Original subtitles

>> NARRATOR: Strange burial

rituals...

>> PHILIP COPPENS: What we're

talking about is some kind of

other-dimensional travel for

the soul to undertake.

>> NARRATOR: Elaborate chambers

filled with mysterious

objects...

>> GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: The fact

that these boats existed inside

tombs leads me to think that

they tried to reach some type of

extraterrestrial realms.

>> NARRATOR: And bizarre burial

mounds found across the globe.

>> ROBERT SCHOCH: When you start

looking at a structure inside

the celestial alignments, you

start to wonder, was there

contact between some of these

areas?

>> NARRATOR: Were the tombs of

our ancient ancestors actually

gateways to the afterlife?

Or were they really meant to

connect modern man with our

alien ancestors?

>> DAVID CHILDRESS: You have to

ask yourself if they are perhaps

maps to guide the dead back to

the star systems...

where they originally

came from.

>> NARRATOR: Millions of people

around the world believe we have

been visited in the past by

extraterrestrial beings.

What if it were true?

Did ancient aliens really help

to shape our history?

And if so, might the secrets of

the ancient tombs reveal an

otherworldly plan for mankind?

♪

>> NARRATOR: The Valley of the.

Kings, Egypt.

The Taj Mahal, Agra, India.

And King Pakal's Tomb,

Palenque, Mexico.

Spectacular burial sites that

date back thousands of years are

found across the world.

According to mainstream

researchers, these locations are

the final resting places for

ancient leaders.

But might they also serve a more

profound, perhaps

extraterrestrial purpose?

>> TSOUKALOS: Why do we have the

most massive of constructions of

these tombs in the far and

distant past?

Well, according to the ancient

texts and the ancient

traditions, this knowledge was

given to our ancestors by the

gods.

>> NARRATOR: If the sole

function of tombs was to house

the dead, then why are

virtually all of them connected

to notions of spiritual energy,

images of astronomy, and a

strong belief in the existence

of other, arguably more

spiritual, worlds?

>> COPPENS: All cultures share

this notion of somehow opening a

doorway, opening a stargate,

opening a gateway to another

dimension so the soul can

return.

We know that it is meant

because the soul is gonna go on

a voyage to the afterlife.

>> GRAHAM HANCOCK: In the

ancient world, there was a view

that this life that we have,

this physical life, is our

opportunity to prepare ourselves

for a vast destiny that lies

beyond this.

>> NARRATOR: Could ancient tombs

really have served another,

more extraterrestrial purpose,

perhaps as portals to reunite

the deceased with celestial

beings?

Many ancient astronaut theorists

believe the answers can be found

by taking a closer look at the

mysterious texts of ancient

Egypt.

Saqqara... situated on e west

bank of the Nile River, 20 miles

south of Cairo, this

archaeological site is one of

the oldest and largest burial

grounds in all of Egypt.

>> ROBERT BAUVAL: Egyptologists

called these monuments tombs.

But to the Egyptians, they were

not tombs, they were gateways

to the afterworld.

It is through these structures

that the king will begin a

journey into the underworld,

in order to face obstacles,

dangers, and threats.

And if he will overcome these

threats, he will be given

passage into the afterlife

kingdom of Osiris.

>> NARRATOR: Overlooking the

immense necropolis lies the.

Pyramid of King Teti, the first

ruler of Egypt's sixth dynasty.

Teti built his pyramid and an

adjoining mortuary temple during

his reign, more than 4,000 years

ago.

>> BAUVAL: I'm walking on

what's left of the ancient

causeway of King Teti I...

That's his pyramid... and here is

his very-much-ruined mortuary

temple.

Now, this pyramid is very

important... it contains the

oldest, richest writing in the

world, the Pyramid Texts.

>> NARRATOR: According to

archaeologists, the Pyramid.

Texts are a collection of

ancient Egyptian religious

writings that date back to

2400 BC.

They contain passages about.

Osiris, the Egyptian god of the

afterlife, and descriptions of

how to prepare the pharaoh's

remains during his ascent to the

heavens after death.

>> BAUVAL: The Pyramid Texts are

all about the stars.

It's all about the king becoming

a star.

It's all about the king

ascending to the sky and joining.

Osiris-Orion in the sky.

>> NARRATOR: But according to

ancient astronaut theorists, the.

Pyramid Texts didn't only guide

the pharaoh to an afterlife,

ey actually provided

instruction on how the pharaoh

could travel to other worlds.

>> COPPEWhat is important

to realize is that the ancient

Egyptians say that about 25,000

years ago, the gods lived

amongst them.

Then they disappeared agai.

What the Pyramid Texts are

saying is that we... the ancient

Egyptians specifically, of

course... are able to reach the

gods again.

For this we have to die, but

once we're dead, we're able to

join the gods once again.

What we're talking about is some

kind of other-dimensional travel

for the soul to undertake.

>> NARRATOR: Buried in the

desert sands for centuries, the

ruins of Saqqara are home to

another ancient mystery just one

half-mile away from the Pyramid

of King Teti.

In 1850, French archaeologist.

Auguste Mariette made an

astonishing discovery.

He unearthed a massive

underground bunker.

>> BAUVAL: This is a most

strange and mysterious place.

It feels like being in the

bowels of the underworld.

It's hard to describe... it's

like being in another world,

the world of the dead.

>> NARRATOR: The Serapeum

contains enormous sarcophagi

made from granite that was

believed to have been

transported from the city of.

Aswan, nearly 600 miles away.

>> BAUVAL: This is just one of

the many sarcophagus that are

here, dozens and dozens of them.

And they weigh about 70 tons

apiece.

They're made from a solid block

of granite.

But the real mystery is how they

cut them so sharply... Swiss

watch precision, mirror smooth.

>> CHRISTOPHER DUNN: When you

look at the inside of the boxes,

you see the underside of the lid

is perfectly square with the

vertical surface of the inside

of the box.

Directly opposite, you have the

same condition, which means that

those two surfaces, opposing

each other, must have been

perfectly parallel.

It's really amazing.

>> NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut

theorists question just how the

ancient Egyptians could have

moved these gigantic stones for

miles and then wedge them into

the underground labyrinth.

And to what purpose?

>> ERICH VON DANIKEN: So we have

one big problem.

Imagine, in ancient Egypt, they

dig out of the rock kilometers

and kilometers of subterranean

tunnels.

Right and left, they make

niches.

Then they go to two day's Aswan.

In Aswan, they cut out of the

rock the hardest granite which

exists, and they bring it, in

a complicated way we don't know,

into these subterranean tunnels.

>> CHILDRESS: Archaeologists

still, today, cannot figure out

how these giant basalt

sarcophagi were made.

They're perfectly made.

And how they would even move

them into these catacombs that

are underground.

It's like they would have had to

levitate and put these 70-ton

boxes... by some magical means,

like anti-gravity.

>> NARRATOR: Most scholars

believe the Serapeum and its

enormous sarcophagi were

constructed to house the

mummified remains of the Apis

bulls.

>> CHILDRESS: The Egyptians

believed that these Apis bulls

were descended from the sky, and

they would have elaborate

ceremonies with these bulls.

>> NARRATOR: But when Mariette

were empty, apart from some

bones.

Only one Apis bull mummy was

discovered at the site.

Some ancient astronaut theorists

believe the sacred bulls may

have been the creation of

extraterrestrials, and that

these creatures were feared,

not worshipped, by the

ancient Egyptians.

>> VON DANIKEN: The humans are

afraid of these monster, because

they were created by the gods.

They are holy animals.

So they wait until the monsters

die of a natural way.

And now the animal is dead, they

smash, crash the bones of the

monster.

They put it into the sarcophagi.

>> TSOUKALOS: In ancient Egypt,

every single living creature,

after death, was mummified.

So the fact that we can find

boxes in which we have hacked-up

bones, you have to ask yourself,

why?

So they made sure that, after

death, they would hack up the

bodies, and then put a 35-ton

lid on top of that... so that

those creatures would never

return in the future.

>> NARRATO Could the

sarcophagi have been constructed

as a kind of prison to prevent

the return of the bulls after

death?

Or could they have served a

different, even more profound,

purpose?

>> CHILDRESS: Egyptologists are

baffled, and they don't know

what the purpose of these things

were.

Also, why are some of them

empty?

And you have to wonder, too, if

these boxes had some other

purpose originally.

Are these really some kind of

interdimensional stargates, and

then extraterrestrials are able

to come an from this planet

using that?

>> NARRATOR: Were the Serapeum

sarcophagi actually a

teleportation system, as many

ancient astronaut theorists

believe?

Could they be a series of

chambers used to convey anent

humans, and perhaps, alien

visitors, to other planets?

Perhaps another underground tomb

complex halfway around the globe

can provide further clues.

>> NARRATOR: Northern Peru.

1987.

Archaeologist Walter Alva

uncovers the lost tomb of the.

Lord of Sipan.

Intact and untouched by thieves,

this burial place is considered

one of the richest in the world.

>> HUGH NEWMAN: The Lord of.

Sipan was a Moche king, up in

the Lambayeque region of Peru,

along the coast.

They found gold and silver and

all these incredibly beautiful

artifacts and textiles and art.

>> CHILDRESS: Peruvian

archaeologists... they sometimes

call it the King Tut's Tomb of.

South America.

And the objects that they found

in these tombs were unusual.

>> NARRATOR: The burial chamber

was filled with artifacts that

included ceramic pots, gold,

copper and silver utensils,

and feather ornaments some

researchers believe were

intended to accompany and

protect the Lord of Sipan in the

afterlife.

Some archaeologists suggest that

several of his servants, wives

and consorts were sacrificed,

and their bodies were placed

inside to accompany him into the

afterlife.

>> COPPENS: We see that Lord.

Sipan is not buried in

isolation.

We see that he is buried with

some other people, and so when

we extrapolate from this and

when we realize that other

cultures have been doing the

same kind of schematic, what

we're seeing is that these

people believed that the

afterlife was very much a

physical place.

It was believed that he would

haveeeded some of these

helpers.

It is believed that he would

probably want to be reunited, if

not united, with his most

immediate family and some of his

most trusted advisors.

>> NARRATOR: Among the

incredible treasures buried

with the Lord of Sipan were

strange statues that some

researchers believe are evidence

of extraterrestrial beings.

>> NEWMAN: As well as servants

and all the artifacts, they

even found these strange, kind

of weird anthropomorphized

figurines that some people say

resemble beings from other

worlds.

>> CHILDRESS: They show bug-eyed

people who do not look like a

normal human.

So you have, at Sipan, really,

a tomb that seems to show

extraterrestrial beings,

anthropomorphic beings that are

half-animal, half-human, and

people who don't look like a

normal human being... that look

like extraterrestrials.

>> JASON MARTELL: Lord of.

Sipan's tomb has some very

interesting relics that were

found within his burial.

Were these beings that were

gonna help him go into the

afterlife, possibly back into

space, or into the heavens?

>> NARRATOR: The Lord of Sipan's

disciples believed that he was

not a mere mortal, but actually

half-god and half-man.

>> COPPENS: But specifically

what is of interest is that he

has a face mask, which is made

of gold, and his body largely is

dressed with copper shielding.

So, all of a sudden, we see

somebody whose dead body is

meant to resemble clearly

something else: A shining one.

The divine being, which he was

once believed to be, but also,

which in death, he was believed

to once again become.

>> NARRATOR: Was the Lord of.

Sipan really half-man, half-god,

as his followers believed?

And might the figurines found in

his grave really represent the

ancient ruler's extraterrestrial

origin?

If so, is it possible that this

tomb, like the ones found in

Egypt, really served as a portal

to the stars?

Ancient astronaut theorists say

yes, and believe more evidence

can be found by looking at the

boat-shaped coffins and strange

burial rituals of the ancient.

Torajan people.

South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Here can be found the cave tombs

of Tana Toraja, the site of a

complex funeral ritual that

dates back to 3000 BC.

The Torajan people believe

death is a gradual process

toward the afterlife.

>> SCHOCH: Many cultures believe

in an afterlife, something that

goes on beyond the

physical bodies.

The Toraja people in Indonesia

are very interesting and

unusual, because among the most

elaborate rituals they have are

not rituals of life, but for

death.

They have incredible ceremonies

when people die, they have

huge feasts, and they have

these incredible celebrations

for the dead.

>> CHILDRESS: The Torajan people

put the dead into these special

coffins, which are also like

a model of a spaceship.

And then they inter them up on

these cliffs.

And their beliefs, too, are that

ultimately the dead are

returning to the stars, and that

they as a people will also

return to the stars, as well.

>> NARRATOR: As translated,

the name "Toraja" means "the

"people from above," and Torajans

believe their ancestors

descended from the stars in

sky ships.

Their elaborate coffins are

built in the form of a boat, and

thought to resemble the sky

ships that carried their

ancestors to Earth.

A wooden effigy called a

tau tau is carved in the

likeness of the dead person and

placed in the balcony to

represent the deceased and watch

over their remains.

>> TSOUKALOS: The effigies are a

beautiful illustration with

which they wanted to show us

that, once somebody is deceased,

they can still look down upon

you, because being dead doesn't

mean that it's over.

Dead just means that you go on

to the next level of existence.

And it's an idea that has been

with us not just in our culture

but in every ancient culture and

modern culture as well.

>> COPPENS: The Torajan people,

they believe in sky gods who

descended from the sky, who left

them a body of knowledge and

then who disappeared.

And they very much believed that

by doing what our ancestors did

when these creatures were here

that they will therefore also be

able to join these divine beings

which were once here.

And specifically, that upon

death, they will be able to

join them in the home of these

deities.

That is very much on par with

what we see throughout the

world.

>> NARRATOR: Is it possible,

as some researchers believe,

that ancient astronauts

visited Earth thousands of years

ago, and inspired our ancestors

to build boat-shaped coffins

that emulated their space

vehicles?

If so, could the presence of

boat coffins mean that our

ancestors were preparing to make

a journey to the stars?

Some believe the ultimate proof

can be found in a mysterious

burial mound in Ireland...

One with star maps that give

clues, not just to where the

ancient visitors came from,

but where the dead may have,

in fact, chosen to return.

>> NARRATOR: Oldcastle, Ireland.

Amid the ruins of a Stone Age

cemetery lies a 5,000-year-old

tomb, nearly 120 feet in

diameter.

It is named after the mythical

poet-king, Ollahm Fodhla.

>> TOK THOMPSON: With Ollahm.

Fodhla's tomb, what we see is

this connection between the.

Earth and the sky.

Some people have suggested it

might be a celestial

observatory.

But I think it's much more

likely that it was sort of a

temple, a place of worship, that

connected the sky and the earth.

>> NARRATOR: According to

ancient astronaut theorists,

astronomical hieroglyphs carved

on the interior of the stone

walls may have been the work of

otherworldly beings.

>> TSOUKALOS: At Ollahm Fodhla

we can find an incredibly

accurate astronomical chart,

and one has to wonder how

those ancestors were able to do

this without any knowledge of

astronomy.

In fact, the legends of that

part of the world tell us that

they had assistance, that

these topics were taught to

those people by none other than

the shining ones who descended

from the sky.

>> CHILDRESS: Ollahm Fodhla

has inside of it celestial

charts.

So you have to ask yourself if

they are perhaps maps for these

extraterrestrial visitors to

show them the way home, back to

the stars.

>> NARRATOR: Could

extraterrestrials, as

ancient astronautheorists

suggest, have taught our ancient

ancestors how to build a

so-called "celestial

observatory"?

And if so, might the cemetery

have served as a staging area?

A place for extraterrestrials to

observe, pct and record

stellar movements in preparation

for their return to the stars?

Perhaps the answer can be found

by examining the ancient burial

structures of Japan.

Sakai, Japan.

Here, ins city located 250

miles soutest of Tokyo, lies

the Daisen Kofun... one of over

40 ancient crypts within a

six-mile radius.

More than twice the length of

the Great Pyramid of Giza, it is

one of the largest tombs in the

world.

Constructed in the 5th century.

AD, it is believed to be the

resting place of Nintoku, the

16th emperor of Japan.

But of all the various types and

designs that make up the Kofun

structures, perhaps the most

mysterious are those in the

shape of a keyhole... one that

can only be seen from above.

>> SCHOCH: The very fact that

this was made to look like a

keyhole, that this was made

only to be seen from the sky,

would, to me, indicate this

could be a clear message to the

gods to say, "Look here."

>> CHILDRESS: And it was some

kind of reference for the stars,

for the person in the tombs.

So is this some kind of tomb

for the extraterrestrial gods

so that they could find and

return to the stars where they

had come?

>> NARRATOR: Were the Kofun

meant to serve as markers for

extraterrestrials that planned

to return to Earth, as some

ancient astronaut theorists

contend?

Perhaps more evidence can be

foby examining one of the

most immense archaeological

finds of the 20th century... the

vast tomb of China's first

emperor.

Shaanxi Province, China.

In 1974, farmers digging a well

outside the town of Xi'an made

an astonishing discovery... a

life-size clay soldier

intricately carved and dressed

for battle.

Further excavation revealed

thousands of these sculptures,

known as the Terra Cotta.

Warriors, each with remarkably

realistic facial expressions.

Entombed in thearth for over

2,000 years, the warriors are

part of a massive underground

mausoleum built for China's

first emperor of the Qin.

Dynasty... Qin Shi Huang.

>> TSOUKALOS: The tomb of Qin.

Shi Huang is quite

extraordinary.

Over 8,000 terra cotta soldiers

have been found there, along

with 520 horses, 130 chariots,

most of which are still buried.

>> JUDY HO: Qin Shi Huang is

literally the first emperor in

China.

He established the Qin dynasty

in the year 221 BC.

And he established many things

that actually continued to

function throughout the imperial

period in China.

>> NARRATOR: Qin conquered and

united China, built the Great.

Wall, and standardized the

monetary and legal system.

But Qin Shi Huang was also

obsessed with finding the secret

of immortality.

>>PENS: This is an emperor

who goes in search of the

islands of immortality.

This is an emperor who's

obsessed with rediscovering lost

knowledge.

His ambition is to become,

life, like the gods.

>> NARRATOR: To this end, Qin

spent over three decades

forcing more than 700,000

laborers to construct the

four-layered subterranean city

that would serve as his resting

place.

At the heart of the ancient

complex is one of China's

greatest mysteries.

>> HO: The tomb actually covers

a very large area.

Only a few areas in the

surrounding... the border part

of the tomb complex have been

excavated.

>> NARRATOR: Archaeologists

believe that underneath this

central burial mound is the

chamber containing Emperor.

Qin's remains.

To date, the site is still

unexcavated, due to dangerously

high levels of mercury.

>> HO: What's thought to be

inside is an exact model of the

universe in miniature, with the

ceiling, uh, made to look like

the sky with all the stars

represented by pearls.

And then the rivers in China

would be on the ground, and it

is the mercury that is supposed

to look like the rivers.

>> NARRATOR: A conductive

element used in gauges,

electronics, and automobiles,

mercury is a liquid metal that

was discovered by archaeologists

in an Egyptian tomb that dates

back to 1500 BC.

Some researchers believe the

presence of mercury indicates

the existence of modern

technology in the ancient world.

>> CHILDRESS: The presence of

mercury, also, in these tombs,

is unusual.

Mercury is something which is

not really very useful to us,

except in very high-tech

devices.

And it could have been used as

part of the extraterrestrials

and their technology on this

planet.

>> NARRATOR: Was the first

emperor of China influenced by

visitors from another world to

create his monument, as ancient

astronaut theorists propose?

And could the mercury found

at the tomb be proof of

extraterrestrial technology at

work in China thousands of years

ago... technology that was not

intended to merely help bury

the dead, but to launch

otherworldly beings back

into space?

Perhaps more clues can be found

by taking a closer look at the

mysterious burial mounds found

all over our world.

>> NARRATOR: Gyeongju, South

Korea.

Here, near the shores of the.

Sea of Japan, lie the ruins of.

Cheonmachong.

Excavated in 1973, researchers

believe this mound-shaped tomb

was constructed for a

fifth-century ruler from the.

Silla dynasty, which spanned

nearly a thousand years.

>> CHILDRESS: The main feature

of this tomb is that it has

what's known as a "heavenly"

"horse" drawn onto it, and it's

often called the Heavenly Horse.

Tomb.

And this horse has eight

fiery legs that are flaming.

>> SCHOCH: It's clearly not a

living, naturalistic horse.

It almost looks more like a

combination of a horse and a

dragon flying through the air.

This may represent the journey

of the spirit, the soul, or

taking the soul up to the

afterlife.

>> NARRATOR: According to most

historians, this equestrian

illustration represents not only

the importance of horses in

ancient Korean culture, but also

the king's belief in the spirit

world.

But ancient astronaut theorists

have another, much more profound

interpretation.

They believe the painting of the

winged horse symbolizes how the

deceased noble would actually

journey to another distant

realm.

>> CHILDRESS: Tibetans and

Mongolians also have, uh,

similar legends of these flying

horses.

And these horses, too, would be

analogous to the vimanas, uh,

in Sanskrit, which are these

flying machines, the chariots

of the gods that Erich von.

Daniken talked about.

And often they're depicted as

this horse, which was the

familiar vehicle that people

could travel in, only these

horses could fly.

They were flying vehicles.

>> TSOUKALOS: If you look at it

even more closely, it resembles

more some type of a dragon.

Because, out of its feet,

there's fire coming out, and the

feet themselves, their legs,

don't really look like legs but

they look as if they are some

type of wings.

We have to remember that our

ancestors were not familiar with

space vehicles, so whatever they

saw up in the sky could best be

described as an eight-legged

horse descending from the sky.

>> NARRATOR: Could the so-called

"heavenly horse" of Cheonmachong

really be a representation of an

extraterrestrial flying

transport, as ancient astronaut

theorists contend?

And if so, would this help to

prove their their theory that

many ancient tombs were,

in fact, portals to other

extraterrestrial worlds?

Perhaps more clues can be found

in the mysterious drawings of

another burial mound located

more than 5,000 miles away.

The Boyne River Valley in

Ireland.

Here, 31 miles north of Dublin,

lies Newgrange, a tumulus tomb

dating back to 3200 BC, and

similar to the one found in.

South Korea.

Of the many ancient burial

chambers discovered in the

region, it is one of the

best-preserved.

>> THOMPSON: Newgrange would

have been one the largest

man-built structures on Earth at

the time of its construction.

It dates from around 5,000 years

ago, perhaps even a little bit

more.

Predates the Great Pyramids.

So, this was a tremendous

undertaking, by a very

well-established culture, to

build such a massive monument.

>> NARRATOR: Newgrange's inner

passage was constructed with

remarkable precision.

And its design provides an

accurate means of measuring the

solar year.

>> THOMPSON: It is

astronomically aligned on the

winter solstice, so that, right

at the winter solstice, and only

at the winter solstice... a sun

dagger shoots down through the

central passageway into the tomb

and illuminating the inner

chamber of the tomb.

This inner chamber is carved

with very enigmatic megalithic

symbols... which we still don't

really understand... and really

displays an amazing competence

of tculture on many, many

levels.

>> SABINA MAGLIOCCO: We don't

know exactly what it meant to

those ancient peoples, but we

can imagine that they gathered

there at the time of the winter

solstice, that there were many

celebrations, and that the

priests and priestesses would go

into this inner chamber to

witness this miracle every year.

>> SCHOCH: We have essentially

the death of the sun on the

winter solstice.

On this day, we have the lowest

point of the sun and then we

have rebirth in new life.

So what better for a tomb and to

talk about the journey to the

afterlife than a death and a

rebirth and starting the cycle

again?

>> NARRATOR: Is it possible the

celestial alignment at Newgrange

was created to represent a

journey to the afterlife, as

some ancient astronaut theorists

believe?

>> COPPENS: "Spiral galaxies" is

one of those terms which we use

all the time.

And so the question might be:

Are some of the spirals somehow

linked with this galactic

travel?

And based upon what we know from

the belief of the people who

built Newgrange and their

belief, specifically, about the

voyage of the dead, we know that

this was a voyage in space.

>> CHILDRESS: When you look at

these famous tumulus tombs that

are all over the world, they are

these circular mounds, so you

have a shape, in a sense, of a

flying saucer or a UFO.

And the whole idea of the

spiral and the vortex is often

used to symbolize time travel,

and that is the way that

extraterrestrials would be

coming to Earth.

>> NARRATOR: Could the hundreds

of burial mounds found around

the globe be linked through some

otherworldonnection?

And if so, is it really possible

that extraterrestrials used

these tumuli as portals to

travel from galaxy to galaxy,

as ancient astronaut theorists

suggest?

Perhaps such far-fetched notions

aren't as hard to imagine as

they seem, especially when

considering that such things are

happening right now, in the

southwest region of North.

America.

>> NARRATOR: Sierra County, New

Mexico, 2010.

>> CONTROLLER: Three, two, one,

fire.

>> NARRATOR: Aerospace company.

Celestis Incorporated launches

one of the world's first private

memorial spaceflights, providing

a unique new funeral service for

the deceased.

>> CHILDRESS: What this company

does is, essentially, launch the

ashes of dead people into space,

including the Star Trek creator.

Gene Roddenberry, 1960s icon

Timothy Leary, even the

astronaut Gordon Cooper, who was

part of the Mercury program that

NASA created.

>> NARRATOR: Celestis rents

compartments on board

conventional rockets assigned to

carry satellites and other

payloads into orbit.

>> TSOUKALOS: They only do,

like, seven grams of ashes that

they send out there in small,

tiny containers, and so, to me,

this is quite an incredible

thing because we now have the

possibility of sending cremated

remains into outer space.

>> MARTELL: We have to wonder if

this is now replicating some of

the ancient things that we've

seen by using a boat or some

type of symbology... that the

pharaoh or the king in the

afterlife was being prepared to

go back into the heavens.

>> NARRATOR: But why would we

want to send our dearly departed

into space?

Does it, in fact, fulfill some

unconscious human desire to

return to the stars after death?

And could this, in some way, be

connected to mankind's

centuries-old belief in Heaven...

A Utopian world that exists far

above and beyond our own?

>> COPPENS: I think it's

interesting that the people who

do this are the ones who have

been the visionaries, the ones

who really wanted to take

mankind into deep space and take

us on a voyage of discovery,

trying to find out whether there

are human ings there.

And I think it's interesting

that, in the future, we're

probably going to see more and

more of this, and that we're

going to become and more in

tune with what our ancestors

were thinking.

Maybe, at one point in the

future, we will be able to

physically send an entire

body into deep space, on

a voyage to reconnect with our

ancestors.

>> CHILDRESS: We're all made

of stars...

...and the whole universe is

created out of the dust

of stars, and so it seems

natural for some people to want

to have their ashes sent back

into space.

>> HANCOCK: In the ancient

world, we were seen

fundamentally as immortal souls,

briefly incarnated in huhun

bodies and, and possibly

reincarnating and coming back

again and again.

It was understood that some

aspect of the individual lived

on beyond this physical life,

and the tomb was, in a sense, an

immortal home for that aspect of

the individual.

>> NARRATOR: Is it pble, as

some researchers believe, that

mankind has long tried to make a

connection with our otherworldly

origins?

And, if so, might ancient tombs

throughout the world have

been constructed to

facilitate this celestial

journey, even after death?

>> MAGLIOCCO: It's hard to know

what our earliest ancestors were

thinking when they looked up

into the night sky.

Perhaps they felt dwarfed by

its immensity.

Perhaps they wondered what the

stars were, up in the sky.

Probably they projected their

mytholy or maybe invented

mythology about goddesses and

gods and other spiritual beings,

living in a heavenly world above

them.

Maybe that's why so many of

their ancient temples were

aligned with these heavenly

bodies.

>> COPPENS: Our ancestors were

building these structures so

that they could be seen by the

gods in the sky and by the souls

on their way to the gods in the

sky.

What our ancestors are saying,

what our ancestors are

reinforcing, is that the soul is

going to go on a voyage into the

stars.

>> CHILDRESS: All over the

world, we have very similar

types of ceremonies that have to

do with entombing people, and

you have to wonder, a little

bit, if your body is being

preserved and it's going to be

used again.

And if we could do this,

that's something that

extraterrestrials would be able

to do, too.

>> NARRATOR: Tombs...

interconnected by design,

tradition, and a desire

for a peaceful passage from

life... to death.

Is it possible ancient burial

chambers were built from

knowledge passed on to our

ancient ancestors by celestial

beings?

And if so, might we one day

reunite with these beings

through an otherworldly portal?

Perhaps the answer will be

revealed in our lifetime...

or, perhaps, only after we take

our final breath. Captioning sponsored by.

A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS Captioned by.

Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org