NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 5, Episode 5 - Stonehenge on Mars - 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.

HEY, WHAT IS THAT?

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.



THE U.S. MILITARY
INTERCEPTS MAN-MADE SIGNALS

COMING FROM THE COSMOS

OVER A DECADE BEFORE THE LAUNCH
OF THE FIRST SPACECRAFT.

THEY'RE COMING FROM THE MOON.

WHO OR WHAT IS SENDING THEM?

I REALLY WONDER IF THE GERMANS
COULD HAVE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK
THEY COULD HAVE.

A PROBE CAPTURES AN IMAGE

OF AN EERILY FAMILIAR STRUCTURE
ON THE RED PLANET.

I WOULD SAY I'M LOOKING
AT A AERIAL SATELLITE IMAGE

OF STONEHENGE.

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,
"IS THIS EVIDENCE

OF CIVILIZATION ON MARS?"

AND AN EXPLORER
ENCOUNTERS AN ANCIENT TRIBE



WITH ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE
OF A DISTANT STAR SYSTEM.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT OF A SCI-FI MOVIE,

BUT IN FACT, THERE MAY BE
SOME TRUTH TO IT.

THESE ARE
"NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES."

NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 5
EP - 5 - Stonehenge on Mars

AN APOLLO ASTRONAUT SUDDENLY
BECOMES SICK WHILE ON THE MOON.

JACK SCHMITT'S SYMPTOMS
ARE VERY CONCERNING.

HIS NASAL PASSAGES GET INFLAMED.

HE STARTS COUGHING.
HE'S NOT IN GOOD SHAPE.

NASA STRUGGLES TO IDENTIFY

THE CAUSE OF
THE MYSTERY ILLNESS.

WE DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT WAS ON THE SURFACE.

COULD WE BRING BACK BUGS

THAT WOULD CONTAMINATE
THE WORLD?

IT COULD WIPE OUT
EVERYBODY ON EARTH.

DECEMBER 11, 1972.

THE CREW OF APOLLO 17

ARE ABOUT TO BECOME
THE LAST HUMANS

TO LAND ON ANOTHER WORLD.

HARRISON "JACK" SCHMITT
IS TASKED

WITH GUIDING THE MODULE DOWN
TO THE LUNAR SURFACE.

YOU'RE MONITORING THE HEALTH
OF THE SPACECRAFT.

IT MEANT THAT YOU
WERE CONTINUALLY READY

FOR ANY KIND OF A SITUATION
THAT MIGHT DEVELOP.

SCHMITT AND MISSION
COMMANDER EUGENE CERNAN'S

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

IS TO COLLECT ROCK SAMPLES
FOR ANALYSIS BACK ON EARTH.

NOT ONLY IS THE CLOCK
TICKING AWAY,

BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING
TO BE AROUND THE NEXT ROCK

OR IN THE BOTTOM
OF THE NEXT CRATER

OR AT THE BASE
OF THE NEXT HIGH MOUNTAIN.

AT 7:00 A.M. ON DECEMBER 12,

THE TWO ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE
THEIR FIRST MOONWALK

AND RETURN TO THE LUNAR MODULE,

BUT THEN SCHMITT STARTS
ACTING STRANGELY.

SO AS THEY'RE TAKING
OFF THEIR SUITS,

JACK SCHMITT STARTS
HAVING A REACTION.

THEY'RE UNLOADING THE SAMPLES
AND THE ROCKS

THAT THEY'D COLLECTED
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE,

AND SUDDENLY, SCHMITT STARTS
TO FEEL UNWELL.

SCHMITT IS DISPLAYING
STRANGE FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS

AND FINDING IT INCREASINGLY
DIFFICULT TO BREATHE.

IT'S COME ON PRETTY FAST
JUST SINCE I CAME BACK.

HIS NASAL PASSAGES GET INFLAMED.
HE STARTS COUGHING.

I MEAN,
HE'S REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.

HE'S NOT IN GOOD SHAPE.

JACK SCHMITT'S SYMPTOMS
ARE VERY CONCERNING.

THEY COME ON SUDDENLY.
THEY'RE VERY SEVERE.

MISSION CONTROL RACES
TO IDENTIFY

THE CAUSE
OF THE MYSTERY ILLNESS.

YOU CANNOT GET SICK IN SPACE.

IT CAN BE A CRITICAL SITUATION.

BEFORE LOOKING
AT THE POSSIBILITY

OF AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL DISEASE,
NASA MUST FIRST CONSIDER

WHETHER SCHMITT
IS SIMPLY HAVING A REACTION

TO A TERRESTRIAL VIRUS
OR BACTERIUM,

BUT APOLLO SCIENTISTS
AND ASTRONAUTS BELIEVE

THIS IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

EVEN BEFORE THEY LEAVE
THE EARTH TO GO TO THE MOON,

THEY'RE KEPT IN QUARANTINE.

THEY'RE KEPT OUT OF CONTACT
WITH ANY BUGS.

THEY JUST DON'T WANT
TO HAVE THEM SICK

WHEN THEY GO TO THE MOON.

THE INTERIOR OF THE SPACECRAFT

WAS PROBABLY AS CLEAN
AS AN OPERATING ROOM.

THEY MADE SURE THAT EVERYTHING
WAS ABSOLUTELY STERILE.

IF THE CAUSE OF
SCHMITT'S STRANGE SPACE ILLNESS

HASN'T COME FROM EARTH,

IT MUST COME
FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.

HE WAS FINE OUT ROAMING
AROUND THE MOON,

BUT NOW HE'S REACTING.

IT'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING HE
BROUGHT BACK INTO THE CAPSULE.

IT WOULD HAVE
HAD TO BEEN SOMETHING

THAT WOULD'VE BEEN REALLY BAD

IF IT HAD OCCURRED THAT QUICKLY
AFTER HIS LUNAR EXPOSURE.

THE POSSIBILITY THAT SCHMITT

HAS CAUGHT A DISEASE ON THE MOON

ECHOES ONE OF NASA'S GREATEST
FEARS ABOUT THE APOLLO MISSIONS.

WE DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT WAS ON THE SURFACE.

COULD WE BRING BACK BUGS THAT
WOULD CONTAMINATE THE WORLD?

WHO KNOWS WHAT'S THERE?

AND MAYBE WE COULD MAKE A LOT
OF PEOPLE ON THE PLANET SICK.

FOR DECADES, SCIENTISTS BELIEVED

IT WASN'T POSSIBLE FOR BACTERIA
TO EXIST ON THE MOON,

BUT 3 YEARS BEFORE
THE APOLLO 17 MISSION,

ANALYSIS OF A NASA
CAMERA LEFT ON THE MOON

SEEMED TO INDICATE

THAT BACTERIA
HAD SURVIVED INSIDE IT

FOR OVER 2 1/2 YEARS.

THE DISCOVERY SUGGESTED
THAT DEADLY ORGANISMS

COULD INDEED SURVIVE ON THE MOON

AND TRAVEL TO EARTH.

THE POSSIBILITY
THAT MICROORGANISMS

COULD REMAIN ALIVE
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

FOR 2 1/2 YEARS

IS TREMENDOUSLY
IMPORTANT TO SCIENCE.

IF THESE MICROORGANISMS
LIVED ON THE MOON

FOR 2 1/2 YEARS,

THAT SUPPORTS THIS IDEA

OF HOW LIFE COULD TRAVEL

FROM ONE BODY
TO ANOTHER IN SPACE.

HISTORY OFFERS FEARSOME EXAMPLES

OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN

WHEN ALIEN BUGS
ARE CARRIED TO NEW WORLDS.

DURING THE 15th
AND 16th CENTURIES,

EUROPEAN EXPLORERS
INTRODUCED VIRULENT DISEASES

TO THE AMERICAS,

KILLING COUNTLESS
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO WOULD BE
THE SAME THING HAPPENING

WHEN JACK SCHMITT
RETURNS TO EARTH.

THE FEAR OF BRINGING BACK
AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL BUG

BACK TO EARTH
IS THAT OUR IMMUNE SYSTEMS

WOULD NOT BE SET UP
TO DEAL WITH IT.

IT COULD WIPE OUT
EVERYBODY ON EARTH.

WHATEVER IS WRONG WITH SCHMITT,

NASA DOESN'T WANT IT SPREADING.

A CLUE TO THE CAUSE
OF SCHMITT'S MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS

COMES FROM AUDIO RECORDINGS
OF THE APOLLO 17 MISSION.

SHORTLY BEFORE SCHMITT
STARTS FEELING UNWELL,

HE REPORTS SMELLING
SOMETHING LIKE GUNPOWDER.

THE STRANGE GUNPOWDER ODOR

HAS ALSO BEEN DETECTED
BY ASTRONAUTS

ON TWO PRIOR NASA MISSIONS.

WE KNOW WHAT
THE GUNPOWDER SMELL IS.

OTHER APOLLO MISSIONS
HAVE REPORTED IT, TOO.

IT'S MOON DUST.

SO THE CONNECTION HAD
TO BE THE LUNAR DUST

THAT CREATED A PROBLEM FOR JACK.

LUNAR DUST IS JAGGED.
IT'S GOT STATIC.

IT CLINGS TO EVERYTHING.

AS SCHMITT EXPLORED
THE LUNAR SURFACE,

DUST COVERED HIS SUIT
AND EQUIPMENT.

I'VE STIRRED IT UP WITH MY FEET.

IT APPEARS HE THEN
INHALED A LUNGFUL

OF THE SHARP, ULTRA-DRY SHARDS.

IF IT GETS INTO THE BLOODSTREAM,

IT COULD SCAVENGE THE OXYGEN
OUT OF THE BLOOD

AND MAKE IT MUCH WORSE
THAN JUST A SNIFFLE.

IT ACTUALLY COULD KILL YOU.

A FEW HOURS LATER,

SCHMITT'S SYMPTOMS
BEGIN TO EASE,

BUT HE MUST WAIT
UNTIL HE RETURNS TO EARTH

TO DISCOVER HOW MUCH DAMAGE

THE TOXIC DUST
HAS DONE TO HIS AIRWAYS.

YOU JUST HAVE TO TOUGH IT OUT.
THERE'S NOT A THING YOU CAN DO.

YOU'RE STUCK TO A FLIGHT PLAN
THAT'S IN CONCRETE.

AT 10:54 P.M. ON DECEMBER 14,

SCHMITT AND HIS FELLOW
ASTRONAUTS

BEGIN THEIR PERILOUS
JOURNEY BACK HOME.

FOUR DAYS LATER,

THE APOLLO 17 MODULE
SPLASHES DOWN

IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN.

NASA MEDICS WHO INSPECT THE CREW

FIND NO EVIDENCE
OF BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION

AND CONCLUDE THAT SCHMITT

SUFFERED SOME KIND
OF ALLERGIC REACTION

TO THE LUNAR DUST...

A REACTION THAT HAS POTENTIALLY
DISASTROUS IMPLICATIONS

FOR ANY FUTURE HUMAN ACTIVITY
ON THE MOON.

IF WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK
TO THE MOON FOR A LONG TIME,

WE NEED TO GET A HANDLE
ON THIS DUST ISSUE.

MAYBE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
ARE ALLERGIC TO LUNAR DUST.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW.

COMING UP, A REMOTE TRIBE

CLAIMS THEIR ADVANCED
KNOWLEDGE OF THE COSMOS

WAS GIVEN TO THEM
BY CELESTIAL VISITORS.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OF A SCI-FI MOVIE,

BUT IN FACT, THERE MAY BE
SOME TRUTH TO IT.

AN EXPLORER ENCOUNTERS
AN ANCIENT TRIBE

WITH ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE
OF THE COSMOS.

THE LEGENDS APPEAR TO CONTAIN

DETAILED
ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION

THEY COULD NOT HAVE
DISCOVERED BY THEMSELVES.

HOW COULD THEY KNOW THAT?

THE TRIBE CLAIM
THEIR KNOWLEDGE IS A GIFT

FROM CELESTIAL VISITORS
HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT OF A SCI-FI MOVIE,

BUT IN FACT, THERE MAY BE
SOME TRUTH TO IT.

1931.

AFTER TREKKING FOR
HUNDREDS OF MILES

THROUGH THE JUNGLES
OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA,

FRENCH ANTHROPOLOGIST
MARCEL GRIAULE

REACHES THE COUNTRY OF MALI.

THERE, HE AND HIS TEAM MEET

WITH LOCAL TRIBESPEOPLE
KNOWN AS THE DOGON.

THESE ANTHROPOLOGISTS
LIVED WITH THE DOGON,

PARTICIPATED IN THEIR RITES,
LEARNED THEIR CULTURE.

HE GAINS THEIR TRUST,
THEIR CONFIDENCE,

AND THEY START TELLING HIM
THEIR MOST SACRED MYTHOLOGY.

AS HE TALKS TO THE DOGON ELDERS,

GRIAULE LEARNS THAT THE REMOTE
TRIBE'S MYTHOLOGIES

CONTAIN ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE
OF THE COSMOS.

THEY TALK ABOUT JUPITER
AS HAVING FOUR MOONS.

THEY TALK ABOUT SATURN
AS HAVING A RING.

THEY SEEM TO CONTAIN DETAILED
ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION

THEY COULD NOT HAVE
DISCOVERED BY THEMSELVES.

THE MOST INTRIGUING
STORIES CONCERN A STAR

IN THE CONSTELLATION
CANIS MAJOR.

THESE MYTHOLOGIES INVOLVE
WHAT LOOKS LIKE

THE BRIGHTEST STAR
IN THE SKY, SIRIUS.

GRIAULE FOUND THAT
THE DOGON ELDERS

HAD INFORMATION
ABOUT THE STAR SIRIUS

THAT NO ONE COULD EXPLAIN
HOW THEY FOUND THAT OUT.

THE DOGON TELL GRIAULE

THAT SIRIUS HAS AN INVISIBLE
COMPANION STAR

ORBITING AROUND IT.

WHEN GRIAULE RETURNS TO FRANCE,

HE LEARNS FROM ASTRONOMERS

THAT THIS COMPANION STAR
DOES EXIST,

BUT IS ONLY VISIBLE
USING TELESCOPES...

...TELESCOPES THE DOGON
DO NOT POSSESS.

THE DOGON GAVE
DETAILS ABOUT SIRIUS

THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW

WITHOUT CURRENT
ASTRONOMICAL EQUIPMENT.

THIS STRIKES
THE FRENCH ANTHROPOLOGIST

AS INCREDIBLY REMARKABLE.

THE DOGON TRIBE DID NOT
HAVE TELESCOPES,

SO HOW DID THEY KNOW ABOUT

SIRIUS' LITTLE STELLAR
COMPANION?

THE EXISTENCE
OF THE COMPANION STAR,

CALLED SIRIUS B,

HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED
BY ASTRONOMERS SEVERAL DECADES

BEFORE GRIAULE'S ARRIVAL.

THIS LEADS SOME TO SUGGEST
THAT PERHAPS OTHER TRADERS

OR VISITORS HAD REVEALED
THIS EXISTENCE TO THE DOGON.

THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION
WOULD BE THAT THE DOGON

PICKED UP THIS INFORMATION
IN RECENT TIMES,

PERHAPS EVEN
JUST SLIGHTLY BEFORE

GRIAULE WAS THERE IN THE 1930s.

IT'S A PLAUSIBLE
THEORY, BUT IT HAS A MAJOR FLAW.

THE REALLY STRANGE THING
ABOUT THE DOGON TRADITION

IS THAT IT DATES BACK
TO BEFORE THE ERA

OF ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS.

THE KNOWLEDGE EXISTED
FOR MANY CENTURIES

BEFORE SIRIUS B WAS EVEN KNOWN.

DURING HIS TIME WITH THE DOGON,

GRIAULE OBSERVES THEM
CONDUCTING STRANGE RITUALS

TO MARK THE PASSAGE
OF THE INVISIBLE STAR.

EVEN THOUGH THEY CANNOT SEE IT,

THEY SEEM TO BE ABLE
TO PREDICT ITS MOVEMENT.

SO THEY ALSO GOT THE ORBITAL
PERIOD CORRECT... 50 YEARS.

SO HOW COULD THEY KNOW THAT?

IF YOU WERE TO LOOK
AT A MODERN DRAWING

OF THE ORBITS OF SIRIUS
AND SIRIUS B

AND COMPARE THAT
TO THE ANCIENT DOGON DRAWING,

YOU'LL SEE THEY MATCH UP
ALMOST IDENTICALLY.

THE REMOTE TRIBE
APPEARED TO UNDERSTAND

THE ORBITAL MECHANISMS OF A STAR

ALMOST 9 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

SOME DISMISS THIS
AS PURE COINCIDENCE.

SIRIUS IS THE BRIGHTEST
STAR IN THE SKY,

AND YOU MAKE UP
STORIES ABOUT IT,

AND MAYBE IT'S NOT
SO SURPRISING THAT,

OCCASIONALLY, THOSE STORIES
TURN OUT TO BE RIGHT.

DUMB LUCK MIGHT EXPLAIN

TWO CORRECT
ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTIONS,

BUT THE DOGON LEGEND ALSO REVEAL

A THIRD PROPHECY ABOUT SIRIUS B.

THEY CLAIM THAT IT IS WHITE

AND MADE FROM THE HEAVIEST
METAL IN THE UNIVERSE.

ONE THING THEY SAID
ABOUT SIRIUS B

IS THAT IT'S MADE UP OF VERY,
VERY HEAVY, VERY DENSE MATERIAL.

FOR 7 DECADES,
SCIENTISTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE

AS TO HOW MUCH OF THE DOGON'S
ASTRONOMICAL KNOWLEDGE IS TRUE.

IN 2005, NASA BEGINS DEEP
SPACE OBSERVATIONS

OF SIRIUS B USING
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

THE STATE-OF-THE-ART
SATELLITE DATA SHOWS THAT,

INCREDIBLY, THE DOGON
WERE RIGHT ONCE AGAIN.

NASA'S HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

FINALLY GETS US
THE INFORMATION WE NEED.

SIRIUS B IS A WHITE DWARF STAR.

IT'S A DEAD STAR
THAT'S INCREDIBLY DENSE.

ONE TEASPOON WOULD WEIGH
OVER 1 TON.

THE NASA DISCOVERY
SEEMS TO CONFIRM

THAT THE ANCIENT TRIBESPEOPLE

HAVE SOMEHOW ACQUIRED
DETAILED INFORMATION

ABOUT A STAR
THAT IS INVISIBLE TO THEM.

SO HOW DID THEY COME
TO THIS KNOWLEDGE,

WHICH WE OBSERVE
TO BE TRUE IN LARGE PART?

THE DOGON CLAIM
THAT THEY RECEIVED

THE INFORMATION ABOUT SIRIUS B

DIRECTLY FROM BEINGS
WHO LIVED IN THAT STAR SYSTEM.

THE DOGON TELL GRIAULE
THAT THESE CELESTIAL BEINGS

VISITED THEIR ANCESTORS
MANY GENERATIONS AGO.

THEY HONOR THEM WITH
RITUALISTIC MASS DANCES.

THEY CALL THEM THE TEACHERS.

THE TEACHERS HAVE COME TO EARTH

SOME TIME IN THE PAST
TO TEACH THEM THINGS

THAT THEY WOULD
OTHERWISE NOT KNOW.

ACCORDING TO THE DOGON,

THE TEACHERS LIVE
ON A THIRD STAR NEAR SIRIUS B.

THIS THIRD STAR HAS YET
TO BE DISCOVERED,

BUT GRAVITATIONAL STUDIES
OF THE STAR SYSTEM

SUGGESTS THAT IT MIGHT EXIST.

WE CAN ACTUALLY
SCIENTIFICALLY EXAMINE THE IDEA

THAT THERE'S THIS THIRD STAR
IN THE SIRIUS SYSTEM,

AND A PAPER WAS
PUBLISHED IN 1995

THAT SHOWED THAT PERHAPS THERE
IS A THIRD COMPANION STAR,

AND IT HAS AN ORBIT OF
ABOUT 6 YEARS.

THE EXISTENCE OF THE THIRD STAR

REMAINS UNCONFIRMED.

THE SEARCH FOR THE ORIGIN

OF THE DOGON'S MYSTERIOUS
ASTRONOMICAL KNOWLEDGE

CONTINUES.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
STRAIGHT OUT A SCI-FI MOVIE,

BUT IN FACT, THERE MAY BE
SOME TRUTH TO IT.

COMING UP,

THE U.S. MILITARY
INTERCEPTS MAN-MADE SIGNALS

COMING FROM THE MOON

TWO DECADES BEFORE THE FIRST
LUNAR LANDINGS.

GERMAN ROCKET TECHNOLOGY
IN THE SECOND HALF,

IN PARTICULAR, OF WORLD WAR II
WAS SHOCKINGLY ADVANCED.

I REALLY WONDER IF THE GERMANS
COULD'VE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK
THEY COULD HAVE.

COLD WAR SCIENTISTS DETECT

MYSTERIOUS RADIO SIGNALS
FROM OUTER SPACE.

THEY'RE COMING FROM THE MOON.

WHO OR WHAT IS SENDING THEM?

THE SIGNALS APPEAR
MORE THAN 2 DECADES

BEFORE THE FIRST
RECORDED MOON LANDING.

WHEN WE LOOK A BIT CLOSER,

THESE SIGNALS DON'T LOOK
LIKE NATURAL COSMIC EMISSIONS.

THE U.S. ARMY
INVESTIGATES THE SOURCE

OF THE MYSTERIOUS TRANSMISSION.

I HAVE HEARD THAT THE GERMANS
DEVELOPED A MOON ROCKET

BEFORE THEY WERE
DEFEATED IN 1945.

JANUARY, 1946.

AT THE DAWN OF THE COLD WAR,

A FRAGILE PEACE HOLDS
BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

THE SOVIET UNION HAS TAKEN OVER

VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTRY
IN EASTERN EUROPE,

AND THE U.S. IS ON HIGH ALERT.

A NEW INVISIBLE WAR
RAGES ACROSS THE AIRWAVES.

THE COLD WAR IS A PERIOD
OF TECHNOLOGICAL CAT-AND-MOUSE

BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

THERE'S THIS VERY SOLID
UNDERSTANDING

ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RADAR

TO NATIONAL SECURITY,
NATIONAL DEFENSE.

AT 11:58 A.M. ON JANUARY 10,

A UNITED STATES ARMY
SIGNAL CORPS RADAR STATION

IN WALL TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY,

INTERCEPTS A SERIES
OF STRANGE SIGNALS.

THE U.S. PICKS UP SIGNALS.

SOUNDS REALLY ODD,

BUT IT SEEMS AS IF THEY'RE
COMING FROM OUTER SPACE.

ANALYSIS OF THE DATA REVEALS

THAT THE SIGNALS ARE COMING
FROM ONE PARTICULAR POINT...

THE MOON.

IT'S 1946.

THE MOON IS STILL
SUCH AN ENIGMA,

SO THAT'S WHY IT'S SO SURPRISING

THERE ARE ARTIFICIAL
RADIO SIGNALS

THAT APPEAR TO BE
COMING FROM IT.

WHEN WE LOOK A BIT CLOSER,

THESE SIGNALS DON'T LOOK LIKE
NATURAL COSMIC EMISSIONS.

IN FACT, THEY LOOK A LOT
LIKE RADAR SIGNALS.

WHO OR WHAT CAN BE BROADCASTING
FROM OUR NATURAL SATELLITE

OVER 230,000 MILES AWAY?

NEITHER U.S. NOR SOVIET PROBES

WILL REACH THE MOON
FOR ANOTHER 2 DECADES.

THE TRANSMISSIONS RAISE
THE TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY

ANOTHER NATION HAS BEATEN THE
REST OF THE WORLD TO THE PUNCH.

I HAVE HEARD THAT THE GERMANS
DEVELOPED A MOON ROCKET

BEFORE THEY WERE
DEFEATED IN 1945.

GERMAN ROCKET TECHNOLOGY
IN THE SECOND HALF,

IN PARTICULAR, OF WORLD WAR II
WAS SHOCKINGLY ADVANCED.

ON OCTOBER 3, 1942,
THE GERMAN V-2 ROCKET

BECAME THE FIRST MAN-MADE
OBJECT TO ENTER SPACE.

AT THE END OF WORLD WAR II,
ITS INVENTOR, WERNHER von BRAUN,

SURRENDERED TO ALLIED FORCES

AND WENT ON TO THE DESIGN
THE ROCKET

THAT LAUNCHED AMERICA'S
FIRST SPACE SATELLITE.

WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO LAND ON THE MOON

IF IT HADN'T BEEN
FOR THE GERMANS.

WERNHER von BRAUN WAS A GENIUS.

MAY HAVE BEEN A NAZI,
BUT HE WAS A GENIUS.

I REALLY WONDER IF THE GERMANS
COULD'VE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK
THEY COULD HAVE.

NAZI ROCKET TECHNOLOGY

MAY HAVE THEORETICALLY BEEN
CAPABLE OF REACHING THE MOON,

BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE

THAT GERMANS PLACED RADAR
EQUIPMENT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

U.S. ARMY ENGINEERS IDENTIFIED

THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNAL
AS THEIR OWN,

BUT WEAKENED BY A FACTOR
OF SEVERAL BILLION.

SOME OF THEIR OWN RADAR SIGNALS
THAT ARE ESCAPING FROM THE EARTH

AND THEN ARE RETURNING,
HAVING BOUNCED OFF THE MOON.

THE MOON SEEMS TO BE ACTING

LIKE A GIANT REFLECTOR DISH,

BOUNCING TRANSMITTED
RADAR SIGNALS BACK TO THE EARTH.

FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY,

THE DISCOVERY PRESENTS
AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.

THE U.S. IMMEDIATELY
SEES THE POTENTIAL

BECAUSE IT REALIZES

IF IT CAN DETECT ITS OWN SIGNALS

BOUNCING OFF THE MOON,

IT CAN ALSO POTENTIALLY
INTERCEPT RUSSIAN SIGNALS

DOING THE SAME THING.

IF IT WORKS, IT COULD GIVE
THE UNITED STATES

A VITAL ADVANTAGE
OVER THEIR COLD WAR ENEMY.

IN 1948, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

AUTHORIZES THE NAVY
TO BEGIN INTERCEPTING

AND ANALYZING RADAR MESSAGES
FROM THE MOON.

HE CALLS THE PROJECT
"OPERATION MOON BOUNCE."

THE GREAT THING
ABOUT OPERATION MOON BOUNCE

IS THE RUSSIANS WILL NEVER KNOW
YOU'RE LISTENING IN

TO THEIR RADAR SIGNALS.

REFINING THIS TECHNOLOGY

TAKES MORE THAN 15 YEARS,

BUT IN JANUARY 1964,

OPERATION MOON BOUNCE
HAS ITS FIRST MAJOR SUCCESS.

THE NAVY'S CHESAPEAKE BAY
FACILITY

INTERCEPTS RADAR SIGNALS

FROM A MILITARY COMPLEX
INSIDE THE SOVIET UNION.

THE SIGNAL ITSELF ORIGINATES

FROM A NEW CLASS OF SOVIET
BALLISTIC WARNING SYSTEMS

CALLED THE HEN HOUSE RADARS.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE SIGNALS

REVEALS SOMETHING DISTURBING.

IT'S NOT QUITE LIKE
RADAR SIGNALS

THEY'VE SEEN BEFORE.

THE DETAILS
OF THIS TYPE OF RADAR

TELL THEM THE SOVIETS

HAVE A NEW BALLISTIC
MISSILE DETECTION SYSTEM.

THE SOVIET RADAR
OPERATES ON A WAVELENGTH

PERFECT FOR DETECTING
FAST-MOVING OBJECTS

OUTSIDE OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

IN THEORY, THE RUSSIANS

WILL BE ABLE TO DETECT
ANY U.S. MISSILE

WITHIN MINUTES OF LAUNCH.

THE DISCOVERY OF THIS TECHNOLOGY

HOLDS HUGE VALUE TO AMERICAN
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES.

THE C.I.A. ARE NOW
ABLE TO WORK OUT

THE CAPABILITIES
OF THE ENEMY RADAR SYSTEM,

WHICH MEANS THE MILITARY
CAN START TO OUTWIT IT.

OPERATION MOON BOUNCE
IS A SUCCESS,

AND AMERICA WINS
A DECISIVE BATTLE

IN THE FIELD OF COLD WAR
ESPIONAGE,

THANKS TO A 4.5-BILLION-YEAR-OLD
NATURAL SATELLITE IN SPACE.

SPYING ON THE SOVIETS
VIA THE MOON

HAS GIVEN THE U.S.
SIGNIFICANT TRACTION

IN ITS QUEST FOR COLD WAR
ENEMY INTELLIGENCE.

COMING UP, NASA
DISCOVERS A BIZARRE STRUCTURE

ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

THIS IS REALLY WEIRD.

WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS BEFORE.

THIS REMINDS ME
VERY MUCH OF SOMETHING

WE HAVE RIGHT HERE ON EARTH,

AND THAT SOMETHING
IS STONEHENGE.

A NASA PROBE CAPTURES AN IMAGE

OF A WEIRDLY FAMILIAR STRUCTURE

ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

I WOULD SAY I'M LOOKING
AT AN AERIAL SATELLITE IMAGE

OF STONEHENGE.

IT LOOKS SORT OF INTENTIONAL,
DOESN'T IT?

WHO OR WHAT MADE MARSHENGE?

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,

IS THIS EVIDENCE
OF CIVILIZATION ON MARS?

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012.

NASA's $720-MILLION MARS
RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

CIRCLES 170 MILES
ABOVE THE RED PLANET.

ITS STATE-OF-THE-ART
HiRISE CAMERA

CAPTURES A REMARKABLE IMAGE.

THIS IMAGE FROM HiRISE SHOWS
A CLUSTER OF ROCKS.

THEY SEEM TO BE ORIENTED

IN A GENERAL SET
OF CONCENTRIC CIRCLES.

THE SYMMETRY IS STRANGE.

WHAT'S EVEN MORE INTRIGUING

IS THAT THEY ARE
SITTING ON A MOUND

THAT JUST SEEMS TO
BE SIZED PERFECTLY.

LIKE MANY TERRESTRIAL MONUMENTS,

THE ROCKS FORM A CIRCLE

AROUND AN INNER GROUPING
OF LARGER STONES.

THIS REMINDS ME
VERY MUCH OF SOMETHING

WE HAVE RIGHT HERE ON EARTH,

AND THAT SOMETHING
IS STONEHENGE.

IF I WASN'T MISTAKEN,
I WOULD SAY I'M LOOKING

AT A AERIAL
SATELLITE IMAGE OF STONEHENGE.

THEY BOTH HAVE
CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

WITH A SQUARE
OR A RECTANGLE IN THE MIDDLE.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT
I'M LOOKING AT HERE.

THE FAMOUS CIRCLE AT STONEHENGE

IS MORE THAN 5,000 YEARS OLD

AND HAS MYSTIFIED
ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOR CENTURIES.

AT THIS SACRED PLACE,

PAGAN PRIESTS
OF ANCIENT DRUID CULTS

COMMUNED WITH THE STARS.

ITS PURPOSE STILL
ISN'T KNOWN FOR SURE,

BUT IT SEEMS TO BE ALIGNED
TOWARDS ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS

LIKE WINTER
AND SUMMER SOLSTICES.

THE VISUAL
SIMILARITIES PROVOKE SPECULATION

THE WEIRD MARTIAN FORMATION
COULD SERVE A SIMILAR PURPOSE.

ARE WE LOOKING AT SOMETHING
THAT MIGHT BE THE EQUIVALENT

OF STONEHENGE ON MARS,
A MARSHENGE?

YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,

IS THIS EVIDENCE
OF CIVILIZATION ON MARS?

TO DATE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE

TO SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE

OF MONUMENT BUILDINGS ON MARS.

SOME PLANETARY SCIENTISTS
HAVE A MORE NATURAL EXPLANATION

FOR MARSHENGE.

ON EARTH, WHENEVER WE SEE
UNUSUAL ROCK FORMATIONS,

GEOLOGISTS WILL CONSIDER
THAT MAYBE THEY'VE BEEN SHAPED

OR INFLUENCED
BY SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

THEORETICALLY,
VIOLENT SEISMIC SHAKING

COULD PUSH THE MARSHENGE ROCKS
UP THROUGH THE MARTIAN DIRT

AND DEPOSIT THEM ON THE SURFACE.

IT'S LIKE TAKING A BOX OF CEREAL
THAT HAS FRUIT IN IT,

AND YOU SHAKE THE BOX AND THE
FRUIT ALL COMES TO THE TOP.

SAME MECHANISM.

BUT THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM
WITH THE MARSQUAKE THEORY.

WE DON'T KNOW IF MARS
HAS MARSQUAKES.

WE'VE NEVER MADE
THE MEASUREMENT, YOU KNOW.

WE DON'T KNOW
IF THE INTERIOR OF MARS

IS ACTIVE LIKE
THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE CLUE
TO THE ORIGIN OF MARSHENGE

COULD COME FROM
A STRANGE PHENOMENON

ON OUR OWN PLANET
IN DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

HERE ON EARTH IN DEATH VALLEY,
FOR INSTANCE,

THERE ARE ROCKS THAT JUST SEEM
TO MOVE ON THEIR OWN,

AND WE KNOW WHAT THAT'S FROM...

THERE'S ICE UNDERNEATH THE ROCKS

AND WINDS PROPEL THEM
VERY SLOWLY ACROSS THE DESERT,

LEAVING LITTLE TRAILS.

SO THE QUESTION IS,
COULD THIS BE HAPPENING ON MARS?

ASTRONOMERS HAVE FOUND EVIDENCE

THAT ICE CAN FORM ON MARS,

BUT CLOSE ANALYSIS OF
THE IMAGE SUGGESTS

THAT IT CANNOT ACCOUNT
FOR THE ARRANGEMENT

OF THE MARSHENGE BOULDERS.

THESE ROCKS ARE SITTING UP
ON TOP OF A PEAK,

AND IT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF WIND
TO MOVE A ROCK ON A LOT OF ICE

TO GET IT UP ON TOP
OF A PEAK LIKE THIS.

AND ON MARS, WE DON'T HAVE AIR
THAT'S DENSE ENOUGH

TO MAKE THAT MUCH
OF A FORCEFUL WIND

THAT COULD DRIVE
A GIANT BOULDER.

THE GIANT BOULDERS
WERE NOT, IT SEEMS,

PUSHED THERE BY MARTIAN WINDS.

A DIFFERENT THEORY SUGGESTS

THE ROCKS MIGHT NOT BE FROM MARS
AT ALL.

MARS IS CONSTANTLY BEING
BOMBARDED BY METEORITES.

THERE ARE IMPACT CRATERS
ALL ACROSS ITS SURFACE.

IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT THIS STRUCTURE

IS THE RESULT
OF A CRATERING EVENT?

IMAGE ANALYSIS SEEMS
TO SUPPORT THIS IDEA.

IF YOU ZOOM OUT A LITTLE MORE,

WE SEE THERE'S ACTUALLY
A LARGER CIRCULAR PATTERN.

NOW, WHAT IS THAT?

MAYBE THIS IS
A SEDIMENT-FILLED CRATER.

NASA CALCULATES
THAT AROUND 200 ASTEROIDS

SMASH INTO
THE RED PLANET EVERY YEAR.

COULD ONE OF THESE IMPACTS
HAVE CREATED MARSHENGE?

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT
A LARGE IMPACT

WOULD LEAVE A COLLECTION
OF LARGE BOULDERS

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CRATER.

IF IT WAS A LARGE ENOUGH
ASTEROID TO MAKE A CRATER,

THAT ASTEROID WOULD
ACTUALLY BREAK UP

INTO SMALLER AND SMALLER PIECES,

AND YOU WOULD SEE THE EJECT
OUTSIDE THE CRATER,

AND THAT'S NOT WHAT
WE SEE IN THIS CASE.

IN 2020, NASA WILL
SEND A NEXT-GENERATION ROVER

TO EXPLORE THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

ONE OF ITS OBJECTIVES
IS TO INVESTIGATE

THE GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES

THAT CREATED THE RED
PLANET'S STRANGE LANDSCAPE.

UNTIL THEN, THE ORIGIN
OF THE MYSTERIOUS MARSHENGE

WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CASES

WHERE WE PROBABLY
WON'T KNOW THE ANSWER

TO HOW THIS ROCK
FORMATION FORMED

UNTIL WE GET ON THE GROUND
AT THAT LOCATION.

COMING UP, DOES NASA DATA SHOW

OUR PLANET'S MAGNETIC
FORCE FIELD IS COLLAPSING?

IF EARTH LOSES
ITS MAGNETIC FIELD,

WE'RE ON A PATHWAY
TO BECOME A DEAD, COLD WORLD,

JUST LIKE MARS.

WILL WE SURVIVE IT?
WE DON'T KNOW.

NASA DATA SEEMS TO SHOW

THAT THE EARTH'S
MAGNETIC FIELD HAS COLLAPSED.

IF THE DATA IS ACCURATE,

THEN WE'RE ALL
IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.

WITHOUT OUR MAGNETIC FIELD,
WE'D BE TOAST.

COULD THIS BE
THE APOCALYPTIC EVENT

SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN WARNING US
ABOUT FOR YEARS?

SOME PEOPLE THINK
THAT MAGNETIC POLE COLLAPSE

HAS LED TO MASS
EXTINCTIONS IN THE PAST.

WILL WE SURVIVE IT?
WE DON'T KNOW.

APRIL 23, 2016.

A NEWS WEBSITE REPORTS THAT,
AT 5:37 A.M.,

THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD

SUFFERED A SUDDEN
AND TOTAL COLLAPSE.

EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD
IS GENERATED

BY ITS OUTER CORE
OF MOLTEN IRON.

THIS FIELD EXTENDS
FAR OUT INTO SPACE

AND PROTECTS US
FROM SOLAR RADIATION

AND HARMFUL COSMIC RAYS.

IMAGES THE WEBSITE CLAIMS

ARE FROM NASA'S SPACE WEATHER
ANALYSIS SYSTEM

SEEM TO CONFIRM
AN IMMINENT GLOBAL CATASTROPHE.

YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THIS BARRIER
PROTECTING THE EARTH

FROM AN ONSLAUGHT OF SOLAR
PARTICLES AND SOLAR WIND,

AND THEN, YOU CAN
SUDDENLY SEE IT'S GONE.

IF THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC
FIELD WERE TURNED OFF,

THAT WOULD BE
COMPLETELY DISASTROUS.

IF THE REPORT IS CORRECT,

EARTH IS NOW AT THE MERCY

OF A RELENTLESS
RADIOACTIVE ASSAULT

OF CHARGED PARTICLES
FROM DEEP SPACE.

PERHAPS MOST CATASTROPHICALLY,

THE SOLAR WIND WOULD ERODE
AWAY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THIS IS EFFECTIVELY
WHAT HAPPENED TO MARS

BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO,

SO IF EARTH LOSES
ITS MAGNETIC FIELD,

WE'RE ON A PATHWAY
TO BECOME A DEAD, COLD WORLD,

JUST LIKE MARS.

EARTH'S MAGNETOSPHERE
HAS EXISTED

FOR MORE THAN 3 BILLION YEARS.

ITS APPARENT, SUDDEN COLLAPSE
SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT
DOESN'T JUST STOP.

IT DOESN'T JUST TURN OFF.

SO WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

IS THERE SOMETHING THAT
PEOPLE ARE DOING ON EARTH

THAT COULD CREATE SOMETHING

THAT WOULD TURN OFF
THESE MAGNETIC FIELD?

SOME ONLINE REACTIONS
TO THE REPORT

FOCUS ON THE WORLD'S
MOST POWERFUL MAGNET

AS A POTENTIAL SUSPECT

FOR THE MAGNETOSPHERE'S FAILURE.

THE CERN LABORATORIES
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER

USES A 17-MILE-LONG MAGNETICALLY
POWERED PARTICLE ACCELERATOR

TO FIRE PROTONS AT EACH OTHER

AT ALMOST THE SPEED OF LIGHT

IN THE SEARCH FOR MYSTERIOUS
SUBATOMIC GOD PARTICLES.

IT IS THE LARGEST MACHINE
EVER BUILT BY MANKIND.

A LOT OF PEOPLE
ARE STARTING TO WONDER

WHETHER CERN MIGHT BE
HAVING AN EFFECT

ON THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD

AND COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR SHUTTING IT DOWN.

THE EXPERIMENTS PRODUCE

600 MILLION SUBATOMIC COLLISIONS
EVERY SECOND,

GENERATING TEMPERATURES
100,000 TIMES HOTTER

THAN THE CENTER OF THE SUN.

THE MAGNETIC FIELD CREATED
INSIDE THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER

ARE MORE THAN 100,000 TIMES
EARTH'S OWN MAGNETIC FIELD.

COULD THE FORCES
UNLEASHED AT CERN

INTERFERE WITH EARTH'S
MAGNETIC FIELD?

THE ANSWER IS NO.
IT DEFINITELY CANNOT.

CERN'S MAGNETIC FIELD

IS ALWAYS INSIDE
OF THE COLLIDER ITSELF.

IT DOESN'T PERMEATE OUTWARDS

ANYWHERE ELSE TO INTERFERE
WITH THE EARTH.

WHEN NASA HEARS ABOUT
THE WEBSITE'S CLAIM,

IT LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION.

THE SPACE AGENCY DISCOVERS
THAT THE ALARMING CLAIM

WAS BASED ON READINGS TAKEN
DURING A 2-HOUR GLITCH

IN ITS SPACE WEATHER
MODELING SOFTWARE.

THESE PEOPLE THAT
RUN THIS WEBSITE

LOOKED AT THE NO DATA

AND INTERPRETED
THAT AS NO MAGNETIC FIELD.

WHEN FACED WITH SOMETHING
THAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE,

THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO DO
IS CHECK YOUR DATA.

INVESTIGATORS ALSO DISCOVER

THAT THE WEBSITE
HAS BEEN ACCUSED

OF RUNNING FAKE NEWS STORIES

AND OF DOCTORING
SOURCE MATERIAL.

THE REPORTED COLLAPSE
NEVER HAPPENED,

BUT FOR SCIENTISTS,

THE FEAR THAT THE EARTH

COULD LOSE ITS MAGNETIC
FORCE FIELD IS VERY REAL.

EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD
IS GETTING WEAKER,

AND THE RATE AT WHICH IT'S
WEAKENING IS ACCELERATING.

RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES
THIS WEAKENING IS A PRECURSOR

TO A POTENTIALLY
APOCALYPTIC EVENT

KNOWN AS A GEOMAGNETIC REVERSAL.

THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC
FIELD WEAKENS

BECAUSE OF A REALIGNMENT
OF THE IRON ATOMS

INSIDE THE LIQUID OUTER CORE.

THIS WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD
TO A FLIPPING OF THE POLES.

WHILE THE GEOGRAPHIC POLES

ALWAYS POINT IN GENERALLY
THE SAME DIRECTION,

THE MAGNETIC POLES
CAN AND DO MOVE

AND SOMETIMES EVEN
FLIP AROUND ENTIRELY.

WHEN THE POLES FLIP,

THE MAGNETIC FIELD
AROUND EARTH SHRINKS,

LEAVING OUR PLANET
DANGEROUSLY EXPOSED

FOR UP TO 200 YEARS.

IF A REVERSAL DOES HAPPEN,
THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR US.

THIS MEANS THAT OUR SATELLITES

WILL BE DAMAGED
BY SPACE RADIATION

AND THIS MEANS
THAT LIFE ON EARTH

WILL BE DAMAGED
BY SPACE RADIATION,

AND EVEN OUR ENTIRE
ATMOSPHERE MAY LOSE MASS

DUE TO EARTH'S LACK
OF A MAGNETIC FIELD.

SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE SUGGESTED

THAT GEOMAGNETIC FLIPS

HAVE LED TO MASS
EXTINCTIONS IN THE PAST.

THE LATEST RESEARCH INDICATES

THAT THE NEXT ONE
COULD STRIKE WITHIN DECADES.

HOW ARE WE GOING
TO PROTECT OURSELVES?

WILL WE SURVIVE IT?
WE DON'T KNOW.

COMING UP,

NASA DISCOVERS
A MYSTERIOUS CHASM

IN ONE OF SATURN'S RINGS.

IT'S LIKE SOMETHING
JUST PUNCHED CLEAN THROUGH

AND LEFT A HOLE BEHIND.

THERE'S NO KNOWN SPACECRAFT

THAT COULD'VE MADE
A HOLE THIS BIG.

A NASA PROBE STUDYING SATURN
CAPTURES AN INTRIGUING IMAGE.

THERE'S A HUGE HOLE
IN ONE OF SATURN'S RINGS.

IT'S LIKE SOMETHING
PUNCHED RIGHT THROUGH IT.

THE CAUSE OF THE GIANT CHASM

BAFFLES PLANETARY SCIENTISTS.

SOMETHING BIG, REALLY BIG,
CREATED THIS HOLE,

BUT WE CAN'T FIND IT.

2016.

NASA's CASSINI SPACECRAFT
IS 12 YEARS INTO ITS MISSION

TO STUDY SATURN,

THE SECOND LARGEST PLANET
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

ON APRIL 8, CASSINI IS TASKED

WITH IMAGING
THE PLANET'S OUTER RING,

A BAND OF ICY DEBRIS KNOWN
AS THE "F" RING.

THE "F" RING IS A THIN,
LITTLE RING

THAT ALMOST LOOKS
LIKE BRAIDED WIRE

THAT GOES AROUND THE BIG,
MAJOR, FAT RINGS OF SATURN.

MATERIAL IN THE "F" RING
IS SO FINE

THAT IT'S ALMOST
LIKE FROZEN SMOKE.

WHEN THE CASSINI TEAM

AT NASA's JET PROPULSION
LABORATORY

STUDIED THE IMAGES,

THEY DISCOVER
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.

IT'S LIKE SOMETHING
JUST PUNCHED CLEAN THROUGH

AND LEFT A HOLE BEHIND.

IT LOOKS REALLY WEIRD.

IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE
THERE'S BEEN AN EXPLOSION

IN THE "F" RING.

A MYSTERIOUS FORCE OR OBJECT
APPEARS TO HAVE BLASTED

A 30,000-SQUARE-MILE HOLE
OUT OF THE ICY RING.

THIS HOLE IS SO LARGE,

YOU COULD FIT LAKE ERIE INTO IT.

ASTRONOMERS DISMISS THE IDEA

THAT ONE OF NASA's CRAFT

COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE STRANGE EVENT.

THERE'S NO KNOWN SPACECRAFT

THAT COULD'VE MADE
A HOLE THIS BIG.

A CLUE TO THE ORIGIN
OF THE MYSTERY

COULD COME FROM THE TWO MOONS
THAT FLANK THE "F" RING...

PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA.

THESE TWO POTATO-SHAPED BALLS
OF ICE POLICE THE RING

AS THEY ORBIT
ON EITHER SIDE OF IT.

WELL, THESE TWO MOONS,
PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA,

ACT SORT OF LIKE BODYGUARDS.

THEY KIND OF KEEP THE
WANDERING PARTICLES IN TRACK.

IF ONE OF THE MOONS
WERE NOT THERE,

THE RING WOULD JUST SPREAD

BECAUSE EACH MOON
IS PUSHING FROM EACH SIDE

AND KEEPING IT FROM SPREADING.

PROMETHEUS,
THE LARGEST OF THE TWO MOONS,

ORBITS CLOSEST TO SATURN

AND HAS A HISTORY
OF CAUSING DISTURBANCES

IN THE "F" RING.

THE OBVIOUS SUSPECT,
BECAUSE IT REGULARLY COMES CLOSE

TO THE "F" RING
AND PULLS OUT LITTLE BITS.

IT DISTURBS IT AS IT
COMES CLOSE TO IT.

PROMETHEUS IS KIND
OF A COSMIC VANDAL.

BUT WHEN THE CASSINI TEAM

ANALYZE PROMETHEUS' POSITION

AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT,

THE THEORY FALLS DOWN.

IN THIS CASE, PROMETHEUS
HAS AN AIRTIGHT ALIBI...

IT WAS CLEAR ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF SATURN

WHEN THE HOLE APPEARED.

CLOSER ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGES

SUGGESTS PROMETHEUS' SISTER MOON
IS A MORE LIKELY SUSPECT.

IN THESE IMAGES,
PART OF THE MATERIAL

THAT'S BEING PULLED OUT
FROM THE RINGS

LOOKS LIKE IT'S POINTING
TOWARD PANDORA,

SO IT MIGHT BE PANDORA
BEING MISCHIEVOUS

AND CAUSING THIS DISTURBANCE.

THE IMAGES SEEM TO
PROVIDE STRONG EVIDENCE

THAT PANDORA'S
GRAVITATIONAL PULL

HAS DRAGGED MATERIAL
OUT OF THE "F" RING,

BUT SCIENTISTS CALCULATE

THAT THE 70-MILE-LONG MOON

COULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE MASSIVE DISTURBANCE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MATH,

WE FIND OUT THAT PANDORA
WAS JUST TOO SMALL.

ITS GRAVITY IS JUST
NOT BIG ENOUGH

TO CAUSE THIS KIND
OF INTERRUPTION,

SO HERE, IT SEEMS TO JUST BE
AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER.

IT'S ACTUALLY OFF THE HOOK.

THE CASSINI IMAGES
PROVIDE NO FURTHER CLUES

TO THE ORIGIN
OF THE GIANT CHASM.

IT SEEMS A MYSTERY OBJECT

TRAVELED THROUGH THIS REGION
OF SPACE

AND THEN DISAPPEARED.

WHATEVER CAUSED THIS
SIMPLY ISN'T CAPTURED ON CAMERA.

IT'S GONE BEFORE
CASSINI CAN SPOT IT.

SOMETHING BIG, REALLY BIG,

CREATED THIS HOLE,
BUT WE CAN'T FIND IT.

SINCE THE HOLE WAS DISCOVERED,

CASSINI HAS PERFORMED
SEVERAL MORE FLY-BYS

OF THE MYSTERIOUS "F" RING.

THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE STRANGE
CHASM REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

WE STILL DON'T KNOW FOR SURE
WHAT CAUSED THIS DISTURBANCE.

THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT SATURN,
THE MORE QUESTIONS WE HAVE.

WE'RE JUST SCRATCHING
THE SURFACE.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk