NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 3, Episode 4 - Ghosts on a Comet - 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.

THE TERRIFYING TRUTH ABOUT
MANKIND'S FIRST SPACEWALK



BECOMES A SOVIET STATE SECRET.

IF HE'S NOT ABLE TO
RE-ENTER THE HATCH,

THAT'S HOW
THE FIRST SPACEWALK ENDS...

WITH AN ASTRONAUT DEATH.

THE FIRST HUMAN
SPACECRAFT TO APPROACH A COMET

ENCOUNTERS
AN UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SIGNAL.

IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S SINGING.

MAYBE THIS IS IT. MAYBE THIS IS

THE COMMUNICATION
FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD.

AND A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT APPEARS

ON THE VIDEO FEED OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THE SHAPE OF THIS OBJECT
CLEARLY LOOKED ARTIFICIAL,

AND I DON'T DOUBT
THAT IT WAS ARTIFICIAL.

THE ONLY QUESTION WAS,
WHAT WAS IT?



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 3
EP - 4 - Ghosts on a Comet

Subtitles Diego Moraes

A COSMONAUT BECOMES THE
FIRST MAN TO WALK IN SPACE.

NO ONE HAD EVER DONE IT.

NO ONE HAD EVER WORN A SUIT
OUTSIDE OF THEIR VEHICLE.

AND NOBODY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT.

THE SOVIETS, THEY ALWAYS CLAIMED
THAT IT WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS.

THE TRUE STORY
STAYS A SOVIET STATE SECRET

FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES.

WE WERE AT THE INFANCY
OF SPACE TRAVEL.

DISASTERS WERE EXPECTED.

COSMONAUT ALEXEY LEONOV

IS ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY
FOR THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM.

THE SPACE SPECTACULAR
THAT THEY HAD IN THEIR SIGHTS

WAS TO ACTUALLY HAVE A COSMONAUT
GET OUT OF THE SPACECRAFT

AND WALK IN SPACE, TO ACTUALLY
FLOAT IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.

THIS WAS THE SPACE RACE
REALLY HEATING UP NOW.

IT'S A RACE
THE RUSSIANS ARE WINNING.

ALEXEY LEONOV
STEPS OUT OF HIS CAPSULE

TO PERFORM THE FIRST SPACEWALK
IN HUMAN HISTORY.

WHAT NASA DIDN'T KNOW

WAS THAT LEONOV'S SPACEWALK
DID NOT GO AS SMOOTHLY AS PLANNED

AND, IN FACT, CAME CLOSE
TO KILLING THE COSMONAUT.

LEONOV GETS OUTSIDE.

HE'S FREE OF THE SPACECRAFT,

AND HE'S FLOATING
AT THE END OF AN UMBILICAL.

AND HE'S AMAZED BY THE VIEW.

HE SEES THE EARTH BEFORE HIM.

HE'S WAVING AT THE CAMERA AS
HE FLOATS AWAY FROM THE SHIP.

LEONOV SPENDS A EUPHORIC 1

BEFORE MISSION CONTROL
ORDERS HIM

BACK TO THE VOSKHOD SPACECRAFT.

AS HE APPROACHES THE AIR LOCK,
HE REALIZES HE HAS A PROBLEM.

LEONOV TRIES TO SQUEEZE HIS BODY

BACK INTO
THIS INFLATABLE AIR LOCK.

BUT HE REALIZES THAT,
IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

HIS SPACE SUIT
HAS SUDDENLY BALLOONED.

THE LACK OF
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN SPACE

HAS CAUSED THE AIR
INSIDE HIS SUIT TO EXPAND.

SO NOW, HE'S OUTSIDE, IN THIS INFLATED,
HUMAN-SHAPED BALLOON.

AND SUDDENLY,
ALL OF HIS JOINTS ARE STIFF.

LEONOV WAS ALSO
WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK.

IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES,

THE SPACECRAFT
WILL ENTER EARTH'S SHADOW,

PLUNGING LEONOV INTO
COMPLETE DARKNESS,

MAKING RE-ENTRY INTO THE
AIR LOCK ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

SO HE TAKES REALLY
ALMOST A DESPERATE MEASURE

AND ACTUALLY LETS OUT SOME
OF THE OXYGEN FROM HIS SUIT

VIA A VALVE ON HIS WRIST.

OPENING HIS SUIT IN SPACE

EXPOSES HIS BODY
TO A RAPID PRESSURE CHANGE

THAT COULD CAUSE CRIPPLING
DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS.

BY GOING DOWN IN PRESSURE,

HE RISKS THAT
SOME OF THE NITROGEN

MIGHT COME OUT OF SOLUTION
IN HIS BLOOD, FORMING BUBBLES.

DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS
CAN CAUSE TOTAL PARALYSIS.

IF LEONOV KEEPS THE SUIT VALVE
OPEN TOO LONG,

CONTINUED EXPOSURE
TO THE VACUUM OF SPACE

CAN HAVE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT
DEPRESSURIZATION IS

ALL OF THE LIQUIDS
THAT ARE EXPOSED TO VACUUM

WILL BOIL AWAY,
FREEZING THE TISSUE UNDERNEATH.

MISSION CONTROL REALIZES

LEONOV SHOULD BE
INSIDE THE AIR LOCK BY NOW.

SOVIET OFFICIALS
CUT THE LIVE CAMERA FEED

THAT IS BROADCASTING
LEONOV'S FEAT

TO MILLIONS OF VIEWERS
AROUND THE WORLD.

LEONOV IS GETTING HOTTER
AND HOTTER

BECAUSE HE'S OVERWHELMING
THE COOLING SYSTEM IN HIS SUIT.

AND SO, OF COURSE,
THAT'S A RISK THERE OF

ACTUALLY GETTING
SOMETHING LIKE HEAT STROKE.

LEONOV'S CORE TEMPERATURE RISES

BY A POTENTIALLY DEADLY
3.2 DEGREES.

SWEAT POOLS IN HIS BOOTS,
FILLING HIS SUIT.

IF HE'S NOT ABLE TO DEPRESSURIZE
AND RE-ENTER THE HATCH,

END OF STORY.

THAT'S HOW
THE FIRST SPACEWALK ENDS...

WITH AN ASTRONAUT DEATH.

LEONOV'S RISK PAYS OFF.

HIS SUIT DEFLATES ENOUGH FOR
HIM TO FIT THROUGH THE AIR LOCK.

THE ORDEAL COSTS HIM
10% OF HIS BODY WEIGHT.

LOSING 13 POUNDS OF
YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN 12 MINUTES

WILL LEAVE YOU EXHAUSTED,
DISORIENTED,

AND BARELY ABLE TO FUNCTION.

TOGETHER WITH
COPILOT PAVEL BELYAYEV,

HE MUST NOW PREPARE
TO RETURN TO EARTH.

BUT THE VOSKHOD SPACECRAFT'S
AUTOMATIC GUIDANCE SYSTEM

IS MALFUNCTIONING.

THEY WILL HAVE TO
MANUALLY CONTROL THE CRAFT

DURING RE-ENTRY.

AND THERE IS ONLY ENOUGH FUEL
FOR ONE ATTEMPT.

THEY HAD TO
FIRE THEIR RETROTHRUSTERS

AT AN EXACT MOMENT.

YOU HAVE TO GET THIS RIGHT.

THERE WON'T BE
ANY SECOND CHANCES.

ACTIVATING THE RETROTHRUSTERS,

THEY MANAGE TO
PENETRATE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THE COSMONAUTS'
PROBLEMS ARE NOT OVER YET.

DURING RE-ENTRY,

THE SPACECRAFT'S TWO HALVES
FAIL TO SEPARATE,

THROWING THEM INTO A WILD SPIN.

A COMMUNICATION CABLE
THAT SHOULD HAVE DETACHED

STILL LINKS THE ORBITAL
AND LANDING MODULES.

THEY ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL,
HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH.

SO AS THEY'RE DESCENDING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,

THEY FEEL THE G's
START TO BUILD.

THEY GET UP TO 8 TO 10 G's.

WITH JUST SECONDS TO SPARE,

THE CABLE BURNS THROUGH,

SEPARATING THE TWO CRAFT,

ALLOWING THE LANDING MODULE'S
CHUTES TO DEPLOY.

THEY TOUCH DOWN SAFELY.

BUT THEY LAND MORE THAN
1,000 MILES OFF COURSE

IN ARCTIC SIBERIA.

THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS 22

OF COURSE, HYPOTHERMIA
AND FREEZING TO DEATH

CAN OCCUR PRETTY RAPIDLY.

WEARING DAMP SPACE
SUITS, THE COSMONAUTS ENDURE

TWO WHOLE NIGHTS IN THE OPEN
BEFORE RESCUERS REACH THEM.

THE SOVIET REGIME SELLS THE
MISSION AS A COMPLETE SUCCESS,

SECURING THEIR POSITION
LEADING THE SPACE RACE.

NASA WAS AGAIN PLAYING CATCH-UP.

THE APPARENT RUSSIAN SUCCESS

MAKES NASA ACCELERATE
ITS SCHEDULE

FOR THE FIRST AMERICAN
TO WALK IN SPACE.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN CALLED FOR
ASTRONAUT ED WHITE

TO CARRY OUT A SAFETY RUN
IN JUNE,

TWO MONTHS LATER THAN
LEONOV'S FIRST SPACEWALK.

PRIOR TO LEONOV'S SPACEWALK,

NASA'S PLAN FOR GEMINI 4 WAS
TO HAVE ED WHITE OPEN THE HATCH,

STAND UP ON HIS SEAT,
LOOK OUTSIDE,

AND THEN SIT BACK DOWN
AND CLOSE THE HATCH.

TO CATCH UP
WITH THEIR SOVIET RIVALS,

NASA ABANDONS THE SAFETY RUN

AND CHANGES WHITE'S MISSION
TO A FULL SPACEWALK

MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

ON JUNE 3, 1965,

WHITE BECOMES THE FIRST
AMERICAN TO WALK IN SPACE.

HE SPENDS 23 MINUTES
OUTSIDE THE GEMINI 4 MODULE.

ED WHITE'S SPACEWALK
WAS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

EVEN WITH THE RISK NASA TOOK
BY MOVING IT FORWARD.

ED WHITE DOES NOT HAVE TO
PAY THE SAME PRICE AS LEONOV

FOR HIS PLACE IN HISTORY.

ED WAS FLOATING AROUND,
THOROUGHLY ENJOYING IT.

IN FACT, JIM McDIVITT
HAD TO REALLY COERCE HIM

TO COME BACK
INTO THE SPACECRAFT.

COMING UP,

A NASA PROBE FOUR
BILLION MILES FROM EARTH

ENCOUNTERS
AN UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SIGNAL.

WHAT'S CAUSING THIS SOUND?
WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

WE DIDN'T EXPECT ANYTHING
LIKE THIS.

AS THE ROSETTA PROBE APPROACHES
A COMET TUMBLING THROUGH SP

IT PICKS UP
A MYSTERIOUS RADIO SIGNAL.

WHAT'S CAUSING THIS SOUND?
WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING?

THE COMET APPEARS TO BE SINGING.

MAYBE THIS IS IT. MAYBE THIS IS

THE COMMUNICATION
FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY,
MANY HUMAN CULTURES

BELIEVED COMETS WERE A SIGN
OF IMPENDING DISASTER.

TODAY,
WE HAVE LANDED SPACECRAFT UPON THEM.

AND YET,
THEY ARE NO LESS MYSTERIOUS.

THE ROSETTA SPACECRAFT
NEARS THE END

OF ITS 10-YEAR,
4 BILLION-MILE JOURNEY.

ITS TARGET IS THE COMET
KNOWN AS 67P.

THIS IS THE FIRST REALLY
CLOSE-UP LOOK AT A COMET

IN HUMAN HISTORY.

EVEN TRAVELING
AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT,

THE FIRST IMAGES FROM ROSETTA

TAKE MORE THAN AN HOUR
TO REACH EARTH.

THE APPEARANCE OF A COMET
ASTONISHES SCIENTISTS.

IT'S LIKE A PEANUT, ALMOST.

IT'S GOT ROUGH TERRAIN.

IT'S GOT SMOOTH TERRAIN.

IT'S GOT ROCKY AREAS.

SCIENTISTS MONITORING THE
DATA FEED FROM THE PROBE

NOTICE IT'S PICKING UP
A RADIO SIGNAL.

WHAT WE START TO HEAR IS WE HEAR
THIS REALLY LOW-FREQUENCY SOUND.

THIS SOUND IS BELOW
THE FREQUENCIES

THAT WE CAN HEAR WITH OUR EARS.

TO MAKE TO SOUND
AUDIBLE TO THE HUMAN EAR,

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY EXPERTS
BOOST THE RADIO FREQUENCY

BY A FACTOR OF 10,000.

AND WHEN WE DO HEAR IT,

IT'S A VERY UNUSUAL,
VERY STRANGE SOUND THAT IT'S MAKING.

COMET 67P, A TOTALLY
DEAD CHUNK OF ICE AND ROCK,

APPEARS TO BE SINGING.

THE COMET SONG
IS COMPLETELY NEW TO US.

WE DIDN'T EXPECT IT.

THE COMET SONG IS THE LATEST
OF MANY STRANGE SIGNALS

EXPLORATION MISSIONS
HAVE ENCOUNTERED

IN THE DEPTHS OF SPACE.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT
SCIENTISTS HAVE ENCOUNTERED,

IF YOU WILL,
NOISE FROM THE COSMOS.

AFTER ALL,
JUPITER MAKES SOME NOISE.

DISTANT GALAXIES
MAKE SOME NOISE.

HOT GAS, COLD GAS,
THEY ALL MAKE NOISE.

THESE ARE ALL NATURAL PHENOMENA.

BUT THE RADIO SIGNALS
FROM UNINHABITED PLANETS,

LIKE JUPITER AND SATURN,
ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO EXPLAIN.

THESE PLANETS PRODUCE
VERY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

THAT INTERACT WITH
SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

TO PRODUCE RADIO WAVES.

THESE ARE THE SIGNALS
SCIENTISTS ARE PICKING UP.

COMET 67P SHOULD NOT BE CAPABLE

OF PRODUCING
THAT TYPE OF SIGNAL.

WE DON'T THINK THAT THE COMET
HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD.

IN FACT,
THE MEASUREMENTS TELL US

IT DOESN'T HAVE
A MAGNETIC FIELD.

AS SCIENTISTS
STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN

HOW COMET 67P
IS CREATING THE EERIE SOUNDS,

THE INTERNET EXPLODES
WITH THEORIES.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
JUMP ON THAT RIGHT AWAY

BECAUSE THEY SAY, "LOOK.

THIS COULD BE AN ATTEMPT
BY EXTRATERRESTRIALS

TO COMMUNICATE WITH US."

THIS IDEA ISN'T REALLY
THAT CRAZY BECAUSE

WE HAVE SENT OUT COMMUNICATIONS
INTENDED FOR ALIENS.

WHEN THE PIONEER
AND VOYAGER SPACECRAFT

WERE SENT TO THE OUTER
SOLAR SYSTEM IN THE 1970s,

THEY PUT MESSAGES ON IT.

IN THE CASE OF THE VOYAGERS,
THEY SENT A RECORD.

THE MESSAGES WERE DESIGNED

TO GIVE A PICTURE OF
20th-CENTURY EARTH

AND ITS INHABITANTS

TO POSSIBLE
EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATIONS

WHO MIGHT
INTERCEPT THE SPACECRAFT

MILLIONS OF YEARS FROM NOW.

THAT RECORD
HAD SELECTIONS OF MUSIC.

IT HAD PEOPLE SPEAKING
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

HELLO FROM THE
CHILDREN OF PLANET EARTH.

SO WHEN PEOPLE START TO HEAR
SOUNDS COMING FROM COMETS,

THEY GET VERY EXCITED THAT,
"MAYBE THIS IS IT.

MAYBE THIS IS THE COMMUNICATION
FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD."

ON SEPTEMBER 29th,
A LEAKED E-MAIL,

ALLEGEDLY FROM
THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY,

FUELS SPECULATION
THAT THE ROSETTA MISSION

MAY HAVE A SECRET AGENDA.

THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK

THAT THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
LANDED ON COMET 67P

FOR REASONS OTHER THAN
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

THE E-MAIL SAID,
"MAKE NO MISTAKE.

YOU DON'T SPEND
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

TO CONSTRUCT A SPACECRAFT
TO GO ON A JOURNEY

JUST TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS
OF A RANDOMLY SELECTED COMET."

THE E-MAIL CONTAINED PHOTOS

SHOWING WHAT APPEARED TO BE
SOMETHING DEFINITELY ARTIFICIAL

WHERE NOTHING ARTIFICIAL
SHOULD BE.

WELL,
IF IT REALLY IS AN ALIEN CRAFT,

MAN, THAT'S A LITTLE MORE
INTERESTING THAN A COMET,

ISN'T IT?

THE ROSETTA PROBE
CONTINUES TO ORBIT THE COMET.

ON OCTOBER 20, 2014,

ITS OSIRIS CAMERA
OFFERS SCIENTISTS A NEW CLUE

ABOUT WHAT COULD BE
CAUSING THE SOUND.

COMET 67P IS VENTING
GAS AND DUST PARTICLES.

AND AS THEY ESCAPE,
SOMETHING'S HAPPENING.

SCIENTISTS SPECULATE
THE PARTICLES THE COMET EMITS

BECOME MAGNETIZED
BY SOLAR WINDS.

THE VIBRATIONS
OF THESE CHARGED PARTICLES

COULD POTENTIALLY PRODUCE
SOUND AS RADIO WAVES.

BUT WE CAN TRANSLATE
THAT RADIO SIGNAL INTO SOUND.

AND THAT'S WHAT IT
SOUNDS LIKE. IT'S SINGING.

THE THEORY FITS MOST
OF THE KNOWN FACTS AROUND 67P.

BUT MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE COMET REMAIN UNANSWERED.

THEY'RE SO COMPLICATED

THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT
A LONG TIME

BEFORE WE FULLY UNDERSTAND IT.

SO FOR NOW, IT'S REALLY NOT
KNOWN WHY COMETS SING SONGS.

COMING UP,
A CHINESE LUNAR PROBE COMES UNDER ATTACK.

THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE MOON
THAT IS REALLY LETHAL.

CHINA'S FIRST MOON ROVER
BREAKS DOWN WITH NO EXP

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEONE
OR SOMETHING

IS SABOTAGING THE MISSIONS.

COULD A DESTRUCTIVE PHENOMENON

THAT PLAGUED THE APOLLO
MISSIONS BE RESPONSIBLE?

THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE
MOON THAT IS REALLY LETHAL.

AND WE NEED TO
BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.

TODAY, SPACE EXPLORATION I

THIRTEEN COUNTRIES
HAVE AN ACTIVE SPACE PROGRAM.

EVERY NATION
MUST LEARN FOR ITSELF

TO HANDLE THE DANGERS
THAT WAIT IN THE DARKNESS.

CHINA JOINS THE MAJOR PLAYERS
IN SPACE EXPLORATION

WHEN ITS LUNAR ROVER,
JADE RABBIT,

TOUCHES DOWN
IN AN AREA OF THE MOON

KNOWN AS THE BAY OF RAINBOWS.

A SPACE PROGRAM
IS A REAL BADGE OF HONOR

TO SHOW THAT YOU CAN
PLAY IN THOSE BIG LEAGUES.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
SINCE 1976

THAT ANY NATION HAS LANDED
ANYTHING ON THE MOON.

THE ROVER STARTED WORKING,

AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE
GOING FINE.

BUT THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT JUST STOPPED.

NOTHING'S WORKING. DEAD.

THE CHINESE
SPACE ADMINISTRATION'S

CRYPTIC EXPLANATION

DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM AS A
MECHANICAL CONTROL ABNORMALITY.

IT'S REALLY VERY HARD
TO READ INTO

THE CHINESE ANNOUNCEMENTS
OF THEIR PROBLEMS

LIKE THE MECHANICAL CONTROL
ANOMALY.

THEIR INSIGHT INTO WHAT
REALLY HAPPENED IS INCOMPLETE.

CHINESE NEWS REPORTS HINT

THAT THE ROVER
WAS DELIBERATELY IMPAIRED.

THE STATE MEDIA SUGGESTS
THAT THIS COULD BE DUE TO

UFOs SABOTAGING
THE JADE RABBIT ROVER.

THEN, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
USE FOOTAGE FROM THE ISS

AS EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT
THE UFO THEORY.

ENTHUSIASTS ARE LOOKING AT
THE LIVE FEED

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION

WHEN THEY SEE
A STRANGE, ARTIFICIAL OBJECT.

IT IS A MASSIVE COINCIDENCE

THAT YOU HAVE THE FIRST CHINESE
MISSION ON THE MOON GOING

AND THIS UFO FLYING TOWARDS IT.

BUT NASA IDENTIFIES
THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

AS THE CYGNUS
AUTOMATED SPACECRAFT

DELIVERING SUPPLIES TO THE ISS.

THE CHINESE SPACE AGENCY

RULES OUT
EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVOLVEMENT.

THEIR SCIENTISTS
CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THE ROVER WAS HIT BY METEOR.

THE MOON HAS HAD
THIS VIOLENT HISTORY.

AND IT HAS THE SCARS
TO PROVE IT.

EVERY YEAR, THE MOON IS HIT AT

THAT'S WHY
IT'S COVERED IN CRATERS.

WHEN NASA's
LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

FLIES DIRECTLY OVER
THE STRICKEN ROVER,

INVESTIGATORS GET
THEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY

TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE.

IT MANAGES TO CAPTURE
A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

OF THE WHOLE AREA,

FROM THE INITIAL LANDING SPOT

TO THE BROKEN ROVER'S
FINAL RESTING PLACE.

JADE RABBIT IS INTACT.

AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF
ANY FRESH METEOR STRIKES NEARBY.

WHATEVER SNARED THIS RABBIT,
IT WASN'T A METEOR.

THE CHINESE
INVESTIGATION DRAWS A BLANK.

BUT NASA ENGINEERS SUGGEST

THAT JADE RABBIT
MAY HAVE BEEN ATTACKED

BY A MYSTERIOUS GRAY SUBSTANCE

THAT PLAGUED
PREVIOUS MOON MISSIONS.

THIS MATERIAL IS HAZARDOUS TO EQUIPMENT,
HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH,

HAZARDOUS TO THE ENTIRE MISSION.

WE DID EXPERIMENTS WHERE
WE BLEW IT AT KEVLAR,

AND IT CUT RIGHT THROUGH IT.

DURING THE APOLLO 15 MISSION,

ASTRONAUTS WHO'D BEEN
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

INADVERTENTLY BROUGHT
THE DANGEROUS GRAY SUBSTANCE

BACK INTO THE SPACECRAFT
WITH THEM.

MY EXPERIENCE ON APOLLO 15 WAS
THAT DAVE SCOTT AND JIM IRWIN,

WHEN THEY CAME BACK
TO THE COMMAND MODULE,

THEIR SUITS WERE ACTUALLY GRAY.

THEIR SPACE SUITS
WERE STARTING TO LEAK,

THE JOINTS ON THE SUITS
ON SOME OF THE ELBOWS

AND THE SHOULDERS AND
THE WRIST JOINTS WERE JAMMING

IN THE SUITS THAT THEY
DEPENDED ON FOR THEIR VERY LIVES.

WE HAD TO CLEAN OFF THOSE SUITS.

WE VACUUMED THEM
AS BEST BE COULD,

COULDN'T GET IT ALL OFF.

IT WAS JUST STUCK
AND WOULD NOT LET GO.

Uh, light-gray material
on either side.

Oh, man. That's incredible.

A YEAR LATER, ON APOLLO 17,

THE STRANGE SUBSTANCE EATS
THROUGH THREE LAYERS OF KEVLAR

IN ASTRONAUT HARRISON
SCHMITT'S BOOT.

ANYTHING THAT CAN BE ROUGH
ENOUGH TO SCRATCH THROUGH KEVLAR

IS SOMETHING THAT'S
VERY HAZARDOUS.

AFTER EXAMINING ALL THE
EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY NASA,

SPACE EXPERTS IDENTIFIED
THE DESTRUCTIVE MATERIAL.

IT TURNS OUT THIS IS MOON DUST.

LUNAR DUST MAY LOOK LIKE
A LITTLE, HARMLESS POWDER.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT
THROUGH A MICROSCOPE,

YOU CAN SEE
THIS IS NO ORDINARY DUST.

IT'S ALL TO DO WITH THE
SHAPE OF THE PARTICLES.

CLOSE EXAMINATION
REVEALS THAT MOON DUST

IS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM DUST ON EARTH.

IT'S BEEN THROUGH A COMPLETELY

LUNAR DUST IS WEATHERED BY
MICROMETEOROID IMPACTS.

AND THESE WILL CREATE
SPLATTERS OF GLASS

THAT WILL SOLIDIFY
AND HARDEN DUST

INTO THESE CRAZY,
ODD, SHARP SHAPES.

SO THEY'RE LIKE
SHARP, LITTLE KNIFE BLADES.

THE JAGGED LUNAR DUST HAS
ANOTHER DISTURBING PROPERTY

THAT THREATENS ASTRONAUTS.

IT'S ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED

BECAUSE OF
THE IONIZING RADIATION

THAT STRIKES THE MOON
CONTINUOUSLY.

SO LUNAR DUST
HAS THIS CLING-Y FEATURE.

THE SAME WAY THAT YOUR CLOTHES
MIGHT STICK TO YOU

WHEN THEY COME OUT OF THE DRYER,

THE DUST WILL STICK TO YOU
BECAUSE OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE.

TINY KNIVES OF MOON ROCK

WHICH CLING TO ANYTHING
THAT COMES NEAR

ARE POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING
TO MAN OR MACHINE.

LUNAR DUST
IS EXTREMELY ABRASIVE.

AND WHEN IT GETS INTO ROTATING
MECHANISMS, ROTATING JOINTS,

IT BEGINS TO CREATE FRICTION.

AND EVENTUALLY,
IT'LL BIND UP THE JOINTS

SO THAT THE MACHINE
CANNOT MOVE ANYMORE.

THE DUST IS SO SMALL,
IF YOU BREATHED IT IN,

IT WOULD ACTUALLY GO DIRECTLY
INTO THE BLOODSTREAM.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT
SO DANGEROUS.

IT'S THESE UNIQUE,
DESTRUCTIVE QUALITIES

THAT MAKE SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE
THAT MOON DUST

CAUSED
THE JADE RABBIT'S BREAKDOWN.

AS FOR NOW,
WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY IT FAILED.

BUT CERTAINLY,
THE LEADING INDICATOR

IS THAT THE MOON DUST ATE IT.

JADE RABBIT LIES
FROZEN IN THE BAY OF RAINBOWS.

UNTIL SCIENTISTS CAN FIND A
WAY TO COMBAT THE DEADLY DUST,

IT WILL REMAIN A LETHAL HAZARD
FOR ANY MOON TRAVELER.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE LUNAR DUST

IS THE NUMBER-ONE CHALLENGE
IN RETURNING TO THE MOON.

UP NEXT,
NASA TRIES TO PREVENT PANIC FROM SPREADING

AFTER REPORTS THAT A KILLER
ASTEROID IS ABOUT TO HIT EARTH.

CHUCKS OF EARTH
WILL BE BLOWN UP INTO THE SKY

ONLY TO FALL BACK
AS SECONDARY IMPACTS.

TERROR GRIPS
THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES...

PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT THERE'S
A 2 1/2-MILE-WIDE ASTEROID

HEADING FOR THE EARTH.

WHILE NASA DENIES
THE OBJECT IS A THREAT,

THE U.S. MILITARY MOBILIZES
ON AN UNPRECEDENTED SCALE.

ALL THE MOST ELITE
MILITARY GROUPS IN THE U.S.

ARE PREPARING FOR SOMETHING.

THEY'RE ALL GETTING READY
FOR SOMETHING BIG.

NEWS REPORTS OF
AN ASTEROID ABOUT TO HIT EARTH

CAUSE WIDESPREAD ALARM.

IT TAKES ONLY ONE
TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE CITY

AND POTENTIALLY KILL MILLIONS.

IF A 2.5-MILE-WIDE ASTEROID
STRUCK EARTH,

IT WOULD RUIN OUR WHOLE DAY.

CHUNKS OF EARTH WOULD BE
BLOWN UP INTO THE SKY

ONLY TO FALL BACK
AS SECONDARY IMPACTS.

THE SHOCK WAVE
WOULD BLOSSOM OUT,

DEVASTATING BUILDINGS, TOWNS,

AND ANYTHING
THAT GOT IN ITS PATH.

TO PREVENT PANIC,
NASA ISSUES A STATEMENT.

NASA ISSUES AN ABSOLUTELY
CATEGORICAL DENIAL

THAT THERE'S ANY ASTEROID
HEADING FOR THE EARTH.

BUT LEAKED INFORMATION ABOUT

FUELS FEARS THAT THE GOVERNMENT

MAY NOT BE REVEALING
THE WHOLE TRUTH.

THE MOST ELITE MILITARY UNITS
IN THE U.S. ARE MOBILIZING...

THE U.S. SEALS,
THE MARINE CORPS.

IT'S LIKE THEY'RE GETTING
READY FOR SOMETHING.

THE OPERATION IS CALLED
JADE HELM.

THE STATED PURPOSE IS
TO MASTER THE HUMAN DOMAIN.

THAT COULD MEAN ANYTHING.

THE DATE AND TIME OF
THE PREDICTED ASTEROID IMPACT

PASSES WITHOUT INCIDENT.

THIS TIME, THERE IS NO CRISIS

FOR THE SOLDIERS OF OPERATION
JADE HELM TO CONFRONT.

BUT THE THREAT OF AN ASTEROID
ARMAGEDDON IS ALL TOO REAL.

IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF IF WE'RE
GONNA GET A BIG METEOR IMPACT.

THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHEN?

OCCASIONALLY,
WE GET HIT BY SOMETHING LARGE,

SUCH AS HAPPENED IN RUSSIA
NOT TOO LONG IN CHELYABINSK.

AND THAT HAD AN EQUIVALENT
ENERGY OF ABOUT 1/2 A MEGATON,

WHICH IS THE SIZE OF

A SIGNIFICANT STRATEGIC
THERMONUCLEAR WEAPON.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OBJECTS

LARGER THAN
THE CHELYABINSK METEOR

IN POTENTIALLY DEADLY
NEAR-EARTH ORBITS.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO
IF A LARGE ASTEROID IS HEA

WELL, RIGHT NOW,
WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING.

WE DON'T HAVE A MITIGATION
STRATEGY IN PLACE.

AS CHARLES BOLDEN,
THE NASA CHIEF SAID,

THE BEST DEFENSE WE HAVE
AGAINST A LARGE ASTEROID IMPACT

IS CURRENTLY PRAYER.

NASA ADMITS IT'S POWERLESS

AND MOST EXISTING IDEAS FOR
ANTI-ASTEROID DEFENSE MEASURES

ARE PURE SCIENCE-FICTION.

IN THE MOVIE "ARMAGEDDON,"
THEY TAKE A NUKE TO AN A

DRILL DOWN SO THEY CAN BURY IT
BEFORE DETONATING IT.

THAT MIGHT WORK, BUT
IT'S A HARD THING TO PULL OFF,

EVEN IF YOU'RE BRUCE WILLIS.

THE OTHER BIG, KILLER ASTEROID
MOVIE IS "DEEP IMPACT."

IN THAT MOVIE, THE PLAN IS TO
ATTACH THRUSTERS TO THE ASTEROID

AND KICK IT OFF ITS COLLISION
COURSE WITH THE EARTH.

BUT THAT'S EVEN HARDER
TO PULL OFF.

IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK
IN THE MOVIE.

FORTUNATELY FOR THE CONTINUED

SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING ON
MORE PRACTICAL IDEAS

FOR HOW TO STOP
A KILLER ASTEROID.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN NUKES
AND ROCKET THRUSTERS WON'T WORK?

WELL, YOU CAN
PAINT THE ASTEROID WHITE.

CHANGING THE COLOR OF AN
ASTEROID COULD CHANGE ITS O

BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A
LITTLE-KNOWN PHENOMENON CALLED

THE YARKOVSKY EFFECT.

AS AN OBJECT
IS TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE,

IT ABSORBS RADIATION.

IT ABSORBS HEAT FROM THE SUN.

AS THE ASTEROID
SPINS IN THE SUN,

ONE SIDE OF IT GETS HOTTER
THAN THE OTHER.

AND THAT SIDE EMITS
MORE HEAT ENERGY

IN THE FORM OF THESE
LITTLE PARTICLES OF LIGHT

THAT WE CALL PHOTONS.

AND EACH PHOTON
GIVES A LITTLE KICK.

THAT KICK
EITHER SPEEDS THE ASTEROID UP

OR SLOWS IT DOWN,

DEPENDING UPON
WHICH WAY IT'S SPINNING.

PAINTING AN ASTEROID WHITE
WOULD MAKE IT ABSORB LESS HEAT

AND ALTER ITS COURSE.

AND THAT WOULD RESULT
IN A CHANGE

IN THIS IMBALANCE OF HEATING,

MODIFY THE YARKOVSKY EFFECT
AND THUS REDIRECT THE ORBIT.

THE PLAN HAS ONE MAJOR FLAW...

IT COULD TAKE MORE THAN A DECADE

TO ALTER THE COURSE
OF A KILLER ASTEROID.

HUMANITY'S BEST HOPE COULD BE
THE WORK OF ONE SCIENTIST

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA IN SANTA BARBARA.

DR. PHIL LUBIN HAS DEVISED
A LASER CANNON,

CODE NAMED PROJECT D.E.-STAR.

THE LASERS ARE FOCUSED
ONTO THE TARGET.

THE TARGET BEGINS TO HEAT.

THE HEATED TARGET EMITS
MOLECULES FROM THE SURFACE.

THAT MASS WHICH IS EJECTED

PUSHES THE ASTEROID
IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

AND THAT DEFLECTS OR CHANGES
THE ORBIT OF THE ASTEROID,

CAUSING IT,
HOPEFULLY, TO MISS THE EARTH.

IF WE CAN GET THE LASER CANNON

WE COULD DEFLECT
THE DANGEROUS ASTEROIDS FAST.

SO, ASTEROIDS THE SIZE
OF A HOUSE ARE A THREAT.

AND A D.E.-STAR MISSION WOULD
NOT TAKE VERY LONG AT ALL

TO DEAL WITH THAT.

IT COULD BE DONE IN WEEKS
OR LESS.

THE BAD NEWS FOR HUMANITY

IS THAT NONE OF THESE
ANTI-ASTEROID DEFENSE MEASURES

WILL BE READY
FOR AT LEAST A DECADE.

WE CAN ONLY HOPE
WE DON'T NEED THEM ANY SOONER.

WE RECKON THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED

AT LEAST 95%
OF THE REALLY BIG ASTEROIDS,

THE ONES THAT COULD WIPE OUT
OR CHANGE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

BUT THERE'S STILL THAT 5%.

STILL TO COME,
FOOTAGE FROM THE ISS

FUELS SPECULATION ABOUT
SECRET NASA CRAFT

OPERATING IN EARTH ORBIT.

WE SEE THIS UNUSUAL OBJECT
NEXT TO ISS FOR A FEW MINUTES.

AND THEN THE VIDEO FEED
CUTS OUT.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT APPEARS

ON THE CAMERAS OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

WHATEVER THIS OBJECT IS,

IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANYTHING
THAT'S DOCKED WITH ISS BEFORE.

MOMENTS AFTER
THE OPTIC MATERIALIZES,

THE LIVE VIDEO FEED GOES DOWN.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

IS THERE SOMETHING NASA
DOESN'T WANT US TO SEE?

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION ORBITS 22

THE CAMERAS OF ITS LIVE VIDEO
FEED OPERATE 24 HOURS A DAY.

AMATEUR OBSERVERS ARE LOOKING AT

THE LIVE FEED FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

WHEN THEY SEE A STRANGE YELLOW
ELLIPTICAL-SHAPED OBJECT.

PEOPLE WATCHING
THE FOOTAGE ON EARTH

NOTICE THE OBJECT SEEMS TO
HOLD THE SAME POSITION

RELATIVE TO THE SPACE STATION
FOR SEVERAL MINUTES.

JUST MINUTES AFTER IT APPEARS

IN THE LIVE FEED FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

THE CAMERA CUTS OUT.

SO THE QUESTION BECOMES,
IS THIS A COINCIDENCE?

OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT NASA
DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE?

WHENEVER WE SEE SOMETHING
UNIDENTIFIED NEXT TO ISS,

WE HAVE TO ASSUME
IT'S POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

WHEN THE FOOTAGE
GOES VIRAL ON THE INTERNET,

MANY COMMENTERS CLAIM
THE OBJECT IS NOTHING MORE

THAN A PIECE OF ORBITAL DEBRIS.

SOME PEOPLE SURMISE THIS COULD

A PRETTY BIG PIECE
OF SPACE JUNK.

AND THAT WOULD BE
A LITTLE BIT WORRYING

TO BE SO CLOSE TO THE ISS.

A PIECE OF DEBRIS
OF THIS APPARENT SIZE

WOULD BE A DEADLY THREAT
TO THE ISS.

BUT THE MYSTERIOUS
YELLOWISH OBJECT

DOESN'T BEHAVE LIKE SPACE JUNK.

IT'S NOT
JUST A PIECE OF SPACE JUNK

BECAUSE THESE PIECES OF DEBRIS

ARE ORBITING THE EARTH
AT 17,500 MILES AN HOUR.

THEY'RE NOT GONNA
COME UP TO THE STATION

AND JUST SIT NEXT TO IT
NICELY LIKE THAT.

EXPERTS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THE OBJECT COULD BE PART OF

THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE
OF THE ISS.

NOW, THIS THING WASN'T ON THE
SCHEMATICS OF THE SPACE STATION.

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
AN OBVIOUS THING TO CHECK.

SO IT'S SOMETHING ELSE.

THIS APPEARS TO BE ATTACHED TO
THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ SITE

AND DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY
OF THOSE OTHER KINDS OF MODULES.

THE SOYUZ SPACECRAFT
IS THE MAIN FORM OF TRANSPORT

FOR ASTRONAUTS TRAVELING
TO AND FROM THE ISS.

SO THIS THING WAS RIGHT NEAR
THE DOCKING PORT

OF THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ MODULE.

I MEAN,
WAS IT TRYING TO COME ABOARD?

DID IT HAVE PERMISSION
TO COME ABOARD?

COULD THIS
MYSTERIOUS YELLOW OBJECT

BE AN UNIDENTIFIED
DOCKED SPACECRAFT?

THE SHAPE OF THE
OBJECT IS UNUSUAL.

IT DOES APPEAR
TO HAVE SOME POINT TO IT,

WHICH COULD INDICATE
THAT IT INTENDS

SOME SORT OF
ATMOSPHERIC PENETRATION.

THE OBJECT'S AERODYNAMIC, ST

LEAD SOME OBSERVERS TO
THEORIZE THIS COULD REPRESENT

A NEW, TOP-SECRET
PROTOTYPE SPACECRAFT.

NASA AND OTHER SPACE AGENCIES
HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR YEARS

TO DEVELOP SOMETHING
THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT

FOR SPACE TRAVEL,
AND THAT'S REUSABLE VEHICLES.

THE CURVES ARE SIMILAR TO A REUSABLE,
HYPERSONIC SPACECRAFT

THAT COULD MAKE
ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHTS.

NASA HAS TWO KNOWN CRAFT
BEARING A SUPER

TO THE MYSTERY OBJECT,

HYPERSONIC TEST VEHICLES
CALLED THE X51 AND THE X43.

THEY HAVE SET WORLD
SPEED RECORDS FOR AIRPLANES,

ALTHOUGH THEY'RE UNMANNED,
OF MACH 5, 6, AND MACH 7.

THAT'S CALLED HYPERSONIC.

BUT NEITHER
OF THE KNOWN NASA CRAFT

ARE DESIGNED FOR SPACE MISSIONS.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
WHO SPECULATED

THAT THIS OBJECT WAS THE NEXT
ITERATION OF THE X51 OR THE X43.

I DON'T BELIEVE SO.

THE X43 AND THE 51 WERE BOTH
WHAT ARE CALLED AIR BREATHERS.

AND THAT MEANS THEY HAD TO
HAVE ATMOSPHERE IN ORDER TO FLY.

NASA DOES HAVE ANOTHER
ENGINE SYSTEM IN DEVELOPMENT

THAT COULD GET A CRAFT
OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE

AND FLYING THROUGH SPACE.

THE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC DRIVE

CONVERTS THE ENERGY OF A
CRAFT'S MOVEMENT INTO ELECTRICITY.

THEN, IT USES THE ELECTRICITY
TO VAPORIZE GAS OR LIQUID,

TURNING IT INTO A PROPELLANT.

THE DESIGN HAS NO MOVING PARTS
AND HAS ALREADY PROVEN TO WORK.

ONCE YOU GET
OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE

AT 17,000 MILES AN HOUR,
YOU CAN JUST KEEP GOING.

SO ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS
STOCK UP WITH FUEL AND AIR,

AND YOU CAN GO
AS FAR AS YOU WANT.

WHOEVER DEVELOPS THIS
TECHNOLOGY FIRST HAS A MASSIVE EDGE.

THEY WILL MAKE SPACE
THEIR OWN BACKYARD,

AND EVERYONE ELSE WILL
BE STUCK PLAYING CATCH-UP.

ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE
APPEARS NOT TO SUPPORT THE IDEA

THE OBJECT IS AN ADVANCED
PROTOTYPE SPACECRAFT.

THIS BRIGHT OBJECT HERE

COULD ACTUALLY BE A LENS
REFLECTION OF THE SOLAR PANELS,

WHICH ARE BRIGHTLY LIT
ON THIS SOYUZ SPACECRAFT.

OR IT COULD BE
AN INTERNAL REFLECTION

OFF OF INSTRUMENTATION

IN THE WINDOW THROUGH WHICH
THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN.

BUT THE SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS

IT WASN'T LIKE
A PIECE OF LINT ON THE LENS

OR SOME OPTICAL ILLUSION
OF SOME SORT

BECAUSE THE EARTH MOVED
BENEATH IT.

THE LIGHT CAME AND WENT.
SHADOWS CAME AND WENT.

AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE
AN ACTUAL PRESENCE.

SO THAT'S MYSTERIOUS.

COMING UP, PANIC SPREADS

AS SCIENTISTS DISCOVER LIVING
ORGANISMS FALLING FROM THE SKY

IN A MYSTERIOUS BLOOD-RED RAIN.

WE PUT THEM
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE,

AND WE SEE THEY ARE BIOLOGICAL.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
I CAN'T TELL YOU.

A STORM OF BLOOD-RED WATER

FALLS FROM THE SKIES
OF SOUTHERN INDIA.

IT LOOKS LIKE
A RED RAIN OF BLOOD,

LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF
A BIBLICAL PLAGUE.

ANALYSIS OF THE STRANGE FLUID

SEEMS TO SHOW THE PRESENCE OF
SOMETHING LIVING WITHIN IT.

SEEMS LIKE, THE MORE WE LEARN
ABOUT THIS ORGANISM,

THE LESS WE KNOW.

SHOWERS OF BIZARRE RED RAIN

SHOCKED THE PEOPLE OF KERALA
IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

LOTS OF VILLAGERS COLLECTED

BUCKETS AND BOTTLES
FULL OF WATER

THAT WAS, IN SOME CASES,
ALMOST BLOOD RED.

WHEN THE BLOOD RAIN
KEEPS FALLING FOR TWO MONTHS,

FEAR SPREADS
AMONG THE PROVINCE'S

30 MILLION INHABITANTS.

IT WASN'T A SIMPLE EVENT THAT
HAPPENED IN ONE TINY PLACE.

IT WAS OVER A WIDESPREAD REGION.

AND THE AMOUNT OF
WATER INVOLVED WAS HUGE.

IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS
GONNA HAPPEN IN YOUR HOMETOWN,

YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON.

TWO INDIAN SCIENTISTS DECIDE

THE TWO SCIENTISTS
WHO INVESTIGATE THIS

GO OUT TO COLLECT SAMPLES TO
FIND OUT WHY THE RAIN IS RED.

DR. GODFREY LOUIS
AND DR. SANTHOSH KUMAR

GATHER SAMPLES
OF THE MYSTERIOUS RAIN

AND SPEAK TO WITNESSES ABOUT

THE EVENTS LEADING UP
TO THE RAINFALL.

SCIENTISTS ASKED LOCAL PEOPLE

AND DISCOVERED
THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM

JUST BEFORE THE RED RAIN
STARTED TO FALL.

AN OFFICIAL REPORT SUGGESTS

THE LOUD BANG
COULD HAVE BEEN A SONIC BOOM

CAUSED BY A METEOR EXPLODING
AS IT HIT EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

A DISINTEGRATING METEOR
COULD EXPLAIN THE RED RAIN.

IF THE METEOR EXPLODED,

DUST COULD HAVE REMAINED
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

AND THAT COULD HAVE AFFECTED
THE COLOR OF THE NEXT RAIN

WHEN IT STARTED TO FALL.

IT'S A PLAUSIBLE THEORY.

EARTH IS BOMBARDED BY

UP TO 78,000 TONS OF
METEORITES EVERY YEAR.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THIS IDEA.

THE RAIN ALSO OCCURRED
MONTHS LATER,

SIGNIFICANT TIME PERIOD LATER.

HARD TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THERE COULD BE

THE DEBRIS OF THE SAME
METEORITE COMING BACK AGAIN.

IT JUST DOESN'T
MAKE ANY ASTRONOMICAL SENSE

OR METEOROLOGICAL SENSE.

LOUIS AND KUMAR EXAMINE

UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

WHEN THEY EXAMINED THE MATERIAL,

THEY FOUND THESE LITTLE, TINY,
ROUND RED PARTICLES

ON THE INSIDE OF THE LIQUID.

VISUALLY, THE PARTICLES
RESEMBLE HUMAN BL

BUT THEY DON'T BEHAVE
LIKE BLOOD CELLS.

WHATEVER THESE THINGS ARE,

INVESTIGATORS SEE THEM
REPRODUCING UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

REPRODUCTION
GGESTS THE STRANGE PARTICLES

COULD BE ALIVE.

THEY SEND SAMPLES
OF THE RED RAIN

TO MICROBIOLOGISTS IN THE U.K.
FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.

WE PUT THEM ON
THE ELECTROMICROSCOPE.

WE LOOK AT THEM AT
FAR HIGHER MAGNIFICATION.

AND WE SEE MORE COMPLEXITY.

WE CAN SEE MORE DETAIL.

I WAS CONVINCED
THEY WERE BIOLOGICAL ENTITIES.

THE SCIENTISTS CONDUCT
A SERIES OF TESTS

TO CHECK IF THERE REALLY IS

SOMETHING LIVING
IN THE RED RAIN.

SO THE NEXT STAGE IS TO SEE IF
THEY'VE GOT DNA IN THEM

BECAUSE, OF COURSE, DNA IS
USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH LIFE.

WE CAN DO THAT VERY SIMPLY
BY USING A STAIN

WHICH REACTS WITH THE DNA
AND LIGHTS UP, ESSENTIALLY,

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

AND WE DO THIS, AND WE FIND DNA.

THEY ARE UNABLE
TO IDENTIFY THE DNA.

BUT ITS PRESENCE IN THE
RED RAIN IS UNDENIABLE.

THE EARTH'S SURFACE
IS TEEMING WITH LIFE.

AND DURING VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS,

THAT DUST CAN BE PUT
HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

AND SO MOST OF THE DUST
THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY

IS LIKELY TO CONTAIN
MICROORGANISMS.

THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S
OFFICIAL REPORT ON THE

STATES THAT THE RED RAIN
WAS CAUSED BY ALGAE.

THE MICROORGANISMS TURNED OUT
TO BE A LICHEN-FORMING ALGAE.

AND THESE JUST HAPPEN TO BE
VERY COMMON

IN THE AREA
WHERE THE RED RAIN FELL.

BUT FURTHER
EXPERIMENTS BY LOUIS AND KUMAR

DO NOT SUPPORT
THE GOVERNMENT'S ASSERTION

THAT THE ORGANISMS IN THE RAIN
ARE ALGAE.

THEY EXPOSED THE
SAMPLES TO HEAT, TO RADIATION,

TO EXTREME PRESSURE,
TO A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS,

AND THE SAMPLES REMAIN
UNAFFECTED.

THERE ARE FEW KNOWN
EARTH LIFE-FORMS

WHOSE CELLS COULD SURVIVE
SUCH HARSH TESTS.

THE EVIDENCE LEADS LOUIS AND
KUMAR TO MAKE A STARTLING CLAIM.

THESE SCIENTISTS SAY

THAT THE MICROBES
COME FROM OUTER SPACE

AND HAVE BEEN DELIVERED
TO EARTH BY A METEORITE.

IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT NASA
HAS BEEN INVEST

FROM EXPOSING ORGANISMS

IN THE LONG-DURATION EXPOSURE
FACILITY PUT UP BY SHUTTLE

AND IN EXPERIMENTS PUT UP
BY THE U.S. AND EUROPE

ON THE SPACE STATION,

ORGANISMS PUT IN SPACE
BUT SHIELDED FROM SUNLIGHT

CAN'T SURVIVE
LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

NASA'S ALSO FOUND THE
COMPONENTS OF LIFE O

WE KNOW,
FROM STUDIES OF METEORITES

THAT HAVE LANDED ON EARTH

AND NOW FROM STUDIES OF COMETS
IN SITU, IN SPACE,

THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS
OF LIFE ARE COMMON.

THEY'RE BEING MADE NATURALLY
BY THE UNIVERSE.

THE INDIAN
GOVERNMENT'S ALGAE EXPLANATION

FOR THE BLOOD RAIN
IS STILL DISPUTED.

KEY QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED.

FOR THE MOMENT, NO ONE'S BEEN
ABLE TO SEQUENCE THIS ORGANISM,

THAT IS, FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT
IT IS BASED ON ITS DNA CONTENT.

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW,
THE RED RAINS OF KERALA

ARE STILL A PHENOMENA
THAT NEEDS TO BE STUDIED.

AND THEY REMAIN A MYSTERY.

HALF A CENTURY

AFTER THE FIRST HUMAN STEPPED
OUT INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

THE ALIEN ENVIRONMENT REMAINS A
STERN TEST FOR MAN AND MACHINE.

THE THREATS FACED BY
THE PIONEERS OF SPACE TRAVEL

ARE STILL OUT THERE.

AND EVEN OUR OWN WORLD
REMAINS UNDER THREAT.

AS EXPLORATION MISSIONS

PUSH FARTHER INTO
THE DEPTHS OF SPACE,

WE WILL ENCOUNTER THINGS
THAT ARE EVEN HARDER TO EXPLAIN.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk