Strange Evidence (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Attack of the Fire Devil - full transcript
A man is recorded surviving two lightning strikes in moments. Cameras spot strange lights in the sky in Norway, turning a remote area into a UFO hot spot. A bizarre glowing object is caught on tape at a museum, and some wonder if ...
Narrator: WORLDWIDE, 300
MILLION SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
ARE WATCHING US ON OUR STREETS,
AT WORK, AND IN OUR HOMES.
THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.
IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
Man: OH, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, MAN.
Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY OUT FORENSIC
ANALYSIS ON THE UNUSUAL EVENTS.
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON.
[ SCREAMING ]
Narrator: THIS TIME,
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
AND LEAVES A SUPER-CHARGED SURVIVOR.
THIS GUY GETS HIT TWICE...
AND HE'S NOT EVEN DEAD.
Narrator: MYSTERIOUS GLOWING
ORBS DEFY EXPLANATION.
EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, OH, MAMA MIA!
Man: WHAT IS THIS?
Narrator: A FLAMING TORNADO
SPINS ON A FRESHWATER LAKE.
LOOKS LIKE A STORM TORNADO
THAT SOMEBODY HAS SET ON FIRE.
WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?
Narrator: AND HAS A VISITOR FROM
SPACE BEEN CAPTURED ON CAMERA?
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND
THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?
1,000 GIGAWATTS OF ENERGY
STRIKES FROM THE HEAVENS.
Man: THAT'S VERY DEAD.
HE'S GONE.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
CAPTURE A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
A LIGHTNING BOLT COULD KILL AN ELEPHANT
AND HERE'S THIS GUY GETTING
BACK UP AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS.
Narrator: YET, THIS MAN IS HAVING
THE UNLUCKIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE GET STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING TWICE IN A FEW MINUTES.
Narrator: APRIL 2011.
GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA.
AN ELECTRIC STORM RAGES OVERHEAD.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
COMMUTERS RUSH HOME TO ESCAPE THE WEATHER.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA CAPTURES
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,
A ONE-IN-A-MILLION EVENT.
THIS FINGER OF GOD COMES
DOWN FROM THE SKY, ZAPS HIM,
AND HE'S DOWN.
USUALLY, PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING DIE OF A HEART ATTACK.
♪♪
Narrator: THE CAMERA GOES ON TO
RECORD SOMETHING ASTONISHING.
♪♪
Man: A LIGHTNING BOLT
COULD KILL AN ELEPHANT
AND HERE'S THIS GUY GETTING
BACK UP AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS.
♪♪
Narrator: SEEMINGLY
UNSCATHED, HE STAGGERS OFF.
♪♪
Wise: A FEW SECONDS
LATER, BOOM, HE'S HIT AGAIN.
BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING TWICE.
Prabhu: THIS GUY GETS HIT TWICE...
AND HE'S NOT EVEN DEAD.
Narrator: EXPERTS ARE CONFOUNDED
BY THIS DEATH-DEFYING INCIDENT.
I'VE SEEN TREES HIT BY LIGHTNING,
THE ENTIRE TREE IS ON FIRE.
Narrator: AS MANY AS 24,000 PEOPLE
ARE KILLED BY LIGHTNING EVERY YEAR,
YET THIS MYSTERY MAN SURVIVES
TWO HITS APPARENTLY UNHARMED.
♪♪
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
DAVID WALLACE INVESTIGATES
HOW A PERSON CAN SURVIVE A STRIKE.
LET'S BRING THE DUMMY RIGHT HERE TO START.
Narrator: WALLACE RUNS
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY'S
HIGH VOLTAGE LABORATORY.
HE AND HIS TEAM SET UP AN EXPERIMENT
TO MEASURE THE INTENSITY OF A
LIGHTNING STRIKE AND DISCOVER
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HUMAN
BODY WHEN IT'S HIT DIRECTLY.
HERE'S A 3-MILLION VOLT IMPULSE GENERATOR.
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE
SHOOTING APPROXIMATELY
1.2-MILLION VOLTS OUT OF IT.
AS IT DISCHARGES, IT WILL GO
INTO THE GROUND ROD RIGHT HERE.
Narrator: WALLACE CAREFULLY
POSITIONS A TEST DUMMY
TO RECEIVE THE STRIKE.
WE HAVE THE STRIKE DISTANCE
BASICALLY A FOOT AWAY FROM THE HEAD.
Narrator: THE MANNEQUIN IS RIGGED
WITH A NETWORK OF SENSORS
TO MEASURE THE FLOW OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT.
Wallace: NOW, IN THE DUMMY, WE
HAVE AN INTERNAL MEASUREMENT,
WHICH WILL MIMIC THE INTERNAL ORGANS
AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE
HOW MUCH CURRENT THE HUMAN BODY
IS GOING TO SEE HERE WHEN IT GETS STRUCK.
Narrator: JUST 1 AMP OF ELECTRICAL
CURRENT IS ENOUGH TO KILL.
EVERYBODY BE SURE YOU DO HAVE EARMUFFS.
THIS IS GOING TO BE LOUD WHEN IT GOES OFF.
Narrator: THE STRIKE WILL LAST LESS
THAN A THIRD-OF-A-MILLISECOND CAPTURED
ON A SUPER-HIGH-SPEED CAMERA
FOR FRAME-BY-FRAME ANALYSIS.
Wallace: LET'S GET READY
TO ENERGIZE THE SYSTEM.
WE'RE AT 204.4, WE NEED TO BE 0205.5.
THE SCOPES ARE SET.
PERFECT.
♪♪
OKAY, STARTING NOW.
[ ALARM RINGS ]
GOING HOT.
[ MUSIC BUILDS ]
♪♪
[ CRACK! ]
YO, YO, YO.
[ CRACK! ]
♪♪
WHAT DID OUR SCOPE SHOW?
WOW.
YOU'RE SHOWING OVER 125 AMPS
GOING THROUGH THE
INTERNAL ORGANS OF THE BODY.
Narrator: OUR MYSTERY MAN COULD'VE BEEN HIT
WITH A CHARGE SIX TIMES
STRONGER THAN THE BOLT
FROM A DOMESTIC ELECTRIC SOCKET.
Wallace: THAT'S VERY DEADLY.
HE'S GONE.
Narrator: LIGHTNING IS EASILY
POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE FATAL.
THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE A STRIKE
OFTEN SUSTAIN SERIOUS INJURIES.
Dr. Prabhu: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A
LIGHTNING BOLT GOES THROUGH THE BODY,
IT COMPLETELY ELECTRIFIES THE
ORGANS, ESSENTIALLY FRIES THEM.
AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT CAUSES
BLOOD CLOTTING AND LEADS TO,
EITHER IMPAIRMENT OR IMMEDIATE DEATH.
Narrator: THE ODDS OF BEING STRUCK
TWICE BY LIGHTNING AND SURVIVING
UNHARMED ARE INCALCULABLY SMALL,
YET, OUR MYSTERY MAN IS NOT ALONE.
♪♪
50-YEAR-OLD FATHER OF FOUR GARY REYNOLDS
HAS BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING THREE TIMES
AND LIVED TO TELL THE TERRIFYING TALE.
MY IMMEDIATE FEELING WHEN I
FEEL A STORM COMING IS... IS PANIC.
IT'S FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: COULD GARY HOLD THE KEY
TO THE MYSTERY MAN'S
EXTRAORDINARY SURVIVAL?
IN JULY 2007, GARY SHELTERS
FROM A STORM IN HIS GARAGE.
I HAD WALKED OVER INTO
THE CORNER OF MY GARAGE
AND THE LIGHTNING BOLT
CAME THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR.
I WAS LOCKED TO THE REFRIGERATOR.
I COULDN'T LET GO.
Narrator: A YEAR LATER,
GARY IS STRUCK AGAIN,
THIS TIME WHILE HE'S ASLEEP IN BED.
Reynolds: I WATCHED THE LIGHTNING
BOLT COME OUT OF MY HAND.
Narrator: IN 2016, GARY MOVES
600 MILES TO A NEW HOME,
BUT CAN'T ESCAPE BEING STRUCK A THIRD TIME.
HIS SURVIVAL WITH ONLY SUPERFICIAL INJURIES
BAFFLES DOCTORS.
HE TOLD ME, "I'VE NEVER
SEEN ANYBODY WALK IN
FROM AN ACCIDENT LIKE THIS."
HE SAID, "EITHER THEY GET
BROUGHT IN ON A STRETCHER
OR THEY'RE DEAD."
Narrator: EXPERTS BELIEVE
THAT GARY SURVIVED
BECAUSE OF THE WAY
THE LIGHTNING STRUCK HIM.
MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING ARE STRUCK INDIRECTLY.
SO LIGHTNING STRIKES AN OBJECT
AND THEN IT TRAVELS TO THEM.
AN INDIRECT LIGHTNING
BOLT HAS LESSER INTENSITY
AS IT HITS A HUMAN BEING,
ACTUALLY INCREASES
YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL.
Narrator: EXPERTS CONSIDER IF
OUR MYSTERY MAN'S SURVIVAL
COULD BE EXPLAINED BY AN INDIRECT STRIKE.
THEY REEXAMINE THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE.
Wallace: IN THE VIDEO, I SEE
A LOT OF TREES AROUND,
I SEE THE CARS ON THE STREET.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALL OBJECTS AROUND HIM,
WHICH WOULD TYPICALLY ATTRACT
THE LIGHTNING BEFORE HE WOULD.
MAYBE THE LIGHTNING SORT OF BRANCHES OUT
AND ONLY PART OF IT IS HITTING HIM.
THAT AT LEAST WOULD EXPLAIN
WHY HE ISN'T KILLED OUTRIGHT
AND WHY HE SEEMS RELATIVELY UNHURT BY IT.
Narrator: YET, FRAME-BY-FRAME
ANALYSIS OF THE CLIP
APPEARS TO DISCOUNT THIS POSSIBILITY.
McCourt: THE ORIGINAL VIDEO, NOT PRISTINE,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN HERE.
STARTING ON THE FIRST
FRAME AND WE STEP THROUGH IT.
AND NOW, BOOM, WE HAVE A LIGHTNING FLASH.
Narrator: THE BOLT IS CLEARLY SEEN
STRIKING THE MAN'S HEAD TWICE.
McCourt: I DON'T SEE ANY
EVIDENCE THAT IT'S ANYTHING
OTHER THAN A DIRECT STRIKE.
Narrator: AND THIS DIRECT
STRIKE SHOULD BE FATAL.
COMING UP, MYSTERIOUS GLOWING ORBS
TERRIFY A REMOTE NORWEGIAN TOWN.
EVERYTHING WAS CHAOS.
[ SCREAMING ]
SOMETHING HUGE WAS OUT THERE.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
Narrator: AND SCIENTISTS TEST
A THEORY ABOUT SURVIVING
A LIGHTNING STRIKE.
OKAY, LET'S GET READY.
GOING HOT.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING
TO DISCOVER HOW A MAN SURVIVES
TWO LIGHTNING STRIKES IN QUICK SUCCESSION.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DAVID WALLACE BELIEVES
HE'S FOUND A VITAL CLUE IN THE FOOTAGE.
Wallace: WHEN WE LOOK AT
THE VIDEO, WE NOTICE A WOMAN
WALKING WITH AN UMBRELLA,
SO THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT
IT IS MOST LIKELY RAINING HERE.
SO IF IT'S RAINING, THE
GUY, SINCE HE DOES NOT
HAVE AN UMBRELLA, WILL MOST LIKELY BE WET.
Narrator: DAVID BELIEVES WET
CLOTHING MAY SHIELD THE MAN
FROM THE LIGHTNING.
LET'S GET READY TO CUT THE
WATER ON AND START THE RAIN.
Narrator: THE TEAM AT
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
RERUN THE EXPERIENCE, THIS
TIME, TO TEST WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN A LIGHTNING BOLT HITS A WET VICTIM.
[ ALARM RINGS ]
EVERYBODY READY?
♪♪
[ CRACK! ]
♪♪
OKAY.
Narrator: THE RESULTS ARE VERY
DIFFERENT TO WALLACE'S DRY TEST.
WHEN WE HAD A DRY DUMMY
OUT THERE AND STRUCK DIRECTLY,
WE HAD AN INTERNAL CURRENT
FLOW OF APPROXIMATELY 130 AMPS,
NOW WE'RE SEEING AN INTERNAL
FLOW OF APPROXIMATELY 0.7 AMPS.
DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE.
MAJORITY OF THE CURRENT
NOW IS FLOWING OVER THE BODY
IN PLACE OF GOING THROUGH THE BODY.
Narrator: THE MOISTURE INCREASES
THE CONDUCTIVITY OF THE CLOTHES.
THE LIGHTNING'S ELECTRIC CURRENT
TAKES THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
I DEFINITELY SEE A
SURVIVABILITY RATE GOING UP
DRAMATICALLY OVER THE
ORIGINAL DIRECT STRIKE.
Narrator: BUT IN SPITE OF DAVID'S FINDINGS,
THE FOOTAGE STILL DIVIDES OPINION.
THAT FOOTAGE IS EXTREMELY UNUSUAL,
BECAUSE BEING STRUCK TWICE
WOULD BE EXTREMELY RARE.
Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST
CONOR McCOURT IS SKEPTICAL
THAT THE CLIP IS GENUINE.
WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING TWO TIMES
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS,
YOU HAVE TO QUESTION,
IS IT REAL OR IS IT FAKE?
Narrator: SCRUTINIZING EACH
FRAME, HE SEES A TROUBLING DETAIL.
McCourt: THERE'S A VAN IN THE
FOREGROUND OF THE CCTV VIDEO,
WHICH HAS A SHADOW
THAT'S CAST IN FRONT OF IT,
SO THAT INDICATES TO ME
THAT THERE'S A LIGHT SOURCE
JUST BELOW THE CAMERA.
Narrator: LIGHTNING BOLTS ARE
MUCH BRIGHTER THAN STREET LIGHTS
AND WILL COMPLETELY TRANSFORM
AN EXISTING SHADOW PATTERN.
WITH THAT KIND OF INTENSITY,
IT SHOULD OVERRIDE THE ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
THAT'S COMING FROM BELOW THE CAMERA.
IT SHOULD OBLITERATE THE
SHADOW IN FRONT OF THE VAN.
WHEN WE GET UP TO THE
LIGHTNING STRIKE, ACTUALLY,
THE SHADOWS REMAIN
AND SO THIS IS TROUBLING.
IT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT
THIS VIDEO IS NOT AUTHENTIC.
Wallace: THE ONLY WAY
WE CAN BE REALLY POSITIVE
THAT THIS WAS A TRUE VIDEO IS,
LET'S TRACK DOWN THE MAN, FIND HIM,
AND GET HIS SIDE OF THE STORY
AND SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
NOW, THE ODDS OF THAT?
ASTRONOMICAL.
[ WHIRS ]
Narrator: IN THE RUGGED LANDS OF
NORSE GODS, VIKINGS, AND TROLLS,
[ SCREAMING ]
MYSTERIOUS ORBS OF LIGHT
DART ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.
EVERYTHING WAS CHAOS.
[ SCREAMING ]
THEN IT... IT WAS AWAY.
Narrator: LOCALS FEAR AN ALIEN INVASION.
THE FIRST THING THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO THINK OF ARE UFOs.
Narrator: THE TRUTH MAY
BE EVEN MORE ASTONISHING.
WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?
THIS IS A DEEP MYSTERY.
Narrator: HESSDALEN, NORWAY,
200 MILES NORTH OF OSLO.
FOR DECADES, THIS REMOTE
AND ISOLATED VALLEY
HAS BEEN VISITED BY AN
UNIDENTIFIABLE PHENOMENON,
STRANGE ORBS OF LIGHT
DARTING ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.
♪♪
SCIENTISTS STRUGGLE
TO EXPLAIN THE SIGHTINGS.
IT'S DEFINITELY VERY MYSTERIOUS THE THINGS
THAT IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DO DEFY
OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF PHYSICS.
♪♪
Narrator: LOCALS FEEL CERTAIN
THAT THESE MYSTERIOUS SPHERES
ARE NOT FROM THIS WORLD.
♪♪
PROFESSOR ERLING STRAND FIRST
SAW THE PHENOMENON 30 YEARS AGO.
HE HAS DEDICATED HIS CAREER
TO DISCOVERING THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS.
IT MADE A VERY STRONG IMPRESSION ON ME
WHEN I SAW IT THE FIRST TIME.
THAT TRIGGERED SOMETHING IN ME.
♪♪
Narrator: STRAND HAS SET UP AN
OBSERVATION LAB TO REVEAL THE TRUTH.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS COVER
EVERY ANGLE OF THE VALLEY
AND RADAR SCANS THE SKIES.
SEPTEMBER 2007, STRAND LEADS
A TEAM OF SCIENCE STUDENTS
DEEP INTO THE VALLEY.
THEY'RE INTENT ON CAPTURING FOOTAGE
OF THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS.
WITH THEM IS STRAND'S COLLEAGUE,
PHYSICIST BJORN LILLEVOLD.
TOGETHER, THEY HAVE DEDICATED
DECADES IN SEARCH OF CLUES
TO EXPLAIN THE ORBS.
[ SIGHS ] OH, THIS IS VERY,
VERY TRICKY PHENOMENON.
Narrator: THAT NIGHT, THEIR
PATIENCE IS REWARDED.
STARTED WITH STRONG FLASHES
AND THEN YOU HAVE THIS OUTBREAK OF LIGHT.
WE SAW IT.
IT WAS...
Narrator: STRAND'S TEAM
SCRAMBLE TO SET UP AN ARRAY
OF RECORDING INSTRUMENTS.
EVERYWHERE, IT WAS CHAOS.
[ YELLING ]
PEOPLE WERE YELLING, PANICKING.
[ YELLING IN NORWEGIAN ]
Narrator: AS THE LIGHTS APPEAR IN THE SKY,
THEIR VIDEO EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS.
PEOPLE STARTED TO CHANGE
BATTERIES IN THE CAMERA SYSTEMS
AND A COUPLE OF MINUTES AFTER,
THE BATTERIES WAS DAMAGED AGAIN.
Narrator: ONLY A FEW SECONDS
OF SHAKY VIDEO IS CAPTURED.
Lillevold: IT WAS FLICKERING
AROUND FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES
AND THEN IT... IT WAS AWAY.
Narrator: THE STUDENTS' FOOTAGE
PROVIDES NO USABLE DATA,
BUT AT THE HEAD OF THE VALLEY,
THE OBSERVATION POST RECORDS THE EVENT
AND THE RADAR REVEALS SOMETHING REMARKABLE.
THE RADAR HAD BEEN
FOLLOWING THIS LIGHT PHENOMENA
AND EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, OH, MAMA MIA.
WHAT IS THIS?
Narrator: THE RADAR PICKS UP
A PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN ENTITY.
SOMETHING HUGE WAS OUT THERE.
A HUGE AREA COULD BE COUPLE OF KILOMETERS.
Narrator: A RADAR
SIGNATURE OVER A MILE-LONG
WOULD NORMALLY INDICATE DENSE CLOUD COVER,
BUT THE ONLY THINGS IN THE CLEAR SKY
THAT NIGHT ARE THE SMALL GLOBES OF LIGHT.
[ SHOUTING ]
IT WAS A SPECTACULAR EVIDENCE
THE HESSDALEN PHENOMENA HAS,
IN FACT, AN INVISIBLE FACE.
THIS IS A DEEP MYSTERY.
Narrator: COMING UP, A SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES A TOWERING INFERNO
ON A LAKE...
TRULY LIKE THE DEVIL COMING
UP OUT OF THE GROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: ...AND THE INVESTIGATION
INTO THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS HEADS
IN AN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION.
MAYBE THE ENERGY SOURCE COMES
FROM DEEP DOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN.
Narrator: UNIDENTIFIABLE GLOWING
ORBS APPEAR IN THE NIGHT SKIES
ABOVE A REMOTE VALLEY IN NORWAY.
THIS DOES SEEM JUST SO WEIRD, SO ALIEN.
Narrator: SCIENTIST ERLING STRAND
AND BJORN LILLEVOLD BELIEVE
THEY HAVE VALUABLE EVIDENCE
THAT COULD UNLOCK THE
SECRET OF THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS.
♪♪
ANALYSIS OF THEIR FOOTAGE SHOWS
THAT THE LIGHTS ARE THE SIZE OF A VEHICLE
AND THEY'RE MOVING 500
FEET ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR.
RADAR REVEALS THEY'RE CONTAINED
WITHIN A MILE-LONG FORCEFIELD
INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE.
Strand: IT'S NOT THAT
EASY TO FIND A SOLUTION,
BUT THERE'S SOME THEORIES ABOUT PLASMA.
THE EASIEST WAY TO THINK
ABOUT PLASMA IS IONIZED GAS
AND WHEN A GAS IS IONIZED,
IT CAN GIVE OFF LIGHT.
IT'S JUST ENERGY THERE AND ONE OF THE WAYS
IT CAN GIVE OFF ENERGY
IS THROUGH VISIBLE LIGHT.
Narrator: WE SEE PLASMA
ALL THE TIME IN NEON SIGNS,
WHERE GASES ARE IONIZED
WITH A HIGH VOLTAGE CURRENT
TO EMIT COLORED LIGHT.
IF THE MYSTERIOUS HESSDALEN
LIGHTS ARE SOME FORM OF PLASMA,
IT BEGS A CRUCIAL QUESTION.
YOU IMAGINE STRONG LIGHT CAN LAST FOR UP
TO A COUPLE OF HOURS.
WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?
Narrator: STRAND AND LILLEVOLD
EXAMINE AN ASTONISHING THEORY
THAT THE VALLEY ITSELF IS THE
ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE PLASMA.
Strand: THE MAIN THING THAT
CONNECT ALL THE DIFFERENT SIGHTINGS
IS THE VALLEY ITSELF.
EVERYTHING IS SHOWING UP IN THE VALLEY.
Lillevold: MAYBE THE ENERGY SOURCE
COMES FROM DEEP DOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN.
MAYBE WE HAVE AN
UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT.
♪♪
Narrator: STRAND INVESTIGATES
THE VALLEY'S GEOLOGY FOR CLUES.
[ VEHICLE DOOR SHUTS ]
HE DISCOVERS THE WESTERN
SLOPE IS HOME TO COPPER MINES,
BUT ON THE EASTERN SIDE,
HE FINDS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY IRON, WHICH
WERE MADE FROM THE GROUND HERE,
BACK IN IRON AGE.
Narrator: COULD THESE TWO METALS
BE THE MYSTERY POWER SOURCE
FOR THE PLASMA?
IF THERE IS SOMETHING
CONNECTING THESE TWO METALS,
YOU GET A BATTERY.
Narrator: IF THE MOUNTAINS
CAN FORM A NATURAL BATTERY,
THEY MAY BE GENERATING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE
POWERFUL ENOUGH IONIZE GAS
TO CREATE THE GLOWING PLASMA.
MATERIAL SCIENCE ANDREA
SELLA TESTS THE THEORY
USING ROCK RICH IN IRON AND COPPER.
Sella: SO THE CRITICAL THING
HERE REALLY IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO ROCKS
AND BECAUSE THERE'S
THAT CHEMICAL DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO,
YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET
AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWING BETWEEN THEM.
Narrator: FOR ELECTRICITY TO FLOW,
THE ROCKS MUST BE CONNECTED
BY AN ACIDIC SOLUTION
THAT CONDUCTS THE CHARGE.
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, IS
I'M GOING TO GET THE ROCKS
TO ACTUALLY SIT IN THIS LIQUID
AND THAT COMPLETES THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT.
IF WE NOW TAKE A VOLT
METER AND WE TURN IT ON,
WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT A LITTLE BIT OVER 1 VOLT
AND THAT IS SIMPLY COMING
FROM THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THESE TWO ROCKS.
Narrator: THE COPPER AND IRON DEPOSITS
IN HESSDALEN HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO CREATE A NATURAL BATTERY.
ALL THAT IS MISSING IS AN ACIDIC LIQUID
TO LINK THE TWO SIDES OF THE VALLEY.
STAND SUSPECTS THE AREA'S MINING ACTIVITY
CAN ONCE AGAIN OFFER A CLUE.
[ WATER DRIPPING ]
THIS IS A SULFUR MINE.
YOU SEE THE COLOR, TYPICAL SULFUR COLOR.
THE WATER IS COMING OUT HERE
AND GOING DIRECTLY OUT TO THE RIVER.
Narrator: STRAND CONSIDERS
IF THE SULFUR MINE
IS ALTERING THE ACIDITY OF THE RIVER.
HE TESTS THE WATER TO SEE IF
THE SULFUR HAS SUFFICIENTLY
INCREASED THE RIVER'S CONDUCTIVITY.
THE TWO ELEMENTS I'M TESTING
NOW IS COPPER AND IRON.
IF THEY COME TOGETHER TO
AN ACID, WILL BE A VOLTAGE.
0.8, 0.9.
SO THIS SHOWS THAT ACID CAN MAKE A VOLTAGE.
Narrator: IT RAISES A
TANTALIZING POSSIBILITY.
THESE KINDS OF GEOLOGICAL BATTERIES
MIGHT ACTUALLY HUGELY SCALE UP.
THE MOUNTAINS ON EITHER
SIDE OF THE 10-MILE-LONG VALLEY
COULD BE CREATING A NATURAL
BATTERY OF COLOSSAL PROPORTIONS.
THE ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE WILL BE SO HUGE
THAT IT WILL... CREATE PLASMA.
Narrator: BUT THE DISCOVERY
OF A POTENTIAL POWER SOURCE
DOESN'T FULLY EXPLAIN THE
NATURE OF THE MYSTERIOUS ORBS
IN THE SKY,
BECAUSE IF THIS IS PLASMA,
IT'S NOT PLASMA AS WE KNOW IT.
PLASMA IS A VERY HOT GAS,
2,000° OR 3,000° OVER CELSIUS.
IF THIS IS BURNING, IT SHOULD EXPAND.
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST.
THIS IS A DEEPER MYSTERY.
THIS IS LIKE GOING INTO A DARK
CAVE AND SEARCHING FOR A DRAGON.
WE KNOW IT'S A DRAGON INSIDE
THERE AND WE WILL FIND IT.
Narrator: COMING UP, A FLAMING
TORNADO SPINS ON A FRESHWATER LAKE.
LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD READ
ABOUT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Narrator: A HELICOPTER SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES A TOWERING INFERNO.
LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
THAT YOU WOULD READ ABOUT
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
TRULY LIKE THE DEVIL COMING
UP OUT OF THE GROUND.
Narrator: TERRIFYING TWISTING
COLUMNS OF FLAME CLAW AT THE SKY.
LOOKS LIKE A STORM TORNADO
THAT SOMEBODY HAS SET ON FIRE.
Narrator: THIS FEROCIOUS FIRE
TORNADO HAS FIREFIGHTERS BAFFLED.
IT'S BURNING ON THE SURFACE OF A LAKE.
♪♪
BARDSTOWN, KENTUCKY.
AUGUST 4, 2003.
A QUIET MONDAY MORNING
AT THE LOCAL FIRE STATION.
9:30 A.M.
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF CHARLES MONTGOMERY
RECEIVES REPORTS A FIRE
HAS BROKEN OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN.
WHEN THE CALL CAME IN,
ALL OF US LOOKED OUTSIDE,
WE SAW THIS HUGE COLUMN OF SMOKE COMING UP
FROM OVER TOP OF THE
TREES OFF IN THE DISTANCE.
[ ALARM BLARES ]
Narrator: THE CREW SCRAMBLES
TO TACKLE THE BLAZE.
[ FIRETRUCK SIREN SOUNDS ]
ROBBIE BLANDFORD IS IN THE
FIRST TRUCK AT THE SCENE.
Blandford: AS WE WERE RESPONDING,
WE COULD SEE THE FLAMES,
SO WE KNEW THAT WE HAD
SOMETHING PRETTY SERIOUS.
JUST A WHOOSH OF FLAME AND FIRE.
YOU COULD HEAR THE FLAME
BUILDING UP AND JUST LETTING GO.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT'S A
LIVING, BREATHING CREATURE.
Narrator: A HELICOPTER SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES THE APOCALYPTIC SCENE.
THE INFERNO IS A
FIREFIGHTER'S WORST NIGHTMARE.
ANALYSIS REVEALS THE TWISTING
COLUMNS OF FIRE ON THE LAKE
ARE 100-FEET-HIGH.
♪♪
THE HEAT COMING OFF WAS REALLY...
I MEAN, IT WAS JUST FRIGHTENING.
♪♪
IT'S JUST OPPRESSIVE LIKE A BIG HAND
JUST SMACKING YOU DOWN TO THE GROUND.
Montgomery: ONCE YOU STEP OUT
OF THE TRUCK AND YOU GET WITHIN
A FEW FEET OF THAT FIRE,
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE.
Narrator: BARDSTOWN'S MAYOR
DIXIE HIBBS WATCHES ON HELPLESS.
Hibbs: I'M LOOKING AT IT AND I'M THINKING,
THERE'S A CRACK IN HELL AND
HERE COMES THE FIERY FLAMES.
Narrator: THE INFERNO REMINDS
HIBBS OF SOMETHING ALL TOO REAL.
Hibbs: IT LOOKS LIKE A
TORNADO MADE OF FIRE.
WE HAVE TORNADOS ALL OVER HERE IN KENTUCKY,
SO WE'RE USED TO SEEING 'EM,
BUT WE'RE NOT USED TO
SEEING 'EM MADE OF FIRE.
Montgomery: IT'S NOT SOMETHING
THAT WE TYPICALLY DEAL WITH.
WE NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY
FORM AND HOW THEY GROW.
Narrator: THE HELICOPTER
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE IS SHOWN
TO FIRE SAFETY RESEARCHER MICHAEL GOLLNER.
HE RECOGNIZES THE TWISTING COLUMNS OF FLAME
AS A RARE AND POWERFUL FIRE TORNADO.
SO TO GENERATE A FIRE TORNADO
REQUIRES THE RIGHT COMBINATION
OF WINDS, OBSTACLES, AND FIRE.
Narrator: TO UNDERSTAND HOW
THE FIRE TORNADOS ON THE LAKE
MIGHT'VE FORMED, GOLLNER
RECREATES ONE IN HIS LAB.
Gollner: AND SO WHAT'S GOING
ON BASICALLY, IS YOU HAVE
TO GENERATE SOME SWIRL.
CAN WE HIT THE FANS NOW.
WE'RE TURNING ON THE VENTILATION.
THERE ARE FOUR SLITS HERE, WHICH
ARE GOING TO INDUCE THE AIR FLOW
SO THAT THIS IS GOING
TO BE SWIRLING AROUND.
Narrator: THE SLITS CHANNEL AIR,
SO IT SWIRLS INTO THE CENTER OF THE FIRE.
Gollner: YOU CAN SEE THE FLAME
LENGTHS DRASTICALLY INCREASE.
WHAT THEY DO IS INTENSIFY THE FIRE.
Narrator: THE SPINNING FLAME
SUPER-HEATS TO OVER 2,000°.
AND IT'S REALLY AN
UNCONTROLLABLE PHENOMENA.
THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING
YOU CAN DO ONCE THAT FORMED,
YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY.
Narrator: THESE FIRE TORNADOS FORM
THANKS TO THE UNIQUE SHAPE OF THE LAKE.
TREES CHANNEL THE WIND
INTO THE LAKE'S CENTER
FROM MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS,
SWIRLING THE FLAMES
INTO A DEVASTATING VORTEX.
YET, EXPERTS REMAIN BAFFLED.
HOW DOES AN INFERNO BURN
ON TOP OF FRESH WATER?
WHAT IS FEEDING THIS FIRE?
WHAT IS ALLOWING A FIRE
TO OCCUR ON THE OF A LAKE?
WHEN I SEE THIS, THE
FIRST THING I THINK IS,
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND
OF FUEL SOURCE FOR THE FIRE.
Narrator: GEOPHYSICIST SIAN PROCTOR
CONSIDERS AN EXPLOSIVE THEORY.
ONE OPTION THAT COULD
BE FEEDING THIS FIRE IS OIL.
OIL FORMS UNDERGROUND AND
WHEN IT HITS WATER, IT'S LESS DENSE,
SO IT'S GOING TO RISE AND FLOAT
ON THE SURFACE OF THAT WATER.
YOU IGNITE THAT, YOU HAVE
WHAT WE SEE IN THE VIDEO.
Narrator: THE FIRST OIL GUSHER IN THE U.S.
WAS DRILLED IN KENTUCKY IN 1818.
THE BLUEGRASS STATE STILL SITS
ON HUGE FOSSIL FUEL RESERVES.
THESE FIRE DEVILS COULD BE
POWERED BY MILLIONS OF BARRELS
OF COMBUSTIBLE CRUDE OIL.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OIL,
IF IT HAD ENTERED THE
LAKE IN LARGE QUANTITIES,
COULD'VE CAUSED THE FIRE THAT WE SEE,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF FIRE.
WE WOULD NEED A GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENON
THAT SUDDENLY RELEASES
LOTS OF OIL INTO THIS LAKE.
Narrator: THERE ARE NO RECORDS
OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN THE AREA,
RULING OUT AN OIL SPILL.
A RAGING FIRE ON A FRESHWATER
LAKE JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN.
WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?
Narrator: IT TURNS OUT THE
ANSWER COULD BE IN PLAIN SIGHT.
THE TOWN OF BARDSTOWN IS SURROUNDED
BY HUNDREDS OF GIANT WAREHOUSES,
EACH ONE PACKED TO THE RAFTERS
WITH HIGHLY FLAMMABLE LIQUID.
THESE WAREHOUSES ARE SEVEN-STORIES-TALL.
THE FUEL LOAD INSIDE OF THOSE IS EXTREME.
LOCALS SUSPECT THE
WAREHOUSES COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE TWISTING INFERNO.
ALL YOU NEED IS A SPARK.
Narrator: COMING UP, A SPACE MUSEUM
WITH A POTENTIAL EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITOR.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT
WE WOULD BRING BACK SOMETHING
THAT WAS GOING TO BE DEADLY TO US.
♪♪
Narrator: AND THE FIRE TORNADO
INVESTIGATION HEATS UP.
WE KNEW RIGHT AWAY THAT WE WERE IN TROUBLE.
Narrator: HELICOPTER
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS CAPTURE
AN INFERNO OF HELLISH PROPORTIONS.
YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHAT'S
GOING ON FOR THIS LAKE TO BE BURNING
AND AS FEROCIOUSLY AS IT WAS.
Narrator: FIREFIGHTERS
FEAR IT IS BEING FUELED
BY THE TOWN'S MOST FAMOUS EXPORT.
BARDSTOWN IS THE BOURBON
CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
IF THAT BOURBON IN LARGE
QUANTITIES GOT INTO THE LAKE,
IT COULD CREATE THIS FIRE PHENOMENON.
Narrator: BUT HOW DID THE
LIQUOR END UP IN THE LAKE?
METEOROLOGISTS BELIEVE VITAL CLUES
LIE IN KENTUCKY'S SUPER-CHARGED SKIES.
ON AVERAGE, THE STATE
OF KENTUCKY GETS ABOUT
A HALF-A-MILLION LIGHTNING
STRIKES IN A TYPICAL YEAR.
ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, THERE WERE A LOT OF
VERY POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS
THAT MOVED THROUGH THAT AREA.
WE SAW ONE PARTICULAR BOLT
THAT KIND OF STOOD OUT TO US
AND WE THOUGHT, WELL, SOMETHING
REALLY GOT NAILED AT THAT TIME.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
Narrator: THE BOLT HITS A LARGE
WAREHOUSE COMPLEX FILLED
TO THE RAFTERS WITH WHISKEY.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE
TO BRING THIS UNDER CONTROL.
Narrator: BY THE TIME THEY'RE AT THE SCENE,
ONE OF THE WAREHOUSES IS ENGULFED IN FLAMES
AND ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE.
Montgomery: THERE WAS
800,00 GALLONS OF BOURBON
INSIDE THIS ONE WAREHOUSE
THAT IS OUT OF ITS CONTAINERS
AND IT JUST RELEASES THIS WALL OF FLAME.
♪♪
Narrator: A TIDAL WAVE OF BURNING
BOURBON ESCAPES THE WAREHOUSE.
OH, IT'S JUST A SICKENING
FEELING COMES ACROSS YOU,
'CAUSE YOU KNOW THAT ALL
THOSE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
ARE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO FIND THE LOWEST POINT.
IT'S GOING TO FLOW DOWNHILL.
DOWNHILL AT THIS INCIDENT
WAS A HOLDING LAKE.
Narrator: THE WAREHOUSE
COMPLEX SITS AT THE TOP OF A CREEK
THAT EMPTIES INTO THE HOLDING LAKE.
Montgomery: ONCE IT GOT ONTO THE
POND, IT JUST CONTINUED TO BURN.
Narrator: SWIRLING WINDS TRANSFORM
THE BLAZE INTO FEROCIOUS FIRE
TORNADOES THAT CONSUME AROUND
A MILLION GALLONS OF BOURBON.
THAT MUCH WHISKEY GOING,
YOU KNOW, UP IN SMOKE,
THAT'S A BIG THING FOR OUR TOWN TO LOSE.
A LOT OF ENJOYMENT FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE GOING UP IN FLAMES.
♪♪
Narrator: AND NOW, A CLOSE
ENCOUNTER IN A SPACE MUSEUM.
THIS REALLY SHOCKED ME.
Narrator: AN ETHEREAL VISITOR
AMONG THE NASA RELICS.
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
I MEAN, IT'S CREEPY.
Narrator: THE CLUES TO ITS
ORIGINS POINT TO THE STARS.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
Narrator: TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA.
IN THE SHADOW OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
LIES THE AMERICAN SPACE MUSEUM.
THIS MUSEUM HAS ARTIFACTS
THAT GO ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SPACE PROGRAM.
THE MAIN REASON WE STARTED THE MUSEUM
WAS TO PRESERVE THAT HISTORY
THAT WE HAD ALL PARTICIPATED IN
AND WE'RE SO PROUD OF.
♪♪
Narrator: MAY 12, 2012.
9:45 A.M.
MUSEUM DIRECTOR KAREN CONKLIN
IS THE FIRST INTO WORK.
SHE HAS MANAGED THE PRICELESS
COLLECTION FOR OVER TWO DECADES.
Conklin: WELL, I HAD COME IN EARLY
AND TURNED ON THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS,
BECAUSE I WAS BY MYSELF.
Narrator: ALONE IN THE EMPTY MUSEUM,
KAREN SCANS THE VIDEO FEEDS.
A FLICKER STARTLES HER.
I SEE MOVEMENT ON THE CAMERA.
THIS REALLY SHOCKED ME.
Narrator: THE CAMERA MONITORING
EXHIBITS FROM THE MERCURY PROGRAM
IS SHOWING AN EERIE PRESENCE IN THE ROOM.
♪♪
SOMETHING VERY BRIGHT,
GLOWING, ALMOST CIRCULAR.
I WAS COMPLETELY CAUGHT BY SURPRISE.
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
I MEAN, IT'S CREEPY.
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING NORMAL.
Narrator: KAREN ALERTS MUSEUM
VICE CHAIRMAN CHARLIE MARS,
AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER WITH
OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE AT NASA.
HE SAYS, "YOU NEED TO SEE
WHAT WE CAPTURED LAST NIGHT."
IT APPEARED ROUND, VERY BRIGHT,
MOVED ABOUT IN AN ERRATIC PATTERN.
♪♪
Narrator: MARS SUSPECTS
THE FLOATING LIGHT IS A FAULT
IN THE NEWLY-INSTALLED SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.
HE CALLS IN A TECHNICIAN TO TROUBLESHOOT.
AND HE AND I BOTH TRIED TO
THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD FAIL
THAT MAY HAVE SOLVED SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
COULDN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING.
Narrator: MARS ARRIVES
AT A TROUBLING THEORY.
THE MYSTERY LIGHT IS SOMEHOW LINKED
TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.
Mars: WE'VE GOT QUITE A BIT OF ITEMS HERE
THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO OUTERSPACE.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
♪♪
Narrator: SECURITY CAMERAS IN
THE AMERICAN SPACE MUSEUM
CAPTURE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
DARTING ACROSS A ROOM.
♪♪
VICE CHAIRMAN CHARLIE
MARS STUDIES THE FOOTAGE.
Mars: THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT ABOUT,
WE'VE HAD THINGS SIMILAR TO THAT IN SPACE.
WHAT COULD WE HAVE BROUGHT BACK?
Narrator: IN 1962, MERCURY
ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN
IS THE FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTH.
DURING THE FLIGHT, HE DESCRIBES
SEEING BRIGHT LIGHTS DANCING
OUTSIDE HIS CAPSULE WINDOW.
I THINK THIS HAS HAPPENED
ON ALMOST EVERY MISSION.
SOMETHING HAS GOTTEN
THE ATTENTION OF THE CREW
OR SOMEBODY ON THE GROUND.
THEY'LL SAY, "WHAT WAS THAT?"
YOU WONDER IF THESE PEOPLE OUT IN SPACE
COULD'VE COME IN CONTACT WITH
SOMETHING EXTRATERRESTRIAL.
THEY COULD'VE COME IN
CONTACT WITH SOME PATHOGEN
AND THEN BROUGHT IT BACK.
Man: ASTRONAUT GLENN AND HIS SPACECRAFT
LANDED WELL WITHIN THE
PLANNED RECOVERY AREA.
Narrator: THE THEORY THAT THE
MUSEUM HAS AN ALIEN VISITOR
ISN'T AS UNLIKELY AS IT SOUNDS.
NASA SCIENTISTS WERE
TROUBLED BY THE POSSIBILITY
THAT SPACE IS HOME TO NEW
AND DANGEROUS LIFE FORMS.
EARLY SPACE EXPLORERS
KNEW VERY, VERY LITTLE
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT WE'RE PLUNGING INTO.
THERE COULD BE UNKNOWN PATHOGENS,
THERE COULD BE UNKNOWN PARTICLES
THAT THEY'D BRING BACK
DOWN TO THE PLANET EARTH.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT
WE WOULD BRING BACK SOMETHING
THAT WAS GOING TO BE DEADLY TO US.
Narrator: TO GUARD
AGAINST AN ALIEN INFECTION,
NASA KEEPS ITS PIONEERING
ASTRONAUTS IN EXTREME ISOLATION.
WHEN YOU GOT BACK DOWN TO PLANET EARTH,
YOU HAD GREETING YOU A QUARANTINE SYSTEM.
YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY
TREATED LIKE A PLAGUE VICTIM.
NOW THE THREE MEAN WEARING
BIOLOGICAL ISOLATION GARMENTS
ENTER THE MOBILE QUARANTINE FACILITY.
Narrator: THIS WOULD APPEAR TO RULE
OUT AN ALIEN PRESENCE IN THE MUSEUM,
BUT AFTER THE APOLLO 14 ASTRONAUTS
RETURNED FROM THE MOON,
THIS STRICT QUARANTINE
PROCEDURE IS SUSPENDED.
THEY FOUND NOTHING OF A MATERIAL NATURE,
SO THE CONTAMINATION THEORY WENT AWAY.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT MICROSCOPIC
ORGANISMS CAN SURVIVE IN SPACE.
THE COOLEST THING ABOUT
ALL OF THIS IS TO THINK
THAT ORGANISMS COULD SURVIVE IN SPACE
AND COME BACK DOWN TO
PLANET EARTH AND THRIVE
AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THEY CAN.
♪♪
Narrator: IN 2007, THE EUROPEAN SPACE
AGENCY'S FOTON SATELLITE BLASTS
INTO ORBIT.
ON BOARD, 3,000 TARDIGRADES.
THESE MICROSCOPIC ANIMALS ARE THOUGHT TO BE
THE HEARTIEST CREATURES ON EARTH.
FOR 12 DAYS, THEY ARE
SUBJECTED TO MICROGRAVITY
IN SOLAR RADIATION.
OVER HALF SURVIVE.
YOU CAN COME UP WITH A
SCENARIO BY WHICH AN ORGANISM
THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT COULD HITCH
A RIDE TO THE PLANET,
SURVIVE REENTRY, AND BE LIVING HERE.
Narrator: IT LEADS CHARLIE MARS
TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE MUSEUM VISITOR
MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK
BY A MORE RECENT SPACE MISSION.
THIS BUILDING HOUSES AN
AWFUL LOT OF ARTIFACTS
THAT WERE FLOWN ON THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
Narrator: NASA'S ARCHIVES
REVEAL FOOTAGE WITH SIMILARITIES
TO THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS IN THE MUSEUM.
THERE HAVE BEEN CASES IN THE PAST
Wise: IN WHICH SPACE
MISSIONS ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE
HAVE SEEN ORB SHAPES APPEARING IN SPACE.
Narrator: IN 1996, A ROUTINE
EXPERIMENT ON SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA
GOES HORRIBLY WRONG.
Man: SO THE LONG LINE IS... IS THE TETHER.
Narrator: A 12-MILE-LONG TETHER
CONNECTED TO A SATELLITE SNAPS.
Man: TETHER HAS BROKEN
AND IT'S GOING AWAY FURTHER.
Man #2: COPY.
Narrator: A CAMERA RECORDS THE
SATELLITE DRIFTING AWAY INTO SPACE,
THE SAME TOWN AS A
CLOUD OF MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
CROWDS THE LENS,
LIGHTS WHICH BEAR A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE
TO THE FOOTAGE IN THE MUSEUM.
Wise: COULD SOMEHOW THE
PHENOMENA THAT WAS SEEN IN SPACE
BE LINKED TO THE MUSEUM?
IT SEEMS BIZARRE,
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE
CAN RULE IT OUT RIGHT AWAY.
WHAT WE HAVE HERE, I
BELIEVE IS REALLY UNIQUE
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
MILLION SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
ARE WATCHING US ON OUR STREETS,
AT WORK, AND IN OUR HOMES.
THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.
IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
Man: OH, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, MAN.
Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY OUT FORENSIC
ANALYSIS ON THE UNUSUAL EVENTS.
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON.
[ SCREAMING ]
Narrator: THIS TIME,
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
AND LEAVES A SUPER-CHARGED SURVIVOR.
THIS GUY GETS HIT TWICE...
AND HE'S NOT EVEN DEAD.
Narrator: MYSTERIOUS GLOWING
ORBS DEFY EXPLANATION.
EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, OH, MAMA MIA!
Man: WHAT IS THIS?
Narrator: A FLAMING TORNADO
SPINS ON A FRESHWATER LAKE.
LOOKS LIKE A STORM TORNADO
THAT SOMEBODY HAS SET ON FIRE.
WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?
Narrator: AND HAS A VISITOR FROM
SPACE BEEN CAPTURED ON CAMERA?
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE.
WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND
THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?
1,000 GIGAWATTS OF ENERGY
STRIKES FROM THE HEAVENS.
Man: THAT'S VERY DEAD.
HE'S GONE.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
CAPTURE A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
A LIGHTNING BOLT COULD KILL AN ELEPHANT
AND HERE'S THIS GUY GETTING
BACK UP AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS.
Narrator: YET, THIS MAN IS HAVING
THE UNLUCKIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE GET STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING TWICE IN A FEW MINUTES.
Narrator: APRIL 2011.
GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA.
AN ELECTRIC STORM RAGES OVERHEAD.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
COMMUTERS RUSH HOME TO ESCAPE THE WEATHER.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA CAPTURES
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,
A ONE-IN-A-MILLION EVENT.
THIS FINGER OF GOD COMES
DOWN FROM THE SKY, ZAPS HIM,
AND HE'S DOWN.
USUALLY, PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING DIE OF A HEART ATTACK.
♪♪
Narrator: THE CAMERA GOES ON TO
RECORD SOMETHING ASTONISHING.
♪♪
Man: A LIGHTNING BOLT
COULD KILL AN ELEPHANT
AND HERE'S THIS GUY GETTING
BACK UP AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS.
♪♪
Narrator: SEEMINGLY
UNSCATHED, HE STAGGERS OFF.
♪♪
Wise: A FEW SECONDS
LATER, BOOM, HE'S HIT AGAIN.
BEEN HIT BY LIGHTNING TWICE.
Prabhu: THIS GUY GETS HIT TWICE...
AND HE'S NOT EVEN DEAD.
Narrator: EXPERTS ARE CONFOUNDED
BY THIS DEATH-DEFYING INCIDENT.
I'VE SEEN TREES HIT BY LIGHTNING,
THE ENTIRE TREE IS ON FIRE.
Narrator: AS MANY AS 24,000 PEOPLE
ARE KILLED BY LIGHTNING EVERY YEAR,
YET THIS MYSTERY MAN SURVIVES
TWO HITS APPARENTLY UNHARMED.
♪♪
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
DAVID WALLACE INVESTIGATES
HOW A PERSON CAN SURVIVE A STRIKE.
LET'S BRING THE DUMMY RIGHT HERE TO START.
Narrator: WALLACE RUNS
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY'S
HIGH VOLTAGE LABORATORY.
HE AND HIS TEAM SET UP AN EXPERIMENT
TO MEASURE THE INTENSITY OF A
LIGHTNING STRIKE AND DISCOVER
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HUMAN
BODY WHEN IT'S HIT DIRECTLY.
HERE'S A 3-MILLION VOLT IMPULSE GENERATOR.
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE
SHOOTING APPROXIMATELY
1.2-MILLION VOLTS OUT OF IT.
AS IT DISCHARGES, IT WILL GO
INTO THE GROUND ROD RIGHT HERE.
Narrator: WALLACE CAREFULLY
POSITIONS A TEST DUMMY
TO RECEIVE THE STRIKE.
WE HAVE THE STRIKE DISTANCE
BASICALLY A FOOT AWAY FROM THE HEAD.
Narrator: THE MANNEQUIN IS RIGGED
WITH A NETWORK OF SENSORS
TO MEASURE THE FLOW OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT.
Wallace: NOW, IN THE DUMMY, WE
HAVE AN INTERNAL MEASUREMENT,
WHICH WILL MIMIC THE INTERNAL ORGANS
AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE
HOW MUCH CURRENT THE HUMAN BODY
IS GOING TO SEE HERE WHEN IT GETS STRUCK.
Narrator: JUST 1 AMP OF ELECTRICAL
CURRENT IS ENOUGH TO KILL.
EVERYBODY BE SURE YOU DO HAVE EARMUFFS.
THIS IS GOING TO BE LOUD WHEN IT GOES OFF.
Narrator: THE STRIKE WILL LAST LESS
THAN A THIRD-OF-A-MILLISECOND CAPTURED
ON A SUPER-HIGH-SPEED CAMERA
FOR FRAME-BY-FRAME ANALYSIS.
Wallace: LET'S GET READY
TO ENERGIZE THE SYSTEM.
WE'RE AT 204.4, WE NEED TO BE 0205.5.
THE SCOPES ARE SET.
PERFECT.
♪♪
OKAY, STARTING NOW.
[ ALARM RINGS ]
GOING HOT.
[ MUSIC BUILDS ]
♪♪
[ CRACK! ]
YO, YO, YO.
[ CRACK! ]
♪♪
WHAT DID OUR SCOPE SHOW?
WOW.
YOU'RE SHOWING OVER 125 AMPS
GOING THROUGH THE
INTERNAL ORGANS OF THE BODY.
Narrator: OUR MYSTERY MAN COULD'VE BEEN HIT
WITH A CHARGE SIX TIMES
STRONGER THAN THE BOLT
FROM A DOMESTIC ELECTRIC SOCKET.
Wallace: THAT'S VERY DEADLY.
HE'S GONE.
Narrator: LIGHTNING IS EASILY
POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE FATAL.
THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE A STRIKE
OFTEN SUSTAIN SERIOUS INJURIES.
Dr. Prabhu: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A
LIGHTNING BOLT GOES THROUGH THE BODY,
IT COMPLETELY ELECTRIFIES THE
ORGANS, ESSENTIALLY FRIES THEM.
AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT CAUSES
BLOOD CLOTTING AND LEADS TO,
EITHER IMPAIRMENT OR IMMEDIATE DEATH.
Narrator: THE ODDS OF BEING STRUCK
TWICE BY LIGHTNING AND SURVIVING
UNHARMED ARE INCALCULABLY SMALL,
YET, OUR MYSTERY MAN IS NOT ALONE.
♪♪
50-YEAR-OLD FATHER OF FOUR GARY REYNOLDS
HAS BEEN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING THREE TIMES
AND LIVED TO TELL THE TERRIFYING TALE.
MY IMMEDIATE FEELING WHEN I
FEEL A STORM COMING IS... IS PANIC.
IT'S FRIGHTENING.
Narrator: COULD GARY HOLD THE KEY
TO THE MYSTERY MAN'S
EXTRAORDINARY SURVIVAL?
IN JULY 2007, GARY SHELTERS
FROM A STORM IN HIS GARAGE.
I HAD WALKED OVER INTO
THE CORNER OF MY GARAGE
AND THE LIGHTNING BOLT
CAME THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR.
I WAS LOCKED TO THE REFRIGERATOR.
I COULDN'T LET GO.
Narrator: A YEAR LATER,
GARY IS STRUCK AGAIN,
THIS TIME WHILE HE'S ASLEEP IN BED.
Reynolds: I WATCHED THE LIGHTNING
BOLT COME OUT OF MY HAND.
Narrator: IN 2016, GARY MOVES
600 MILES TO A NEW HOME,
BUT CAN'T ESCAPE BEING STRUCK A THIRD TIME.
HIS SURVIVAL WITH ONLY SUPERFICIAL INJURIES
BAFFLES DOCTORS.
HE TOLD ME, "I'VE NEVER
SEEN ANYBODY WALK IN
FROM AN ACCIDENT LIKE THIS."
HE SAID, "EITHER THEY GET
BROUGHT IN ON A STRETCHER
OR THEY'RE DEAD."
Narrator: EXPERTS BELIEVE
THAT GARY SURVIVED
BECAUSE OF THE WAY
THE LIGHTNING STRUCK HIM.
MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING ARE STRUCK INDIRECTLY.
SO LIGHTNING STRIKES AN OBJECT
AND THEN IT TRAVELS TO THEM.
AN INDIRECT LIGHTNING
BOLT HAS LESSER INTENSITY
AS IT HITS A HUMAN BEING,
ACTUALLY INCREASES
YOUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL.
Narrator: EXPERTS CONSIDER IF
OUR MYSTERY MAN'S SURVIVAL
COULD BE EXPLAINED BY AN INDIRECT STRIKE.
THEY REEXAMINE THE SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE.
Wallace: IN THE VIDEO, I SEE
A LOT OF TREES AROUND,
I SEE THE CARS ON THE STREET.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALL OBJECTS AROUND HIM,
WHICH WOULD TYPICALLY ATTRACT
THE LIGHTNING BEFORE HE WOULD.
MAYBE THE LIGHTNING SORT OF BRANCHES OUT
AND ONLY PART OF IT IS HITTING HIM.
THAT AT LEAST WOULD EXPLAIN
WHY HE ISN'T KILLED OUTRIGHT
AND WHY HE SEEMS RELATIVELY UNHURT BY IT.
Narrator: YET, FRAME-BY-FRAME
ANALYSIS OF THE CLIP
APPEARS TO DISCOUNT THIS POSSIBILITY.
McCourt: THE ORIGINAL VIDEO, NOT PRISTINE,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN HERE.
STARTING ON THE FIRST
FRAME AND WE STEP THROUGH IT.
AND NOW, BOOM, WE HAVE A LIGHTNING FLASH.
Narrator: THE BOLT IS CLEARLY SEEN
STRIKING THE MAN'S HEAD TWICE.
McCourt: I DON'T SEE ANY
EVIDENCE THAT IT'S ANYTHING
OTHER THAN A DIRECT STRIKE.
Narrator: AND THIS DIRECT
STRIKE SHOULD BE FATAL.
COMING UP, MYSTERIOUS GLOWING ORBS
TERRIFY A REMOTE NORWEGIAN TOWN.
EVERYTHING WAS CHAOS.
[ SCREAMING ]
SOMETHING HUGE WAS OUT THERE.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
Narrator: AND SCIENTISTS TEST
A THEORY ABOUT SURVIVING
A LIGHTNING STRIKE.
OKAY, LET'S GET READY.
GOING HOT.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING
TO DISCOVER HOW A MAN SURVIVES
TWO LIGHTNING STRIKES IN QUICK SUCCESSION.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DAVID WALLACE BELIEVES
HE'S FOUND A VITAL CLUE IN THE FOOTAGE.
Wallace: WHEN WE LOOK AT
THE VIDEO, WE NOTICE A WOMAN
WALKING WITH AN UMBRELLA,
SO THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT
IT IS MOST LIKELY RAINING HERE.
SO IF IT'S RAINING, THE
GUY, SINCE HE DOES NOT
HAVE AN UMBRELLA, WILL MOST LIKELY BE WET.
Narrator: DAVID BELIEVES WET
CLOTHING MAY SHIELD THE MAN
FROM THE LIGHTNING.
LET'S GET READY TO CUT THE
WATER ON AND START THE RAIN.
Narrator: THE TEAM AT
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
RERUN THE EXPERIENCE, THIS
TIME, TO TEST WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN A LIGHTNING BOLT HITS A WET VICTIM.
[ ALARM RINGS ]
EVERYBODY READY?
♪♪
[ CRACK! ]
♪♪
OKAY.
Narrator: THE RESULTS ARE VERY
DIFFERENT TO WALLACE'S DRY TEST.
WHEN WE HAD A DRY DUMMY
OUT THERE AND STRUCK DIRECTLY,
WE HAD AN INTERNAL CURRENT
FLOW OF APPROXIMATELY 130 AMPS,
NOW WE'RE SEEING AN INTERNAL
FLOW OF APPROXIMATELY 0.7 AMPS.
DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE.
MAJORITY OF THE CURRENT
NOW IS FLOWING OVER THE BODY
IN PLACE OF GOING THROUGH THE BODY.
Narrator: THE MOISTURE INCREASES
THE CONDUCTIVITY OF THE CLOTHES.
THE LIGHTNING'S ELECTRIC CURRENT
TAKES THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
I DEFINITELY SEE A
SURVIVABILITY RATE GOING UP
DRAMATICALLY OVER THE
ORIGINAL DIRECT STRIKE.
Narrator: BUT IN SPITE OF DAVID'S FINDINGS,
THE FOOTAGE STILL DIVIDES OPINION.
THAT FOOTAGE IS EXTREMELY UNUSUAL,
BECAUSE BEING STRUCK TWICE
WOULD BE EXTREMELY RARE.
Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST
CONOR McCOURT IS SKEPTICAL
THAT THE CLIP IS GENUINE.
WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING TWO TIMES
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS,
YOU HAVE TO QUESTION,
IS IT REAL OR IS IT FAKE?
Narrator: SCRUTINIZING EACH
FRAME, HE SEES A TROUBLING DETAIL.
McCourt: THERE'S A VAN IN THE
FOREGROUND OF THE CCTV VIDEO,
WHICH HAS A SHADOW
THAT'S CAST IN FRONT OF IT,
SO THAT INDICATES TO ME
THAT THERE'S A LIGHT SOURCE
JUST BELOW THE CAMERA.
Narrator: LIGHTNING BOLTS ARE
MUCH BRIGHTER THAN STREET LIGHTS
AND WILL COMPLETELY TRANSFORM
AN EXISTING SHADOW PATTERN.
WITH THAT KIND OF INTENSITY,
IT SHOULD OVERRIDE THE ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
THAT'S COMING FROM BELOW THE CAMERA.
IT SHOULD OBLITERATE THE
SHADOW IN FRONT OF THE VAN.
WHEN WE GET UP TO THE
LIGHTNING STRIKE, ACTUALLY,
THE SHADOWS REMAIN
AND SO THIS IS TROUBLING.
IT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT
THIS VIDEO IS NOT AUTHENTIC.
Wallace: THE ONLY WAY
WE CAN BE REALLY POSITIVE
THAT THIS WAS A TRUE VIDEO IS,
LET'S TRACK DOWN THE MAN, FIND HIM,
AND GET HIS SIDE OF THE STORY
AND SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
NOW, THE ODDS OF THAT?
ASTRONOMICAL.
[ WHIRS ]
Narrator: IN THE RUGGED LANDS OF
NORSE GODS, VIKINGS, AND TROLLS,
[ SCREAMING ]
MYSTERIOUS ORBS OF LIGHT
DART ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.
EVERYTHING WAS CHAOS.
[ SCREAMING ]
THEN IT... IT WAS AWAY.
Narrator: LOCALS FEAR AN ALIEN INVASION.
THE FIRST THING THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO THINK OF ARE UFOs.
Narrator: THE TRUTH MAY
BE EVEN MORE ASTONISHING.
WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?
THIS IS A DEEP MYSTERY.
Narrator: HESSDALEN, NORWAY,
200 MILES NORTH OF OSLO.
FOR DECADES, THIS REMOTE
AND ISOLATED VALLEY
HAS BEEN VISITED BY AN
UNIDENTIFIABLE PHENOMENON,
STRANGE ORBS OF LIGHT
DARTING ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY.
♪♪
SCIENTISTS STRUGGLE
TO EXPLAIN THE SIGHTINGS.
IT'S DEFINITELY VERY MYSTERIOUS THE THINGS
THAT IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DO DEFY
OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF PHYSICS.
♪♪
Narrator: LOCALS FEEL CERTAIN
THAT THESE MYSTERIOUS SPHERES
ARE NOT FROM THIS WORLD.
♪♪
PROFESSOR ERLING STRAND FIRST
SAW THE PHENOMENON 30 YEARS AGO.
HE HAS DEDICATED HIS CAREER
TO DISCOVERING THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS.
IT MADE A VERY STRONG IMPRESSION ON ME
WHEN I SAW IT THE FIRST TIME.
THAT TRIGGERED SOMETHING IN ME.
♪♪
Narrator: STRAND HAS SET UP AN
OBSERVATION LAB TO REVEAL THE TRUTH.
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS COVER
EVERY ANGLE OF THE VALLEY
AND RADAR SCANS THE SKIES.
SEPTEMBER 2007, STRAND LEADS
A TEAM OF SCIENCE STUDENTS
DEEP INTO THE VALLEY.
THEY'RE INTENT ON CAPTURING FOOTAGE
OF THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS.
WITH THEM IS STRAND'S COLLEAGUE,
PHYSICIST BJORN LILLEVOLD.
TOGETHER, THEY HAVE DEDICATED
DECADES IN SEARCH OF CLUES
TO EXPLAIN THE ORBS.
[ SIGHS ] OH, THIS IS VERY,
VERY TRICKY PHENOMENON.
Narrator: THAT NIGHT, THEIR
PATIENCE IS REWARDED.
STARTED WITH STRONG FLASHES
AND THEN YOU HAVE THIS OUTBREAK OF LIGHT.
WE SAW IT.
IT WAS...
Narrator: STRAND'S TEAM
SCRAMBLE TO SET UP AN ARRAY
OF RECORDING INSTRUMENTS.
EVERYWHERE, IT WAS CHAOS.
[ YELLING ]
PEOPLE WERE YELLING, PANICKING.
[ YELLING IN NORWEGIAN ]
Narrator: AS THE LIGHTS APPEAR IN THE SKY,
THEIR VIDEO EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS.
PEOPLE STARTED TO CHANGE
BATTERIES IN THE CAMERA SYSTEMS
AND A COUPLE OF MINUTES AFTER,
THE BATTERIES WAS DAMAGED AGAIN.
Narrator: ONLY A FEW SECONDS
OF SHAKY VIDEO IS CAPTURED.
Lillevold: IT WAS FLICKERING
AROUND FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES
AND THEN IT... IT WAS AWAY.
Narrator: THE STUDENTS' FOOTAGE
PROVIDES NO USABLE DATA,
BUT AT THE HEAD OF THE VALLEY,
THE OBSERVATION POST RECORDS THE EVENT
AND THE RADAR REVEALS SOMETHING REMARKABLE.
THE RADAR HAD BEEN
FOLLOWING THIS LIGHT PHENOMENA
AND EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, OH, MAMA MIA.
WHAT IS THIS?
Narrator: THE RADAR PICKS UP
A PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN ENTITY.
SOMETHING HUGE WAS OUT THERE.
A HUGE AREA COULD BE COUPLE OF KILOMETERS.
Narrator: A RADAR
SIGNATURE OVER A MILE-LONG
WOULD NORMALLY INDICATE DENSE CLOUD COVER,
BUT THE ONLY THINGS IN THE CLEAR SKY
THAT NIGHT ARE THE SMALL GLOBES OF LIGHT.
[ SHOUTING ]
IT WAS A SPECTACULAR EVIDENCE
THE HESSDALEN PHENOMENA HAS,
IN FACT, AN INVISIBLE FACE.
THIS IS A DEEP MYSTERY.
Narrator: COMING UP, A SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES A TOWERING INFERNO
ON A LAKE...
TRULY LIKE THE DEVIL COMING
UP OUT OF THE GROUND.
♪♪
Narrator: ...AND THE INVESTIGATION
INTO THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS HEADS
IN AN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION.
MAYBE THE ENERGY SOURCE COMES
FROM DEEP DOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN.
Narrator: UNIDENTIFIABLE GLOWING
ORBS APPEAR IN THE NIGHT SKIES
ABOVE A REMOTE VALLEY IN NORWAY.
THIS DOES SEEM JUST SO WEIRD, SO ALIEN.
Narrator: SCIENTIST ERLING STRAND
AND BJORN LILLEVOLD BELIEVE
THEY HAVE VALUABLE EVIDENCE
THAT COULD UNLOCK THE
SECRET OF THE HESSDALEN LIGHTS.
♪♪
ANALYSIS OF THEIR FOOTAGE SHOWS
THAT THE LIGHTS ARE THE SIZE OF A VEHICLE
AND THEY'RE MOVING 500
FEET ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR.
RADAR REVEALS THEY'RE CONTAINED
WITHIN A MILE-LONG FORCEFIELD
INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE.
Strand: IT'S NOT THAT
EASY TO FIND A SOLUTION,
BUT THERE'S SOME THEORIES ABOUT PLASMA.
THE EASIEST WAY TO THINK
ABOUT PLASMA IS IONIZED GAS
AND WHEN A GAS IS IONIZED,
IT CAN GIVE OFF LIGHT.
IT'S JUST ENERGY THERE AND ONE OF THE WAYS
IT CAN GIVE OFF ENERGY
IS THROUGH VISIBLE LIGHT.
Narrator: WE SEE PLASMA
ALL THE TIME IN NEON SIGNS,
WHERE GASES ARE IONIZED
WITH A HIGH VOLTAGE CURRENT
TO EMIT COLORED LIGHT.
IF THE MYSTERIOUS HESSDALEN
LIGHTS ARE SOME FORM OF PLASMA,
IT BEGS A CRUCIAL QUESTION.
YOU IMAGINE STRONG LIGHT CAN LAST FOR UP
TO A COUPLE OF HOURS.
WHERE DOES THE POWER COME FROM?
Narrator: STRAND AND LILLEVOLD
EXAMINE AN ASTONISHING THEORY
THAT THE VALLEY ITSELF IS THE
ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE PLASMA.
Strand: THE MAIN THING THAT
CONNECT ALL THE DIFFERENT SIGHTINGS
IS THE VALLEY ITSELF.
EVERYTHING IS SHOWING UP IN THE VALLEY.
Lillevold: MAYBE THE ENERGY SOURCE
COMES FROM DEEP DOWN IN THE MOUNTAIN.
MAYBE WE HAVE AN
UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT.
♪♪
Narrator: STRAND INVESTIGATES
THE VALLEY'S GEOLOGY FOR CLUES.
[ VEHICLE DOOR SHUTS ]
HE DISCOVERS THE WESTERN
SLOPE IS HOME TO COPPER MINES,
BUT ON THE EASTERN SIDE,
HE FINDS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY IRON, WHICH
WERE MADE FROM THE GROUND HERE,
BACK IN IRON AGE.
Narrator: COULD THESE TWO METALS
BE THE MYSTERY POWER SOURCE
FOR THE PLASMA?
IF THERE IS SOMETHING
CONNECTING THESE TWO METALS,
YOU GET A BATTERY.
Narrator: IF THE MOUNTAINS
CAN FORM A NATURAL BATTERY,
THEY MAY BE GENERATING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE
POWERFUL ENOUGH IONIZE GAS
TO CREATE THE GLOWING PLASMA.
MATERIAL SCIENCE ANDREA
SELLA TESTS THE THEORY
USING ROCK RICH IN IRON AND COPPER.
Sella: SO THE CRITICAL THING
HERE REALLY IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO ROCKS
AND BECAUSE THERE'S
THAT CHEMICAL DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO,
YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET
AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWING BETWEEN THEM.
Narrator: FOR ELECTRICITY TO FLOW,
THE ROCKS MUST BE CONNECTED
BY AN ACIDIC SOLUTION
THAT CONDUCTS THE CHARGE.
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, IS
I'M GOING TO GET THE ROCKS
TO ACTUALLY SIT IN THIS LIQUID
AND THAT COMPLETES THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT.
IF WE NOW TAKE A VOLT
METER AND WE TURN IT ON,
WE'VE ACTUALLY GOT A LITTLE BIT OVER 1 VOLT
AND THAT IS SIMPLY COMING
FROM THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THESE TWO ROCKS.
Narrator: THE COPPER AND IRON DEPOSITS
IN HESSDALEN HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO CREATE A NATURAL BATTERY.
ALL THAT IS MISSING IS AN ACIDIC LIQUID
TO LINK THE TWO SIDES OF THE VALLEY.
STAND SUSPECTS THE AREA'S MINING ACTIVITY
CAN ONCE AGAIN OFFER A CLUE.
[ WATER DRIPPING ]
THIS IS A SULFUR MINE.
YOU SEE THE COLOR, TYPICAL SULFUR COLOR.
THE WATER IS COMING OUT HERE
AND GOING DIRECTLY OUT TO THE RIVER.
Narrator: STRAND CONSIDERS
IF THE SULFUR MINE
IS ALTERING THE ACIDITY OF THE RIVER.
HE TESTS THE WATER TO SEE IF
THE SULFUR HAS SUFFICIENTLY
INCREASED THE RIVER'S CONDUCTIVITY.
THE TWO ELEMENTS I'M TESTING
NOW IS COPPER AND IRON.
IF THEY COME TOGETHER TO
AN ACID, WILL BE A VOLTAGE.
0.8, 0.9.
SO THIS SHOWS THAT ACID CAN MAKE A VOLTAGE.
Narrator: IT RAISES A
TANTALIZING POSSIBILITY.
THESE KINDS OF GEOLOGICAL BATTERIES
MIGHT ACTUALLY HUGELY SCALE UP.
THE MOUNTAINS ON EITHER
SIDE OF THE 10-MILE-LONG VALLEY
COULD BE CREATING A NATURAL
BATTERY OF COLOSSAL PROPORTIONS.
THE ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE WILL BE SO HUGE
THAT IT WILL... CREATE PLASMA.
Narrator: BUT THE DISCOVERY
OF A POTENTIAL POWER SOURCE
DOESN'T FULLY EXPLAIN THE
NATURE OF THE MYSTERIOUS ORBS
IN THE SKY,
BECAUSE IF THIS IS PLASMA,
IT'S NOT PLASMA AS WE KNOW IT.
PLASMA IS A VERY HOT GAS,
2,000° OR 3,000° OVER CELSIUS.
IF THIS IS BURNING, IT SHOULD EXPAND.
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST.
THIS IS A DEEPER MYSTERY.
THIS IS LIKE GOING INTO A DARK
CAVE AND SEARCHING FOR A DRAGON.
WE KNOW IT'S A DRAGON INSIDE
THERE AND WE WILL FIND IT.
Narrator: COMING UP, A FLAMING
TORNADO SPINS ON A FRESHWATER LAKE.
LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD READ
ABOUT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Narrator: A HELICOPTER SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES A TOWERING INFERNO.
LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
THAT YOU WOULD READ ABOUT
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
TRULY LIKE THE DEVIL COMING
UP OUT OF THE GROUND.
Narrator: TERRIFYING TWISTING
COLUMNS OF FLAME CLAW AT THE SKY.
LOOKS LIKE A STORM TORNADO
THAT SOMEBODY HAS SET ON FIRE.
Narrator: THIS FEROCIOUS FIRE
TORNADO HAS FIREFIGHTERS BAFFLED.
IT'S BURNING ON THE SURFACE OF A LAKE.
♪♪
BARDSTOWN, KENTUCKY.
AUGUST 4, 2003.
A QUIET MONDAY MORNING
AT THE LOCAL FIRE STATION.
9:30 A.M.
ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF CHARLES MONTGOMERY
RECEIVES REPORTS A FIRE
HAS BROKEN OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN.
WHEN THE CALL CAME IN,
ALL OF US LOOKED OUTSIDE,
WE SAW THIS HUGE COLUMN OF SMOKE COMING UP
FROM OVER TOP OF THE
TREES OFF IN THE DISTANCE.
[ ALARM BLARES ]
Narrator: THE CREW SCRAMBLES
TO TACKLE THE BLAZE.
[ FIRETRUCK SIREN SOUNDS ]
ROBBIE BLANDFORD IS IN THE
FIRST TRUCK AT THE SCENE.
Blandford: AS WE WERE RESPONDING,
WE COULD SEE THE FLAMES,
SO WE KNEW THAT WE HAD
SOMETHING PRETTY SERIOUS.
JUST A WHOOSH OF FLAME AND FIRE.
YOU COULD HEAR THE FLAME
BUILDING UP AND JUST LETTING GO.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT'S A
LIVING, BREATHING CREATURE.
Narrator: A HELICOPTER SURVEILLANCE
CAMERA CAPTURES THE APOCALYPTIC SCENE.
THE INFERNO IS A
FIREFIGHTER'S WORST NIGHTMARE.
ANALYSIS REVEALS THE TWISTING
COLUMNS OF FIRE ON THE LAKE
ARE 100-FEET-HIGH.
♪♪
THE HEAT COMING OFF WAS REALLY...
I MEAN, IT WAS JUST FRIGHTENING.
♪♪
IT'S JUST OPPRESSIVE LIKE A BIG HAND
JUST SMACKING YOU DOWN TO THE GROUND.
Montgomery: ONCE YOU STEP OUT
OF THE TRUCK AND YOU GET WITHIN
A FEW FEET OF THAT FIRE,
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE.
Narrator: BARDSTOWN'S MAYOR
DIXIE HIBBS WATCHES ON HELPLESS.
Hibbs: I'M LOOKING AT IT AND I'M THINKING,
THERE'S A CRACK IN HELL AND
HERE COMES THE FIERY FLAMES.
Narrator: THE INFERNO REMINDS
HIBBS OF SOMETHING ALL TOO REAL.
Hibbs: IT LOOKS LIKE A
TORNADO MADE OF FIRE.
WE HAVE TORNADOS ALL OVER HERE IN KENTUCKY,
SO WE'RE USED TO SEEING 'EM,
BUT WE'RE NOT USED TO
SEEING 'EM MADE OF FIRE.
Montgomery: IT'S NOT SOMETHING
THAT WE TYPICALLY DEAL WITH.
WE NEED TO KNOW HOW THEY
FORM AND HOW THEY GROW.
Narrator: THE HELICOPTER
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE IS SHOWN
TO FIRE SAFETY RESEARCHER MICHAEL GOLLNER.
HE RECOGNIZES THE TWISTING COLUMNS OF FLAME
AS A RARE AND POWERFUL FIRE TORNADO.
SO TO GENERATE A FIRE TORNADO
REQUIRES THE RIGHT COMBINATION
OF WINDS, OBSTACLES, AND FIRE.
Narrator: TO UNDERSTAND HOW
THE FIRE TORNADOS ON THE LAKE
MIGHT'VE FORMED, GOLLNER
RECREATES ONE IN HIS LAB.
Gollner: AND SO WHAT'S GOING
ON BASICALLY, IS YOU HAVE
TO GENERATE SOME SWIRL.
CAN WE HIT THE FANS NOW.
WE'RE TURNING ON THE VENTILATION.
THERE ARE FOUR SLITS HERE, WHICH
ARE GOING TO INDUCE THE AIR FLOW
SO THAT THIS IS GOING
TO BE SWIRLING AROUND.
Narrator: THE SLITS CHANNEL AIR,
SO IT SWIRLS INTO THE CENTER OF THE FIRE.
Gollner: YOU CAN SEE THE FLAME
LENGTHS DRASTICALLY INCREASE.
WHAT THEY DO IS INTENSIFY THE FIRE.
Narrator: THE SPINNING FLAME
SUPER-HEATS TO OVER 2,000°.
AND IT'S REALLY AN
UNCONTROLLABLE PHENOMENA.
THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING
YOU CAN DO ONCE THAT FORMED,
YOU JUST HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY.
Narrator: THESE FIRE TORNADOS FORM
THANKS TO THE UNIQUE SHAPE OF THE LAKE.
TREES CHANNEL THE WIND
INTO THE LAKE'S CENTER
FROM MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS,
SWIRLING THE FLAMES
INTO A DEVASTATING VORTEX.
YET, EXPERTS REMAIN BAFFLED.
HOW DOES AN INFERNO BURN
ON TOP OF FRESH WATER?
WHAT IS FEEDING THIS FIRE?
WHAT IS ALLOWING A FIRE
TO OCCUR ON THE OF A LAKE?
WHEN I SEE THIS, THE
FIRST THING I THINK IS,
THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME KIND
OF FUEL SOURCE FOR THE FIRE.
Narrator: GEOPHYSICIST SIAN PROCTOR
CONSIDERS AN EXPLOSIVE THEORY.
ONE OPTION THAT COULD
BE FEEDING THIS FIRE IS OIL.
OIL FORMS UNDERGROUND AND
WHEN IT HITS WATER, IT'S LESS DENSE,
SO IT'S GOING TO RISE AND FLOAT
ON THE SURFACE OF THAT WATER.
YOU IGNITE THAT, YOU HAVE
WHAT WE SEE IN THE VIDEO.
Narrator: THE FIRST OIL GUSHER IN THE U.S.
WAS DRILLED IN KENTUCKY IN 1818.
THE BLUEGRASS STATE STILL SITS
ON HUGE FOSSIL FUEL RESERVES.
THESE FIRE DEVILS COULD BE
POWERED BY MILLIONS OF BARRELS
OF COMBUSTIBLE CRUDE OIL.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OIL,
IF IT HAD ENTERED THE
LAKE IN LARGE QUANTITIES,
COULD'VE CAUSED THE FIRE THAT WE SEE,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF FIRE.
WE WOULD NEED A GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENON
THAT SUDDENLY RELEASES
LOTS OF OIL INTO THIS LAKE.
Narrator: THERE ARE NO RECORDS
OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN THE AREA,
RULING OUT AN OIL SPILL.
A RAGING FIRE ON A FRESHWATER
LAKE JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN.
WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?
Narrator: IT TURNS OUT THE
ANSWER COULD BE IN PLAIN SIGHT.
THE TOWN OF BARDSTOWN IS SURROUNDED
BY HUNDREDS OF GIANT WAREHOUSES,
EACH ONE PACKED TO THE RAFTERS
WITH HIGHLY FLAMMABLE LIQUID.
THESE WAREHOUSES ARE SEVEN-STORIES-TALL.
THE FUEL LOAD INSIDE OF THOSE IS EXTREME.
LOCALS SUSPECT THE
WAREHOUSES COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE TWISTING INFERNO.
ALL YOU NEED IS A SPARK.
Narrator: COMING UP, A SPACE MUSEUM
WITH A POTENTIAL EXTRATERRESTRIAL VISITOR.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT
WE WOULD BRING BACK SOMETHING
THAT WAS GOING TO BE DEADLY TO US.
♪♪
Narrator: AND THE FIRE TORNADO
INVESTIGATION HEATS UP.
WE KNEW RIGHT AWAY THAT WE WERE IN TROUBLE.
Narrator: HELICOPTER
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS CAPTURE
AN INFERNO OF HELLISH PROPORTIONS.
YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHAT'S
GOING ON FOR THIS LAKE TO BE BURNING
AND AS FEROCIOUSLY AS IT WAS.
Narrator: FIREFIGHTERS
FEAR IT IS BEING FUELED
BY THE TOWN'S MOST FAMOUS EXPORT.
BARDSTOWN IS THE BOURBON
CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
IF THAT BOURBON IN LARGE
QUANTITIES GOT INTO THE LAKE,
IT COULD CREATE THIS FIRE PHENOMENON.
Narrator: BUT HOW DID THE
LIQUOR END UP IN THE LAKE?
METEOROLOGISTS BELIEVE VITAL CLUES
LIE IN KENTUCKY'S SUPER-CHARGED SKIES.
ON AVERAGE, THE STATE
OF KENTUCKY GETS ABOUT
A HALF-A-MILLION LIGHTNING
STRIKES IN A TYPICAL YEAR.
ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, THERE WERE A LOT OF
VERY POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS
THAT MOVED THROUGH THAT AREA.
WE SAW ONE PARTICULAR BOLT
THAT KIND OF STOOD OUT TO US
AND WE THOUGHT, WELL, SOMETHING
REALLY GOT NAILED AT THAT TIME.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
Narrator: THE BOLT HITS A LARGE
WAREHOUSE COMPLEX FILLED
TO THE RAFTERS WITH WHISKEY.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE
TO BRING THIS UNDER CONTROL.
Narrator: BY THE TIME THEY'RE AT THE SCENE,
ONE OF THE WAREHOUSES IS ENGULFED IN FLAMES
AND ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE.
Montgomery: THERE WAS
800,00 GALLONS OF BOURBON
INSIDE THIS ONE WAREHOUSE
THAT IS OUT OF ITS CONTAINERS
AND IT JUST RELEASES THIS WALL OF FLAME.
♪♪
Narrator: A TIDAL WAVE OF BURNING
BOURBON ESCAPES THE WAREHOUSE.
OH, IT'S JUST A SICKENING
FEELING COMES ACROSS YOU,
'CAUSE YOU KNOW THAT ALL
THOSE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
ARE GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO FIND THE LOWEST POINT.
IT'S GOING TO FLOW DOWNHILL.
DOWNHILL AT THIS INCIDENT
WAS A HOLDING LAKE.
Narrator: THE WAREHOUSE
COMPLEX SITS AT THE TOP OF A CREEK
THAT EMPTIES INTO THE HOLDING LAKE.
Montgomery: ONCE IT GOT ONTO THE
POND, IT JUST CONTINUED TO BURN.
Narrator: SWIRLING WINDS TRANSFORM
THE BLAZE INTO FEROCIOUS FIRE
TORNADOES THAT CONSUME AROUND
A MILLION GALLONS OF BOURBON.
THAT MUCH WHISKEY GOING,
YOU KNOW, UP IN SMOKE,
THAT'S A BIG THING FOR OUR TOWN TO LOSE.
A LOT OF ENJOYMENT FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE GOING UP IN FLAMES.
♪♪
Narrator: AND NOW, A CLOSE
ENCOUNTER IN A SPACE MUSEUM.
THIS REALLY SHOCKED ME.
Narrator: AN ETHEREAL VISITOR
AMONG THE NASA RELICS.
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
I MEAN, IT'S CREEPY.
Narrator: THE CLUES TO ITS
ORIGINS POINT TO THE STARS.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
Narrator: TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA.
IN THE SHADOW OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
LIES THE AMERICAN SPACE MUSEUM.
THIS MUSEUM HAS ARTIFACTS
THAT GO ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SPACE PROGRAM.
THE MAIN REASON WE STARTED THE MUSEUM
WAS TO PRESERVE THAT HISTORY
THAT WE HAD ALL PARTICIPATED IN
AND WE'RE SO PROUD OF.
♪♪
Narrator: MAY 12, 2012.
9:45 A.M.
MUSEUM DIRECTOR KAREN CONKLIN
IS THE FIRST INTO WORK.
SHE HAS MANAGED THE PRICELESS
COLLECTION FOR OVER TWO DECADES.
Conklin: WELL, I HAD COME IN EARLY
AND TURNED ON THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS,
BECAUSE I WAS BY MYSELF.
Narrator: ALONE IN THE EMPTY MUSEUM,
KAREN SCANS THE VIDEO FEEDS.
A FLICKER STARTLES HER.
I SEE MOVEMENT ON THE CAMERA.
THIS REALLY SHOCKED ME.
Narrator: THE CAMERA MONITORING
EXHIBITS FROM THE MERCURY PROGRAM
IS SHOWING AN EERIE PRESENCE IN THE ROOM.
♪♪
SOMETHING VERY BRIGHT,
GLOWING, ALMOST CIRCULAR.
I WAS COMPLETELY CAUGHT BY SURPRISE.
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
I MEAN, IT'S CREEPY.
DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING NORMAL.
Narrator: KAREN ALERTS MUSEUM
VICE CHAIRMAN CHARLIE MARS,
AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER WITH
OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE AT NASA.
HE SAYS, "YOU NEED TO SEE
WHAT WE CAPTURED LAST NIGHT."
IT APPEARED ROUND, VERY BRIGHT,
MOVED ABOUT IN AN ERRATIC PATTERN.
♪♪
Narrator: MARS SUSPECTS
THE FLOATING LIGHT IS A FAULT
IN THE NEWLY-INSTALLED SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.
HE CALLS IN A TECHNICIAN TO TROUBLESHOOT.
AND HE AND I BOTH TRIED TO
THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD FAIL
THAT MAY HAVE SOLVED SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
COULDN'T COME UP WITH ANYTHING.
Narrator: MARS ARRIVES
AT A TROUBLING THEORY.
THE MYSTERY LIGHT IS SOMEHOW LINKED
TO THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.
Mars: WE'VE GOT QUITE A BIT OF ITEMS HERE
THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO OUTERSPACE.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.
♪♪
Narrator: SECURITY CAMERAS IN
THE AMERICAN SPACE MUSEUM
CAPTURE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
DARTING ACROSS A ROOM.
♪♪
VICE CHAIRMAN CHARLIE
MARS STUDIES THE FOOTAGE.
Mars: THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT ABOUT,
WE'VE HAD THINGS SIMILAR TO THAT IN SPACE.
WHAT COULD WE HAVE BROUGHT BACK?
Narrator: IN 1962, MERCURY
ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN
IS THE FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT THE EARTH.
DURING THE FLIGHT, HE DESCRIBES
SEEING BRIGHT LIGHTS DANCING
OUTSIDE HIS CAPSULE WINDOW.
I THINK THIS HAS HAPPENED
ON ALMOST EVERY MISSION.
SOMETHING HAS GOTTEN
THE ATTENTION OF THE CREW
OR SOMEBODY ON THE GROUND.
THEY'LL SAY, "WHAT WAS THAT?"
YOU WONDER IF THESE PEOPLE OUT IN SPACE
COULD'VE COME IN CONTACT WITH
SOMETHING EXTRATERRESTRIAL.
THEY COULD'VE COME IN
CONTACT WITH SOME PATHOGEN
AND THEN BROUGHT IT BACK.
Man: ASTRONAUT GLENN AND HIS SPACECRAFT
LANDED WELL WITHIN THE
PLANNED RECOVERY AREA.
Narrator: THE THEORY THAT THE
MUSEUM HAS AN ALIEN VISITOR
ISN'T AS UNLIKELY AS IT SOUNDS.
NASA SCIENTISTS WERE
TROUBLED BY THE POSSIBILITY
THAT SPACE IS HOME TO NEW
AND DANGEROUS LIFE FORMS.
EARLY SPACE EXPLORERS
KNEW VERY, VERY LITTLE
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT WE'RE PLUNGING INTO.
THERE COULD BE UNKNOWN PATHOGENS,
THERE COULD BE UNKNOWN PARTICLES
THAT THEY'D BRING BACK
DOWN TO THE PLANET EARTH.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT
WE WOULD BRING BACK SOMETHING
THAT WAS GOING TO BE DEADLY TO US.
Narrator: TO GUARD
AGAINST AN ALIEN INFECTION,
NASA KEEPS ITS PIONEERING
ASTRONAUTS IN EXTREME ISOLATION.
WHEN YOU GOT BACK DOWN TO PLANET EARTH,
YOU HAD GREETING YOU A QUARANTINE SYSTEM.
YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY
TREATED LIKE A PLAGUE VICTIM.
NOW THE THREE MEAN WEARING
BIOLOGICAL ISOLATION GARMENTS
ENTER THE MOBILE QUARANTINE FACILITY.
Narrator: THIS WOULD APPEAR TO RULE
OUT AN ALIEN PRESENCE IN THE MUSEUM,
BUT AFTER THE APOLLO 14 ASTRONAUTS
RETURNED FROM THE MOON,
THIS STRICT QUARANTINE
PROCEDURE IS SUSPENDED.
THEY FOUND NOTHING OF A MATERIAL NATURE,
SO THE CONTAMINATION THEORY WENT AWAY.
♪♪
Narrator: BUT MICROSCOPIC
ORGANISMS CAN SURVIVE IN SPACE.
THE COOLEST THING ABOUT
ALL OF THIS IS TO THINK
THAT ORGANISMS COULD SURVIVE IN SPACE
AND COME BACK DOWN TO
PLANET EARTH AND THRIVE
AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THEY CAN.
♪♪
Narrator: IN 2007, THE EUROPEAN SPACE
AGENCY'S FOTON SATELLITE BLASTS
INTO ORBIT.
ON BOARD, 3,000 TARDIGRADES.
THESE MICROSCOPIC ANIMALS ARE THOUGHT TO BE
THE HEARTIEST CREATURES ON EARTH.
FOR 12 DAYS, THEY ARE
SUBJECTED TO MICROGRAVITY
IN SOLAR RADIATION.
OVER HALF SURVIVE.
YOU CAN COME UP WITH A
SCENARIO BY WHICH AN ORGANISM
THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT COULD HITCH
A RIDE TO THE PLANET,
SURVIVE REENTRY, AND BE LIVING HERE.
Narrator: IT LEADS CHARLIE MARS
TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY
THAT THE MUSEUM VISITOR
MAY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK
BY A MORE RECENT SPACE MISSION.
THIS BUILDING HOUSES AN
AWFUL LOT OF ARTIFACTS
THAT WERE FLOWN ON THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
Narrator: NASA'S ARCHIVES
REVEAL FOOTAGE WITH SIMILARITIES
TO THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS IN THE MUSEUM.
THERE HAVE BEEN CASES IN THE PAST
Wise: IN WHICH SPACE
MISSIONS ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE
HAVE SEEN ORB SHAPES APPEARING IN SPACE.
Narrator: IN 1996, A ROUTINE
EXPERIMENT ON SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA
GOES HORRIBLY WRONG.
Man: SO THE LONG LINE IS... IS THE TETHER.
Narrator: A 12-MILE-LONG TETHER
CONNECTED TO A SATELLITE SNAPS.
Man: TETHER HAS BROKEN
AND IT'S GOING AWAY FURTHER.
Man #2: COPY.
Narrator: A CAMERA RECORDS THE
SATELLITE DRIFTING AWAY INTO SPACE,
THE SAME TOWN AS A
CLOUD OF MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
CROWDS THE LENS,
LIGHTS WHICH BEAR A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE
TO THE FOOTAGE IN THE MUSEUM.
Wise: COULD SOMEHOW THE
PHENOMENA THAT WAS SEEN IN SPACE
BE LINKED TO THE MUSEUM?
IT SEEMS BIZARRE,
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE
CAN RULE IT OUT RIGHT AWAY.
WHAT WE HAVE HERE, I
BELIEVE IS REALLY UNIQUE
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT
WE MIGHT'VE BROUGHT BACK.