NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - Top Secret Terror - full transcript
Was the Moon landing faked? Images of Mercury reveal massive spider-like formations on its surface. Is it an odd geological formation -- or something much more ominous? A classifed space ...
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.
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,
IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,
ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISK 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.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA BE
AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.
UNNATURAL PHENOMENA
ON DISTANT WORLDS.
THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS
WITH THIS ARE STARTLING.
THE MOST IMPORTANT
DISCOVERY EVER MADE
IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE.
COULD NASA
PHOTOGRAPHS CAST DOUBT
ON MANKIND'S
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
REAL LIFE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
OF THE THIRD KIND.
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECT,
AND THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
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 2
EP - 2 - Top Secret Terror
Subtitles Diego Moraes
NASA SPACE ENGINEER
JOHN SCHUESSLER
INVESTIGATED REAL-LIFE X-FILES.
JOHN SCHUESSLER'S PURPOSE W
SOME PROOF THAT UFOS
AND ALIEN VISITATION IS REAL.
HE WAS NUMBER ONE,
SHARP ENGINEER,
TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY.
IN FEBRUARY, 1981, SCHUESSLER
GETS CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE
A UFO IN NASA'S BACKYARD.
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECT,
AND THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
THIS CERTAINLY STANDS OUT TO
ME AS ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING,
AND STILL AN OPEN CASE.
DECEMBER 29, 1980, 9:00 P.M.,
BETTY CASH WAS DRIVING A CAR
ALONG A LONELY ROAD
OUTSIDE OF DAYTON, TEXAS.
BETTY'S ACCOMPANIED BY HER BEST FRIEND,
VICKY LANDRUM,
AND VICKY'S 7-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON,
COLBY.
SUDDENLY, AS THEY'RE DRIVING
THEY SEE THIS FLAMING OBJECT
IN THE SKY.
THE BRIGHT LIGHT HOVERS 60
THEY'RE SO FRIGHTENED,
BETTY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES
NOT MORE THAN 130 FEET
FROM THE OBJECT.
SHE GETS OUT OF THE CAR TO GET
AND SUDDENLY SHE FEELS BURNS
ALL OVER HER BODY AND...
AND VICKY AND COLBY
ALSO FELT BURNS.
THEY FEEL A LOT OF HEAT,
WHICH WAS VERY PECULIAR.
I MEAN, TEXAS IS HOT,
BUT NOT THAT HOT.
AS BETTY STARTS TO
GET BACK IN THE CAR,
SHE STRUGGLES WITH THE DOOR.
THE SIDE OF THE CAR,
THE METAL OF THE CAR,
WHERE SHE PUT HER HAND
WAS SEARING HOT.
THE INTENSE HEAT
IS NOT THE ONLY STRANGE THING
BETTY ENCOUNTERS THAT NIGHT.
THEN, THESE HELICOPTERS
COME OUT OF THE BLUE.
WHAT ARE THEY?
THEY LOOK MILITARY.
THEY WERE CHASING OR
ACCOMPANYING THIS OBJECT
AS IT WAS MOVING AWAY.
WHERE'D
THE HELICOPTERS COME FROM?
WHAT WERE THEY DOING THERE?
HOW DID THEY KNOW TO BE THERE?
IN A STATE OF SHOCK,
THEY HEAD HOME TO RECOVER.
THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE
LASTED ONLY ABOUT 20 MINUTES,
BUT IT WOULD CHANGE THEM
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING HOME,
ALL THREE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE
STRANGE SYMPTOMS.
BETTY CASH IN PARTICULAR GETS
SICKER AND SICKER AND SICKER.
HER HAIR STARTED COMING OUT
IN PATCHES.
SO SHE FINALLY GOES TO A DOCTOR
WHO SAYS, "YOU'VE GOT
THE SAME KIND OF REACTION
"THAT THE RESIDENTS
OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI HAD
WHO WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY
INCINERATED BY THE ATOMIC BOMB."
HOW DO WE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED?
THEY CAME DOWN WITH SYMPTOMS
OF EXPOSURE TO RADIATION.
WHEN BETTY CASH
FIRST LEAVES THE HOSPITAL,
SHE IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO HER,
SO SHE CALLS NASA FOR HELP.
THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
DENIES ANY NASA INVOLVEMENT
IN THE INCIDENT,
BUT THEY PUT HER IN CONTACT
WITH ONE OF THEIR ENGINEERS,
JOHN SCHUESSLER,
WHO RUNS A VOLUNTEER
INVESTIGATION PROGRAM
CALLED PROJECT VISIT.
PROJECT VISIT WAS VERY
INTERESTED IN TRYING TO PROVE
THAT THE UFO PHENOMENON
WAS REAL.
SO WHEN THE CALL CAME IN
FROM VICKY AND BETTY
THAT SUCH A PHENOMENON
HAD OCCURRED,
THEY SET OUT
TO INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY.
INVESTIGATOR JOHN SCHUESSLER
RETURNS TO THE SCENE
OF THE INCIDENT.
SHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATIONS
FOUND, AMONG OTHER THINGS,
THAT THE ROAD IN QUESTION
APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DUG UP
AND REPLACED WITH FRESH ASPHALT
WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
AFTER THIS INCIDENT.
SCHUESSLER SEARCHES FOR SIGNS
THAT COULD'VE CAUSED
BETTY'S ILLNESS
BUT FINDS NOTHING.
UNDETERRED, SCHUESSLER MOVES
ON TO THE HELICOPTER ANGLE.
HE CONTACTS LOCAL MILITARY BASES
TO FIND OUT WHO AND WHAT
WAS FLYING THAT NIGHT.
EVERY SINGLE LOCAL BASE
IN TEXAS SAID,
"NOBODY WAS FLYING HELICOPTERS
THAT NIGHT, SO IT WASN'T US."
THEY WEREN'T LYING.
THEY DIDN'T.
FLIGHT DATA RECORDS
CONFIRM THIS.
SCHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATION
HITS A DEAD END.
SO WHERE DID THE HELICOPTERS
COME FROM?
YEARS LATER, DR. WILLIAM BIRNES
ALSO INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT.
HE DISCOVERED THAT
PRESIDENT CARTER HAD SET UP
A SECRET STEALTH HELICOPTER
UNIT AT THE END OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
IT WAS A NIGHTTIME HELICOPTER
FIGHTING UNIT, TOP SECRET,
RUN OUT OF THE INTELLIGENCE
SUPPORT DIVISION.
THAT WAS THE UNIT
THAT WAS MOBILIZED THAT NIGHT.
BIRNES BELIEVES
THAT BETTY'S ENCOUNTER
COULD BE RELATED
TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A TOP-SECRET
NUCLEAR POWERED AIRCRAFT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY
WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH.
THE NUCLEAR REACTOR OVERHEATED,
CAUGHT ON FIRE,
THREATENED TO MELT COMPLETELY,
SO THEY CALLED ON A
TOP-SECRET HELICOPTER UNIT
TO FLY TO TEXAS,
CHAIN THE THING,
GO OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO
AND DROP IT IN THE WATER.
BUT SOME OBSERVERS
ARE NOT CONVINCED.
IT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS
THAN IT ANSWERS.
MAYBE IT WAS A SECRET
AMERICAN SYSTEM,
BUT I DON'T THINK SO.
I WORKED ON NUCLEAR AIRPLANES.
I DON'T THINK WE HAD
ONE FLYING AROUND TEXAS.
AND WHILE A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT
COULD EXPLAIN
BETTY'S RADIATION SICKNESS,
IT WOULD ALSO LEAVE EVIDENCE,
EVIDENCE SCHUESSLER NEVER FOUND.
SOMETHING STRANGE WAS THERE,
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING
OBJECT DOING PECULIAR THINGS,
AND WHERE THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
SCHUESSLER HIMSELF BELIEVED
BY THE MICROWAVES
OF SOME EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM.
BUT UNTIL THE MILITARY RELEASES
NEW INFORMATION, BETTY, VICKY,
AND COLBY'S TERRIFYING
ENCOUNTER WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
UP NEXT,
COULD FAKED PHOTOGRAPHS UNDERMINE
THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC
ACHIEVEMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY?
IN 1972,
ASTRONAUTS ON MANKIND'S FINAL LUNAR MISSION
CAPTURE SOME OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE IMAGES IN HISTORY.
THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.
THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION
OF PHOTOGRAPHS IS REMARKABLE.
BUT WHAT NASA DOESN'T KNOW
IS THAT THESE IMAGES
WILL ALSO FUEL
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSPIRACY
THEORIES OF ALL TIME.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS
ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY
IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE WRONG.
NASA HAS GIVEN US THE MOST
WE CALL HOME,
THE REALITIES OF SPACE TRAVEL,
AND THE SURFACE OF OTHER WORLDS.
THE SPACE AGENCY'S PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE HOW WE KNOW THE UNIVERSE,
BUT TO SOME, THE IMAGES
SUGGEST A SINISTER CONSPIRACY.
DECEMBER 12, 1972,
IN A HARSH LUNAR VALLEY,
APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT
HARRISON "JACK" SCHMITT
IS WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK
ON ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING
MISSIONS IN NASA'S HISTORY.
TIME IS RELENTLESS
WHEN YOU'RE IN SPACE.
NOT ONLY IS THE CLOCK TICKING
AWAY AND YOU GOT TASKS TO DO
THAT EVERYBODY
EXPECTS YOU TO DO,
BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S
GONNA BE AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.
WHAT NOBODY REALIZES
IS THAT THIS IS NASA'S
FINAL MANNED MOON MISSION.
IF THE LUNAR SCIENTISTS
DON'T GET WHAT THEY NEED NOW,
THERE MAY NEVER BE
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHANCE
THEY'LL TRAVEL THE FARTHEST
AWAY FROM THE LUNAR MODULE.
THEY WILL SPEND
THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME
ON THE SURFACE MOON.
THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MISSION.
WITH THE INTENSE WORK SCHEDULE,
THE AMOUNT OF TIME SCHMITT
DEVOTES TO TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS
SURPRISES SOME OBSERVERS.
BUT THE PICTURES
HE TAKES ARE BREATHTAKING.
THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.
IN FACT, THE BLUE MARBLE
IS ONE OF THE MOST
WIDELY-RECOGNIZED PHOTOS
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION O
IS REMARKABLE
IN HOW WELL THEY WERE TAKEN
AND HOW WELL THEY TURNED OUT.
THE PHOTOS WERE INTENDED TO
CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAG
REKINDLING INTEREST IN THE MOON,
AND THEY DID,
BUT NOT IN THE WAY
NASA EXPECTED.
THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE AR
WHO BELIEVE THAT NASA
NEVER WENT TO THE MOON,
THAT IT WAS ALL SOME SORT
OF ELABORATE HOAX.
AND SCHMITT'S PHOTOS ARE A KEY
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS
ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY
IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE WRONG.
THERE ARE NO STARS
IN ANY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT ARE TAKEN ON THE MOON.
ACCORDING TO FORMER SHUTTLE F
THE PHOTOS LACK STARS
BECAUSE THE ASTRONAUTS
ADJUSTED THEIR CAMERA SETTINGS
TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MOON'S
UNIQUE LIGHT CONDITIONS.
OUT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT,
THE LIGHT SENSITIVITY
OF YOUR CAMERA WILL BE SO LOW
THAT THE STARLIGHT
IS JUST TOO WEAK TO REGISTER.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE
THAT INTO ACCOUNT
WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SURFACE
IN THE CAMERA ADJUSTMENTS,
AND WE PRIMARILY JUST CHANGED
THE APERTURE OF THE CAMERA.
BUT SOME PEOPLE QUESTION OTHER
ASPECTS OF THE APOLLO 17
THEY ARGUE THAT OBJECTS
IN THE PHOTOS
APPEAR TO BE LIT
FROM MORE THAN ONE DIRECTION
WHEN THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
SHOULD BE THE SUN.
ALL THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
WHO THINK THAT THE LUNAR LANDINGS
WERE FAKED ON A SOUND STAGE
POINT TO THIS.
THE SHADOW CONSPIRACY.
YOU CAN SEE
THAT THAT ASTRONAUT'S SHADOW
IT GOING OFF
TOWARD THE LEFT SIDE
AND THAT THIS SHADOW
IS GOING STRAIGHT UP.
WE'RE TOLD
BY THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
THAT IT'S ON A SOUND STAGE,
WHERE MULTIPLE LIGHTS
ARE LIGHTING THE SCENE.
THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
MAY BE RIGHT ABOUT THE L
BUT NOT THE CONSPIRACY.
THE MOON'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL
REFLECTIVE PROPERTIES
MAY ACTUALLY BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS.
IT HAS... WE SOMETIMES CALL A
VERY HIGH BACKSCATTER PROPERTY.
THIS MEANS
THAT THE BRIGHT WHITE SURFACES
OF THE MOON ACT LIKE A MIRROR,
REFLECTING LIGHT
FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
AT A VARIETY OF ANGLES.
THAT GIVES YOU A VERY BRIGHT
RETURN OFF THAT SURFACE.
BECAUSE IT'S GETTING THE LIGHT
DIRECTLY REFLECTED FROM
MANY, MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES.
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE
MOON'S REFLECTIVE POWER
COULD CAUSE
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS,
BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
ONE VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL.
IF THIS PICTURE RECEIVED LIGHT
FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES,
THE STRONG VISIBLE SHADOWS
SUGGEST THAT EACH FIGURE
SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE SHADOW.
BUT THEY DON'T, SO THERE
MUST BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RAW
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE,
IT IS CLEAR THAT IT'S BEEN SHOT
ON AN EXTREME WIDE-ANGLE LENS,
WHICH CAUSES WHAT'S KNOWN
AS A FISHEYE EFFECT.
THIS CURVES THE PICTURE,
MAKING THE SHADOWS CONVERGE
ON ONE CENTRAL FOCAL POINT.
IT CHANGES THEIR DIRECTION
SO THAT THEY LOOK LIKE
THEY'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY
WHEN, IN FACT,
WHEN VIEWED FROM ABOVE,
THEY'RE PERFECTLY IN LINE
WITH EACH OTHER.
AND IMAGES TAKEN 40 YEARS A
PROVIDE FURTHER EVIDENCE
THAT THE LANDING WAS REAL.
WE NOW HAVE THESE LUNAR
RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER PICTURES
THAT SHOW, IN VERY HIGH RESOLUTION,
NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
THE TRACKS ARE THERE,
YOU CAN SEE THE ROVER
SITTING OVER THERE,
AND THE FLAG.
THE AMERICAN FLAG IS STILL THERE
BECAUSE IT'S CASTING A SHADOW.
That's one small step for man,
NASA OFTEN OPERATES
IN ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS,
WHERE THE NORMAL RULES
MAY NOT APPLY.
BUT AS LONG AS THERE ARE
APPARENT INCONSISTENCIES
IN ANYTHING NASA DOES,
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
THE FLIGHTS WERE REAL.
PEOPLE WERE REAL,
THE MACHINERY WAS REAL.
THERE IS NOTHING
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
THAT EVEN HINTS
OF IT BEING A SCAM.
COMING UP...
COULD A STRANGE MATERIAL
IN THE UTAH DESERT
BE EVIDENCE OF A LIFE FORM
UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE?
I HAVE FOUND 18 SITES THAT CAN
BE VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE.
AT REMOTE DESERT LOCATIONS,
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER A
SUBSTANCE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.
IT'S THIS VERY STRANGE COATING
THAT COVERS THE SURFACE
OF STONE.
THE COATING IS NOT MADE BY
ON PLANET EARTH.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY CLEAR
RESOLUTION OF WHAT IT IS.
THE ONLY OTHER PLACE
WHERE THIS WEIRD SUBSTANCE
IS FOUND IS ON MARS.
UTAH'S CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE MOST
MAGICAL BUT WEIRD PLACE
ON EARTH.
BUT OF ALL THE PARK'S WONDERS,
PERHAPS THE STRANGEST
IS SOMETHING MANY VISITORS
NEVER SEE...
AN ODD SUBSTANCE
OF TOTALLY UNKNOWN ORIGIN.
THERE'S A VARNISH,
THIS STRANGE COATING
THAT COVERS ROCKS IN DESERTS.
IT'S USUALLY A BLACK, SHINY,
VERY THIN LAYER THAT COATS
THE OUTSIDE OF STONES.
DESERT VARNISH IS WEIRD.
NO ONE REALLY KNOWS
HOW DESERT VARNISH FORMS.
SOME SCIENTISTS THINK THAT
AND OTHERS THINK THAT IT'S
PRODUCED BY LIVING MICROBES.
IT'S REALLY WEIRD.
SCIENTIST CAROL CLELAND'S
INTEREST IN DESERT VARNISH B
WHEN SHE INVESTIGATED
POSSIBLE EVIDENCE
OF ALTERNATIVE LIFE FORMS
ON EARTH.
I INVESTIGATED A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES,
AND DESERT VARNISH WAS THE ONE
THAT WAS MOST INTERESTING.
BUT THE TERRESTRIAL
INVESTIGATION
LEAD TO A COMPLETELY
UNEXPECTED PLACE.
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT
DESERT VARNISH EXISTS ON MARS.
WE'VE SEEN THESE DARK-COLORED
COATINGS
ON THE SURFACES OF ROCKS
ON MARS.
AND IF WE SAW THAT ON EARTH,
WE'D REALLY BE SAYING
THAT'S DESERT VARNISH.
THE DESERT VARNISHES
ON EARTH AND MARS
SEEM TO BE CHEMICALLY
ALMOST IDENTICAL.
BOTH CONTAIN A MIX
OF IRON AND MANGANESE OXIDE
LACED WITH ORGANIC MATERIALS.
IT IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY
THAT THE DESERT VARNISH
ON ROCKS ON MARS
COME ABOUT AS A RESULT
OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES.
WHAT'S EXCITING
ABOUT DESERT VARNISH ON MARS,
OF COURSE, IS IF IT TRAPS
MICROBES ON EARTH
AND PERFECTLY PRESERVES THEM,
THEN MAYBE IT DOES THIS ON
THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.
SO MAYBE THE EVIDENCE
WE'RE LOOKING FOR,
FOR LIFE IN THE PAST OF MARS
IS IN THE LITTLE BLACK CRUSTS
ON THE OUTSIDES OF ROCKS.
THE PRESENCE
OF DESERT VARNISH ON MARS
AND JUST A FEW ISOLATED
DESERT LOCATIONS ON EARTH
IS HARD TO EXPLAIN.
ONE POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE MYSTERY
COMES FROM STRANGE SYMBOLS
CARVED INTO THE UTAH ROCKS,
KNOWN AS PETROGLYPHS.
PETROGLYPHS ARE MADE BY
PREHISTORIC NATIVE AMERICANS
THAT ROAMED THESE REGIONS
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THE PETROGLYPH IS CREATED BY
REMOVING A THIN LAYER OF VARNISH
TO REVEAL
THE WHITE ROCK UNDERNEATH.
THE MOST REMARKABLE
PETROGLYPHS SHOW TALL,
THIN CREATURES
IN SOME KIND OF BODY SUIT,
AND RESEARCHER TIM FRANCE HAS
OBSERVED OTHER UNUSUAL FEATURES
THAT KEEP APPEARING
IN THE DESIGNS.
I HAVE FOUND 18 PETROGLYPH SITES
THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS UFOS
OR VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE SPACE.
MOST OF THE CREATIONIST
THEORIES FROM THESE TRIBES
TALK ABOUT THE GREAT TURTLE
THAT CAME FROM SPACE.
IT COULD BE THE TURTLE
IS THEIR ONLY WAY
TO INTERPRET THE CRAFT
THAT THEY ARRIVED IN.
THESE ARE REFLECTIONS
OF WHAT PEOPLE SAW.
THE ARTISTS WERE ACCUSTOMED
TO PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR ART
THAT REFLECTED REALITY.
IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT EXACTLY
THE ANCIENT PEOPLES
WHO CREATED THE CARVINGS
WERE TRYING TO DEPICT
ON THE DESERT VARNISH.
FOR CAROL CLELAND,
THE DESERT VARNISH IS NOT
EVIDENCE OF ALIEN VISITORS,
BUT IT COULD HOLD CLUES
TO UNKNOWN LIFE FORMS.
THERE'S NO REASON TO BELIEVE
THAT AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF LIFE
COULDN'T HAVE EVOLVED IN
PARALLEL WITH OUR FORM OF LIFE.
DESERT VARNISH COULD BE THE
OF WHAT IS KNOWN
AS A SHADOW BIOSPHERE,
MICROBIAL LIFE FORMS
WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
BIOCHEMISTRY TO LIFE
AS WE KNOW IT.
THE REASON THAT DESERT VARNISH
STRIKES ME AS A GOOD CANDIDATE
FOR SHADOW BIOSPHERE
IS THAT IT CONSISTS
IN THIN LAYERS THAT LOOK A LOT
LIKE STROMATOLITES,
WHICH ARE A VERY EARLY FORM
OF LIFE ON EARTH.
THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS THAT
THE MOST POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
USED BY MICROBIOLOGISTS
WOULDN'T DETECT A FORM OF LIFE
THAT DIFFERED VERY MUCH
FROM OUR FORM OF LIFE.
IT WOULDN'T DETECT DNA THAT
WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR DNA.
THE SHOCKING IMPLICATION
COULD BE PRACTICALLY
STARTING US IN THE FACE...
WE'RE JUST NOT CAPABLE
OF RECOGNIZING THEM.
IF, IN OUR ONE SOLAR SYSTEM,
WE WERE TO FIND
TWO TREES OF LIFE,
THAT WOULD BE THE HOLY GRAIL
OF OUR SEARCH FOR ALIEN LIFE.
AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
WITH TWO TREES,
YOU HAVE THE PROSPECTS
OF FINDING
A FOREST OF LIFE OUT THERE.
COMING UP NEXT,
THE TOP-SECRET MISSION THAT
ALMOST DESTROYED A SHUTTLE.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
WHAT IT MUST BE
LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS.
THEY WERE FACING
A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.
ON A HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED MISSION,
THE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS
TAKES A DEVASTATING HIT.
DAMAGE OF THIS LEVEL
IS POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC.
THE WORST CASE
IS YOU LOSE A SHUTTLE.
IT'LL BURN THROUGH.
IT'LL COME APART.
NASA WILL NOT ADMIT
THAT ANY REPAIR OPERATIONS
TOOK PLACE IN ORBIT,
YET SOMEHOW,
THE SHUTTLE SURVIVES.
IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE
TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD
THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.
IT WAS HEART-STOPPING.
DECEMBER 2, 1988,
THE FIVE CREW MEMBERS OF
A CLASSIFIED MISSION, STS-27,
BLAST OFF FROM THE KENNEDY
LAUNCH PAD AT CAPE CANAVERAL.
ATLANTIS BEGINS ANOTHER SPACE
I'LL NEVER FORGET
HOW THE BOOSTER ROCKETS,
WHICH SHINE WITH A LIGHT
AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN,
HOW IT LIT UP THE LAUNCH PAD
AND LIT UP, IT SEEMED LIKE,
THE WHOLE STATE OF FLORIDA.
SHUTTLE COMMANDER "HOOT"
GIBSON LEADS THE
BUT EVEN TODAY,
NONE OF THE CREW MEMBERS
CAN TALK ABOUT THE SECRETS
OF THAT FLIGHT.
THIS IS ONE
OF THE HIGHLY CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSIONS.
THE PAYLOADS
ARE A CLOSELY-GUARDED SECRET.
DESPITE THE INTENSE SCRUTINY
THE LAUNCH GETS OFF
TO THE WORST POSSIBLE START.
WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE,
A PIECE FROM THE ROCKET BOOSTER
CAME OFF AND RIPPED ITS WAY
DOWN THE BELLY
OF THE SHUTTLE ITSELF,
CREATING DAMAGE
TO HUNDREDS OF TILES.
WE HAD THINGS GOING WRONG
ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.
DAMAGE OF ANY SORT IS DANGEROUS,
LET ALONE DAMAGE OF THE EXTENT
THAT HAPPENED HERE.
EIGHT MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF,
MANAGES TO REACH
THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF ORBIT.
BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME,
THE CREW HAS NO IDEA
OF THE DANGER THEY'RE IN.
WE WANT TO START SHOOTING
PICTURES RIGHT AWAY,
SO WE ACTUALLY DO BREAK OUT
SOME OF THE CAMERAS VERY QUICKLY.
ONLY WHEN THE CAMERAS TRACK A
DOES THE THREAT BECOME APPARENT.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE
LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS
TO SEE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE
AND REALIZE THAT THE MISSION
AND THEIR LIVES POTENTIALLY
ARE IN THE BALANCE.
ANY TIME WE SEE SOMETHING
OR WE HAVE SOMETHING
GOING ON BOARD THE ORBITER,
WE'RE GONNA TALK
TO MISSION CONTROL ABOUT IT,
- BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US.
- Yes?
WE CALL THEM AND TELL THEM,
"HEY, OUR TILES ARE FALLING OFF.
IS THIS GONNA BE
A MISSION IMPACT TO US?"
Yeah, we'll be all ears
listening for a debris...
Debris report from the SN.
Okay, stand by.
THE CREW BEAMS FOOTAGE OF
THE DAMAGE DOWN TO HOUSTON,
BUT THE CLASSIFIED NATURE
OF THE MISSION
HAS AN UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCE.
AS A RESULT OF THE SECURITY
REGULATIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS,
THE PICTURES COMING DOWN
WERE A POOR QUALITY
AND LOWER RESOLUTION.
THE CREW IS SEEING THE PHOTOS
AND REALIZES THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE SITUATION.
MISSION CONTROL
IS SEEING DEGRADED IMAGES
AND DOESN'T THINK
IT'S AS BIG A CONCERN.
All systems performing well.
BECAUSE MISSION CONTROL CA
OF THE DAMAGE
ON THE LOW-RESOLUTION FOOTAGE,
THEY DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE
THE PROBLEM.
THOUGH "HOOT" GIBSON
DECLINED TO BE INTERVIEWED
ABOUT THE SUBJECT,
SOME OBSERVERS BELIEVE
THAT THE CREW HAD NO CHOICE
BUT TO CONDUCT
AN UNAUTHORIZED SPACE WALK
TO FIX THE DAMAGED HEAT SHIELD.
THE CREW
COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING
AGAINST THE WISHES OF NASA
AND TRIED TO DO
SOME KIND OF REPAIR.
FLIGHT CREW IS IN CHARGE
OF THE VEHICLE,
AND SO THEY'RE IN
THE BEST POSITION
TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST THING
TO DO IS AT THE TIME.
AND SO SOMETIMES,
THAT COULD RUN COUNTER TO
THE DESIRES OF MISSION CONTROL.
BUT IF A SHUTTLE
HAVE SUFFERED CRITICAL DAMAGE,
THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT
THE CREW CAN DO TO FIX IT.
NASA REFUSES TO CONFIRM OR DENY
THAT THE SPACE WALK TOOK PLACE
DURING MISSION STS-27.
WHETHER OR NOT THE DAMAGE
WAS REPAIRED,
THE CREW HAS NO CHOICE
BUT TO ATTEMPT RE-ENTRY.
SO IF YOU KNOW YOUR HEAT
SHIELD'S BEEN COMPROMISED,
YOU'RE VERY CONCERNED
DURING ENTRY
AND, UNTIL YOU HIT WHEELS
STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY,
YOU'RE NOT REALLY SURE
WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
DURING RE-ENTRY,
A SUPER HEATED 2,900 DEGREE
FAHRENHEIT WAVE OF PLASMA FORMS
ON THE HEAT SHIELD,
EATING INTO THE DAMAGED TILES.
ONCE YOU START BACK
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
AND IF THE TILES DON'T
PROTECT YOU OR OTHERWISE,
THERE'S NO
REAL ALTERNATIVES LEFT.
YOU'RE JUST GONNA BURN UP.
THEY WERE FACING
A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.
FINALLY, ATLANTIS TOUCHES
DOWN AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE B
WHEN GROUND STAFF
INSPECT THE DAMAGED CRAFT,
THEY DISCOVER JUST HOW CLOSE
THE MISSION CAME TO DISASTER.
MORE THAN 700 TILES
WERE DAMAGED.
IT WAS HEART-STOPPING,
BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE
DAMAGE TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD
THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.
IT BARELY HELD TOGETHER.
IT'S PROVIDENCE
THAT THE WORST TILE DAMAGE
OCCURRED WHERE IT DID, WHERE
THE SHUTTLE WAS REINFORCED.
ANYWHERE ELSE, THE SHUTTLE
WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST,
AND THE PROGRAM WOULD LIKELY
HAVE BEEN LOST AS WELL.
UP NEXT, A REAL-LIFE CLOSE
ENCOUNTER FORESHADOWS D
THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN
THAT SOMETHING
IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.
WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
THIS IS AN ACTUAL RECORDING
OF AN ENCOUNTER
WITH UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS
IN THE SKIES OVER NORWAY.
THERE ARE THESE FLOATING ORBS,
LIGHTS,
THAT SEEM TO HANG IN THE AIR.
WHAT COULD THEY BE?
ALL OVER THE WORLD,
STRANGE SIGHTINGS CAUSE TERROR.
THESE PEOPLE COULD NOT BELIEVE
WHAT THEY WERE SEEING.
AND THEN,
AFTER MANY OF THE SIGHTINGS
COMES A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE.
YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA.
RETIRED GOVERNMENT GRAIN
INSPECTOR JIM CONACHER
AND HIS WIFE DECIDE TO SPEND
ONE MORNING OF THEIR VACATION
ON LAKE TAGISH.
JIM AND HIS WIFE
ARE GOING UP ALONG THE SHORE
AND ABOUT 300 METERS AWAY,
THEY COME UPON THESE
FOUR BRIGHT ORBS OR OBJECTS,
FOUR FEET IN DIAMETER.
OBJECTS SEEM AS LIGHTS
DURING DAYTIME
WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY BRIGHT
INDEED.
AND THEY WERE HOLDING
THEIR POSITION,
DESPITE THE FACT THAT
THE WIND WAS GUSTING A BIT,
WHICH SUGGESTS
THAT THEY WERE UNDER
SOME SORT
OF INTELLIGENT CONTROL.
DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT
THERE'S SOME NATURAL PHENOMENON
WHEN YOU THINK
THEY WERE JUST TOO INCREDIBLE,
THE WAY THEY BEHAVED.
THE FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
"WHAT ARE THESE ORBS?
WHAT COULD THEY BE?"
THE SUSPICION ABOUT
THESE THINGS STILL EXISTS.
THE FOUR LIGHTS
MOVE OVER THE TREETOPS,
HEADING UPWARDS TOWARDS
THE AREA OF THE MOUNTAIN
WHERE THE OTHER THREE LIGHTS
APPEARED,
SEEMED TO JOIN WITH THEM,
AND THEN MOVED ON.
ON RETURNING FROM HIS VACATION,
CONACHER DECIDES TO FIND OUT
WHAT THE STRANGE LIGHTS WERE.
BUT ACCORDING
TO INVESTIGATOR MARTIN JASEK,
HIS RESEARCH HITS A BRICK WALL.
HE HAD THE SLIDES SUBMITTED
TO THE WEATHER OFFICE,
WHO SUBMITTED TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.
HE WAS TOLD THAT
THE CASE WAS CLASSIFIED,
WHICH IS VERY, VERY PUZZLING.
THE CONACHERS WERE NOT THE
FIRST TO SEE THE
THEY'VE BEEN REPORTED
ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
AND NASA WANTS TO KNOW WHY.
NASA SCIENTIST FRIEDEMANN FREUND
INVESTIGATES THE PHENOMENON.
HE DISCOVERS
THAT THESE SIGHTINGS
HAVE A HISTORICAL PRECEDENT.
200, 300 YEARS AGO,
PEOPLE SOMETIMES DESCRIBED,
IN GREAT ACCURACY,
THE SAME PHENOMENA
THAT WE ARE OBSERVING TODAY.
AND THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT
THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN
THAT SOMETHING
IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.
ON AUGUST 15, 2007,
THE PHENOMENON CAUSES TERROR
IN THE SKIES ABOVE LIMA, PERU.
IN LIMA, AN AIRPLANE WAS
IN THE APPROACH
AND THE PILOT WAS ACTUALLY
THEN REPORTING TO THE TOWER,
"I SEE LIGHTS
ALL OVER THE PLACE,
HERE AND THERE AND THERE."
THE PLANE LANDS SAFELY,
BUT REPORTS OF MORE AND MORE
LIGHTS IN THE SKY FLOOD
IN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
AND WITHIN HOURS
OF THE SIGHTINGS,
PERU GETS HIT BY A
DEVASTATING TECTONIC EVENT.
THERE WAS A MAGNITUDE EIGHT
EQUIVALENT TO SEVERAL HUNDRED
THOUSAND ATOMIC BOMBS EXPLODING
AT THE SAME MOMENT.
FOR FREUND,
THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN.
HE STUDIES 400 YEARS
OF EARTHQUAKE HISTORY
AND FIND HUNDREDS OF ACCOUNTS
OF THE STRANGE LIGHTS
FORESHADOWING DISASTER,
INCLUDING PRIOR TO THE GREAT
SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906.
I BELIEVE THAT THESE LIGHTS
THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING
AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE
WHICH IS A RESULT OF
SOMETHING EVEN MORE TRAUMATIC
HAPPENING DEEP
IN THE EARTH'S CRUST.
IN 2006, FREUND'S INVESTIGATION
LEADS HIM TO AN UNUSUAL
HE BELIEVES THE LIGHTS
MIGHT BE CAUSED BY REACTIONS
IN CERTAIN KINDS OF ROCK,
DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,
THAT PRODUCE
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES.
THESE MAFIC ROCKS,
WHEN THEY SOLIDIFY DURING
THE COOLING, PRODUCE DEFECTS,
WHICH, WHEN WE STRESS IT,
PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.
YOU HAVE ROCKS THAT ARE BEING
STRESSED BY THE FORCES
OF THE DEEP EARTH
AND IT BECOMES A SOURCE
OF ELECTRICITY THAT IS FLOWING
THROUGH THE ROCK COLUMN,
REACHING THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH,
GOING UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
AND PRODUCING LIGHT.
COULD THIS EXPLAIN
THE STRANGE LIGHTS
THAT JIM CONACHER SAW
ON JULY 1, 1973?
JIM DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT THE LIGHTS WERE
AND NEVER FOUND A SATISFACTORY
EXPLANATION FOR THEM.
ON THE SAME DAY
THAT JIM SPOTTED THE LIGHTS,
A MAGNITUDE 6.7 EARTHQUAKE
STRUCK THE COAST OF ALASKA.
THE EPICENTER WAS LESS THAN
200 MILES FROM JIM'S POSITION.
THE ANSWER
TO JIM'S CONACHER'S MYSTERY
MAY BE BENEATH THE SURFACE
OF OUR PLANET,
BUT THERE ARE OTHER WORLDS
WHERE SECRETS LIE BURIED.
IMAGES BEAMED BACK FROM
MERCURY LEAVE SCIENTISTS STUNNED...
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
UNUSUAL FEATURES SEEN ANYWHERE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
THERE'S, LIKE, SPIDER LEGS GOING
IN MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
I SEE THAT AND I'M...
I'M NERVOUS ABOUT IT.
I'M WONDERING
WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS.
ARE THOSE SPIDER LEGS ROADS?
ARE THEY TUNNELS?
WHAT IS THE MERCURY SPIDER
MERCURY,
THE CLOSEST PLANET TO THE SUN.
IN JANUARY, 2008,
NASA'S MESSENGER PROBE
BUZZES THE PLANET,
SKIMMING JUST 124 MILES
ABOVE ITS SURFACE.
MESSENGER TAKES THE FIRST
HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES
OF THE CALORIS BASIN,
A HUGE,
3.8 BILLION-YEAR-OLD IMPACT CRATER.
WE FINALLY SAW WHAT THE CENTER
OF CALORIS LOOKED LIKE,
AND WE WERE AMAZED.
THE CENTER DIDN'T LOOK LIKE
ANYTHING THAT WE'D SEEN
ON ANY OTHER PLANET.
A 25-MILE-WIDE DOME
SITS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE MASSIVE BASIN,
SURROUNDED BY TENTACLE-LIKE PROJECTIONS.
IT WAS THIS SPOKE PATTERN
OF SOMETHING LIKE 200 SPOKES
THAT WERE ALMOST
PERFECTLY RADIAL
TO THE CENTER OF THE BASIN.
IT WAS DUBBED THE SPIDER.
THIS WEIRDLY SYMMETRICAL
SPIDER IS 143 MIL
DOMINATING AN ENTIRE REGION
OF MERCURY'S SURFACE.
WHY ISN'T IT REPEATED
ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET?
WHAT IS SINGULAR
ABOUT THAT AREA?
WHAT COULD HAVE MADE
THIS STRUCTURE?
TO THIS DAY,
WE'RE STILL ARGUING.
FOR SOME,
THE ANSWER SEEMS OBVIOUS.
MY FIRST REACTION SEEING THAT
IS IT LOOKS LIKE LIVING CREATURES
BURROWING THROUGH THE ROCK.
IF YOU WANTED TO BRAVE THE
HARSH CONDITIONS ON MERCURY,
THE ONLY PLACE THAT MAKES
SENSE IS UNDERGROUND.
MERCURY'S THICK IRON-RICH CRUST
COULD OFFER PROTECTION FROM
THE SUN'S EXTREME TEMPERATURES
AND LETHAL RADIATION.
BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES.
THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
THAT THE SPIDER,
THIS SET OF FAULTS,
HAS ANYTHING OTHER
THAN A NATURAL CAUSE.
IF THE SPIDER
IS A NATURAL PHENOMENON,
THERE COULD BE SEVERAL CAUSES.
ONE THEORY IS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,
BUT THE SPIDER DOES NOT RESEMBLE
ANY OTHER VOLCANIC FORMATION
ON THE PLANET.
PERHAPS THE MOST COMPELLING IDEA
IS THAT MERCURY'S SPIDER WAS
CREATED WHEN A LARGE METEORITE
IMPACTED THE SURFACE
OF THE BASIN.
MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
A ROCK HITS YOUR WINDSHIELD,
THE PRE-STRESS LED TO
AN IMMEDIATE FRACTURE PATTERN.
IF A COSMIC COLLISION
FORMED THE SPIDER,
SCIENTISTS WOULD ALSO EXPECT
TO SEE AN IMPACT CRATER,
RIGHT AT THE VERY CENTER
OF THE FORMATION.
BUT IT TURNS OUT IT IS OFFSET
FROM THE CENTER OF WHERE
ALL THOSE CRACKS CONVERGE.
IT ALSO APPEARS TO BE LATER
THAN WHEN THESE CRACKS
WERE FIRST FORMED,
SO THAT CRATER IS PROBABLY COINCIDENTAL.
AT LEAST UNTIL THE MESSENGER
PROBE BEGINS A NEW, CLOSER O
OF MERCURY IN MARCH 2015,
THE MYSTERY
OF THE SPIDER'S FORMATION
WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
THERE ARE COMPETING IDEAS.
NONE OF THEM
SEEM COMPLETELY SATISFYING,
SO THIS IS
AN UNANSWERED QUESTION.
STILL TO COME,
WHEN IS A MOON NOT A MOON?
"THAT'S NO MOON."
THE DISTANT MOON KNOWN AS
TRITON HAS GONE
TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.
...APPARENTLY DEFYING
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
TRITON IS DIFFERENT FROM
ALL THE OTHER LARGE SATELLITES
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
MOONS GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION
THAT THE PLANET ROTATES.
THIS GUY'S GOING
THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
1989.
AFTER A 12-YEAR JOURNEY,
NASA'S VOYAGER 2 MISSION
REACHES THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM
AND THE GAS GIANT NEPTUNE.
FIRST SEEING THE IMAGES OF
NEPTUNE WAS REALLY EXCITING,
BECAUSE WE
WENT THERE WITH NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE GOING TO FIND,
AND SUDDENLY, HERE ARE
THESE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES.
IT'S A TRIUMPH FOR VOYAGER 2,
BUT WHEN NASA EXAMINES TRITON,
THE LARGEST
OF NEPTUNE'S 13 MOONS,
THEY SPOT SOMETHING DISTURBING.
THE MOON IS GOING THE
WRONG WAY AROUND THE PLANET.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE EARTH/MOON SYSTEM,
THE MOON'S GOING AROUND
THE EARTH, JUST LIKE THIS,
KIND OF CLOSE
TO THE EQUATOR OF THE EARTH.
WHEN WE LOOK AT TRITON,
WHAT WE SEE IS THE MOON'S GOING
AROUND IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
IT IS THE ONLY LARGE MOON
OF ANY OF THE PLANETS
THAT DOES THIS.
TRITON'S BEHAVIOR
SEEMS COMPLETELY UNNATURAL.
IT CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING
WE THINK WE KNOW
ABOUT HOW PLANETS
AND MOONS FORM.
MOST MOONS GET CREATED AS
THE PLANET ITSELF GETS CREATED.
SO YOU HAVE THIS SWIRLING BALL
OF GAS AND MATERIALS
THAT ARE COLLAPSING DOWN
INTO THE CENTRAL PLANET,
AND THEN SOME DEBRIS LEFT OVER
COLLAPSES DOWN
INTO THE SATELLITE.
SO YOU EXPECT ALL THE OBJECTS
TO GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION
AROUND THE PLANET.
THAT'S VERY UNDERSTANDABLE.
WHAT'S NOT UNDERSTANDABLE
IS HOW DO YOU GET A MOON,
ESPECIALLY A LARGE ONE,
TO GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?
THE RESEMBLANCE
TO THE PLANET-DESTROYING
ARTIFICIAL MOONS
OF THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES
IS STRIKING.
AS THEY'RE APPROACHING
THE DEATH STAR, OBI-WAN
PEERS THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
AND SAYS, "THAT'S NO MOON."
IF YOU WANT TO PARK IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM, KEEP AN EYE ON EARTH
AND ALL THE INTERESTING THINGS
GOING ON THERE.
NEPTUNE'S THE PERFECT PLACE
TO PARK YOUR ARTIFICIAL PLANET.
TRITON'S SURFACE
SEEMS TO SUPPORT THE THEORY.
IT APPEARS TO HAVE AREAS
THAT ARE SMOOTH AS METAL,
REFLECTING 70%
OF THE SUN'S RAYS.
TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.
IT'S THE ORBIT AND IT'S
THE TYPE OF MOON IT IS.
YEAH, TRITON IS VERY CONFUSING.
EVEN FOR THE MOST
SKEPTICAL SCIENTIST,
ALL THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THAT TRITON IS NO ORDINARY MOON.
IT'S EXTREMELY UNLIKELY
THAT TRITON FORMED
ORBITING AROUND NEPTUNE.
IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE
FOR IT TO HAVE FORMED LOCALLY.
THERE IS ONE OBVIOUS PROBLEM
IF I'M FLYING AN ARTIFICIAL
PLANET THROUGH SPACE
AND I DECIDE THAT
I WANT TO PARK IT ON NEPTUNE,
I'M GONNA BE SURE TO GO THE
RIGHT WAY AROUND THE PLANET
IF I'M TRYING TO HIDE.
TRITON IS NOT A DEATH STAR.
IT'S NOT MADE OUT OF MATERIALS
WE'D EXPECT IT TO BE MADE OUT OF
IF SOMEBODY
WAS BUILDING THE THING.
IT'S MADE OUT OF NATURAL
MATERIALS THAT YOU'D EXPECT.
BUT IF TRITON IS NOT ARTIFICIAL,
WHY IS ITS SURFACE SMOOTH?
ON TRITON, WE SAW ERUPTIONS
OF MATERIAL
INTO ITS THIN ATMOSPHERE.
WATERY ERUPTIONS CAN FREEZE AND
MAKE A SMOOTH SURFACE, AT LEAST,
FILLING IN THE IMPACT CRATERS.
PEOPLE CALL IT CRYOVOLCANISM,
AN ICE-BASED,
COOLED VOLCANIC PROCESS.
THAT STILL LEAVES THE MYSTERY
BUT ASTRONOMER DR. CRAIG AGNOR
HAS A THEORY.
BECAUSE TRITON IS GOING IN T
OF ALL OF ITS NEIGHBORS,
THE GENERAL IDEA
FOR ITS ORIGINAL
IS THAT IT MADE A CLOSE
APPROACH TO NEPTUNE
AND IT SOMEHOW
BECAME A BOUND COMPANION.
TRITON CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE,
FLYING THROUGH SPACE UNTIL
IT HITS SOMETHING NEAR NEPTUNE
AND WAS CAPTURE
BY THE PLANET'S GRAVITY.
BUT EVEN THIS EXTRAORDINARY IDEA
ONLY PARTIALLY SOLVES
THE MYSTERY.
IF THE OBJECT THAT TRITON
COLLIDED WITH WAS LARGE ENOUGH
TO SLOW IT DOWN
AND ENABLE ITS CAPTURE,
IT WAS ALSO LIKELY LARGE
ENOUGH TO DESTROY IT.
TO DATE, NO ONE HAS EXPLAINED
HOW OR WHY TRITON SURVIVED
ITS HYPOTHETICAL COLLISION.
NASA'S ASTRONAUTS
CONSTANTLY RISK THEIR LIVES
TO PUSH BACK THE BOUNDARIES
OF KNOWLEDGE,
EVEN THOUGH SOME WOULD CAST
DOUBT ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
NASA CRAFT PROBE THE SECRETS
OF DISTANT PLANETS,
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
TO THE MYSTERIES OF SPACE.
SOMETIMES ANSWERS LIE
RIGHT BENEATH OUR FEET,
BUT OFTEN, THE MYSTERIES
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.
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,
IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,
ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISK 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.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA BE
AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.
UNNATURAL PHENOMENA
ON DISTANT WORLDS.
THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS
WITH THIS ARE STARTLING.
THE MOST IMPORTANT
DISCOVERY EVER MADE
IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE.
COULD NASA
PHOTOGRAPHS CAST DOUBT
ON MANKIND'S
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
REAL LIFE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
OF THE THIRD KIND.
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECT,
AND THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
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 2
EP - 2 - Top Secret Terror
Subtitles Diego Moraes
NASA SPACE ENGINEER
JOHN SCHUESSLER
INVESTIGATED REAL-LIFE X-FILES.
JOHN SCHUESSLER'S PURPOSE W
SOME PROOF THAT UFOS
AND ALIEN VISITATION IS REAL.
HE WAS NUMBER ONE,
SHARP ENGINEER,
TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY.
IN FEBRUARY, 1981, SCHUESSLER
GETS CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE
A UFO IN NASA'S BACKYARD.
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED
FLYING OBJECT,
AND THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
THIS CERTAINLY STANDS OUT TO
ME AS ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING,
AND STILL AN OPEN CASE.
DECEMBER 29, 1980, 9:00 P.M.,
BETTY CASH WAS DRIVING A CAR
ALONG A LONELY ROAD
OUTSIDE OF DAYTON, TEXAS.
BETTY'S ACCOMPANIED BY HER BEST FRIEND,
VICKY LANDRUM,
AND VICKY'S 7-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON,
COLBY.
SUDDENLY, AS THEY'RE DRIVING
THEY SEE THIS FLAMING OBJECT
IN THE SKY.
THE BRIGHT LIGHT HOVERS 60
THEY'RE SO FRIGHTENED,
BETTY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES
NOT MORE THAN 130 FEET
FROM THE OBJECT.
SHE GETS OUT OF THE CAR TO GET
AND SUDDENLY SHE FEELS BURNS
ALL OVER HER BODY AND...
AND VICKY AND COLBY
ALSO FELT BURNS.
THEY FEEL A LOT OF HEAT,
WHICH WAS VERY PECULIAR.
I MEAN, TEXAS IS HOT,
BUT NOT THAT HOT.
AS BETTY STARTS TO
GET BACK IN THE CAR,
SHE STRUGGLES WITH THE DOOR.
THE SIDE OF THE CAR,
THE METAL OF THE CAR,
WHERE SHE PUT HER HAND
WAS SEARING HOT.
THE INTENSE HEAT
IS NOT THE ONLY STRANGE THING
BETTY ENCOUNTERS THAT NIGHT.
THEN, THESE HELICOPTERS
COME OUT OF THE BLUE.
WHAT ARE THEY?
THEY LOOK MILITARY.
THEY WERE CHASING OR
ACCOMPANYING THIS OBJECT
AS IT WAS MOVING AWAY.
WHERE'D
THE HELICOPTERS COME FROM?
WHAT WERE THEY DOING THERE?
HOW DID THEY KNOW TO BE THERE?
IN A STATE OF SHOCK,
THEY HEAD HOME TO RECOVER.
THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE
LASTED ONLY ABOUT 20 MINUTES,
BUT IT WOULD CHANGE THEM
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING HOME,
ALL THREE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE
STRANGE SYMPTOMS.
BETTY CASH IN PARTICULAR GETS
SICKER AND SICKER AND SICKER.
HER HAIR STARTED COMING OUT
IN PATCHES.
SO SHE FINALLY GOES TO A DOCTOR
WHO SAYS, "YOU'VE GOT
THE SAME KIND OF REACTION
"THAT THE RESIDENTS
OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI HAD
WHO WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY
INCINERATED BY THE ATOMIC BOMB."
HOW DO WE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED?
THEY CAME DOWN WITH SYMPTOMS
OF EXPOSURE TO RADIATION.
WHEN BETTY CASH
FIRST LEAVES THE HOSPITAL,
SHE IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT
WHAT HAPPENED TO HER,
SO SHE CALLS NASA FOR HELP.
THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
DENIES ANY NASA INVOLVEMENT
IN THE INCIDENT,
BUT THEY PUT HER IN CONTACT
WITH ONE OF THEIR ENGINEERS,
JOHN SCHUESSLER,
WHO RUNS A VOLUNTEER
INVESTIGATION PROGRAM
CALLED PROJECT VISIT.
PROJECT VISIT WAS VERY
INTERESTED IN TRYING TO PROVE
THAT THE UFO PHENOMENON
WAS REAL.
SO WHEN THE CALL CAME IN
FROM VICKY AND BETTY
THAT SUCH A PHENOMENON
HAD OCCURRED,
THEY SET OUT
TO INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY.
INVESTIGATOR JOHN SCHUESSLER
RETURNS TO THE SCENE
OF THE INCIDENT.
SHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATIONS
FOUND, AMONG OTHER THINGS,
THAT THE ROAD IN QUESTION
APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DUG UP
AND REPLACED WITH FRESH ASPHALT
WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
AFTER THIS INCIDENT.
SCHUESSLER SEARCHES FOR SIGNS
THAT COULD'VE CAUSED
BETTY'S ILLNESS
BUT FINDS NOTHING.
UNDETERRED, SCHUESSLER MOVES
ON TO THE HELICOPTER ANGLE.
HE CONTACTS LOCAL MILITARY BASES
TO FIND OUT WHO AND WHAT
WAS FLYING THAT NIGHT.
EVERY SINGLE LOCAL BASE
IN TEXAS SAID,
"NOBODY WAS FLYING HELICOPTERS
THAT NIGHT, SO IT WASN'T US."
THEY WEREN'T LYING.
THEY DIDN'T.
FLIGHT DATA RECORDS
CONFIRM THIS.
SCHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATION
HITS A DEAD END.
SO WHERE DID THE HELICOPTERS
COME FROM?
YEARS LATER, DR. WILLIAM BIRNES
ALSO INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT.
HE DISCOVERED THAT
PRESIDENT CARTER HAD SET UP
A SECRET STEALTH HELICOPTER
UNIT AT THE END OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
IT WAS A NIGHTTIME HELICOPTER
FIGHTING UNIT, TOP SECRET,
RUN OUT OF THE INTELLIGENCE
SUPPORT DIVISION.
THAT WAS THE UNIT
THAT WAS MOBILIZED THAT NIGHT.
BIRNES BELIEVES
THAT BETTY'S ENCOUNTER
COULD BE RELATED
TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF A TOP-SECRET
NUCLEAR POWERED AIRCRAFT.
THAT'S WHAT THEY
WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH.
THE NUCLEAR REACTOR OVERHEATED,
CAUGHT ON FIRE,
THREATENED TO MELT COMPLETELY,
SO THEY CALLED ON A
TOP-SECRET HELICOPTER UNIT
TO FLY TO TEXAS,
CHAIN THE THING,
GO OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO
AND DROP IT IN THE WATER.
BUT SOME OBSERVERS
ARE NOT CONVINCED.
IT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS
THAN IT ANSWERS.
MAYBE IT WAS A SECRET
AMERICAN SYSTEM,
BUT I DON'T THINK SO.
I WORKED ON NUCLEAR AIRPLANES.
I DON'T THINK WE HAD
ONE FLYING AROUND TEXAS.
AND WHILE A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT
COULD EXPLAIN
BETTY'S RADIATION SICKNESS,
IT WOULD ALSO LEAVE EVIDENCE,
EVIDENCE SCHUESSLER NEVER FOUND.
SOMETHING STRANGE WAS THERE,
A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING
OBJECT DOING PECULIAR THINGS,
AND WHERE THE GOVERNMENT
LIED ABOUT IT.
SCHUESSLER HIMSELF BELIEVED
BY THE MICROWAVES
OF SOME EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM.
BUT UNTIL THE MILITARY RELEASES
NEW INFORMATION, BETTY, VICKY,
AND COLBY'S TERRIFYING
ENCOUNTER WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
UP NEXT,
COULD FAKED PHOTOGRAPHS UNDERMINE
THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC
ACHIEVEMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY?
IN 1972,
ASTRONAUTS ON MANKIND'S FINAL LUNAR MISSION
CAPTURE SOME OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE IMAGES IN HISTORY.
THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.
THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION
OF PHOTOGRAPHS IS REMARKABLE.
BUT WHAT NASA DOESN'T KNOW
IS THAT THESE IMAGES
WILL ALSO FUEL
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSPIRACY
THEORIES OF ALL TIME.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS
ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY
IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE WRONG.
NASA HAS GIVEN US THE MOST
WE CALL HOME,
THE REALITIES OF SPACE TRAVEL,
AND THE SURFACE OF OTHER WORLDS.
THE SPACE AGENCY'S PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE HOW WE KNOW THE UNIVERSE,
BUT TO SOME, THE IMAGES
SUGGEST A SINISTER CONSPIRACY.
DECEMBER 12, 1972,
IN A HARSH LUNAR VALLEY,
APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT
HARRISON "JACK" SCHMITT
IS WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK
ON ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING
MISSIONS IN NASA'S HISTORY.
TIME IS RELENTLESS
WHEN YOU'RE IN SPACE.
NOT ONLY IS THE CLOCK TICKING
AWAY AND YOU GOT TASKS TO DO
THAT EVERYBODY
EXPECTS YOU TO DO,
BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S
GONNA BE AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.
WHAT NOBODY REALIZES
IS THAT THIS IS NASA'S
FINAL MANNED MOON MISSION.
IF THE LUNAR SCIENTISTS
DON'T GET WHAT THEY NEED NOW,
THERE MAY NEVER BE
ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHANCE
THEY'LL TRAVEL THE FARTHEST
AWAY FROM THE LUNAR MODULE.
THEY WILL SPEND
THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME
ON THE SURFACE MOON.
THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MISSION.
WITH THE INTENSE WORK SCHEDULE,
THE AMOUNT OF TIME SCHMITT
DEVOTES TO TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS
SURPRISES SOME OBSERVERS.
BUT THE PICTURES
HE TAKES ARE BREATHTAKING.
THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.
IN FACT, THE BLUE MARBLE
IS ONE OF THE MOST
WIDELY-RECOGNIZED PHOTOS
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION O
IS REMARKABLE
IN HOW WELL THEY WERE TAKEN
AND HOW WELL THEY TURNED OUT.
THE PHOTOS WERE INTENDED TO
CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAG
REKINDLING INTEREST IN THE MOON,
AND THEY DID,
BUT NOT IN THE WAY
NASA EXPECTED.
THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE AR
WHO BELIEVE THAT NASA
NEVER WENT TO THE MOON,
THAT IT WAS ALL SOME SORT
OF ELABORATE HOAX.
AND SCHMITT'S PHOTOS ARE A KEY
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS
ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY
IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS
ARE WRONG.
THERE ARE NO STARS
IN ANY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT ARE TAKEN ON THE MOON.
ACCORDING TO FORMER SHUTTLE F
THE PHOTOS LACK STARS
BECAUSE THE ASTRONAUTS
ADJUSTED THEIR CAMERA SETTINGS
TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MOON'S
UNIQUE LIGHT CONDITIONS.
OUT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT,
THE LIGHT SENSITIVITY
OF YOUR CAMERA WILL BE SO LOW
THAT THE STARLIGHT
IS JUST TOO WEAK TO REGISTER.
YOU HAVE TO TAKE
THAT INTO ACCOUNT
WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SURFACE
IN THE CAMERA ADJUSTMENTS,
AND WE PRIMARILY JUST CHANGED
THE APERTURE OF THE CAMERA.
BUT SOME PEOPLE QUESTION OTHER
ASPECTS OF THE APOLLO 17
THEY ARGUE THAT OBJECTS
IN THE PHOTOS
APPEAR TO BE LIT
FROM MORE THAN ONE DIRECTION
WHEN THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
SHOULD BE THE SUN.
ALL THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
WHO THINK THAT THE LUNAR LANDINGS
WERE FAKED ON A SOUND STAGE
POINT TO THIS.
THE SHADOW CONSPIRACY.
YOU CAN SEE
THAT THAT ASTRONAUT'S SHADOW
IT GOING OFF
TOWARD THE LEFT SIDE
AND THAT THIS SHADOW
IS GOING STRAIGHT UP.
WE'RE TOLD
BY THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
THAT IT'S ON A SOUND STAGE,
WHERE MULTIPLE LIGHTS
ARE LIGHTING THE SCENE.
THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
MAY BE RIGHT ABOUT THE L
BUT NOT THE CONSPIRACY.
THE MOON'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL
REFLECTIVE PROPERTIES
MAY ACTUALLY BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS.
IT HAS... WE SOMETIMES CALL A
VERY HIGH BACKSCATTER PROPERTY.
THIS MEANS
THAT THE BRIGHT WHITE SURFACES
OF THE MOON ACT LIKE A MIRROR,
REFLECTING LIGHT
FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
AT A VARIETY OF ANGLES.
THAT GIVES YOU A VERY BRIGHT
RETURN OFF THAT SURFACE.
BECAUSE IT'S GETTING THE LIGHT
DIRECTLY REFLECTED FROM
MANY, MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES.
SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE
MOON'S REFLECTIVE POWER
COULD CAUSE
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS,
BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
ONE VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL.
IF THIS PICTURE RECEIVED LIGHT
FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES,
THE STRONG VISIBLE SHADOWS
SUGGEST THAT EACH FIGURE
SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE SHADOW.
BUT THEY DON'T, SO THERE
MUST BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RAW
PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE,
IT IS CLEAR THAT IT'S BEEN SHOT
ON AN EXTREME WIDE-ANGLE LENS,
WHICH CAUSES WHAT'S KNOWN
AS A FISHEYE EFFECT.
THIS CURVES THE PICTURE,
MAKING THE SHADOWS CONVERGE
ON ONE CENTRAL FOCAL POINT.
IT CHANGES THEIR DIRECTION
SO THAT THEY LOOK LIKE
THEY'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY
WHEN, IN FACT,
WHEN VIEWED FROM ABOVE,
THEY'RE PERFECTLY IN LINE
WITH EACH OTHER.
AND IMAGES TAKEN 40 YEARS A
PROVIDE FURTHER EVIDENCE
THAT THE LANDING WAS REAL.
WE NOW HAVE THESE LUNAR
RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER PICTURES
THAT SHOW, IN VERY HIGH RESOLUTION,
NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
THE TRACKS ARE THERE,
YOU CAN SEE THE ROVER
SITTING OVER THERE,
AND THE FLAG.
THE AMERICAN FLAG IS STILL THERE
BECAUSE IT'S CASTING A SHADOW.
That's one small step for man,
NASA OFTEN OPERATES
IN ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS,
WHERE THE NORMAL RULES
MAY NOT APPLY.
BUT AS LONG AS THERE ARE
APPARENT INCONSISTENCIES
IN ANYTHING NASA DOES,
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE
CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
THE FLIGHTS WERE REAL.
PEOPLE WERE REAL,
THE MACHINERY WAS REAL.
THERE IS NOTHING
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
THAT EVEN HINTS
OF IT BEING A SCAM.
COMING UP...
COULD A STRANGE MATERIAL
IN THE UTAH DESERT
BE EVIDENCE OF A LIFE FORM
UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE?
I HAVE FOUND 18 SITES THAT CAN
BE VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE.
AT REMOTE DESERT LOCATIONS,
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER A
SUBSTANCE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.
IT'S THIS VERY STRANGE COATING
THAT COVERS THE SURFACE
OF STONE.
THE COATING IS NOT MADE BY
ON PLANET EARTH.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY CLEAR
RESOLUTION OF WHAT IT IS.
THE ONLY OTHER PLACE
WHERE THIS WEIRD SUBSTANCE
IS FOUND IS ON MARS.
UTAH'S CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE MOST
MAGICAL BUT WEIRD PLACE
ON EARTH.
BUT OF ALL THE PARK'S WONDERS,
PERHAPS THE STRANGEST
IS SOMETHING MANY VISITORS
NEVER SEE...
AN ODD SUBSTANCE
OF TOTALLY UNKNOWN ORIGIN.
THERE'S A VARNISH,
THIS STRANGE COATING
THAT COVERS ROCKS IN DESERTS.
IT'S USUALLY A BLACK, SHINY,
VERY THIN LAYER THAT COATS
THE OUTSIDE OF STONES.
DESERT VARNISH IS WEIRD.
NO ONE REALLY KNOWS
HOW DESERT VARNISH FORMS.
SOME SCIENTISTS THINK THAT
AND OTHERS THINK THAT IT'S
PRODUCED BY LIVING MICROBES.
IT'S REALLY WEIRD.
SCIENTIST CAROL CLELAND'S
INTEREST IN DESERT VARNISH B
WHEN SHE INVESTIGATED
POSSIBLE EVIDENCE
OF ALTERNATIVE LIFE FORMS
ON EARTH.
I INVESTIGATED A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES,
AND DESERT VARNISH WAS THE ONE
THAT WAS MOST INTERESTING.
BUT THE TERRESTRIAL
INVESTIGATION
LEAD TO A COMPLETELY
UNEXPECTED PLACE.
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT
DESERT VARNISH EXISTS ON MARS.
WE'VE SEEN THESE DARK-COLORED
COATINGS
ON THE SURFACES OF ROCKS
ON MARS.
AND IF WE SAW THAT ON EARTH,
WE'D REALLY BE SAYING
THAT'S DESERT VARNISH.
THE DESERT VARNISHES
ON EARTH AND MARS
SEEM TO BE CHEMICALLY
ALMOST IDENTICAL.
BOTH CONTAIN A MIX
OF IRON AND MANGANESE OXIDE
LACED WITH ORGANIC MATERIALS.
IT IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY
THAT THE DESERT VARNISH
ON ROCKS ON MARS
COME ABOUT AS A RESULT
OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES.
WHAT'S EXCITING
ABOUT DESERT VARNISH ON MARS,
OF COURSE, IS IF IT TRAPS
MICROBES ON EARTH
AND PERFECTLY PRESERVES THEM,
THEN MAYBE IT DOES THIS ON
THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.
SO MAYBE THE EVIDENCE
WE'RE LOOKING FOR,
FOR LIFE IN THE PAST OF MARS
IS IN THE LITTLE BLACK CRUSTS
ON THE OUTSIDES OF ROCKS.
THE PRESENCE
OF DESERT VARNISH ON MARS
AND JUST A FEW ISOLATED
DESERT LOCATIONS ON EARTH
IS HARD TO EXPLAIN.
ONE POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE MYSTERY
COMES FROM STRANGE SYMBOLS
CARVED INTO THE UTAH ROCKS,
KNOWN AS PETROGLYPHS.
PETROGLYPHS ARE MADE BY
PREHISTORIC NATIVE AMERICANS
THAT ROAMED THESE REGIONS
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THE PETROGLYPH IS CREATED BY
REMOVING A THIN LAYER OF VARNISH
TO REVEAL
THE WHITE ROCK UNDERNEATH.
THE MOST REMARKABLE
PETROGLYPHS SHOW TALL,
THIN CREATURES
IN SOME KIND OF BODY SUIT,
AND RESEARCHER TIM FRANCE HAS
OBSERVED OTHER UNUSUAL FEATURES
THAT KEEP APPEARING
IN THE DESIGNS.
I HAVE FOUND 18 PETROGLYPH SITES
THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS UFOS
OR VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE SPACE.
MOST OF THE CREATIONIST
THEORIES FROM THESE TRIBES
TALK ABOUT THE GREAT TURTLE
THAT CAME FROM SPACE.
IT COULD BE THE TURTLE
IS THEIR ONLY WAY
TO INTERPRET THE CRAFT
THAT THEY ARRIVED IN.
THESE ARE REFLECTIONS
OF WHAT PEOPLE SAW.
THE ARTISTS WERE ACCUSTOMED
TO PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR ART
THAT REFLECTED REALITY.
IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT EXACTLY
THE ANCIENT PEOPLES
WHO CREATED THE CARVINGS
WERE TRYING TO DEPICT
ON THE DESERT VARNISH.
FOR CAROL CLELAND,
THE DESERT VARNISH IS NOT
EVIDENCE OF ALIEN VISITORS,
BUT IT COULD HOLD CLUES
TO UNKNOWN LIFE FORMS.
THERE'S NO REASON TO BELIEVE
THAT AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF LIFE
COULDN'T HAVE EVOLVED IN
PARALLEL WITH OUR FORM OF LIFE.
DESERT VARNISH COULD BE THE
OF WHAT IS KNOWN
AS A SHADOW BIOSPHERE,
MICROBIAL LIFE FORMS
WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
BIOCHEMISTRY TO LIFE
AS WE KNOW IT.
THE REASON THAT DESERT VARNISH
STRIKES ME AS A GOOD CANDIDATE
FOR SHADOW BIOSPHERE
IS THAT IT CONSISTS
IN THIN LAYERS THAT LOOK A LOT
LIKE STROMATOLITES,
WHICH ARE A VERY EARLY FORM
OF LIFE ON EARTH.
THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS THAT
THE MOST POWERFUL TECHNIQUES
USED BY MICROBIOLOGISTS
WOULDN'T DETECT A FORM OF LIFE
THAT DIFFERED VERY MUCH
FROM OUR FORM OF LIFE.
IT WOULDN'T DETECT DNA THAT
WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR DNA.
THE SHOCKING IMPLICATION
COULD BE PRACTICALLY
STARTING US IN THE FACE...
WE'RE JUST NOT CAPABLE
OF RECOGNIZING THEM.
IF, IN OUR ONE SOLAR SYSTEM,
WE WERE TO FIND
TWO TREES OF LIFE,
THAT WOULD BE THE HOLY GRAIL
OF OUR SEARCH FOR ALIEN LIFE.
AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
WITH TWO TREES,
YOU HAVE THE PROSPECTS
OF FINDING
A FOREST OF LIFE OUT THERE.
COMING UP NEXT,
THE TOP-SECRET MISSION THAT
ALMOST DESTROYED A SHUTTLE.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
WHAT IT MUST BE
LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS.
THEY WERE FACING
A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.
ON A HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED MISSION,
THE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS
TAKES A DEVASTATING HIT.
DAMAGE OF THIS LEVEL
IS POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC.
THE WORST CASE
IS YOU LOSE A SHUTTLE.
IT'LL BURN THROUGH.
IT'LL COME APART.
NASA WILL NOT ADMIT
THAT ANY REPAIR OPERATIONS
TOOK PLACE IN ORBIT,
YET SOMEHOW,
THE SHUTTLE SURVIVES.
IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE
TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD
THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.
IT WAS HEART-STOPPING.
DECEMBER 2, 1988,
THE FIVE CREW MEMBERS OF
A CLASSIFIED MISSION, STS-27,
BLAST OFF FROM THE KENNEDY
LAUNCH PAD AT CAPE CANAVERAL.
ATLANTIS BEGINS ANOTHER SPACE
I'LL NEVER FORGET
HOW THE BOOSTER ROCKETS,
WHICH SHINE WITH A LIGHT
AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN,
HOW IT LIT UP THE LAUNCH PAD
AND LIT UP, IT SEEMED LIKE,
THE WHOLE STATE OF FLORIDA.
SHUTTLE COMMANDER "HOOT"
GIBSON LEADS THE
BUT EVEN TODAY,
NONE OF THE CREW MEMBERS
CAN TALK ABOUT THE SECRETS
OF THAT FLIGHT.
THIS IS ONE
OF THE HIGHLY CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSIONS.
THE PAYLOADS
ARE A CLOSELY-GUARDED SECRET.
DESPITE THE INTENSE SCRUTINY
THE LAUNCH GETS OFF
TO THE WORST POSSIBLE START.
WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE,
A PIECE FROM THE ROCKET BOOSTER
CAME OFF AND RIPPED ITS WAY
DOWN THE BELLY
OF THE SHUTTLE ITSELF,
CREATING DAMAGE
TO HUNDREDS OF TILES.
WE HAD THINGS GOING WRONG
ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.
DAMAGE OF ANY SORT IS DANGEROUS,
LET ALONE DAMAGE OF THE EXTENT
THAT HAPPENED HERE.
EIGHT MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF,
MANAGES TO REACH
THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF ORBIT.
BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME,
THE CREW HAS NO IDEA
OF THE DANGER THEY'RE IN.
WE WANT TO START SHOOTING
PICTURES RIGHT AWAY,
SO WE ACTUALLY DO BREAK OUT
SOME OF THE CAMERAS VERY QUICKLY.
ONLY WHEN THE CAMERAS TRACK A
DOES THE THREAT BECOME APPARENT.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE
LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS
TO SEE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE
AND REALIZE THAT THE MISSION
AND THEIR LIVES POTENTIALLY
ARE IN THE BALANCE.
ANY TIME WE SEE SOMETHING
OR WE HAVE SOMETHING
GOING ON BOARD THE ORBITER,
WE'RE GONNA TALK
TO MISSION CONTROL ABOUT IT,
- BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US.
- Yes?
WE CALL THEM AND TELL THEM,
"HEY, OUR TILES ARE FALLING OFF.
IS THIS GONNA BE
A MISSION IMPACT TO US?"
Yeah, we'll be all ears
listening for a debris...
Debris report from the SN.
Okay, stand by.
THE CREW BEAMS FOOTAGE OF
THE DAMAGE DOWN TO HOUSTON,
BUT THE CLASSIFIED NATURE
OF THE MISSION
HAS AN UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCE.
AS A RESULT OF THE SECURITY
REGULATIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS,
THE PICTURES COMING DOWN
WERE A POOR QUALITY
AND LOWER RESOLUTION.
THE CREW IS SEEING THE PHOTOS
AND REALIZES THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE SITUATION.
MISSION CONTROL
IS SEEING DEGRADED IMAGES
AND DOESN'T THINK
IT'S AS BIG A CONCERN.
All systems performing well.
BECAUSE MISSION CONTROL CA
OF THE DAMAGE
ON THE LOW-RESOLUTION FOOTAGE,
THEY DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE
THE PROBLEM.
THOUGH "HOOT" GIBSON
DECLINED TO BE INTERVIEWED
ABOUT THE SUBJECT,
SOME OBSERVERS BELIEVE
THAT THE CREW HAD NO CHOICE
BUT TO CONDUCT
AN UNAUTHORIZED SPACE WALK
TO FIX THE DAMAGED HEAT SHIELD.
THE CREW
COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING
AGAINST THE WISHES OF NASA
AND TRIED TO DO
SOME KIND OF REPAIR.
FLIGHT CREW IS IN CHARGE
OF THE VEHICLE,
AND SO THEY'RE IN
THE BEST POSITION
TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST THING
TO DO IS AT THE TIME.
AND SO SOMETIMES,
THAT COULD RUN COUNTER TO
THE DESIRES OF MISSION CONTROL.
BUT IF A SHUTTLE
HAVE SUFFERED CRITICAL DAMAGE,
THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT
THE CREW CAN DO TO FIX IT.
NASA REFUSES TO CONFIRM OR DENY
THAT THE SPACE WALK TOOK PLACE
DURING MISSION STS-27.
WHETHER OR NOT THE DAMAGE
WAS REPAIRED,
THE CREW HAS NO CHOICE
BUT TO ATTEMPT RE-ENTRY.
SO IF YOU KNOW YOUR HEAT
SHIELD'S BEEN COMPROMISED,
YOU'RE VERY CONCERNED
DURING ENTRY
AND, UNTIL YOU HIT WHEELS
STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY,
YOU'RE NOT REALLY SURE
WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
DURING RE-ENTRY,
A SUPER HEATED 2,900 DEGREE
FAHRENHEIT WAVE OF PLASMA FORMS
ON THE HEAT SHIELD,
EATING INTO THE DAMAGED TILES.
ONCE YOU START BACK
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
AND IF THE TILES DON'T
PROTECT YOU OR OTHERWISE,
THERE'S NO
REAL ALTERNATIVES LEFT.
YOU'RE JUST GONNA BURN UP.
THEY WERE FACING
A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.
FINALLY, ATLANTIS TOUCHES
DOWN AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE B
WHEN GROUND STAFF
INSPECT THE DAMAGED CRAFT,
THEY DISCOVER JUST HOW CLOSE
THE MISSION CAME TO DISASTER.
MORE THAN 700 TILES
WERE DAMAGED.
IT WAS HEART-STOPPING,
BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE
DAMAGE TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD
THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.
IT BARELY HELD TOGETHER.
IT'S PROVIDENCE
THAT THE WORST TILE DAMAGE
OCCURRED WHERE IT DID, WHERE
THE SHUTTLE WAS REINFORCED.
ANYWHERE ELSE, THE SHUTTLE
WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST,
AND THE PROGRAM WOULD LIKELY
HAVE BEEN LOST AS WELL.
UP NEXT, A REAL-LIFE CLOSE
ENCOUNTER FORESHADOWS D
THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN
THAT SOMETHING
IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.
WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT
THIS IS AN ACTUAL RECORDING
OF AN ENCOUNTER
WITH UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS
IN THE SKIES OVER NORWAY.
THERE ARE THESE FLOATING ORBS,
LIGHTS,
THAT SEEM TO HANG IN THE AIR.
WHAT COULD THEY BE?
ALL OVER THE WORLD,
STRANGE SIGHTINGS CAUSE TERROR.
THESE PEOPLE COULD NOT BELIEVE
WHAT THEY WERE SEEING.
AND THEN,
AFTER MANY OF THE SIGHTINGS
COMES A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE.
YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA.
RETIRED GOVERNMENT GRAIN
INSPECTOR JIM CONACHER
AND HIS WIFE DECIDE TO SPEND
ONE MORNING OF THEIR VACATION
ON LAKE TAGISH.
JIM AND HIS WIFE
ARE GOING UP ALONG THE SHORE
AND ABOUT 300 METERS AWAY,
THEY COME UPON THESE
FOUR BRIGHT ORBS OR OBJECTS,
FOUR FEET IN DIAMETER.
OBJECTS SEEM AS LIGHTS
DURING DAYTIME
WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY BRIGHT
INDEED.
AND THEY WERE HOLDING
THEIR POSITION,
DESPITE THE FACT THAT
THE WIND WAS GUSTING A BIT,
WHICH SUGGESTS
THAT THEY WERE UNDER
SOME SORT
OF INTELLIGENT CONTROL.
DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT
THERE'S SOME NATURAL PHENOMENON
WHEN YOU THINK
THEY WERE JUST TOO INCREDIBLE,
THE WAY THEY BEHAVED.
THE FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
"WHAT ARE THESE ORBS?
WHAT COULD THEY BE?"
THE SUSPICION ABOUT
THESE THINGS STILL EXISTS.
THE FOUR LIGHTS
MOVE OVER THE TREETOPS,
HEADING UPWARDS TOWARDS
THE AREA OF THE MOUNTAIN
WHERE THE OTHER THREE LIGHTS
APPEARED,
SEEMED TO JOIN WITH THEM,
AND THEN MOVED ON.
ON RETURNING FROM HIS VACATION,
CONACHER DECIDES TO FIND OUT
WHAT THE STRANGE LIGHTS WERE.
BUT ACCORDING
TO INVESTIGATOR MARTIN JASEK,
HIS RESEARCH HITS A BRICK WALL.
HE HAD THE SLIDES SUBMITTED
TO THE WEATHER OFFICE,
WHO SUBMITTED TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.
HE WAS TOLD THAT
THE CASE WAS CLASSIFIED,
WHICH IS VERY, VERY PUZZLING.
THE CONACHERS WERE NOT THE
FIRST TO SEE THE
THEY'VE BEEN REPORTED
ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
AND NASA WANTS TO KNOW WHY.
NASA SCIENTIST FRIEDEMANN FREUND
INVESTIGATES THE PHENOMENON.
HE DISCOVERS
THAT THESE SIGHTINGS
HAVE A HISTORICAL PRECEDENT.
200, 300 YEARS AGO,
PEOPLE SOMETIMES DESCRIBED,
IN GREAT ACCURACY,
THE SAME PHENOMENA
THAT WE ARE OBSERVING TODAY.
AND THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT
THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN
THAT SOMETHING
IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.
ON AUGUST 15, 2007,
THE PHENOMENON CAUSES TERROR
IN THE SKIES ABOVE LIMA, PERU.
IN LIMA, AN AIRPLANE WAS
IN THE APPROACH
AND THE PILOT WAS ACTUALLY
THEN REPORTING TO THE TOWER,
"I SEE LIGHTS
ALL OVER THE PLACE,
HERE AND THERE AND THERE."
THE PLANE LANDS SAFELY,
BUT REPORTS OF MORE AND MORE
LIGHTS IN THE SKY FLOOD
IN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
AND WITHIN HOURS
OF THE SIGHTINGS,
PERU GETS HIT BY A
DEVASTATING TECTONIC EVENT.
THERE WAS A MAGNITUDE EIGHT
EQUIVALENT TO SEVERAL HUNDRED
THOUSAND ATOMIC BOMBS EXPLODING
AT THE SAME MOMENT.
FOR FREUND,
THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN.
HE STUDIES 400 YEARS
OF EARTHQUAKE HISTORY
AND FIND HUNDREDS OF ACCOUNTS
OF THE STRANGE LIGHTS
FORESHADOWING DISASTER,
INCLUDING PRIOR TO THE GREAT
SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906.
I BELIEVE THAT THESE LIGHTS
THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING
AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE
WHICH IS A RESULT OF
SOMETHING EVEN MORE TRAUMATIC
HAPPENING DEEP
IN THE EARTH'S CRUST.
IN 2006, FREUND'S INVESTIGATION
LEADS HIM TO AN UNUSUAL
HE BELIEVES THE LIGHTS
MIGHT BE CAUSED BY REACTIONS
IN CERTAIN KINDS OF ROCK,
DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,
THAT PRODUCE
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES.
THESE MAFIC ROCKS,
WHEN THEY SOLIDIFY DURING
THE COOLING, PRODUCE DEFECTS,
WHICH, WHEN WE STRESS IT,
PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.
YOU HAVE ROCKS THAT ARE BEING
STRESSED BY THE FORCES
OF THE DEEP EARTH
AND IT BECOMES A SOURCE
OF ELECTRICITY THAT IS FLOWING
THROUGH THE ROCK COLUMN,
REACHING THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH,
GOING UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
AND PRODUCING LIGHT.
COULD THIS EXPLAIN
THE STRANGE LIGHTS
THAT JIM CONACHER SAW
ON JULY 1, 1973?
JIM DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT THE LIGHTS WERE
AND NEVER FOUND A SATISFACTORY
EXPLANATION FOR THEM.
ON THE SAME DAY
THAT JIM SPOTTED THE LIGHTS,
A MAGNITUDE 6.7 EARTHQUAKE
STRUCK THE COAST OF ALASKA.
THE EPICENTER WAS LESS THAN
200 MILES FROM JIM'S POSITION.
THE ANSWER
TO JIM'S CONACHER'S MYSTERY
MAY BE BENEATH THE SURFACE
OF OUR PLANET,
BUT THERE ARE OTHER WORLDS
WHERE SECRETS LIE BURIED.
IMAGES BEAMED BACK FROM
MERCURY LEAVE SCIENTISTS STUNNED...
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
UNUSUAL FEATURES SEEN ANYWHERE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
THERE'S, LIKE, SPIDER LEGS GOING
IN MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
I SEE THAT AND I'M...
I'M NERVOUS ABOUT IT.
I'M WONDERING
WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS.
ARE THOSE SPIDER LEGS ROADS?
ARE THEY TUNNELS?
WHAT IS THE MERCURY SPIDER
MERCURY,
THE CLOSEST PLANET TO THE SUN.
IN JANUARY, 2008,
NASA'S MESSENGER PROBE
BUZZES THE PLANET,
SKIMMING JUST 124 MILES
ABOVE ITS SURFACE.
MESSENGER TAKES THE FIRST
HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES
OF THE CALORIS BASIN,
A HUGE,
3.8 BILLION-YEAR-OLD IMPACT CRATER.
WE FINALLY SAW WHAT THE CENTER
OF CALORIS LOOKED LIKE,
AND WE WERE AMAZED.
THE CENTER DIDN'T LOOK LIKE
ANYTHING THAT WE'D SEEN
ON ANY OTHER PLANET.
A 25-MILE-WIDE DOME
SITS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE MASSIVE BASIN,
SURROUNDED BY TENTACLE-LIKE PROJECTIONS.
IT WAS THIS SPOKE PATTERN
OF SOMETHING LIKE 200 SPOKES
THAT WERE ALMOST
PERFECTLY RADIAL
TO THE CENTER OF THE BASIN.
IT WAS DUBBED THE SPIDER.
THIS WEIRDLY SYMMETRICAL
SPIDER IS 143 MIL
DOMINATING AN ENTIRE REGION
OF MERCURY'S SURFACE.
WHY ISN'T IT REPEATED
ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET?
WHAT IS SINGULAR
ABOUT THAT AREA?
WHAT COULD HAVE MADE
THIS STRUCTURE?
TO THIS DAY,
WE'RE STILL ARGUING.
FOR SOME,
THE ANSWER SEEMS OBVIOUS.
MY FIRST REACTION SEEING THAT
IS IT LOOKS LIKE LIVING CREATURES
BURROWING THROUGH THE ROCK.
IF YOU WANTED TO BRAVE THE
HARSH CONDITIONS ON MERCURY,
THE ONLY PLACE THAT MAKES
SENSE IS UNDERGROUND.
MERCURY'S THICK IRON-RICH CRUST
COULD OFFER PROTECTION FROM
THE SUN'S EXTREME TEMPERATURES
AND LETHAL RADIATION.
BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES.
THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
THAT THE SPIDER,
THIS SET OF FAULTS,
HAS ANYTHING OTHER
THAN A NATURAL CAUSE.
IF THE SPIDER
IS A NATURAL PHENOMENON,
THERE COULD BE SEVERAL CAUSES.
ONE THEORY IS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,
BUT THE SPIDER DOES NOT RESEMBLE
ANY OTHER VOLCANIC FORMATION
ON THE PLANET.
PERHAPS THE MOST COMPELLING IDEA
IS THAT MERCURY'S SPIDER WAS
CREATED WHEN A LARGE METEORITE
IMPACTED THE SURFACE
OF THE BASIN.
MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
A ROCK HITS YOUR WINDSHIELD,
THE PRE-STRESS LED TO
AN IMMEDIATE FRACTURE PATTERN.
IF A COSMIC COLLISION
FORMED THE SPIDER,
SCIENTISTS WOULD ALSO EXPECT
TO SEE AN IMPACT CRATER,
RIGHT AT THE VERY CENTER
OF THE FORMATION.
BUT IT TURNS OUT IT IS OFFSET
FROM THE CENTER OF WHERE
ALL THOSE CRACKS CONVERGE.
IT ALSO APPEARS TO BE LATER
THAN WHEN THESE CRACKS
WERE FIRST FORMED,
SO THAT CRATER IS PROBABLY COINCIDENTAL.
AT LEAST UNTIL THE MESSENGER
PROBE BEGINS A NEW, CLOSER O
OF MERCURY IN MARCH 2015,
THE MYSTERY
OF THE SPIDER'S FORMATION
WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
THERE ARE COMPETING IDEAS.
NONE OF THEM
SEEM COMPLETELY SATISFYING,
SO THIS IS
AN UNANSWERED QUESTION.
STILL TO COME,
WHEN IS A MOON NOT A MOON?
"THAT'S NO MOON."
THE DISTANT MOON KNOWN AS
TRITON HAS GONE
TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.
...APPARENTLY DEFYING
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
TRITON IS DIFFERENT FROM
ALL THE OTHER LARGE SATELLITES
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
MOONS GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION
THAT THE PLANET ROTATES.
THIS GUY'S GOING
THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?
1989.
AFTER A 12-YEAR JOURNEY,
NASA'S VOYAGER 2 MISSION
REACHES THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM
AND THE GAS GIANT NEPTUNE.
FIRST SEEING THE IMAGES OF
NEPTUNE WAS REALLY EXCITING,
BECAUSE WE
WENT THERE WITH NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE GOING TO FIND,
AND SUDDENLY, HERE ARE
THESE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES.
IT'S A TRIUMPH FOR VOYAGER 2,
BUT WHEN NASA EXAMINES TRITON,
THE LARGEST
OF NEPTUNE'S 13 MOONS,
THEY SPOT SOMETHING DISTURBING.
THE MOON IS GOING THE
WRONG WAY AROUND THE PLANET.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THE EARTH/MOON SYSTEM,
THE MOON'S GOING AROUND
THE EARTH, JUST LIKE THIS,
KIND OF CLOSE
TO THE EQUATOR OF THE EARTH.
WHEN WE LOOK AT TRITON,
WHAT WE SEE IS THE MOON'S GOING
AROUND IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
IT IS THE ONLY LARGE MOON
OF ANY OF THE PLANETS
THAT DOES THIS.
TRITON'S BEHAVIOR
SEEMS COMPLETELY UNNATURAL.
IT CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING
WE THINK WE KNOW
ABOUT HOW PLANETS
AND MOONS FORM.
MOST MOONS GET CREATED AS
THE PLANET ITSELF GETS CREATED.
SO YOU HAVE THIS SWIRLING BALL
OF GAS AND MATERIALS
THAT ARE COLLAPSING DOWN
INTO THE CENTRAL PLANET,
AND THEN SOME DEBRIS LEFT OVER
COLLAPSES DOWN
INTO THE SATELLITE.
SO YOU EXPECT ALL THE OBJECTS
TO GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION
AROUND THE PLANET.
THAT'S VERY UNDERSTANDABLE.
WHAT'S NOT UNDERSTANDABLE
IS HOW DO YOU GET A MOON,
ESPECIALLY A LARGE ONE,
TO GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?
THE RESEMBLANCE
TO THE PLANET-DESTROYING
ARTIFICIAL MOONS
OF THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES
IS STRIKING.
AS THEY'RE APPROACHING
THE DEATH STAR, OBI-WAN
PEERS THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
AND SAYS, "THAT'S NO MOON."
IF YOU WANT TO PARK IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM, KEEP AN EYE ON EARTH
AND ALL THE INTERESTING THINGS
GOING ON THERE.
NEPTUNE'S THE PERFECT PLACE
TO PARK YOUR ARTIFICIAL PLANET.
TRITON'S SURFACE
SEEMS TO SUPPORT THE THEORY.
IT APPEARS TO HAVE AREAS
THAT ARE SMOOTH AS METAL,
REFLECTING 70%
OF THE SUN'S RAYS.
TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.
IT'S THE ORBIT AND IT'S
THE TYPE OF MOON IT IS.
YEAH, TRITON IS VERY CONFUSING.
EVEN FOR THE MOST
SKEPTICAL SCIENTIST,
ALL THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THAT TRITON IS NO ORDINARY MOON.
IT'S EXTREMELY UNLIKELY
THAT TRITON FORMED
ORBITING AROUND NEPTUNE.
IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE
FOR IT TO HAVE FORMED LOCALLY.
THERE IS ONE OBVIOUS PROBLEM
IF I'M FLYING AN ARTIFICIAL
PLANET THROUGH SPACE
AND I DECIDE THAT
I WANT TO PARK IT ON NEPTUNE,
I'M GONNA BE SURE TO GO THE
RIGHT WAY AROUND THE PLANET
IF I'M TRYING TO HIDE.
TRITON IS NOT A DEATH STAR.
IT'S NOT MADE OUT OF MATERIALS
WE'D EXPECT IT TO BE MADE OUT OF
IF SOMEBODY
WAS BUILDING THE THING.
IT'S MADE OUT OF NATURAL
MATERIALS THAT YOU'D EXPECT.
BUT IF TRITON IS NOT ARTIFICIAL,
WHY IS ITS SURFACE SMOOTH?
ON TRITON, WE SAW ERUPTIONS
OF MATERIAL
INTO ITS THIN ATMOSPHERE.
WATERY ERUPTIONS CAN FREEZE AND
MAKE A SMOOTH SURFACE, AT LEAST,
FILLING IN THE IMPACT CRATERS.
PEOPLE CALL IT CRYOVOLCANISM,
AN ICE-BASED,
COOLED VOLCANIC PROCESS.
THAT STILL LEAVES THE MYSTERY
BUT ASTRONOMER DR. CRAIG AGNOR
HAS A THEORY.
BECAUSE TRITON IS GOING IN T
OF ALL OF ITS NEIGHBORS,
THE GENERAL IDEA
FOR ITS ORIGINAL
IS THAT IT MADE A CLOSE
APPROACH TO NEPTUNE
AND IT SOMEHOW
BECAME A BOUND COMPANION.
TRITON CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE,
FLYING THROUGH SPACE UNTIL
IT HITS SOMETHING NEAR NEPTUNE
AND WAS CAPTURE
BY THE PLANET'S GRAVITY.
BUT EVEN THIS EXTRAORDINARY IDEA
ONLY PARTIALLY SOLVES
THE MYSTERY.
IF THE OBJECT THAT TRITON
COLLIDED WITH WAS LARGE ENOUGH
TO SLOW IT DOWN
AND ENABLE ITS CAPTURE,
IT WAS ALSO LIKELY LARGE
ENOUGH TO DESTROY IT.
TO DATE, NO ONE HAS EXPLAINED
HOW OR WHY TRITON SURVIVED
ITS HYPOTHETICAL COLLISION.
NASA'S ASTRONAUTS
CONSTANTLY RISK THEIR LIVES
TO PUSH BACK THE BOUNDARIES
OF KNOWLEDGE,
EVEN THOUGH SOME WOULD CAST
DOUBT ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
NASA CRAFT PROBE THE SECRETS
OF DISTANT PLANETS,
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
TO THE MYSTERIES OF SPACE.
SOMETIMES ANSWERS LIE
RIGHT BENEATH OUR FEET,
BUT OFTEN, THE MYSTERIES
REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk