NASA's Unexplained Files (2012–…): Season 6, Episode 3 - The Black Hole Next Door - full transcript

HUGE, HUNGRY, AND HARD TO SPOT,

THE INVISIBLE PREDATOR THAT
COULD BE HEADED FOR EARTH...

EITHER IT COULD RIP YOU APART
OR IT COULD SUCK YOU IN.

A NIGHTMARE MONSTER
ARRIVING FROM A WORLD

NASA THOUGHT WAS DEAD...

IMAGINE A CREATURE THAT DERIVED
FROM CERES ACROSS SPACE.

WHAT KIND OF HAVOC COULD
THAT CAUSE ON THIS EARTH?

AND NASA'S NEW TELESCOPE,

MADE OF A MIRACLE METAL
NEVER SEEN ON EARTH BEFORE.

INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT THE SOURCE
IS A BILLIONAIRE

WITH A SECRET
THAT COULD CHANGE THE WORLD.



BOB BIGELOW REFUSED TO SAY
WHAT WAS IN HIS NEVADA BUNKER,

BUT HE DIDN'T DENY
THAT HE HAD THE PIECES

OF A RECOVERED ALIEN SPACECRAFT.

NASA's Unexplained Files - SEASON 6
EP - 3 - The Black Hole Next Door

Subtitles Diego Moraes

THESE ARE
"NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES".

MAY 2016...
NASA SCIENTISTS DETECT A LARGE,

MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S ONE OF NASA'S JOBS
TO HELP DEFEND EARTH

FROM COSMIC THREATS,

BUT IF THIS THING IS
WHAT SOME SCIENTISTS FEAR,

THERE CAN BE NO DEFENSE.

IT COULD LITERALLY BE THE END
OF THE WORLD.

NASA CALLS THE BIG GUNS
ON THIS ONE



WITH THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

AND THE CHANDRA
X-RAY OBSERVATORY.

THE OBJECT IS SO DARK,
IT'S ALMOST UNDETECTABLE,

BUT THE READINGS
THAT DO COME BACK POINT

TO ONE TERRIFYING CONCLUSION.

IT'S A BLACK HOLE,

BUT IT'S NOT LIKE ANY BLACK HOLE
WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S A HIDDEN CIRCULAR,
JUST LURKING OUT THERE IN SPACE,

TOTALLY UNDER THE RADAR.

AND THIS PLANET
DESTROYER COULD BE ON THE MOVE

AND HEADED IN OUR DIRECTION.

SUPER-POWERFUL, SUPER-SCARY
BLACK HOLES

ARE HUGE DENSE MASSES OF MATTER
THAT DEFORM SPACE-TIME.

NORMALLY, THEY ARE MORE
EASILY DETECTED.

THE GRAVITY
IS EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG,

SO STRONG THAT NOTHING,
NOT EVEN LIGHT, CAN ESCAPE.

ANYTHING THAT FALLS IN
THIS THING IS GONE FOREVER.

WHAT ALLOWS US TO SEE BLACK
HOLES IS THAT, AS OTHER OBJECTS

COME CLOSE TO BLACK HOLES,
THEY GET TORN APART,

AND THEY FORM A DISC
AROUND THE BLACK HOLE

CALLED AN ACCRETION DISK.

AND THAT GIVES OFF A STRONG
X-RAY SIGNATURE

THAT NORMALLY TELLS US,
"BOOM, THAT'S A BLACK HOLE."

BLACK HOLES ARE POWERFUL BEYOND
ANYTHING HUMANS CAN IMAGINE,

AND DISTURBINGLY, THIS ONE,
BARELY DETECTABLE,

IS SITTING IN OUR OWN GALAXY,

SLOWLY EATING ITS WAY
THROUGH NEARBY SOLAR SYSTEMS.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS A BLACK HOLE

THAT IS EATING ANOTHER STAR
AND GENERATING X-RAYS,

BUT IT'S SAVORING
ITS COMPANION STAR.

IT'S SLOWLY EATING IT AND ONLY
GIVING OFF THE WEAK SIGNATURE

THAT SUGGESTS THERE COULD BE
A LOT MORE OUT THERE

THAT WE'RE NOT AWARE OF.

FINDING THIS BLACK HOLE THAT'S
SO STEALTHY WAS KIND OF A FLUKE.

WORRYINGLY, THERE MAY BE MANY
OTHER UNDISCOVERED BLACK HOLES,

SITTING CLOSER TO EARTH
THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

WORSE STILL, BLACK HOLES
ARE ABLE TO MOVE

AT TREMENDOUS SPEEDS,
HURTLING THROUGH SPACE

AT A MIND-BENDING
5-MILLION MILES AN HOUR.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THERE'S
A BLACK HOLE

MOVING TOWARD US
IN SPACE RIGHT NOW.

AND UNTIL IT STARTS
AFFECTING YOU GRAVITATIONALLY,

YOU WON'T KNOW THAT IT'S THERE.

IF AND WHEN WE ARE
ATTACKED BY A BLACK HOLE,

THERE WILL BE LITTLE WARNING.

ASTRONOMERS HAVE CALCULATED
THAT WE WOULD NOT DETECT

ITS PRESENCE
OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

UNTIL IT WAS JUST
800 DAYS AWAY FROM US.

OUR FIRST WARNING MIGHT BE WHEN
IT ARRIVES IN THE OORT CLOUD.

THE OORT CLOUD
IS A REGION OF SPACE

LOCATED ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S LIKE A GALACTIC MINE FIELD

CONTAINING BILLIONS
OF ICY COMETS,

MANY OF WHICH ARE LARGE ENOUGH
TO DESTROY A PLANET.

ANY BODIES IN THE OORT CLOUD
THAT WERE NOT DIRECTLY EATEN

BY THE BLACK HOLE WOULD BE FLUNG
OFF IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS,

SOME OF THEM PERHAPS IN TOWARDS
THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM

AND EARTH HERSELF.

IF THE BLACK HOLE
HEADS THIS WAY,

FOR TWO TERRIFYING YEARS, EARTH

AND ITS NEIGHBORING
PLANETS WILL BE

BOMBARDED WITH GIANT COMETS.

IMAGINE IF THERE WERE A RAIN
OF COMETS

INTO THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM...

...COLLIDING WITH EARTH
AND CREATING ENORMOUS DAMAGE.

INDEED, MASS EXTINCTIONS
CAN OCCUR FOR THAT REASON.

AFTER MOVING THROUGH THE COMET
FIELDS OF THE OORT CLOUD

AND KUIPER BELT,
THE BLACK HOLE WILL ARRIVE

AT THE GAS GIANTS
OF THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.

AT JUST THREE DAYS
FROM THE EARTH,

IT WILL FEAST UPON THE PLANET
JUPITER

AND UNLEASH A NEW HORROR
UPON US.

IF IT ACTUALLY GOT REALLY CLOSE
TO JUPITER,

OR EVEN COLLIDED WITH JUPITER,

IT COULD
START PULLING MATTER OFF,

GIVING OFF HARD X-RAYS,
HARD GAMMA RAYS,

GIVING OFF ALL KINDS
OF RADIATION.

AND THEN THAT WILL GET
RE-EMITTED IN JETS SOMETIMES...

HIGHLY ENERGETIC
AND COLLIMATED JETS.

IT LOOKS LIKE A LIGHT SABER
FROM "STAR WARS"

THAT'S COMING OUT
OF THE BLACK HOLE.

THESE GIANT LIGHTSABER BEAMS,
OR ACCRETION JETS,

WILL SHOOT OUT
FROM THE BLACK HOLE,

MILLIONS OF MILES THROUGH SPACE.

IF IT SLICES PAST US,
WE'LL GET INCINERATED.

EVEN IF WE ESCAPE
THE ACCRETION JET,

JUST THREE DAYS AFTER THE BLACK
HOLE DEVOURS JUPITER,

IT COULD REACH THE EARTH.

IF IT GOT CLOSE TO EARTH,

THAT COULD BE
A TOTAL CATASTROPHE.

AT FIRST, WE WILL FEEL
THE EFFECTS

OF THE BLACK HOLE'S
GRAVITATIONAL PULL

LIKE THE EFFECT THE MOON
HAS ON THE EARTH,

ONLY MASSIVELY GREATER.

WE COULD GET TREMENDOUS TIDES...
TIDAL WAVES,

TSUNAMIS BASICALLY,
WASHING OVER THE CONTINENTS.

AS THE BLACK HOLE GETS CLOSER,

THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL
WILL INCREASE,

WARPING THE PLANET ITSELF,

CAUSING ITS CRUST
TO STRETCH AND TEAR.

THERE'D BE EARTHQUAKES.

THERE WOULD BE VOLCANOS
ON THE SCALE OF THINGS

WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

FINALLY, IT WILL GET CLOSE
ENOUGH TO FEAST ON OUR PLANET.

ULTIMATELY, THE ATMOSPHERE
GETS RIPPED COMPLETELY OFF,

AND THE EARTH
JUST GETS PULLED APART.

IT COULD DEVOUR OUR ENTIRE
PLANET, JUST GOBBLE IT DOWN

AND THERE WOULD BE NO TRACE
OF EARTH WHATSOEVER.

ANY HUMANS TO SURVIVE
THIS CATASTROPHE WILL BE PULLED

AT ASTONISHING SPEED
INTO THE BLACK HOLE.

IF YOU GET TOO CLOSE
TO A BLACK HOLE

OR ONE GETS TOO CLOSE TO YOU,

THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS
THAT COULD HAPPEN,

AND NEITHER ONE OF THEM
ARE GOOD.

EITHER IT COULD RIP YOU APART
OR IT COULD SUCK YOU IN.

AS YOU APPROACH THE BLACK HOLE,

ITS GRAVITATIONAL PULL
WILL INTENSIFY MASSIVELY,

BUT ALSO EXTREMELY LOCALLY,
CAUSING YOUR HEAD TO ACCELERATE

TOWARDS THE HOLE
QUICKER THAN YOUR FEET.

YOU'LL GET STRETCHED LIKE
SPAGHETTI AS YOU'RE FALLING IN.

ANY HUMAN
WHO MIRACULOUSLY SURVIVES

WILL FIND THEMSELVES IN THE
WEIRDEST PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE,

BEYOND ANYTHING WE ARE
CAPABLE OF IMAGINING.

MATHEMATICIANS CALL IT
A SINGULARITY

WHERE ALL LOGIC AS WE KNOW
IT CEASES TO EXIST,

WHERE EXISTENCE ITSELF
IS REDEFINED.

ONE REASON WHY I THINK BLACK
HOLES ARE MIND-BENDINGLY STRANGE

IS THAT THEY HAVE THIS THING
CALLED AN EVENT HORIZON,

WHICH IS YOU CROSS IT,
GOOD LUCK,

YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO GET OUT.

AND THEN, YOU'RE GOING TO MEET
A SINGULARITY RIGHT SMACK

IN THE CENTER
OF THIS BLACK HOLE,

AND SOME OF US BELIEVE
THAT THE VERY LAWS OF PHYSICS

ITSELF BREAK DOWN.

THE ROLE OF SPACE AND TIME
ACTUALLY GETS SWAPPED.

WHAT YOU CALL TIME, WHEN YOU
CROSS THE EVENT HORIZON...

THAT BECOMES SPACE,
AND THEN SPACE BECOMES TIME.

YOU WOULD EXIST
FOREVER, IMMORTAL,

BUT TRAPPED
IN ANOTHER DIMENSION.

BUT EVEN IN THE EVENT OF A BLACK
HOLE ENTERING OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

THERE IS HOPE
FOR THE EARTH AND HUMANITY.

THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR SUN MIGHT
PARADOXICALLY PROVIDE AN ESCAPE.

THE SUN'S NOT GOING
TO GO QUIETLY.

IT'S PRETTY BIG AND HAS
A LOT OF MASS ITSELF.

IN A BATTLE BETWEEN
THE SUN AND A BLACK HOLE,

THERE CAN ONLY BE
ONE POSSIBLE OUTCOME.

EVENTUALLY, THE BLACK HOLE WILL
WIN AND WILL DEVOUR THE SUN.

BUT IN THE HAVOC CAUSED BY
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SUN,

THE EARTH COULD ESCAPE
ITS GRAVITATIONAL MOORINGS

AND BE FLUNG FROM
THE SOLAR SYSTEM

TO BEGIN A LONELY JOURNEY
THROUGH THE GALAXY.

IT'D BE A LONG, SLOW DEATH
FOR THE WORLD AS WE'VE KNOWN IT.

EARTH WITHOUT A SUN...
IT'S GOING TO BE A FROZEN BALL,

STUCK IN SPACE.

COMING UP...

HURLED INTO THE VOID,

CAN WE SURVIVE BY DIGGING DOWN
TOWARDS THE PLANET CORE?

HOPE FOR HUMANITY
MIGHT NOT BE ENTIRELY LOST,

EVEN IN THIS EXTREME SITUATION.

AND ALIEN MONSTERS
AT HOME IN ANTARCTICA?

THESE COULD BE MASSIVE CREATURES

THAT HAVE BEEN SLOWLY
GROWING OVER CENTURIES.

SCIENTISTS PREDICT
THAT A ROGUE BLACK HOLE

COULD RIP THE EARTH
OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AND SHOOT US INTO DEEP SPACE.

IF THAT HAPPENS, EARTH, RIPPED
FROM ITS SUN, WILL FREEZE,

BUT COULD OUR OWN PLANET'S
INNER HEAT KEEP US ALIVE,

EVEN IN THE FACE
OF THIS CATACLYSMIC DISASTER?

ALL HOPE FOR HUMANITY
MIGHT NOT BE LOST

BECAUSE THE CORE OF THE EARTH
WILL REMAIN MOLTEN

AND WARM FOR MANY BILLIONS
OF YEARS YET.

ALTHOUGH 4-BILLION YEARS OLD,

THE MOLTEN IRON CORE
OF OUR PLANET

IS STILL AT A TEMPERATURE
OF 9,800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

AS HOT AS THE SURFACE
OF THE SUN.

IT WILL TAKE AROUND
ANOTHER 100 BILLION YEARS

TO FINALLY COOL AND SOLIDIFY.

WE WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO BE ABLE TO DIG, DIG DEEP,

AND DIG OUT CITIES
IN LARGE CAVERNS UNDERGROUND.

THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD ACTUALLY
FREEZE AND FALL

TO THE SURFACE AS SNOW.

WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HARVEST
OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SNOW

FROM THE SURFACE
AND BRING IT BACK DOWN,

SO WE WOULD HAVE AIR TO BREATHE.

WE COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME
A SUBTERRANEAN SPECIES.

NO MATTER WHAT,
THOUGH, THE NUMBER OF HUMANS

WOULD PLUMMET DRAMATICALLY.

THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO SUSTAIN

7 OR 8-BILLION
PEOPLE IN THIS FASHION.

NASA SCIENTISTS ARE HOPING
THE NEWLY DISCOVERED BLACK HOLE

WILL PASS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
LEAVING IT UNSCATHED.

IF NOT, OUR ONLY POSSIBLE FUTURE
IS LIVING DEEP UNDERGROUND

AS OUR WORLD HURTLES THROUGH THE
INFINITE DARKNESS OF SPACE...

...PERHAPS ONE DAY TO ENTER
ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM,

GO INTO ITS ORBIT, AND BECOME
THE PLANET OF AN ALIEN STAR.

MARCH 2015... NASA'S DAWN
SPACECRAFT REACHES THE END

OF A 7 1/2-YEAR JOURNEY
TO THE ASTEROID BELT,

THE ROCKY WASTELAND
BETWEEN MARS AND JUPITER.

NASA IS NOT LOOKING FOR LIFE.

ITS SCIENTISTS ARE NOT EXPECTING
TO FIND ALIEN CREATURES,

NOT UNTIL THE DAWN PROBE
REACHES A CRYO-VOLCANO

ON THE SUPPOSEDLY DEAD
DWARF PLANET CALLED CERES.

CERES IS ABOUT A THIRD
OF THE ENTIRE MASS

OF THE ASTEROID BELT.
THAT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF TEXAS.

HERE WE HAVE THIS MINI-PLANET

THAT'S JUST BEYOND MARS
THAT WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF SECRETS
THE PLACE HOLDS?

CERES IS MORE THAN TWICE AS FAR
FROM THE WARMTH OF THE SUN

AS WE ARE ON EARTH.

TEMPERATURES REGULARLY DROP
BELOW -150 FAHRENHEIT.

CONDITIONS THAT WOULD FREEZE
ALL THE WATER IN OUR BLOOD

AND BASICALLY MAKE US
EXPLODE FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

TEMPERATURES THIS COLD SHOULD
MEAN THAT CERES IS A DEAD WORLD,

BUT WHEN DAWN ENTERS ORBIT...

THE IMAGES IT SENDS BACK TO
EARTH STUN MISSION SCIENTISTS.

WE SEE THAT MOST
OF THE LANDSCAPE IS,

WELL, KIND OF FLAT,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BANG,

THERE'S THIS MOUNTAIN THERE.

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

JUST OUT OF NOWHERE.

THIS SOLITARY PEAK IS THE ONLY
MOUNTAINOUS STRUCTURE

FOUND ANYWHERE ON CERES.

WE'VE GIVEN IT THE NAME
AHUNA MONS,

AND IT'S THE LONELIEST MOUNTAIN
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT BEARS
ALL THE HALLMARKS OF A VOLCANO,

BUT IT'S NOT SPEWING LAVA.

THE BRIGHT STREAKS
THAT WE SEE ON THE MOUNTAIN

ARE MADE OF A TYPE OF SALT.

THE SALT ALLOWS THE MELTING
OF MATERIAL

TO HAPPEN AT DIFFERENT
TEMPERATURES,

AND IT'S TELLING US
THAT ICE IS PROBABLY INVOLVED.

INCREDIBLY, HIGH CONCENTRATIONS
OF SALT INSIDE CERES

ARE MELTING UNDERGROUND ICE,

CREATING A SLUSHY BRINE
THAT CASCADES OUT OF AHUNA MONS.

INSTEAD OF A HOT VOLCANO,
IT'S A COLD VOLCANO,

A CRYO-VOLCANO.

CERES IS MEANT TO BE DEAD,

BUT THE DISCOVERY OF THIS
CRYO-VOLCANO CHANGES EVERYTHING.

THERE HAVE TO BE LIQUID
WATER RESERVOIRS

DOWN THERE INSIDE CERES,
MAYBE EVEN A GLOBAL OCEAN.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON CERES
IS SLUSHY WATER MIXED WITH ICE,

SALT, AND ORGANIC COMPOUNDS,
AND THIS IS WHAT WE THINK

ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS
FOR CREATING LIFE.

THIS ENVIRONMENT...
SO SALTY, SO COLD.

COULD IT POSSIBLY HARBOR LIFE?

WELL, GUESS WHAT? IT JUST MIGHT.

IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR E.T.,

PERHAPS CERES IS A GOOD PLACE
TO START.

BUT WHAT MIGHT
THAT LIFE LOOK LIKE?

WE'RE LEARNED
FROM OUR OWN OCEANS

THAT LIFE CAN TAKE ON
ANY CRAZY-LOOKING ALIEN FORM.

IN THE REMOTE DEPTHS
OF EARTH'S OCEANS

ARE CONDITIONS NOT DISSIMILAR
IN MANY WAYS TO THOSE ON CERES,

A PLACE UTTERLY HOSTILE
TO HUMANS...

COLD, DARK, AND HOME

TO THE STRANGEST CREATURES ON
EARTH,

MANY STILL UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE.

IT IS A BIZARRE,
FASCINATING WORLD OF CREATURES

IN THE DEEP, DARK OCEAN.

ORGANISMS THAT INHABIT
THIS UNDERWATER

REALM CAN GROW TO IMMENSE SIZES.

THEY GROW ALMOST INDEFINITELY
AND KEEP GETTING BIGGER,

AND IN THAT DEEP,
COLD ENVIRONMENT,

THERE'S REALLY NO LIMITS
ON THE SIZE

OF SOME OF THESE CREATURES.

WE HAVE GIANT CRABS
THAT NORMALLY ARE SMALL,

BUT THEY CAN GET HUGE.

I CAN'T REACH OUT WIDE ENOUGH
TO SHOW YOU

HOW BIG THESE CRABS CAN GET.

ABOUT 12 FEET ACROSS.

THE DEEP COLD SLOWS METABOLISMS,

WHICH ALLOWS INCREDIBLE
LIFE-SPANS.

SOME OF THESE ANIMALS ARE 250
TO, SAY,

AS MUCH AS 500 YEARS OLD.

THAT IS FASCINATING.

MANY CREATURES IN
THIS WORLD OF TOTAL DARKNESS

ARE TRANSLUCENT AND GLOWING,

HAVING EVOLVED TO GENERATE
THEIR OWN LIGHT.

ORGANISMS HAVE STARTED PRODUCING

THEIR OWN LIGHT
THROUGH BIOLUMINESCENCE.

WE HAVE SOME CREATURES,
AND THEIR BODIES ARE GELATINOUS

WHERE YOU CAN SEE RIGHT
THROUGH THE TISSUES

TO THEIR BRAIN AND THEIR EYES.

- TERRIFYING ALIEN LIFE-FORMS...
- GLOWING, TRANSLUCENT, AND HUGE.

JUST ONE OF THESE CREATURES

IS ENOUGH
TO HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT.

COMING UP...

SHOULD CERES BE QUARANTINED
FOR OUR PROTECTION?

IMAGINE A CREATURE THAT DERIVED
FROM CERES ACROSS SPACE.

WHAT KIND OF HAVOC COULD
THAT CAUSE ON THIS EARTH?

AND A SECRETIVE
AMERICAN BILLIONAIRE

IS SAID TO BE WORKING
ALONGSIDE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

WITH TECHNOLOGY
FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

IF THE PENTAGON
OBTAINED WRECKAGE

OF AN UNKNOWN AERIAL CRAFT,

THAT WOULD BE LIKE
THE BIGGEST SECRET IN HISTORY.

SOME SCIENTISTS
INVESTIGATING THE DWARF PLANET

CERES BELIEVE
THAT ITS FROZEN OCEANS

COULD SUPPORT LIFE SIMILAR TO
THAT FOUND IN OUR DEEP SEAS...

MONSTROUS ORGANISMS,
VAST AND HUNGRY.

SUCH A CREATURE HAS ALREADY
BEEN IMAGINED

BY SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS.

H.P. LOVECRAFT DESCRIBED
A WORLD-DESTROYING MONSTER,

WHICH HE CALLED CTHULHU.

THE CTHULHU.

THIS GOD OF A CREATURE,

THAT BIZARRE ANIMAL
WITH THE ARMS OF A GIANT SQUID.

CTHULHU! CTHULHU!

NOR IS IT BEYOND
THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY

THAT A CREATURE FROM CERES
COULD MAKE IT TO EARTH.

IN FACT, SCIENTISTS HAVE ALREADY
OBSERVED SOME TELLTALE SIGNS.

THE SURFACE OF CERES IS HEAVILY
POCKMARKED WITH CRATERS.

IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT AT
SOME POINT IN THE PAST,

IMPACTS KICKED OUT
MATERIAL FROM CERES

AND THAT MATERIAL
MAY HAVE TRAVELED TO EARTH.

YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT,
COULD THE LIFE HAVE SURVIVED

THE IMPACT THAT EJECTED IT
IN THE FIRST PLACE

AND COULD LIFE SURVIVE THE LONG
TRIP THROUGH COLD, DEEP SPACE.

THE IDEAL STATE OF TRANSFERRING
LIFE ACROSS SPACE

IS IN ITS MOST ROBUST FORM,

AND THAT MIGHT BE A SEED
OR A FERTILIZED EGG.

THE VERY BEGINNINGS OF LIFE,
READY TO TRAVEL.

WHAT IF MATERIAL CAME
FROM CERES TO EARTH?

AND WHAT IF IT HAD SOME LIFE?

THERE IS ONE PART OF EARTH
THAT WOULD SEEM LIKE HOME

TO A CREATURE FROM CERES...

ANTARCTICA.

AND IN PARTICULAR, SUBTERRANEAN
POLAR LAKES LIKE LAKE VIDA.

THIS MYSTERIOUS LAKE
SITS 65 FEET BENEATH THE ICE.

SALTIER THAN SEA WATER,

IT'S STILL LIQUID
AT -8 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THERE'S EVEN LIFE
IN THESE WATERS.

THE LIFE THAT MIGHT BE GROWING
AT CERES

SHOULD BE ABLE TO THRIVE
IN ANTARCTICA

BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS
ARE SO SIMILAR.

IT IS SURELY JUST A COINCIDENCE
THAT THERE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN

REPORTS OF UNEXPLAINED EVENTS
AT McMURDO STATION.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF RUMORS
ABOUT THINGS GOING ON AT McMURDO

WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO LEAVE,
AND THEY WON'T TALK ABOUT WHY.

NOVEMBER 2015...

NASA IS BUILDING A NEW FLAGSHIP
SPACE OBSERVATORY,

HUBBLE'S SUCCESSOR...
THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE.

BUT WHEN THEY REVEAL
THE INCREDIBLE CHASSIS

THAT WILL HOLD
THE TELESCOPE TOGETHER,

THE WORLD IS STUNNED TO LEARN
THAT IT IS CONSTRUCTED

FROM A MATERIAL
UNKNOWN ELSEWHERE ON EARTH.

THE NASA SCIENTISTS CAME UP
WITH A MATERIAL

THAT HAS PROPERTIES THAT
HAVE NEVER BEEN CREATED BEFORE.

THEY CALLED IT UNOBTAINIUM.

HERE'S THE QUESTION, "HOW DID
NASA COME UP WITH AND OBTAIN

THIS MATERIAL, UNOBTAINIUM,

THAT THEY'RE USING
FOR THE WEBB TELESCOPE?"

ONE PERSON WHO MIGHT KNOW
THE ANSWER IS THE BILLIONAIRE

AND UFO INVESTIGATOR
ROBERT BIGELOW.

ROBERT BIGELOW IS A VERY
ENIGMATIC, PRIVATE FIGURE.

HE'S INVESTED IN A LOT OF...
CALL IT "EXTREME SCIENCE."

BOB BIGELOW REFUSED TO SAY
WHAT WAS IN HIS NEVADA BUNKER,

BUT HE DIDN'T DENY
THAT HE HAD THE PIECES

OF A RECOVERED ALIEN SPACECRAFT.

BOB BIGELOW GREW UP
IN LAS VEGAS.

AS A CHILD, HE WATCHED IN AWE
AS MUSHROOM CLOUDS

FROM ATOMIC TESTS
SPIRALED INTO THE SKY

OVER THE NEVADA DESERT
TESTING GROUNDS.

AT THAT MOMENT, HE BECAME
OBSESSED WITH SPACE,

AND HE WOULD ACQUIRE A VAST
FORTUNE TO INDULGE HIS PASSION.

BIGELOW'S PROPERTY DEALINGS
MAKES HIM BILLIONS,

AND IN 1999, HE USES THIS WEALTH
TO FORM BIGELOW AEROSPACE.

ITS HEADQUARTERS...

A SECURE AND SECRETIVE FACILITY
IN THE NEVADA DESERT.

ROBERT BIGELOW
IS CONTRACTED BY NASA,

AND HE DESIGNS MODULES
FOR THE SPACE STATION.

BIGELOW DEVELOPS AN EXPANDABLE
LIVING QUARTERS FOR NASA.

THE FIRST IS ATTACHED TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

IN 2016.

IT'S MADE FROM A MYSTERIOUS
MATERIAL CALLED VECTRAN,

WHICH IS TWICE AS STRONG AND
FAR MORE FLEXIBLE THAN KEVLAR.

THERE HAVE BEEN RUMORS

THAT BIGELOW'S FACILITIES
FOR SPACE RESEARCH

ARE STORING UNUSUAL,
UNEXPLAINED ALLOYS

THAT ARE JUST NOT
FOUND HERE ON EARTH.

BUT WHERE MIGHT
BIGELOW HAVE OBTAINED

THESE OTHERWORLDLY MATERIALS?

IN DECEMBER 2017,
JOURNALISTS INVESTIGATING

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS
UNCOVER A POSSIBLE CLUE.

THE FRONT PAGE OF
"THE NEW YORK TIMES"

CARRIED AN ARTICLE
ABOUT THE A.A.T.I.P. PROGRAM.

A.A.T.I.P. STANDS FOR

THE ADVANCED AEROSPACE THREAT
IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM.

IT WAS A SECRET PROGRAM
LOOKING AT UFOs.

THE PENTAGON ALLOCATED
$22 MILLION

TO STUDY THE UFO PHENOMENON.

IT WAS A BOMBSHELL.

THE PENTAGON HAD NEVER
ACKNOWLEDGED

THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PROGRAM.

WHAT DID THEY THINK
THEY WERE GOING TO FIND?

ATTENTION TURNS TO WHERE
THE $22 MILLION WAS SPENT.

A.A.T.I.P. WAS A PET PROJECT
OF NEVADA SENATOR HARRY REID.

HARRY REID, HE WAS ABLE
TO EARMARK FUNDS FOR RESEARCH

RELATED TO UFOs
AND FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGIES

AND EXTRATERRESTRIALS.

A LOT OF THAT FUNDING
WENT TO BOB BIGELOW.

BIGELOW IS NO AMATEUR UFOLOGIST.

HE HAS BEEN FUNDED
BY THE GOVERNMENT

AND HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH NASA

ON SOME OF
THEIR MOST ADVANCED PROJECTS.

IN MAY 2017, HE MAKES
A SHOCKING STATEMENT.

BOB BIGELOW APPEARED
IN AN INTERVIEW

AND MADE SOME INCREDIBLE CLAIMS.

HE SAID THAT ALIENS
HAD INDEED VISITED EARTH.

AND HE SAID THEY'RE RIGHT
UNDER OUR NOSES.

THIS IS HUGE.

SOMEBODY WITH CONTRACTS
FOR THE GOVERNMENT WITH NASA...

FOR HIM TO SAY,
"YES, THERE IS SOMETHING REAL,

AND IT DESERVES TO BE STUDIED."

RUMORS BEGIN TO CIRCULATE

THAT THE GOVERNMENT-FUNDED
A.A.T.I.P. PROGRAM

IS WORKING ON
THE WRECKAGE OF A CRAFT,

WHICH DID NOT
ORIGINATE ON EARTH.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S
FOUND SOMETHING.

THEY'RE NOT TELLING US.

IF THE PENTAGON
OBTAINED WRECKAGE

OF AN UNKNOWN AERIAL CRAFT,

THAT WOULD BE LIKE
THE BIGGEST SECRET IN HISTORY.

COMING UP...

HAS BOB BIGELOW GIVEN NASA
MATERIAL

OBTAINED FROM ANOTHER WORLD?

I SUSPECT THERE'S A MUCH
DEEPER LAYER TO THIS ONION

THAT WE HAVEN'T PEELED BACK YET.

AND A SOYUZ ROCKET
WITH AN AMERICAN ASTRONAUT

ONBOARD MALFUNCTIONS MID-FLIGHT.

IN SPACE DISASTERS,
SABOTAGE CAN NEVER BE RULED OUT.

BILLIONAIRE AEROSPACE TYCOON
BOB BIGELOW SAYS HE BELIEVES

THAT EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE
HAS VISITED EARTH.

NOW HE'S BUILDING SPACE MODULES
OUT OF MYSTERIOUS MATERIALS

WITH STRANGE PROPERTIES.

COULD THEY HAVE COME
FROM ANOTHER WORLD?

BOB BIGELOW HAS HIS OWN
SORT OF AREA 51

OUTSIDE OF LAS VEGAS
WHERE THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE

THESE METAL MATERIALS
LOCKED AWAY.

BUT BIGELOW IS NOT TELLING.

PRIVATE CORPORATIONS AREN'T HELD

TO THE FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION ACT.

THEY CAN HOLD INDUSTRIAL
SECRETS WITHIN THEIR COMPANY

AS LONG AS THEY WANT TO.

THAT MIGHT BE
A REALLY CLEVER WAY

OF KEEPING THESE THINGS
A SECRET.

WHATEVER IS GOING ON
BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

AND THE BILLIONAIRE
SPACE PIONEER

REMAINS A CLOSELY
GUARDED SECRET.

THAT THE GOVERNMENT
IS SPENDING MONEY,

LOOKING FOR UFO TECHNOLOGY...
THAT SAYS SOMETHING.

IT SAYS THAT IT'S A POSSIBILITY.

IF THESE STORIES
ARE EVEN HALF-TRUE, HUMANITY

IS ABOUT TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE
THAT WE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.

OCTOBER 11, 2018...
BAIKONUR COSMODRONE, KAZAKHSTAN.

SOYUZ MS-10 SITS FUELED
AND READY ON THE LAUNCH PAD.

IT'S SET TO BE A ROUTINE LAUNCH
FOR A ROCKET SYSTEM

THAT'S HALF A CENTURY OLD,
BUT THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE.

THERE IS NO SAFE PART
OF SPACE TRAVEL.

IT IS ON THE FRONTIER, AND IT'S
GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE.

ONBOARD
MS-10 IS AN AMERICAN ASTRONAUT.

NICK HAGUE WAS ON HIS
FIRST TRIP TO SPACE,

SOMETHING HE HAD SPENT YEARS

TRAINING FOR
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO.

HIS MISSION TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

WILL TAKE HAGUE AWAY
FROM HIS WIFE

AND TWO YOUNG SONS
FOR SIX MONTHS.

ACCOMPANYING HAGUE IS COSMONAUT
AND MISSION COMMANDER,

ALEKSEY OVCHININ.

ALSO MARRIED WITH
A YOUNG DAUGHTER,

THIS IS OVCHININ'S
SECOND TRIP INTO SPACE.

TWO HOURS BEFORE LAUNCH, HAGUE
AND OVCHININ BOARD THE CAPSULE.

THEY'RE ON THE PAD.

THE ROCKET'S FUELED.

THEY'RE HEARING THE FINAL SYSTEM
CHECKS COME OVER THEIR COMMS.

THEY'RE READY TO GO.

LAUNCH COMMAND HAS BEEN ISSUED.

FINAL COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR
THE 9-MINUTE RIDE INTO ORBIT.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
IT'S CLEAR SKY.

PERFECT WEATHER.

I ALWAYS KEEP MY
FINGERS CROSSED AT EVERY LAUNCH,

AND I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER

BECAUSE THINGS CAN GO
WRONG LIKE THAT.

THE ENGINES START UP GENTLY,

THEY BUILD UP THRUST,

AND THEN THE VEHICLE
JUST KIND OF RISES OFF THE PAD.

LIFT OFF OF THE SOYUZ MS-10 TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

WHEN IT TAKES OFF,
YOU'RE LOOKING UP, UP, UP

AS IT KEEPS FLYING UP,

AND YOU CAN FEEL
YOUR JAW DROPPING.

ONE MINUTE INTO THE FLIGHT,

THE SOYUZ IS TRAVELING
AT AROUND 1,500 MILES PER HOUR

AND HAS ALREADY REACHED
AN ALTITUDE OF 10 MILES.

INSIDE THE CAPSULE, HAGUE IS
ENJOYING HIS FIRST RIDE.

FOR THE FIRST TWO MINUTES
OF THE LAUNCH,

EVERYTHING IS GOING PERFECTLY.

THE CRAFT'S
FOUR STRAP-ON BOOSTERS

BURN OUT THEIR LIQUID FUEL

AND WILL SHORTLY BE FIRED AWAY
FROM THE SECOND STAGE.

YOU FEEL THAT... YOU KNOW,
HEAR THE EXPLOSIVE BOLTS FIRE.

THEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG.

YOU SEE A REALLY VIOLENT JOLT
OF THE SPACECRAFT.

YOU SEE THIS UNUSUAL SHAKING.

YOU SEE THE CREW
BE JERKED AROUND.

YOU SEE THEIR ARMS
VIOLENTLY MOVING BACK AND FORTH.

THE LIGHT COMES ON, AND HAGUE
LOOKS OVER AT OVCHININ,

AS IF TO SAY, "IS THIS OKAY?"

AND OVCHININ INDICATES
IT IS NOT.

ON BOARD, HAGUE
AND OVCHININ CAN'T WORK OUT

WHAT'S CAUSING THE JOLTING,

BUT CAMERAS ON THE GROUND
PICK UP EVIDENCE

THAT, WHATEVER IT IS,
IT'S SERIOUS.

YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE CLOUD
OF DEBRIS AND SAY,

"THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT."

MISSION CONTROL REALIZES
THAT THIS CREW'S IN DANGER.

MOMENTS AFTER
THE INITIAL VIOLENT JOLT,

HAGUE REPORTS EXPERIENCING
A SENSATION

THAT HE SHOULD NOT BE FEELING.

SUDDENLY, THEY'RE WEIGHTLESS.

THIS MOMENT OF WEIGHTLESSNESS
IS WAY TOO EARLY

FOR THEM TO HAVE REACHED ORBIT.

IF YOU'RE FEELING THAT, THEN YOU
WOULD IMMEDIATELY KNOW

THAT THE THRUST HAD STOPPED.

THE UNEXPLAINED FAULT HAS CAUSED
THE ENGINES TO SHUT DOWN,

AND NOW THE ROCKET
IS FALLING BACK TO EARTH.

THERE IS A MESSAGE
GOING "BOOSTER PROBLEM"

THROUGH THE INTERCOM SYSTEM.

SOMETHING CRITICAL
HAS GONE WRONG.

THE CRIPPLED SOYUZ ROCKET
IS PLUMMETING IN A RAPID,

UNCONTROLLED DESCENT
FROM A HEIGHT OF 58 MILES,

AND NOW HAGUE AND OVCHININ ARE
FACING A DESPERATE SITUATION.

THERE'S THAT REALIZATION THAT
A., I'M NOT GOING INTO SPACE,

AND B.,
I MIGHT NOT SURVIVE THIS.

THE DAMAGED SOYUZ CONTAINS
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS

OF KEROSENE AND LIQUID OXYGEN.

THE TWO MEN IN THE CAPSULE
FIND THEMSELVES

STRAPPED TO WHAT IS
ESSENTIALLY A MASSIVE BOMB.

IT COULD BLOW UP. IT COULD FIRE.

WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAPPEN?

THERE'S ONLY
MICROSECONDS TO GET HAGUE

AND OVCHININ AWAY
FROM A FIERY DEATH.

YOU JUST PRAY THAT
THE ESCAPE SYSTEM WORKS

AND THAT WE DON'T LOSE THE LIVES

OF OUR FELLOW COSMONAUTS
AND ASTRONAUTS.

AN AUTOMATIC DETONATION BLASTS
THE CAPSULE AWAY

FROM THE CRIPPLED ROCKET.

THE OCCUPANTS OF
THE CAPSULE ARE STILL IN DANGER.

THEY'RE STILL NOT IN COMMAND
OF THE SITUATION.

THE PARACHUTES HAVE TO OPEN.

THE RETROROCKETS HAVE TO FIRE
JUST BEFORE THEY LAND.

IF ANY ONE OF THOSE THINGS
DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY,

THEY WON'T SURVIVE.

COMING UP...

SUSPICIONS MOUNT ABOUT THE
ROCKET'S CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

IS IT A MANUFACTURING ERROR?

COULD IT BE AN ASSEMBLY PROBLEM?

IS IT SABOTAGE?

AND HUMAN MONSTERS IN SPACE.

TO PROCREATE IN SPACE,
HOMO SAPIENS IS GOING TO

HAVE TO MORPH INTO
A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPECIES.

AMERICAN ASTRONAUT NICK HAGUE
IS ON HIS FIRST RIDE INTO SPACE

ON BOARD A RUSSIAN SOYUZ ROCKET.

A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WRECKS
THE ROCKET

AND LEAVES HAGUE
AND HIS COSMONAUT COMRADE

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE
ON BOARD THEIR ESCAPE CAPSULE.

NOW THEY MUST ENDURE A BALLISTIC
RE-ENTRY THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.

WITH BALLISTIC RE-ENTRY,
YOU GO ON A STEEPER TRAJECTORY,

SHORTER TRAJECTORY.

IT'S KIND OF THE
LAST-DITCH MODE OF ENTRY.

YOU'RE JUST COMING THROUGH
THE ATMOSPHERE

LIKE A CANNON BALL.

THIS RAPID DESCENT IS HAVING
A HUGE IMPACT ON THE MEN.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE EXPERIENCING

SEVEN TIMES
THE FORCE OF GRAVITY.

AT SEVEN Gs,
BREATHING IS DIFFICULT.

LIFTING YOUR ARM IS VERY,
VERY DIFFICULT.

YOU CAN BREAK BONES,
YOU CAN DETACH RETINAS

AT THOSE KINDS OF GRAVITIES.

THEY MUST BATTLE
AGAINST THESE FORCES

AS THEY STRUGGLE
TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE CAPSULE.

ONE OF THEIR BIG CONCERNS NOW
IS MAKING SURE

THAT THE CAPSULE
STAYS IN THE RIGHT ORIENTATION.

IT CAN'T TUMBLE,
IT CAN'T BE SIDEWAYS

OR THE PARACHUTES
WON'T DEPLOY PROPERLY.

THERE ARE NO MORE SAFEGUARDS.

THEY'RE GONNA COME SMASHING DOWN
AND CRASH

INTO THE EARTH
AND GET PULVERIZED.

COSMONAUT VLADIMIR KOMAROV
LANDED IN THIS WAY

ON APRIL 23, 1967,
ON BOARD SOYUZ 1.

ON THAT MISSION, THE PARACHUTE
FAILED TO DEPLOY

AS THE COSMONAUT
RETURNED FROM ORBIT.

HE SMASHED FULL-TILT
INTO THE GROUND.

THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT
FLATTENED THE SOYUZ CAPSULE

TO JUST 27 INCHES IN HEIGHT,

CAUSING THE SOLID FUEL ROCKETS
AT ITS BASE TO EXPLODE,

LEAVING BEHIND NOTHING
BUT MOLTEN WRECKAGE.

THE LARGEST PIECE THEY FOUND
OF HIS BODY WAS HIS HEEL BONE.

HAGUE AND OVCHININ ARE DESPERATE

TO ESCAPE SUCH A HORRIFIC END,

BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA
IF THEIR PARACHUTE

HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY THE SMASHUP.

ALL THEY CAN DO IS WAIT
AND HOPE.

MISSION CONTROL WATCHES
HELPLESSLY

AS THE PLUMMETING CAPSULE

REACHES A CRITICAL POINT
IN ITS DESCENT.

AT THIS POINT, THE CAPSULE
HAS GONE OVER THE HORIZON,

AND THEY'VE LOST LINE
OF SIGHT COMMUNICATIONS.

THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE
THE CAPSULE IS,

THEY DON'T KNOW
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CREW.

IF THE CREW IS INCAPACITATED

OR IF THE SPACECRAFT
HAS BEEN BADLY DAMAGED

AND CAN'T OPERATE ANYMORE,
THEN THE CREW'S GONNA BE LOST.

HAGUE AND OVCHININ
REACH THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

THERE'S A BIG BANG,
EXPLOSIVE BOLTS,

AND A PARACHUTE COMES OUT.

THE SPACECRAFT TUMBLES AROUND,

AND YOU'RE ALREADY
DECONDITIONED AND DIZZY,

AND SO NOW
YOU'RE EVEN MORE DIZZY.

THE PARACHUTE SLOWS
THE DESCENT OF THE CAPSULE,

BUT THE CREW ARE NOT HOME
AND SAFE YET.

THAT LANDING IS
A CONTROLLED CRASH

EVEN UNDER
THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES.

WILL THEY BE COMING DOWN
IN KAZAKHSTAN ON THE STEPPES,

OR ARE THEY GOING TO LAND
SOMEPLACE ENTIRELY UNSAFE?

19 MINUTES
AND 49 SECONDS AFTER LIFTOFF,

MS-10 IMPACTS THE EARTH
AROUND 250 MILES AWAY

FROM THE LAUNCH SITE.

THE STATUS OF HAGUE AND OVCHININ
IS UNKNOWN.

A SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM GETS TO
THE LANDING SITE REALLY QUICKLY,

THEY FIND THE CAPSULE
ON ITS SIDE.

TO GREAT RELIEF OF EVERYBODY
INVOLVED,

THEY COMMUNICATE REALLY QUICKLY
TO MISSION CONTROL

THAT EVERYBODY IS ALIVE.

HAGUE WAS SUPPOSED TO GO
TO SPACE THAT DAY,

BUT INSTEAD, THERE HE WAS,
ON THE GROUND,

BREATHING A SIGH OF RELIEF.

BEING ABLE TO FINALLY
HOLD MY WIFE IN MY ARMS

AND GIVE HER A HUG WAS JUST
ENORMOUS AND MADE ME FEEL LIKE,

"OKAY, YEAH,
I'M FINALLY BACK AND SAFE."

AS RUSSIANS, WE OFTEN SAY
IN CASES LIKE THIS,

"WE HAD A SUCCESSFUL TEST
OF THE LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM."

IN NOVEMBER 2018, THE RUSSIAN
INVESTIGATION ISSUES ITS REPORT.

IT REVEALS THAT THE LAUNCH
FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A CENSOR

THAT HAD BECOME
MYSTERIOUSLY DAMAGED

WHILE THE ROCKET SAT
ON THE LAUNCHPAD.

IS IT A MANUFACTURING ERROR?

COULD IT BE AN ASSEMBLY PROBLEM?

IS IT SABOTAGE?

IN SPACE DISASTERS,
SABOTAGE CAN NEVER BE RULED OUT.

EVERY ROCKET LAUNCH
IS A JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN,

WHERE UNFORESEEN DANGERS
LIE IN WAIT.

EVERYBODY REALIZES
WHAT WE DO IS DIFFICULT

AND THAT THERE'S RISK INVOLVED,

AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND
THAT IT'S WORTH THE RISK.

WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR
HUMAN EXPLORATION,

IT'S FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL,

AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE
CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE STEPS.

SEPTEMBER 1992...

NASA ASTRONAUTS
JAN DAVIS AND MARK LEE

ARE ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE
ENDEAVOUR.

THEY ARE THE FIRST MARRIED
COUPLE IN SPACE.

THE TABLOIDS
WERE ALL OVER THIS NEWS.

THEY WANTED TO KNOW
WHAT HAPPENED

WHILE THEY WERE UP THERE.

I THINK A MARRIED COUPLE,
IF THEY WERE UP IN SPACE

TOGETHER BY THEMSELVES...

WHY NOT TRY AND JOIN
THE 250-MILE HIGH CLUB?

JUST AS IN THE MOVIE "ALIEN",
IF DAVIS DOES GET PREGNANT,

SHE COULD DISCOVER THAT SHE IS
CARRYING SOMETHING

TERRIFYING THAT LOOKS
BARELY HUMAN.

AS THE BABY'S
TRYING TO GROW IN SPACE,

IT'S GONNA HAVE MAJOR MUTATIONS
AND ALTERATIONS.

- MUTANT MONSTERS IN SPACE...
- A NIGHTMARE, PERHAPS,

BUT ONE THAT MAY COME TRUE.

SOMEWHERE IN THE FUTURE,
WE WILL HAVE BABIES CONCEIVED,

THEY WILL DEVELOP, AND THEY WILL
GROW OUT AND AWAY FROM EARTH.

IT WILL HAPPEN.

THE QUESTION IS NOT "IF",
THE QUESTION IS "WHEN".

NASA SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THAT THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND

MUST BE TO COLONIZE
OTHER WORLDS,

BUT THAT MEANS WE WILL NEED
TO START HAVING CHILDREN

BORN BEYOND THE EARTH.

IF WE EVER PLAN
ON EXPLORING DEEP SPACE,

WE HAVE TO GET OVER THIS PROBLEM
OF PROCREATING IN SPACE FIRST.

MANY ASK
IF ANY OF OUR ASTRONAUTS

HAVE ALREADY TAKEN
A GIANT LEAP FOR HUMANITY.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE
WAS A VERY SMALL VEHICLE,

AND THERE'S ESSENTIALLY
NO PRIVACY AT ALL.

NOW, SIX PEOPLE
LIVING IN A SHUTTLE

IS LIKE SIX PEOPLE LIVING
IN A CAMPER... A WINNEBAGO.

BUT THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION

IS OVER 10 TIMES BIGGER
THAN THE SHUTTLE.

THERE IS ACTUALLY A PREGNANCY
TEST ON BOARD THE I.S.S.

THE OFFICIAL LINE IS THAT NO ONE
HAS HAD SEX IN SPACE,

BUT THE FACT THAT THERE IS
SO MUCH OFFICIAL NOTICE ABOUT,

"OFFICIALLY, THIS HAS
NEVER HAPPENED,"

MAKES ME WONDER,
"HOW OFFICIAL IS THAT?"

GETTING IT ON AMONGST THE STARS
WON'T BE WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES.

IT'S TOUGH ENOUGH
ON A WATER BED.

NOW TRY TO IMAGINE IT
IN A ZERO-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT.

SEX IN SPACE WOULD PROBABLY
BE MORE AWKWARD THAN AWESOME.

THE FIRST HURTLE IS NEWTON'S
THIRD LAW OF MOTION.

FOR EVERY ACTION, THERE IS
AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.

THAT MEANS IN ZERO GRAVITY,

WHEN TWO BODIES
COME TOGETHER FORCEFULLY,

THEY'RE GOING TO SPRING APART
WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF FORCE.

YOU HAVE TO TRY TO FIND A WAY
FOR THE TWO PEOPLE

TO ACTUALLY LATCH ON
TO ONE ANOTHER.

PEOPLE ARE VERY INNOVATIVE.

IF YOU PUT THEM IN THE RIGHT
SITUATION LONG ENOUGH,

THEY FIND A WAY
TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

BUT DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGISTS

HAVE FOUND THE CONDITIONS
OF SPACE

HAVE A TERRIBLE IMPACT
ON GROWING FETUSES.

NASA'S ACTUALLY BEEN
RUNNING EXPERIMENTS

ON DIFFERENT TYPE OF ANIMAL
SPECIES SUCH AS BIRDS AND GECKOS

AND ALSO RATS TO SEE
WHAT THE EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT

IS ACTUALLY LIKE IN SPACE.

THE RESULTS ARE NOT PROMISING.

IF YOU LOOK AT
A TADPOLE... IT DEVELOPS.

INSTEAD OF A NICE,
LINEAR SHAPE TO IT,

ITS HEAD TOUCHES ITS TAIL,

AND IT CAN ONLY SWIM
AROUND IN A CIRCLE.

IT IS PERMANENT,
AND THE ANIMAL WON'T SURVIVE.

EVERY ATTEMPT NASA HAS MADE
TO GROW VERTEBRATE ORGANISMS

IN MICROGRAVITY
HAS PRODUCED MUTATIONS.

YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING
FROM VARYING

SPINAL DEFORMITIES
TO BONES NOT CLOSING.

SO, HUMAN GESTATION IN SPACE,

THAT'S A VERY
QUESTIONABLE THING.

BUT WHATEVER THE RISKS, HUMANS
CAN NEVER EXPLORE DEEP SPACE

WITHOUT REPRODUCING THERE.

THE BIRTHDAY OF THE FIRST
STAR CHILD IS COMING.

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT IT'S
GOING TO BE LIKE

WHEN THE FIRST BABY
IS BORN IN SPACE.

IT'S GONNA BE A MONUMENTAL
EVENT,

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE.

SHOULD WE SERIOUSLY THINK
ABOUT HAVING BABIES IN SPACE,

GIVEN HOW MUCH WE DON'T KNOW?

BIOLOGY DICTATES THAT STAR
CHILDREN WILL BE DIFFERENT

GENETICALLY TO THEIR
EARTHBOUND ANCESTORS.

WE EVOLVED AS A SPECIES
HAVING...

BEING PULLED DOWN TO THE EARTH.

SO WHEN YOU'RE IN SPACE,
YOU DON'T HAVE

THAT FORCE PULLING AGAINST YOU,

AND IT CAN LEAD TO REALLY
POOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY.

IF WE EVOLVED IN A DIFFERENT
GRAVITY,

THE SHAPE OF OUR HUMAN BODY
WILL BE DIFFERENT.

MAYBE ALL OUR EXTREMITIES WILL
EVOLVE AS PINCHERS OF SORTS,

SOMETHING THAT CAN REACH,
TOUCH, GRAB, MOVE.

WE DON'T NEED A WALKING FOOT.

WE DON'T NEED THE MUSCULATURE
THAT WORKS AGAINST GRAVITY.

THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO
BE ELONGATED, SOMEWHAT.

THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE
MORE FRAGILE BONES.

THEIR CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
WON'T HAVE TO WORK AS HARD

TO PUMP BLOOD AROUND.

EVEN EYES WILL CHANGE, ADAPTED
TO VERY DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT

AND BOMBARDMENT
BY COSMIC RADIATION.

THERE'S EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE

THAT OUR PROGENY
WILL ENTER INTO SPACE.

BUT IF WE MEET THEM
IN THE FAR DISTANT FUTURE,

THEY'LL LOOK NOTHING LIKE US.

TRAGICALLY,
THE EVOLUTION OF SPACE HUMANS

MIGHT WELL LEAVE THEM
PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE

OF EVER RETURNING TO EARTH.

THEY WOULD BE STRANGERS
IN THEIR OWN WORLD.

IF THEY CAME BACK TO AN
EARTH-NORMAL ENVIRONMENT,

THEY WOULD HAVE
HEART DIFFICULTIES,

THEY WOULD HAVE
FRAGILE BONE SYNDROME.

THESE STAR CHILDREN
HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH

THAT THEY'VE BECOME
VERITABLE EXILES.

THEY SIMPLY WOULDN'T WELCOME
THE GRAVITY

AND THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT IS EARTH.

OUR COSMIC CHILDREN WILL LOOK AT
THE BEAUTY OF EARTH FROM AFAR,

CONDEMNED BY
THEIR STRANGE BIOLOGY

TO FIND A NEW HOME ELSEWHERE.

IT COULD BE A SAD
AND LONELY FATE

FOR THE FIRST STAR CHILDREN.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk