calibrated-cruise-checkout-calib-images-v1-0-711ad

18. Source: planetarydata.jpl.nasa.gov
Title: MDIS CDR RDRSIS
Link:https://planetarydata.jpl.nasa.gov/img/data/messenger/msgrmds_7001/DOCUMENT/MDIS_CDR_RDRSIS.HTM

19. Source: cfreds.nist.gov
Link:https://cfreds.nist.gov/

Additional References

20. Source: legalclarity.org
Title: Digital Forensics: Imaging, Metadata, and Evidence Preservation
Link:https://legalclarity.org/digital-forensics-imaging-metadata-and-evidence-preservation/

Source snippet

May 15, 2026 — DIGITAL FORENSICS: IMAGING, METADATA, AND EVIDENCE PRESERVATION A practical look at digital forensics — coveri...

Published: May 15, 2026

21. Source: forensicspot.com
Title: Digital Image Evidence in Court | Forensic Spot
Link:https://forensicspot.com/topics/forensic-physics/digital-imaging-evidence-and-court-admissibility

Source snippet

Digital Image Evidence in Court | ForensicSpotJune 17, 2026 — DIGITAL IMAGING EVIDENCE AND COURT ADMISSIBILITY The integrity chain that k...

Published: June 17, 2026

22. Source: metopedia.com
Title: Digital evidence standards
Link:https://metopedia.com/Metopedia%3ADigital_evidence_standards

Source snippet

Digital evidence standardsJuly 23, 2026 — METOPEDIA DIGITAL EVIDENCE STANDARDS * Project page * Discussion [Input] English * Re...

Published: July 23, 2026

23. Source: youtube.com
Title: Ancient Aliens: Hacking NASA Secrets (Season 12, Episode 9) | History
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20rWFDfh68Y

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America's Secret Space Program and the Alien Connection: Solar Warden...

24. Source: youtube.com
Title: The Man Who Hacked the U.S. Government
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND0zQX1rGdg

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Ancient Aliens: Hacking NASA Secrets (Season 12, Episode 9) | History...

25. Source: sciepublish.com
Link:https://www.sciepublish.com/article/pii/567

26. Source: youtube.com
Title: The man who managed to hack NASA
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci0P6G8wqVU

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Hacking for UFOs and fighting for his life. Who is Gary McKinnon? | NordVPN...

27. Source: youtube.com
Title: Hacking for UFOs and fighting for his life. Who is Gary Mc Kinnon? | Nord VPN
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OImdnvQx7sQ

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The Man Who Hacked the U.S. Government...

28. Source: youtube.com
Title: America’s Secret Space Program and the Alien Connection: Solar Warden
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfRcl5rmydI

29. Source: archives.fbi.gov
Link:https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/about-us/lab/forensic-science-communications/fsc/april2008/standards/2008_04_standards01.htm