NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 3, Episode 5 - The Moon That Disappeared - 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,
IT'S CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISK IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERY.
SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,
AND WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT LURKS IN THE SHADOWS.
THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.
A SPACECRAFT
RETURNING FROM THE I.S.S.
LOSES CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
SCIENTISTS CAPTURE
A MYSTERIOUS METAL SPHERE
HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE...
INSIDE THE SPHERE,
IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.
AND IMAGES
FROM THE SURFACE OF VENUS
REVEAL SOMETHING
THAT SEEMS TO BE MOVING.
THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING
THERE. THE QUESTION IS, "WHAT IS IT?"
NASA'S MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...
Okay, we're seeing
three or four objects.
There are, uh...
There are three objects.
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX
OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.
THESE ARE...
NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 3
EP - 5 - The Moon That Disappeared
Subtitles Diego Moraes
NASA TAKES UNPRECEDENTED STEPS
TO ENSURE THE SAFETY
OF THE FIRST MANNED MISSION
TO THE MOON.
WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE
LEVEL OF RISK?
BUT RECENTLY UNCOVERED
DOCUMENTS REVEAL
THE SPACE AGENCY'S SECRET
PLANS PREPARING FOR DISASTER.
WE DIDN'T THINK THE FIRST
ATTEMPT WOULD EVER MAKE IT.
NASA MAKES
THE FINAL PREPARATIONS
FOR MANKIND'S FIRST VOYAGE
TO THE MOON.
THE CLOCK WAS TICKING.
YOU HAD TO REACH THERE
TO ACHIEVE
JOHN F. KENNEDY'S MANDATE
BY THE END OF THE DECADE
SOMETIME IN 1969.
NASA DOES NOT
GREEN-LIGHT THE MISSION
TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON
UNTIL EVERY PART
OF THE SPACECRAFT
IS RATED 99.9% RELIABLE.
EVERYTHING
THAT THE ASTRONAUTS DID
HAD BEEN CAREFULLY
THOUGHT OUT WELL IN ADVANCE
TO MINIMIZE THE RISK.
BUT MEMBERS
OF NASA'S ASTRONAUT CORE
HAVE THEIR OWN PRIVATE FEARS.
THE FEELING
AMONGST THE ASTRONAUT CORE
WAS THAT THERE'S A BIG CHANCE
THAT THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE IT.
The vehicle is starting
to pressurize.
We are go for Apollo 11.
RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
SUGGEST NASA WAS FULLY
PREPARED FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG.
THEY CONTAIN A SPEECH
FOR THE PRESIDENT TO DELIVER
IF THE MISSION ENDED IN TRAGEDY.
WILLIAM SAPPHIRE,
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH WRITER,
WROTE A SPEECH.
THAT SPEECH TALKED
ABOUT THE HEROIC ASTRONAUTS
AND HOW THEY'VE GIVEN THEIR
LIFE FOR THE CAUSE OF EXPLORATION.
IT WAS A VERY FINELY
CRAFTED SPEECH.
THESE BRAVE MEN, NEIL ARMSTRONG
AND EDWIN ALDRIN,
KNOW THAT THERE IS NO HOPE
FOR THEIR RECOVERY,
BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THAT
THERE IS HOPE FOR MANKIND
IN THEIR SACRIFICE.
THE PRESIDENT'S STAFF
WROTE THIS SPEECH
FOR WHAT NASA CONSIDERED TO BE
THE MOST LIKELY
DISASTER SCENARIO...
TWO ASTRONAUTS
LANDING ON THE MOON
BUT NEVER RETURNING.
YOU'RE FACED WITH ASTRONAUTS
WHO ARE ON THE SURFACE
AND ARE ALIVE AND ARE THERE
UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF OXYGEN.
THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
OUTLINED IN
THE PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH
ALMOST CAME TRUE.
ONCE THEY GOT INTO THE MISSION,
IT WAS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD
UNTIL THEY WENT TO THE LANDING.
AS THEY ENTER THE FINAL
STAGES OF THE DESCENT,
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN
REALIZE THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THE PLANNED LANDING SITE.
THE AUTOMATED LANDING SYSTEM
WAS GONNA BRING THEM DOWN
IN A ROCKY FIELD.
THE MINUTE THAT NEIL
SAW THESE BOULDERS,
THE QUESTION WAS CAN HE FIND
A PLACE TO LAND?
CONTACT WITH A BOULDER
COULD DAMAGE ONE
OF THE MODULE'S LANDING LEGS.
IF ONE OF THOSE LEGS BREAKS,
WE'RE SUNK
'CAUSE WE PROBABLY CAN'T
LAUNCH OFF THE MOON FROM THERE.
THAT'S THE END OF IT.
ARMSTRONG DISENGAGES
THE AUTOMATED CONTROLS
AND MANUALLY PILOTS THE MODULE
TO A NEW LANDING SITE.
BUT THE DIVERSION
BURNS UP VALUABLE FUEL.
HE WAS COMING CLOSE
TO RUNNING OUT OF GAS.
FOR THE ASTRONAUTS
TO SURVIVE THE MISSION,
THEY MUST LAND WITH ENOUGH
FUEL REMAINING FOR TAKE-OFF.
HE'S GOT A MINUTE
OF FUEL REMAINING, PERIOD.
NASA MOST FEARED.
WE WERE ALL THINKING
THE ODDS ARE NOT GOOD.
WE'RE STARTING TO TIME IT,
AND HE'S TRYING TO FIND A PLACE.
HE'S NOT TALKING.
MISSION CONTROL IS
LESS THAN A MINUTE AWAY
FROM ORDERING AN ABORT
WHEN ARMSTRONG EXECUTES
A PERFECT TOUCHDOWN.
Tranquility Base
here. The Eagle has landed.
THEY JUST KEEP GOING
UNTIL THEY TOUCH DOWN.
THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
HELLO, NEIL AND BUZZ.
THIS CERTAINLY HAS TO BE THE
MOST HISTORIC TELEPHONE CALL
EVER MADE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
APOLLO 11's LANDING
WAS A CLOSE CALL,
JUST AS NEIL ARMSTRONG
HAD EXPECTED.
NEIL ARMSTRONG SAID HE THOUGHT
HE ONLY HAD A 50% CHANCE
OF ACTUALLY MAKING
THE LANDING SUCCESSFULLY.
NO ONE CAN BE CERTAIN
OF ALL THE RISKS
INVOLVED IN A FEAT
NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED
IN HUMAN HISTORY.
WE ALL KNEW THAT A LOT
OF LUCK WAS INVOLVED IN THIS.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
UP IN NASA HEADQUARTERS
THAT DIDN'T WANNA MAKE
ANY MORE LANDINGS.
WHAT CAN BE SAID
IS THAT THE RISK DID NOT DETER
THE PIONEERS OF SPACE TRAVEL.
WE COULD PERISH ON A FLIGHT,
BUT IF WE DID,
THE GOOD SIDE OF THAT IS THAT
WE'D BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
FOREVER.
UP NEXT, A SPACECRAFT
RETURNING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION DISAPPEARS.
OUT OF CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL,
THEY COULD BE HEADED
FOR DISASTER.
A RETURN FLIGHT FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
RUNS INTO TROUBLE
DURING RE-ENTRY.
IT'S MOVING WAY TO FAST.
YOU GOT SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
MISSION CONTROL LOSES CONTACT
WITH THE SPACECRAFT.
SOYUZ TMA-11 APPEARS TO VANISH.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
APRIL 19, 2008.
AT THE END OF A
GROUND-BREAKING 6 MONTH MISSION,
NASA'S FIRST FEMALE COMMANDER
PEGGY WHITSON UNDOCKS
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION AND HEADS HOME.
PEGGY WHITSON HAS NOW
BROKEN THE RECORD
FOR THE AMERICAN FEMALE
WITH THE MOST HOURS IN SPACE,
AND SHE AND HER TWO CREWMATES,
THEY'RE STARTING
THEIR JOURNEY BACK TO EARTH.
THE 4-HOUR JOURNEY TO EARTH
WILL BE A LANDMARK FLIGHT.
IT'S THE FACIRST TIME
WOMEN TUALLY OUTNUMBERED MEN
ONBOARD A SPACECRAFT SINCE 1963.
MISSION CONTROL IN KOROLEV
JUST OUTSIDE MOSCOW
GIVES THEM THE GREEN LIGHT
TO BEGIN RE-ENTRY.
EVERYTHING IS LINED UP.
ALL SYSTEMS
ARE OPERATING NORMAL,
AND THEY'RE SET
TO LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN.
JUST AS THE CAPSULE
ENTERS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,
IT STARTS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY.
SMOKE APPEARS IN THE CABIN.
WE HAVE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
YOU DON'T KNOW
WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.
THERE'S NOT A THING
YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.
THIS IS A SERIOUS EMERGENCY.
THAT CAPSULE CAN BREAK UP
AT ANY MOMENT.
THE SPACECRAFT IS OUT OF CONTROL
AND PICKING UP SPEED
AS IT HURDLES TOWARDS EARTH.
THEY'RE TEARING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AT 25 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
AT THAT SPEED, THE G-FORCES
CAN DO SERIOUS DAMAGE.
INSIDE THE SOYUZ, THE CREW
EXPERIENCES 8 TIMES THE FORCE
OF EARTH'S GRAVITY
CRUSHING THEIR BODIES.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
WHAT PEGGY WAS FEELING
AS THESE 8G SPIKES
WERE GOING THROUGH HER BODY.
I COULD TELL YOU FROM LANDING
IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE
THAT 3 G's IS A LOT
TO EXPERIENCE.
G-FORCE CAN KILL YOU.
IT'S BASICALLY LIKE GETTING
CRUSHED BY A BIG WEIGHT.
THE UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT
ALSO INFLICTS CRITICAL DAMAGE
TO THE SOYUZ HEAT SHIELD.
THE OUTSIDE OF THE SPACECRAFT
IS HEATING UP TO AN EXCESS
OF 3,000 DEGREES.
THEY'VE LOST CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL.
THE ANTENNA HAS BURNED OFF.
RUSSIAN MISSION
CONTROL RECEIVES NO DATA
FROM THE CRAFT DURING RE-ENTRY,
BUT IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR
THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
OUT OF CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL,
THEY COULD BE HEADED
FOR DISASTER.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
MISSION CONTROL
ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED.
PUBLICLY, THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,
ROSCOSMOS,
GIVES NO HINT
OF THE POTENTIAL DISASTER.
RUSSIAN TV IS ANNOUNCING
THEIR SAFE RETURN,
ANOTHER TEXTBOOK MISSION.
THE FATE OF PEGGY WHITSON
AND THE REST OF THE CREW
REMAINS UNKNOWN
UNTIL A FARMER 250 MILES
FROM THE PLANNED LANDING SITE
SEES SOMETHING IN THE SKY.
SOME KAZAKH FARMER
SEE ESSENTIALLY AN EXPLOSION
IN THE SKY
AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE DEBRIS
FALLING TO THE GROUND.
THEY HEAR A BOOM,
SEE SMOKE IN THE SKY,
AND THEN SEE A SPACECRAFT
SEEM TO EXPLODE.
IT'S THE CAPSULE.
THE HEAT SHIELD SEPARATES.
THE PARACHUTES DEPLOY,
BUT IT STILL SLAMS
INTO THE GROUND.
OVER 3 TONS OF CAPSULE AND CREW
CRASHES DOWN
ONTO THE HARD KAZAKH PLAIN.
THE FARMERS RUSH OVER
EXPECTING TO FIND CARNAGE.
IT COULD BE
A VERY GRAVE SITUATION.
INCREDIBLY, THE THREE
ASTRONAUTS INSIDE ARE BADLY SHAKEN
BUT OTHERWISE UNHARMED.
IT'S REMARKABLE TO BE ABLE
TO EXPERIENCE THAT
AND BE ABLE
TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE
AND... AND GO HOME.
THEIR TERRIFYING
ELEVATOR DROP FROM SPACE
IS WHAT SCIENTISTS
CALL A BALLISTIC ENTRY.
A BALLISTIC ENTRY IS TYPICALLY
AN EMERGENCY MODE
WHEN SOME OF THE SYSTEMS
HAVE FAILED
AND IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO
ACCURATELY CONTROL THE ENTRY.
A BALLISTIC ENTRY ENDANGERS
BOTH THE SPACECRAFT
AND THE CREW.
THE DESCENT MODULE COMES IN
AT AN EXTREME STEEP ANGLE.
THAT'S JUST A BIG
ROUND SPHERE COMING IN.
THERE'S NO CONTROL.
YOU'RE GONNA BE SWINGING.
YOU'RE GONNA BE SPINNING.
G-FORCES BUILD UP
TO VERY EXTREME LEVELS.
QUITE HONESTLY,
IT'S GONNA BE LIKE A CAR CRASH.
SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED
TO THE SOYUZ MODULE TO SEND IT
INTO THIS HIGHLY UNUSUAL
FLIGHT PATH.
ASTONISHINGLY, THE RUSSIANS
CLAIM THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT
WAS THE FEMALE-DOMINATED CREW.
ACCORDING TO THE HEAD
OF THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,
IT WASN'T MAYBE
A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION
SO MUCH AS A GENDER PROBLEM.
PERMANOV
WAS ACTUALLY QUOTED AS SAYING,
"WHEN A MAJORITY
OF THE CREW IS FEMALE,
"SOMETIMES CERTAIN KINDS
OF UNSANCTIONED BEHAVIOR
OR SOMETHING ELSE OCCURS."
PERMANOV'S STATEMENT CLEARLY
BLAMES THE FEMALE-DOMINATED
CREW FOR THE BALLISTIC ENTRY.
ROSCOSMOS INITIALLY STATED
THAT THE CREW
CHANGED THE FLIGHT PLAN
JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY.
BUT NASA SUSPECTS
A TECHNICAL FAULT.
THE ANSWER TURNS OUT
TO BE EXPLOSIVE.
JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY,
THE ASTRONAUT CAPSULE
OF THE SOYUZ
IS ATTACHED TO A SERVICE MODULE.
THE TWO PARTS OF THE SPACECRAFT
ARE SUPPOSED TO SEPARATE
WITH THE DETONATION
OF FIVE EXPLODING BOLTS
THAT CONNECT THEM.
ONE OF THE FIVE PYRO-BOLTS
HOLDING THE CRAFT TOGETHER
FAILED TO DETONATE.
WHICH MEANS THAT THE TWO
MODULES STAY CONNECTED
FOR A HUNDRED SECONDS MORE
THAN THEY NORMALLY SHOULD.
FAILURE TO SEPARATE ON TIME IS
WHAT SENDS THE SOYUZ OFF COURSE.
WITH THAT BOLT ATTACHED,
IT'S ALMOST
LIKE THE DESCENT MODULE
IS COMING IN WITH A TRAILER
ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF IT.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU WANNA
ENTER EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
AS SOON AS THE PROBLEM
IS IDENTIFIED,
ALL EXISTING SOYUZ SPACECRAFT
ARE MODIFIED TO PREVENT THE
ACCIDENT FROM RE-OCCURRING.
BUT ONE UNMODIFIED CAPSULE
IS STILL DOCKED
WITH THE SPACE STATION.
COSMONAUTS VOLCOV AND KONONENKO
WENT AND DID A 6-HOUR SPACE WALK
AND ACTUALLY DISCONNECTED
THE PYRO-BOLT
THAT DOESN'T FIRE
ON THAT SPACECRAFT.
THE SOYUZ IS STILL
THE PRIMARY MEANS FOR TRAVEL
TO AND FROM THE I.S.S..
THE HARD LESSONS LEARNED
FROM PEGGY WHITSON'S EXPERIENCE
WILL BENEFIT
ALL FUTURE ASTRONAUTS
WHO SERVE THERE.
PEGGY'S EXPERIENCE
COMING HOME IN A BURNING,
TUMBLING SOYUZ GETTING 8 G's
IS SIMILAR
TO WHAT SANDRA BULLOCK WENT
THROUGH IN THE MOVIE "GRAVITY."
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE, AS ASTRONAUTS, DO.
WE... WE GET OURSELVES READY
FOR THE UNKNOWN.
STILL TO COME,
SCIENTISTS CAPTURE AN
UNIDENTIFIED METALLIC SPHERE
HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
THAT'S LIVING
BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
A MYSTERIOUS METALLIC SPHERE
HURDLING INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE.
IT IS MADE PRINCIPALLY
OF TITANIUM,
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
A CLOSE INSPECTION SEEMS
TO REVEAL SOMETHING ALIVE
INSIDE.
IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT,
THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
A TEAM OF ASTROBIOLOGISTS
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
SEARCHES FOR SIGNS OF ALIEN
LIFE INFILTRATING OUR ATMOSPHERE.
THEY USE WEATHER BALLOONS
EQUIPPED WITH G.P.S. TECHNOLOGY
TO GATHER EVIDENCE.
THEY USE THE WEATHER BALLOONS
AS A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY
OF SEEING WHAT'S UP THERE
IN THE STRATOSPHERE.
WE HAVE A CD DRAWER
WHICH CAN OPEN AND CLOSE
AT ANY ALTITUDE WE CHOOSE.
WHEN IT'S OPEN,
IT CONTAINS THESE LITTLE,
ROUND STUBS,
AND THE MATERIAL
FALLS ONTO THE STUBS.
VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD,
VERY SIMPLE.
THE RESEARCH RIG FLIES 16 MILES
UP TO REACH THE STRATOSPHERE.
AT THIS ALTITUDE, TEMPERATURES
REACH MINUS 68 FAHRENHEIT
AND HUNDRED-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS
ARE COMMON.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
ESSENTIALLY FISHING TRIPS.
WE SENT UP BALLOONS,
AND WE CATCH WHAT WE CATCH.
AFTER 17 MINUTES
OF SAMPLING AT 84,000 FEET,
THE C.D. DRAWER CLOSES
AND THE PAYLOAD PARACHUTES
BACK TO EARTH.
THE TEAM FOLLOWS
STRICT PROTOCOLS
TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION
WHILE TAKING THE SAMPLES
BACK TO THE LAB FOR ANALYSIS.
SO WE PUT THE STUBS
INTO THESE VERY HIGH POWERED
SCANNING ELECTROMICROSCOPE
THAT LOOKS AT THE SURFACE
OF THE STUB.
THE SAMPLES SIT ON SMALL
CIRCLES OF STERILE CARBON.
ON ONE OF THEM, THE TEAM
SPOTS A STRANGE SPHERE
ABOUT THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.
NOW THIS IS A...
A PHOTOGRAPH, AN IMAGE,
OF WHAT WE SEE
DOWN THE ELECTROMICROSCOPE.
YOU CAN SEE IT'S
A SPHERICAL BALL.
I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S SPHERICAL
EXCEPT THAT SPHERES
ARE VERY STABLE OBJECTS.
SOME OBSERVERS CLAIM
THE SAMPLE IS NO MYSTERY.
IT IS SIMILAR IN SIZE
TO GRASS SEEDS
OR GRAINS OF POLLEN.
BOTH OCCUR NATURALLY
AT HIGH ALTITUDES.
THERE HAVE BEEN RECORDS
EVEN OF SPIDERS BEING FOUND
IN THE STRATOSPHERE
AND MICROBES.
IF HURRICANES
AND OTHER WEATHER PHEMONENA
CAN BRING UP SPIDERS
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,
THEN YES, I WOULD EXPECT
THAT GRASS SEEDS
AND POLLEN
CAN GET THERE AS WELL.
THE SHEFFIELD TEAM BOMBARDS
THE STRANGE SPHERE WITH X-RAYS
TO GET CLUES
TO ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.
WE DID E.D.X. ANALYSIS,
X-RAY ANALYSIS.
WE FIND THAT IT IS MADE,
PRINCIPALLY, OF TITANIUM
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF VANADIUM,
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
TITANIUM IS A RATE METAL
NORMALLY FOUND
DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,
NOT OVER 15 MILES ABOVE
THE EARTH'S SURFACE.
MICROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION
OF THE SAMPLE
REVEALS
ANOTHER STARTLING DISCOVERY.
A DENT
IN THE HARD CARBON SURFACE
OF THE SAMPLE COLLECTION STUB
RESEMBLES A TINY IMPACT SITE.
SO, WE'VE GOT
THIS AMAZING IMPACT, RIGHT?
AND NOW THAT IS JUST
KIND OF EQUIVALENT
TO THE IMPACT CRATER
THAN AN ASTEROID WOULD CAUSE
IF IT HIT THE EARTH.
SO, WE THINK THIS IS
A MINI ASTEROID, AS IT WERE.
BUT CRITICS POINT OUT
THAT FINDING TITANIUM ENTERING
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE IS POSSIBLE.
IT COULD SIMPLY BE A FRAGMENT
OF SPACE JUNK.
ONE HAS TO REMEMBER
THAT THERE ARE PARTICLES
OF TITANIUM IN EARTH ORBIT
THAT RE-ENTER ALL THE TIME.
THESE ARE PARTICLES
THAT ARE PUT THERE
BY EXPLODING SPACECRAFT
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT.
IT'S NOT SURPRISING
THAT THEY EVENTUALLY
GET CAPTURED
BY THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
AND COME DOWN.
WHEN THE TEAM
ATTEMPTS TO MOVE THE SPHERE,
THEY MAKE A DISTURBING DISCOVERY
THAT MAKES THE SPACE JUNK
HYPOTHESIS SEEM UNLIKELY.
WHEN WE MOVE THE BALL ACROSS,
MATERIAL STREAMS FROM THE BALL.
WHEN WE DO AN ANALYSIS ON THAT,
WE FIND IT'S MADE
OF CARBON AND OXYGEN
WITH A BIT OF NITROGEN.
THERE IS SOMETHING
OOZING FROM THE METAL SPHERE,
AND TESTS REVEAL
THE STRANGE MATERIAL
CONTAINS ORGANIC MATTER.
SO IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
WE BELIEVE.
SO THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN
INSIDE THE SPHERE,
AND NOW, BECAUSE
WE'RE MOVING IT ACROSS,
IT'S OOZING OUT.
THE DISCOVERY OF ORGANIC
MATTER INSIDE THE SPHERE
OPENS THE DOOR
TO AN AMAZING HYPOTHESIS.
WHEN I SEE THE SPHERE,
ONE POSSIBILITY
THAT COMES TO MIND
IS THAT MAYBE IT'S A DELIVERY
SYSTEM FOR PANSPERMIA.
THE IDEA OF PANSPERMIA
IS LIFE EVERYWHERE,
THAT MICROORGANISMS
COULD BE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED
THROUGHOUT THE COSMOS
AND COULD BE TRAVELING
FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.
SEEDS CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.
SPORES CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.
LIFE IS NOT BLOCKED BY SPACE.
NOT EVERYONE ACCEPTS THE CLAIM
THAT THE SPHERE IS TRANSPORTING
LIFE FROM AN ALIEN WORLD.
IT SEEMS A LEAP TO SUGGEST
THAT IT COMES, UH,
FROM OUTER SPACE
RATHER THAN FROM EARTH.
EXCEPTIONAL CLAIMS
REQUIRE EXCEPTIONAL EVIDENCE.
IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SUCH
A TINY PIECE OF METAL
COULD'VE TRAVELED
ACROSS SPACE ON ITS OWN,
BUT THE SHEFFIELD TEAM
BELIEVES IT MAY HAVE BEEN
PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER.
SO WHAT WE'RE THINKING
IS POSSIBLY THIS MATERIAL
COMES FROM COMETS.
SO, IT'S COMING
IN IN LARGE PIECES OF ICE.
LIFE COULD BE TRAPPED IN THE ICE
AND SENT OUT FROM OTHER PARTS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT
COULD THEN TRAVEL TO EARTH,
GO THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AND LAND IN OUR OCEANS
AND TAKE UP RESIDENCE.
IF THE METAL SPHERE IS INDEED
TRAVELING BETWEEN PLANETS,
SEEDING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING.
IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT
THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
IT CHANGES BIOLOGY.
BIOLOGY IS NO LONGER
AN EARTH-CENTERED SUBJECT.
IT'S CONNECTED TO THE COSMOS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE
EVERYWHERE.
STILL TO COME,
AN ASTRONAUT ON A SPACE WALK
DISCOVERS DAMAGE TO HIS SUIT.
ASTRONAUT LIVES ARE AT STAKE.
NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.
200 MILES ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF THE EARTH,
AN ASTRONAUT DISCOVERS
A BREACH IN HIS SPACE SUIT.
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND
OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.
YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT,
THAT COULD KILL YOU
VERY QUICKLY.
NASA LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION
TO FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED
THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY DAMAGE.
THEY NOTICED SEVERAL, UH, CUTS
IN THE FINGERTIPS
ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES
AS IF SOMEONE HAD TAKEN
A RAZOR BLADE
AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.
FROM RICK MASTRACCHIO'S
HELMET CAMERA, GOOD VIEW
AS, UH, CLAY ANDERSON,
HE MERGES TO BEGIN
THE SECOND SPACE WALK
OF HIS CAREER.
I.S.S. ASTRONAUTS
RICK MASTRACCHIO
AND CLAY ANDERSON
ARE ALMOST FIVE HOURS
INTO A SPACE WALK.
THEIR MISSION IS TO REPOSITION
ONE OF THE STATION'S
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNAE.
AN ASTRONAUT OUTSIDE
DOING E.V.A.,
HE'S ABLE TO IMPROVISE
OR FIX THINGS
THAT MIGHT BE MORE DIFFICULT
TO DO ROBOTICALLY.
HUMANS ARE VERY FLEXIBLE
AND ADAPTABLE,
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY IT'S USEFUL
TO HAVE HUMANS IN SPACE.
RICK MASTRACCHIO AT THE END
OF THE STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM,
TAKES A RIDE TO THE P-6
SOLAR RAY TRUSS STRUCTURE.
WITH TWO AND A HALF HOURS
OF THE MISSION REMAINING,
MASTRACCHIO CARRYS OUT
A ROUTINE CHECK ON HIS GEAR.
SUDDENLY, HE NOTICES THAT, UH,
ON HIS LEFT THUMB,
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND
OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.
WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
A ROUTINE SPACE WALK
BECOMES AN EMERGENCY.
YOU'RE IN THE HARD VACUUM
OF SPACE,
AND YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT.
THAT COULD KILL YOU
VERY QUICKLY.
IF YOU LOSE THE PRESSURE
IN YOUR SUIT,
YOUR FLUIDS IN YOUR BODY
WOULD BEGIN TO BOIL.
DESPITE THE DANGER,
MASTRACCHIO KEEPS COOL
AND REPORTS THE DAMAGE
TO MISSION CONTROL.
THE DANGER OF A SUIT RUPTURE
FORCES MISSION CONTROL
TO ORDER AN ABORT.
THE REACTION IS TO GET BACK
INSIDE THE SPACE STATION
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
MASTRACCHIO'S TASKS
REMAIN UNCOMPLETED,
BUT WITH THE ASTRONAUT'S LIFE
AT STAKE,
THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE.
YOU CAN'T IGNORE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
WHEN ASTRONAUT LIVES
ARE AT STAKE,
NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.
MASTRACCHIO SURVIVES,
BUT NASA NEEDS TO FIND OUT
WHAT CAUSED THE POTENTIALLY
DEADLY DAMAGE TO HIS GLOVE.
THE PRIMARY LAYER OF HIS
GLOVE ON THE LEFT THUMB,
HE HAD SOME DAMAGE TO THAT.
MASTRACCHIO COULD HAVE
BEEN HIT BY A MICROMETEOROID.
IT'S SOMETHING WE WORRY ABOUT,
MICROMETEOROID DEBRIS,
UH, ACTUALLY HITTING A SUIT.
SPACE SUITS ARE DESIGNED
TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING
AN E.V.A. CAN THROW AT THEM.
THE SPACE SUIT IS DESIGNED
TO ABSORB THE IMPACT
OF A MICROMETEOROID IN...
IN MUCH THE SAME WAY
THAT SOMETHING LIKE
A BULLETPROOF VEST WOULD BE.
TO ABSORB THE IMPACT
OF MICROMETEOROIDS FLYING
FASTER THAN A RIFLE BULLET,
MODERN SPACE SUITS
USE LAYERS OF A SPECIAL TYPE
OF POLYESTER CALLED MYLAR.
MYLAR IS VERY THIN,
SO YOU CAN ADD A LOT
OF LAYERS IN A SMALL AREA,
AND BY ADDING ALL THOSE LAYERS,
EACH LAYER IS ABLE
TO ABSORB A LITTLE BIT
OF THE IMPACT FORCE OF
SOMETHING LIKE A MICROMETEOROID.
BY THE TIME THE MICROMETEOROID
GETS TO THE LAYER
THAT HOLDS THE AIR IN,
IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FORCE
TO PUNCTURE THE SUIT.
IF THE DAMAGE
TO MASTRACCHIO'S GLOVE
DID NOT HAPPEN
OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION,
IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED INSIDE.
THE ASTRONAUTS
TAKE VERY GOOD CARE
OF THE SPACE SUITS
AND ALL OF THE HARDWARE.
THERE'S NO WAY
THIS SUIT WOULD'VE BEEN
DAMAGED INSIDE THE STATION,
BECAUSE THAT IS ONE
OF THE THINGS
WE CHECK VERY CAREFULLY
BEFORE ANYBODY
GOES OUT THE HATCH.
BUT RICK MASTRACCHIO
IS NOT THE FIRST ASTRONAUT
TO SUFFER AN UNEXPECTED TEAR
IN HIS GLOVES.
IN OCTOBER 2000, LEROY CHOW
WAS INSTALLING
POWER CONVERTER UNITS
ON THE I.S.S. EXTERIOR.
SO, MY SECOND, UH,
SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION,
I'M OUTSIDE DOING
TWO SPACE WALKS.
AND IT WASN'T UNTIL
AFTER THE MISSION WAS OVER
THAT THEY NOTICED SEVERAL,
UH, CUTS ON THE FINGERTIPS
ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES
AS IF SOMEONE
HAD TAKEN A RAZOR BLADE
AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.
NASA LAUNCHES
AN INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT
WHAT IS SLICING ITS SPACE SUITS.
THE 2-WEEK INQUIRY REACHES
AN ASTONISHING CONCLUSION.
THE PERPETRATOR
IS THE I.S.S. ITSELF.
WHEN YOU'RE ON A SPACE WALK,
YOU'RE SPACE WALKING
WITH YOUR HANDS
ALONG THESE HANDRAILS.
THE HANDRAILS ALONG
THE SIDES OF THE I.S.S.
HELP ASTRONAUTS MOVE QUICKLY
AND EASILY IN ZERO GRAVITY,
BUT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY
EXPOSED TO THE HAZARDS OF SPACE.
MICROMETEOROID DAMAGE
CAUSES PITTING
AND THEN CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE
A SHARP EDGE TO BE FORMED.
IN THAT CASE, IF AN ASTRONAUT
THEN RUNS HIS HAND OVER IT, UH,
IT'S POSSIBLE TO CUT THE GLOVE.
THE THREAT OF THESE
TINY, JAGGED, METAL CRATERS
FORCES NASA TO REVISE
ITS E.V.A. PROCEDURES.
ON THE SPACE WALKS WE DO NOW,
EVERY 45 MINUTES, AS YOU'RE
GETTING A SUNRISE OR A SUNSET,
THEY'RE ALSO HAVING YOU
PHYSICALLY REPORT TO THEM,
"WHAT DO YOUR GLOVES LOOK LIKE?
"DO YOU SEE ANY DAMAGE
TO YOUR GLOVE
FROM THE LAST TIME
YOU REPORTED TO ME?"
WHEN YOU GET BACK INSIDE
AFTER YOUR SPACE WALK,
THE FIRST THING THEY DO BEFORE
THEY TAKE YOUR GLOVES OFF IS
THEY PHOTOGRAPH YOUR GLOVES...
SO THAT YOU CAN DOCUMENT
WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT
HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM.
TO COMBAT THE THREAT,
NASA IS DEVELOPING A NEW
GENERATION OF SPACE SUITS.
SKIN SUIT DEVELOPMENT
IS UNDERWAY CURRENTLY
BY NASA AND BY OTHERS
AROUND THE WORLD,
AND THESE SUITS
LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE SUITS
THAT YOU'RE USED TO SEEING.
THEY'RE SKIN-TIGHT.
THEY'RE DYNAMIC.
THIS IS A PUT IT ON,
TIGHTEN THE SUIT,
WALK OUT THE DOOR,
DO YOUR BUSINESS IN SPACE.
IT'S...
IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW PARADIGM
FOR SPACE SUIT DESIGN.
UP NEXT,
A MYSTERIOUS MOON
ORBITING SATURN
VANISHES FROM THE NIGHT SKY.
BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY,
MOONS DON'T DO THAT.
A LEGENDARY ASTRONOMER
DISCOVERS A NEW MOON.
THIS IS A MAJOR
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.
BUT WITHIN WEEKS
OF ITS DISCOVERY,
THE MOON VANISHES.
THIS IS BAFFLING.
WHERE DID IT GO?
AT THE NEWLY BUILT
PARIS OBSERVATORY,
ASTRONOMER GIOVANNI CASSINI
BEGINS HIS OBSERVATIONS
OF SATURN.
IMAGINE YOURSELF
AS GIOVANNI CASSINI
IN THE 17th CENTURY.
HE'S USING
A VERY RUDIMENTARY TELESCOPE,
POINTING IT AT SATURN.
CASSINI NOTICES SOMETHING
PASSING ACROSS THE FACE
OF THE RINGED PLANET.
HE FINDS A MOON.
ASTRONOMERS LATER
NAME IT IAPETUS
AFTER ONE OF THE TITANS
FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
DISCOVERING A MOON OF A PLANET
IS A MAJOR DISCOVERY.
YOU WANNA MAKE SURE
YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT.
AND SO, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,
GIOVANNI IS LOOKING
THROUGH HIS TELESCOPE,
LOOKING AT IAPETUS.
BUT AS IT PASSES
TO THE EASTERN SIDE OF SATURN,
IAPETUS VANISHES.
ONE NIGHT, WHILE HE'S WATCHING,
IT DISAPPEARS.
IT'S LIKE SOME HUGE
COSMIC MAGIC TRICK.
POOF.
BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY,
MOONS DON'T DO THAT,
AND HE NEEDED TO FIND OUT
WHAT IT WAS.
CASSINI COMES UP WITH A
THEORY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.
HE HAD ONE IDEA.
THE IDEA WAS THAT ONE SIDE
OF THE MOON WAS BRIGHT,
AND THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE MOON WAS DARK.
WHEN IT WAS COMING TOWARDS YOU,
YOU COULD SEE IT.
IT WAS NICE AND BRIGHT.
MOON'S GOING AWAY,
YOU COULDN'T SEE IT.
BUT HOW COULD THAT BE?
NO PLANET IS LIKE THAT.
NO MOON IS LIKE THAT.
AND LIFT-OFF
OF THE CASSINI SPACECRAFT
ON A BILLION-MILE TREK
TO SATURN.
CASSINI'S THEORY
REMAINS UNTESTED FOR
MORE THAN 300 YEARS.
IN 1997, NASA LAUNCHES A PROBE
TOWARDS SATURN NAMED
AFTER THE GREAT ASTRONOMER.
CASSINI CARRYS THE MOST
SOPHISTICATED SUITE
OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
EVER TAKEN
INTO THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.
WHEN THE PROBE FLIES BY IAPETUS,
IT SENDS BACK
HIGH-DEFINITION IMAGES...
THAT REVEAL SOMETHING
COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.
WHAT YOU SEE
IS THIS RIGID MATERIAL
GOING AROUND THE EQUATOR
OF THE MOON.
IT'S AN AMAZINGLY HIGH RIDGE.
IT'S ABOUT THREE TIMES
LARGER THAN EVEREST.
THE RIDGE IS COLOSSAL...
800 MILES LONG
AND UP TO 12 MILES HIGH.
WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING
THAT'S UNIQUE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
A GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURE
THAT BASICALLY CROSSES
THE ENTIRE OBJECT.
WHERE DOES
SUCH A LARGE, COHERED,
BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE COME FROM?
HOW IS IT CREATED?
ASTRONOMERS STRUGGLE
TO EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE
OF THE MOUNTAINOUS RIDGE
ON A WORLD THAT SHOULDLL NOT
BE GEOLOGICAY ACTIVE.
THE BEST THEORY
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW
IS THAT SOMETHING CAME IN
AND IMPACTED
THE SURFACE OF IAPETUS.
AN ENORMOUS RING OF DEBRIS
SPRUNG UP AROUND THE PLANET.
THIS RING CIRCLED AROUND
IAPETUS AND SPREAD ITSELF OUT,
BUT EVENTUALLY, IT WAS DRAWN
BACK DOWN ONTO THE PLANET,
CREATING THIS RING-LIKE
STRUCTURE AT ITS EQUATOR.
BUT THE CASSINI DATA
OFFERS NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
FOR THE THEORY THAT AN IMPACT
CREATED THE RIDGE ON IAPETUS.
WE'VE BEEN IN ORBIT NOW
FOR A LONG TIME,
AND WE STILL REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT CAUSES THIS RIDGE.
IT MAY BE ONE OF THOSE MYSTERIES
THAT, YOU KNOW, STAYS WITH US
EVEN AFTER CASSINI IS OVER.
THE IMAGES FROM
THE PROBE RAISE A NEW MYSTERY,
BUT THEY ALSO OFFER AN ANSWER
TO AN OLD ONE.
THEY CONFIRMED THAT, YES,
IN FACT, IAPETUS HAS TWO SIDES.
IT HAS A LIGHT SIDE
AND A DARK SIDE.
THE SURFACE OF THE LIGHT SIDE
IS BRIGHT, SHINING ICE,
BUT THE OTHER DARK SIDE
IS COVERED
IN A STRANGE MATERIAL
OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN.
OF COURSE, THE QUESTION
WAS WHERE DID
THAT DARK MATERIAL COME FROM?
THE FIRST THEORY
SCIENTISTS CONSIDERED
IS THAT THE DARK MATERIAL
COULD BE FROM VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT INTERNAL PROCESSES
CAUSED THIS...
VOLCANOES SPRAYING OUT,
UH, MATERIALS.
BUT THE CASSINI IMAGES SHOW
NO SIGNS OF ANY VOLCANOES.
THERE'S NO VOLCANISM OR ANYTHING
THAT REVEALS ANY KIND
OF GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.
THE DARK SIDE REMAINS A MYSTERY
UNTIL NASA DIRECTS THE GAZE
OF THE INFRARED
SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE
TOWARD THE DISAPPEARING MOON.
EVEN FARTHER OUT FROM SATURN
IS A RING THAT WE CAN'T SEE,
BUT WE CAN SEE IT WITH INFRARED.
WHAT SPITZER IS SHOWING US
IS THIS ENORMOUS, VAST RING
OF DUST,
PREVIOUSLY COMPLETELY UNKNOWN.
THE ENORMOUS RING
SURROUNDS ONE OF SATURN'S
LESSER KNOWN MOONS.
IT'S ACTUALLY SO THICK
THAT 20 SATURNS COULD BE
STACKED UP INSIDE OF IT.
AND INSIDE THAT RING
IS ANOTHER MOON CALLED PHOEBE.
PHOEBE IS AN UNUSUAL DARK COLOR
AND APPEARS
TO BE DISINTEGRATING.
PHOEBE IS VERY PECULIAR,
AND AS IT WARMS UP
FROM THE SUN'S RADIATION,
GOING AROUND SATURN,
IT'S EMITTING
ALL SORTS OF MATERIAL.
IT'S LIKE THIS OLD CAR
SPEWING OUT ALL KINDS
OF CITY DUST AS IT GOES
AND LEAVING THIS RING
OF MATERIAL AROUND SATURN.
NASA SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THE DISINTEGRATING MOON
IS THE MOST LIKELY SOURCE
OF THE DARK MATERIAL
COVERING ONE SIDE OF IAPETUS.
IAPETUS IS CIRCLING SATURN,
AND EVERY TIME IT GOES AROUND,
IT SMASHES INTO THIS RING
FROM PHOEBE,
AND IT'S, LIKE,
ACCUMULATING, UH, BUGS
ON THE WINDSHIELD OF A CAR,
AND SO THIS DUSTING
ACCUMULATES ONTO
THE FRONT SURFACE OF IAPETUS
AS IT CIRCLES AROUND,
AND INDEED,
IT'S THE LEADING SURFACE
OF IAPETUS IN ITS ORBIT
THAT IS DARK.
MORE THAN 3
CENTURIES AFTER CASSINI
FIRST DISCOVERED
THE DISAPPEARING MOON,
THE SPACECRAFT
THAT BEARS HIS NAME
IS STILL PUSHING BACK
THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE.
IT'S STILL GIVING US ALL SORTS
OF MYSTERIES TO TRY TO SOLVE.
STILL TO COME,
IMAGES FROM THE PLANET VENUS
APPEAR TO SHOW SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.
IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE.
IN THE NEXT SHOT,
IT'S OVER HERE.
A SOVIET SPACE PROBE
REACHES THE HOTTEST PLANET
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
VENUS IS REALLY AN
INHOSPITABLE PLACE TO VISIT.
THE PROBE SENDS BACK IMAGES
WHICH SEEM TO SHOW SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.
NO LIFE FORM WE KNOW OF CAN
EXIST AT THOSE TEMPERATURES,
SO WHAT IS IT?
THE SOVIET VENERA 13 SPACE PROBE
NEARS THE END OF ITS 4-MONTH
JOURNEY TO THE PLANET VENUS.
A LANDER PACKED
WITH A PAYLOAD OF CAMERAS
AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
PLUNGES MORE THAN 30 MILES
THROUGH CLOUDS OF SULFURIC ACID
TO REACH THE SURFACE.
AMERICA MAY BE THE FIRST NATION
TO LAND HUMANS ON THE MOON,
BUT THE SOVIET UNION NAILS
THE EXPLORATION OF VENUS.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR, UH,
SPACE EXPLORATION,
A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN FOCUSED
ON THE MOON AND MARS,
AND VENUS IS KINDA LEFT BEHIND
WHEN VENUS MAY BE THE MOST
INTERESTING PLACE TO OBSERVE.
IN THE COLD WAR ERA, THE SOVIETS
KEEP THE FINDINGS OF THE PROBE
A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET.
DURING THE 1970s AND '80s,
WE KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT
THE VENERA MISSIONS TO VENUS.
IT TAKES THREE DECADES
BEFORE A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST,
LEONID KSANFOMALITI,
REVEALS ASTONISHING IMAGES
FROM THE SOVIET ARCHIVES.
HE'S REANALYZING PICTURES,
AND HE NOTICES
SOMETHING RATHER STRANGE.
THERE'S SOMETHING UNUSUAL
IN THE BARREN LANDSCAPE.
THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING THERE,
BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT?
HE SEES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A DISK.
THE DISK SEEMS TO BE MOVING.
IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE,
AND IN THE NEXT SHOT,
IT'S OVER HERE.
BUT NASA IMAGE ANALYSIS
SUGGESTS THAT THE ANOMALY IS
NOT A SINGLE OBJECT THAT MOVED.
IT IS ACTUALLY TWO SEPARATE
BUT SIMILAR-LOOKING OBJECTS
WHICH HAVE FALLEN
FROM THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF.
NASA PHOTO ANALYSTS,
UPON REVIEWING THE PHOTOGRAPHS,
HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS
ACTUALLY PROBABLY THE LENS CAPS
FROM THE TWO VENERA CAMERAS.
BUT THE RUSSIAN SCIENTIST
SPOTS ANOTHER SHAPE IN THE
IMAGE THAT IS HARDER TO EXPLAIN.
HE SEES WHAT APPEARS
TO BE A SCORPION TO HIM.
KSANFOMALITI DECLARES
THE PROBE'S CAMERAS
HAVE CAPTURED EVIDENCE
OF LIFE ON VENUS.
A SCORPION-LIKE CREATURE
ON THE SURFACE OF VENUS
SOUNDS A LITTLE OUT THERE,
BUT IS THERE A WAY
THAT VENUS COULD SUPPORT LIFE?
ANY LIFE ON VENUS
WOULD FACE HUGE PROBLEMS.
THERE ARE A LOT
OF UNAPPEALING PLACES
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
BUT PROBABLY NONE
AS UNAPPEALING AS VENUS.
IF YOU DECIDED TO TAKE
A STROLL ON VENUS,
IT'D BE UNLIKE ANYTHING
YOU'D EVER EXPERIENCED.
THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD BE
CRUSHING ON YOUR BODY.
THE ROCKS UNDERNEATH YOUR FEET
WOULD BE RED-HOT,
ALMOST MOLTEN, READY TO MELT.
THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE ON
VENUS IS OVER 800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD.
VENUS IS OFTEN SAID TO BE
EARTH'S SISTER PLANET,
ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT THE SISTER
YOU'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER
BECAUSE OF
THE HIGH TEMPERATURES.
IN THE ABSENCE
OF ANY FURTHER EVIDENCE
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF
SCORPION CREATURES ON VENUS,
WE CAN ONLY GUESS AT WHAT
THE SHAPE IN THE IMAGE MIGHT BE.
MY TAKE ON THIS IMAGE
IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING
AT A FURROW
THAT WAS DUG
BY THIS INSTRUMENT COVER
AFTER IT WAS EJECTED
FROM THE VENERA 13 CRAFT.
NASA SENDS ITS OWN PROBE
PIONEERED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
INTO THE POSSIBILITY
OF LIFE ON VENUS.
THERE'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, ZONE
ON VENUS
WHICH IS ACTUALLY
SURPRISINGLY EARTH-LIKE,
AND THAT IS THE CLOUDS...
THE HIGH CLOUDS
WHICH ARE OCCURRING
AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES
THAT ARE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
FROM EARTH'S SURFACE.
IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS,
THERE ARE CONSTANT RAINS
OF SULFURIC ACID
WHICH WOULD BE DEADLY
TO MOST KNOWN FORMS OF LIFE,
BUT NOT ALL.
WE DO KNOW LIFE ON EARTH
EXISTS IN VERY INHOSPITABLE PLACES.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN CAVES,
YOU GET SOME BACTERIA,
THESE EXTREMOPHILE BACTERIA,
THAT CAN EXIST
IN A VERY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT
SOMEWHAT LIKE BEING
IN YOUR CAR BATTERY.
IF LIFE CAN THRIVE
IN ACID ENVIRONMENTS ON EARTH,
IT CAN EXIST WITHIN
THE ACID CLOUDS OF VENUS.
WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD EXIST
IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS?
IT WOULD BE A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM
STRUCTURED FROM BOTTOM TO TOP,
FROM THE SIMPLEST
TO THE MOST COMPLEX.
YOU CAN HAVE PREDATORS
FLYING THROUGH.
YOU CAN HAVE
HUGE COLONIAL CREATURES
LIVING ABOVE IN THE CLOUDS,
MOVING LIKE BEAUTIFUL BALLOONS
FLOATING OVER
THE SURFACE OF VENUS.
WHO KNOWS,
BECAUSE NATURE ALWAYS AMAZES US
WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE.
TODAY,
SCIENTISTS ARE INVESTIGATING
IF VENUS COULD SUPPORT ANOTHER
FORM OF LIFE... HUMANKIND.
IF HUMANS ARE GOING TO SURVIVE
INDEFINITELY INTO THE FUTURE,
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO LEAVE EARTH.
WE SEE IT IN THE FOSSIL RECORD
THAT FROM TIME TO TIME,
MUCH OF EARTH'S LIFE
GETS WIPED OUT,
AND THE MORE PLANETS
WE HAVE, THE BETTER.
SURVIVING IN THE VENUSIAN CLOUDS
MIGHT NOT BE AS FAR-FETCHED
AS IT SOUNDS.
THE SOURCE OF OXYGEN
IS ALREADY THERE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER
OF EXTRACTING IT
FROM THE CARBON DIOXIDE.
WATER'S THERE. NITROGEN'S THERE.
YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO IMPORT
ANY BASIC LIFE SUPPORT MATERIAL.
IT'S ALL THERE.
YOU JUST NEED TO PROCESS IT.
THE TECHNOLOGY
TO TURN THESE IDEAS
INTO REALITIES
IS ALREADY IN DEVELOPMENT.
INFLATABLE MODULES ARE ALREADY
BEING CONSIDERED
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION,
SO IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG STEP
TO IMAGINE THAT
THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY
COULD BE USED TO MAKE A HABITAT
THAT COULD FLOAT
IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF VENUS.
COULD EARTH'S TWISTED SISTER
BECOME OUR NEXT HOME?
IT'S PURE SPECULATION TODAY,
BUT WE COULD SEE
AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE,
A HUMAN COLONY ON VENUS.
ALMOST HALF A CENTURY
AFTER MAN FIRST SET FOOT
ON THE MOON,
THERE ARE STILL ASPECTS OF
THE MISSION SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.
Tranquility Base.
The Eagle has landed.
THE ARCHIVES OF COLD WAR RIVALS
STILL CONTAIN SECRETS.
AND NEW DISCOVERIES CHALLENGE
EVERYTHING WE THINK WE KNOW.
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,
IT'S CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
TAKING RISK IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERY.
SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,
AND WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT LURKS IN THE SHADOWS.
THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.
A SPACECRAFT
RETURNING FROM THE I.S.S.
LOSES CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
SCIENTISTS CAPTURE
A MYSTERIOUS METAL SPHERE
HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE...
INSIDE THE SPHERE,
IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.
AND IMAGES
FROM THE SURFACE OF VENUS
REVEAL SOMETHING
THAT SEEMS TO BE MOVING.
THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING
THERE. THE QUESTION IS, "WHAT IS IT?"
NASA'S MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...
Okay, we're seeing
three or four objects.
There are, uh...
There are three objects.
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX
OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.
THESE ARE...
NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 3
EP - 5 - The Moon That Disappeared
Subtitles Diego Moraes
NASA TAKES UNPRECEDENTED STEPS
TO ENSURE THE SAFETY
OF THE FIRST MANNED MISSION
TO THE MOON.
WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE
LEVEL OF RISK?
BUT RECENTLY UNCOVERED
DOCUMENTS REVEAL
THE SPACE AGENCY'S SECRET
PLANS PREPARING FOR DISASTER.
WE DIDN'T THINK THE FIRST
ATTEMPT WOULD EVER MAKE IT.
NASA MAKES
THE FINAL PREPARATIONS
FOR MANKIND'S FIRST VOYAGE
TO THE MOON.
THE CLOCK WAS TICKING.
YOU HAD TO REACH THERE
TO ACHIEVE
JOHN F. KENNEDY'S MANDATE
BY THE END OF THE DECADE
SOMETIME IN 1969.
NASA DOES NOT
GREEN-LIGHT THE MISSION
TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON
UNTIL EVERY PART
OF THE SPACECRAFT
IS RATED 99.9% RELIABLE.
EVERYTHING
THAT THE ASTRONAUTS DID
HAD BEEN CAREFULLY
THOUGHT OUT WELL IN ADVANCE
TO MINIMIZE THE RISK.
BUT MEMBERS
OF NASA'S ASTRONAUT CORE
HAVE THEIR OWN PRIVATE FEARS.
THE FEELING
AMONGST THE ASTRONAUT CORE
WAS THAT THERE'S A BIG CHANCE
THAT THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE IT.
The vehicle is starting
to pressurize.
We are go for Apollo 11.
RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
SUGGEST NASA WAS FULLY
PREPARED FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG.
THEY CONTAIN A SPEECH
FOR THE PRESIDENT TO DELIVER
IF THE MISSION ENDED IN TRAGEDY.
WILLIAM SAPPHIRE,
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH WRITER,
WROTE A SPEECH.
THAT SPEECH TALKED
ABOUT THE HEROIC ASTRONAUTS
AND HOW THEY'VE GIVEN THEIR
LIFE FOR THE CAUSE OF EXPLORATION.
IT WAS A VERY FINELY
CRAFTED SPEECH.
THESE BRAVE MEN, NEIL ARMSTRONG
AND EDWIN ALDRIN,
KNOW THAT THERE IS NO HOPE
FOR THEIR RECOVERY,
BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THAT
THERE IS HOPE FOR MANKIND
IN THEIR SACRIFICE.
THE PRESIDENT'S STAFF
WROTE THIS SPEECH
FOR WHAT NASA CONSIDERED TO BE
THE MOST LIKELY
DISASTER SCENARIO...
TWO ASTRONAUTS
LANDING ON THE MOON
BUT NEVER RETURNING.
YOU'RE FACED WITH ASTRONAUTS
WHO ARE ON THE SURFACE
AND ARE ALIVE AND ARE THERE
UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF OXYGEN.
THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
OUTLINED IN
THE PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH
ALMOST CAME TRUE.
ONCE THEY GOT INTO THE MISSION,
IT WAS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD
UNTIL THEY WENT TO THE LANDING.
AS THEY ENTER THE FINAL
STAGES OF THE DESCENT,
ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN
REALIZE THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THE PLANNED LANDING SITE.
THE AUTOMATED LANDING SYSTEM
WAS GONNA BRING THEM DOWN
IN A ROCKY FIELD.
THE MINUTE THAT NEIL
SAW THESE BOULDERS,
THE QUESTION WAS CAN HE FIND
A PLACE TO LAND?
CONTACT WITH A BOULDER
COULD DAMAGE ONE
OF THE MODULE'S LANDING LEGS.
IF ONE OF THOSE LEGS BREAKS,
WE'RE SUNK
'CAUSE WE PROBABLY CAN'T
LAUNCH OFF THE MOON FROM THERE.
THAT'S THE END OF IT.
ARMSTRONG DISENGAGES
THE AUTOMATED CONTROLS
AND MANUALLY PILOTS THE MODULE
TO A NEW LANDING SITE.
BUT THE DIVERSION
BURNS UP VALUABLE FUEL.
HE WAS COMING CLOSE
TO RUNNING OUT OF GAS.
FOR THE ASTRONAUTS
TO SURVIVE THE MISSION,
THEY MUST LAND WITH ENOUGH
FUEL REMAINING FOR TAKE-OFF.
HE'S GOT A MINUTE
OF FUEL REMAINING, PERIOD.
NASA MOST FEARED.
WE WERE ALL THINKING
THE ODDS ARE NOT GOOD.
WE'RE STARTING TO TIME IT,
AND HE'S TRYING TO FIND A PLACE.
HE'S NOT TALKING.
MISSION CONTROL IS
LESS THAN A MINUTE AWAY
FROM ORDERING AN ABORT
WHEN ARMSTRONG EXECUTES
A PERFECT TOUCHDOWN.
Tranquility Base
here. The Eagle has landed.
THEY JUST KEEP GOING
UNTIL THEY TOUCH DOWN.
THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
HELLO, NEIL AND BUZZ.
THIS CERTAINLY HAS TO BE THE
MOST HISTORIC TELEPHONE CALL
EVER MADE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
APOLLO 11's LANDING
WAS A CLOSE CALL,
JUST AS NEIL ARMSTRONG
HAD EXPECTED.
NEIL ARMSTRONG SAID HE THOUGHT
HE ONLY HAD A 50% CHANCE
OF ACTUALLY MAKING
THE LANDING SUCCESSFULLY.
NO ONE CAN BE CERTAIN
OF ALL THE RISKS
INVOLVED IN A FEAT
NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED
IN HUMAN HISTORY.
WE ALL KNEW THAT A LOT
OF LUCK WAS INVOLVED IN THIS.
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE
UP IN NASA HEADQUARTERS
THAT DIDN'T WANNA MAKE
ANY MORE LANDINGS.
WHAT CAN BE SAID
IS THAT THE RISK DID NOT DETER
THE PIONEERS OF SPACE TRAVEL.
WE COULD PERISH ON A FLIGHT,
BUT IF WE DID,
THE GOOD SIDE OF THAT IS THAT
WE'D BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
FOREVER.
UP NEXT, A SPACECRAFT
RETURNING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION DISAPPEARS.
OUT OF CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL,
THEY COULD BE HEADED
FOR DISASTER.
A RETURN FLIGHT FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
RUNS INTO TROUBLE
DURING RE-ENTRY.
IT'S MOVING WAY TO FAST.
YOU GOT SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
MISSION CONTROL LOSES CONTACT
WITH THE SPACECRAFT.
SOYUZ TMA-11 APPEARS TO VANISH.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
APRIL 19, 2008.
AT THE END OF A
GROUND-BREAKING 6 MONTH MISSION,
NASA'S FIRST FEMALE COMMANDER
PEGGY WHITSON UNDOCKS
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION AND HEADS HOME.
PEGGY WHITSON HAS NOW
BROKEN THE RECORD
FOR THE AMERICAN FEMALE
WITH THE MOST HOURS IN SPACE,
AND SHE AND HER TWO CREWMATES,
THEY'RE STARTING
THEIR JOURNEY BACK TO EARTH.
THE 4-HOUR JOURNEY TO EARTH
WILL BE A LANDMARK FLIGHT.
IT'S THE FACIRST TIME
WOMEN TUALLY OUTNUMBERED MEN
ONBOARD A SPACECRAFT SINCE 1963.
MISSION CONTROL IN KOROLEV
JUST OUTSIDE MOSCOW
GIVES THEM THE GREEN LIGHT
TO BEGIN RE-ENTRY.
EVERYTHING IS LINED UP.
ALL SYSTEMS
ARE OPERATING NORMAL,
AND THEY'RE SET
TO LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN.
JUST AS THE CAPSULE
ENTERS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,
IT STARTS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY.
SMOKE APPEARS IN THE CABIN.
WE HAVE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.
YOU DON'T KNOW
WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.
THERE'S NOT A THING
YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.
THIS IS A SERIOUS EMERGENCY.
THAT CAPSULE CAN BREAK UP
AT ANY MOMENT.
THE SPACECRAFT IS OUT OF CONTROL
AND PICKING UP SPEED
AS IT HURDLES TOWARDS EARTH.
THEY'RE TEARING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AT 25 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
AT THAT SPEED, THE G-FORCES
CAN DO SERIOUS DAMAGE.
INSIDE THE SOYUZ, THE CREW
EXPERIENCES 8 TIMES THE FORCE
OF EARTH'S GRAVITY
CRUSHING THEIR BODIES.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
WHAT PEGGY WAS FEELING
AS THESE 8G SPIKES
WERE GOING THROUGH HER BODY.
I COULD TELL YOU FROM LANDING
IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE
THAT 3 G's IS A LOT
TO EXPERIENCE.
G-FORCE CAN KILL YOU.
IT'S BASICALLY LIKE GETTING
CRUSHED BY A BIG WEIGHT.
THE UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT
ALSO INFLICTS CRITICAL DAMAGE
TO THE SOYUZ HEAT SHIELD.
THE OUTSIDE OF THE SPACECRAFT
IS HEATING UP TO AN EXCESS
OF 3,000 DEGREES.
THEY'VE LOST CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL.
THE ANTENNA HAS BURNED OFF.
RUSSIAN MISSION
CONTROL RECEIVES NO DATA
FROM THE CRAFT DURING RE-ENTRY,
BUT IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR
THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
OUT OF CONTACT
WITH MISSION CONTROL,
THEY COULD BE HEADED
FOR DISASTER.
THERE'S NO SIGN
OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW
AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.
MISSION CONTROL
ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED.
PUBLICLY, THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,
ROSCOSMOS,
GIVES NO HINT
OF THE POTENTIAL DISASTER.
RUSSIAN TV IS ANNOUNCING
THEIR SAFE RETURN,
ANOTHER TEXTBOOK MISSION.
THE FATE OF PEGGY WHITSON
AND THE REST OF THE CREW
REMAINS UNKNOWN
UNTIL A FARMER 250 MILES
FROM THE PLANNED LANDING SITE
SEES SOMETHING IN THE SKY.
SOME KAZAKH FARMER
SEE ESSENTIALLY AN EXPLOSION
IN THE SKY
AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE DEBRIS
FALLING TO THE GROUND.
THEY HEAR A BOOM,
SEE SMOKE IN THE SKY,
AND THEN SEE A SPACECRAFT
SEEM TO EXPLODE.
IT'S THE CAPSULE.
THE HEAT SHIELD SEPARATES.
THE PARACHUTES DEPLOY,
BUT IT STILL SLAMS
INTO THE GROUND.
OVER 3 TONS OF CAPSULE AND CREW
CRASHES DOWN
ONTO THE HARD KAZAKH PLAIN.
THE FARMERS RUSH OVER
EXPECTING TO FIND CARNAGE.
IT COULD BE
A VERY GRAVE SITUATION.
INCREDIBLY, THE THREE
ASTRONAUTS INSIDE ARE BADLY SHAKEN
BUT OTHERWISE UNHARMED.
IT'S REMARKABLE TO BE ABLE
TO EXPERIENCE THAT
AND BE ABLE
TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE
AND... AND GO HOME.
THEIR TERRIFYING
ELEVATOR DROP FROM SPACE
IS WHAT SCIENTISTS
CALL A BALLISTIC ENTRY.
A BALLISTIC ENTRY IS TYPICALLY
AN EMERGENCY MODE
WHEN SOME OF THE SYSTEMS
HAVE FAILED
AND IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO
ACCURATELY CONTROL THE ENTRY.
A BALLISTIC ENTRY ENDANGERS
BOTH THE SPACECRAFT
AND THE CREW.
THE DESCENT MODULE COMES IN
AT AN EXTREME STEEP ANGLE.
THAT'S JUST A BIG
ROUND SPHERE COMING IN.
THERE'S NO CONTROL.
YOU'RE GONNA BE SWINGING.
YOU'RE GONNA BE SPINNING.
G-FORCES BUILD UP
TO VERY EXTREME LEVELS.
QUITE HONESTLY,
IT'S GONNA BE LIKE A CAR CRASH.
SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED
TO THE SOYUZ MODULE TO SEND IT
INTO THIS HIGHLY UNUSUAL
FLIGHT PATH.
ASTONISHINGLY, THE RUSSIANS
CLAIM THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT
WAS THE FEMALE-DOMINATED CREW.
ACCORDING TO THE HEAD
OF THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,
IT WASN'T MAYBE
A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION
SO MUCH AS A GENDER PROBLEM.
PERMANOV
WAS ACTUALLY QUOTED AS SAYING,
"WHEN A MAJORITY
OF THE CREW IS FEMALE,
"SOMETIMES CERTAIN KINDS
OF UNSANCTIONED BEHAVIOR
OR SOMETHING ELSE OCCURS."
PERMANOV'S STATEMENT CLEARLY
BLAMES THE FEMALE-DOMINATED
CREW FOR THE BALLISTIC ENTRY.
ROSCOSMOS INITIALLY STATED
THAT THE CREW
CHANGED THE FLIGHT PLAN
JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY.
BUT NASA SUSPECTS
A TECHNICAL FAULT.
THE ANSWER TURNS OUT
TO BE EXPLOSIVE.
JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY,
THE ASTRONAUT CAPSULE
OF THE SOYUZ
IS ATTACHED TO A SERVICE MODULE.
THE TWO PARTS OF THE SPACECRAFT
ARE SUPPOSED TO SEPARATE
WITH THE DETONATION
OF FIVE EXPLODING BOLTS
THAT CONNECT THEM.
ONE OF THE FIVE PYRO-BOLTS
HOLDING THE CRAFT TOGETHER
FAILED TO DETONATE.
WHICH MEANS THAT THE TWO
MODULES STAY CONNECTED
FOR A HUNDRED SECONDS MORE
THAN THEY NORMALLY SHOULD.
FAILURE TO SEPARATE ON TIME IS
WHAT SENDS THE SOYUZ OFF COURSE.
WITH THAT BOLT ATTACHED,
IT'S ALMOST
LIKE THE DESCENT MODULE
IS COMING IN WITH A TRAILER
ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF IT.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU WANNA
ENTER EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
AS SOON AS THE PROBLEM
IS IDENTIFIED,
ALL EXISTING SOYUZ SPACECRAFT
ARE MODIFIED TO PREVENT THE
ACCIDENT FROM RE-OCCURRING.
BUT ONE UNMODIFIED CAPSULE
IS STILL DOCKED
WITH THE SPACE STATION.
COSMONAUTS VOLCOV AND KONONENKO
WENT AND DID A 6-HOUR SPACE WALK
AND ACTUALLY DISCONNECTED
THE PYRO-BOLT
THAT DOESN'T FIRE
ON THAT SPACECRAFT.
THE SOYUZ IS STILL
THE PRIMARY MEANS FOR TRAVEL
TO AND FROM THE I.S.S..
THE HARD LESSONS LEARNED
FROM PEGGY WHITSON'S EXPERIENCE
WILL BENEFIT
ALL FUTURE ASTRONAUTS
WHO SERVE THERE.
PEGGY'S EXPERIENCE
COMING HOME IN A BURNING,
TUMBLING SOYUZ GETTING 8 G's
IS SIMILAR
TO WHAT SANDRA BULLOCK WENT
THROUGH IN THE MOVIE "GRAVITY."
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE, AS ASTRONAUTS, DO.
WE... WE GET OURSELVES READY
FOR THE UNKNOWN.
STILL TO COME,
SCIENTISTS CAPTURE AN
UNIDENTIFIED METALLIC SPHERE
HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
THAT'S LIVING
BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
A MYSTERIOUS METALLIC SPHERE
HURDLING INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE.
IT IS MADE PRINCIPALLY
OF TITANIUM,
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
A CLOSE INSPECTION SEEMS
TO REVEAL SOMETHING ALIVE
INSIDE.
IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT,
THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
A TEAM OF ASTROBIOLOGISTS
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
SEARCHES FOR SIGNS OF ALIEN
LIFE INFILTRATING OUR ATMOSPHERE.
THEY USE WEATHER BALLOONS
EQUIPPED WITH G.P.S. TECHNOLOGY
TO GATHER EVIDENCE.
THEY USE THE WEATHER BALLOONS
AS A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY
OF SEEING WHAT'S UP THERE
IN THE STRATOSPHERE.
WE HAVE A CD DRAWER
WHICH CAN OPEN AND CLOSE
AT ANY ALTITUDE WE CHOOSE.
WHEN IT'S OPEN,
IT CONTAINS THESE LITTLE,
ROUND STUBS,
AND THE MATERIAL
FALLS ONTO THE STUBS.
VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD,
VERY SIMPLE.
THE RESEARCH RIG FLIES 16 MILES
UP TO REACH THE STRATOSPHERE.
AT THIS ALTITUDE, TEMPERATURES
REACH MINUS 68 FAHRENHEIT
AND HUNDRED-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS
ARE COMMON.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
ESSENTIALLY FISHING TRIPS.
WE SENT UP BALLOONS,
AND WE CATCH WHAT WE CATCH.
AFTER 17 MINUTES
OF SAMPLING AT 84,000 FEET,
THE C.D. DRAWER CLOSES
AND THE PAYLOAD PARACHUTES
BACK TO EARTH.
THE TEAM FOLLOWS
STRICT PROTOCOLS
TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION
WHILE TAKING THE SAMPLES
BACK TO THE LAB FOR ANALYSIS.
SO WE PUT THE STUBS
INTO THESE VERY HIGH POWERED
SCANNING ELECTROMICROSCOPE
THAT LOOKS AT THE SURFACE
OF THE STUB.
THE SAMPLES SIT ON SMALL
CIRCLES OF STERILE CARBON.
ON ONE OF THEM, THE TEAM
SPOTS A STRANGE SPHERE
ABOUT THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.
NOW THIS IS A...
A PHOTOGRAPH, AN IMAGE,
OF WHAT WE SEE
DOWN THE ELECTROMICROSCOPE.
YOU CAN SEE IT'S
A SPHERICAL BALL.
I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S SPHERICAL
EXCEPT THAT SPHERES
ARE VERY STABLE OBJECTS.
SOME OBSERVERS CLAIM
THE SAMPLE IS NO MYSTERY.
IT IS SIMILAR IN SIZE
TO GRASS SEEDS
OR GRAINS OF POLLEN.
BOTH OCCUR NATURALLY
AT HIGH ALTITUDES.
THERE HAVE BEEN RECORDS
EVEN OF SPIDERS BEING FOUND
IN THE STRATOSPHERE
AND MICROBES.
IF HURRICANES
AND OTHER WEATHER PHEMONENA
CAN BRING UP SPIDERS
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,
THEN YES, I WOULD EXPECT
THAT GRASS SEEDS
AND POLLEN
CAN GET THERE AS WELL.
THE SHEFFIELD TEAM BOMBARDS
THE STRANGE SPHERE WITH X-RAYS
TO GET CLUES
TO ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.
WE DID E.D.X. ANALYSIS,
X-RAY ANALYSIS.
WE FIND THAT IT IS MADE,
PRINCIPALLY, OF TITANIUM
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF VANADIUM,
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
TITANIUM IS A RATE METAL
NORMALLY FOUND
DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,
NOT OVER 15 MILES ABOVE
THE EARTH'S SURFACE.
MICROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION
OF THE SAMPLE
REVEALS
ANOTHER STARTLING DISCOVERY.
A DENT
IN THE HARD CARBON SURFACE
OF THE SAMPLE COLLECTION STUB
RESEMBLES A TINY IMPACT SITE.
SO, WE'VE GOT
THIS AMAZING IMPACT, RIGHT?
AND NOW THAT IS JUST
KIND OF EQUIVALENT
TO THE IMPACT CRATER
THAN AN ASTEROID WOULD CAUSE
IF IT HIT THE EARTH.
SO, WE THINK THIS IS
A MINI ASTEROID, AS IT WERE.
BUT CRITICS POINT OUT
THAT FINDING TITANIUM ENTERING
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE IS POSSIBLE.
IT COULD SIMPLY BE A FRAGMENT
OF SPACE JUNK.
ONE HAS TO REMEMBER
THAT THERE ARE PARTICLES
OF TITANIUM IN EARTH ORBIT
THAT RE-ENTER ALL THE TIME.
THESE ARE PARTICLES
THAT ARE PUT THERE
BY EXPLODING SPACECRAFT
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT.
IT'S NOT SURPRISING
THAT THEY EVENTUALLY
GET CAPTURED
BY THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
AND COME DOWN.
WHEN THE TEAM
ATTEMPTS TO MOVE THE SPHERE,
THEY MAKE A DISTURBING DISCOVERY
THAT MAKES THE SPACE JUNK
HYPOTHESIS SEEM UNLIKELY.
WHEN WE MOVE THE BALL ACROSS,
MATERIAL STREAMS FROM THE BALL.
WHEN WE DO AN ANALYSIS ON THAT,
WE FIND IT'S MADE
OF CARBON AND OXYGEN
WITH A BIT OF NITROGEN.
THERE IS SOMETHING
OOZING FROM THE METAL SPHERE,
AND TESTS REVEAL
THE STRANGE MATERIAL
CONTAINS ORGANIC MATTER.
SO IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
WE BELIEVE.
SO THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN
INSIDE THE SPHERE,
AND NOW, BECAUSE
WE'RE MOVING IT ACROSS,
IT'S OOZING OUT.
THE DISCOVERY OF ORGANIC
MATTER INSIDE THE SPHERE
OPENS THE DOOR
TO AN AMAZING HYPOTHESIS.
WHEN I SEE THE SPHERE,
ONE POSSIBILITY
THAT COMES TO MIND
IS THAT MAYBE IT'S A DELIVERY
SYSTEM FOR PANSPERMIA.
THE IDEA OF PANSPERMIA
IS LIFE EVERYWHERE,
THAT MICROORGANISMS
COULD BE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED
THROUGHOUT THE COSMOS
AND COULD BE TRAVELING
FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.
SEEDS CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.
SPORES CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.
LIFE IS NOT BLOCKED BY SPACE.
NOT EVERYONE ACCEPTS THE CLAIM
THAT THE SPHERE IS TRANSPORTING
LIFE FROM AN ALIEN WORLD.
IT SEEMS A LEAP TO SUGGEST
THAT IT COMES, UH,
FROM OUTER SPACE
RATHER THAN FROM EARTH.
EXCEPTIONAL CLAIMS
REQUIRE EXCEPTIONAL EVIDENCE.
IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SUCH
A TINY PIECE OF METAL
COULD'VE TRAVELED
ACROSS SPACE ON ITS OWN,
BUT THE SHEFFIELD TEAM
BELIEVES IT MAY HAVE BEEN
PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER.
SO WHAT WE'RE THINKING
IS POSSIBLY THIS MATERIAL
COMES FROM COMETS.
SO, IT'S COMING
IN IN LARGE PIECES OF ICE.
LIFE COULD BE TRAPPED IN THE ICE
AND SENT OUT FROM OTHER PARTS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT
COULD THEN TRAVEL TO EARTH,
GO THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE
AND LAND IN OUR OCEANS
AND TAKE UP RESIDENCE.
IF THE METAL SPHERE IS INDEED
TRAVELING BETWEEN PLANETS,
SEEDING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,
THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING.
IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT
THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
IT CHANGES BIOLOGY.
BIOLOGY IS NO LONGER
AN EARTH-CENTERED SUBJECT.
IT'S CONNECTED TO THE COSMOS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE
EVERYWHERE.
STILL TO COME,
AN ASTRONAUT ON A SPACE WALK
DISCOVERS DAMAGE TO HIS SUIT.
ASTRONAUT LIVES ARE AT STAKE.
NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.
200 MILES ABOVE THE
SURFACE OF THE EARTH,
AN ASTRONAUT DISCOVERS
A BREACH IN HIS SPACE SUIT.
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND
OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.
YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT,
THAT COULD KILL YOU
VERY QUICKLY.
NASA LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION
TO FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED
THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY DAMAGE.
THEY NOTICED SEVERAL, UH, CUTS
IN THE FINGERTIPS
ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES
AS IF SOMEONE HAD TAKEN
A RAZOR BLADE
AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.
FROM RICK MASTRACCHIO'S
HELMET CAMERA, GOOD VIEW
AS, UH, CLAY ANDERSON,
HE MERGES TO BEGIN
THE SECOND SPACE WALK
OF HIS CAREER.
I.S.S. ASTRONAUTS
RICK MASTRACCHIO
AND CLAY ANDERSON
ARE ALMOST FIVE HOURS
INTO A SPACE WALK.
THEIR MISSION IS TO REPOSITION
ONE OF THE STATION'S
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNAE.
AN ASTRONAUT OUTSIDE
DOING E.V.A.,
HE'S ABLE TO IMPROVISE
OR FIX THINGS
THAT MIGHT BE MORE DIFFICULT
TO DO ROBOTICALLY.
HUMANS ARE VERY FLEXIBLE
AND ADAPTABLE,
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY IT'S USEFUL
TO HAVE HUMANS IN SPACE.
RICK MASTRACCHIO AT THE END
OF THE STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM,
TAKES A RIDE TO THE P-6
SOLAR RAY TRUSS STRUCTURE.
WITH TWO AND A HALF HOURS
OF THE MISSION REMAINING,
MASTRACCHIO CARRYS OUT
A ROUTINE CHECK ON HIS GEAR.
SUDDENLY, HE NOTICES THAT, UH,
ON HIS LEFT THUMB,
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND
OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.
WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
A ROUTINE SPACE WALK
BECOMES AN EMERGENCY.
YOU'RE IN THE HARD VACUUM
OF SPACE,
AND YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT.
THAT COULD KILL YOU
VERY QUICKLY.
IF YOU LOSE THE PRESSURE
IN YOUR SUIT,
YOUR FLUIDS IN YOUR BODY
WOULD BEGIN TO BOIL.
DESPITE THE DANGER,
MASTRACCHIO KEEPS COOL
AND REPORTS THE DAMAGE
TO MISSION CONTROL.
THE DANGER OF A SUIT RUPTURE
FORCES MISSION CONTROL
TO ORDER AN ABORT.
THE REACTION IS TO GET BACK
INSIDE THE SPACE STATION
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
MASTRACCHIO'S TASKS
REMAIN UNCOMPLETED,
BUT WITH THE ASTRONAUT'S LIFE
AT STAKE,
THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE.
YOU CAN'T IGNORE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
WHEN ASTRONAUT LIVES
ARE AT STAKE,
NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.
MASTRACCHIO SURVIVES,
BUT NASA NEEDS TO FIND OUT
WHAT CAUSED THE POTENTIALLY
DEADLY DAMAGE TO HIS GLOVE.
THE PRIMARY LAYER OF HIS
GLOVE ON THE LEFT THUMB,
HE HAD SOME DAMAGE TO THAT.
MASTRACCHIO COULD HAVE
BEEN HIT BY A MICROMETEOROID.
IT'S SOMETHING WE WORRY ABOUT,
MICROMETEOROID DEBRIS,
UH, ACTUALLY HITTING A SUIT.
SPACE SUITS ARE DESIGNED
TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING
AN E.V.A. CAN THROW AT THEM.
THE SPACE SUIT IS DESIGNED
TO ABSORB THE IMPACT
OF A MICROMETEOROID IN...
IN MUCH THE SAME WAY
THAT SOMETHING LIKE
A BULLETPROOF VEST WOULD BE.
TO ABSORB THE IMPACT
OF MICROMETEOROIDS FLYING
FASTER THAN A RIFLE BULLET,
MODERN SPACE SUITS
USE LAYERS OF A SPECIAL TYPE
OF POLYESTER CALLED MYLAR.
MYLAR IS VERY THIN,
SO YOU CAN ADD A LOT
OF LAYERS IN A SMALL AREA,
AND BY ADDING ALL THOSE LAYERS,
EACH LAYER IS ABLE
TO ABSORB A LITTLE BIT
OF THE IMPACT FORCE OF
SOMETHING LIKE A MICROMETEOROID.
BY THE TIME THE MICROMETEOROID
GETS TO THE LAYER
THAT HOLDS THE AIR IN,
IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FORCE
TO PUNCTURE THE SUIT.
IF THE DAMAGE
TO MASTRACCHIO'S GLOVE
DID NOT HAPPEN
OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION,
IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED INSIDE.
THE ASTRONAUTS
TAKE VERY GOOD CARE
OF THE SPACE SUITS
AND ALL OF THE HARDWARE.
THERE'S NO WAY
THIS SUIT WOULD'VE BEEN
DAMAGED INSIDE THE STATION,
BECAUSE THAT IS ONE
OF THE THINGS
WE CHECK VERY CAREFULLY
BEFORE ANYBODY
GOES OUT THE HATCH.
BUT RICK MASTRACCHIO
IS NOT THE FIRST ASTRONAUT
TO SUFFER AN UNEXPECTED TEAR
IN HIS GLOVES.
IN OCTOBER 2000, LEROY CHOW
WAS INSTALLING
POWER CONVERTER UNITS
ON THE I.S.S. EXTERIOR.
SO, MY SECOND, UH,
SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION,
I'M OUTSIDE DOING
TWO SPACE WALKS.
AND IT WASN'T UNTIL
AFTER THE MISSION WAS OVER
THAT THEY NOTICED SEVERAL,
UH, CUTS ON THE FINGERTIPS
ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES
AS IF SOMEONE
HAD TAKEN A RAZOR BLADE
AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.
NASA LAUNCHES
AN INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT
WHAT IS SLICING ITS SPACE SUITS.
THE 2-WEEK INQUIRY REACHES
AN ASTONISHING CONCLUSION.
THE PERPETRATOR
IS THE I.S.S. ITSELF.
WHEN YOU'RE ON A SPACE WALK,
YOU'RE SPACE WALKING
WITH YOUR HANDS
ALONG THESE HANDRAILS.
THE HANDRAILS ALONG
THE SIDES OF THE I.S.S.
HELP ASTRONAUTS MOVE QUICKLY
AND EASILY IN ZERO GRAVITY,
BUT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY
EXPOSED TO THE HAZARDS OF SPACE.
MICROMETEOROID DAMAGE
CAUSES PITTING
AND THEN CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE
A SHARP EDGE TO BE FORMED.
IN THAT CASE, IF AN ASTRONAUT
THEN RUNS HIS HAND OVER IT, UH,
IT'S POSSIBLE TO CUT THE GLOVE.
THE THREAT OF THESE
TINY, JAGGED, METAL CRATERS
FORCES NASA TO REVISE
ITS E.V.A. PROCEDURES.
ON THE SPACE WALKS WE DO NOW,
EVERY 45 MINUTES, AS YOU'RE
GETTING A SUNRISE OR A SUNSET,
THEY'RE ALSO HAVING YOU
PHYSICALLY REPORT TO THEM,
"WHAT DO YOUR GLOVES LOOK LIKE?
"DO YOU SEE ANY DAMAGE
TO YOUR GLOVE
FROM THE LAST TIME
YOU REPORTED TO ME?"
WHEN YOU GET BACK INSIDE
AFTER YOUR SPACE WALK,
THE FIRST THING THEY DO BEFORE
THEY TAKE YOUR GLOVES OFF IS
THEY PHOTOGRAPH YOUR GLOVES...
SO THAT YOU CAN DOCUMENT
WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT
HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM.
TO COMBAT THE THREAT,
NASA IS DEVELOPING A NEW
GENERATION OF SPACE SUITS.
SKIN SUIT DEVELOPMENT
IS UNDERWAY CURRENTLY
BY NASA AND BY OTHERS
AROUND THE WORLD,
AND THESE SUITS
LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE SUITS
THAT YOU'RE USED TO SEEING.
THEY'RE SKIN-TIGHT.
THEY'RE DYNAMIC.
THIS IS A PUT IT ON,
TIGHTEN THE SUIT,
WALK OUT THE DOOR,
DO YOUR BUSINESS IN SPACE.
IT'S...
IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW PARADIGM
FOR SPACE SUIT DESIGN.
UP NEXT,
A MYSTERIOUS MOON
ORBITING SATURN
VANISHES FROM THE NIGHT SKY.
BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY,
MOONS DON'T DO THAT.
A LEGENDARY ASTRONOMER
DISCOVERS A NEW MOON.
THIS IS A MAJOR
SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.
BUT WITHIN WEEKS
OF ITS DISCOVERY,
THE MOON VANISHES.
THIS IS BAFFLING.
WHERE DID IT GO?
AT THE NEWLY BUILT
PARIS OBSERVATORY,
ASTRONOMER GIOVANNI CASSINI
BEGINS HIS OBSERVATIONS
OF SATURN.
IMAGINE YOURSELF
AS GIOVANNI CASSINI
IN THE 17th CENTURY.
HE'S USING
A VERY RUDIMENTARY TELESCOPE,
POINTING IT AT SATURN.
CASSINI NOTICES SOMETHING
PASSING ACROSS THE FACE
OF THE RINGED PLANET.
HE FINDS A MOON.
ASTRONOMERS LATER
NAME IT IAPETUS
AFTER ONE OF THE TITANS
FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
DISCOVERING A MOON OF A PLANET
IS A MAJOR DISCOVERY.
YOU WANNA MAKE SURE
YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT.
AND SO, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,
GIOVANNI IS LOOKING
THROUGH HIS TELESCOPE,
LOOKING AT IAPETUS.
BUT AS IT PASSES
TO THE EASTERN SIDE OF SATURN,
IAPETUS VANISHES.
ONE NIGHT, WHILE HE'S WATCHING,
IT DISAPPEARS.
IT'S LIKE SOME HUGE
COSMIC MAGIC TRICK.
POOF.
BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,
THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY,
MOONS DON'T DO THAT,
AND HE NEEDED TO FIND OUT
WHAT IT WAS.
CASSINI COMES UP WITH A
THEORY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.
HE HAD ONE IDEA.
THE IDEA WAS THAT ONE SIDE
OF THE MOON WAS BRIGHT,
AND THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE MOON WAS DARK.
WHEN IT WAS COMING TOWARDS YOU,
YOU COULD SEE IT.
IT WAS NICE AND BRIGHT.
MOON'S GOING AWAY,
YOU COULDN'T SEE IT.
BUT HOW COULD THAT BE?
NO PLANET IS LIKE THAT.
NO MOON IS LIKE THAT.
AND LIFT-OFF
OF THE CASSINI SPACECRAFT
ON A BILLION-MILE TREK
TO SATURN.
CASSINI'S THEORY
REMAINS UNTESTED FOR
MORE THAN 300 YEARS.
IN 1997, NASA LAUNCHES A PROBE
TOWARDS SATURN NAMED
AFTER THE GREAT ASTRONOMER.
CASSINI CARRYS THE MOST
SOPHISTICATED SUITE
OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
EVER TAKEN
INTO THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.
WHEN THE PROBE FLIES BY IAPETUS,
IT SENDS BACK
HIGH-DEFINITION IMAGES...
THAT REVEAL SOMETHING
COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.
WHAT YOU SEE
IS THIS RIGID MATERIAL
GOING AROUND THE EQUATOR
OF THE MOON.
IT'S AN AMAZINGLY HIGH RIDGE.
IT'S ABOUT THREE TIMES
LARGER THAN EVEREST.
THE RIDGE IS COLOSSAL...
800 MILES LONG
AND UP TO 12 MILES HIGH.
WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING
THAT'S UNIQUE
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
A GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURE
THAT BASICALLY CROSSES
THE ENTIRE OBJECT.
WHERE DOES
SUCH A LARGE, COHERED,
BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE COME FROM?
HOW IS IT CREATED?
ASTRONOMERS STRUGGLE
TO EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE
OF THE MOUNTAINOUS RIDGE
ON A WORLD THAT SHOULDLL NOT
BE GEOLOGICAY ACTIVE.
THE BEST THEORY
WE HAVE RIGHT NOW
IS THAT SOMETHING CAME IN
AND IMPACTED
THE SURFACE OF IAPETUS.
AN ENORMOUS RING OF DEBRIS
SPRUNG UP AROUND THE PLANET.
THIS RING CIRCLED AROUND
IAPETUS AND SPREAD ITSELF OUT,
BUT EVENTUALLY, IT WAS DRAWN
BACK DOWN ONTO THE PLANET,
CREATING THIS RING-LIKE
STRUCTURE AT ITS EQUATOR.
BUT THE CASSINI DATA
OFFERS NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
FOR THE THEORY THAT AN IMPACT
CREATED THE RIDGE ON IAPETUS.
WE'VE BEEN IN ORBIT NOW
FOR A LONG TIME,
AND WE STILL REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT CAUSES THIS RIDGE.
IT MAY BE ONE OF THOSE MYSTERIES
THAT, YOU KNOW, STAYS WITH US
EVEN AFTER CASSINI IS OVER.
THE IMAGES FROM
THE PROBE RAISE A NEW MYSTERY,
BUT THEY ALSO OFFER AN ANSWER
TO AN OLD ONE.
THEY CONFIRMED THAT, YES,
IN FACT, IAPETUS HAS TWO SIDES.
IT HAS A LIGHT SIDE
AND A DARK SIDE.
THE SURFACE OF THE LIGHT SIDE
IS BRIGHT, SHINING ICE,
BUT THE OTHER DARK SIDE
IS COVERED
IN A STRANGE MATERIAL
OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN.
OF COURSE, THE QUESTION
WAS WHERE DID
THAT DARK MATERIAL COME FROM?
THE FIRST THEORY
SCIENTISTS CONSIDERED
IS THAT THE DARK MATERIAL
COULD BE FROM VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT INTERNAL PROCESSES
CAUSED THIS...
VOLCANOES SPRAYING OUT,
UH, MATERIALS.
BUT THE CASSINI IMAGES SHOW
NO SIGNS OF ANY VOLCANOES.
THERE'S NO VOLCANISM OR ANYTHING
THAT REVEALS ANY KIND
OF GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.
THE DARK SIDE REMAINS A MYSTERY
UNTIL NASA DIRECTS THE GAZE
OF THE INFRARED
SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE
TOWARD THE DISAPPEARING MOON.
EVEN FARTHER OUT FROM SATURN
IS A RING THAT WE CAN'T SEE,
BUT WE CAN SEE IT WITH INFRARED.
WHAT SPITZER IS SHOWING US
IS THIS ENORMOUS, VAST RING
OF DUST,
PREVIOUSLY COMPLETELY UNKNOWN.
THE ENORMOUS RING
SURROUNDS ONE OF SATURN'S
LESSER KNOWN MOONS.
IT'S ACTUALLY SO THICK
THAT 20 SATURNS COULD BE
STACKED UP INSIDE OF IT.
AND INSIDE THAT RING
IS ANOTHER MOON CALLED PHOEBE.
PHOEBE IS AN UNUSUAL DARK COLOR
AND APPEARS
TO BE DISINTEGRATING.
PHOEBE IS VERY PECULIAR,
AND AS IT WARMS UP
FROM THE SUN'S RADIATION,
GOING AROUND SATURN,
IT'S EMITTING
ALL SORTS OF MATERIAL.
IT'S LIKE THIS OLD CAR
SPEWING OUT ALL KINDS
OF CITY DUST AS IT GOES
AND LEAVING THIS RING
OF MATERIAL AROUND SATURN.
NASA SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THE DISINTEGRATING MOON
IS THE MOST LIKELY SOURCE
OF THE DARK MATERIAL
COVERING ONE SIDE OF IAPETUS.
IAPETUS IS CIRCLING SATURN,
AND EVERY TIME IT GOES AROUND,
IT SMASHES INTO THIS RING
FROM PHOEBE,
AND IT'S, LIKE,
ACCUMULATING, UH, BUGS
ON THE WINDSHIELD OF A CAR,
AND SO THIS DUSTING
ACCUMULATES ONTO
THE FRONT SURFACE OF IAPETUS
AS IT CIRCLES AROUND,
AND INDEED,
IT'S THE LEADING SURFACE
OF IAPETUS IN ITS ORBIT
THAT IS DARK.
MORE THAN 3
CENTURIES AFTER CASSINI
FIRST DISCOVERED
THE DISAPPEARING MOON,
THE SPACECRAFT
THAT BEARS HIS NAME
IS STILL PUSHING BACK
THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE.
IT'S STILL GIVING US ALL SORTS
OF MYSTERIES TO TRY TO SOLVE.
STILL TO COME,
IMAGES FROM THE PLANET VENUS
APPEAR TO SHOW SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.
IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE.
IN THE NEXT SHOT,
IT'S OVER HERE.
A SOVIET SPACE PROBE
REACHES THE HOTTEST PLANET
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
VENUS IS REALLY AN
INHOSPITABLE PLACE TO VISIT.
THE PROBE SENDS BACK IMAGES
WHICH SEEM TO SHOW SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.
NO LIFE FORM WE KNOW OF CAN
EXIST AT THOSE TEMPERATURES,
SO WHAT IS IT?
THE SOVIET VENERA 13 SPACE PROBE
NEARS THE END OF ITS 4-MONTH
JOURNEY TO THE PLANET VENUS.
A LANDER PACKED
WITH A PAYLOAD OF CAMERAS
AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
PLUNGES MORE THAN 30 MILES
THROUGH CLOUDS OF SULFURIC ACID
TO REACH THE SURFACE.
AMERICA MAY BE THE FIRST NATION
TO LAND HUMANS ON THE MOON,
BUT THE SOVIET UNION NAILS
THE EXPLORATION OF VENUS.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR, UH,
SPACE EXPLORATION,
A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN FOCUSED
ON THE MOON AND MARS,
AND VENUS IS KINDA LEFT BEHIND
WHEN VENUS MAY BE THE MOST
INTERESTING PLACE TO OBSERVE.
IN THE COLD WAR ERA, THE SOVIETS
KEEP THE FINDINGS OF THE PROBE
A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET.
DURING THE 1970s AND '80s,
WE KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT
THE VENERA MISSIONS TO VENUS.
IT TAKES THREE DECADES
BEFORE A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST,
LEONID KSANFOMALITI,
REVEALS ASTONISHING IMAGES
FROM THE SOVIET ARCHIVES.
HE'S REANALYZING PICTURES,
AND HE NOTICES
SOMETHING RATHER STRANGE.
THERE'S SOMETHING UNUSUAL
IN THE BARREN LANDSCAPE.
THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING THERE,
BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT?
HE SEES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A DISK.
THE DISK SEEMS TO BE MOVING.
IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE,
AND IN THE NEXT SHOT,
IT'S OVER HERE.
BUT NASA IMAGE ANALYSIS
SUGGESTS THAT THE ANOMALY IS
NOT A SINGLE OBJECT THAT MOVED.
IT IS ACTUALLY TWO SEPARATE
BUT SIMILAR-LOOKING OBJECTS
WHICH HAVE FALLEN
FROM THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF.
NASA PHOTO ANALYSTS,
UPON REVIEWING THE PHOTOGRAPHS,
HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS
ACTUALLY PROBABLY THE LENS CAPS
FROM THE TWO VENERA CAMERAS.
BUT THE RUSSIAN SCIENTIST
SPOTS ANOTHER SHAPE IN THE
IMAGE THAT IS HARDER TO EXPLAIN.
HE SEES WHAT APPEARS
TO BE A SCORPION TO HIM.
KSANFOMALITI DECLARES
THE PROBE'S CAMERAS
HAVE CAPTURED EVIDENCE
OF LIFE ON VENUS.
A SCORPION-LIKE CREATURE
ON THE SURFACE OF VENUS
SOUNDS A LITTLE OUT THERE,
BUT IS THERE A WAY
THAT VENUS COULD SUPPORT LIFE?
ANY LIFE ON VENUS
WOULD FACE HUGE PROBLEMS.
THERE ARE A LOT
OF UNAPPEALING PLACES
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
BUT PROBABLY NONE
AS UNAPPEALING AS VENUS.
IF YOU DECIDED TO TAKE
A STROLL ON VENUS,
IT'D BE UNLIKE ANYTHING
YOU'D EVER EXPERIENCED.
THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD BE
CRUSHING ON YOUR BODY.
THE ROCKS UNDERNEATH YOUR FEET
WOULD BE RED-HOT,
ALMOST MOLTEN, READY TO MELT.
THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE ON
VENUS IS OVER 800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD.
VENUS IS OFTEN SAID TO BE
EARTH'S SISTER PLANET,
ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT THE SISTER
YOU'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER
BECAUSE OF
THE HIGH TEMPERATURES.
IN THE ABSENCE
OF ANY FURTHER EVIDENCE
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF
SCORPION CREATURES ON VENUS,
WE CAN ONLY GUESS AT WHAT
THE SHAPE IN THE IMAGE MIGHT BE.
MY TAKE ON THIS IMAGE
IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING
AT A FURROW
THAT WAS DUG
BY THIS INSTRUMENT COVER
AFTER IT WAS EJECTED
FROM THE VENERA 13 CRAFT.
NASA SENDS ITS OWN PROBE
PIONEERED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
INTO THE POSSIBILITY
OF LIFE ON VENUS.
THERE'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, ZONE
ON VENUS
WHICH IS ACTUALLY
SURPRISINGLY EARTH-LIKE,
AND THAT IS THE CLOUDS...
THE HIGH CLOUDS
WHICH ARE OCCURRING
AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES
THAT ARE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
FROM EARTH'S SURFACE.
IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS,
THERE ARE CONSTANT RAINS
OF SULFURIC ACID
WHICH WOULD BE DEADLY
TO MOST KNOWN FORMS OF LIFE,
BUT NOT ALL.
WE DO KNOW LIFE ON EARTH
EXISTS IN VERY INHOSPITABLE PLACES.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN CAVES,
YOU GET SOME BACTERIA,
THESE EXTREMOPHILE BACTERIA,
THAT CAN EXIST
IN A VERY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT
SOMEWHAT LIKE BEING
IN YOUR CAR BATTERY.
IF LIFE CAN THRIVE
IN ACID ENVIRONMENTS ON EARTH,
IT CAN EXIST WITHIN
THE ACID CLOUDS OF VENUS.
WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD EXIST
IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS?
IT WOULD BE A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM
STRUCTURED FROM BOTTOM TO TOP,
FROM THE SIMPLEST
TO THE MOST COMPLEX.
YOU CAN HAVE PREDATORS
FLYING THROUGH.
YOU CAN HAVE
HUGE COLONIAL CREATURES
LIVING ABOVE IN THE CLOUDS,
MOVING LIKE BEAUTIFUL BALLOONS
FLOATING OVER
THE SURFACE OF VENUS.
WHO KNOWS,
BECAUSE NATURE ALWAYS AMAZES US
WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE.
TODAY,
SCIENTISTS ARE INVESTIGATING
IF VENUS COULD SUPPORT ANOTHER
FORM OF LIFE... HUMANKIND.
IF HUMANS ARE GOING TO SURVIVE
INDEFINITELY INTO THE FUTURE,
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO LEAVE EARTH.
WE SEE IT IN THE FOSSIL RECORD
THAT FROM TIME TO TIME,
MUCH OF EARTH'S LIFE
GETS WIPED OUT,
AND THE MORE PLANETS
WE HAVE, THE BETTER.
SURVIVING IN THE VENUSIAN CLOUDS
MIGHT NOT BE AS FAR-FETCHED
AS IT SOUNDS.
THE SOURCE OF OXYGEN
IS ALREADY THERE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER
OF EXTRACTING IT
FROM THE CARBON DIOXIDE.
WATER'S THERE. NITROGEN'S THERE.
YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO IMPORT
ANY BASIC LIFE SUPPORT MATERIAL.
IT'S ALL THERE.
YOU JUST NEED TO PROCESS IT.
THE TECHNOLOGY
TO TURN THESE IDEAS
INTO REALITIES
IS ALREADY IN DEVELOPMENT.
INFLATABLE MODULES ARE ALREADY
BEING CONSIDERED
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION,
SO IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG STEP
TO IMAGINE THAT
THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY
COULD BE USED TO MAKE A HABITAT
THAT COULD FLOAT
IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF VENUS.
COULD EARTH'S TWISTED SISTER
BECOME OUR NEXT HOME?
IT'S PURE SPECULATION TODAY,
BUT WE COULD SEE
AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE,
A HUMAN COLONY ON VENUS.
ALMOST HALF A CENTURY
AFTER MAN FIRST SET FOOT
ON THE MOON,
THERE ARE STILL ASPECTS OF
THE MISSION SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.
Tranquility Base.
The Eagle has landed.
THE ARCHIVES OF COLD WAR RIVALS
STILL CONTAIN SECRETS.
AND NEW DISCOVERIES CHALLENGE
EVERYTHING WE THINK WE KNOW.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk