NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 2, Episode 4 - Spacewalk of Doom - full transcript

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.

STAR SYSTEMS
THAT DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.



THIS STAR IS NOT EXISTING

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN PLANETS
THAT ARE ORBITING THE WRONG WAY?

POTENTIAL SIGNS OF LIFE ON MARS.

PERCIVAL LOWELL WAS RIGHT.

THERE ARE CHANNELS
IN THE SURFACE OF MARS.

THERE COULD BE
A MARTIAN CIVILIZATION.

AND DO ANCIENT DOCUMENTS

REVEAL CLUES TO STRANGE EVENTS
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE?

THEY WERE DESCRIBING
SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR,

HUGE FIREBALL
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

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 - 4 - Spacewalk of Doom

Subtitles Diego Moraes

NASA ASTRONAUTS
ARE TRAINED TO HANDLE

ALMOST ANY THREAT THEY
FACE IN SPACE EXCEPT DROWNING.

THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT NOBODY IS TRAINED FOR,

AND WE'RE NOT SURE
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE
CAN DO TO HELP IT.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR COOL.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE...
IF YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR COOL,

YOU'RE GONNA DIE.

JULY 16, 2013.

ASTRONAUTS LUCA PARMITANO
AND CHRIS CASSIDY

EMBARK ON A PLANNED
SIX-HOUR SPACEWALK

TO INSTALL
VITAL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

TO THE EXTERIOR OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

BUT 44 MINUTES INTO HIS TASK,

PARMITANO
GETS A SICKENING SURPRISE.

THAT'S A SURPRISE.

SURPRISE DURING A SPACEWALK...
THAT'S BAD.

CASSIDY, WHO IS
FILMING THE UNFOLDING DRAMA,

TRIES TO HELP HIS COLLEAGUE
LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK.

CHRIS, LOOKING
INTO LUCA'S HELMET,

SEES THAT THE WATER
IS INCREASING.

THEIR FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT
IT'S PROBABLY THE DRINKING BAG

ON THE INSIDE OF THE SUIT,
BUT THEY'RE NOT SURE.

PARMITANO IMMEDIATELY
EMPTIES HIS DRINKING BAG,

BUT THE WATER LEVEL IN HIS
HELMET CONTINUES TO RISE.

AFTER EIGHT MINUTES,
THE WATER REACHES HIS EARS.

THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT NOBODY IS TRAINED FOR,

AND WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE
THE WATER IS COMING FROM,

HOW QUICKLY IT'S ACCUMULATING
AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW
PROBLEM FOR MISSION CONTROL,

AND IT TAKES THEM TIME
TO ASSESS THE SITUATION.

NASA ENGINEERS EXPECT THAT,
IN ZERO G, SURFACE TENSION

WILL MAKE THE WATER CLING
TO THE INTERIOR OF THE HELMET.

BUT IT DOESN'T.

AND WITH HIS HEAD SEALED
IN THE SPACE-SUIT HELMET,

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR LUCA
TO WIPE THE WATER AWAY.

MISSION CONTROL HAS NO CHOICE
BUT TO ABORT THE SPACE WALK.

AS PARMITANO MAKES HIS WAY
BACK TO THE AIRLOCK,

INSTEAD OF CLINGING
TO THE HELMET, THE WATER

IS STICKING TO HIS SKIN.

WITH NO GRAVITY
TO MAKE IT FALL AWAY,

A SMALL QUANTITY COULD KILL HIM.

AND THE WATER KEEPS COMING,
SWELLING INTO A BALL

WHICH STARTS TO ENVELOP
HIS ENTIRE HEAD.

AT THIS POINT,
IT'S BECOME CRITICAL

BECAUSE THE WATER IS STARTING
TO OBSTRUCT HIS AIRWAY.

HE COULD TRY TO DRINK IT,

BUT MORE IS GONNA
COME TAKE ITS PLACE,

SO HE'S GOT TO CONSTANTLY
FIGHT TO KEEP THAT AIRWAY OPEN.

THE I.S.S. IS SUDDENLY
PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS

AS IT MOVES
INTO THE EARTH'S SHADOW.

WITH WATER
NOW COVERING HIS EYES,

THE STRICKEN ASTRONAUT
HAS TO RELY ON MEMORY

AND TOUCH TO FIND HIS WAY
BACK TO THE HATCH.

LUCA HEADS BACK TO THE AIRLOCK
USING HIS SAFETY LINE,

WHICH IS ON ONE SIDE OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

CHRIS CASSIDY USES HIS,
WHICH IS ON THE OTHER,

SO LUCA'S ALL ALONE
AT THIS POINT IN TIME,

HEADING BACK BLIND.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR COOL.

IT'S VERY SIMPLE...
IF YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR COOL,

YOU'RE GONNA DIE.

TAKE YOUR CHOICE.

AS PARMITANO STRUGGLES
TO ENTER THE HATCH,

THE I.S.S. CREW,

LOOKING ON HELPLESSLY
THROUGH THE WINDOW,

KNOW HE POTENTIALLY
HAS ONLY SECONDS TO LIVE.

TOWARDS THE END OF THIS
CATASTROPHIC SPACE WALK,

THERE'S A LITER AND A HALF
OF WATER INSIDE THE HELMET.

IF HE MAKES A SINGLE MISTAKE,
HE'S DEAD.

THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE
CAN DO TO HELP HIM.

BY THE TIME
THE AIRLOCK IS SAFE TO OPEN,

PARMITANO HAS BEEN HOLDING
HIS BREATH FOR TWO MINUTES.

IN A CRITICAL SITUATION
LIKE THIS,

YOU'VE GOT TO KEEP A CLEAR
HEAD AND DO THINGS IN ORDER

QUICKLY, EFFICIENTLY,

SO YOU CAN GET THE HELMET OFF
AND SAVE THE GUY'S LIFE.

YOU HONESTLY HAVE
TO BE VERY CAREFUL.

IF YOU DO THINGS TOO FAST,

YOU COULD ACTUALLY
CAUSE WORSE DAMAGE.

HEAVY-HANDED MOVEMENTS

COULD DISRUPT
THE ASTRONAUT'S OWN EFFORTS

TO KEEP THE WATER
FROM GETTING INTO HIS MOUTH.

EVEN AS HIS COLLEAGUES
RUSH TO REMOVE THE HELMET,

THE LACK OF GRAVITY MEANS

PARMITANO HAS TO FIGHT
TO CLEAR HIS AIRWAYS

BEFORE FINALLY TAKING A BREATH.

THIS IS BY FAR THE CLOSEST WE
EVER CAME TO LOSING AN ASTRONAUT

DURING A SPACE WALK.

THE CLOSE CALL PROMPTS NASA

TO LAUNCH A FULL INVESTIGATION

INTO THE CAUSE
OF THE NEAR-FATAL LEAK.

NASA'S FIGURED OUT
THAT A CLOGGED LINE

IN THE COOLING SYSTEM
CAUSED THIS,

BUT THEY HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT
HOW THAT CLOG OCCURRED.

AFTER A FIVE-MONTH INVESTIGATION,
NASA TECHNICIANS

REVEAL THAT THE BLOCKED LINE

WAS CAUSED BY A LUMP OF
INORGANIC PARTICULATE MATERIAL,

BUT HOW THE MATERIAL ENTERED

PARMITANO'S AIRTIGHT SPACE
SUIT REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THE INVESTIGATION
HAS BEEN VERY THOROUGH,

BUT THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND
THE SO-CALLED SMOKING GUN.

NASA'S ASTRONAUTS
FACE EXTRAORDINARY DANGERS

AS THEY PUSH ON THE BOUNDARIES
OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.

SOME OF THE THREATS
THAT LURK IN DEEP SPACE

ARE HARDER TO UNDERSTAND
BUT NO LESS REAL.

WHEN NASA SCIENTISTS
SPOT TWO PLANET-SIZED OBJECTS

APPEARING TO DEFY THE LAWS
OF PHYSICS...

ONE PLANET ORBITING
OUT OF THE EQUATORIAL PLANE

OF THE SYSTEM IS A BIT WEIRD.

TWO PLANETS IS INSANE.

...THE QUESTION BECOMES,

THESE PLANETS ARE DANCING
TO THEIR OWN TUNE.

ARE THEY REALLY PLANETS?

ARE THEY ARTIFICIAL?

NASA SCIENTISTS MUST BE PREPARED

TO GRAPPLE WITH PHENOMENA

THAT NO HUMAN
HAS EVER ENCOUNTERED.

I THINK WE'RE CONSTANTLY
SEEING THINGS THAT WE SAY, "WELL,

I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT BEFORE.
WHAT'S THAT?

WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?"

IN 2012,

THE SPACE AGENCY'S
PLANET-HUNTING TEAM

SPOTS SOMETHING
THAT BAFFLES EVEN THEM.

NASA'S KEPLER TELESCOPE FINDS
TWO PLANETS ORBITING A STAR

IN THE DISTANT CYGNUS
CONSTELLATION,

BUT THE DATA
FROM THE TELESCOPE SUGGESTS

THEY ARE DOING
SOMETHING UNNATURAL.

BOTH PLANETS HAVE BEEN PULLED
OUT OF THE EQUATORIAL PLANE.

THE STAR IS SPINNING LIKE THIS,

AND THE PLANETS
ARE GOING AROUND LIKE THAT.

IT'S ALL VERY PECULIAR.

PLANETS ORBIT AROUND
THE EQUATOR OF THEIR STAR

BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE
ITS POWERFUL GRAVITATION GRIP

AND ROTATIONAL FORCE COMBINE
TO PULL TOGETHER DUST AND GAS,

MAKING NEW WORLDS.

BUT THIS STAR'S TWO COMPANIONS

SEEM TO DEFY THE LAWS
OF PHYSICS.

KEPLER-56 IS THE FIRST
EXTRASOLAR PLANETARY SYSTEM

DISCOVERED, WHERE THE PLANE
OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM

IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM
THE ROTATION AXIS OF THE STAR.

THIS OBSERVATION
GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING

WE KNOW ABOUT HOW
PLANETARY SYSTEMS ARE FORMED.

AND WHATEVER STRANGE
FORCE IS AT WORK HERE,

IT'S AFFECTING
MORE THAN ONE WORLD.

ONE PLANET ORBITING
OUT OF THE EQUATORIAL PLANE

OF THE SYSTEM IS A BIT WEIRD.

TWO PLANETS IS INSANE.

HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN PLANETS
THAT ARE ORBITING THE WRONG WAY?

YOU HAVE TO WONDER... ARE WE
LOOKING AT SOMETHING ELSE

BESIDES CONVENTIONAL PLANETS?

ARE THEY REALLY PLANETS?

ARE THEY ARTIFICIAL?

IF THESE BODIES WERE ARTIFICIAL,

THEY'D HAVE TO BE BIGGER EVEN
THAN THE FEARSOME DEATH STARS

OF "STAR WARS."

THE ENGINEERING INVOLVED WOULD
BE FAR BEYOND HUMAN TECHNOLOGY,

BUT PLANETARY ORBITS
SUCH AS THESE DO NOT HAPPEN

WHEN PLANETS FORM NATURALLY.

SOMETHING VERY STRANGE MUST
HAVE HAPPENED TO THESE TWO PLANETS

IN ORDER TO HAVE THEM BOTH
MISALIGNED THE SAME AMOUNT

FROM THE EQUATORIAL PLANE.

THAT'S THE HARD PART TO EXPLAIN.

YOU'D NEED SOMETHING
WITH SOME UNHOLY POWER

TO SHIFT IT OUT
OF AN EQUATORIAL ORBIT.

THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT COULD CREATE SUCH A FORCE?

AS AN ALTERNATIVE
TO THE DEATH STAR HYPOTHESIS,

PLANETARY SCIENTISTS HAVE
SUMMONED AN INVISIBLE PLANET.

WE SPECULATED THAT THERE WAS
THIS ADDITIONAL BODY

FURTHER OUT
THAT WAS MUCH LARGER,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW
THAT IT IS THERE YET.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS
OR HOW FAR AWAY IT IS,

JUST THAT WE HAVE A HINT

THAT THIS EXTRA BODY
FURTHER OUT MIGHT BE TRUE.

THIS INVISIBLE PLANET,

LABELED KEPLER-56D,

WOULD HAVE TO BE HUGE,

THREE TO FOUR TIMES
THE MASS OF JUPITER...

...CAPABLE OF EXERTING SUCH
AN IMMENSE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

THAT IT COULD COMPETE WITH
THE GRAVITY OF ITS OWN STAR.

WHATEVER THE TWO ROGUE OBJECTS
ARE, THEY ARE DOOMED.

IN 130 MILLION YEARS,

THE STAR WILL EXPAND,
CONSUMING THEM BOTH.

THE DARK WORLD WE CALL 56D
WILL BE THE ONLY SURVIVOR

OF THE APOCALYPSE.

NOT ALL OF NASA'S MYSTERIES

ARE FOUND IN THE DISTANT
REACHES OF THE GALAXY.

SOME OF THE STRANGEST CASES

FACED BY THE SPACE
AGENCY'S SCIENTISTS

REVEAL THEMSELVES
MUCH CLOSER TO HOME.

UP NEXT, A YOUNG PILOT REPORTS
STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE SKY.

JUST AS HE WAS BREAKING
THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA,

HE ASKED THE QUESTION,
"IS THERE AN AIRPLANE ABOVE ME?"

9-8-9.

MOMENTS LATER, HE DISAPPEARS.

Taxi. Hotel. Bravo.

AN AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

RECEIVES
A MYSTERIOUS TRANSMISSION.

THE PILOT WAS TALKING
TO THE AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

ABOUT SOMETHING HOVERING
IN THE SKY NEAR HIS PLANE.

SUDDENLY, THE AIRCRAFT VANISHES.

THIS IS SCARY STUFF.
PEOPLE DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR.

THE INCIDENT IS SO STRANGE,

IT DRAWS THE ATTENTION
OF A SENIOR NASA SCIENTIST.

OCTOBER 21, 1978.

AT 7:06 P.M.,

THE AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER
IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA,

RECEIVES A STRANGE TRANSMISSION

FROM TRAINEE PILOT
FREDERICK VALENTICH.

30 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT,
ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

JUST AS HE WAS BREAKING
THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA,

HE ASKED THE QUESTION,
"IS THERE AN AIRPLANE ABOVE ME?"

It's hovering,
and it's not an aircraft.

WHEN AIR-TRAFFIC
CONTROLLER STEVE ROBEY CHECKS,

HE FINDS NO OTHER FLIGHTS

THAT ARE SCHEDULED
OVER BASS STRAIT AT THAT TIME.

VALENTICH MAINTAINS
RADIO CONTACT,

AND HIS REPORTS
SOON BECOME EVEN STRANGER.

FREDERICK VALENTICH SAID
THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING

HOVERING IN THE SKY
NEAR HIS AIRCRAFT.

AND HE AT ONE POINT
SAID IT WAS METALLIC

AND VERY, VERY LARGE.

THERE WERE FOUR BRIGHT,
INTENSE LIGHTS,

LIKE ON AN AIRCRAFT,

AND THERE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN
ANYTHING THERE.

THESE WORDS ARE THE LAST

ANYONE HEARS
FROM FREDDY VALENTICH,

BUT THE TRANSMISSION FROM
THE DOOMED PLANE CONTINUES.

THE NOISE IS SORT OF SCRATCHY.

IT SORT OF SOUNDS
METALLIC ON THE TRANSMISSION.

THIS IS 17 SECONDS OF NOISE

UNLIKE ANYTHING THAT ANY
AIR-TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

HAS HEARD BEFORE.

AT THE TIME
OF THE INVESTIGATION,

THERE ARE NO WITNESSES
TO THE FATE OF VALENTICH

OR HIS AIRCRAFT.

NEITHER VALENTICH

NOR HIS AIRPLANE
WERE EVER FOUND.

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

WHEN IT HITS A DEAD END,
THE MISSING PILOT'S FAMILY

TURNS TO A NASA RESEARCH
SCIENTIST FOR HELP.

RICHARD HAINES IS THE REAL DEAL.

HE'S A RESEARCH SCIENTIST
WHO'S SPENT MANY YEARS

STUDYING CASES OF UFO REPORTS.

HAINES CALLS THE
INCIDENT THE MELBOURNE EPISODE

AND JUGGLES THE INVESTIGATION

ALONGSIDE HIS RESEARCH DUTIES
AT NASA.

THERE REALLY IS
NO ONE MORE CAPABLE

FOR INVESTIGATING
THE VALENTICH CASE.

IN HIS QUEST FOR ANSWERS,

HAINES CHASES DOWN EVERY LEAD.

HE'S INTERVIEWING EVERYONE
CONNECTED WITH THAT CASE,

LOOKING AT AIRCRAFT
MAINTENANCE RECORDS,

ANYTHING THAT COULD GIVE A CLUE

AS TO WHAT HAPPENED
TO THAT PLANE.

AFTER FOUR MONTHS
OF PAINSTAKING RESEARCH,

HAINES UNCOVERS A LEAD

THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT
INVESTIGATION

EITHER NEVER FOUND
OR NEVER FOLLOWED UP...

A UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPH CAPTURING
AN UNKNOWN AERIAL ANOMALY.

ABOUT THE SAME TIME, 60 MILES
AWAY ON THE AUSTRALIAN COAST,

A PHOTOGRAPHER IS TAKING
A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SUNSET.

THE TIME COINCIDENCE IS UNCANNY,

AND THE IMAGE
THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES

APPEARS TO SHOW
AN UNIDENTIFIABLE OBJECT

FLOATING ABOVE THE OCEAN
IN MIDAIR.

A RIGOROUS INVESTIGATOR,

HAINES QUESTIONS
THE PHOTOGRAPH'S AUTHENTICITY,

BUT THE IMAGE DOES OPEN UP
POTENTIAL NEW AVENUES

OF INVESTIGATION.

WITH THIS OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHED
SO NEAR TO THE TIME

OF THE VALENTICH SIGHTING,

IT'S TEMPTING TO SAY THAT THE
TWO ARE DEFINITELY RELATED.

HAINES FOCUSES ON
IDENTIFYING THE WEIRD NOISE

RECORDED IN VALENTICH'S
FINAL TRANSMISSION.

THE SOUND IS THE ONLY
PIECE OF CONCRETE EVIDENCE

THAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT FROM
ANY OTHER LIGHT AIRCRAFT FLIGHT.

IN 1987, THE NASA INVESTIGATOR

PUTS FORWARD
AN ASTONISHING HYPOTHESIS.

THE METALLIC SOUNDS

MIGHT POSSIBLY BE THE CONTACT
OF A DISK, LET'S SAY,

OR A VEHICLE OF SOME KIND
ON HIS AIRPLANE.

IT'S RATHER FAR-FETCHED,

BUT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER IT
AS A POSSIBILITY

THAT HE WAS ABDUCTED
BY SOME RACE OR SPECIES

THAT'S CAPABLE OF DOING
THIS SORT OF A THING.

FOR SOMEONE OF HAINES' STATURE

TO COME OUT WITH THAT
IS TOTALLY UNPRECEDENTED.

BUT HAINES
AND SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATORS

ALSO HAVE TO CONSIDER
OTHER EXPLANATIONS.

FORMER U.S. AIR FORCE PILOT
AND ASTRONOMER JAMES McGAHA

HAS A LESS CONTROVERSIAL
BUT STILL UNPROVEN THEORY.

IT'S FAIRLY APPARENT
THAT THE FOUR LIGHTS

THAT CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION
WERE MERCURY, VENUS,

MARS AND THE BRIGHT STAR.

IT SO HAPPENS THAT VENUS
THAT PARTICULAR NIGHT

IS THE BRIGHTEST IT EVER GETS.

AND HE STARTED LOOKING AT THAT
AND PROBABLY INADVERTENTLY

STARTED THE AIRPLANE
INTO A SLOW TURN.

AND AS THIS TURN BUILDS UP,

IT'LL GET TIGHTER
AND FASTER AND FASTER.

YOU LOSE LIFT.

THE AIRCRAFT STARTS DESCENDING.

AND PRETTY SOON,
THE AIRCRAFT IS OUT OF CONTROL.

BUT HE'S KEYED THE MIKE.
WHAT IS THE SOUND?

IS IT THE AIRCRAFT ACTUALLY
BREAKING UP FROM G-FORCES

FROM THE GRAVEYARD SPIN?

YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW.

HAINES' INVESTIGATION

CONCLUDES THAT VALENTICH
PROBABLY CRASHED INTO THE SEA.

BUT TO THIS DAY,
HE REFUSES TO RULE OUT

THE POSSIBILITY OF
EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVOLVEMENT.

AND WITHOUT FURTHER EVIDENCE,
THE CASE REMAINS OPEN.

HAINES IS NOT THE ONLY SCIENTIST

TO ENTERTAIN THE IDEA
THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE.

UP NEXT, FOR DECADES,

MANKIND BELIEVED

THAT DARK SHAPES
CRISS-CROSSING THE PLANET MARS

WERE SIGNS
OF ADVANCED CIVILIZATION.

ASTRONOMERS EVEN SPECULATED

THAT IT COULD BE
A MARTIAN CIVILIZATION.

BUT A NASA MISSION DISCOVERS
THAT THE TRUTH IS EVEN S

PERCIVAL LOWELL WAS RIGHT.

THERE ARE CHANNELS
IN THE SURFACE OF MARS

CARVED TO TRANSPORT WATER
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

A PIONEERING ASTRONOMER SEE

ON THE SURFACE
OF THE RED PLANET.

THAT'S A PRETTY EXCITING THING,
YOU KNOW?

IT'S A BIG CANAL.

THAT HAD TO BE
A BIG CIVILIZATION

TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER,

A NASA PROBE FINDS EVIDENCE
OF WATER CHANNELS ON MARS.

WE HAVE EVIDENCE TODAY
THAT WATER'S STILL PERCOLATING

OUT OF THE PLANET.

WE SEE FROM THESE ORBITAL
IMAGES NOW THESE CHANNELS,

AND THEY SEEM VERY FRESH.

WHAT ARE THE CANALS OF MARS?

TODAY,
NASA'S CUTTING-EDGE SPACECRAFT

ALLOW US TO SEE OTHER WORLDS
AND EVEN DISTANT STARS.

THE WHITE HEAT
OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

HAS EVEN BURNED AWAY
MANY ANCIENT SUPERSTITIONS.

BUT SOME BELIEFS
ARE HARDER TO DISMISS.

ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1877,

THE PLANET MARS MAKES ONE OF
ITS CLOSEST APPROACHES TO EARTH

SINCE THE AGE
OF THE NEANDERTHALS.

AN ITALIAN ASTRONOMER,
GIOVANNI SCHIAPARELLI,

SEIZES THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET
A CLOSE LOOK AT THE RED PLANET.

GIOVANNI SCHIAPARELLI

WAS A VERY METICULOUS
AND RIGOROUS CHRONICLER

OF WHAT HE SAW
THROUGH HIS TELESCOPES.

AND MARS WAS A SUBJECT
OF FASCINATION TO HIM.

DURING HIS OBSERVATIONS,

SCHIAPARELLI SEES SOMETHING
EXTRAORDINARY

ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

HE SAW THESE LINES
OF THE SURFACE,

WHICH HE CALLED CANALS.

THE DISCOVERY OF WHAT LOOKS

ACROSS THE RED PLANET INFLUENCES
SOME OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS

IN THE AMERICAN
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.

PERCIVAL LOWELL WAS A
FOREMOST AMERICAN ASTRONOMER,

AND HE DREW WHAT HE SAW
IN THE PATTERNS ON MARS.

AND HE SAW CANALS.

WITH THE NOTION

THAT MARS MIGHT EVEN
HAVE A NETWORK OF CANALS.

ASTRONOMERS EVEN SPECULATED

THAT THERE COULD BE
A MARTIAN CIVILIZATION.

LOWELL REALLY
POPULARIZED THE IDEA

THAT THERE WAS A DYING
CIVILIZATION ON MARS,

AND THEY HAD TO BUILD CANALS

TO TRANSPORT POLAR WATER
TO THE EQUATOR AND SO FORTH.

AND HE MADE A GREAT STORY
OUT OF IT ALL.

MARTIANS ARE
EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE ALIEN,

AND THEY HAVE BEEN
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

AND IN PARTICULAR,
A CENTURY AGO,

PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT THE CANALS ON MARS.

WELL, THE CANALS ON MARS

WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN MADE
BY MICROBES.

THE IDEA
OF A MARTIAN CIVILIZATION

BASED AROUND A NETWORK OF CANALS

BECOMES PART OF MAINSTREAM POP
CULTURE IN THE 20th CENTURY.

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
IS FAMOUS FOR CREATING TARZAN,

BUT HIS MARTIAN ADVENTURE
STORIES ARE ALSO HUGE

AND STILL WITH US.

THE 2012 DISNEY MOVIE
"JOHN CARTER"

WAS BASED ON HIS STORIES.

AND FEW PEOPLE REALIZED

THE FOURTH MOST
EXPENSIVE MOVIE OF ALL TIME

WAS INSPIRED
BY 19th-CENTURY ASTRONOMY.

THE IDEA THAT THERE COULD BE
AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION THERE

STRUGGLING AGAINST
THEIR DYING PLANET, YOU KNOW,

IT'S A DRAMA
PLAYED OUT ON ANOTHER PLANET.

IT HELPS MAKE THIS PLACE PART
OF... OF HUMAN CULTURE,

PART OF THE HUMAN STORY.

FOR A LONG TIME,

MOST OF THE EARTH BELIEVED
THAT THERE WERE MARTIANS.

THEN, WE SENT THE SATELLITES,
THE PROBES OUT TO MARS.

AND WE GOT CLOSE-UP PICTURES
OF MARS.

NO CANALS. NO WATER.

NO ATMOSPHERE.

IT'S A VERY HARSH ENVIRONMENT,

MINUS 50 DEGREES
ON A WARM SUMMER DAY,

VERY LITTLE AIR
AND ALL THE WRONG KIND OF AIR.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA
THAT THERE'S SORT OF MARTIANS

WALKING AROUND HAVING
A GOOD AFTERNOON,

UH, YOU KNOW,
THAT DOESN'T PLAY VERY WELL.

THE CHANNELS LOWELL OBSERVED

ARE NOT SIGNS
OF MARTIAN CIVILIZATION.

NASA'S SURVEY MISSIONS PROVIDE
AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT HE SAW THROUGH
HIS PRIMITIVE TELESCOPE.

SCHIAPARELLI AND LOWELL

WERE LOOKING AT MARS
FROM THE EARTH

THROUGH A TURBULENT ATMOSPHERE

AND WITH TELESCOPES THAT HAD
GLASS THAT WAS INFERIOR.

DEFOCUSING A MODERN
MARS IMAGE SIMULATES

WHAT YOU WOULD SEE THROUGH
A 19th-CENTURY TELESCOPE.

DARK AREAS OF THE PLANET
MORPH INTO LINES

AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE NETWORKS
OF INTERCONNECTED WATERWAYS.

THIS IS WHAT
SCHIAPARELLI SAW AS CANALI.

BUT IN REALITY,

THE SHAPES ARE CHARACTERISTIC
OF THE MARTIAN TOPOGRAPHY.

THE HUMAN BRAIN
TENDS TO CONVINCE US

THAT WE SEE PATTERNS
WHEN MAYBE THEY AREN'T THERE.

THE PATTERNS MAY BE AN ILLUSION,

BUT THE CRYSTAL-CLEAR IMAGES
FROM NASA'S RECENT MARS MISSIONS

DO SUGGEST THERE ONCE
WAS WATER ON MARS.

IT WAS THE BIGGEST CANYON
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S WHAT THE GRAND CANYON
WOULD LIKE TO BE IF IT EVER GROWS UP.

IT'S PRETTY GOOD PROOF,
AMONG OTHER THINGS,

THAT THERE WAS WATER ON MARS.

MAYBE THERE WERE CANALS
2 MILLION YEARS AGO,

BUT THEY'RE NOT ANYMORE,
I'M SORRY TO SAY.

FROM THE 1960s,

MOST SCIENTISTS AGREED THAT
MARS IS ALMOST COMPLETELY DRY.

BUT IN 2011,

PROFESSOR ALFRED McEWEN SPOTS
SOMETHING ASTONISHING IN IMAGES

FROM NASA'S MARS
RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER.

WE SEE THESE DARK LINES
ON STEEP SLOPES

THAT APPEAR AND GROW SLOWLY
OR INCREMENTALLY DOWN THE SLOPE

DURING THE WARMEST SEASON.

WHAT'S EXCITING
ABOUT THESE LINES

IS THAT, UH, WE CAN EXPLAIN THIS
AS ACTUAL LIQUID WATER TODAY,

SLOWLY SEEPING
DOWN THESE SLOPES.

WE'VE GOT GULLIES

THAT ARE COMING
OUT OF THE SIDE OF CRATERS

WITH LITTLE BITS OF WATER,
LIKE LITTLE WATERFALLS,

MAYBE ONLY LASTING
A HALF AN HOUR OR SO.

BUT WE HAVE EVIDENCE TODAY

THAT WATER'S STILL PERCOLATING
OUT OF THE PLANET.

WE FOUND OUT THAT, IN A SENSE,
PERCIVAL LOWELL WAS RIGHT.

THERE ARE CHANNELS
IN THE SURFACE OF MARS

CARVED TO TRANSPORT WATER
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.

BUT DOES WATER ALSO MEAN LIFE?

AT 10:30 A.M. ON THE 16th
OF DECEMBER, 2014,

NASA MADE AN ASTONISHING
ANNOUNCEMENT.

WE NOW HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE
THAT THERE IS METHANE

OCCASIONALLY PRESENT
IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS

AND THAT THERE ARE ORGANICS
PRESERVED IN ANCIENT ROCKS

ON MARS IN CERTAIN PLACES,

CONSISTENT WITH
THE FORMER PRESENCE OF LIFE.

IT'S NOT AN ARGUMENT

THAT WE HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE
OF LIFE ON MARS.

BUT IT IS ONE
OF THE FEW HYPOTHESES

THAT WE CAN PROPOSE
IN THE FUTURE.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,

NASA HAS OFFICIALLY CONCEDED

THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN LIFE
ON MARS.

NASA'S NEXT MARS ROVER IS NOT
SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH UNTIL 2020.

FOR NOW, AT LEAST,

THE IDEA OF LIFE IN MARTIAN
CANALS WILL REMAIN FICTION.

STILL TO COME, FAR BEYOND MARS,

AN ASTEROID
IS BEHAVING STRANGELY.

IT SEEMS TO HAVE
SEVERAL COMETARY TAILS.

EVERY TIME THEY LOOK AT IT,
IT LOOKS DIFFERENT.

COULD THERE BE
UNKNOWN FORCES AT WORK?

AN ASTEROID IS PRETTY MUCH

FOR A SPACECRAFT.

THIS THING IS IN A CATEGORY
BY ITSELF.

A MYSTERIOUS ASTEROID
IS BEHAVING STRANGELY.

WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING HERE?

THIS IS SOMETHING SO UNUSUAL.

COULD A SPACE ROCK
BE UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL?

IF THIS IS AN ASTEROID,

IT'S NOT LIKE ANY OTHER
ASTEROID WE'VE EVER SEEN.

SOME SCIENTISTS

REALLY BELIEVE AN ASTEROID
COULD BE TRANSFORMED INTO A SHIP.

AN ASTEROID IS PRETTY MUCH
A PERFECT READY-MADE SHELL

FOR A SPACECRAFT.

HUMANS, WE DON'T BUILD THINGS
THAT BIG.

AUGUST 2013, HAWAII.

ASTRONOMERS AT THE PAN-STARRS
SURVEY TELESCOPE

SPOT AN INTRIGUING OBJECT
BETWEEN JUPITER AND MARS.

IT DEFIES INITIAL ATTEMPTS
AT IDENTIFICATION,

BUT THEY NAME IT ASTEROID P5.

WHAT'S PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL
ABOUT THIS ASTEROID

IS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE
SEVERAL COMETARY TAILS.

ASTRONOMERS ARE PERPLEXED
BY WHAT THEY SEE.

A MONTH LATER,
ASTRONOMERS TRACK THE OBJECT

USING NASA'S SUPER-POWERFUL
HUBBLE TELESCOPE.

WHAT THEY SEE BLOWS THEIR MINDS.

NOT ONLY ARE THERE
JUST A FEW TAILS,

THERE ARE ACTUALLY
SIX DISTINCT TAILS

EMANATING FROM THE NUCLEUS
OF THE ASTEROID.

EVERY TIME THEY LOOK AT IT,
IT LOOKS DIFFERENT.

ONE TAIL ON AN ASTEROID
IS UNUSUAL.

SIX TAILS
IS COMPLETELY UNHEARD OF.

THESE TAILS KEEP APPEARING,
DISAPPEARING,

SHIFTING DIRECTION.

SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON HERE.

ASTEROIDS SHOULDN'T HAVE A TAIL,

LET ALONE SIX OF THEM.

AS SCIENTISTS TRY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY,
SPECULATION MOUNTS.

ONE THEORY IS THAT THE TAILS

MIGHT BE THE DEBRIS CAUSED
BY A SPACE COLLISION,

BUT THE DATA DOESN'T ADD UP.

COLLISION DOESN'T MAKE ANY
SENSE IN THIS PA

AS COLLISION
WON'T CREATE SIX TAILS.

WE'RE NOT LOOKING
AT A COLLISION HERE

AS THAT WOULD BE
A ONE-OFF EVENT.

HERE, WE SEE TAILS
EVOLVING OVER TIME,

OVER THE COURSE
OF SEVERAL MONTHS,

SO A DIFFERENT MECHANISM
IS INVOLVED.

BUT IF THEY'RE NOT
CAUSED BY A COLLISION,

WHAT COULD EXPLAIN AN ASTEROID
WITH SIX TAILS?

TO SOME, THESE LOOK LIKE TRACES
OF ATTITUDE-CONTROL THRUSTERS.

ATTITUDE JETS
ARE PULSES OF THRUST

THAT ARE USED TO CONTROL
THE MOTION OF A SPACECRAFT.

ALTHOUGH THE IDEA
COMES FROM SCIENCE FICTION,

IT MAKES GOOD SCIENTIFIC SENSE.

AN ASTEROID IS PRETTY MUCH
A PERFECT READY-MADE SHELL

FOR A SPACECRAFT.

AERODYNAMICS DON'T MATTER

WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELING
THROUGH THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

AND THE ROCK PROVIDES
AN EXCELLENT STRUCTURE

AND EXCELLENT PROTECTION
AGAINST RADIATION.

ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES
OF SPACE TRAVEL

IS GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS

THAT CAN ACTUALLY KILL YOU,
FOR INSTANCE.

SO THE ADVANTAGES
OF BEING JUST A FEW FOOT

BELOW AN ASTEROID SURFACE IS
THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SHIELDED

FROM THESE HIGH-ENERGY
GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS.

BUT ASTRONOMERS THINK
A NATURAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE STRANGE PHENOMENON
IS MORE LIKELY.

IT LOOKS LIKE WHAT
WE'RE SEEING WITH P5 IS,

IT'S AN OBJECT THAT WAS SPUN UP

BY THIS EFFECT
OF THE SUN'S RADIATION,

AND TO THE POINT
WHERE IT WAS SPINNING SO FAST

THAT MATERIAL
STARTED TO LEAVE THE SURFACE.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ONE DAY,

ITS TAIL ORIENTATION
IS ONE DIRECTION.

YOU LOOK AT IT ANOTHER DAY,

WELL, THE THING'S BEEN
SPINNING AROUND MULTIPLE TIMES

SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU LOOKED.

AND NOW, STUFF'S COMING
OFF OF IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

SO IT'S REALLY A SPINNING PROBLEM,
NOT A STEERING PROBLEM.

SOME ASTEROIDS MAY JUST FALL
APART AT THESE HIGH SPIN RATES,

BUT THIS ONE IS SO TOUGH
AND SO ROCKY AND SO HARD

THAT IT ACTUALLY
JUST STAYS TOGETHER.

THE UNSTABLE MATERIAL

AVALANCHES DOWN FROM THE PEAKS
INTO THE TROUGHS

AND IS EJECTED INTO SPACE
AS A FINE STREAM OF MATERIAL

THAT LOOKS LIKE A TAIL.

EVEN IF P5 IS JUST AN ASTEROID,

THE IDEA OF CONVERTING
SPACE ROCKS INTO SPACECRAFT

IS NOT AS FAR-FETCHED
AS IT SOUNDS.

NASA HAS PLANS TO TURN
THIS SCIENCE FICTION INTO FACT

SOME TIME AFTER 2020.

NASA WOULD LIKE
TO TAKE ASTEROIDS

OUT OF THEIR CURRENT ORBITS

AND PUT THEM
INTO SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ORBITS

MORE USEFUL
FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION.

ASTEROIDS WOULD MAKE
GREAT SPACE VEHICLES.

YOU JUST LAND ON THEM,
AND YOU GO WHERE THEY'RE GOING.

THIS IS IN FACT PART
OF HUMAN EXPLORATION OF SPACE.

THIS IS OUR PLAN,
IS TO LAND ON ASTEROIDS

AND HAVE THEM TAKE US
WHERE THEY'RE GOING.

WITHIN THE ARCHIVES
OF NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES,

MOST STRANGE SIGHTINGS

ARE ONE-OFF EVENTS
THAT LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND.

UP NEXT, NASA SCIENTISTS
INVESTIGATING A COLD CASE

DISCOVER NEW EVIDENCE HUNDREDS
OF YEARS AFTER THE APPEARANCE

OF A MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL
ON THE MOON.

"JACKPOT. WE FOUND IT."

WHEN YOU HEAR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, YOUR FIRST THOUGHT

IS GOING TO BE, "SOME SORT
OF DEVASTATING WEAPON."

TWO EYEWITNESSES
HUNDREDS OF YEARS APART

REPORT SEEING SOMETHING
INEXPLICABLE IN THE NIGHT SKY.

THEY WERE DESCRIBING
SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR...

A HUGE FIREBALL
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

BUT OUR MOON IS SUPPOSED

NO KNOWN FORCE COULD
PRODUCE SUCH A PHENOMENON.

EVERY DAY,
NASA'S SPACECRAFT AND TELESCOPES

ACCUMULATE NEW DATA ABOUT
DISTANT PLANETS AND STAR SYSTEMS

AT AN INCREDIBLE RATE.

BUT SOME OF THE MOST
COMPELLING MYSTERIES

COME FROM TOTALLY UNEXPECTED
SOURCES.

NOVEMBER 15, 1953.

PHYSICIAN AND AMATEUR
ASTRONOMER DR. LEON STUART

PREPARES TO CONDUCT
METICULOUS OBSERVATIONS

OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.

AS THE WINTER NIGHT CLOSES IN,

HE SPOTS SOMETHING STRANGE.

HE SAW A TINY SPECK

WHICH REPRESENTED
A HUGE FIREBALL

ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

STUART IMMEDIATELY
GRABS A CAMERA

AND TAKES AN IMAGE
OF THE WEIRD EVENT.

THE STUART PHOTOGRAPH
SHOWS A BRIGHT SPOT ON THE FACE

OF THE... OF THE MOON.

IT'S A BIT OF A PUZZLE
WHAT IT COULD BE.

STUART BELIEVES HE HAS WITNESSED

A MASSIVE OBJECT
EXPLODE ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

HE PUBLISHES AN ACCOUNT
OF HIS SIGHTING,

BUT DESPITE THE SUPPORTING
PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE,

HE'S DISMISSED
BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.

FOR YEARS,
STUART'S OBSERVATIONS WERE IGNORED,

OR WORSE, EVEN RIDICULED.

THE INCIDENT BECOMES
KNOWN AS THE STUART EVENT,

AND IT HAS BAFFLED INVESTIGATORS
FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY.

FOR SOME ASTRONOMERS,

IT IS EERILY REMINISCENT OF
THE ACCOUNT OF AN EVENT IN 1178

BY AN ENGLISH MONK
NAMED GERVASE OF CANTERBURY.

FIVE MONKS DESCRIBED
SEEING THE MOON

BEING SPLIT IN TWO
BY A FIERY SPEAR

THAT MADE THE ENTIRE MOON SHAKE.

"NOW,
THERE WAS A BRIGHT NEW MOON,

AS WAS USUAL IN THAT PHASE,

ITS HORNS TILTED
TOWARDS THE EAST.

SUDDENLY, THE UPPER HORN
SPLIT INTO TWO,

AND FROM THIS FISSURE
CAME A FLAMING TORCH

SPEWING OUT OVER
A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE FIRE,

HOT COALS AND SPARKS."

SO THEY WERE DESCRIBING
SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THE...

THE STUART EVENT
BUT ON AN EVEN LARGER SCALE.

AND GERVASE GIVES SUCH
A DETAILED ACCOUNT

THAT IT'S HIGHLY BELIEVABLE.

A FIERY SPEAR
STRIKING FROM THE SKY.

WHEN YOU HEAR
OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT
IS GOING TO BE,

"SOME SORT OF
DEVASTATING WEAPON."

BUT OTHERS
LOOK FOR A NATURAL PHENOMENON

TO EXPLAIN THE SIGHTINGS.

ONE THEORY WAS ACTUALLY
THAT THIS WAS JUST A METEOR

COMING RIGHT AT YOU.

AND IN FACT,
THAT'S WHAT METEORS LOOK LIKE,

A LITTLE... WHOOSH...
SPLASH OF LIGHT

IF THEY'RE COMING RIGHT AT YOU.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT THEORY,
HOWEVER,

IS THAT METEORS
DON'T LAST SEVERAL SECONDS

LIKE STUART'S SIGHTING DID.

A METEOR FLASH CANNOT EXPLAIN

DESCRIBED IN GERVASE'S ACCOUNT.

NASA TAKES THE SIGHTINGS
SO SERIOUSLY THAT, IN 2002,

A TEAM FROM THE JET
PROPULSION LABORATORY

ATTEMPTS TO ANALYZE
STUART'S PHOTO

AND UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY.

THEY START WITH THE ASSUMPTION

THAT THIS IS AN ASTEROID IMPACT.

AND THEN, THEY
DO WHAT SCIENTISTS ALWAYS DO.

THEN, THEY LOOK FOR EVIDENCE.

THE JPL TEAM
LOOKED AT STUART'S PHOTO,

AND THEY TRIED TO WORK OUT
THE IMPACT ENERGY

REQUIRED TO MAKE AN EXPLOSION
LIKE ON HIS PHOTO.

AND THEY TRIED TO WORK ON,
IN ADDITION,

THE SIZE OF THE CRATER

THAT MIGHT BE GENERATED
BY SUCH AN IMPACT.

THE NASA TEAM BEGINS
SEARCHING FOR THIS CRATER

USING 600,000
HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS

OF THE MOON'S SURFACE CAPTURED
BY THE CLEMENTINE SPACECRAFT

IN 1994.

BY CROSS-REFERENCING
THESE IMAGES

WITH THE LIKELY SIZE
OF THE CRATER,

THEY LOCATE
A POSSIBLE CANDIDATE.

WHEN THE CLEMENTINE
LUNAR ORBITER

PASSED OVER THE PROBABLE
LOCATION OF THE IMPACT,

THEY DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS
A FRESH CRATER THERE,

AND IT WAS, "JACKPOT.
WE FOUND IT."

THE MOON'S SURFACE

IS SCARRED
WITH COUNTLESS CRATERS,

SOME DATING BACK BILLIONS
OF YEARS.

BUT CLOSER ANALYSIS
OF THE CRATER

IN THE CLEMENTINE IMAGE

DATES IT TO AROUND THE TIME
OF STUART'S SIGHTING.

WE KNOW IT'S FRESH
BECAUSE OF THE DEEP BLUE COLOR

OF THE DEBRIS THAT HAD BEEN
EJECTED FROM THE CRATER.

AND IT'S EXACTLY WHERE YOU
WOULD EXPECT THE CRATERS TO BE

FROM STUART'S OBSERVATIONS.

NASA'S DATA SUGGESTS THAT STUART

WITNESSED A 65-FOOT-WIDE
ASTEROID SMASHING INTO THE MOON

AT ALMOST 25,000 MILES PER HOUR.

THE RESULTING BLAST
WAS 35 TIMES MORE POWERFUL

THAN THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
OVER HIROSHIMA.

WHEN IT HIHE MOON,
IT COMES TO A DEAD STOP,

AND ALL OF THAT KINETIC ENERGY
GETS CONVERTED TO HEAT.

IT'LL HEAT UP THE SURFACE
SO MUCH THAT IT'LL GLOW WHITE.

THE FLASH WOULD BE VISIBLE
TO SOMEBODY FROM THE EARTH.

THE NASA INVESTIGATION

SEEMS TO VINDICATE
DR. STUART'S ORIGINAL ACCOUNT

OF A HUGE FIREBALL
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

BUT MORE RECENTLY
UNCOVERED EVIDENCE

CHALLENGES NASA'S
OFFICIAL CONCLUSION.

WHAT OPENS UP THE MYSTERY AGAIN

IS THE OLD PHOTOS
SEEM TO SUGGEST

THAT THIS CRATER
THAT HAD BEEN FOUND

EXISTED BEFORE STUART
MADE HIS OBSERVATIONS.

SO THE MYSTERY REMAINS...
WHAT DID STUART SEE?

IT HAS TO JUST BE DISMISSED
AS AN UNEXPLAINED PUZZLE.

STILL TO COME...

FOOTAGE FROM THE SHUTTLE,
TAKEN DURING A SECRET MISSION,

REVEALS UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS
FLYING AWAY FROM THE EARTH.

WHAT THE HECK COULD BE
RUNNING SCARED FROM OUR PLANET

LIKE THAT, AND WHY?

MAYBE IT WAS A SATELLITE,

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS FOR SURE.

AS SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

A SERIES OF STRANGE OBJECTS
MAKES A DRAMATIC EXIT.

A WHOLE SERIES OF ROCKETS
GOING OFF SIMULTANEOUSLY.

IT'S A REMARKABLE IMAGE.

WHAT THE HECK COULD BE
RUNNING SCARED FROM OUR PLANET

LIKE THAT, AND WHY?

JUST WHAT WAS MISSION
STS-39 DEPLOYING IN SPACE?

THE DETAILS
OF WHAT WAS IN THAT CANISTER

REMAIN CLASSIFIED TO THIS DAY.

WHEN NASA'S SCIENTIFIC MISSIONS

PUSH BACK THE FRONTIERS
OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE,

THE SPACE AGENCY WELCOMES
THE GLARE OF PUBLICITY.

BUT AWAY FROM THE LIMELIGHT,

THERE ARE OTHER MISSIONS
WRAPPED IN A CLOAK OF SECRECY.

APRIL 28, 1991.

AFTER NUMEROUS TECHNICAL DELAYS,
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

FINALLY BLASTS OFF FROM
NASA'S KENNEDY LAUNCH PLATFORM.

THREE, TWO, ONE.

WE HAVE IGNITION
AND LIFTOFF OF DISCOVERY

ON A RESEARCH FLIGHT
FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

THIS IS THE FIRST UNCLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSION

THAT NASA IS PERFORMING,

BUT THERE IS ONE
CLASSIFIED PAYLOAD ON BOARD.

THE CLASSIFIED ONE

IS CALLED THE MULTI-PURPOSE
RELEASE CANISTER.

THE NAME SOUNDS HARMLESS,

BUT THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
IN THERE.

AS SOON AS THEY
COMPLETE THEIR INITIAL TASKS,

THE CREW BEGINS TO OFFLOAD
DISCOVERY'S TOP-SECRET CARGO.

SHORTLY AFTER DEPLOYING
THE CLASSIFIED PAYLOAD,

CAMERAS ONBOARD THE SHUTTLE
START TO SEE SOME OBJECTS

THAT ARE MOVING
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREENS

TO UP TOWARDS THE TOP.

THIS LOOKS LIKE
A WHOLE SERIES OF ROCKETS

GOING OFF SIMULTANEOUSLY.

THERE ARE 10 OF THESE THINGS
MOVING AWAY FROM THE SHUTTLE

ON THE SAME COURSE, AT SPEED,
OVER A SUSTAINED PERIOD.

IT'S A REMARKABLE IMAGE.

THE OBJECTS ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE

ON THE LIVE VIDEO FEED,

BUT NEITHER THE CREW
NOR MISSION CONTROL

MAKES ANY REFERENCE
TO THE BIZARRE EVENT.

DISCOVERY, WE'RE
TWO MINUTES FROM L.O.S.

WE'LL SEE YOU
AT FIVE PLUS TWO-SIX.

ROGER THAT.

CLASSIFIED
MISSION COMMUNICATIONS

ARE STRICTLY CONTROLLED.

ANYTHING RELATED
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

IS FOR MILITARY EARS ONLY.

WITH NASA UNWILLING

OR UNABLE TO COMMENT
ON THE OBJECTS,

SOME OBSERVERS
BEGIN TO SPECULATE

ABOUT A POSSIBLE CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE OBJECTS'
SUDDEN APPEARANCE

AND DISCOVERY'S MILITARY CARGO.

HERE,
YOU HAVE A TOP-SECRET MISSION ON ONE HAND.

AND ON THE OTHER HAND,
YOU HAVE ALL THESE OBJECTS

SEEMINGLY STREAMING AWAY
FROM THE EARTH.

IT'S HARD NOT TO TALK ABOUT
THE TWO OF THEM TOGETHER.

A RUMOR THAT WAS CIRCULATING
WAS THAT THE PAYLOAD HAD SOMETHING

TO DO WITH STAR WARS,

IN OTHER WORDS,
THE PROJECT TO MILITARIZE SPACE.

THE STRATEGIC
DEFENSE INITIATIVE,

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS STAR WARS,

WAS A FUTURISTIC PROGRAM
DEVELOPED IN THE 1980s

TO SHOOT DOWN MISSILES
USING SPACE-BASED WEAPONRY.

BUT SOME ARGUE

THAT IT COULD HAVE HAD OTHER
OBJECTIVES AS WELL.

THE STAR WARS PROGRAM
IS A LEGACY OF THE REAGAN ERA.

BY THIS TIME,

MANY OF THE MORE AMBITIOUS
PARTS OF IT HAVE BEEN ABANDONED.

BUT THEY'VE DEVELOPED SOME
PRETTY SERIOUS TECHNOLOGY,

AND WE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY
KNOW ABOUT ALL OF IT, EVEN TODAY.

MAYBE IT WAS A SATELLITE,
OR MAYBE IT WAS A WEAPON.

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS FOR SURE.

THE STRANGE OBJECTS
HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN.

AS THEY EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES
OF THE UNIVERSE,

NASA'S SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
THAT THERE ARE STILL LESSONS

TO BE LEARNED FROM OUR PAST.

TRUTH REALLY CAN BE STRANGER
THAN FICTION.

SPACE CAN BE DEADLY IN WAYS
NO ONE EXPECTS.

WATER'S IN HIS EYES NOW,
AND IT SEEMS TO BE INCREASING.

AND EVEN ON EARTH,

THERE ARE STILL THINGS
THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk