NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 4, Episode 7 - Mystery of the Invisible Planet - full transcript

NASA's MISSION IS
TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

IS A TINY FRACTION
OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY OUT THERE.

IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT'S OUT THERE.

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES
THAN DISCOVERIES.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
IT'S GONNA THROW AT US NEXT.

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT...



THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION,
THE SHAPE OF THIS THING...

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

THE FBI, THE ARMY,

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON.

A NASA PROBE

STARTS COMMUNICATING
IN AN ALIEN LANGUAGE...

WHY IS IT SENDING
THESE STRANGE MESSAGES?

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

AND ASTRONOMERS FIND
EVIDENCE OF AN INVISIBLE
PLANET.

THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

THESE ARE...

NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 4
EP - 7 - Mystery of the Invisible Planet

A WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS



THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
HAS A SECRET RECORDING

OF A DYING COSMONAUT'S
LAST WORDS.

KOMAROV IS SCREAMING AND
YELLING AT MISSION CONTROL.

THE ENTIRE SOYUZ MISSION
IS A FAILURE.

DID THE KREMLIN

KNOWINGLY SEND A SOVIET HERO
TO HIS DEATH?

THIS COSMONAUT
WAS SENT ON A MISSION

TO SATISFY THE VANITY
OF THE KREMLIN LEADERS.

IF YOU LAUNCH
WHEN YOU'RE NOT READY,

YOU JUST SENTENCED
THAT COSMONAUT TO DEATH.

A WEBSITE
RELEASES AUDIO RECORDINGS

CLAIMING TO CAPTURE
THE TERRIBLE FINAL MOMENTS

OF COSMONAUT VLADIMIR KOMAROV.

THERE ARE RECORDINGS
ON THE INTERNET

THAT CLAIM TO BE
KOMAROV CRASHING TO EARTH,

CRYING OUT IN TERROR,

SPEAKING BEFORE THIS CRASH
TO HIS WIFE...

HIS TEARFUL WIFE.

VERY DRAMATIC STORY.

SOME OBSERVERS CLAIM
THE TAPES ARE EVIDENCE

OF THE SOVIET UNION CALLOUSLY
SACRIFICING A COSMONAUT'S LIFE

FOR POLITICAL GAIN.

THE OFFICIAL SOVIET RECORD
CLAIMS KOMAROV'S DEATH

WAS AN UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT.

BUT WHICH VERSION
OF THE EVENTS IS TRUE?

THE STORY BEGINS IN 1967

IN THE MIDST OF THE COLD WAR.

AGAINST A BACKDROP OF
INCREASING MILITARY TENSION,

THE SOVIET UNION AND AMERICA
ARE LOCKED IN A RACE

TO PUT A MAN ONTO ANOTHER WORLD.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
BATTLES IN THE COLD WAR

IS THE SPACE RACE.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
OF THE SPACE RACE

IS GETTING TO THE MOON FIRST.

THE SOVIET'S HOPES
OF BEATING THE AMERICANS

REST ON A COMPLEX DOCKING TEST
OF THEIR NEW SOYUZ 1 SPACECRAFT.

THE COSMONAUT CHOSEN
FOR THIS DANGEROUS MISSION

IS VLADIMIR KOMAROV.

THE KEY
TO A SUCCESSFUL LUNAR LANDING

IS TO BE ABLE
TO GET THE MEN INTO A MODULE

AND GET THEM OFF
THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,

HOOK UP WITH A ROCKET
ORBITING THE MOON,

AND TAKE THEM ALL HOME.

THIS IS WHAT KOMAROV
IS SUPPOSED TO TEST

WITH THIS FIRST SOYUZ FLIGHT

IN THE RUN-UP TO THE LAUNCH,

SOVIET ENGINEERS
REPORT OVER 200 FAULTS

WITH THE SPACECRAFT.

KOMAROV IS ALSO AWARE

THAT EVERY PRE-MISSION
TEST FLIGHT ENDED IN DISASTER.

KOMAROV KNOWS THAT THIS
MISSION IS INTENSELY RISKY

BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS
FAILURES OF THE PROTOTYPES.

HE KNOWS WHAT KIND OF DANGER
HE'S GOING TO BE IN.

NEVERTHELESS,
ON APRIL 23rd, AT 6:35 A.M.,

KOMAROV BLASTS OFF

FROM THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
IN KAZAKHSTAN.

HIS MODULE
SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATES

FROM THE LAUNCH VEHICLE

AND ENTERS AN ORBIT OVER
120 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

BUT JUST MINUTES
INTO THE MISSION,

KOMAROV'S CAPSULE
STARTS TO MALFUNCTION.

HE GETS UP INTO SPACE
ON THE SOYUZ 1.

AND HIS SPACECRAFT
IMMEDIATELY BEGINS

BREAKING DOWN
PIECE BY PIECE BY PIECE.

FIRST OF ALL,
ONE OF THE SOLAR PANELS

ONBOARD THE SPACECRAFT
DOESN'T DEPLOY.

LOSING A SOLAR PANEL
DESTABILIZES THE SOYUZ.

KOMAROV HAS TO FIGHT TO CONTROL
THE CRITICALLY-DAMAGED CRAFT.

THE MODULE IS OUT OF BALANCE.
IT CAN'T ORBIT PROPERLY.

HE TRIES ALL KINDS OF THINGS

TO GET THE SHIP BACK
IN ITS PROPER FUNCTIONING.

AND NOTHING WORKS.

KOMAROV IS RACING AT
ALMOST 18,000 MILES PER HOUR

IN A CRAFT THAT'S
SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL.

KOMAROV ONLY HAS
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ORBITS

BEFORE HE RUNS OUT OF POWER.

AND THEY HAVE TO GET HIM DOWN
QUICKLY.

DURING
THE FIRST RE-ENTRY ATTEMPTS,

THE AUTOMATIC-STEERING SYSTEMS
FAIL.

BY THE TIME THE CAPSULE

EVENTUALLY RE-ENTERS
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

IT HAS ONLY
MINUTES OF POWER LEFT.

KOMAROV'S CAPSULE HITS THE UPPER
ATMOSPHERE AT 5 MILES A SECOND.

BUT THE AIR DRAG SLOWS HIM DOWN

TO ONLY SEVERAL-HUNDRED FEET
PER SECOND.

THAT'S WHEN THE PARACHUTES
ARE SUPPOSED TO COME OUT.

AND ON HIS FLIGHT, THEY DIDN'T.

HIS DRAG CHUTE
DOESN'T DEPLOY PROPERLY.

HIS MAIN CHUTE
ONLY PARTIALLY DEPLOYS.

HIS BACKUP CHUTE GETS TANGLED
WITH THE MODULE ITSELF.

THE CRIPPLED SOYUZ CAPSULE

IS NOW HURTLING
TOWARDS THE GROUND

WITH NO MEANS OF SLOWING DOWN.

AND AT THIS POINT, SOYUZ,

INSTEAD OF BEING A SPACECRAFT
HEADING FOR A SOFT LANDING,

IS A MISSILE HURTLING
TOWARD THE GROUND.

KOMAROV AND THE SHIP
HIT THE GROUND,

KILLING HIM INSTANTLY.

ON APRIL 26th,

SOVIET OFFICIALS
GIVE KOMAROV A STATE FUNERAL.

HE HAD A FUNERAL THAT
WAS ATTENDED BY ALL COSMONAUTS

AND TELEVISED.

HE WAS MADE A HERO.

BUT RUMORS SOON SURFACE

THAT THE KREMLIN
WAS NOT TELLING THE PUBLIC

THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT
VLADIMIR KOMAROV'S MISSION.

THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL RUMOR

IS THAT KOMAROV KNEW
HIS MISSION WAS DOOMED

EVEN BEFORE HE TOOK OFF.

THERE ARE WIDESPREAD STORIES
IN RUSSIA

THAT KOMAROV WENT ON THE MISSION

EVEN KNOWING
THE SHIP WAS GONNA CRASH.

IN 1972, A STORY EMERGES

THAT SEEMS TO CONFIRM THE RUMOR.

AN NSA WHISTLEBLOWER
REVEALS THE EXISTENCE

OF SECRET AUDIO RECORDED
CLOSE TO THE RUSSIAN BORDER

BY A LISTENING POST IN TURKEY.

THE TAPES ALLEGEDLY CAPTURED

KOMAROV'S FINAL MOMENTS,

WITH THE DYING COSMONAUT
DENOUNCING THE KREMLIN

AND CURSING THE PEOPLE
WHO SENT HIM INTO SPACE.

KOMAROV IS SCREAMING AND
YELLING AT MISSION CONTROL.

HE'S VERY UPSET WITH
THE SOVIET UNION IN GENERAL.

ARE THESE REALLY
KOMAROV'S DYING WORDS?

RUSSIAN HISTORIAN
SLAVA GEROVITCH

HAS SEVERE DOUBTS.

IT'S TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO MAKE OUT THE WORDS.

IT'S NOT CLEAR IF IT'S A
SPACE MISSION OR NOT.

DEFINITELY,
THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING

IF IT'S KOMAROV OR NOT.

I DIDN'T HEAR ANY SPACE TERM

OR ANY WORDS THAT WOULD INDICATE
THAT THAT WAS KOMAROV'S MISSION.

THESE ARE DEFINITELY NOT
KOMAROV'S LAST WORDS.

THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE

SUGGESTS THAT THE RECORDING,
AT LEAST, IS A HOAX.

BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS...

WHY WOULD KOMAROV UNDERTAKE
A MISSION HE KNEW WOULD FAIL?

KOMAROV KNOWS THE RISKS.

THE PROBLEM IS
HIS BACKUP IS YURI GAGARIN,

THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE,

WHO IS NOT JUST A SOVIET
NATIONAL TREASURE AND A HERO,

BUT HE'S ALSO KOMAROV'S FRIEND.

AND HE DOESN'T WANT GAGARIN

IN WHAT HE KNOWS
IS PROBABLY A DEATH TRAP.

KOMAROV TOOK ON THE MISSION

RATHER THAN RISK
THE LIFE OF A FRIEND.

TODAY, THE COSMONAUT
IS REMEMBERED AS A TRUE HERO

WHOSE LIFE WAS SACRIFICED
BY A HEARTLESS REGIME.

KOMAROV WENT TO HIS DEATH

BECAUSE SOME OFFICIAL WAS
AFRAID TO DISPLEASE BREZHNEV.

IF YOU LAUNCH
WHEN YOU'RE NOT READY,

YOU JUST SENTENCED
THAT COSMONAUT TO DEATH.

AND I THINK
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.

COMING UP,
AN IMPOSTER INFILTRATES MISSION CONTROL.

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

AND A POLICE OFFICER

SEES SOMETHING IN THE NEW
MEXICO DESERT HE CAN'T EXPLAIN.

THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION,
THE SHAPE OF THIS THING...

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

A NASA CRAFT CARRIES
A MESSAGE TO EXTRATERRESTRIALS

INTO DEEP SPACE.

THE VOYAGER IS SORT OF
THIS INTERGALACTIC HELLO SIGN.

IT'S US TELLING THE UNIVERSE
THAT WE'RE HERE.

SUDDENLY,
THE PROBE BEGINS COMMUNICATING

IN A STRANGE LANGUAGE.

THE INFORMATION BECAME GARBLED.

SOMETHING HAD INTERFERED
WITH THE COMPUTER'S BOARD.

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

NASA's
GROUNDBREAKING VOYAGER 2 PROB

IS MORE THAN THREE DECADES

INTO ITS EPIC JOURNEY
TOWARDS DEEP SPACE.

THE CRAFT IS ABOUT
TO LEAVE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

AND ENTER THE UNKNOWN.

VOYAGER 2 WAS A PIONEER

GOING WHERE NO SPACECRAFT
HAD EVER GONE BEFORE.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE
ON THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS THING IS COMPLETELY ALONE.

ON APRIL 22, 2010,

JUST AS THE CRAFT PREPARES

TO CROSS THE BOUNDARY
INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE,

IT MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS.

IT GETS TO ABOUT 10 BILLION
MILES AWAY FROM THE EARTH.

AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT'S SENDING DOWN DATA

IN A LANGUAGE
THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND.

YOU MIGHT EVEN CALL IT
AN ALIEN LANGUAGE.

SOMEONE... OR SOMETHING...

HAS ALTERED VOYAGER 2'S
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.

NASA IMMEDIATELY EXECUTES

AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN
OF THE PROBE.

NASA GIVES IT
A SAFE-MODE SIGNAL.

"SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING,
PRESERVE YOUR BATTERY.

LET'S TRY AND FIGURE OUT

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY
BE THE PROBLEM

THAT'S CAUSING YOU
NOT TO COMMUNICATE."

TRAJECTORY DATA

CONFIRMS NOTHING HAS KNOCKED
THE PROBE OFF COURSE.

AND THE TEAM FINDS NO EVIDENCE
OF EXTERIOR DAMAGE.

CHECKING THE SYSTEMS WITH
ANOTHER DOWNLINK THAT THEY HAVE,

THEY CAN TELL NOTHING ELSE
IS WRONG ON THE SPACECRAFT.

IT'S JUST THIS ONE SYSTEM.

IF THE CRAFT ITSELF
IS IN GOOD WORKING ORDER,

WHY IS IT SENDING
THESE STRANGE MESSAGES?

THIS IS VERY PECULIAR.

WITH VOYAGER ALMOST
NINE BILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

IT TAKES NASA 26 HOURS TO SEND
AND RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC DATA.

WHEN THE RESULTS ARE
FINALLY PROCESSED,

THE MYSTERY ONLY DEEPENS.

THEY JUST SUDDENLY
REALIZE, "WAIT A MINUTE."

IN THE COMPLEX BINARY CODES

THAT COMMAND THE COMPUTER
SYSTEM ON VOYAGER 2,

A SINGLE DIGIT HAS BEEN
FLIPPED FROM ONE TO A ZERO.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEBODY
REPROGRAMMED THE PROBE.

THE FLIPPING OF ONE BIT OF DATA

COULD SUGGEST
THAT AN UNKNOWN PARTY

HAS INTENTIONALLY INTERFERED

WITH VOYAGER'S
ONBOARD COMPUTERS.

ONE TRICK THAT HACKERS
LIKE TO USE IS BIT FLIPPING,

'CAUSE BIT FLIPPING CAN
ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN A COMPUTER

AND CAN CORRUPT DATA.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER

WHETHER THE POSSIBLE HACK
COULD'VE ORIGINATED FROM EARTH.

BUT THE DISTANCES INVOLVED
MAKE THIS HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

YOU HAVE TO SEND SIGNALS
THROUGH THE DEEP-SPACE NETWORK

TO FAR AWAY SPACE PROBES
USING BIG ANTENNA.

I DON'T THINK
MOST HACKERS HAVE THOSE.

THE INCIDENT RAISES
AN ASTONISHING POSSIBILITY.

COULD THE BIT FLIPPING
BE A RESPONSE

TO A MESSAGE VOYAGER IS
CARRYING INTO DEEP SPACE?

THE VOYAGER SPACE PROBE
CARRIED MESSAGES ABOARD

DESIGNED TO BE INTERPRETED

BY ANY ALIEN LIFE-FORMS
THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER.

WHEN VOYAGER WAS LAUNCHED,

IT CARRIED A RECORD OF IMAGES
AND SOUNDS FROM EARTH.

SCIENTISTS HOPE THAT, ONE DAY,

ANOTHER CIVILIZATION
MIGHT PICK UP THE MESSAGES

AND MAKE CONTACT WITH MANKIND.

THE VOYAGER IS SORT OF
THIS INTERGALACTIC HELLO SIGN.

IT'S US TELLING THE UNIVERSE
THAT WE'RE HERE.

SOME SPECULATE

THAT IF THE MESSAGES HAVE BEEN
READ BY AN ADVANCED RACE,

BIT FLIPPING WOULD BE
AN EFFECTIVE WAY

OF COMMUNICATING WITH EARTH.

DID SOMEONE DECIDE,
"WOW. I'M GONNA RESPOND."

BUT THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH,

SO THEIR MESSAGE
IS A COMPUTER MESSAGE.

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

IF THIS IS A CODED MESSAGE,

INVESTIGATORS HAVE YET
TO DECIPHER IT.

AFTER THREE WEEKS
OF BIZARRE SIGNALS,

ENGINEERS MANAGED TO REMOTELY
RESET VOYAGER'S COMPUTERS.

THE EXACT CAUSE OF
THE MYSTERIOUS BIT FLIPPING

REMAINS UNKNOWN.

COMING UP, DID AN IMPOSTER
SABOTAGE A NASA MISSION?

THERE'S A ROGUE SATELLITE I

AND THAT'S REALLY BAD NEWS.

WHEN YOU'VE GOT
AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THIS,

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS,

"IS THERE SOMETHING
GOING ON HERE

FROM AN ESPIONAGE PERSPECTIVE?"

- BOOST FOR IGNITION.
- LIFT OFF OF DISCOVERY.

AN IMPOSTER INFILTRATES NAS

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS HE,
AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT QUICKLY.

INVESTIGATORS
DISCOVER HE HAS STOLEN

CLASSIFIED SCHEMATICS
FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SYSTEMS
THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES.

THEY MIGHT ALSO DELIVER
A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

TEXAS... MAY, 30, 1998.

NASA SPECIAL AGENT JOE GUTHEINZ

IS ON THE TRAIL
OF A HIGH-PRIORITY SUSPECT.

WE'RE CHASING THIS GUY
ALL OVER TOWN

TRYING TO FIND OUT
WHERE HE'S AT.

FINALLY, WE TRACK HIM

TO A TRAILER
IN GALVESTON COUNTY.

INSIDE THE MAN'S HIDEOUT,

THEY FIND A LOADED WEAPON.

UNDER QUESTIONING,
HE CONFESSES TO BEING A TRAINED KILLER.

HE TELLS ME
HE'S A C.I.A. ASSASSIN

WITH FIVE CONFIRMED KILLS
IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

AS GUTHEINZ
INTERROGATES THE SUSPECT,

HE UNCOVERS AN INCREDIBLE
TALE OF DECEPTION

THAT SHAKES NASA TO THE CORE.

STARTING TO DRAW
A PICTURE OF THIS INDIVIDUAL

THAT'S ALARMING.

SO THE QUESTION IS, WHO IS HE?

THE STORY BEGINS
TWO WEEKS EARLIER,

WHEN THE MAN PRESENTS
NASA IDENTIFICATION PAPERS

TO SECURITY AT PENSACOLA
NAVAL AIR STATION.

HE CLAIMS TO BE
JERRY WHITTREDGE,

AN ELITE NAVAL PILOT
AND TRAINEE ASTRONAUT.

I RECEIVE A CALL FROM THE
PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION.

THERE'S A MAN CLAIMING TO BE

AN ASTRONAUT S1
AND TOP GUN TROPHY WINNER.

AND THEY SAID, "BY THE WAY,
WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECORD

OF THIS MAN
BEING AN ASTRONAUT HERE."

AND THERE'S NO SUCH THING
AS AN S1.

WHITTREDGE
IS USING FALSE NASA PAPERS

TO GAIN ACCESS TO A
SECURE MILITARY INSTALLATION.

GUTHEINZ IMMEDIATELY CONDUCTS
BACKGROUND CHECKS.

OUR CONTACT, THE MILITARY...

THE MILITARY HAS NEVER HEARD
OF JERRY ALLEN WHITTREDGE.

OUR CHECK
WITH OUR ASTRONAUT OFFICE

AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER...

NASA AND JSC HAVE NEVER HEARD
OF JERRY ALLEN WHITTREDGE.

GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS

THAT WHITTREDGE
IS A QUALIFIED PILOT

WITH A BACKGROUND
IN ENGINEERING...

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
HE USED TO GAIN THE TRUST

OF KEY NASA PERSONNEL.

HE COULD TALK ABOUT
PROPULSION SYSTEMS,

AND HE COULD TALK ABOUT
AVIATION AND AERODYNAMICS.

AND HE WAS VERY BELIEVABLE.

THEN NASA TELLS GUTHEINZ

THAT WHITTREDGE HAS
PREVIOUSLY GAINED ACCESS

TO ONE OF THE SPACE AGENCY'S
MOST SECURE SITES.

IN NOVEMBER 1997,

THE IMPOSTER USED FALSE I.D.
TO ENTER MISSION CONTROL

AT THE REDSTONE ARSENAL
IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.

I KNOW THAT NOBODY GETS INVITED

INTO MISSION CONTROL
DURING A MISSION,

BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY THE
MOST SECURE FACILITY IN NASA.

AND WE HAVE
A GUY SITTING AT A CONSOLE

DURING A SPACE MISSION.

MISSION CONTROL
GIVES WHITTREDGE ACCESS

TO HIGHLY-RESTRICTED NASA
AND MILITARY DATA.

WHEN YOU'VE GOT
AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THIS

WHO'S GAINED ACCESS
TO SECURE AREAS,

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS,

"IS THERE SOMETHING
GOING ON HERE

FROM AN ESPIONAGE PERSPECTIVE?"

WHAT GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS NEXT

SEEMS TO CONFIRM
HIS WORST FEARS.

HE'S SEATED
AT A CONSOLE DURING A MISSION

AND COMMUNICATES
WITH THE ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE.

No, we do have it,
per video downlink.

ON NOVEMBER 21, 1997,

THE VERY DAY WHITTREDGE
INFILTRATES THE CONTROL ROOM,

A SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION
GOES DISASTROUSLY WRONG.

THE CREW OF STS-87 LOSES CONTROL

OF A 3,000-POUND SCIENTIFIC
SATELLITE CALLED SPARTAN.

THEY TRIED
TO DEPLOY THE SPARTAN,

BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG.

AND IT STARTED
TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL.

THERE'S A ROGUE SATELLITE
IN NEAR-EARTH ORBIT,

AND THAT'S REALLY BAD NEWS.

Yeah, thanks, Scott.
Hit "refresh."

ONLY A DARING RESCUE
MISSION BY THE CREW OF STS-87

AVERTS DISASTER.

THE INCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN
A COINCIDENCE.

BUT THEN GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS
THAT THE SAME SUSPECT

HAS STOLEN
HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED SCHEMATICS

FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE
PROPULSION SYSTEM.

THE SHUTTLE SCHEMATIC'S
PROPULSION SYSTEM

IS ON A NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS.

WHEN WHITTREDGE OBTAINS

SCHEMATICS
FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE,

INVESTIGATORS BECOME CONVINCED
THAT HE COULD BE A SPY.

CLASSIFIED
NASA TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS

COMMANDS A HIGH PRICE IN THE
INTERNATIONAL BLACK MARKET.

THERE ARE OTHER GOVERNMENTS
AROUND THIS WORLD...

FROM NORTH KOREA
TO CHINA TO RUSSIA...

THAT SEE WHAT WE HAVE,
AND THEY WANT IT.

WHITTREDGE
IS IN POSSESSION OF PLANS

WITH DEVASTATING
MILITARY APPLICATIONS.

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SYSTEMS
THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES...

PROPULSION SYSTEMS,
GUIDANCE SYSTEMS.

SURE, THEY MIGHT GET US
INTO OUTER SPACE,

BUT THEY MIGHT ALSO
DELIVER A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

FEARING THE WORST,

ON MAY 30, 1998,
GUTHEINZ DECIDES TO ACT.

WHEN I SEE SOMEBODY
THAT PRESENTS A CLEAR AN

IT'S TIME TO PUT THE CUFFS ON
AND BRING HIM IN.

GUTHEINZ INTERROGATES WHITTREDGE

TO ASSESS HIS THREAT
TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

THERE ARE THREE POSSIBILITIES
WITH JERRY WHITTREDGE...

HE'S A TERRORIST, HE'S A SPY,
HE'S A NUT.

THREE OPTIONS,
DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THEM.

UNDER PRESSURE,

WHITTREDGE MAKES A SERIES
OF INCREASINGLY BIZARRE

AND IRRATIONAL STATEMENTS.

HE CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN
A CELLMATE

OF SENATOR JOHN McCAIN
IN THE VIETNAM WAR

AND THAT HIS ATTORNEY
IS BILL CLINTON.

I THINK I HAVE
A VERY GOOD FEELING

FOR WHO JERRY WHITTREDGE IS.

AND JERRY WHITTREDGE
IS A WANNABE

THAT HAS A GOOD STORY TO TELL.

AFTER LENGTHY INTERROGATION,

WHITTREDGE IS RELEASED
WITHOUT CHARGE.

BUT WHILE SOME WITHIN NASA
DISMISS HIM AS DELUSIONAL,

OTHERS ARE LESS SURE.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT

ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT I TALKED
TO HIGH UP IN THE CHAIN SAID,

"WHY NOT PRETEND TO HAVE THE
ISSUES IN CASE YOU GET CAUGHT?"

COMING UP,

A STRANGE CRAFT
BUZZES A NEW MEXICO POLICEMAN.

FLAME SHOOTS OUT
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

A NEW MEXICO COP SEES
SOMETHING THAT D

SUDDENLY, FLAME SHOOTS OUT
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

THIS IS LIKE NOTHING
HE'S EVER SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

AS PANIC SPREADS,
THE MILITARY INVESTIGATES.

THE FBI, THE ARMY,
THE AIR FORCE...

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON.

APRIL 24, 1964... NEW MEXICO.

SERGEANT LONNIE ZAMORA
PURSUES A VEHICLE

ALONG HIGHWAY 85
NEAR THE TOWN OF SOCORRO.

LONNIE ZAMORA IS AN EXPERIENCED
ON-DUTY POLICE OFFICER

ENGAGED IN A HIGH-SPEED CHASE,
WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,

HIS ATTENTION IS CAUGHT
BY A FLAME IN THE SKY.

THINKING HE MAY HAVE
WITNESSED A CAR ACCIDENT,

ZAMORA BREAKS OFF HIS CHASE
TO INVESTIGATE.

HE SOON REALIZED
THIS WAS NO CAR.

THE OBJECT HE WAS LOOKING AT

WAS ESSENTIALLY
WHITE AND FEATURELESS,

OVAL IN SHAPE,
BUT ON LEGS OF SOME SORT.

SUDDENLY, IN THE DISTANCE,

FLAME SHOOTS OUT
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

THIS IS LIKE NOTHING
HE'S EVER SEEN BEFORE...

THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION,
THE SHAPE OF THIS THING.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

ZAMORA FILES
A REPORT OF THE EVENT.

IT BECOMES KNOWN
AS THE "SOCORRO INCIDENT."

THERE'S MASSIVE PUBLIC
INTEREST IN UFOs AT THE TIME.

WHAT MAKES THIS CASE

PARTICULARLY INTERESTING
AND DIFFERENT

IS THE FACT THAT, FIRSTLY,

THIS IS NOT SOME VAGUE LIGHT
IN THE SKY.

THIS IS A STRUCTURED,
LANDED CRAFT.

AS WORD OF THE INCIDENT

SPREADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

JOURNALISTS FLOCK TO NEW MEXICO.

THIS IS DAVID BRINKLEY
IN THE RADAR ROOM.

THIS SIGHTING
SOON BECOMES BIG NEWS.

THE MEDIA DESCEND ON THIS TOWN.

THERE ARE HEADLINES
ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.

THE AMAZING STORY
OF THE FLYING SAUCER.

THEY SAW SOMETHING
STRANGE AND UNUSUAL.

IT WAS NOT AN AIRPLANE,

AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT WAS.

THE PHENOMENON IS REAL.

THE INFLUX
OF UFO TOURISTS IN SOCORRO

LEADS SOME TO CONCLUDE THAT
ZAMORA INVENTED THE STORY.

I THINK IT WAS A HOAX.
I THINK HE MADE IT UP.

THE MAYOR HAD,
ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS,

ADVANCED THE IDEA

THAT HE NEEDED SOMETHING
TO CREATE TOURISM IN THE AREA.

BUT OTHERS DISAGREE,

POINTING TO ZAMORA'S
IMPECCABLE RECORD AS A COP.

I'VE HEARD THE STORY.

BUT I'VE FOUND NO EVIDENCE
THAT THAT IS THE CASE.

THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION
THAT LONNIE ZAMORA

IS AN UPSTANDING CITIZEN
OF THE COMMUNITY

WITH AN OUTSTANDING REPUTATION.

IN THE DAYS
FOLLOWING THE SIGHTING,

REPRESENTATIVES
FROM THE U.S. MILITARY

AND SEVERAL GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES INTERVIEW SERGEANT ZAMORA.

THE FBI, THE ARMY,
THE AIR FORCE...

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON.

THE REASON THEY'RE INTERESTED
IS THIS PART OF THE U.S.

IS HOME TO SO MANY
OF AMERICA'S MOST SECRETIVE

AND IMPORTANT MILITARY
AND SCIENTIFIC FACILITIES.

ZAMORA SAW THE CRAFT
JUST A FEW MILES

FROM THE WHITE SANDS
MISSILE RANGE...

HOME TO THE U.S.'s CLASSIFIED
WEAPONS-DELIVERY SYSTEMS.

ONE RADICAL THEORY IS
THAT THE POLICEMAN WITNESSED

THE CRASH LANDING OF
AN ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH BALLOON

CALLED PROJECT SKYHOOK.

AT THE TIME, PROJECT SKYHOOK
WAS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED.

BUT TODAY, ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS
HAVE BEEN DECLASSIFIED.

AND THEY INDICATE THAT
THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON

ON THE DAY
OF THE SOCORRO INCIDENT.

THE SKYHOOK PROGRAM
IS UNLIKELY TO ACCOUNT

FOR WHAT ZAMORA SAW.

BUT ANOTHER CLASSIFIED PROJECT
AT WHITE SANDS

PROVIDES
A MORE PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION.

30 YEARS LATER, TWO FORMER
MILITARY OFFICERS REVEAL

THAT AT WHITE SANDS IN 1964,

THERE WERE EXPERIMENTS GOING
ON WITH THE LUNAR SURVEYOR.

Now firing...

IN PREPARATION
FOR THE APOLLO MISSIONS,

NASA's LUNAR SURVEYORS

GATHERED DATA ABOUT
THE LUNAR MOON'S SURFACE.

PRE-MISSION TESTING TOOK PLACE
IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT.

THESE SURVEY PROBES,
WHEN THEY WERE TESTED ON EARTH,

WERE DEPLOYED BY HELICOPTER.

AND THIS IS
ALMOST EXACTLY CONSISTENT

WITH LONNIE ZAMORA SAW.

DID ZAMORA SEE A NASA PROBE?

WHILE SOME OF THE FACTS FIT,

MANY INVESTIGATORS POINT TO
DISCREPANCIES IN THE THEORY.

HELICOPTERS ARE LOUD...

...AND HE WOULD'VE HEARD THAT.

HE WOULD'VE SEEN THE HELICOPTER.

LONNIE ZAMORA
REPORTED THIS OBJECT

AS BEING ABOUT 30 FEET
TO 40 FEET LONG.

THE LUNAR SURVEYOR, HOWEVER,
IS ONLY ABOUT 14 FEET LONG.

SO THAT'S NOT IT.

MORE THAN 50 YEARS

AFTER THE STRANGE EVENT
IN NEW MEXICO,

THE SOCORRO INCIDENT
REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THE FACT IS
THERE IS NO EXPLANATION

THAT EXPLAINS THIS CASE,

LIKE IT OR NOT.

COMING UP,
SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE

ONE OF THE BIBLE'S
MOST FAMOUS MIRACLES...

COULD IT BE A NATURAL PHENOMENON

THAT'S APPEARED TO BE
SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

...AND ASTRONOMERS
DETECT AN INVISIBLE PLANET

IN DEEP SPACE.

MAYBE THIS PLANET
HAS INTELLIGENT BEINGS ON IT

WHO HAVE DECIDED
TO CLOAK THEMSELVES.

A MIRACULOUS NEW TESTAMENT EVENT

CHANGES HISTORY.

THE BIBLE TELLS US

THAT SAUL SEES
A BLINDING LIGHT IN THE SKY.

HE BELIEVES
HE'S BEING SPOKEN TO BY GOD.

CAN SCIENCE REALLY EXPLAIN

ONE OF THE BIBLE'S
GREATEST MIRACLES?

COULD IT BE A NATURAL PHENOMENON

THAT'S APPEARED TO BE
SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

35 A.D.... SYRIA.

SAUL OF TARSUS,
A RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR,

IS HUNTING DOWN CHRISTIANS

TO HANOVER TO HIS ROMAN MASTERS.

SAUL WAS ONE OF THE MOST
UNIQUE BIBLICAL PATRIARCHS.

FOR A START,
HE'S A ROMAN CITIZEN AND A JEW.

HIS JOB IS
TO ROUND UP CHRISTIANS.

AS SAUL MAKES HIS WAY TO THE CAPITAL,
DAMASCUS...

...A DAZZLING LIGHT
APPEARS IN THE SKY.

HE'S SUDDENLY BLINDED
BY BRIGHT LIGHT.

HE'S KNOCKED ONTO HIS BACK.

HE HEARS THE VOICE,
"SAUL! SAUL! WHY DID YOU PERSECUTE ME?"

AND HE BELIEVES
HE'S BEING SPOKEN TO BY GOD.

FOR THREE DAYS,
SAUL IS COMPLETELY BLIND.

WHEN HE REGAINS HIS VISION,

HE MAKES A VOW
THAT WILL CHANGE HISTORY.

HE DEVOTES HIMSELF
TO CHRISTIANITY

FROM THAT POINT FORWARD.

TODAY,
SAUL IS REVERED AROUND THE WORLD

AS SAINT PAUL,

FOUNDER OF THE MODERN
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

THE CONVERSION OF SAUL

IS ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT
TURNING POINTS

IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

FOR MILLENNIA,

THE EVENT
ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS

HAS BEEN SEEN AS A MIRACLE.

BUT NOW, SOME SCIENTISTS CLAIM

THAT IT COULD HAVE
A NATURAL EXPLANATION.

THE BIBLE TELLS US

THAT SAUL SEES
A BLINDING LIGHT IN THE SKY.

NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS
THAT CAN MATCH THAT DESCRIPTION.

ONE POSSIBILITY
IS THAT SAUL WITNESSED

AN UNEXPECTEDLY POWERFUL
LIGHTNING STORM.

CERTAINLY, IF A BOLT OF
LIGHTNING LANDS CLOSE TO YOU,

IT COULD KNOCK YOU
OFF YOUR FEET,

IT COULD BLIND YOU
EXACTLY LIKE SAUL DESCRIBES.

LIGHTNING IS FIVE TIMES HOTTER
THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

IT CREATES AN INCREDIBLE
FLASH OF LIGHT

THAT COULD CREATE
TEMPORARY BLINDNESS

PLUS, IT EXPANDS THE ATMOSPHERE

AND CREATES
THIS LARGE BOOMING SOUND.

DESPITE BEING A DESERT COUNTRY,

SYRIA DOES EXPERIENCE
FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS.

AND THE FAMILIARITY MEANS

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT SAUL MISTOOK
THE THUNDERBOLT FOR GOD.

SAUL WOULD'VE KNOWN
WHAT LIGHTNING WAS LIKE,

SO IT REALLY FAILS THE TEST.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING

THAT COULD APPEAR TO BE
UNUSUAL AND MIRACULOUS.

PERHAPS SAUL WITNESSED
ANOTHER, MUCH RARE

COULD IT BE A NATURAL
PHENOMENON THAT'S JUST RARE,

SO THE PEOPLE
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT,

SO IT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING
THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

NASA ASTROPHYSICIST
DAVID HATHAWAY

EXAMINES THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THE SUN WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR SAUL'S DIVINE CONVERSION.

THE SUN DOES PRODUCE
FLARES FREQUENTLY.

THEY'RE HUGE EXPLOSIONS

THAT BLAST A BILLION TONS
OF MATTER OFF THE SUN

AND THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THAT MATERIAL, IT GOES
THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT PRODUCES THE AURORA.

IT PRODUCES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

SOME SCHOLARS HAVE
LINKED OTHER BIBLICAL VERSES

TO SOLAR FLARES.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH TELLS
OF THE LIGHT OF THE SUN

THAT WILL BE
SEVEN TIMES BRIGHTER,

LIKE THE LIGHT OF SEVEN DAYS.

BUT TODAY, THE VISUAL EFFECTS
OF SOLAR ACTIVITY

ARE WELL KNOWN.

AND THEY DON'T MATCH
SAUL'S ACCOUNT

IN THE BOOK OF ACTS.

AN ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM
IS VERY UNLIKELY.

IT WOULD HAVE
A MUCH DIFFERENT IMPACT

THAN JUST
A QUICK FLASH OF LIGHT.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS...
SPECTACULAR AT NIGHT,

BUT ABSOLUTELY INVISIBLE
DURING THE DAY.

SO I CANNOT IMAGINE
ANYTHING THAT THE SUN DOES

THAT WOULD PRODUCE SOMETHING
SO BRIGHT LIKE THIS

TO BLIND A PERSON
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.

SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THAT METEOR ACTIVITY COULD
PROVIDE A BETTER EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT SAUL SAW.

THERE WAS A METEOR THAT
STRUCK THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

IN CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA.

IT CAUSED
AMAZINGLY BRIGHT LIGHTS.

METEORS OF THIS SIZE CAN
APPEAR 30 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN THE

AND THEY CAN TRIGGER
A RANGE OF PHENOMENA

WHICH FIT WITH KEY ELEMENTS
OF SAUL'S ACCOUNT.

THESE FIREBALLS
CAN BE VERY BRIGHT...

MAYBE BRIGHT ENOUGH
TO TEMPORARILY BLIND SAUL.

THEY'RE ASSOCIATED
WITH SONIC BOOMS,

WITH SHOCKWAVES

THAT, IF THEY WERE LARGE ENOUGH,
COULD KNOCK HIM OFF HIS FEET.

WHEN METEORS TRAVEL
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

AT OVER 10 MILES PER SECOND,

THEY CAN GENERATE
AN ELECTRIC CHARGE.

THIS ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON
COULD ACCOUNT

FOR THE VOICE THAT SAUL HEARD
ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.

MOST INTERESTINGLY,

THEY HAVE
AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE.

AND THAT CAN PRODUCE
AN ELECTROPHONIC EFFECT...

A CRACKLING IN THE EARS.

SO, YOU ACTUALLY HEAR
A NOISE INSIDE YOUR HEAD.

WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?

EVEN TO A SCHOLAR,

THE APPEARANCE OF A BLINDING,
BOOMING FIREBALL

WOULD BE SO UNUSUAL,
IT WOULD SEEM MIRACULOUS.

SO, WE'RE USED TO SEEING
PICTURES OF METEORITE FIREBALLS.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CAPTURED
ON PHONES, TELESCOPES.

BUT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL
ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO SEE ONE.

AND ONE OF THE MAGNITUDE
THAT AFFECTED SAUL...

WELL, THOSE ARE INCREDIBLY RARE.

ALTHOUGH SOME SCIENTISTS

ACCEPT THE METEOR THEORY,

MANY PEOPLE DOUBT
THAT A NATURAL PHENOMENON

COULD BE BEHIND ONE OF THE
BIBLE'S MOST CHERISHED MIRACLES.

SOME COULD THEORIZE
THAT IT WOULD BE A METEOR,

BUT THAT'S UNLIKELY.

WE TRY AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
AWAY SCIENTIFICALLY.

AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

COMING UP,

AN INVISIBLE OBJECT IN DEEP
SPACE BAFFLES ASTRONOMERS.

THERE'S DEFINITELY
SOMETHING OUT THERE.

BUT WHAT IT IS EXACTLY,
WE DON'T KNOW.

AN ASTRONOMER DETECTS
EVIDENCE OF AN INVISIBLE PLANET

ORBITING A DISTANT STAR.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS PLANET,

BUT SOMETHING'S
NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT.

WHO... OR WHAT...

COULD MAKE
AN ENTIRE WORLD DISAPPEAR?

THERE'S SOMETHING
DEFINITELY OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

HOW ABOUT, WE DON'T SEE IT
BECAUSE IT'S CLOAKED?

ASTROPHYSICIST SARAH BALLARD

HUNTS FOR
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS

USING NASA's KEPLER TELESCOPE.

ON MAY 17,
SHE DETECTS TELL-TALE DIPS

IN THE LIGHT COMING FROM A
STAR IN THE LYRA CONSTELLATION,

650 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

I'M LOOKING AT WHAT
I KNOW IS A PLANET'S SIGNAL.

THE STAR LOOKS
PERIODICALLY DIMMER

BECAUSE THERE'S A PLANET
GOING IN FRONT OF IT.

THE DATA INDICATES

THAT BALLARD HAS DISCOVERED
A NEW WORLD.

THE PLANET IS NAMED KEPLER 19B.

BUT AS SHE ESTIMATES THE
LENGTH OF THE PLANET'S ORBIT,

BALLARD DISCOVERS
SOMETHING STRANGE.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS PLANET,
KEPLER 19B,

BUT SOMETHING'S
NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT.

IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETIMES
APPEARING FIVE MINUTES TOO EARLY

AND OTHER TIMES APPEARING
FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE.

WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING

TO MAKE THE PLANET
APPEAR EARLY AND LATE?

SOMETHING IS INTERFERING

WITH THE ORBIT OF PLANET 19B.

ASTRONOMERS SPECULATE
ON WHAT IT COULD BE.

THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THERE'S A MASSIVE PLANET

LURKING HIDDEN
IN THAT SAME PLANETARY SYSTEM,

WHOSE GRAVITY IS CHANGING
THE ORBIT OF KEPLER 19B.

IF THE GRAVITATIONAL
PULL OF A SECOND PLANET

IS THROWING THE ORBIT OF 19B
OUT OF SYNC,

THEN ASTRONOMERS
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT.

BUT WHEN THEY LOOK FOR IT,

THEY FIND NOTHING
BUT EMPTY SPACE.

BASED ON THE BEHAVIOR OF 19B,

WE KNOW THAT THERE'S
ANOTHER PLANET IN A SYSTEM.

BUT WE CAN'T SEE
THIS OTHER PLANET.

ONE POSSIBILITY IS
THAT THE INVISIBLE PLANET

IS SIMPLY TOO SMALL
TO BE DETECTED BY KEPLER.

BUT BALLARD
THINKS THIS UNLIKELY.

THAT CAN'T BE HAPPENING,

BECAUSE, IN ORDER TO PRODUCE
THE TUGGING SIGNAL WE SAW,

THIS MYSTERIOUS PLANET
WOULD HAVE TO BE

OF A CERTAIN SIZE.

AND WE WOULD HAVE SEEN IT.

ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS

THAT THE PLANET
IS SO FAR FROM THE STAR,

ITS ORBITAL PERIOD
TAKES CENTURIES.

ONE POSSIBILITY IS
THAT IT HAS A VERY LONG ORBIT,

AND WE JUST HAVEN'T
HAD TIME TO SEE IT.

BY USING THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

OF THE INVISIBLE PLANET
ON PLANET 19B,

THE KEPLER TEAM ESTIMATES
THE ORBITAL LENGTH

OF THE INVISIBLE PLANET.

WE NOW KNOW,
BASED ON CALCULATIONS,

THAT THE UNSEEN PLANET

MUST HAVE AN ORBIT
SHORTER THAN 160 DAYS.

AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN
ANY PLANET IN THE DATA.

RUNNING OUT
OF OBVIOUS EXPLANATIONS,

SOME ASTRONOMERS CONSIDER
THE EXTRAORDINARY.

COULD THE PLANET'S
INVISIBILITY BE DELIBERATE?

HOW ABOUT THIS?

HOW ABOUT WE DON'T SEE IT
BECAUSE IT'S CLOAKED,

BECAUSE THEY ARE USING
A METHOD TO MASK ITS PRESENCE?

THERE ARE
SOME SCIENTISTS WHO SUGGEST

THAT MAYBE THIS PLANET
HAS INTELLIGENT BEINGS ON IT

WHO HAVE DECIDED
TO CLOAK THEMSELVES.

THE IDEA
OF CLOAKING AN ENTIRE PLANET

MIGHT SEEM LIKE SOMETHING
FROM SCIENCE FICTION.

BUT IT'S A CONCEPT TAKEN
SERIOUSLY BY MANY SCIENTISTS.

ONE WAY FOR A PLANET

TO MAKE ITSELF INVISIBLE
TO OBSERVATIONS

IS TO BROADCAST LIGHT

THAT WOULD HIDE THE DIP
IN THE STAR'S BRIGHTNESS

THAT ONE WOULD OTHERWISE SEE.

ONE POSSIBILITY

IS TO SHINE A BANK
OF HIGH-POWERED LASERS

OUT INTO SPACE.

BY DOING THAT, A CIVILIZATION

COULD CAMOUFLAGE THEMSELVES
TO OBSERVERS,

WHO WOULD SEE NO DIP
IN THE LIGHT

COMING FROM THEIR PARENT STAR.

WE HAVE STEALTH PLANES.
WE HAVE STEALTH SHIPS.

HEY, WHY NOT A STEALTH PLANET?

COULD AN ALIEN RACE

HAVE DEVELOPED
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

TO CLOAK THEIR PLANET
FROM PRYING EYES?

IF TRUE,
THE PLANET WOULD HAVE TO HAVE

EVOLVED, COMPLEX LIFE.

FOR THIS PLANET TO HAVE
ANY TYPE OF CLOAKING DEVICE,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE IN HABITED.

AND AS FAR AS INHABITATION
OF THIS WORLD,

IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD.

THIS PLANETARY SYSTEM
DOESN'T HAVE ANY PLANETS

THAT WE KNOW OF
IN THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE...

IN THE CONTINUOUSLY-HABITABLE
ZONE.

THE REALITY LEAVES
SCIENTISTS SEARCHING

FOR OTHER EXPLANATIONS
FOR THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

A FINAL POSSIBILITY
IS THAT IT IS OCCUPYING

A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
ORBITABLE PLANE TO 19B.

ONE OF THE THOUGHTS IS

THE REASON WHY
WE CAN'T SEE THIS PLANET

IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT
IN THE SAME PLANE

AS ALL THE OTHER PLANETS ORBIT.

IT'S EITHER HIGH ABOVE
OR WAY BELOW.

AND SO CONSEQUENTLY,
IT'S OUT OF OUR FIELD OF VIEW.

IF THE PLANET IS NOT
LINED UP PROPERLY,

WE JUST WON'T SEE IT.

TO DATE,

NO ONE HAS IDENTIFIED PLANET
19B's MYSTERY COMPANION.

ITS ORIGIN REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THERE'S SOMETHING
DEFINITELY OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk