Expedition Unknown: Hunt for ExtraTerrestrials (2017): Season 1, Episode 1 - Close Encounters - full transcript

Expedition Unknown
Hunt for Extraterrestrials - Part 1

You think that,
somewhere out there

in the universe,
there is intelligent life?

I absolutely think
it has to be possible.

Get ready for
an "Expedition Unknown"

global event.

Hyah!

I'm on a mission to answer

mankind's eternal question...

The top of the hill glowed.

Are we alone in the universe?



Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.

What's it doing?

The truth may be out there.

But the evidence is down here.

Look at these!

It's the same symbol,
around all the world.

I'm joining forces
with scientists

on the cutting edge
of discovery...

Oh. What's that? You see that?

...and eyewitnesses who say
aliens are already here.

Did you guys know

that this was not of this Earth?

Well, it wasn't human.

It literally is in space.
Go, science.



This time, my expedition...

Welcome to Roswell
Army Airfield.

...is into the ultimate unknown.

This is the smoking gun

that proves alien visitation.

Look at this thing!

Oh. I got a light.

C'mere. Get a camera over here.

I may be a world traveler,
but, confession:

I'm also a card-carrying geek.

My earliest adventures were
aboard the starship Enterprise

or in a galaxy far, far away.

I spent my childhood
in the darkest corners

of "The Twilight Zone" or lost
in the pages of Ray Bradbury.

I love science-fiction.

And, like so many others,
I am obsessed with the question

of whether there's
something else out there.

And now may be the moment
we finally find out.

Recently, a flood of major
scientific breakthroughs

in space
have dominated the headlines,

reigniting the debate

over the existence
of extraterrestrials.

Several months ago,
astronomers even discovered

a grouping of planets

that could potentially
support alien life.

And, here on Earth,
eyewitnesses are capturing

compelling UFO footage
that's harder to dismiss

than anything seen before.

Now, I'm setting off
on the most extraordinary

expedition of my career.

I'll journey over 50,000 miles,

exploring ancient
signs of aliens

on the most remote island
on the planet,

to futuristic technology

gazing deep into
the final frontier.

This is an adventure
as big as the universe,

so beam yourself up
and join me on my mission

to seek out new life
and boldly go

where no adventurer
has gone before.

My name is Josh Gates.

I've traveled to more
than 100 countries,

exploring age-old legends.

Oh, wow! Look at this!

And now, I'm tackling
mankind's greatest question:

Are we alone in the universe?

Join me on a global quest

for answers
- Whee! There she goes.

And an investigation
that is out of this world.

Oh, right there!

Hunt For Extraterrestrials."

My mission to find
the latest evidence

of extraterrestrial life

could only begin in one place.

Welcome
to Space Center Houston...

an interactive museum
that celebrates

America's leading role in the
exploration of the universe.

For a space geek like me,
this is home.

On display are priceless
relics from the heyday

of the American Space Race:

actual space suits,
lunar rock samples,

and the jawdropping sight of
a decommissioned Saturn rocket.

This is where every child's
dream of exploring space

is made real.

If you can walk around here
without feeling a swell

of violins in your soul,

well, then, you must be
made of stone.

But there's more
than a museum here.

Next door is the home
of the agency

at the forefront
of space exploration.

This is NASA.

Much of the facility
is off-limits to the public,

but I've been invited inside
to see the beating heart

of America's space program.

The sprawling campus is where

every single American
astronaut is trained,

and houses a full-scale replica

of the International
Space Station,

pools for learning how
to work in zero gravity,

and early prototypes
of the Orion,

the next-generation capsule
that will take Americans

back to space, now that
the space shuttle is retired.

So many things for me
to break in here.

This place is all
about the future,

but even the future has a past,
and NASA's is,

quite frankly, glorious.

In the history
of human exploration,

this room is a temple.

Nine Gemini missions
and 12 Apollo missions

were controlled from right here:

the very first American
space walk,

Ed White on Gemini 4.

The heroic rescue of Apollo 13,

when Jim Lovell called out,
"Houston, we have a problem,"

this is where he was calling.

And, of course, Apollo 11,
what, for my money,

is the greatest achievement
in humanity's history.

On July 20, 1969,

every single person
in this room,

and just about every
person in the world,

held their breath
as Neil Armstrong called out

from the surface of the Moon
that the Eagle had landed.

That's one small step for a man,

one giant leap for mankind.

Leaving NASA's past behind,

I go to see their newest toy
in the search for alien life:

the $10 billion
James Webb Telescope.

The telescope's project
manager, John Homan,

brings me to the edge of the
highly controlled clean room

where it's being assembled.

Oh, my word, look at that!

It's enormous.

Pretty amazing piece
of technology there.

Once it's launched
into orbit in 2018,

the massive
solar-powered telescope

will gaze further into space
than man has ever been capable

and, in astronomy,
looking into deep space

means looking back in time.

And what will its
primary mission be?

The first thing it's
looking for is

first light of the universe.

It's also looking for the
formation of stars and galaxies,

why they form the way they do;
and then, of course,

it also is gonna be
looking for exoplanets

and especially being able
to look for exoplanets

that may have
signatures of life.

Exoplanets are planets
beyond our solar system.

With a 21-foot-tall,
gold-plated mirror,

the Webb Telescope is made
to detect these planets.

The goal is to find planets
that are the right size

and the right distance away
from the right kind of star.

You know, like the planet
you're standing on now,

the kind that might support
extraterrestrial life.

And how will it try to
detect those exoplanets?

It'll be able to see
the signatures of things like

carbon dioxide, oxygen,
water vapor,

in the light that's reflected
off that planet.

So it's sensitive enough
that it can tell

if those planets
have those elements.

- Correct.
- Wow!

- Yes.
- The Webb Telescope

is 20 times more powerful

than the Hubble Telescope
it's replacing.

For scientists,
it will be as if,

after years of squinting
at the stars,

they're suddenly getting
a new pair of glasses.

It's awesome to be
able to see it.

- Yeah.
- Thanks for giving us a look.

Yeah. You're very welcome.

Of course, when the
Webb Telescope discovers

that shiny new planet
with alien life,

What
are we going to drive there?

Well, NASA has already
designed a vehicle

that goes way, way, offroad.

In this Texas-sized garage,
engineer Justin Ridley

lets me kick the tires
of NASA's prototype rover.

What is this thing?
- Okay, so this is a concept for

if we were gonna
go back to the Moon,

go to Mars, how we'd
explore that surface.

You can see here,
at the back of the vehicle,

you've got the space
suit hanging out.

- Right.
- So the space suit opens up

to the rear of the vehicle.

It's like a backpack there, so.

Oh, you can get into it
from inside?

Exactly. Back in the Apollo era,

they didn't want
to drive further away

than they could walk
back, right?

So, if the vehicle broke down,
they needed to, you know,

walk in their big space
suits all the way back.

We wanted a vehicle that was
capable enough that we'd be

comfortable exploring
a much larger distance.

How long could you
sustain in there?

- About 2 weeks.
- 2 weeks? Wow!

Yeah. - So it's like

a family camper van. - Exactly.

Is the prototype operational?

Will it move? - Absolutely.

You wanna give it a spin?

- Yes.
- All right.

Please.

You take the right seat.
I'll take the left seat.

You got it.

Taking me for a test drive

is robotics engineer
Lucien Junkin.

Tell me about this
area we're at here.

This looks a little lunar
right here.

Yeah. So we have a Mars yard
and a lunar yard

that represent where we do
a bunch of our testin'.

Would you like to drive?
- Yeah. I would love to.

Okay, Josh. I'm transferring
control over to you.

- Do a pure right.

Pure right, here we go.

Keep goin'.

- Down into the pit?
- Sure.

So this is just
a representative crater

of what we might see
on the moon.

Do a pure twist to your right.

It may not be the fastest hunk
of junk in the galaxy,

but with 360-degree controls,

it can run over
pretty much anything,

which is helpful,
when I'm the one driving.

Get outta here.

This is officially
the coolest 4x4

I've ever been in.
Actually, I guess

it's not a 4x4.
It's more like a 12x12.

I got a speaker system here.

Play some tunes. - Yeah.

All the comforts you want
in an RV, you want in this.

What about cup holders?

Already got cup holders for ya.

They're in.
Where's the beer cooler?

There may be a beer cooler,

but the beer will never
get to Mars, so.

That's right. Okay,
it's got the cup holders.

But does it have

a moonroof?

After the worst pun in the
history of the space program,

Lucien kicks me
out of the rover.

- Okay.
- That was awesome, man.

Thank you so much.

I hop out, knowing that,
if there is life in outer space,

NASA has the capability

to run it over.

Considering that NASA's business

is the cutting-edge
exploration of space,

most of the campus here
looks fairly unassuming.

But on the inside of one
nondescript building,

you'll find the most
high-tech office on Earth.

This is NASA's
active mission control.

It's responsible for the
only life in outer space

that we can definitively
prove exists:

the astronauts aboard the
International Space Station.

The ISS has been orbiting
Earth since 1998.

A truly international
undertaking,

it has grown to 15 modules
built by 25 countries

and, for nearly 20 years,

it has been continuously
occupied by astronauts

and cosmonauts who have slipped
the surly bonds of Earth

to advance mankind's
mission to the stars.

He team here in Houston
has the immense responsibility

of maintaining the space
station and her crew.

Today, they're allowing me

on the floor of Mission Control.

- Josh.
- How are you?

- Mike. Good to meet you.
- Mike. Fletcher.

- Welcome to Mission Control.
- And thank you, everybody,

for letting us interrupt
you for a few minutes.

...I really appreciate it.

Usually, you're only in here

if you did very well
in science class.

In my case, they're
making an exception,

to allow me to make
a very special phone call.

Thank you. We hear you
loud and clear.

We got a special guest here
at MCC: Mr. Josh Gates.

The first leg of my search

for the latest evidence
of extraterrestrial life

has led me to the place
where all roads lead

for space junkies like me:

NASA.

And, today, I'm overwhelmed
at the rare opportunity

to set foot on the floor
of Mission Control.

Here, a small army of engineers,
technicians, doctors,

and flight controllers
make sure that the 450-ton

International Space Station
above us stays that way.

They also look after the
station's resident astronauts.

We got a special guest
here at MCC: Mr. Josh Gates.

How are you enjoying your visit
to the Johnson Space Center?

I would say that my visit

is now fairly extraordinary.

That's station
commander Peggy Whitson,

who's logged more time in space
than any other American.

She's part of the six-person
crew orbiting the planet

at 17,000 miles an hour.

Mission Control monitors
every aspect of their flight,

from their position,
currently above Europe,

to their schedule. A clock notes

that they're due to go to sleep
in less than 3 hours.

Commander Whitson,
Colonel Fisher,

and Astronaut Pesquet,
I just wanna say

thanks, first of all,
for taking a moment

to chat with us.
It's a huge thrill.

Well, it's a huge
thrill for us, too.

This is officially
the second-coolest

phone call of my life.
It's edged out

only slightly by my
wife calling me to say

that we were having a baby,
but it's a close second.

Well, at least you got
your priorities straight.

One of the reasons I'm really
thrilled to talk with you

is that we're doing
a big program here

on space exploration,
so, I have to ask:

since you are literally living
and working in space,

what's your opinion,
do you think that,

somewhere out there
in the universe,

there is intelligent life?

Do you think that's possible?

I absolutely think
it has to be possible.

There just are so many planets,
so many galaxies,

and, yes, I think,
just by sheer number,

there has to be life out there.

I agree with you.
I certainly hope

that's the case.

These three astronauts,
combined,

have spent almost 3 years
in space.

That's 3 years in zero gravity,

eating specially designed food

and recycling every bit of air
and liquid on the station,

including their own waste.

You know, maybe a less
serious question:

what's the first thing
that you're gonna eat

when you get back to Earth?

Well actually, you know,
my favorite would be

to have a fresh salad with lots

of different vegetables
and fruit in the salad.

That, to me,
is an insane answer.

I would want a cheeseburger
or a pizza,

but that's real discipline,

the fact that what
you're craving is a salad.

I mean, you're up there drinking
your own urine, Commander,

for God's sake.

What's more is I'm
drinking their urine.

Oh, man!

Oh, man. All right.

I think, just sort of a last
serious question, you know,

it seems like one of the big
missions of NASA will, in time,

be to find ways
to colonize worlds

beyond Earth, eventually.

Why do you think
that's so important?

The drive to explore
and discover is what makes us

take each one of those
evolutionary steps

and I think, right now,
the space station

is building the infrastructure.

We have a huge rocket
in development.

We have all these things
getting ready

to just launch into the future

and to explore the unknown,

so, yes, I think colonization
and exploration are key,

if we're ever gonna evolve

and become more than
we are right now.

Very well put. Thank you.
And I would be

in serious trouble
if I didn't ask you to say hi

to my son, Owen.

Hi, Owen.

Thank you all so much.

We'll let you get back to it

and don't forget
to brush your teeth.

You gotta be in bed
in 2.5 hours, guys.

Sounds good.
You're doing good as a dad.

Already got the advice down.

Thanks very much. All the best.

As I hang up, the weight
of the moment,

where I'm standing, and who
I've been speaking with,

becomes overwhelming.

Okay. Ahem. - All right.

I have to go to the men's room
now and cry for a little bit.

To call what the men and women
do here a job is too limiting.

They're true explorers,
in the air and on the ground,

bravely charting humanity's
next steps into the unknown.

But the U.S. is far
from the only country

investigating life beyond Earth.

In other parts of the world,

some believe that life
is already here.

To investigate
the latest reports

of extraterrestrial evidence,
I'm gonna need to look south.

Way south.

Bienvenidos a Santiago.

Perhaps the most modern city
in South America,

its baroque, old buildings
are surrounded by modern towers,

spacious parks,
and a vibrant arts culture.

And, in this city's
central market,

there's no shortage
of fresh food.

Come on, fresh fish, people!

Here we go! - Whoo!

With 2,500 miles of coastline,

one thing Chileans
have plenty of is fish.

Gah! This lady's
throwing fish at me!

The people here
are warm and generous.

But the reason I'm here
is that they also see

a heck of a lot of UFOs,

more per capita
than any other country,

so many that the government
established an official agency

to investigate them.

The government founded the
agency known as CEFAA in 1997

to look into UFO claims

and to keep Chile's vast
airspace as clear as possible.

To see their latest evidence,
I've been invited to CEFAA

to meet with
Director Hugo Camus;

Communications Chief
Karen Navarro;

and the director of Chile's
civil aviation agency,

Ricardo Gutiérrez.

How many reports a year
are we talking about?

Last year, we had 85 cases.

- 85 cases?
- 85.

- Wow! In one year?
- In one year.

What percentage of those cases

are you able to
scientifically explain?

72 percent.

72 percent.
And in that 72 percent,

what are the explanations
that you've found?

Most sightings turn out
to be ordinary objects,

things like birds,
insects, weather balloons;

even other planets,
like Jupiter or Venus.

But CEFAA's most disturbing
case came across their radar,

so to speak, only recently.

They allowed me to view
the raw footage

of a government-certified
UFO sighting.

This footage was actually
captured by their own military.

This was given to us by the Navy

and was filmed
by the helicopter crew.

What is that?

That's the object?

That's the object, yeah.

What was the reaction
of the crew onboard?

They didn't know what it was.

And when they called
to air traffic control,

were there other aircraft
or helicopters in the area?

The object was
invisible to radar,

and the Navy's thermal video
shows it hovering in place.

But then, something
really strange happens.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What's it doing?

Wait. What? Is that...?

In the offices of CEFAA,

the Chilean government's
official agency

that investigates UFO sightings,

I'm being shown a recent video
taken by a Navy helicopter

that has the experts here
scratching their heads.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What's it doing?

Wait. What... is that?

What is it doing?!

It's moving and something's
coming out if it.

How long did this go on for?

Almost 4 minutes.

Almost 4 minutes. And then
what, vanishes?

Disappeared.

Disappeared.

- Yeah.
- Case is still open.

Yes.

The plume coming from the craft

doesn't match the normal
contrails left by a plane.

It totally stumped
the pilots who filmed it.

Have you ever seen anything
like that before, Hugo?

No.

No. - No.

No. No. No.

To investigate what may be
the most compelling UFO case

in years,
I'm heading to an airfield

where I'm meeting a researcher
attempting to crack the case.

Hey. How you doing, Josh?

Alberto. Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.
- You ready to go?

- Of course. Let's go.
- Let's do it.

Yeah, come on. Let's do it.

Alberto Solari has spent almost
a decade analyzing UFO reports.

Now, he's devised
an ingenious experiment

to explain the mysterious
Navy footage

by trying to recreate it.

CEFAA has accounted
for all planes

known to have been
flying in the area.

The object clearly doesn't move
like a fixed-wing aircraft,

so Alberto is taking
another approach.

To test his theory, Alberto has
arranged for a hot-air balloon

to run parallel
to our helicopter,

so we can film it with
the same thermal camera

used by the Navy pilots.

The hot-air balloon will
hopefully mimic the shape

and movement of the UFO.

Now, we're getting
our first look

at how close a match
the image really is.

First, the test balloon
will release bursts of hot gas

from its onboard propane system.

Venting now.

The pilot fires off the propane

while releasing some of
the hot air from the balloon.

The hot gas dissipates
into the surrounding air.

It barely registers
on the thermal camera.

A fire extinguisher emits a gas
that is both visible

and significantly colder
than the ambient air.

We're hoping it shows up
on the thermal.

I'm hovering in a helicopter
with researcher Alberto Solari,

attempting to replicate
a mysterious UFO video

captured by a military
chopper's thermal camera

near Santiago, Chile.

The UFO left a visible
plume in its wake.

We're about to try to make one
of our own, like this.

Alberto's experiment failed
to adequately explain

the UFO video.

Some alien enthusiasts
might consider that failure

to be a huge success.

To me, it just means
more questions.

I've never seen anything move
like the craft on that video.

But is it extraterrestrial?

That remains up for debate.

While Chile's government
continues to scan the sky

for signs of UFOs,

scientists are taking advantage

of the country's
unique landscape

to find other planets
capable of supporting life.

So I'm grabbing some wheels
and driving into one

of the most remote
and harsh climates on Earth:

the Atacama Desert.

There's a reason that
the Atacama looks so barren.

We're just cresting
over 14,000 feet.

That's about 2.6 Denvers
or, put another way,

it's only a few thousand feet
less than Everest Base Camp.

The desert is unforgiving

and, as I drive further
into the vast emptiness,

I don't wanna be caught
without somewhere

to stay for tonight.

Fortunately, there is
one place for me to stop.

It's been called
the stargazer's oasis.

Its real name is the ESO Hotel.

It may well be
the most exclusive

accommodations in the world.

- Hello.
- Checking in.

- Can I see your ID, please?
- Sure.

- And your PhD?
- Say what, now?

This hotel is not open
to the general public.

The only people permitted to
stay here are elite astronomers.

And in case you're wondering
if this place looks familiar,

that's probably
because James Bond

blew it to smithereens
in "Quantum of Solace."

But since they don't
serve booze at this altitude,

I won't be able to enjoy
Bond's signature martini.

Orange soda.

Shaken, not stirred.

That's a terrible Sean Connery.

So why put a resort
for astronomers

in the middle of the desert?

Because this is next door.

This is the Paranal Observatory,

the largest visible-light
telescope in the world.

It's over 8,000 feet up
and, since the closest city

is two hours in any direction,

there's nearly zero
light pollution.

This past February,
the scientists at Paranal

helped confirm the discovery
of a grouping of planets

in the TRAPPIST-1 system.

But the reason they made
international headlines

is that they just might
be able to support life.

To learn about this
sensational discovery,

I'm meeting with astronomer
Julien Girad.

Julien. - Hey.

- How are you?
- How are you, Josh?

- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, too.

This is extraordinary.

- Yeah.
- Tell me about this.

This is obviously
a telescope facility.

Yeah. The whole thing,
it's called

the Very Large Telescope.

It's called the
Very Large Telescope.

- Very Large Telescope.
- How did you come up with that?

- Ahhf... I mean,

you know, European astronomers
like these titles.

That's very to the point.

Optical telescopes,
like the ones here,

are basically huge, souped-up
versions of the little one

which I used to look
at the Moon in my backyard.

Lenses and mirrors focus light
from the stars for us to see.

Your organization was a part
of a major discovery recently.

Right. So this is like the
Goldilocks zone, right?

You're too close to the
Sun, the planet's too hot.

You're too far away,
it turns icy.

But if you're
in this sweet spot,

you could have water,
and if you have

liquid water,
you may potentially have...

So at this point, how many

of these exoplanets
have been discovered?

So how many stars
are in our galaxy?

And how many galaxies are there?

And so the total number
of stars is...?

Right. So right now,
there could be another

TV host interviewing
another astronomer

on another planet
talking about this planet?

But are they as handsome?
Really?

Right.

Is is possible to see
how these things work?

Really?

The action starts around here

when it gets dark,
so, before the sun drops,

Julien takes me for a walk
around the complex.

As we enter one of the four
massive buildings

that house the lenses
for the VLT,

I instantly redefine
my concept of very large.

Oh, my god.

Look at this thing!

This is insane.

This is, for sure,
the single-most complex

piece of equipment
I have ever seen.

As the Sun begins to set, the
scientists here jump into action

to prepare for
the night's stargazing.

Julien shows me some of
the images the VLT

has recently captured,
including a close-up

on a star that's basically
saying, "Cheese."

So that's the star in real time?

And how far away is that?

160 parsecs?

So it's, like,
13 times the Kessel Run.

It just so happens
that I've arrived in time

to witness a major test.

So you're gonna create
an artificial star

to be more in focus
on other objects.

The light coming from deep space

has to pass
through the turbulence

and pollution
of Earth's atmosphere.

The lasers can create
an artificial star

at the edge of space, which the
telescope can focus on.

Cancel out the interference,

and get a crystal-clear
look at distant stars.

Uh-huh. Okay.
So this is the test.

Is this the gentleman
running the test?

- Hello.
- Hi.

Okay. I see you have a helmet

and protective eyewear on.

Is this gonna work?

Hopefully. Okay.
Let's fire it up.

These aren't the lasers you find
at rock concerts and nightclubs.

If they malfunction,

they could blow this mountaintop
up like the Death Star.

Massive doors open,
the system buzzes to life,

and I have no idea
what to expect.

Then, it's showtime.

I'm in the main control room
of Chile's appropriately named

Very Large Telescope,

holding my breath
as they test a new mechanism,

which will either shoot
four giant lasers

56 miles into
the outer atmosphere,

or maybe blow us all up.

I'm not really sure.

- That is working.
- It works?

- Yes - It works.

- Perfect.
- Nice work.

Nice.

We just destroyed Alderaan.

There's a new star in the sky,
an artificial one.

The laser's humming properly,

and the telescope is able
to go to work for the night.

I have no doubt you're
gonna be finding

many more exoplanets, yes?

All right. Well, keep us posted.

Their telescope may be a little
bit bigger than mine at home,

and their backyard
is a lot darker,

but in all the important ways,

I know how Julien
and his team feel.

This is a place of curiosity,

of anticipation,
and of discovery.

I can't wait to see
what they find next.

Thanks so much for
letting us come in.

I really appreciate it.
This was really cool.

Make sure to get some sleep,
once in a while?

The dark skies
of the Atacama Desert

make it a perfect place
for seeing stars.

It also turns out to be
a hot spot for seeing UFOs.

Thousands of them have been
cataloged in this region,

more than anywhere
else on Earth,

so I'm meeting a researcher
deep in the desert

who's investigating
the latest sightings.

By the light of a campfire,

I find one of Chile's top
UFO researchers,

Rodrigo Fuenzalida;

and his research
assistant, Rocío.

- Rodrigo.
- Rodrigo.

- Buen gusto, Josué.
- Mucho gusto.

You're a hard man to find.

Yes, I'm a hard man to find.

This place is my office and I
am surrounded by what I love.

It's a nice office.

Okay, sí.

- It's a warm office, - Yes.

Which is much needed up here.

So, Rodrigo, I've read
that you are

a very well-known investigator

in the UFO space.

Over 20 years of experience.

We are here now to investigate

some recent sightings.
- Right here?

And we have some sightings
captured on video.

- Video?
- You want to see the video?

Yeah, I would love to see it.

Okay, what do we got here?

Is someone driving here?

Exactly. They're driving

and this object was
behind them, above the road.

It vanished and then reappeared
in front of them.

- And then, it's gone.
- Yes.

Wait. Hold on. Play that again.

What is that?

Rodrigo shows me some
of the most recent videos

that witnesses have sent him
from the Atacama,

some of which were filmed
near this very spot.

Okay, so it looks
like two lights.

Yes.

- And then split up.
- Sí, sí.

And then, they're gone.

And it's back.

That is weird.

After reviewing the videos,

Rodrigo agrees to allow us
to bring them back

to the U.S.
for forensic analysis,

but we're sitting
in a UFO hot spot

and he's anxious to go out
and investigate.

Do you think it's possible
we could see

what these people are seeing?

I'd love to. Let's
see what we can see.

- Okay. Vamos.
- Come on. Let's do it.

Rodrigo and Rocío
are ready to search.

To do that,
we need special gear.

It's pitch-black here,
so infrared lenses

and thermal units are deployed

to help pierce
through the darkness.

One of the things that can be
kind of frustrating

about filming at night like this
is that our camera guys

have these really cool
low-light specialty cameras,

but, when it comes to me,
I'm basically in the dark.

I mean, it is
pitch-black out here.

But, I did bring
a little toy tonight

to help level the playing field.

When I put these on,
it might look like

I'm about to go skiing, but this
is known as a BlazeTorch,

and you flip
this little guy down

and suddenly,
military-grade night vision.

Very cool.

Where were you when I was
looking for the Yeti?

This is awesome.

I mean, you can see
everything with these.

We walk for hours along ridges
that overlook

the vast starscape
of the Atacama Desert

and, like so many
people before us,

we suddenly begin to feel
as though we're not alone here.

Oh. That's funny.

Getting some weird
interference on this thing.

Superweird interference.

Rodrigo, right in here.

For some reason,
the goggles are getting

really weird interference.

Only when I look
right up in here.

It's like something
pulsed it right here.

Turns out I'm not the only one
with my gear on the fritz.

My cameraman Evan
is having his own issues.

My camera's just
freaking out right now.

- Why is it doing that?
- I don't know.

I was just filming normally.

It just started freaking out.

I'm totally plugged in.

Everything should be normal.
- I mean, look at this.

It's like full "Poltergeist."

What?

Can you see that?

I've literally never
seen it do that.

In the cold night
of Chile's Atacama Desert,

I'm looking for UFOs

with renowned investigator
Rodrigo Fuenzalida.

That's funny. Getting some weird
interference on this thing.

Now, my night vision
has malfunctioned

and my cameraman Evan appears
to be having similar problems.

My camera's just
freaking out right now.

I've literally never
seen it do that.

Is that a common thing
around here, Rodrigo?

I've seen this before.

In the past,
witnesses have experienced

electronic interference
while having an encounter.

Our technical difficulties
keep our attention

on earthly matters for a while.

Fortunately, I still have
one eye on the skies.

Oh, I got a light.
I got a light.

Guys, c'mere.
Seriously, bring a camera.

C'mere.

Up here.

C'mere. Get a camera over here.

I still see it.

Right in here.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk