All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S01E02_English

- [Narrator] Our history
is no more than a series of

incredible events.

Each one of us can
influence its course.

The tiniest of our decisions
can influence the future

of mankind.

To know to the past is
to anticipate the future.

On October the fourth, 1957,

lifting off from
the Baikonur base,

the R-7 rocket launches the
first satellite into space.

Houston, September 12th, 1962.

President Kennedy's speech.

The United States enters
the race to the Moon.

July 21st, 1969, after a
three-day journey in space,

Neil Armstrong is the first
man to step onto the Moon.

These three events are key
moments in the conquest of space

and take humanity
into a new era.

(dramatic orchestral music)

From the dawn of time,

man has been fascinated
by celestial phenomenon.

Why is it day, and
why is it night?

Why do hot months
follow cold months?

That star crossing the sky,
is it a message from the gods,

like storms and lightning?

That sun that's disappearing,
eaten by the Moon,

is it a sign of the
end of the world?

For prehistoric man,
a star-studded sky
must have been both

magnificent and enigmatic.

However, by observing it for
long hours, he must have noted

that certain stars were
moving and others not.

A few rare monuments remain
from that distant period,

such as the monoliths
of Stonehenge.

Today we often attribute to
them the role of astronomical

observatories.

In Mesopotamia, in the first
millennium before our era,

observation of the sky
becomes a real institution.

Everything is scrupulously
noted and preserved.

Some astronomers are even given
the nightly task of counting

the different stars that
make up the heavenly vault.

To locate oneself in the
immensity of the stars,

a map of the sky is
gradually drawn up.

The stars are grouped
in constellations.

For a long time the North Star
is the main guide for ships

sailing at night.

During the time
of Ancient Greece,

they begin to think that
perhaps the Earth is not
flat,

but round.

Astronomy no longer serves
only to predict the seasons,

but also to
understand our world.

In the 16th century,
Copernicus
puts forward the idea

that the Earth turns
around the Sun.

In the next century,
Galileo proved it.

We are no longer the
center of the world.

In 1887, like the Mesopotamians
of previous millennia,

we map the sky, but this time
with the aid of thousands

of photographs.

And then the first large
telescopes make their appearance

and push back the
limits of the human eye.

Humanity delves ever-deeper
into the Universe.

- [Computer] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

Here, we can control time,
analyse and compare billions

of events and alter them to
rewrite history endlessly.

For example, let's try to
condense the 200,000 years

of the known-history of
humanity
into one day of 24 hours.

We know little about
the first 23 hours,

other than at the
end of this period,

humanity gathered together in
villages and then in cities.

At 11:20PM, man
discovered writing.

Christianity was born only
a quarter of an hour ago.

One minute and 40 seconds ago,
the steam engine is invented.

20 seconds later, it was
the turn of electricity,

then the telephone
and then the airplane.

Nuclear energy just 34
seconds ago, computers 24,

the internet, less than 10.

This very second we are
creating
the inventions of tomorrow.

When we look at the
distance covered,

who knows how far we will go?

What will our next
great breakthroughs be?

- [Narrator] The idea of
travelling into space,

of reaching the Moon or any
other planet, is a very old
one.

But how do you get there?

Jules Verne imagined
a huge cannon.

H.G. Wells, a material
that canceled out

the effects of gravity.

The solution will
be a different one.

1942, in the middle of
the Second World War,

German scientists develop
a new weapon, the V-2.

V-2s are independent missiles
that carry their explosive

load for hundreds of miles.

They are weapons of war.

They are considered to be the
precursors of modern rockets.

At the end of the war,

when Germany is
invaded by the Allies,

the United States and the USSR
intend to take full advantage

of German technology.

A desperate race begins to
recover the maximum possible

of material, blueprints
and engineers.

The United States
emerge as major winners

and transfer their precious
loot to American soil.

The Soviet Union therefor
starts out with a serious
delay,

but its motivation is strong.

The objective, build an
improved
version of the German V-2

and fit it with a
nuclear warhead.

At this stage, the aims
are largely military.

Very quickly, the two
superpowers enter into

a technological race.

The first to possess an
intercontinental missile

fitted with a nuclear payload
will dominate the other.

The man mainly responsible
for the Soviet rocket program

is Sergei Korolev.

His mission is to build the
most powerful tactical missile

ever invented,

but his deep motivation
is slightly different.

Korolev wants to send
people into space.

1957.

The R-7 Semyorka
rocket is operational.

It will become the
USSR's spearhead

in the conquest of space.

October 4th, 1957, at
the end of the evening,

it lifts off over Baikonur,
the Soviet Cosmodrome.

Onboard is the very first
satellite in history, Sputnik
1.

At first, leaders in Moscow
failed to appreciate the
extent

of their success.

After all, the purpose
of the launch was really

to test the rocket.

Nobody had anticipated the
international repercussions,

and yet they are massive.

The Americans are appalled.

In the world's eyes,
they are no longer

the first technological
power, they are only second.

On November 3rd, the Soviets
send a dog named Laika

into orbit above Sputnik 2.

It's the first living
animal sent into space.

The Americans are
falling further behind.

In response to the
Soviet program,

they create their own
space agency, NASA.

The race for space is on.

(suspenseful electronic music)

- [Computer] Action.

Reaction.

In aeronautics, a rocket is
a vehicle that moves in space

by using a special motor.

Its mission is to carry a
useful load into space, which

means more than 60 miles from
the surface of the Earth.

To break free from
Earth's gravity,

it needs to reach the speed
of five miles per second.

Faster than a bullet
from a pistol.

So it needs extremely
powerful engines.

Each engine on the
American Saturn 5 rocket

produces the equivalent
of 160-million horsepower.

The engines of a rocket
work on the principle

of action, reaction.

For example, when a cannon
fires a cannonball, the
action,

it recoils slightly,
the reaction.

The rocket relies
on the same process.

The engines burn a
huge quantity of fuel,

unleashing a massive
vertical thrust,

but there's no air in
space so nothing can burn.

So a rocket has to carry
its own oxygen with it.

This is the combustion.

Consisting of several stages,
it separates as it climbs.

The stages then
drop back to Earth.

All these operations are risky.

There can be no failure,
otherwise there's an
explosion,

like the Challenger
Shuttle in 1986.

Proton, the Russian launcher,
is the rocket that beats

all records for the number
of launches, but even that

has had 47 failures of
the 410 liftoffs to date.

Setting out to conquer
space is not easy.

- [Narrator] April 12th, 1961.

Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Atop the giant R-7 rocket,

Yuri Gagarin has just taken
his place in the Vostok
vessel.

A few days before, the
authorities informed him that
he

was selected to be the
first man in space.

It's a huge honor
and a great danger.

The R-7 launcher's
reliability
record is just 50%.

Yuri is the father
of two daughters,

one only a few days old.

He wrote a letter to his
family that will only be sent

if there's an accident.

In the control room,
Korolev hasn't slept a wink.

He knows the risks.

At 6:07AM, the four propulsion
units of the main engine

fire up at the same time,
their power is formidable.

Gagarin's pulse leaps.

Over the radio he
announces, "Here we go."

In the capsule,
everything is shaking.

Yuri Gagarin is slammed into
his seat by the acceleration.

Over the radio, Korolev
asks him if he's okay.

He replies, "I'm
okay, how about you?"

After 60 seconds, the first
stage has used up its fuel

and separates.

At 6:12AM, the second
stage is also ditched

and Vostok goes on its way.

10 minutes after
liftoff, reaching the
end of its fuel load,

the vessel enters
terrestrial orbit.

For the first time in
the history of humanity,

a man is in space.

For the United States,
the blow is terrible.

So, President Kennedy takes
a decision that will go down

in history.

On May 25th, 1961,
speaking to Congress,

he promises to send
a man to the Moon.

On October 12th,
1962, in Houston,

he delivers a speech
that is now famous.

Speaking to 35,000 people,
he recalls the progress made

since the dawn of humanity,

the dangers faced and the
difficulties overcome.

For him, humanity can only
progress if it sets itself

fresh challenges.

To tumultuous applause
Kennedy announces--

- [John] We choose to go
to the Moon in this decade

and do the other things
not because they are easy,

but because they are hard.

- [Narrator] This
speech, backed up

by a major financial input,

launches NASA towards the Moon.

- [Computer] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key event.

A crossroads in our history
where the world swings one way

or the other.

What would have happened
if President Kennedy

had not taken that decision?

Since 1959, the Soviets have
been conducting their own

Moon program, the Luna Program.

In 1966, three years before
the Americans' first step

on the Moon, the Soviet probe
Luna 9 makes a soft landing

on the Moon's surface.

If the Americans hadn't
gone to the Moon,

the Soviets certainly
would have done so.

It was just a question of time.

The red flag would be
flying on the moon.

Kennedy's choice was
determining and audacious,

but not surprising.

Sooner or later, the United
States will have to be present

in space, so they may
as well be the first.

At its outset, aviation was
also a story of pioneers.

Individual people making
crazy experiments,

fly like the birds.

The first steps
were not great ones,

no more than
gliding a few yards.

Then gradually, the military
and industry took an interest.

The First World
War saw the arrival

of the first fighter planes.

Necessity drove countries
into a race for innovation.

Today, there are some 80,000
commercial flights daily.

Taking a plane is no longer
an extraordinary thing to do.

- [Narrator] Houston.

London.

Paris.

Beijing.

Moscow.

On the evening of
July 31st, 1969,

the world is watching the TV.

Broadcast by 36 channels,
followed by 600-million
viewers,

man's first steps on the Moon
are one of the major events

of the 20th century.

After three days travelling
through the emptiness of
space,

astronauts Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin

accomplish the feat of landing
on the surface of the Moon.

The race to the Moon
is over and it was won

by the United States.

The Soviets, pioneers in space,

has seen their technological
progress slow down,

notably after the death of
their most committed engineer,

Sergei Korolev.

The Americans'
success, skillfully
exploited by the media,

turned public opinion.

Now the place of the USSR in
the collective imagination

is a mere second in
the conquest of space.

(cheering and applause)

Public relation is the
compliment of knowhow.

So, the race to the Moon was
also a publicity competition.

Once won, space gradually
lost its interest

in the eyes of the
nations and the public.

However, the conquest of
space did not stop there.

In 1971, the Soviets build
the space station Salyut 1.

For the first time,
men live in space.

In 1977, NASA launches
the Voyager probes

to explore the Solar System.

Today, after 18-billion
kilometers, Voyager 1 has just

left it and is continuing
on its way to infinity.

On April 12th 1981, Columbia,
the first Space Shuttle,

lifts off from the
Kennedy Space Center.

Designed to be reused, it
returns to Earth less than

three days later ready
for a new mission.

On March 6th, 1986,

the Russian Mir station
becomes operational.

Its 12,000-cubic-feet of
living space will be home

to 104 space travelers
over 15 years.

Then the Europeans joined
forces with the United States

to put the Hubble Telescope
into service in 1990.

A real concentration
of technologies,
this space telescope

made it possible to confirm
the existence of black holes.

Patiently assembled
over several years,

the International Space
Station is the starting point

for the greatest
international scientific

and technological
cooperation in history.

It's the advanced base
for humanity in space.

- [Computer]
Inventing the future.

The conquest of space is
like a Formula 1 race.

In everyday life, nobody
drives a Formula 1.

These high-tech cars are far
too fragile and expensive.

So the temptation is
to say that these races

serve no purpose.

However, to have any hope
of winning, each team must

carry out research and
develop new techniques.

Initially, these new
techniques
are jealously guarded,

and used in competition.

But after a certain time, we
see them on the production

lines of standard cars.

Exactly the same thing happens
in the exploration of space.

The conquest of space
has been the driver

of an incredible number
of new technologies.

GPS in our cars and
telephones, survival blankets,

high-speed train brakes,
Velcro, fire-proofed fabrics,

air bags, telephone
satellites, Teflon, diapers,

and even video game joysticks.

Every day in our daily lives,
we use a technology derived

from the conquest of space.

So inventions are born of
technological challenges,

and end up in our supermarkets.

- [Narrator] The conquest
of space has revolutionized

our daily lives.

Yet, since the fall of the USSR,

less and less money
has been invested.

With manned flights
a regular occurrence,

public interest
has slowly waned.

Today, who can
name the astronauts

of the various space missions?

Their problem, flights
are extremely expensive.

When you have to pay the bills
every day, the technological

interest of the conquest
of space can seem remote.

So, to be profitable, a
space mission must provide

something in exchange.

A new, more effective and
marketable technology.

This new orientation has led
the space agencies to look

for money where they find it.

In 1996, the Pepsi Cola company
paid one million dollars

to have a giant inflatable
can placed in space.

The Russian Space Agency
found another solution.

For around 30-million dollars,
a civilian can treat himself

to a round-trip to the
International Space Station,

if, of course, there's a
place left in the rocket.

More recently, Richard Branson
created the Virgin Galactic

company which offers
the general public

sub-orbital flights
of two to three hours

of which five minutes
is weightless.

These flights, carried out
in a new type of shuttle,

would not be dependent
on government agencies.

Price of ticket, $250,000.

In the long term, the
idea, a visionary one,

is to apply the same
method as for aviation,

computers or mobile phones.

Make the technology of space
flight economically-viable

and available to all.

To date, the company has
already taken 700
reservations.

After the conquest
by the pioneers,

humanity is getting
ready to invest in space.

But that is another story.

- [Computer] The
pioneer's spirit.

By definition a pioneer is the
one who is ahead of his time.

The first to undertake
an enterprise.

At first a dream, the conquest
of space has become reality.

After walking on the Moon, men
now live permanently in space

and make return
trips to the Earth.

Over our heads, hundreds of
satellites are orbiting and

allowing our civilization to
live the digital revolution.

At this very moment, robots
designed and operated by man

are driving over
the soil of Mars

and telescopes are scanning
the depths of the Cosmos

to decode the secrets
of the Universe.

What does the
future hold for us?

The colonization of Mars?

Journeys into space in the
same way we take our cars?

The discovery of
evidence of alien life?

We went to the Moon using
rockets originally planned

to be fitted with
nuclear warheads.

The conquest of space was
driven by the Cold War.

Space programs have already
cost astronomical sums.

But the profound nature of
human beings always seems

to drive us to push back
limits, to grasp the unknown.

This curiosity has been with
us since the dawn of humanity.

Understanding our origins.

Determining our place
in the Universe.

Deciding what to
make of tomorrow.

Of all the species living
on Earth, the Human Being is

surely the only one that
when it looks at the stars,

wants to go there.

(dramatic orchestral music)