NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
When astronaut Leroy Chao?s high-risk spacewalk is interrupted by bright lights flying past, it sparks a major investigation. Could alien life forms be to blame?
NASA's MISSION
IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.
THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW
THAN WE DO KNOW.
THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS,
IT LAUNCHES SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE
AND CRAFT BEYOND THE EDGE
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISKS IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERIES.
SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,
AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS
IN THE SHADOWS.
THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.
LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA
IN DEEP SPACE,
AND DANGER CLOSE TO HOME...
...NASA's MISSIONS
HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...
Okay, we're seeing
three or four objects.
Yeah, there are three objects.
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX
OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.
THESE ARE
"NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES."
NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 1
EP - 2 - Shadow Deathstar
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk
230 MILES ABOVE EARTH,
AN ASTRONAUT SEES SOMETHING
EXTRAORDINARY.
IT'S CLEARLY NOT
A NATURAL PHENOMENON.
HE SAID, "I SAW
SOME REALLY WEIRD STUFF
DOWN THERE FLYING PAST."
AT THIS POINT IN THE MISSION,
THIS IS KIND OF A SHOCK.
YOU'RE VERY AWARE, HYPER-AWARE,
WHEN YOU'RE DOING A SPACE WALK
'CAUSE YOU ARE IN
A PRETTY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
IT'S CHIAO'S FOURTH
AND FINAL TRIP INTO ORBIT.
IT'S EXCITING ON MANY LEVELS
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO
MESS UP YOUR LAST ONE, RIGHT?
THAT'S WHAT
THEY ALL REMEMBER YOU FOR.
COSMONAUT SALIZHAN SHARIPOV W
BOTH MEN'S LIVES DEPEND
ON AN INCH-WIDE TETHER
THAT KEEPS THEM
FROM DRIFTING OFF INTO SPACE.
IF TETHERS BECOME UNDONE,
THEN YOU'RE JUST GONNA FLOAT
AWAY FROM THE STATION
AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH CURTAINS.
ORBITING EARTH AT MORE
THAN 17,000 MILES PER HOUR,
CHIAO WAS COMPLETELY UNPREPARED
FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
SUDDENLY, I LOOK UP
AND I SEE THESE FIVE LIGHTS.
AND THEY SEEM TO FLY BY.
AND HE REPORTS,
"WOW, I'VE JUST HAD ECHELON
FORMATION OF FIVE LIGHTS."
AND THEY'RE FOUR IN A LINE.
BUT ONE OF THEM IS SLIGHTLY
OFF-SET FROM THE OTHERS.
MY HEART JUST KIND OF LEAPS UP
INTO MY THROAT.
AND THEY KIND OF GO FLYING BY,
YOU KNOW, BY THE STATION.
AND, YOU KNOW,
WHAT ARE THESE LIGHTS?
CHIAO IMMEDIATELY
CALLS MISSION CONTROL.
NASA ENGINEER JAMES OBERG
OBSERVED THE SPACE WALK.
WHEN YOU SEE
SOMETHING STRANGE IN SPACE,
THE POSSIBILITY ALWAYS IS
THAT IT CAN BITE YOU.
YOUR LIFE MIGHT BE ON THE LINE.
I CALLED TO SALIZHAN,
MY CREW MATE.
I SAID, "SALIZHAN,
DO YOU SEE THOSE LIGHTS?
DO YOU SEE THEM FLYING BY?"
BUT THE RUSSIAN
IS FACING AWAY FROM THE LIGHTS
AND SEES NOTHING.
EVEN THE SPACE STATION'S
ONBOARD CAMERAS MISS THE ACTION.
BUT THE INCIDENT
DOES TRIGGER THE CURIOSITY
OF FORMER NASA ENGINEER,
JAMES SMITH.
HE DIGS OUT SATELLITE IMAGES
FROM AROUND THE TIME
OF CHIAO'S ENCOUNTER.
AND SURE ENOUGH,
HE FINDS A PICTURE
THAT SHOWS FOUR OR FIVE LIGHTS
IN A ROW
IN THE AREA THAT CHIAO HAD FLOWN
OVER A FEW HOURS EARLIER.
THE IMAGE CONFIRMS
CHIAO'S STORY.
SO, WHAT DID HE ACTUALLY SEE?
SMITH BEGINS TO SEARCH THROUGH
RECORDS OF SATELLITE PATHS
AND EVEN OF
MILITARY AIR FORCE EXERCISES.
BUT HE FINDS NOTHING.
SMITH THEN TURNS HIS ATTENTION
TO GROUND-BASED ACTIVITIES.
IN THE WATERS OFF SOUTH AMERICA,
COMMERCIAL FISHING FLEETS
USE HUGE ARRAYS OF LIGHTS
TO FISH AT NIGHT.
SMITH WONDERS WHETHER THESE WERE
THE LIGHTS SEEN BY CHIAO.
THEY CATCH CUTTLEFISH
AND OTHER KINDS OF SQUID
BY ATTRACTING THEM
THROUGH IMMENSELY BRIGHT LIGHTS
THEY HANG OUT OVER THE WATER.
THEY ARE VISIBLE
FROM OUTER SPACE.
AND SO, THEY WERE DEPLOYED
IN A LINE UP THE COAST,
AND THAT'S WHY... AND IT WAS
THE ROTATION OF THE EARTH
THAT MADE IT APPEAR
THAT THEY WERE FLYING.
CHIAO ACCEPTS SMITH'S THEORY,
BUT HE ALSO DOESN'T DISMISS
THE POSSIBILITY
OF FUTURE CONTACT
WITH ALIEN LIFE FORMS.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE'S
OTHER LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.
BUT WHAT I DOUBT IS,
I DON'T THINK
WE'VE FOUND EACH OTHER YET.
HOW FAR INTO SPACE
WILL MANKIND TRAVEL
BEFORE ENCOUNTERING ALIEN LIFE?
NEW DISCOVERIES SUGGEST
EXTRATERRESTRIALS MAY BE CLOSER
THAN WE THINK.
LESS THAN HALF A BILLION MILES
FROM EARTH,
COULD CREATURES BE LIVING
ON AN ICY WORLD
SCARRED RED BY MYSTERIOUS,
BLOODY LINES?
HABITATS ON EUROPA
COULD BE THE SAME
AS HABITATS WE SEE ON EARTH.
SMALL MOONS
SEEM TO BE WHERE IT'S AT.
Bulk was released. We got all
1995.
Galileo is on its way
to another world.
Fly safe.
THE GALILEO PROBE
EXPLORES JUPITER.
BUT THE GAS GIANT
IS NOT NASA's SOLE TARGET.
GALILEO IS ALSO INVESTIGATING
THE PLANET'S MOONS,
ESPECIALLY
THE ONE CALLED EUROPA.
BLOOD-RED VEINS CRISSCROSS
THE MOON'S ICY SURFACE.
SOME BEAR AN UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE
TO FREEWAYS ON EARTH.
OTHERS ARE CHILLINGLY SIMILAR
TO THE MARTIAN RED WEED
CHOKING EARTH
IN H.G. WELLS'
"WAR OF THE WORLDS."
SCIENTISTS ATTEMPTING TO EXPLAIN
THE BLOOD-COLORED STRIPES
REMAIN UNSURE.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT
THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT ON EUROPA.
2001.
NASA SCIENTIST BRAD DALTON
TAKES A SHOT
AT EUROPA'S RED-LINE RIDDLE.
THEY HAVE
THIS STRANGE REDDISH TINT
THAT LOOKS LIKE OF LIKE RUST,
BUT ALSO IT LOOKS A LOT
LIKE SOME KIND OF SLIME.
IT OCCURRED TO ME, CERTAINLY,
WE'VE SEEN ALL KINDS OF FORMS
OF LIFE
THAT HAVE THAT REDDISH-BROWN
PIGMENTATION
HERE ON EARTH.
SO WHY COULDN'T
SOME MICROBES OUT THERE
BE PROVIDING THIS COLORATION?
DALTON MEASURES
INFRARED CHEMICAL SIGNATURES
FROM EUROPA'S LUNAR LESIONS
AND COMPARES THEM WITH SAMPLES
OF LIFE LIVING IN GEYSERS
AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
A POSITIVE RESULT WOULD SUGGEST
WE'VE FOUND LIFE
ON ANOTHER WORLD.
WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT,
THE INFRARED PART,
WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING
AT FROM THE GALILEO SPACECRAFT,
MATCHED UP ALMOST PERFECTLY.
THE FEATURES WE SAW ON EUROPA
COULD BE EXPLAINED BY LIFE.
IT WAS ALMOST SCARY
HOW WELL IT MATCHED.
BUT NOT EVERYONE
AGREES WITH DALTON'S ANALYSIS.
THE FACT
THAT THE STREAKS ARE RED MEANS
THAT THEY'VE GOT A PARTICULAR
KIND OF CHEMICAL IN THEM.
AND THE SPECULATION IS
THAT IT'S PROBABLY SULFUR
THAT'S CONTRIBUTING
TO THE REDNESS OF THOSE STREAKS.
TO PROVE DALTON RIGHT,
NASA MUST FIND
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE
IN THE MOON'S SLIMY CRACKS.
THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING
FOR THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL...
LIQUID WATER.
IF YOU FIND WATER,
THAT'S KIND OF THE FIRST STEP
IN SAYING,
"WELL, THERE'S A CHANCE
THAT THERE COULD BE LIFE HERE."
INCREDIBLY, NASA's DATA
FROM TWO DECADES OF OBS
SUGGEST THAT A HUGE WATER OCEAN
FLOWS BENEATH
THE MOON'S ICY CRUST.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD
HAVE EXPECTED TO
ON AN ICY SATELLITE OF JUPITER.
THAT OCEAN OF LIQUID WATER
IS MORE LIQUID WATER
THAN THERE IS ON THE EARTH.
IN 2013, MORE EVIDENCE EMERGES
WHEN NASA's HUBBLE TELESCOPE
SPOTS WATER
GUSHING OUT OF EUROPA'S GEYSERS.
THAT WATER'S BEEN SITTING THERE
FOR 4 BILLION YEARS.
COULD IT HAVE COOKED UP
SOME LIFE?
YES, IT COULD HAVE.
THE CONDITIONS ON EUROPA
COULD NEVER SUPPORT HUMAN L
BUT NASA's CHRIS McKAY
DOESN'T NEED TO TRAVEL FAR
TO FIND CREATURES
THAT MIGHT THRIVE THERE.
EXTREMOPHILES LIVE
IN SOME OF EARTH'S
MOST INTENSE ENVIRONMENTS.
EXTREMOPHILES ARE ORGANISMS
THAT LIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS
THAT WE HUMANS
WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE IN,
THAT WE WOULD FIND EXTREME.
EXTREMOPHILES CAN EVEN
AFFECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
THEY TURN SALT GREEN.
AND LIKE CRACKS ON EUROPA,
CREATE BLOODY RED SCARS.
SO, LIFE ON EUROPA
COULD, INDEED,
LOOK LIKE WHAT WE SEE
IN THESE PLACES ON EARTH.
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE
FOR LIFE TO EXIST
ON EUROPA'S SURFACE.
BUT THE MOON'S OCEANS ARE A
BETTER PLACE FOR LIFE TO THRIVE.
ONCE YOU'RE
IN THAT OCEAN, IT'S DARK.
EVERY DAY,
IT'S JUST PITCH BLACK.
NO PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND,
THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE
WHAT ARE CALLED DEEP SEA VENTS.
THEY'RE JUST SORT OF CRACKS
IN THE BOTTOMS OF THE OCEAN
WHERE A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT
COMES OUT.
AND IT TURNS OUT,
THERE ARE LIFE FORMS
THAT LIVE OFF THAT HEAT,
THAT CHEMISTRY,
HERE ON EARTH, VERY SIMILAR
TO THE KIND OF LIFE
THAT COULD EXIST
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEANS
OF EUROPA.
THERE'S ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT
THAT WE CAN DO BY LOOKING.
AND I THINK THE NEXT STEP
IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE
SENDING SOMETHING TO GO THERE,
DIG AROUND
DOWN THROUGH THE CRUST
AND GO INTO THE WATER ITSELF.
COMING UP...
NASA SPOTS A DEATH STAR
SIPHONING OFF THE SUN.
SO, OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
UNINVITED GUESTS
CRASH THE APOLLO 16 PARTY.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
AND A MYSTERIOUS DARK SHAPE
APPROACHES
THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
I SAID,
"HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW."
240,000 MILES FROM HOME,
TWO OFF-ROADING ASTRONAUTS
EXPAND THE FRONTIERS
OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
Hey, John.
This is perfect... with the...
And the Rover and you
and stone mountain.
THE EVIDENCE THEY BRING BACK
LEADS TO A MYSTERY
THAT SPANS
MORE THAN THREE DECADES.
THIS IS A SAUCER-SHAPED OBJECT
WITH A DOME ON TOP.
ANYONE THAT TELLS ME
THAT THEY CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
APRIL 21, 1972.
36-YEAR-OLD ASTRONAUT
CHARLES DUKE
IS ABOUT TO BECOME
THE YOUNGEST MAN
TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.
AND I LOOK UP
AT THIS ENORMOUS SATURN ROCKET.
AND IT'S FULLY FUELED,
AND IT'S AN EERIE FEELING
BECAUSE IT SEEMS
LIKE IT'S ALIVE.
THE MISSION...
TO BRING BACK ROCKS
FROM PREVIOUSLY UNEXPLORED
LUNAR TERRITORY.
WHAT DUKE DOESN'T KNOW IS
THAT HE'S ABOUT TO BRING BACK
MORE THAN JUST
GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES.
Pretty fast. Contact. Stop.
TOGETHER WITH
MISSION COMMANDER JOHN YOUNG,
DUKE TOUCHES DOWN IN THE MOON'S
SOUTHEAST QUADRANT.
THE MISSIONS
HAVE REALLY SHIFTED OVER
TO A SIGNIFICANT
SCIENTIFIC EMPHASIS HERE.
WE'RE REALLY OPERATING NOW
WITH THE LUNAR ROVER,
WE'RE EXTENDING FURTHER OUT.
As you come around there,
there's a rock in the near field
on this rim
That has some white
on the top of it.
We'd like you to pick it up
as a grab sample.
This one right here?
That's it.
You got it right there.
THREE DAYS LATER,
WITH 200 POUNDS OF MOON ROCKS
SAFELY STOWED,
IT'S TIME FOR HOME.
What a ride. What a ride.
DUKE GUIDES THE LUNAR MODULE
TO THE RENDEZVOUS
WITH THE COMMAND MODULE FLOATING
IN LUNAR ORBIT.
BEFORE SETTING OFF FOR EARTH,
THEY RETRIEVE FILM CANISTERS
FROM CAMERAS
OUTSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT.
A TEXTBOOK SPLASHDOWN
APPEARS TO MARK THE END
OF A PERFECT MISSION.
BUT WHEN THE FILM IS PROCESSED,
THE IMAGES SUGGEST APOLLO 16
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALONE.
THERE'S SOMETHING
IN ONE OF THE IMAGES.
WHAT IS IT?
THAT'S THE QUESTION
EVERYBODY'S ASKING.
THE ONLY THING
EVERYONE AGREES ON
IS THIS IS JUST ABOUT
AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET
TO THE KIND OF FLYING SAUCER
THAT YOU SEE
IN A HOLLYWOOD SCI-FI MOVIE.
BUT WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS REVIEW
THEY DON'T BUY
THE UFO EXPLANATION.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO HAVE TAKEN THAT
AND HAD THERE BEEN
AN ACTUAL OBJECT OUT THERE
NOT TO HAVE SEEN IT.
I'M LOOKING
AT WHAT THE CAMERA'S SEEING,
AND I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE SEEN
AN OBJECT THAT WAS REAL
THAT WAS THAT BIG.
NASA's JIM OBERG CONCLUDES
THAT THIS SEEMINGLY SOLID OBJECT
MUST BE A PHOTO OF EARTH
AS SEEN FROM THE MOON.
THE TROUBLE IS,
THE EARTH IS IN THE WRONG PLACE.
SOME UFO BUFF CHECKED OUT
THE MOON'S POSITION
AND FOUND OUT IT COULDN'T
HAVE BEEN THE EARTH,
THAT THAT IDENTIFICATION WAS
WRONG AND I HAD BEEN MISTAKEN.
THE MYSTERY REMAINS UNSOLVED
UNTIL 2004,
WHEN ADVANCES IN IMAGE ANALYSIS
RESURRECT NASA's INVESTIGATION.
32 YEARS AFTER THIS SIGHTING,
NASA BOOSTS THE IMAGE RESOLUTION
AND COMBINES
SEVERAL DIFFERENT FRAMES.
THE NEW TECHNIQUES
REVEAL SOMETHING UNSEEN
IN PREVIOUS IMAGES...
A STRUT THAT APPEARS TO CONNECT
THE FLYING SAUCER
TO THE COMMAND MODULE.
AFTER THREE DECADES
OF SPECULATION,
THE SIGHTING CAN BE EXPLAINED.
THE OBJECT, IN REALITY,
WAS THE COMMAND MODULE
SPACE WALK FLOODLIGHT.
JUST THE SAME AS
ANY WORK SITE HERE IN AMERICA,
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE OPERATING
AT NIGHT,
YOU'RE GONNA NEED FLOODLIGHTS.
SO, THEY NEEDED A FLOODLIGHT
TO BE ABLE TO SEE
WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
THE 30-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY SEEMS
THIS FLYING SAUCER, AT LEAST,
TURNS OUT TO BE A FANTASY.
STILL TO COME...
AN ANCIENT METEORITE BRINGS
WORM-LIKE ENTITIES TO EARTH.
THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV
AND SAYS,
"IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
AND A MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL
SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT.
IT SEEMED TO HIT IT.
MAYBE THAT'S
WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
ERUPTING FROM THE EASTERN SKY,
A FIREBALL STREAKS
ACROSS RUSSIAN AIR SPACE
AND APPEARS TO BLOW APART.
SOMETHING IS DIRECTED
TOWARDS THE OBJECT.
MAYBE THAT'S
WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
DID THE COLD WAR JUST RE-IGNITE?
FRIDAY MORNING IN CHELYABINSK,
AN INDUSTRIAL CITY
IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA.
COMMUTERS, SCHOOLCHILDREN,
OFFICE WORKERS,
SETTLE IN FOR THE DAY AHEAD.
9:20 A.M.
A STRANGE, BLINDING LIGHT
CASTS A SHADOW ACROSS THE CITY,
BRINGING PEOPLE
OUT ONTO THE STREETS.
THE LIGHT SUDDENLY DISAPPEARS.
LOOKING TO THE SKY,
ASTONISHED RESIDENTS FILM
A VAST VAPOR TRAIL OVERHEAD.
MINUTES LATER...
...AN EXPLOSION ROCKS THE CITY.
SCIENTISTS RECORD A BLAST
25 TIMES LARGER THAN NAGASAKI.
WINDOWS SHATTER
AND PEOPLE FLY OFF THEIR FEET.
THE CITY'S SHATTERED RESIDENTS
TRY TO MAKE SENSE
OF THIS AERIAL BOMBARDMENT.
RUMORS OF A HOSTILE ACT AGAINST
RUSSIA FLOOD THE INTERNET.
POLITICIAN VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY
EVEN ACCUSES THE U.S.
OF INVOLVEMENT
IN THE STRIKE ON THE CITY.
IN MOSCOW,
NASA SCIENTIST SLAVA TURYSHEV
SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS.
THERE ARE
MANY CONFLICTING REPORTS.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ANXIETY
WHETHER OR NOT
IT'S A SINGLE EVENT
OR MAYBE THERE WILL BE
OTHER EVENTS.
WHILE NASA RUSHES TO DISCOVER
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.
THE DAYS THAT FOLLOW
THIS SENSATIONAL EVENT,
WORD BEGINS TO SPREAD.
MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE
GOING ON.
THERE ARE NEWS FEEDS
THAT SEEM TO INDICATE
THAT AS THIS THING
IS ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE
AS A GLOWING FIREBALL,
THAT SOMETHING IS DIRECTED
TOWARDS THE OBJECT...
POSSIBLY STOPPING IT,
POSSIBLY BREAKING IT UP.
PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
"YEAH, SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT
AND SEEMED TO HIT IT."
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT
TO EXPLODE.
IMAGES OF
THE FIREBALL'S STRANGE COLLISION
CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION.
BUT WHEN NASA STUDIES
THE ENTIRE EVENT,
BUILDING
A MOMENT-BY-MOMENT TIMELINE
FROM DOZENS
OF DIFFERENT CAMERAS,
THEY SEE A DIFFERENT PHENOMENON.
THE PEOPLE OF CHELYABINSK
WITNESSES
A METEOR DISINTEGRATING
AS IT SMASHED
THROUGH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
AS THIS OBJECT COMES
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,
PIECES ARE BREAKING APART.
YOU SEE STUFF FLYING
IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
IT'S VERY EASY
TO GET A PERCEPTION
OF SOMETHING VERY ODD.
AFTER ALL, THIS IS
AN INCREDIBLY RARE EVENT.
THE FIREBALL'S INTERCEPTOR
IS REALLY A FRAGMENT
OF THE METEOR
KEEPING PACE WITH THE FIREBALL.
BUT NASA's EXPLANATION
DOESN'T SATISFY
THE CITIZENS OF CHELYABINSK,
WHO ARE LEFT
WITH A DEVASTATED CITY.
WHILE SEARCHING
FOR AN IMPACT CRATER
THAT MATCHES
THE EXPLOSIVE SHOCKWAVE,
THEY FIND NOTHING BIGGER
THAN A SWIMMING POOL.
THE IDEA THAT WHATEVER CREATED
THE TINY IMPACTS
COULD ALSO TOPPLE A CITY
SEEMS LAUGHABLE.
BUT ACCORDING
TO PROFESSOR LAURENCE GARVIE,
AN EXPERT IN METEORITES,
THE DESTRUCTION IN CHELYABINSK
COULD BE EXPLAINED
BY THE PHYSICS
OF A LARGE, FAST-MOVING OBJECT
STREAKING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING, FIRST,
WITH THE CHELYABINSK METEOR
IS ITS VISUAL EFFECT.
IT'S COMING IN.
IT'S BREAKING UP.
WE'RE NOT HEARING ANYTHING
'CAUSE THE LIGHT IS TRAVELING
TO US ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
WE CAN SEE IT IMMEDIATELY.
BUT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT,
WE'RE UNAWARE THAT TRAVELING
TOWARDS US AT THE SPEED OF SOUND
IS THE SHOCKWAVE.
AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FIST
PUNCHING A WINDOW REALLY HARD...
...BUT PUNCHING
EVERY SINGLE WINDOW IN THE TOWN
AT THE SAME TIME.
THE ENERGY RELEASED
AS THE SUPERSONIC ROCK
DISINTEGRATED ABOVE THE CITY
EXPLAINS
THE DESTRUCTIVE SHOCKWAVE.
BUT THE DEVASTATION
COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE.
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
SHIELDED CHELYABINSK
AGAINST THE METEORITE'S
FULL POTENTIAL.
NASA CALCULATIONS SUGGEST
THAT OUR NATURAL DEFENSES
ONLY WORKED
BECAUSE THE METEOR WAS MADE
OF RELATIVELY SOFT ROCK.
HAD THE 60-FOOT-WIDE METEOR
BEEN MADE OF METAL INSTEAD,
IT COULD HAVE RELEASED
THE ENERGY OF 60 NAGASAKIS.
HERE IN ARIZONA,
WE HAVE THE PERFECT EXAMPLE
OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A 45-METER HILL
HERE IS ACTUALLY THE EDGE,
THE RIM
OF THIS SPECTACULAR CRATER.
THIS GIVES YOU SOME SENSE
OF WHAT A LARGE METEOR IMPACT
WOULD DO.
THERE ARE MORE
THAN 80,000 METALLIC ASTEROIDS
FLOATING NEAR US IN SPACE.
SOME OF THEM MAY EVEN BE HEADING
OUR WAY RIGHT NOW.
NEXT..."STAR WARS"
COMES TO A SUN NEAR YOU.
SO OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
SOMETHING HAS INVADED
THE SPACE CLOSE TO THE SUN.
IT LOOKED LIKE SPACESHIPS.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS
10 TIMES BIGGER THAN THE EA
IMAGINE THE RESOURCES NEEDED
TO BUILD A SPACESHIP
LARGER THAN A PLANET.
IN MARCH 2012,
ASTRONOMERS MONITORING IMAGES
FROM A SOLAR TELESCOPE
IN EARTH'S ORBIT
SEE SOMETHING OMINOUS
JUST TO THE WEST
OF THE SUN'S SOUTH POLE.
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?
IT'S DARTH VADER'S BIG VEHICLE,
OF COURSE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEATH STAR
FROM "STAR WARS."
OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
PLANET-SIZED TENDRILS APPEAR
TO CONNECT THE GLOBE OF
TO THE SUN'S SURFACE.
THIS CONNECTION
FUELS SPECULATION
THAT THE SINISTER SPHERE'S
PRESENCE NEAR OUR STAR
IS NO COINCIDENCE.
WHY WOULD ANYBODY VISIT THE SUN?
WELL, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE
TO REFUEL.
THE SUN BURNS HYDROGEN,
THE PERFECT FUEL FOR A S
COULD SPACESHIPS BE REFUELING
BY GETTING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE
TO STARS
AND SAPPING UP THAT ENERGY
AND THAT'S WHAT'S FUELING THEM
THROUGH SPACE?
THAT IMAGE CERTAINLY RAISES
THAT POSSIBILITY.
THE SUN PUTS OUT
MORE POWER IN A SECOND
THAN HUMANITY HAS USED
IN ALL OF HISTORY.
BUT THE
3-MILLION-DEGREE TEMPERATURES
IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE
WOULD DESTROY
ANY HUMAN TECHNOLOGY.
WE CAN'T USE THE SUN
FOR A SPACECRAFT.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN SOME
VERY ADVANCED ALIEN RACE CAN'T.
IT WOULD REQUIRE SOME
MASSIVE ENGINEERING ADVANCES.
YOU DON'T WANT THE SPACECRAFT
TO VAPORIZE.
IT'S NOT INSANE TO THINK
THERE IS AN UNOBTANIUM
THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE
TO BUILD A DEATH STAR
THAT CAN ROLL
RIGHT INTO A STAR TO REFUEL.
ALL IT IS, IS A MATTER OF BEING
ABLE TO HANDLE THE HEAT.
ONCE THE DEATH STAR'S
FUEL TANK IS FILLED,
THE COLOSSAL NOZZLE DETACHES
AND THE CRAFT ZOOMS OFF
TO WREAK MAYHEM
ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE IDEA...
TOO INCREDIBLE FOR NASA,
WHO COME UP
WITH THEIR OWN EXPLANATION
FOR THE BLACK ORB
INVOLVING EQUALLY ASTONISHING
NON-ALIEN PHENOMENA.
WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROMINENCE
IT'S THE MAGNETIC BUBBLE THAT
LOOKS LIKE A BIG DEATH STAR.
THE TENDRILS ARE PROMINENCES,
CLINGING TO THE EDGE
OF THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE.
THE DEATH STAR ITSELF
IS A SOLAR MAGNETIC BUBBLE
THE SIZE OF JUPITER,
FULL OF SUPER-HOT PLASMA.
THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE BALL
IN PLACE IS A MAGNETIC FIELD,
WHICH CAN SHIFT AT ANY MOMENT.
EVENTUALLY, THEY ERUPT,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING
AT THE END,
THIS ERUPTION OFF INTO SPACE.
SO, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T SEE IT
HERE ON EARTH,
THERE ARE THESE HUGE EXPLOSIONS
GOING ON IN THE SUN
ALL THE TIME.
EVEN IF THE NASA FOOTAGE HA
A PLANET-DESTROYING DEATH STAR,
OUR SUN
IS STILL A VERY REAL THREAT
TO CIVILIZATION ON EARTH.
THE ERUPTION SEEN HERE
IS A CORONAL MASS EJECTION.
IT RELEASES
1,000 TIMES MORE ENERGY
THAN THE DEATH STAR BUBBLE.
IF WE TAKE A HIT
FROM ONE OF THESE,
IT CAN WREAK HAVOC ON EARTH.
THESE THINGS
CAN KNOCK OUT SATELLITES.
ELECTRONICS WON'T FUNCTION.
IT HAS EFFECTS
ON COMMUNICATIONS,
IT HAS EFFECTS ON THE POWER
GRIDS AND POWER DISTRIBUTION.
EVEN WORSE, WILD
VARIATIONS IN SOLAR ACTIVITY
CAN PUSH THE EARTH
INTO PROLONGED ICE AGES
OR COVER THE PLANET
WITH SWELTERING JUNGLES
AND BURNING DESERTS.
THE SUN,
IT'S THE BIG GUY ON THE BLOCK.
AND WE HAVE, IN THE PAST,
IGNORED IT AT OUR PERIL.
UP NEXT...
TELEPATHY IN SPACE.
HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN
SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH.
AND A VISITOR
FROM ANOTHER WORLD.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED
ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
ASTRONAUTS OFTEN SEE THINGS
THEIR INSTRUMENTS DON'T PICK
SUDDENLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE,
LIKE, AN EXPLOSION
IN MY RIGHT EYE.
THEN THEY LOOK LIKE A STREAK.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
THE PHENOMENON PROMPTS
A SERIES OF SECRET EXPERIMENTS.
COULD THE EXPLANATION
BE OUT OF THIS WORLD?
THEY ARE COMMUNICATING
TELEPATHICALLY
WITH THE ASTRONAUTS.
IN 1969,
THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON
RETURNED TO A HEROES' WELCOME.
DURING THE DEBRIEF,
BUZZ ALDRIN RISKS BEING GROUNDED
WHEN HE TALKS
ABOUT FLASHES OF LIGHT
INSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT'S CABIN.
FOUR MONTHS LATER,
DURING THE APOLLO 12 MISSION
ALAN BEAN EXPERIENCES
A DIFFERENT, STRANGE ENCOUNTER.
THE FIRST TIME I SAW THEM,
I WAS ON THE BACKSIDE
OF THE MOON
AND I WAS LOOKING DOWN
AT A CRATER,
AND I SAW A FLASH.
AND I THOUGHT,
"DID I REALLY SEE A FLASH?
THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON
DOWN THERE."
STRANGE LIGHTS
BECOME A REGULAR FEATURE
OF THE APOLLO MISSION LOGS.
BIZARRELY,
THEY APPEAR MORE OFTEN
ON THE WAY TO THE MOON
THAN ON THE WAY BACK.
IT'S LIKE FOURTH OF JULY.
THEY STREAK.
THEY'RE FIREWORKS.
SOMETHING IS HAPPENING
TO NASA's ASTRONAUTS.
WITH NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE
AVAILABLE,
ASTRONAUTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE
ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.
LUNAR MODULE PILOT ED MITCHELL
BELIEVES THAT OUTER SPACE
MAY BE THE PERFECT MEDIUM
FOR TELEPATHY.
WITHOUT NASA's KNOWLEDGE,
HE CONDUCTS HIS OWN EXPERIMENT.
EDGAR MITCHELL DECIDES
TO CONDUCT SOME ESP EXPERIMENTS.
IN SPACE, HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN
SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH
AND VICE VERSA.
BUT MITCHELL'S EFFORTS
LEAD NOWHERE.
THESE FLASHES HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH TELEPATHY.
NASA EVENTUALLY DECIDES TO
DIRECTLY INVESTIGATE THE LIGHTS.
A SERIES OF ASTRONAUTS
WEAR SPECIAL GOGGLES
THAT RECORD PARTICLES
NORMALLY INVISIBLE
TO THE HUMAN EYE
AND REPORT
WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE A FLASH.
WE PUT ON NIGHT GOGGLES,
AND THEN WE SAT THERE.
AND THEN MAYBE EVERY MINUTE
OR LESS,
ALL OF A SUDDEN
THERE'D BE MAYBE A BURST.
WE DESCRIBED IT.
SHEW!
THEY ARE GOING BY
AT AN OUTRAGEOUS SPEED.
PSHEW!
GOLLY.
THE GOGGLES RECORD THE FLASHES
EXACTLY AS THE ASTRONAUTS
DESCRIBE THEM.
SO WHAT ARE THEY?
NASA's OFFICIAL EXPLANATION IS
THAT THE LIGHTS ARE COSMIC RAYS,
HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES
RIPPING THROUGH SPACE
NEAR THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
BOMBARDING THE ASTRONAUTS
AND THEIR CRAFT.
BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN.
EVEN NOW, NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN
WHY ASTRONAUTS
SEE MORE STRANGE LIGHTS
WHILE MOVING AWAY FROM EARTH.
FOR NOW,
IT REMAINS A COSMIC MYSTERY.
WITH MILLIONS OF GALAXIES
AND BILLIONS OF STARS,
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE,
ALIEN LIFE MUST EXIST.
BUT WHAT IF EXTRATERRESTRIALS
ARE ALREADY HERE?
MARTIAN HORDES
INVADE THE EARTH...
...BRINGING DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION.
"WAR OF THE WORLDS"
MADE US RE-THINK
OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
IT HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY STARTED TO THINK,
"WE MIGHT NOT BE ALONE."
WE HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED
WITH THE POSSIBILITY
OF LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.
ONCE WE START DISCOVERING LIFE
IN PLACES LIKE MARS,
THAT MEANS THAT INHOSPITABLE
PLANETS CAN ACTUALLY HOST LIFE.
AND THAT REALLY OPENS UP
THE UNIVERSE TO US.
INVADERS FROM MARS.
DOES NASA HAVE EVIDENCE
THAT INVADERS FROM MARS HAVE
ALREADY LANDED ON PLANET EARTH?
GEE WHIZ!
ANTARCTICA.
MINUS 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
A HARDENED TEAM TREK
ACROSS THE FROZEN WASTELAND,
SEARCHING FOR INTRUDERS
FROM OUTER SPACE.
THE U.S. RUNS EXPEDITIONS
EVERY YEAR DOWN TO ANTARCTICA
TO LOOK FOR METEORITES.
MOSTLY BLACK ROCKS SITTING
ON EITHER THE WHITE SNOW
OR THE BLUE ICE.
IN THE ALLAN HILLS,
EXPEDITION MEMBER SCOTT
SANFORD IS DRAWN
TO ONE VERY STRANGE LUMP
OF ROCK.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED
ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
THE TEAM HAVE NEVER SEEN
THEY TAG IT, BAG IT, AND SEND IT
TO NASA FOR ANALYSIS.
THE METEORITE IS LOGGED
AS 84001.
84 FOR THE YEAR
AND 01 BECAUSE IT WAS
THE FIRST ONE THEY OPENED UP
OUT OF THE PACKAGE TO LOOK AT.
THIS METEORITE
IS LIKE A LITTLE BOOK.
YOU KNOW, YOU OPEN IT UP
AND WE, AS SCIENTISTS,
ARE READING THAT BOOK
BY LOOKING AT THE CHEMISTRY
AND THE STRUCTURE
AND THE ISOTOPES
AND UNDERSTANDING
ITS EARLY HISTORY.
THE ROCK IS OLD... VERY OLD...
AND IT LOOKS DIFFERENT
BECAUSE IT'S NOT OF THIS WORLD.
WHAT THEY HAVE IN FRONT OF THEM
IS AN ANCIENT PIECE
OF MARTIAN ROCK,
A TIME CAPSULE
FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
THE METEORITE,
ALLAN HILLS 84001,
IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING
AS ONE OF THE OLDEST METEORITES
THAT WE'VE EVER UNCOVERED
FROM MARS,
DATING BACK TO A PERIOD ON MARS
WHEN THERE WAS WATER.
16 MILLION YEARS AGO,
A MASSIVE METEORITE SMASHES
INTO ANCIENT MARS.
IF WE HAVE
A LARGE ENOUGH IMPACT ON MARS,
THE IMPACT ITSELF
WILL EJECT MATERIAL
FROM THE SURFACE OF MARS
BACK OUT INTO SPACE.
PLANETARY DEBRIS
SPIRALS INTO SPACE
AND CRASH LANDS ON EARTH.
NOW THIS FIVE-POUND
CHUNK OF ROCK
HAS BECOME A WINDOW INTO A TIME
WHEN MARS HAD OCEANS
JUST LIKE EARTH.
BUT ASTONISHINGLY,
NASA HALTS THEIR STUDY,
LOCKING THE ROCK AWAY.
ITS SECRETS REMAIN HIDDEN...
UNTIL NINE YEARS LATER
WHEN ANOTHER RESEARCH TEAM
DECIDES TO REVISIT IT.
SO, HERE'S A ROCK
THAT'S BEEN SITTING THERE,
LYING PRETTY MUCH UN-STUDIED
FOR A DECADE.
AND SUDDENLY PEOPLE REALIZE
THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS
STONE.
BELIEVING THAT ITS COMPOSITION
MIGHT HELP EXPLAIN
HOW MARS FORMED,
THE TEAM SPLITS THE ROCK OPEN.
THEY FIND SOMETHING
TRULY ASTONISHING.
CONCEALED IN THE ROCK
IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE FOSSILIZED REMAINS
OF A WEIRD, WORM-LIKE CREATURE,
EVIDENCE OF AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
THAT TRAVELED FROM MARS
TO EARTH.
THIS IS
THE FIRST CREDIBLE EVIDENCE
OF POSSIBLE LIFE FROM SPACE.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN SPECULATING
ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS.
BUT HERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE
SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET
THAT LOOKS
LIKE IT HAD LIFE IN IT.
THIS IS IT, THE REAL THING.
IT'S FRONT-PAGE NEWS
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV
AND SAYS,
"IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
IF THIS DISCOVERY IS CONFIRMED,
IT WILL SURELY BE
ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING
INSIGHTS
INTO OUR UNIVERSE
THAT SCIENCE HAS EVER UNCOVERED.
ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE AS
FAR-REACHING AND AWE-INSPIRING
AS CAN BE IMAGINED.
BUT DEFINITIVE PROOF
THAT THIS IS AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
REMAINS ELUSIVE.
WHEN THE ANALYSIS OF THE MARS
METEORITE WAS FIRST DONE,
IT GOT A LOT OF CRITICISM
FROM PEOPLE SAYING,
"WELL, IT'S BEEN ON EARTH
FOR A LONG TIME,
"LAYING IN ANTARCTICA.
THIS COULD ALL BE
CONTAMINATION."
ACTUALLY,
THERE IS A WAY TO TEST THAT.
IT'S POSSIBLE NOWADAYS
TO TAKE A LITTLE BITTY SLICE
OF THAT ROCK OUT
AND LOOK AT OUR LITTLE BUG
IN CROSS-SECTION.
BUT THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM
FOR ME, AT LEAST,
THAT THERE'S A WAY TO TEST
THIS IDEA,
THAT THE BUGS ARE BIOLOGICAL
OR WHETHER THEY'RE ARTIFACTS,
AND IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
SO, I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I DO NOT KNOW.
SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO DEBATE
IF 84001 CONTAINS
FOSSILIZED LIFE FORMS FROM MARS.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER SPACE
ROCKS OUT THERE.
AND WHO KNOWS
WHAT THEY MIGHT CONTAIN?
NEXT...
COLUMBIA ASTRONAUTS SEE
A FAMILIAR BLACK SHAPE.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
IT'S BEEN SEEN
AND REPORTED COUNTLESS TIMES
IN DIFFERENT PLACES
BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
HANGING, HOVERING IN THE SKY,
A BIZARRE BLACK TRIANGLE.
PEOPLE ARE SEEING TRIANGULAR
AIRCRAFT OR VEHICLES
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYWHERE
NOWADAYS.
WHAT THE IS THAT?
HAVE YOU GOT IT ON THERE?
YEAH.
THERE'S BEEN OVER 10,000
SIGHTINGS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
CAN ALL THESE
SIGHTINGS BE DISMISSED
AS SECRET STEALTH PLANES
SPYING IN THE SKY?
OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE?
IT'S A WEIRD-LOOKING THING.
WE BELIEVE
THAT UFOs ARE FROM OUTER SPACE.
THE BLACK TRIANGLE
HAD ONLY BEEN SEEN FROM EARTH
UNTIL 1986
WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED.
JANUARY 12, 1986.
Minus 10. Go for engine start.
LAUNCH
OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
We have ignition.
We have lift off.
IT'S HOOT GIBSON'S FIRST
MISSION AS SHUTTL
AS THE COMMANDER,
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE QUITE A BIT
OF ADRENALINE RUNNING.
YOU CAN'T BE
MORE THAN THREE DEGREES OFF
OR THE VEHICLE
WILL BE DESTROYED.
BUT THINGS QUICKLY GO WRONG.
WE WERE CHASING MALFUNCTIONS
ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.
Roger. We copy.
NUMEROUS SYSTEMS FAIL
WHILE HOOT FIGHTS HARD
TO GET HIS CREW
SAFELY INTO SPACE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ENGINES
SHUT DOWN AND YOU'RE WEIGHTLESS.
EVERYTHING'S FLOATING.
IN SPACE IN ONE PIECE.
BUT THEN HE SEES
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
I SAID,
"HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
OUT THE WINDOW."
IT'S JUST RIGHT OUTSIDE
THE WINDOW.
IT WAS A TRIANGULAR OBJECT
THAT WE SAW.
IT WAS FAIRLY THIN,
ALMOST LIKE A WEDGE OF PIE
OR A WEDGE OF PIZZA.
WE TALKED TO MISSION CONTROL
ABOUT IT
BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US
WITH THINGS THAT MIGHT BE
A PROBLEM.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG,
YOU'RE REENTERING RIGHT NOW.
THE IMAGES HIT THE PUBLIC EYE.
THE BLACK TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
NASA's JIM OBERG
DOESN'T BUY THE IDEA
OF SECRET MILITARY
STEALTH AIRCRAFT.
THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD
BE FLOWN NEAR A SPACE SHUTTLE
WITHOUT THE PEOPLE
AT MISSION CONTROL KNOWING THAT
IS NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED.
THERE'S NO VALUE TO IT
TO THE MILITARY OR TO NASA
AND THERE'S A LOT OF HAZARDS
TO IT.
SO, I THINK THAT IDEA IS ONE
THAT, AFTER CONSIDERATION,
CAN PRETTY EASILY BE ELIMINATED.
BUT IT'S SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN THE OBJECT
AND THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
BLACK TRIANGLES
THAT MAKE IT SO INTRIGUING.
HOOT REMAINS CAUTIOUS.
FOR ONE THING,
IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT
TO JUDGE SCALE AND DISTANCE
IN THE EMPTINESS OF SPACE.
THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT THE PHOTO THAT WAS TOOK
IS THAT THIS COULD BE A VERY
LARGE OBJECT VERY FAR AWAY
OR IT COULD BE A SMALL OBJECT
VERY CLOSE.
FOR 27 YEARS, THE SIGHTING R
THEN IN 2013, NASA RELEASES
A HIGHER DEFINITION IMAGE
OF THE TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
WITH SHARPENED CONTOURS,
NASA AND HOOT BELIEVE THEY CAN
FINALLY IDENTIFY THE OBJECT.
IT WAS A SMALL PIECE OF BLACK
TILE THAT CAME OFF OF COLUMBIA.
IT MAY BE A SMALL TILE,
BUT TO ANYONE ON BOARD
A SHUTTLE,
SEEING A PIECE
OF FLOATING INSULATION
IS JUST AS ALARMING
AS ANY ALIEN ENCOUNTER.
IN 2003, DAMAGE
TO THE SHUTTLE'S INSULATION
LED TO COLUMBIA'S DESTRUCTION
DURING REENTRY.
TRAGICALLY,
COLUMBIA'S CREW OF SEVEN
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BREACH
IN THE SHIP'S PROTECTIVE SKIN.
NOBODY SAW IT.
THEY WERE LOOKING
AT OTHER THINGS AND UN-WARNED.
THE ASTRONAUTS AND MISSION CONTROL DID NOT
KNOW
THAT THE SHUTTLE
HAD BEEN LETHALLY DAMAGED,
AND THE CREW WAS LOST
DURING REENTRY.
WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT,
THE SINISTER BLACK TRIANGLE
SEEN IN 1986
MAY HAVE BEEN
AN EARLY WARNING SIGN
FOR THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
NASA's CONTINUING MISSION
TO EXPLORE SPACE
HAS FORCED US TO LOOK AT OUR
OWN UNIVERSE WITH NEW EYES...
ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS,
ALIEN OBJECTS,
FORCES BEYOND OUR COMPREHENSION.
WE CONTINUE TO UNCOVER MYSTERIES
LURKING IN THE DARKEST RECESSES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
MANY REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk
IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.
THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW
THAN WE DO KNOW.
THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS,
IT LAUNCHES SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE
AND CRAFT BEYOND THE EDGE
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISKS IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERIES.
SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,
AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS
IN THE SHADOWS.
THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.
LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA
IN DEEP SPACE,
AND DANGER CLOSE TO HOME...
...NASA's MISSIONS
HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...
Okay, we're seeing
three or four objects.
Yeah, there are three objects.
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX
OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.
THESE ARE
"NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES."
NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 1
EP - 2 - Shadow Deathstar
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk
230 MILES ABOVE EARTH,
AN ASTRONAUT SEES SOMETHING
EXTRAORDINARY.
IT'S CLEARLY NOT
A NATURAL PHENOMENON.
HE SAID, "I SAW
SOME REALLY WEIRD STUFF
DOWN THERE FLYING PAST."
AT THIS POINT IN THE MISSION,
THIS IS KIND OF A SHOCK.
YOU'RE VERY AWARE, HYPER-AWARE,
WHEN YOU'RE DOING A SPACE WALK
'CAUSE YOU ARE IN
A PRETTY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
IT'S CHIAO'S FOURTH
AND FINAL TRIP INTO ORBIT.
IT'S EXCITING ON MANY LEVELS
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO
MESS UP YOUR LAST ONE, RIGHT?
THAT'S WHAT
THEY ALL REMEMBER YOU FOR.
COSMONAUT SALIZHAN SHARIPOV W
BOTH MEN'S LIVES DEPEND
ON AN INCH-WIDE TETHER
THAT KEEPS THEM
FROM DRIFTING OFF INTO SPACE.
IF TETHERS BECOME UNDONE,
THEN YOU'RE JUST GONNA FLOAT
AWAY FROM THE STATION
AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH CURTAINS.
ORBITING EARTH AT MORE
THAN 17,000 MILES PER HOUR,
CHIAO WAS COMPLETELY UNPREPARED
FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
SUDDENLY, I LOOK UP
AND I SEE THESE FIVE LIGHTS.
AND THEY SEEM TO FLY BY.
AND HE REPORTS,
"WOW, I'VE JUST HAD ECHELON
FORMATION OF FIVE LIGHTS."
AND THEY'RE FOUR IN A LINE.
BUT ONE OF THEM IS SLIGHTLY
OFF-SET FROM THE OTHERS.
MY HEART JUST KIND OF LEAPS UP
INTO MY THROAT.
AND THEY KIND OF GO FLYING BY,
YOU KNOW, BY THE STATION.
AND, YOU KNOW,
WHAT ARE THESE LIGHTS?
CHIAO IMMEDIATELY
CALLS MISSION CONTROL.
NASA ENGINEER JAMES OBERG
OBSERVED THE SPACE WALK.
WHEN YOU SEE
SOMETHING STRANGE IN SPACE,
THE POSSIBILITY ALWAYS IS
THAT IT CAN BITE YOU.
YOUR LIFE MIGHT BE ON THE LINE.
I CALLED TO SALIZHAN,
MY CREW MATE.
I SAID, "SALIZHAN,
DO YOU SEE THOSE LIGHTS?
DO YOU SEE THEM FLYING BY?"
BUT THE RUSSIAN
IS FACING AWAY FROM THE LIGHTS
AND SEES NOTHING.
EVEN THE SPACE STATION'S
ONBOARD CAMERAS MISS THE ACTION.
BUT THE INCIDENT
DOES TRIGGER THE CURIOSITY
OF FORMER NASA ENGINEER,
JAMES SMITH.
HE DIGS OUT SATELLITE IMAGES
FROM AROUND THE TIME
OF CHIAO'S ENCOUNTER.
AND SURE ENOUGH,
HE FINDS A PICTURE
THAT SHOWS FOUR OR FIVE LIGHTS
IN A ROW
IN THE AREA THAT CHIAO HAD FLOWN
OVER A FEW HOURS EARLIER.
THE IMAGE CONFIRMS
CHIAO'S STORY.
SO, WHAT DID HE ACTUALLY SEE?
SMITH BEGINS TO SEARCH THROUGH
RECORDS OF SATELLITE PATHS
AND EVEN OF
MILITARY AIR FORCE EXERCISES.
BUT HE FINDS NOTHING.
SMITH THEN TURNS HIS ATTENTION
TO GROUND-BASED ACTIVITIES.
IN THE WATERS OFF SOUTH AMERICA,
COMMERCIAL FISHING FLEETS
USE HUGE ARRAYS OF LIGHTS
TO FISH AT NIGHT.
SMITH WONDERS WHETHER THESE WERE
THE LIGHTS SEEN BY CHIAO.
THEY CATCH CUTTLEFISH
AND OTHER KINDS OF SQUID
BY ATTRACTING THEM
THROUGH IMMENSELY BRIGHT LIGHTS
THEY HANG OUT OVER THE WATER.
THEY ARE VISIBLE
FROM OUTER SPACE.
AND SO, THEY WERE DEPLOYED
IN A LINE UP THE COAST,
AND THAT'S WHY... AND IT WAS
THE ROTATION OF THE EARTH
THAT MADE IT APPEAR
THAT THEY WERE FLYING.
CHIAO ACCEPTS SMITH'S THEORY,
BUT HE ALSO DOESN'T DISMISS
THE POSSIBILITY
OF FUTURE CONTACT
WITH ALIEN LIFE FORMS.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE'S
OTHER LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.
BUT WHAT I DOUBT IS,
I DON'T THINK
WE'VE FOUND EACH OTHER YET.
HOW FAR INTO SPACE
WILL MANKIND TRAVEL
BEFORE ENCOUNTERING ALIEN LIFE?
NEW DISCOVERIES SUGGEST
EXTRATERRESTRIALS MAY BE CLOSER
THAN WE THINK.
LESS THAN HALF A BILLION MILES
FROM EARTH,
COULD CREATURES BE LIVING
ON AN ICY WORLD
SCARRED RED BY MYSTERIOUS,
BLOODY LINES?
HABITATS ON EUROPA
COULD BE THE SAME
AS HABITATS WE SEE ON EARTH.
SMALL MOONS
SEEM TO BE WHERE IT'S AT.
Bulk was released. We got all
1995.
Galileo is on its way
to another world.
Fly safe.
THE GALILEO PROBE
EXPLORES JUPITER.
BUT THE GAS GIANT
IS NOT NASA's SOLE TARGET.
GALILEO IS ALSO INVESTIGATING
THE PLANET'S MOONS,
ESPECIALLY
THE ONE CALLED EUROPA.
BLOOD-RED VEINS CRISSCROSS
THE MOON'S ICY SURFACE.
SOME BEAR AN UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE
TO FREEWAYS ON EARTH.
OTHERS ARE CHILLINGLY SIMILAR
TO THE MARTIAN RED WEED
CHOKING EARTH
IN H.G. WELLS'
"WAR OF THE WORLDS."
SCIENTISTS ATTEMPTING TO EXPLAIN
THE BLOOD-COLORED STRIPES
REMAIN UNSURE.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT
THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT ON EUROPA.
2001.
NASA SCIENTIST BRAD DALTON
TAKES A SHOT
AT EUROPA'S RED-LINE RIDDLE.
THEY HAVE
THIS STRANGE REDDISH TINT
THAT LOOKS LIKE OF LIKE RUST,
BUT ALSO IT LOOKS A LOT
LIKE SOME KIND OF SLIME.
IT OCCURRED TO ME, CERTAINLY,
WE'VE SEEN ALL KINDS OF FORMS
OF LIFE
THAT HAVE THAT REDDISH-BROWN
PIGMENTATION
HERE ON EARTH.
SO WHY COULDN'T
SOME MICROBES OUT THERE
BE PROVIDING THIS COLORATION?
DALTON MEASURES
INFRARED CHEMICAL SIGNATURES
FROM EUROPA'S LUNAR LESIONS
AND COMPARES THEM WITH SAMPLES
OF LIFE LIVING IN GEYSERS
AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
A POSITIVE RESULT WOULD SUGGEST
WE'VE FOUND LIFE
ON ANOTHER WORLD.
WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT,
THE INFRARED PART,
WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING
AT FROM THE GALILEO SPACECRAFT,
MATCHED UP ALMOST PERFECTLY.
THE FEATURES WE SAW ON EUROPA
COULD BE EXPLAINED BY LIFE.
IT WAS ALMOST SCARY
HOW WELL IT MATCHED.
BUT NOT EVERYONE
AGREES WITH DALTON'S ANALYSIS.
THE FACT
THAT THE STREAKS ARE RED MEANS
THAT THEY'VE GOT A PARTICULAR
KIND OF CHEMICAL IN THEM.
AND THE SPECULATION IS
THAT IT'S PROBABLY SULFUR
THAT'S CONTRIBUTING
TO THE REDNESS OF THOSE STREAKS.
TO PROVE DALTON RIGHT,
NASA MUST FIND
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE
IN THE MOON'S SLIMY CRACKS.
THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING
FOR THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL...
LIQUID WATER.
IF YOU FIND WATER,
THAT'S KIND OF THE FIRST STEP
IN SAYING,
"WELL, THERE'S A CHANCE
THAT THERE COULD BE LIFE HERE."
INCREDIBLY, NASA's DATA
FROM TWO DECADES OF OBS
SUGGEST THAT A HUGE WATER OCEAN
FLOWS BENEATH
THE MOON'S ICY CRUST.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD
HAVE EXPECTED TO
ON AN ICY SATELLITE OF JUPITER.
THAT OCEAN OF LIQUID WATER
IS MORE LIQUID WATER
THAN THERE IS ON THE EARTH.
IN 2013, MORE EVIDENCE EMERGES
WHEN NASA's HUBBLE TELESCOPE
SPOTS WATER
GUSHING OUT OF EUROPA'S GEYSERS.
THAT WATER'S BEEN SITTING THERE
FOR 4 BILLION YEARS.
COULD IT HAVE COOKED UP
SOME LIFE?
YES, IT COULD HAVE.
THE CONDITIONS ON EUROPA
COULD NEVER SUPPORT HUMAN L
BUT NASA's CHRIS McKAY
DOESN'T NEED TO TRAVEL FAR
TO FIND CREATURES
THAT MIGHT THRIVE THERE.
EXTREMOPHILES LIVE
IN SOME OF EARTH'S
MOST INTENSE ENVIRONMENTS.
EXTREMOPHILES ARE ORGANISMS
THAT LIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS
THAT WE HUMANS
WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE IN,
THAT WE WOULD FIND EXTREME.
EXTREMOPHILES CAN EVEN
AFFECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
THEY TURN SALT GREEN.
AND LIKE CRACKS ON EUROPA,
CREATE BLOODY RED SCARS.
SO, LIFE ON EUROPA
COULD, INDEED,
LOOK LIKE WHAT WE SEE
IN THESE PLACES ON EARTH.
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE
FOR LIFE TO EXIST
ON EUROPA'S SURFACE.
BUT THE MOON'S OCEANS ARE A
BETTER PLACE FOR LIFE TO THRIVE.
ONCE YOU'RE
IN THAT OCEAN, IT'S DARK.
EVERY DAY,
IT'S JUST PITCH BLACK.
NO PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND,
THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE
WHAT ARE CALLED DEEP SEA VENTS.
THEY'RE JUST SORT OF CRACKS
IN THE BOTTOMS OF THE OCEAN
WHERE A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT
COMES OUT.
AND IT TURNS OUT,
THERE ARE LIFE FORMS
THAT LIVE OFF THAT HEAT,
THAT CHEMISTRY,
HERE ON EARTH, VERY SIMILAR
TO THE KIND OF LIFE
THAT COULD EXIST
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEANS
OF EUROPA.
THERE'S ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT
THAT WE CAN DO BY LOOKING.
AND I THINK THE NEXT STEP
IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE
SENDING SOMETHING TO GO THERE,
DIG AROUND
DOWN THROUGH THE CRUST
AND GO INTO THE WATER ITSELF.
COMING UP...
NASA SPOTS A DEATH STAR
SIPHONING OFF THE SUN.
SO, OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
UNINVITED GUESTS
CRASH THE APOLLO 16 PARTY.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
AND A MYSTERIOUS DARK SHAPE
APPROACHES
THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
I SAID,
"HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW."
240,000 MILES FROM HOME,
TWO OFF-ROADING ASTRONAUTS
EXPAND THE FRONTIERS
OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
Hey, John.
This is perfect... with the...
And the Rover and you
and stone mountain.
THE EVIDENCE THEY BRING BACK
LEADS TO A MYSTERY
THAT SPANS
MORE THAN THREE DECADES.
THIS IS A SAUCER-SHAPED OBJECT
WITH A DOME ON TOP.
ANYONE THAT TELLS ME
THAT THEY CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
APRIL 21, 1972.
36-YEAR-OLD ASTRONAUT
CHARLES DUKE
IS ABOUT TO BECOME
THE YOUNGEST MAN
TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.
AND I LOOK UP
AT THIS ENORMOUS SATURN ROCKET.
AND IT'S FULLY FUELED,
AND IT'S AN EERIE FEELING
BECAUSE IT SEEMS
LIKE IT'S ALIVE.
THE MISSION...
TO BRING BACK ROCKS
FROM PREVIOUSLY UNEXPLORED
LUNAR TERRITORY.
WHAT DUKE DOESN'T KNOW IS
THAT HE'S ABOUT TO BRING BACK
MORE THAN JUST
GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES.
Pretty fast. Contact. Stop.
TOGETHER WITH
MISSION COMMANDER JOHN YOUNG,
DUKE TOUCHES DOWN IN THE MOON'S
SOUTHEAST QUADRANT.
THE MISSIONS
HAVE REALLY SHIFTED OVER
TO A SIGNIFICANT
SCIENTIFIC EMPHASIS HERE.
WE'RE REALLY OPERATING NOW
WITH THE LUNAR ROVER,
WE'RE EXTENDING FURTHER OUT.
As you come around there,
there's a rock in the near field
on this rim
That has some white
on the top of it.
We'd like you to pick it up
as a grab sample.
This one right here?
That's it.
You got it right there.
THREE DAYS LATER,
WITH 200 POUNDS OF MOON ROCKS
SAFELY STOWED,
IT'S TIME FOR HOME.
What a ride. What a ride.
DUKE GUIDES THE LUNAR MODULE
TO THE RENDEZVOUS
WITH THE COMMAND MODULE FLOATING
IN LUNAR ORBIT.
BEFORE SETTING OFF FOR EARTH,
THEY RETRIEVE FILM CANISTERS
FROM CAMERAS
OUTSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT.
A TEXTBOOK SPLASHDOWN
APPEARS TO MARK THE END
OF A PERFECT MISSION.
BUT WHEN THE FILM IS PROCESSED,
THE IMAGES SUGGEST APOLLO 16
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALONE.
THERE'S SOMETHING
IN ONE OF THE IMAGES.
WHAT IS IT?
THAT'S THE QUESTION
EVERYBODY'S ASKING.
THE ONLY THING
EVERYONE AGREES ON
IS THIS IS JUST ABOUT
AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET
TO THE KIND OF FLYING SAUCER
THAT YOU SEE
IN A HOLLYWOOD SCI-FI MOVIE.
BUT WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS REVIEW
THEY DON'T BUY
THE UFO EXPLANATION.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO HAVE TAKEN THAT
AND HAD THERE BEEN
AN ACTUAL OBJECT OUT THERE
NOT TO HAVE SEEN IT.
I'M LOOKING
AT WHAT THE CAMERA'S SEEING,
AND I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE SEEN
AN OBJECT THAT WAS REAL
THAT WAS THAT BIG.
NASA's JIM OBERG CONCLUDES
THAT THIS SEEMINGLY SOLID OBJECT
MUST BE A PHOTO OF EARTH
AS SEEN FROM THE MOON.
THE TROUBLE IS,
THE EARTH IS IN THE WRONG PLACE.
SOME UFO BUFF CHECKED OUT
THE MOON'S POSITION
AND FOUND OUT IT COULDN'T
HAVE BEEN THE EARTH,
THAT THAT IDENTIFICATION WAS
WRONG AND I HAD BEEN MISTAKEN.
THE MYSTERY REMAINS UNSOLVED
UNTIL 2004,
WHEN ADVANCES IN IMAGE ANALYSIS
RESURRECT NASA's INVESTIGATION.
32 YEARS AFTER THIS SIGHTING,
NASA BOOSTS THE IMAGE RESOLUTION
AND COMBINES
SEVERAL DIFFERENT FRAMES.
THE NEW TECHNIQUES
REVEAL SOMETHING UNSEEN
IN PREVIOUS IMAGES...
A STRUT THAT APPEARS TO CONNECT
THE FLYING SAUCER
TO THE COMMAND MODULE.
AFTER THREE DECADES
OF SPECULATION,
THE SIGHTING CAN BE EXPLAINED.
THE OBJECT, IN REALITY,
WAS THE COMMAND MODULE
SPACE WALK FLOODLIGHT.
JUST THE SAME AS
ANY WORK SITE HERE IN AMERICA,
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE OPERATING
AT NIGHT,
YOU'RE GONNA NEED FLOODLIGHTS.
SO, THEY NEEDED A FLOODLIGHT
TO BE ABLE TO SEE
WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
THE 30-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY SEEMS
THIS FLYING SAUCER, AT LEAST,
TURNS OUT TO BE A FANTASY.
STILL TO COME...
AN ANCIENT METEORITE BRINGS
WORM-LIKE ENTITIES TO EARTH.
THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV
AND SAYS,
"IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
AND A MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL
SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT.
IT SEEMED TO HIT IT.
MAYBE THAT'S
WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
ERUPTING FROM THE EASTERN SKY,
A FIREBALL STREAKS
ACROSS RUSSIAN AIR SPACE
AND APPEARS TO BLOW APART.
SOMETHING IS DIRECTED
TOWARDS THE OBJECT.
MAYBE THAT'S
WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
DID THE COLD WAR JUST RE-IGNITE?
FRIDAY MORNING IN CHELYABINSK,
AN INDUSTRIAL CITY
IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA.
COMMUTERS, SCHOOLCHILDREN,
OFFICE WORKERS,
SETTLE IN FOR THE DAY AHEAD.
9:20 A.M.
A STRANGE, BLINDING LIGHT
CASTS A SHADOW ACROSS THE CITY,
BRINGING PEOPLE
OUT ONTO THE STREETS.
THE LIGHT SUDDENLY DISAPPEARS.
LOOKING TO THE SKY,
ASTONISHED RESIDENTS FILM
A VAST VAPOR TRAIL OVERHEAD.
MINUTES LATER...
...AN EXPLOSION ROCKS THE CITY.
SCIENTISTS RECORD A BLAST
25 TIMES LARGER THAN NAGASAKI.
WINDOWS SHATTER
AND PEOPLE FLY OFF THEIR FEET.
THE CITY'S SHATTERED RESIDENTS
TRY TO MAKE SENSE
OF THIS AERIAL BOMBARDMENT.
RUMORS OF A HOSTILE ACT AGAINST
RUSSIA FLOOD THE INTERNET.
POLITICIAN VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY
EVEN ACCUSES THE U.S.
OF INVOLVEMENT
IN THE STRIKE ON THE CITY.
IN MOSCOW,
NASA SCIENTIST SLAVA TURYSHEV
SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS.
THERE ARE
MANY CONFLICTING REPORTS.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ANXIETY
WHETHER OR NOT
IT'S A SINGLE EVENT
OR MAYBE THERE WILL BE
OTHER EVENTS.
WHILE NASA RUSHES TO DISCOVER
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.
THE DAYS THAT FOLLOW
THIS SENSATIONAL EVENT,
WORD BEGINS TO SPREAD.
MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE
GOING ON.
THERE ARE NEWS FEEDS
THAT SEEM TO INDICATE
THAT AS THIS THING
IS ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE
AS A GLOWING FIREBALL,
THAT SOMETHING IS DIRECTED
TOWARDS THE OBJECT...
POSSIBLY STOPPING IT,
POSSIBLY BREAKING IT UP.
PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
"YEAH, SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT
AND SEEMED TO HIT IT."
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT
TO EXPLODE.
IMAGES OF
THE FIREBALL'S STRANGE COLLISION
CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION.
BUT WHEN NASA STUDIES
THE ENTIRE EVENT,
BUILDING
A MOMENT-BY-MOMENT TIMELINE
FROM DOZENS
OF DIFFERENT CAMERAS,
THEY SEE A DIFFERENT PHENOMENON.
THE PEOPLE OF CHELYABINSK
WITNESSES
A METEOR DISINTEGRATING
AS IT SMASHED
THROUGH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
AS THIS OBJECT COMES
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,
PIECES ARE BREAKING APART.
YOU SEE STUFF FLYING
IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
IT'S VERY EASY
TO GET A PERCEPTION
OF SOMETHING VERY ODD.
AFTER ALL, THIS IS
AN INCREDIBLY RARE EVENT.
THE FIREBALL'S INTERCEPTOR
IS REALLY A FRAGMENT
OF THE METEOR
KEEPING PACE WITH THE FIREBALL.
BUT NASA's EXPLANATION
DOESN'T SATISFY
THE CITIZENS OF CHELYABINSK,
WHO ARE LEFT
WITH A DEVASTATED CITY.
WHILE SEARCHING
FOR AN IMPACT CRATER
THAT MATCHES
THE EXPLOSIVE SHOCKWAVE,
THEY FIND NOTHING BIGGER
THAN A SWIMMING POOL.
THE IDEA THAT WHATEVER CREATED
THE TINY IMPACTS
COULD ALSO TOPPLE A CITY
SEEMS LAUGHABLE.
BUT ACCORDING
TO PROFESSOR LAURENCE GARVIE,
AN EXPERT IN METEORITES,
THE DESTRUCTION IN CHELYABINSK
COULD BE EXPLAINED
BY THE PHYSICS
OF A LARGE, FAST-MOVING OBJECT
STREAKING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING, FIRST,
WITH THE CHELYABINSK METEOR
IS ITS VISUAL EFFECT.
IT'S COMING IN.
IT'S BREAKING UP.
WE'RE NOT HEARING ANYTHING
'CAUSE THE LIGHT IS TRAVELING
TO US ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
WE CAN SEE IT IMMEDIATELY.
BUT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT,
WE'RE UNAWARE THAT TRAVELING
TOWARDS US AT THE SPEED OF SOUND
IS THE SHOCKWAVE.
AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FIST
PUNCHING A WINDOW REALLY HARD...
...BUT PUNCHING
EVERY SINGLE WINDOW IN THE TOWN
AT THE SAME TIME.
THE ENERGY RELEASED
AS THE SUPERSONIC ROCK
DISINTEGRATED ABOVE THE CITY
EXPLAINS
THE DESTRUCTIVE SHOCKWAVE.
BUT THE DEVASTATION
COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE.
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
SHIELDED CHELYABINSK
AGAINST THE METEORITE'S
FULL POTENTIAL.
NASA CALCULATIONS SUGGEST
THAT OUR NATURAL DEFENSES
ONLY WORKED
BECAUSE THE METEOR WAS MADE
OF RELATIVELY SOFT ROCK.
HAD THE 60-FOOT-WIDE METEOR
BEEN MADE OF METAL INSTEAD,
IT COULD HAVE RELEASED
THE ENERGY OF 60 NAGASAKIS.
HERE IN ARIZONA,
WE HAVE THE PERFECT EXAMPLE
OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A 45-METER HILL
HERE IS ACTUALLY THE EDGE,
THE RIM
OF THIS SPECTACULAR CRATER.
THIS GIVES YOU SOME SENSE
OF WHAT A LARGE METEOR IMPACT
WOULD DO.
THERE ARE MORE
THAN 80,000 METALLIC ASTEROIDS
FLOATING NEAR US IN SPACE.
SOME OF THEM MAY EVEN BE HEADING
OUR WAY RIGHT NOW.
NEXT..."STAR WARS"
COMES TO A SUN NEAR YOU.
SO OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
SOMETHING HAS INVADED
THE SPACE CLOSE TO THE SUN.
IT LOOKED LIKE SPACESHIPS.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS
10 TIMES BIGGER THAN THE EA
IMAGINE THE RESOURCES NEEDED
TO BUILD A SPACESHIP
LARGER THAN A PLANET.
IN MARCH 2012,
ASTRONOMERS MONITORING IMAGES
FROM A SOLAR TELESCOPE
IN EARTH'S ORBIT
SEE SOMETHING OMINOUS
JUST TO THE WEST
OF THE SUN'S SOUTH POLE.
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?
IT'S DARTH VADER'S BIG VEHICLE,
OF COURSE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEATH STAR
FROM "STAR WARS."
OUR ONLY HOPE,
IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE,
WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
PLANET-SIZED TENDRILS APPEAR
TO CONNECT THE GLOBE OF
TO THE SUN'S SURFACE.
THIS CONNECTION
FUELS SPECULATION
THAT THE SINISTER SPHERE'S
PRESENCE NEAR OUR STAR
IS NO COINCIDENCE.
WHY WOULD ANYBODY VISIT THE SUN?
WELL, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE
TO REFUEL.
THE SUN BURNS HYDROGEN,
THE PERFECT FUEL FOR A S
COULD SPACESHIPS BE REFUELING
BY GETTING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE
TO STARS
AND SAPPING UP THAT ENERGY
AND THAT'S WHAT'S FUELING THEM
THROUGH SPACE?
THAT IMAGE CERTAINLY RAISES
THAT POSSIBILITY.
THE SUN PUTS OUT
MORE POWER IN A SECOND
THAN HUMANITY HAS USED
IN ALL OF HISTORY.
BUT THE
3-MILLION-DEGREE TEMPERATURES
IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE
WOULD DESTROY
ANY HUMAN TECHNOLOGY.
WE CAN'T USE THE SUN
FOR A SPACECRAFT.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN SOME
VERY ADVANCED ALIEN RACE CAN'T.
IT WOULD REQUIRE SOME
MASSIVE ENGINEERING ADVANCES.
YOU DON'T WANT THE SPACECRAFT
TO VAPORIZE.
IT'S NOT INSANE TO THINK
THERE IS AN UNOBTANIUM
THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE
TO BUILD A DEATH STAR
THAT CAN ROLL
RIGHT INTO A STAR TO REFUEL.
ALL IT IS, IS A MATTER OF BEING
ABLE TO HANDLE THE HEAT.
ONCE THE DEATH STAR'S
FUEL TANK IS FILLED,
THE COLOSSAL NOZZLE DETACHES
AND THE CRAFT ZOOMS OFF
TO WREAK MAYHEM
ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE IDEA...
TOO INCREDIBLE FOR NASA,
WHO COME UP
WITH THEIR OWN EXPLANATION
FOR THE BLACK ORB
INVOLVING EQUALLY ASTONISHING
NON-ALIEN PHENOMENA.
WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROMINENCE
IT'S THE MAGNETIC BUBBLE THAT
LOOKS LIKE A BIG DEATH STAR.
THE TENDRILS ARE PROMINENCES,
CLINGING TO THE EDGE
OF THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE.
THE DEATH STAR ITSELF
IS A SOLAR MAGNETIC BUBBLE
THE SIZE OF JUPITER,
FULL OF SUPER-HOT PLASMA.
THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE BALL
IN PLACE IS A MAGNETIC FIELD,
WHICH CAN SHIFT AT ANY MOMENT.
EVENTUALLY, THEY ERUPT,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING
AT THE END,
THIS ERUPTION OFF INTO SPACE.
SO, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T SEE IT
HERE ON EARTH,
THERE ARE THESE HUGE EXPLOSIONS
GOING ON IN THE SUN
ALL THE TIME.
EVEN IF THE NASA FOOTAGE HA
A PLANET-DESTROYING DEATH STAR,
OUR SUN
IS STILL A VERY REAL THREAT
TO CIVILIZATION ON EARTH.
THE ERUPTION SEEN HERE
IS A CORONAL MASS EJECTION.
IT RELEASES
1,000 TIMES MORE ENERGY
THAN THE DEATH STAR BUBBLE.
IF WE TAKE A HIT
FROM ONE OF THESE,
IT CAN WREAK HAVOC ON EARTH.
THESE THINGS
CAN KNOCK OUT SATELLITES.
ELECTRONICS WON'T FUNCTION.
IT HAS EFFECTS
ON COMMUNICATIONS,
IT HAS EFFECTS ON THE POWER
GRIDS AND POWER DISTRIBUTION.
EVEN WORSE, WILD
VARIATIONS IN SOLAR ACTIVITY
CAN PUSH THE EARTH
INTO PROLONGED ICE AGES
OR COVER THE PLANET
WITH SWELTERING JUNGLES
AND BURNING DESERTS.
THE SUN,
IT'S THE BIG GUY ON THE BLOCK.
AND WE HAVE, IN THE PAST,
IGNORED IT AT OUR PERIL.
UP NEXT...
TELEPATHY IN SPACE.
HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN
SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH.
AND A VISITOR
FROM ANOTHER WORLD.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED
ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
ASTRONAUTS OFTEN SEE THINGS
THEIR INSTRUMENTS DON'T PICK
SUDDENLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE,
LIKE, AN EXPLOSION
IN MY RIGHT EYE.
THEN THEY LOOK LIKE A STREAK.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
THE PHENOMENON PROMPTS
A SERIES OF SECRET EXPERIMENTS.
COULD THE EXPLANATION
BE OUT OF THIS WORLD?
THEY ARE COMMUNICATING
TELEPATHICALLY
WITH THE ASTRONAUTS.
IN 1969,
THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON
RETURNED TO A HEROES' WELCOME.
DURING THE DEBRIEF,
BUZZ ALDRIN RISKS BEING GROUNDED
WHEN HE TALKS
ABOUT FLASHES OF LIGHT
INSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT'S CABIN.
FOUR MONTHS LATER,
DURING THE APOLLO 12 MISSION
ALAN BEAN EXPERIENCES
A DIFFERENT, STRANGE ENCOUNTER.
THE FIRST TIME I SAW THEM,
I WAS ON THE BACKSIDE
OF THE MOON
AND I WAS LOOKING DOWN
AT A CRATER,
AND I SAW A FLASH.
AND I THOUGHT,
"DID I REALLY SEE A FLASH?
THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON
DOWN THERE."
STRANGE LIGHTS
BECOME A REGULAR FEATURE
OF THE APOLLO MISSION LOGS.
BIZARRELY,
THEY APPEAR MORE OFTEN
ON THE WAY TO THE MOON
THAN ON THE WAY BACK.
IT'S LIKE FOURTH OF JULY.
THEY STREAK.
THEY'RE FIREWORKS.
SOMETHING IS HAPPENING
TO NASA's ASTRONAUTS.
WITH NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE
AVAILABLE,
ASTRONAUTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE
ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.
LUNAR MODULE PILOT ED MITCHELL
BELIEVES THAT OUTER SPACE
MAY BE THE PERFECT MEDIUM
FOR TELEPATHY.
WITHOUT NASA's KNOWLEDGE,
HE CONDUCTS HIS OWN EXPERIMENT.
EDGAR MITCHELL DECIDES
TO CONDUCT SOME ESP EXPERIMENTS.
IN SPACE, HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN
SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH
AND VICE VERSA.
BUT MITCHELL'S EFFORTS
LEAD NOWHERE.
THESE FLASHES HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH TELEPATHY.
NASA EVENTUALLY DECIDES TO
DIRECTLY INVESTIGATE THE LIGHTS.
A SERIES OF ASTRONAUTS
WEAR SPECIAL GOGGLES
THAT RECORD PARTICLES
NORMALLY INVISIBLE
TO THE HUMAN EYE
AND REPORT
WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE A FLASH.
WE PUT ON NIGHT GOGGLES,
AND THEN WE SAT THERE.
AND THEN MAYBE EVERY MINUTE
OR LESS,
ALL OF A SUDDEN
THERE'D BE MAYBE A BURST.
WE DESCRIBED IT.
SHEW!
THEY ARE GOING BY
AT AN OUTRAGEOUS SPEED.
PSHEW!
GOLLY.
THE GOGGLES RECORD THE FLASHES
EXACTLY AS THE ASTRONAUTS
DESCRIBE THEM.
SO WHAT ARE THEY?
NASA's OFFICIAL EXPLANATION IS
THAT THE LIGHTS ARE COSMIC RAYS,
HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES
RIPPING THROUGH SPACE
NEAR THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
BOMBARDING THE ASTRONAUTS
AND THEIR CRAFT.
BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN.
EVEN NOW, NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN
WHY ASTRONAUTS
SEE MORE STRANGE LIGHTS
WHILE MOVING AWAY FROM EARTH.
FOR NOW,
IT REMAINS A COSMIC MYSTERY.
WITH MILLIONS OF GALAXIES
AND BILLIONS OF STARS,
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE,
ALIEN LIFE MUST EXIST.
BUT WHAT IF EXTRATERRESTRIALS
ARE ALREADY HERE?
MARTIAN HORDES
INVADE THE EARTH...
...BRINGING DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION.
"WAR OF THE WORLDS"
MADE US RE-THINK
OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
IT HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY STARTED TO THINK,
"WE MIGHT NOT BE ALONE."
WE HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED
WITH THE POSSIBILITY
OF LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.
ONCE WE START DISCOVERING LIFE
IN PLACES LIKE MARS,
THAT MEANS THAT INHOSPITABLE
PLANETS CAN ACTUALLY HOST LIFE.
AND THAT REALLY OPENS UP
THE UNIVERSE TO US.
INVADERS FROM MARS.
DOES NASA HAVE EVIDENCE
THAT INVADERS FROM MARS HAVE
ALREADY LANDED ON PLANET EARTH?
GEE WHIZ!
ANTARCTICA.
MINUS 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
A HARDENED TEAM TREK
ACROSS THE FROZEN WASTELAND,
SEARCHING FOR INTRUDERS
FROM OUTER SPACE.
THE U.S. RUNS EXPEDITIONS
EVERY YEAR DOWN TO ANTARCTICA
TO LOOK FOR METEORITES.
MOSTLY BLACK ROCKS SITTING
ON EITHER THE WHITE SNOW
OR THE BLUE ICE.
IN THE ALLAN HILLS,
EXPEDITION MEMBER SCOTT
SANFORD IS DRAWN
TO ONE VERY STRANGE LUMP
OF ROCK.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED
ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
THE TEAM HAVE NEVER SEEN
THEY TAG IT, BAG IT, AND SEND IT
TO NASA FOR ANALYSIS.
THE METEORITE IS LOGGED
AS 84001.
84 FOR THE YEAR
AND 01 BECAUSE IT WAS
THE FIRST ONE THEY OPENED UP
OUT OF THE PACKAGE TO LOOK AT.
THIS METEORITE
IS LIKE A LITTLE BOOK.
YOU KNOW, YOU OPEN IT UP
AND WE, AS SCIENTISTS,
ARE READING THAT BOOK
BY LOOKING AT THE CHEMISTRY
AND THE STRUCTURE
AND THE ISOTOPES
AND UNDERSTANDING
ITS EARLY HISTORY.
THE ROCK IS OLD... VERY OLD...
AND IT LOOKS DIFFERENT
BECAUSE IT'S NOT OF THIS WORLD.
WHAT THEY HAVE IN FRONT OF THEM
IS AN ANCIENT PIECE
OF MARTIAN ROCK,
A TIME CAPSULE
FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
THE METEORITE,
ALLAN HILLS 84001,
IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING
AS ONE OF THE OLDEST METEORITES
THAT WE'VE EVER UNCOVERED
FROM MARS,
DATING BACK TO A PERIOD ON MARS
WHEN THERE WAS WATER.
16 MILLION YEARS AGO,
A MASSIVE METEORITE SMASHES
INTO ANCIENT MARS.
IF WE HAVE
A LARGE ENOUGH IMPACT ON MARS,
THE IMPACT ITSELF
WILL EJECT MATERIAL
FROM THE SURFACE OF MARS
BACK OUT INTO SPACE.
PLANETARY DEBRIS
SPIRALS INTO SPACE
AND CRASH LANDS ON EARTH.
NOW THIS FIVE-POUND
CHUNK OF ROCK
HAS BECOME A WINDOW INTO A TIME
WHEN MARS HAD OCEANS
JUST LIKE EARTH.
BUT ASTONISHINGLY,
NASA HALTS THEIR STUDY,
LOCKING THE ROCK AWAY.
ITS SECRETS REMAIN HIDDEN...
UNTIL NINE YEARS LATER
WHEN ANOTHER RESEARCH TEAM
DECIDES TO REVISIT IT.
SO, HERE'S A ROCK
THAT'S BEEN SITTING THERE,
LYING PRETTY MUCH UN-STUDIED
FOR A DECADE.
AND SUDDENLY PEOPLE REALIZE
THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS
STONE.
BELIEVING THAT ITS COMPOSITION
MIGHT HELP EXPLAIN
HOW MARS FORMED,
THE TEAM SPLITS THE ROCK OPEN.
THEY FIND SOMETHING
TRULY ASTONISHING.
CONCEALED IN THE ROCK
IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE FOSSILIZED REMAINS
OF A WEIRD, WORM-LIKE CREATURE,
EVIDENCE OF AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
THAT TRAVELED FROM MARS
TO EARTH.
THIS IS
THE FIRST CREDIBLE EVIDENCE
OF POSSIBLE LIFE FROM SPACE.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN SPECULATING
ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS.
BUT HERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE
SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET
THAT LOOKS
LIKE IT HAD LIFE IN IT.
THIS IS IT, THE REAL THING.
IT'S FRONT-PAGE NEWS
ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV
AND SAYS,
"IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
IF THIS DISCOVERY IS CONFIRMED,
IT WILL SURELY BE
ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING
INSIGHTS
INTO OUR UNIVERSE
THAT SCIENCE HAS EVER UNCOVERED.
ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE AS
FAR-REACHING AND AWE-INSPIRING
AS CAN BE IMAGINED.
BUT DEFINITIVE PROOF
THAT THIS IS AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
REMAINS ELUSIVE.
WHEN THE ANALYSIS OF THE MARS
METEORITE WAS FIRST DONE,
IT GOT A LOT OF CRITICISM
FROM PEOPLE SAYING,
"WELL, IT'S BEEN ON EARTH
FOR A LONG TIME,
"LAYING IN ANTARCTICA.
THIS COULD ALL BE
CONTAMINATION."
ACTUALLY,
THERE IS A WAY TO TEST THAT.
IT'S POSSIBLE NOWADAYS
TO TAKE A LITTLE BITTY SLICE
OF THAT ROCK OUT
AND LOOK AT OUR LITTLE BUG
IN CROSS-SECTION.
BUT THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM
FOR ME, AT LEAST,
THAT THERE'S A WAY TO TEST
THIS IDEA,
THAT THE BUGS ARE BIOLOGICAL
OR WHETHER THEY'RE ARTIFACTS,
AND IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
SO, I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I DO NOT KNOW.
SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO DEBATE
IF 84001 CONTAINS
FOSSILIZED LIFE FORMS FROM MARS.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER SPACE
ROCKS OUT THERE.
AND WHO KNOWS
WHAT THEY MIGHT CONTAIN?
NEXT...
COLUMBIA ASTRONAUTS SEE
A FAMILIAR BLACK SHAPE.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
IT'S BEEN SEEN
AND REPORTED COUNTLESS TIMES
IN DIFFERENT PLACES
BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
HANGING, HOVERING IN THE SKY,
A BIZARRE BLACK TRIANGLE.
PEOPLE ARE SEEING TRIANGULAR
AIRCRAFT OR VEHICLES
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYWHERE
NOWADAYS.
WHAT THE IS THAT?
HAVE YOU GOT IT ON THERE?
YEAH.
THERE'S BEEN OVER 10,000
SIGHTINGS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
CAN ALL THESE
SIGHTINGS BE DISMISSED
AS SECRET STEALTH PLANES
SPYING IN THE SKY?
OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE?
IT'S A WEIRD-LOOKING THING.
WE BELIEVE
THAT UFOs ARE FROM OUTER SPACE.
THE BLACK TRIANGLE
HAD ONLY BEEN SEEN FROM EARTH
UNTIL 1986
WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED.
JANUARY 12, 1986.
Minus 10. Go for engine start.
LAUNCH
OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
We have ignition.
We have lift off.
IT'S HOOT GIBSON'S FIRST
MISSION AS SHUTTL
AS THE COMMANDER,
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE QUITE A BIT
OF ADRENALINE RUNNING.
YOU CAN'T BE
MORE THAN THREE DEGREES OFF
OR THE VEHICLE
WILL BE DESTROYED.
BUT THINGS QUICKLY GO WRONG.
WE WERE CHASING MALFUNCTIONS
ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.
Roger. We copy.
NUMEROUS SYSTEMS FAIL
WHILE HOOT FIGHTS HARD
TO GET HIS CREW
SAFELY INTO SPACE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ENGINES
SHUT DOWN AND YOU'RE WEIGHTLESS.
EVERYTHING'S FLOATING.
IN SPACE IN ONE PIECE.
BUT THEN HE SEES
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
I SAID,
"HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING
OUT THE WINDOW."
IT'S JUST RIGHT OUTSIDE
THE WINDOW.
IT WAS A TRIANGULAR OBJECT
THAT WE SAW.
IT WAS FAIRLY THIN,
ALMOST LIKE A WEDGE OF PIE
OR A WEDGE OF PIZZA.
WE TALKED TO MISSION CONTROL
ABOUT IT
BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US
WITH THINGS THAT MIGHT BE
A PROBLEM.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG,
YOU'RE REENTERING RIGHT NOW.
THE IMAGES HIT THE PUBLIC EYE.
THE BLACK TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
NASA's JIM OBERG
DOESN'T BUY THE IDEA
OF SECRET MILITARY
STEALTH AIRCRAFT.
THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD
BE FLOWN NEAR A SPACE SHUTTLE
WITHOUT THE PEOPLE
AT MISSION CONTROL KNOWING THAT
IS NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED.
THERE'S NO VALUE TO IT
TO THE MILITARY OR TO NASA
AND THERE'S A LOT OF HAZARDS
TO IT.
SO, I THINK THAT IDEA IS ONE
THAT, AFTER CONSIDERATION,
CAN PRETTY EASILY BE ELIMINATED.
BUT IT'S SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN THE OBJECT
AND THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
BLACK TRIANGLES
THAT MAKE IT SO INTRIGUING.
HOOT REMAINS CAUTIOUS.
FOR ONE THING,
IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT
TO JUDGE SCALE AND DISTANCE
IN THE EMPTINESS OF SPACE.
THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT THE PHOTO THAT WAS TOOK
IS THAT THIS COULD BE A VERY
LARGE OBJECT VERY FAR AWAY
OR IT COULD BE A SMALL OBJECT
VERY CLOSE.
FOR 27 YEARS, THE SIGHTING R
THEN IN 2013, NASA RELEASES
A HIGHER DEFINITION IMAGE
OF THE TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
WITH SHARPENED CONTOURS,
NASA AND HOOT BELIEVE THEY CAN
FINALLY IDENTIFY THE OBJECT.
IT WAS A SMALL PIECE OF BLACK
TILE THAT CAME OFF OF COLUMBIA.
IT MAY BE A SMALL TILE,
BUT TO ANYONE ON BOARD
A SHUTTLE,
SEEING A PIECE
OF FLOATING INSULATION
IS JUST AS ALARMING
AS ANY ALIEN ENCOUNTER.
IN 2003, DAMAGE
TO THE SHUTTLE'S INSULATION
LED TO COLUMBIA'S DESTRUCTION
DURING REENTRY.
TRAGICALLY,
COLUMBIA'S CREW OF SEVEN
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BREACH
IN THE SHIP'S PROTECTIVE SKIN.
NOBODY SAW IT.
THEY WERE LOOKING
AT OTHER THINGS AND UN-WARNED.
THE ASTRONAUTS AND MISSION CONTROL DID NOT
KNOW
THAT THE SHUTTLE
HAD BEEN LETHALLY DAMAGED,
AND THE CREW WAS LOST
DURING REENTRY.
WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT,
THE SINISTER BLACK TRIANGLE
SEEN IN 1986
MAY HAVE BEEN
AN EARLY WARNING SIGN
FOR THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
NASA's CONTINUING MISSION
TO EXPLORE SPACE
HAS FORCED US TO LOOK AT OUR
OWN UNIVERSE WITH NEW EYES...
ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS,
ALIEN OBJECTS,
FORCES BEYOND OUR COMPREHENSION.
WE CONTINUE TO UNCOVER MYSTERIES
LURKING IN THE DARKEST RECESSES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
MANY REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk