NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 5, Episode 7 - The Moon's Strange Secret - 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.

AN APOLLO ASTRONAUT
DISCOVERS SOMETHING ASTONISHING



ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

THAT MEANS THERE COULD
HAVE BEEN LIFE ON THE MOON.

A NASA SCIENTIST
INVESTIGATES A DEADLY PHENOMENON

THAT THREATENS
MILLIONS OF LIVES.

THERE ARE COUNTLESS
DEAD BODIES STREWN ABOUT.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE
FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

AND A RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT

MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS
ON THE WAY TO MARS.

EVERYBODY IS PANICKING.

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS POINT FINGERS

AT THE UNITED STATES.

THESE ARE
NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES.



NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 5
EP - 7 - The Moon's Strange Secret

A LANDMARK NASA MISSION
ENDS IN DISASTER.

BAM...

THE HATCH BLOWS OFF,

AND HIS SPACECRAFT STARTS
FILLING WITH WATER.

HIS CRAFT IS SINKING
TO THE SEA FLOOR,

AND IT'S GONNA DRAG HIM WITH IT.

THE INCIDENT
THREATENS TO DESTROY

THE REPUTATION
OF AN AMERICAN HERO.

THE MEDIA ABSOLUTELY
CRUCIFIED HIM.

HE'S GONE FROM NATIONAL HERO
TO SERIOUS LIABILITY.

MAY 1, 1999.

A TEAM OF SALVAGE EXPERTS
EXPLORE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

AT A DEPTH OF ALMOST 3 MILES.

EMERGING FROM THE DARKNESS...

A RUSTING SPACECRAFT,

PARTIALLY BURIED IN THE SEA BED.

IT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN
SEARCHING FOR.

THE ASTONISHING DISCOVERY
SHEDS NEW LIGHT

ON ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING
MYSTERIES OF SPACE FLIGHT.

THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
ABOUT THIS SPACECRAFT.

THIS IS A TREASURE.

THE STORY BEGINS IN 1961.

AT 7:20 A.M. ON JULY 21,

THE MERCURY-REDSTONE 4 ROCKET

BLASTS OFF FROM CAPE CANAVERAL.

FIVE MINUTES LATER,
EX-AIR FORCE PILOT GUS GRISSOM

BECOMES THE THIRD HUMAN
TO REACH SPACE.

GRISSOM'S CAPSULE,
NICKNAMED LIBERTY BELL 7,

REACHES AN ALTITUDE
OF 118 MILES.

AFTER JUST 5 MINUTES IN SPACE,

GRISSOM HAS TO BEGIN
THE JOURNEY HOME.

THE SUBORBITAL FLIGHT
ONLY LASTS 15 MINUTES,

AND HE SPLASHES DOWN
PERFECTLY ON POINT

AT THE END OF THE MISSION.

YET WITHIN MINUTES,

LIBERTY BELL 7 SUFFERS
A DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION.

BAM...

THE HATCH BLOWS OFF,

AND THE SPACECRAFT STARTS
FILLING WITH WATER.

THE HATCH OPENS
BEFORE RESCUE HELICOPTERS

CAN REACH THE DOWNED SPACECRAFT.

SEAWATER SURGES
INTO THE STEEL CAPSULE.

HIS CRAFT IS SINKING
TO THE SEAFLOOR,

AND IT'S GONNA DRAG HIM WITH IT.

GRISSOM HAS NO CHOICE

BUT TO ABANDON LIBERTY BELL 7.

HIS TROUBLES DON'T END

WHEN HE LEAVES THE CAPSULE.

THE PROBLEM IS, IN HIS HASTE

TO GET OUT OF
THE SINKING SPACECRAFT,

HE LEFT HIS OXYGEN PORT OPEN
ON HIS SUIT,

AND NOW THAT'S FILLING UP
WITH WATER.

THE SEAS WERE JUST ROUGH ENOUGH

THAT WATER SPILLING OVER HIM
WAS GOING IN HIS SUIT.

GRISSOM'S LEAKING SPACESUIT
BEGINS TO DRAG HIM UNDER.

HE WAVES FRANTICALLY TO
THE APPROACHING RESCUE CHOPPER,

BUT THE PILOT MISINTERPRETS
HIS SIGNALS.

THE HELICOPTER PILOT

THINKS THAT HE'S TELLING HIM

TO SAVE THE SPACECRAFT
WHEN, ACTUALLY,

HE'S TRYING TO TELL THE AIRCRAFT
THAT HE'S DROWNING,

AS HIS SPACESUIT FILLS
WITH WATER.

THE RECOVERY PILOT ATTEMPTS
TO LIFT LIBERTY BELL

OUT OF THE OCEAN,

BUT THE WEIGHT
OF THE FLOODED CAPSULE

DRAGS THE CHOPPER DOWN

TOWARDS THE WAVES.

THAT SPACECRAFT WAS JUST WAY
TOO HEAVY FOR THEM,

AND THEY HAD TO RELEASE IT.

IN THE MEANTIME,

THEY'VE LEFT GUS OUT
SWIMMING AROUND

OR TRYING TO STAY AFLOAT
ON HIS OWN.

THE ASTRONAUT IS NOW
DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO DROWNING.

HE CAN'T SWIM WITH THAT SUIT
FULL OF WATER,

AND HE'S STARTING
TO GET WATER IN HIS LUNGS.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REALIZED
THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT

UNTIL THEY FINALLY
LOST THE SPACECRAFT.

AND THEN THEY LOOKED AT GUS
AND SAID, "OH, MY.

WE BETTER GET HIM QUICK."

AT 7:45 A.M.,
THE RESCUE TEAM FINALLY

DRAGS GRISSOM FROM THE OCEAN.

ANOTHER 30 SECONDS,
AND HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN GONE.

MERCURY PROGRAM ENGINEERS

LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION

INTO THE DISASTER.

THE CRITICAL QUESTION IS,

WHO OR WHAT
CAUSED THE HATCH TO BLOW?

SUSPICION FALLS
ON GRISSOM HIMSELF.

MANY SUGGEST THAT
UNDER PRESSURE,

GRISSOM PANICKED
AND BLEW THE HATCH HIMSELF.

THE MEDIA GOT A HOLD OF THAT,

AND THEY ABSOLUTELY
CRUCIFIED HIM

BECAUSE THEY SAID
HE'D MADE A MISTAKE.

GRISSOM, WITH THE BACKING
OF HIS NASA COLLEAGUES,

STRENUOUSLY DENIES ACCUSATIONS

THAT HE DETONATED
THE EXPLOSIVE HATCH.

THE PROBLEM IS LIBERTY BELL 7

IS AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE ATLANTIC,

AND THAT'S THE ONLY EVIDENCE
THEY HAVE.

IN OCTOBER 1962,

GRISSOM'S FELLOW MERCURY
ASTRONAUT, WALLY SCHIRRA,

STEPS IN TO HELP
HIS FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE.

AT THE END
OF HIS MERCURY ATLAS 8 FLIGHT,

SCHIRRA DELIBERATELY ACTIVATES
THE EXPLOSIVE HATCH.

HE WALKS AWAY FROM THAT

WITH MASSIVE BRUISES
ON HIS ARMS.

IT'S CLEAR PROOF THAT,

HAD GRISSOM DETONATED
THE HATCH HIMSELF,

HE WOULD ALSO HAVE
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

ON HIS BODY TO PROVE IT.

SCHIRRA'S ACTIONS APPEAR
TO CLEAR GRISSOM,

BUT THE PRESENT PUBLIC
REMAIN UNCONVINCED.

THAT WAS SOMETHING
THAT WAS VERY TROUBLING

TO GUS AND HIS COLLEAGUES.

THAT WAS A DIFFICULT TIME,
I THINK, FOR NASA.

FOUR YEARS LATER,

THE MYSTERY TAKES A TRAGIC TURN.

IN JANUARY 1966,

NASA SELECTS GUS GRISSOM
AS COMMAND PILOT

FOR THE FIRST APOLLO MISSION.

BUT DURING A LAUNCH REHEARSAL,

A FIRE BREAKS OUT WHILE
GRISSOM AND HIS TWO CREWMATES

ARE SEALED INSIDE
THE COMMAND MODULE.

WITHIN SECONDS,

AN INFERNO ENGULFS
THE SPACECRAFT,

AND THE THREE ASTRONAUTS
SUFFER HORRIFIC DEATHS.

IN A BITTER TWIST OF FATE,

INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER
THAT A BADLY-DESIGNED HATCH

PREVENTED RESCUERS FROM REACHING
THE TRAPPED ASTRONAUTS.

THE WAY THE HATCH
WAS CONSTRUCTED IN APOLLO

WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST MISTAKE
THEY MADE

BECAUSE THAT COST US THREE GUYS
ON A PAD AT THE CAPE.

GRISSOM'S TRAGIC DEATH

REDUCES THE MYSTERY
OF LIBERTY BELL'S HATCH

TO A FORGOTTEN FOOTNOTE
OF SPACE HISTORY.

BUT IN 1999,
THE MYSTERY RESURFACES

WHEN THE SALVAGE TEAM
LOCATES LIBERTY BELL 7

AND PULLS IT
FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR.

ANALYSIS OF THE HATCH
REVEALS EVIDENCE

TO FINALLY VINDICATE GRISSOM

ALMOST FOUR DECADES
AFTER HIS FATEFUL FLIGHT.

THEY FOUND THAT
THE TITANIUM STRIP

THAT HOLDS THE HATCH IN PLACE

WAS WARPED SIGNIFICANTLY.

AND THAT INDICATES
THAT THE HATCH

MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED
WHEN IT LANDED

AND STRUCK THE OCEAN.

IT SHOWS THAT HE DIDN'T PANIC
UNDER PRESSURE,

THAT HE DID THE RIGHT THING.

TODAY, GUS GRISSOM IS
REMEMBERED AS A TRUE HERO,

A MAN WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE

IN THE QUEST
TO PUT MANKIND ON THE MOON.

WHICH ASTRONAUT IN THE PROGRAM

WAS THE FIRST ONE TO FLY GEMINI?

GUS GRISSOM.

WHICH ASTRONAUT IN THE PROGRAM

WAS THE FIRST ONE SCHEDULED
TO FLY IN APOLLO?

IT WAS GUS GRISSOM.

HE WAS THE BEST ONE
IN THE BUSINESS.

COMING UP...

A NASA SCIENTIST INVESTIGATES
THE STRANGE PHENOMENON

RESPONSIBLE
FOR A SERIES OF MASS DEATHS.

THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF PANIC.

WHATEVER KILLED THESE PEOPLE

CREPT UP AND SURPRISED THEM.

AND THE KREMLIN
ACCUSES FOREIGN POWERS

OF SABOTAGING A MISSION TO MARS.

SEVERAL TECHNICIANS
IN THIS RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

WERE THREATENED
TO BE IMPRISONED.

A NASA SCIENTIST
INVESTIGATES A SERIES

OF MYSTERIOUS MASS DEATHS.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE
FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF PANIC.

WHATEVER KILLED THESE PEOPLE

CREPT UP AND SURPRISED THEM.

HE DISCOVERS EVIDENCE
OF A DEADLY PHENOMENON

THAT THREATENS
MILLIONS OF LIVES.

WILL THIS AVERT A CATASTROPHE?

ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

AUGUST 21, 1986, CAMEROON...

A FARMER RETURNING TO HIS HOME
ON THE SHORES OF LAKE NYOS

MAKES A GRIM DISCOVERY.

HE ENTERS THE VILLAGE,

AND HE CAN TELL IMMEDIATELY,

SOMETHING IS VERY, VERY WRONG.

THE ENTIRE VILLAGE IS SILENT.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE
FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

THERE ARE COUNTLESS
DEAD BODIES STREWN ABOUT.

WHEN GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATORS

ARRIVE ON THE SCENE,

THEY FIND HUNDREDS
OF DEAD BODIES

AND JUST SIX SURVIVORS.

ALL TOLD, ONCE COUNTED,

THE DEATH TOLL REACHES 1,800.

MEDICAL TEAMS DISCOVER
THAT MANY OF THE VICTIMS

HAVE STRANGE BURN MARKS
ON THEIR SKIN.

THE CORPSES
OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS

ALSO LITTER THE COUNTRYSIDE.

PEOPLE ARE ASKING,

"IS THIS AN ACT OF TERRORISTS?

IS THIS BIOLOGICAL WARFARE?"

THE CHILLING INCIDENT
BECOMES KNOWN

AS THE LAKE NYOS DISASTER.

THE PRESSURE IS ON
FOR INVESTIGATORS

TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING ANSWERS.

EX-NASA VOLCANOLOGIST

AND INTERNATIONAL DISASTER
EXPERT HARALDUR SIGURDSSON

HAS A THEORY.

TWO YEARS EARLIER,

HE INVESTIGATED
A SIMILAR INCIDENT

NEAR LAKE MONOUN,
JUST 16 MILES TO THE SOUTH.

I VISITED THE SITE WHERE
THE FATALITIES HAD BEEN FOUND,

37 PEOPLE LYING ALONG THE ROAD.

AND ON THE WAY TO THE MARKET,
THEY MET THIS FATE.

JUST LIKE
THE LAKE NYOS INCIDENT,

MANY OF THE DEAD DISPLAYED

STRANGE BURN MARKS
ON THEIR SKIN.

THE FIRST STEP
IN SIGURDSSON'S INVESTIGATION

WAS TO TAKE SAMPLES OF THE LAKE
FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

WHEN I WAS HAULING
THE BOTTLE UP,

I SAW THERE WAS
A TREMENDOUS VOLUME OF GAS

STREAMING OUT OF THE BOTTLE.

HIS ANALYSIS OF THE WATER

FROM LAKE MONOUN REVEALED
SOMETHING DISTURBING.

I LEANED OVER,
AND I SMELLED THE GAS,

AND IT WAS ODORLESS, ODOR FREE.

I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS
PROBABLY PURE CARBON DIOXIDE.

IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS,

CARBON DIOXIDE IS
AN INVISIBLE KILLER,

STARVING THE BODY OF OXYGEN

AND SUFFOCATING VICTIMS
WITHIN MINUTES.

I DECIDED TO GET OFF THE LAKE
RIGHT AWAY

BECAUSE I HAD REALIZED

THAT THE LAKE MIGHT BE
SATURATED IN CO2.

SIGURDSSON THEORIZED
THE BED OF LAKE MONOUN

WAS LOADED WITH CARBON DIOXIDE.

SOMETHING,
POSSIBLY A SEISMIC EVENT,

DISTURBED THE LAKE BED,

RELEASING A CLOUD
OF THE TOXIC GAS,

WHICH SUFFOCATED THE VILLAGERS.

BUT AT THE TIME,

THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY

REJECTED HIS RADICAL THEORY.

THEY FOUND THAT THIS WAS
SUCH AN OUTRAGEOUS IDEA.

IT SHOULDN'T BE PUBLISHED.

THE LAKE NYOS DEATHS
2 YEARS LATER,

FORCE INVESTIGATORS

TO RECONSIDER SIGURDSSON'S WORK.

THEY INVITE HIM BACK TO CAMEROON

TO HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

SIGURDSSON SEARCHES THE SHORES
OF THE CRATER LAKE

AND SOON DISCOVERS EVIDENCE

TO SUPPORT HIS CO2 THEORY.

THERE WAS CLEAR EVIDENCE
OF THE LANDSLIDE

THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE THERE
FROM THE BANK OF THE CRATER.

SIGURDSSON
AND HIS FELLOW SCIENTISTS

SUSPECT THAT THIS LANDSLIDE
TRIGGERED AN EXPLOSIVE RELEASE

OF 300,000 TONS
OF LETHAL CARBON DIOXIDE

TRAPPED IN THE LAKE BED.

IT'S JUST LIKE OPENING
THE CAN OF SODA.

YOU SHAKE IT UP,
RELEASE THE PRESSURE,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THAT CO2

WILL COME OUT OF THE WATER,

JUST LIKE OUT OF YOUR SODA CAN.

THE MASSIVE CLOUD OF CO2

SWEPT THROUGH LOCAL VILLAGES

AT OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR,

KILLING ALMOST EVERY ANIMAL
AND HUMAN IN ITS PATH.

AS THIS DEADLY INVISIBLE CLOUD

SPREAD THROUGH THE VILLAGE,

NOBODY WOULD HAVE SEEN IT.

NOBODY WOULD HAVE
KNOWN IT WAS THERE.

SIGURDSSON'S THEORY
ALSO EXPLAINS THE BURN MARKS

ON THE VICTIMS' BODIES.

WHEN YOU RELEASE
A TREMENDOUS VOLUME OF GAS

FROM A HIGH PRESSURE
TO A LOW PRESSURE,

BASICALLY THE RESULT
IS REFRIGERATION.

YOU GET A VERY COLD
CLOUD OF GAS.

SO THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS

THAT ALL THESE LESIONS WERE,
IN FACT, FROSTBITE.

FROSTBITE IN AFRICA, AMAZING.

SCIENTISTS FEAR THAT
THE KILLER LAKE PHENOMENON

COULD SOON STRIKE AGAIN.

NASA'S EARTH-IMAGING SATELLITES

PLAY A KEY ROLE IN EFFORTS

TO PREVENT FUTURE CATASTROPHES.

NASA'S MODUS INSTRUMENTS

ATTACHED
TO THE TERRA AND AQUA SATELLITES

ARE GIVING US UNIQUE INSIGHTS

INTO THE MECHANISMS
THAT CAN CAUSE DISASTERS,

LIKE WE'VE JUST SEEN.

IN 2016,

MODUS DATA REVEALS
SOMETHING ALARMING

IN THE WATERS OF LAKE KIVU

IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

THE CLEAR BLUE WATER OF THE LAKE

IS TURNING A MILKY WHITE.

IT'S ALMOST SINISTER.

COULD THERE BE ANOTHER EVENT
ABOUT TO HAPPEN?

SCIENTISTS CALCULATE
THAT THE LAKE HOLDS

500 MILLION TONS OF CO2,

800 TIMES MORE THAN LAKE NYOS.

KIVU WAS POTENTIALLY
THE PERFECT STORM.

ITS DENSE POPULATION MEANS
THAT MILLIONS OF LIVES

COULD BE AT RISK.

EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY
OTHER KILLER LAKES ARE ONGOING.

IT LEADS TO A GRIM QUESTION,

WHERE AND WHEN
MIGHT THIS HAPPEN AGAIN?

COMING UP...

THE LAST HUMANS
TO WALK ON THE MOON

DISCOVER SOMETHING STRANGE
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

YOU CAN HEAR IN HIS VOICE

HOW EXCITED THIS FIND
IS MAKING HIM.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER
AS FAR AS MOON COLONIZATION

IS CONCERNED.

ASTRONAUTS
ON THE FINAL APOLLO MISSION

MAKE A BIZARRE DISCOVERY
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

THE WEIRD SUBSTANCE
RAISES A POSSIBILITY

THAT WAS ONCE UNTHINKABLE.

THERE MIGHT STILL BE
SOME KIND OF ANCIENT LIFE

BURIED DEEP WITHIN
THE MOON'S SOIL.

DECEMBER 11, 1972...

APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUTS

HARRISON SCHMITT
AND EUGENE CERNAN

BEGIN THEIR 3-DAY EXPLORATION

OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WE KNEW THAT
THE APOLLO PROGRAM WAS ENDING,

AND WE'D KNOWN THAT
FOR SOME TIME

AND THAT WE WOULD BE
THE LAST MISSION.

YOU CAN'T LET THAT DISTRACT YOU.

ON DECEMBER 12,

CERNAN AND SCHMITT EXPLORE

A FEATURE CALLED SHORTY CRATER

IN THE TAURUS-LITTROW
LUNAR VALLEY.

WHAT THEY DISCOVER SHOCKS THEM.

IT'S ORANGE SOIL...
REAL ORANGE SOIL.

AND YOU CAN HEAR IN HIS VOICE

HOW EXCITED THIS FIND
IS MAKING HIM.

THE ASTRONAUTS COLLECT

AS MUCH ORANGE DIRT AS POSSIBLE

BEFORE THEY RUN OUT OF OXYGEN.

SCHMITT'S DISCOVERY
BAFFLES SCIENTISTS.

SOME SUGGEST
A POSSIBLE CLUE TO ITS ORIGIN

COULD COME FROM HERE, ON EARTH.

ON THE EARTH,
THERE'S LOTS OF REDDISH SOILS

IN PLACES
WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF RAIN,

AND THE WATER IS INTERACTING
WITH THE ORIGINAL ROCK.

THAT PRODUCES THESE REDDISH
IRON-OXIDE SOILS.

IF OXIDATION HAS
TURNED THE DIRT ORANGE,

IT HAS ASTONISHING IMPLICATIONS.

OXIDATION REQUIRES
THE PRESENCE OF WATER.

ON EARTH, WE KNOW THAT
ALL LIFEFORMS NEED WATER.

SO THAT MEANS THERE COULD
HAVE BEEN LIFE ON THE MOON.

WHEN SCHMITT RETURNS TO EARTH,

NASA SCIENTISTS SUBJECT

THE ORANGE SOIL
TO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

THEY FIND NO EVIDENCE OF WATER.

INSTEAD, THE DISCOVER
THE DIRT WAS CREATED

BY ANCIENT LUNAR LAVA FLOWS.

IT TURNED OUT
TO BE VOLCANIC DEBRIS

THAT HAD BEEN ERUPTED
ABOUT 3 1/2 BILLION YEARS AGO.

THE MYSTERY
APPEARS TO BE SOLVED,

BUT IN 2011,

NASA RE-EXAMINED SAMPLES
OF SCHMITT'S ORANGE DIRT

USING ADVANCED MOLECULAR
ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY.

WHAT THEY DISCOVER
IS ASTONISHING.

WATER HIDDEN INSIDE...

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

THE DISCOVERY OF TRACES OF WATER

IN THE VOLCANIC DEBRIS

DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS
THE ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC THEORY

ABOUT HOW THE MOON WAS FORMED.

ONE OF THE MAJOR IDEAS
OF WHAT FORMED THE MOON IS,

THAT THERE'S
A GIANT MARS-SIZED IMPACT

ON THE EARTH.

BASICALLY,
IT RIPPED THE EARTH APART.

THE THEORY, KNOWN AS BIG SPLASH,

SUGGESTS THAT WHEN THE OBJECT
SMASHED IN TO THE EARTH,

IT THREW DEBRIS OUT INTO SPACE.

THIS DEBRIS THEN MERGED
OVER 100 YEARS

TO FORM THE MOON.

BUT IT WAS SUCH A BIG EVENT,
IT WAS SUCH A COLLISION,

IT SHOULD HAVE MELTED
AND VAPORIZED SO MUCH MATERIAL.

HOW COULD YOU HAVE
ANY WATER PRESERVED?

AND YET, THERE IT IS.

IF THE MOON HAS
SUBTERRANEAN WATER DEPOSITS,

IT MIGHT MEAN
LIFE EXISTED THERE IN THE PAST.

AND IT COULD ENABLE MANKIND

TO LIVE THERE IN THE FUTURE.

THE COLONIZATION OF THE MOON

HAS BEEN ON THE CARDS
FOR A LONG TIME,

AND THE SINGLE OBJECTION

WAS A LACK OF WATER.

NASA'S LUNAR FLASHLIGHT MISSION

IS ONE OF SEVERAL AIMED

AT INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY

OF MINING WATER FROM THE MOON.

THE SPACE AGENCY HOPES
TO USE THE WATER

TO CREATE BREATHABLE AIR,

GROW FOOD, AND MAKE ROCKET FUEL.

IF WATER EXISTS,

EVEN IN THE FORM
OF HYDRATED MINERALS,

THEN IT IS POSSIBLE THAT
WE COULD EXTRACT THIS WATER.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER
AS FAR AS MOON COLONIZATION

IS CONCERNED.

NASA SCIENTISTS HOPE
TO ESTABLISH A LUNAR BASE

AS EARLY AS 2022,

AND IT COULD BE THANKS
TO A STRANGE DISCOVERY MADE

BY THE LAST HUMANS
TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

AS WE APPROACHED LIFTOFF

FROM THE VALLEY
OF TAURUS-LITTROW

ON APOLLO 17,

I DON'T THINK WE IMAGINED
THAT IT WOULD BE OVER 50 YEARS

BEFORE SOMEBODY WENT BACK.

COMING UP...

A MISSION TO MARS SUFFERS

A CATASTROPHIC MALFUNCTION.

THE SPACECRAFT
IS LOSING ALTITUDE

SEVERAL KILOMETERS PER DAY.

WHEN THE SPACECRAFT
BREAKS DOWN COMMUNICATIONS

AT THE VERY CRITICAL MOMENT
OF THE MISSION,

THIS IS A VERY BAD SIGN.

DISASTER STRIKES
A RUSSIAN MISSION TO MARS.

EVERYBODY IS PANICKING.

THEY CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO IT?

A SPACE PROBE
JUST DOESN'T DISAPPEAR.

THE INCIDENT FUELS TENSION

BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS ARE STARTING

TO POINT FINGERS
AT THE UNITED STATES.

SINCE 1960,
THE RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

HAS LAUNCHED
18 MISSIONS TO MARS.

ALMOST ALL
HAVE ENDED IN FAILURE.

IT GOT SO BAD
THAT PEOPLE BEGAN TO SUSPECT

OR AT LEAST JOKE ABOUT,

A RUSSIAN CURSE
FOR MARS MISSIONS.

IN 2011,

THE RUSSIANS PREPARE
TO LAUNCH THE FOBOS-GRUNT PROBE,

WHICH COULD OFFER
A SHOT AT REDEMPTION.

THE CRAFT'S MISSION IS

TO LAND ON AND INVESTIGATE

MARS' LARGEST MOON.

THIS WAS TO BE
A PIONEERING MISSION

TO RETRIEVE SAMPLES
FROM THE MARTIAN MOON, PHOBOS,

BACK TO EARTH FOR STUDY.

AT 12:16 A.M. ON NOVEMBER 9,

FOBOS-GRUNT BLASTS OFF

FROM THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME
IN KAZAKHSTAN.

BUT JUST 2 1/2 HOURS
INTO ITS FLIGHT,

THE CRAFT
MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS.

SUDDENLY, SPACECRAFT BREAKS DOWN

COMMUNICATIONS
WITH GROUND CONTROL.

THIS IS A VERY BAD SIGN.

GROUND CONTROLLERS
STRUGGLE TO REESTABLISH CONTACT

WITH THE STRICKEN SPACECRAFT.

TRAJECTORY DATA REVEALS
IT IS SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL

IN LOWER ORBIT.

THE ROCKET BOOSTER
THAT'S SUPPOSED

TO PUSH IT ONTO MARS
WILL NOT IGNITE.

AND MEANWHILE, THE SPACECRAFT

IS LOSING ALTITUDE,
SEVERAL KILOMETERS PER DAY.

THEY REALIZED THAT IT WILL

ENTER THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
AND DISINTEGRATE.

AND THE ONLY QUESTION
THAT REMAINS IS, WHERE?

AT 9:45 P.M.
ON JANUARY 15, 2012,

FOBOS-GRUNT BURNS UP

AS IT REENTERS
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

MINUTES LATER, DEBRIS RAINS DOWN

CLOSE TO SOUTH AMERICA.

THIS IS REALLY A DISASTER
FOR THE RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM.

SO MUCH WAS RIDING
ON THIS MISSION.

THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,

ROSCOSMOS,
LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION

INTO THE MISSION'S
CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

ITS GENERAL DIRECTOR,
VLADIMIR POPOVKIN,

ISSUES A DRAMATIC STATEMENT.

POPOVKIN ESSENTIALLY ASSERTS
THAT IT'S AMERICANS,

SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE FAILURE OF FOBOS-GRUNT.

THE ACCUSATION COMES AT A TIME

OF INCREASING TENSIONS
BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

A FORMER COMMANDER

OF RUSSIA'S BALLISTIC MISSILE
WARNING SYSTEM

OPENLY ACCUSES ONE
SPECIFIC AMERICAN FACILITY.

HAARP...

A SECRETIVE MILITARY
RESEARCH SITE IN ALASKA

THAT USES RADIO WAVES

TO CONDUCT
ATMOSPHERIC EXPERIMENTS.

THIS IS A PROGRAM DESIGNED
TO MONITOR AND EXPLORE

THE EARTH'S IONOSPHERE...

THE CHARGED LAYER
OF THE EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

THE PENTAGON DENIES

THAT IT USED
HAARP'S RADIO PULSES

TO ATTACK FOBOS-GRUNT.

SCIENTISTS ALSO DOUBT
THE ALASKA FACILITY

TARGETED THE ORBITING PROBE.

THE PROBLEM WITH BLAMING HAARP

IS HAARP ISN'T
NEARLY POWERFUL ENOUGH

TO AFFECT
THE FOBOS-GRUNT SPACECRAFT,

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S IN ORBIT.

THE CLAIMS OF SABOTAGE

THREATEN TO SEVERELY
DAMAGE RELATIONS

BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AMERICA.

BUT ON JANUARY 31st,

VLADIMIR POPOVKIN BACKTRACKS

AND ISSUES A STATEMENT

CLAIMING THE CAUSE
OF THE STRANGE MALFUNCTION

COMES FROM OUTER SPACE.

COSMIC RAY PARTICLES ARE ALWAYS
PASSING THROUGH SPACECRAFT.

AND IF THEY HIT CERTAIN CIRCUITS

AND CERTAIN CIRCUIT ELEMENTS,

THEY CAN SEND BLIPS,
THOSE LITTLE SIGNALS DOWN

THE WIRE AT THE WRONG TIME.

COSMIC RAYS ARE KNOWN

TO HAVE DISABLED SPACECRAFT
IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

BUT FOBOS-GRUNT'S LOW ALTITUDE

MEANS IT WAS PROBABLY
OUT OF RANGE

OF THIS RADIOACTIVE ATTACK.

FOBOS-GRUNT IS NOWHERE NEAR
THE RADIATION BELT OF THE EARTH.

IT'S FAR BELOW.

THERE'S NO WAY FOBOS-GRUNT

COULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED
BY A COSMIC RAY.

IN THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY,

SOURCES WITHIN ROSCOSMOS

LEAK INFORMATION
FROM THE AGENCY'S INVESTIGATION

INTO THE DOOMED FLIGHT.

THEY CLAIM THAT,
SOON AFTER LAUNCH,

THE PROBE'S FLIGHT
CONTROL SYSTEMS CRASHED.

SOMETHING HAPPENED
TO THE ONBOARD COMPUTER.

IT GOT CONFUSED.

IT HALTED THE ROCKET BURN,

AND IT JUST BASICALLY
SHUT ITSELF DOWN,

WAITING FOR HELP FROM EARTH.

BUT HELP FROM EARTH NEVER CAME.

THE REVELATIONS
EMBARRASSED THE KREMLIN

AND EXPOSED SERIOUS FLAWS

WITHIN THE RUSSIAN
SPACE PROGRAM.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT
THE PREPARATION FOR THE FLIGHT

HAD BEEN RUSHED
BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE

POLITICAL PRESSURE
ON THE PROGRAM

FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

THE PRESSURE ON THE TECHNICIANS
ARE SO HIGH

THAT SEVERAL TECHNICIANS

IN THIS RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

WERE THREATENED
TO BE IMPRISONED.

DESPITE THE DAMNING REPORT,

IN OCTOBER 2013,

THE RUSSIANS ANNOUNCE
THEY INTEND

TO SEND ANOTHER PROBE TO FOBOS

IN THE NEXT DECADE.

THE MISSION REPRESENTS
ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE OPPORTUNITY

FOR THE SUPERPOWER
TO BREAK ITS MARTIAN JINX.

WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT
THE RUSSIAN MARS CURSE

DOESN'T COME BACK TO HAUNT THEM
AGAIN NEXT TIME.

COMING UP...

A STRANGE AERIAL PHENOMENON

FUELS PANIC IN LOS ANGELES.

THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS.

THEY'RE ASKING,
"ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?"

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS

RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

A MYSTERY SIGHTING IN THE SKIES

TERRIFIES LOS ANGELES.

COULD IT BE A FOREIGN POWER?

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS
RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

CAUSES CONTROVERSY.

ARE WE BEING LIED TO?

IS THE CONTRAIL
JUST A COVER STORY?

NOVEMBER 8, 2010, LOS ANGELES...

THOUSANDS OF WITNESSES

SEE A BRIGHT PLUME
ARCH HIGH INTO THE SKY

ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

PEOPLE SEE
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING

COMING UP OUT OF THE OCEAN

AND FLYING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE DISTURBING SIGHT
CAUSES PANIC ACROSS THE CITY.

PEOPLE ARE STUNNED.

THEY SEE THIS THING, THEY PANIC.

I MEAN, A MISSILE LAUNCH
OFF THE COAST OF LOS ANGELES?

THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS.

THEY'RE ASKING,
"WHAT'S GOING ON?

ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?"

THE SIGHTING TRIGGERS FEARS

OF A FAILED WEAPONS TEST.

COULD IT BE
THAT THE MILITARY HAS LAUNCHED

AN INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILE

FROM A SUBMARINE OFF
THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA?

A STARTLINGLY SIMILAR INCIDENT

OCCURS FIVE YEARS LATER,
IN NOVEMBER 2015,

WHEN AN UNANNOUNCED TEST LAUNCH

SHOCKED THE RESIDENTS
OF POINT MUGU,

JUST 50 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN L.A.

THIS TIME, IT EMERGES

THAT THE US NAVY
WERE RESPONSIBLE.

THEY LAUNCHED A TRIDENT MISSILE,

BUT THEY DID IT IN SECRET

SO AS TO ESCAPE THE PRYING EYES

OF THE RUSSIANS AND THE CHINESE.

WHEN THE MILITARY TESTS
NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY,

IT LIKES TO KEEP THESE THINGS
UNDER WRAPS.

THE CONTRAIL
IN THE SKIES OVER L.A.

DOES BEAR SOME OF THE HALLMARKS
OF A MISSILE LAUNCH,

BUT INQUIRIES AT THE PENTAGON

YIELD NOTHING.

THEN THEY HOLD
A PRESS CONFERENCE.

AND INCREDIBLY,
THEY TURN AROUND AND SAY,

"WE DON'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT THIS."

WELL, THAT'S PRETTY WORRYING

IF THE PENTAGON
DON'T HAVE A CLUE

WHAT'S GOING ON JUST OFF
THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE PENTAGON'S DENIAL
ROUSES SUSPICIONS OF A COVER-UP,

PERHAPS OF A POTENTIALLY
DEADLY ACCIDENT

INVOLVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

SOUNDS FAR-FETCHED,

ACCIDENTALLY FIRING
OF AN I.C.B.M.,

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN
ACCIDENTS BEFORE.

IN 1980,

A NUCLEAR-ARMED TITAN II MISSILE

LAUNCHED ACCIDENTALLY
FROM LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE

IN ARKANSAS.

SOMETHING PIERCES THE FUEL TANK
OF THE ROCKET.

THE FUEL TANK EXPLODES,

AND IT SENDS THE MISSILE
HIGH INTO THE SKY.

THE PLUTONIUM WARHEAD
DOESN'T IGNITE,

BUT THE INCIDENT
IS A HARROWING BRUSH

WITH NUCLEAR DEVASTATION
ON U.S. SOIL.

THE MILITARY PUTS
IN RESTRICTIONS,

ENSURING THAT SOMETHING
LIKE THIS

SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

WITH THE U.S. MILITARY
DENYING ALL RESPONSIBILITY,

SUSPICION FALLS
ON AMERICA'S ENEMIES.

COULD IT BE A FOREIGN POWER?

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS
RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

THE NORTH KOREANS HAVE CONDUCTED
MULTIPLE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AND LONG-RANGE MISSILE TESTS

IN THE FACE
OF INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION.

RECENT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

SHOW NORTH KOREA IS
DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO LAUNCH

AN INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILE

FROM A SUBMARINE.

IN AUGUST 2016,
THE NORTH KOREANS

LAUNCH A ROCKET THAT COULD BE
USED AS AN I.C.B.M.

IT TRAVELS 600 MILES
AND SPLASHES DOWN

IN THE SEA OF JAPAN.

BUT AT THE TIME
OF THE MYSTERY LAUNCH IN 2010,

NORTH KOREA DID NOT YET HAVE
A SUBMARINE LAUNCH CAPABILITY.

IMAGE ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO

SEARCHES THE FOOTAGE FOR CLUES.

THESE IMAGES ARE PART
OF A SEQUENCE OF IMAGES.

SO WE CAN ACTUALLY
LOOK AT THE DATA ASSOCIATED

WITH EACH IMAGE
IN THAT SEQUENCE.

AT 6:20:35, THIS IS WHERE
THE OBJECT IS IN THE SKY.

MOVING AHEAD NOW TO 6:21:34,

THE OBJECT WENT FROM HERE

TO HERE IN 60 SECONDS.

THAT'S WAY TOO SLOW
TO BE A MISSILE.

ICBMS MOVE
AT 18,000 MILES AN HOUR.

WHATEVER'S CAUSING THIS,

IT'S NOT MOVING
AT NEARLY THAT SPEED.

WHEN MILITARY ANALYSTS
DRAW A BLANK,

NASA GETS INVOLVED.

THE FOOTAGE ATTRACTS
THE ATTENTION

OF TWO NASA CONTRAIL EXPERTS,

AND THEY TAKE
A VERY DETAILED LOOK.

METEOROLOGISTS

AT NASA'S
LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER

ANALYZE WEATHER IMAGERY

FROM A GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE.

WHILE THEY'RE DOING THIS,

THEY NOTICE
A PERSISTENT CONTRAIL.

AND IT BECOMES CLEAR TO THEM,

THIS COULD BE THE EXPLANATION.

IT COULD JUST BE
CONTRAILS LEFT BEHIND

FROM A AVERAGE
COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A VERTICAL CONTRAIL

MAY SIMPLY BE
A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS AN ILLUSION CAUSED

BY THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH.

THE CONTRAIL LOOKS
LIKE IT'S GOING UP.

BUT THE PLANE IS COMING
RIGHT TOWARD US,

AND IT'S ARCHING AROUND
THE CURVE OF THE EARTH.

SO CONTRAILS DOWN HERE

ARE GOING TO LOOK
LIKE THEY'RE GOING UP.

FAR FROM ACTUALLY
BEING SOMETHING

WHICH ORIGINATED IN THE OCEAN

AND WENT UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

THIS THING WAS
ACTUALLY HORIZONTAL.

THE JET EXPLANATION
ABSOLVES THE U.S. MILITARY

OF ANY BLAME

AND CONFIRMS THAT, FOR NOW,

THE WEST COAST IS OUT OF RANGE

OF NORTH KOREA'S WEAPONS
OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

COMING UP...

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER
A BIZARRE OBJECT

IN THE OUTER REACHES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS OBJECT IS VERY UNUSUAL.

IT MIGHT REMAIN
A MYSTERY FOREVER.

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER

AN UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY TRAVELING
THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO WE HAVE A VERY
BIZARRE OBJECT HERE

THAT WE REALLY CAN'T EXPLAIN.

THE MYSTERY OBJECT'S MOVEMENTS

BAFFLE OBSERVERS.

ALL THE MAJOR PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

ORBIT IN THE SAME PLANE

AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

BUT THIS OBJECT GOES BACKWARDS.

MAY 31, 2011, ARIZONA...

ASTRONOMERS
AT THE MOUNT LEMMON OBSERVATORY

SPOT SOMETHING STRANGE MOVING
PAST THE MOST DISTANT PLANET

FROM OUR SUN.

ASTRONOMERS HAVE NOW FOUND
THIS VERY BIZARRE OBJECT

OUT THERE IN THE FAR REACHES
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

OUT JUST BEYOND NEPTUNE.

THE WEIRD OBJECT
IS OVER 120 MILES WIDE,

AND IT'S MOVING IN A WAY

THAT APPEARS
TO DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

ALL THE MAJOR PLANETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

ORBIT AROUND THE SUN
IN THE SAME PLANE

AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

BUT THIS OBJECT,
ITS ORBIT IS HIGHLY INCLINED,

AND IT GOES BACKWARDS.

THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL.

IT'S NOT FOLLOWING THE CROWD.

IT'S LIKE FINDING
A WOODEN HORSE, YOU KNOW,

A QUARTER OF A MILE AWAY
FROM THE CAROUSEL.

ASTRONOMERS
NAME THE OBJECT "NIKU,"

MEANING REBELLIOUS
IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.

NIKU'S BEHAVIOR FLIES
IN THE FACE

OF ALMOST EVERYTHING WE KNOW
ABOUT ORBITING OBJECTS.

NIKU'S MOVEMENTS
AREN'T JUST HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

THEY APPEAR TO GO
AGAINST EVERYTHING WE KNOW

ABOUT HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM
WAS FORMED.

OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING

OF HOW SOLAR SYSTEMS
TYPICALLY FORM

IS THAT YOU START WITH A CLOUD
OF MATERIAL AROUND A STAR,

AND AS THAT MATERIAL
IS SPINNING,

IT WILL FLATTEN INTO A DISK,

AND THEN FROM THAT DISK,
YOU GET PLANETS

AND OTHER SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS.

ANGULAR MOMENTUM TELLS US
THAT ALL OF THESE OBJECTS

SHOULD BE ORBITING
IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

THAT'S NOT WHAT
WE'RE SEEING HERE.

SOME SUGGEST
THAT NIKU'S WEIRD MOTION

IS SIMPLY THE RESULT
OF A COLLISION

WITH ANOTHER OBJECT IN SPACE.

IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE
THAT NIKU'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR

IS THE RESULT OF A GIANT WHACK.

IT JUST GOT HIT
BY ANOTHER OBJECT,

AND THAT KICKED IT
OUT OF THE PARK.

BUT TO MANY SCIENTISTS,

THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

IT WOULD TAKE
A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ENERGY

TO CHANGE THAT ORBIT
TO GO IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.

YOU TRY TO GET THAT MUCH ENERGY
OUT OF A COLLISION,

YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA
BREAK THE PLANET INTO PIECES.

SOME ASTRONOMERS HAVE
A MORE RADICAL THEORY

FOR NIKU'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR.

THEY SUGGEST THAT IT IS
BEING INFLUENCED

BY AN INVISIBLE GIANT WORLD
CALLED PLANET NINE.

PLANET NINE IS THOUGHT
TO BE A PLANET

IN THE VERY OUTER REACHES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND ITS ORBIT WOULD TAKE
ABOUT 15,000 YEARS

TO GO AROUND OUR SUN.

SCIENTISTS SPECULATE

THAT PLANET NINE
IS 10 TIMES BIGGER THAN EARTH.

THIS SUPER-EARTH'S
MASSIVE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

COULD AFFECT THE ORBITS
OF OTHER OBJECTS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE KNOW THAT PLANETS
CAN CHANGE THE ORBITS OF THINGS.

WE USE THAT ALL THE TIME
FOR OUR SPACECRAFT.

WE SEND THEM BY JUPITER,
AND SUDDENLY,

INSTEAD OF GOING THIS WAY,
THEY'RE GOING THAT WAY.

SO THAT COULD BE AN EXPLANATION.

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THAT IF PLANET NINE EXISTS,

IT ORBITS UP TO 100
BILLION MILES AWAY FROM NIKU.

THIS MEANS NIKU IS BEYOND

THE UNSEEN PLANET'S
GRAVITATIONAL REACH.

THE PROBLEM WITH APPLYING
PLANET NINE TO NIKU

IS THAT IT'S JUST SO FAR AWAY,

AND IT'S IN
A VERY DIFFERENT ORBIT.

PLANET NINE, IT SEEMS,

CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR NIKU'S ODD ORBITAL MOTION.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE THEORY IS THAT
THE OBJECT HAS TRAVELED HERE

FROM THE DARKNESS BEYOND
THE LIGHT OF OUR SUN.

NOW, ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION IS

THAT MAYBE NIKU DOESN'T BELONG

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AT ALL,

THAT REALLY,
IT'S HERE BY MISTAKE,

AND MAYBE IT'S
A WANDERING PLANET

OR A WANDERING OBJECT
FROM A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM.

THEORETICALLY,
OUR SUN'S GRAVITATIONAL PULL

THEN CAPTURED THIS SPACE INVADER

AND FIXED ITS ORBITAL MOTION.

IF YOU CAPTURE A PLANET,

THEN THAT'S GOING TO COME IN
FROM ANY RANDOM ANGLE,

WHICH MEANS THAT IT CAN HAVE
ANY RANDOM ORBIT,

AND NIKU'S ORBIT IS VERY RANDOM.

THIS SUGGESTS
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS HOME

TO NUMEROUS VISITORS
FROM DISTANT STAR SYSTEMS.

IN OUR OWN GALAXY, PROBABLY,
THERE ARE BILLIONS OF OBJECTS

THAT HAVE BEEN CAPTURED
IN ONE STAR SYSTEM

BEING FLUNG
FROM A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM.

FOR NOW, THIS IS JUST A THEORY.

UNTIL MANKIND SENDS
A PROBE TO NIKU,

THE EXACT ORIGIN OF THIS
WEIRD OBJECT FROM DEEP SPACE

WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

NIKU IS A MYSTERY TODAY,
AND TO BE HONEST,

IT MIGHT REMAIN A MYSTERY
FOREVER.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk