Original subtitles

Narrator: NASA's MISSION IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.

THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW THAN WE DO KNOW.

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE

AND CRAFT BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

TAKING RISKS IS PART OF MAKING DISCOVERY.

SPACE EXPLORATION IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS IN THE SHADOWS.

THERE COULD BE ANYTHING OUT THERE.

Narrator: STRANGE FLYING OBJECTS ON THE MOON AND MARS.

SOMETHING UP THERE IS SABOTAGING

OR IS TRYING TO SABOTAGE THE, UH, MIR SPACE STATION.

Narrator: INTELLIGENT LIGHTNING AND ABANDONED SPACE STATIONS...

[ BEEP ]

UNEXPECTED INTRUDERS LURKING IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM...

OR ALIEN CRAFT POWERED BY NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS.

IT'S REALLY QUITE ASTONISHING.

THIS OBJECT IS NOT ON ITS OWN IN THE SKY.

THERE'S SOMETHING WITH IT.

Narrator: NASA's MISSIONS UNCOVER DISTURBING EVIDENCE...

MAN: Okay, we're seeing three or four objects.

MAN: Yeah, there are -- there are three objects.

Narrator: ...THAT CONTINUES TO PERPLEX

OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.

THIS IS A JOURNEY INTO UNCHARTED TERRITORY...

INTO "NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES."

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: JULY, 19, 1969.

AS "APOLLO 11" MAKES ITS FINAL APPROACH

TO THE MOON, MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS APPEAR, DAZZLING THE ASTRONAUTS.

EVEN THE HARSHEST CRITIC

DISCOVERED THE FACT THIS WAS REAL.

THEY ACTUALLY DID SEE SOMETHING.

Narrator: NASA THINKS IT'S MOON DEBRIS.

IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

IT'S -- IT REALLY IS A MYSTERY.

IS THERE SOMETHING THERE

THEY DON'T WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW?

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: JUST HOURS BEFORE NASA ASTRONAUTS

TAKE MAN'S FIRST STEPS ON THE MOON,

ASTRONOMERS IN GERMANY REPORT A STRANGE LIGHT

COMING FROM THE ARISTARCHUS CRATER.

[ BEEPING, STATIC ]

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL IMMEDIATELY

ASKED THE ASTRONAUTS TO INVESTIGATE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: WHAT "APOLLO 11" SEES DEFIES EXPLANATION.

THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS SEE THIS GLOW

IN -- IN -- IN THIS CRATER.

THEY'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION BACK AND FORTH WITH CapCom,

AND THEY MENTION THAT SUDDENLY THERE'S INTERFERENCE,

THERE'S STATIC, AND THEN THERE'S SILENCE.

[ ALARM SOUNDING ]

[ FREQUENCIES WHIZZING ]

Narrator: THE LIVE MISSION BROADCAST

DISAPPEARS FOR 89 TENSE SECONDS.

IS NASA DELIBERATELY CUTTING OUT A PUBLIC FEED

'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT US TO KNOW

THAT SOMETHING IS ON THE MOON THAT SHOULDN'T BE?

Narrator: NASA ASTRONAUT CHARLES DUKE DOESN'T THINK SO.

HE WAS PART OF THE SHIFT AT MISSION CONTROL IN THE HOURS

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT.

I WAS THE ONLY GUY TALKING TO THEM FOR EIGHT HOURS

'TIL WE LANDED ON THE MOON.

I DON'T REMEMBER ANY BIG DISCUSSION ABOUT TRANSIENT...

IS THERE SOMETHING THERE

THEY DON'T WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW?

Narrator: IT'S AN ISSUE

THAT'S FASCINATED LUNAR SCIENTIST PETER SCHULTZ

FOR DECADES.

I SAW SOMETHING ON THE MOON MANY YEARS -- 40, 50 YEARS AGO,

AND REALIZED IT'S VERY DANGEROUS

TO PUBLISH ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.

IT WAS TERRIBLY CONTROVERSIAL. IT COULD RUIN A CAREER.

Narrator: NASA CALLS THESE SIGHTINGS

TRANSIENT LUNAR PHENOMENA,

T.L.P. FOR SHORT.

T.L.P. COULD BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN NATURAL.

THERE ARE A LOT OF TRANSIENT EVENTS ON THE MOON,

BUT I CAN'T COMMENT SPECIFICALLY.

SOMETIMES IT'S ON. SOMETIMES IT'S OFF,

AND IF IT'S ARTIFICIAL,

THAT WOULD BELIE ALL OF THE STORIES

ABOUT THE MOON BEING A DEAD CELESTIAL BODY.

Narrator: NASA's OFFICIAL POSITION

IS THAT ARISTARCHUS GLISTENS

BECAUSE IT CONTAINS REFLECTIVE DUST.

BUT PETER SHULTZ CLAIMS THE SUN WASN'T IN THE RIGHT PLACE

TO REFLECT OFF THE CRATER WHEN "APOLLO 11" SAW IT.

ARISTARCHUS WAS IN THE NIGHT TIME

WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS FROM "APOLLO 11" WENT OVER IT.

SO IT CAN'T BE A GLINT OFF THE SUN.

IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

IT'S -- IT REALLY IS A MYSTERY.

Narrator: SOLAR GLINT REMAINS NASA's OFFICIAL EXPLANATION,

ALTHOUGH NOT EVERYONE AGREES.

PEOPLE WERE FIRED BECAUSE OF

PEOPLE TRYING TO LOOK FOR THOSE TRANSIENT PHENOMENA.

AMAZING.

SO ALL THESE REPORTS, ALL THESE ASTRONOMERS

WHO SAID THEY SAW SOMETHING AND NOBODY BELIEVED THEM --

THEY WERE PROBABLY RIGHT.

[ STATIC, PINGING ]

Narrator: ARISTARCHUS WAS THE FIRST OF MANY SIGHTINGS

THAT MAKE MOON WATCHERS THINK THERE'S MORE

TO OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOR THAN MEETS THE EYE.

EVEN TODAY, THERE ARE PEOPLE

WHO THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE ARTIFACTS ON THE MOON --

THINGS LEFT BY SOCIETIES.

I MEAN, THINK OF THE MOVIE "2001,"

THERE'S A BIG MONOLITH ON THE MOON.

Narrator: EARTH'S MOON MAY STILL HIDE SECRETS,

BUT MARS' LARGEST MOON MIGHT ITSELF

BE THE BIGGEST MYSTERY IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE DATA THAT WE RETRIEVED FROM PHOBOS

MAKES IT SEEM AS THOUGH PHOBOS IS HOLLOW.

THERE HAVE BEEN THOUGHTS THAT IT MIGHT BE THE REMNANTS

OF A HUGE SPACE STATION.

IF THAT WERE TRUE, HOLY COW, THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: SMALL, FAST, AND IMPOSSIBLY LOW --

PHOBOS STREAKS JUST 5,800 MILES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF MARS,

AND ITS ORBIT IS SHRINKING.

ASTRONOMISTS CALCULATE THAT PHOBOS WILL COLLIDE

WITH THE PLANET IN THE NEXT 10 MILLION YEARS --

A BLINK OF AN EYE IN ASTRONOMICAL TIME,

AND THAT POSES SOME DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.

IN -- IN ASTRONOMY, YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT WILL ONLY LAST

FOR 10 MILLION YEARS,

IT'S NOT FROM THE FORMATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S SOMETHING MORE RECENT.

HOW DO YOU GET THAT MORE RECENT THING?

HOW DID PHOBOS GET CAPTURED INTO AN ORBIT AROUND MARS?

Narrator: IN 1958,

RUSSIAN ASTROPHYSICIST YOSEF SLAVSKI

ASKED THE SAME THING.

WHEN HE MEASURED THE ORBITAL VELOCITY OF PHOBOS,

HE MADE AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY.

TO HIS SURPRISE, THE MOON CHANGES SPEED,

BUT THERE WAS MORE.

IT WAS HIS INVESTIGATION -- HIS RESEARCH INTO PHOBOS

THAT SUGGESTED THE IDEA THAT PHOBOS WAS HOLLOW,

AND THAT IS SO TANTALIZING FOR EXPERTS AT NASA THAT,

THAT'S REALLY ONE OF THE REASONS WE WERE DRIVEN TO MARS --

JUST TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY THAT MARS HAD A HOLLOW MOON.

Narrator: BECAUSE IF PHOBIS IS HOLLOW,

THAT OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW SET OF POSSIBILITIES.

IF INDEED IT'S HOLLOW,

THAT CERTAINLY MEANS SOMEBODY PUT IT UP.

WHY WOULD YOU EVEN WANT TO BUILD

A HOLLOW MOON IN MARS' ORBIT ANYWAY?

A REFUELING STATION? A JUMPING OFF POINT?

IF I WERE INVOLVED IN SETTING PRIORITIES FOR NASA,

I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PHOBOS TOO.

NASA's BUDGET, -- A LOT OF THAT BUDGET IS BLACK BUDGET.

IT'S A SECRET BUDGET.

IT'S DOING MISSIONS FOR THE MILITARY

AND DOING MISSIONS FOR THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.

BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, ONE OF THOSE MISSIONS

HAS TO BE TO EXPLORE CELESTIAL BODIES --

MOONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY HOLLOW ON THE INSIDE.

WHOEVER GETS TO PHOBOS FIRST MAY STAND TO WIN POINTS

WITH WHATEVER INTELLIGENCE PUT IT UP.

Narrator: LANDING ON PHOBOS IS A MASSIVE TECHNOLOGICAL HURDLE

THAT NO HUMAN AGENCY HAS SO FAR MANAGED TO JUMP.

INTERESTING THAT EVERY TIME

WE TRY TO SEND SOMETHING TO PHOBOS,

IT FAILS FOR SOME REASON.

MAYBE SOMETHING'S STOPPING US FROM GETTING THERE.

Narrator: PERHAPS OUR FIRST SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO PHOBOS

WILL SIGNIFY A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR HUMANKIND

AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S WATCHING.

BUT ASTRONOMER JJ KAVELAARS

IS NOT CONVINCED THAT PHOBIS IS ARTIFICIAL.

WHEN WE DO SPECTROSCOPY OF PHOBOS' SURFACE.

[ COMPUTER BEEPING ]WE SEE THAT IT'S MADE

FROM THE SAME SORT OF THING AS THE ASTEROIDS ARE MADE FROM.

SO THIS GIVES A PRETTY GOOD INDICATION

OF WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.

IF IT WAS A MORE EXOTIC MATERIAL,

YOU WOULD DETECT THAT.

Narrator: IF PHOBOS IS AN ASTEROID,

HOW CANIT BE HOLLOW?

PHOBOS IS BASICALLY MADE UP

OF A BUNCH OF BOULDERS AND LOOSELY AGGREGATED DUST.

AND SO THERE'S LOTS OF VOIDS, SPACE, BETWEEN THE ROCKS.

AND SO THE DENSITY OF THE OBJECT ITSELF

IS REALLY QUITE LOW COMPARED TO THE ROCKS THAT IT'S MADE FROM.

Narrator: NASA BELIEVES THAT OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS,

THE PULL OF GRAVITY HAS DRAWN BITS OF ORBITAL DEBRIS TOGETHER.

PHOBOS IS JUST A BIG PILE OF ROCKS.

DEFINITELY NOT A SPACE STATION.

PHOBOS IS NOT A SPACE STATION.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT PHOBOS

CAN'T BECOME A GREAT SPACE STATION.

IT IS PERFECTLY LOCATED

TO BE THE BASE FROM WHICH WE CAN EXPLORE MARS,

POSSIBLY OCCUPY MARS.

IF PHOBOS ISN'T A SPACE STATION YET,

DON'T WORRY. IT WILL BE.

Narrator: WE'RE A LONG WAY FROM PUTTING A MAN ON MARS,

BUT NASA's LATEST MISSION SUGGESTS THAT SOMETHING

OR SOMEONE HAS ALREADY BEEN THERE.

WE FINALLY LAND ROVERS ON MARS,

AND WHAT'S THE FIRST THING WE SEE?

TWO OBJECTS FLYING AWAY.

WE GO 5 MILLION MILES,

AND WE SEE U.F.O.s FLY OVER MARS.

Narrator: AS NASA's CURIOSITY ROVER BEGINS

A NEW ERA IN MARS EXPLORATION...

IT'S A REAL MAJOR LIFE EVENT FOR EVERYBODY AROUND YOU.

Narrator: ASTONISHING FOOTAGE LEAVES SCIENTISTS STUNNED.

WE GET NOT JUST ONE, BUT A DOUBLE U.F.O. SIGHTING.

DOESN'T THAT STRIKE YOU AS ODD?

Narrator: AUGUST 6, 2012 --

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR JIM BELL WAITS

AS NASA's INNOVATIVE NEW SKY CRANE LANDING SYSTEM

LOWERS THE CURIOSITY ROVER ONTO THE SURFACE OF MARS.

THERE'S THIS IMMENSE WAVE OF RELIEF

THAT KIND OF WASHES OVER EVERYBODY.

[ CHEERING ]

Narrator: AFTER AN 8-MONTH WAIT,

SCIENTISTS WILL FINALLY SEE THE FIRST

HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURES OF THE RED PLANET.

BUT THE IMAGES THAT GRAB THE WORLD'S ATTENTION

SUGGEST CURIOSITY HAS COMPANY.

WE'VE WANTED SO LONG TO BE ON MARS LOOKING AROUND.

WE'VE GOT CURIOSITY THERE.

WE FLIP ON THE CAMERAS. WHAT DO WE SEE?

VERY FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS -- TWO FLYING OBJECTS.

Narrator: AN EERIE CLOUD-LIKE SHAPE HOVERS ON THE HORIZON,

AND THAT'S NOT ALL.

MOVING ACROSS THE CLOUD,

A WHITE OBJECT TRAVELS AT HIGH SPEED.

A DOUBLE U.F.O. SIGHTING -- THAT SEEMS VERY STRANGE TO ME.

MIGHT BE WHAT YOU'D EXPECT IF THERE WERE BEINGS

PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: A THEORY EMERGES

THAT THE WHITE DOT COULD BE A SNAPSHOT

OF EITHER DEIMOS OR PHOBOS, THE MOONS OF MARS.

BUT BELL ISN'T CONVINCED.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY SEEN IN THOSE PICTURES

OR THE RIGHT SPEED OR THE RIGHT BRIGHTNESS

TO BE EITHER PHOBOS OR DEIMOS, MARS' OTHER MOON.

Narrator: FOR JIM BELL,

THE VERY MOVEMENT OF THE OBJECT IS A PROBLEM.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

BECAUSE THE FIRST PICTURE CURIOSITY TOOK AFTER LANDING

WAS NOT A MOVING IMAGE.

WE TOOK A FEW PICTURES WITH THE CURIOSITY CAMERAS

RIGHT AROUND THAT TIME.

BUT WE DIDN'T TAKE A TIME-LAPSE SERIES

OF -- OF IMAGES.

WE DIDN'T TAKE A MOVIE WITH THOSE CAMERAS.

Narrator: CURIOSITY'S HAZARD CAMERA

TOOK ONLY EIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS AT THE TIME OF THE LANDING,

AND ALL OF THEM WERE STILL IMAGES.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

[ WHIRRING ]

SO IF A DOT IS MOVING ACROSS THE PICTURE,

IT HAS TO HAVE BEEN ADDED LATER.

THIS IMAGE IS JUST THAT -- ONE IMAGE.

SO HOW CAN YOU HAVE A MOVIE FROM JUST ONE IMAGE?

Narrator: ASTRONOMER MARC D'ANTONIO

IS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE ANALYST.

HE CAN PROVE JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO DOCTOR A PICTURE LIKE THIS.

[ CLICK ]

I'VE TAKEN THIS SIMILAR IMAGE

TAKEN OF THE BILLOWING CLOUD ON THE HORIZON.

YOU SEE IT JUST THERE, RIGHT THERE ON THE HORIZON.

AND I'VE ADDED A U.F.O. OF MY OWN.

AND WHEN I HIT THE "PLAY" BUTTON,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT MOVING ACROSS,

AND THEN OFF IT GOES.

IT DISAPPEARS AND IT GOES BEHIND

THAT PART OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE ROVER.

BUT I ADDED THAT IN. IT'S ALL FAKE.

[ CLICKS ]

Narrator: IT'S THAT EASY TO ALTER NASA's FOOTAGE.

WE POST OUR IMAGES ON THE INTERNET

IN ALMOST REAL TIME.

ANYONE IN THE WORLD CAN DOWNLOAD THEM,

AND IF YOU WANNA GO IN

AND CHANGE THE BRIGHTNESS OF SOME PIXELS

AND DUPLICATE THE IMAGES AND MAKE A LITTLE TIME-LAP,

IT'S POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOOD

WITH IMAGE PROCESSING SOFTWARE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: ONE FINAL PIECE OF PROOF

IS THE CLOUD SEEN BILLOWING ON THE HORIZON.

THE CLOUD WASN'T MOVING AT ALL,

AND THAT WAS A PROBLEM FOR ME 'CAUSE THAT MADE ME FEEL LIKE,

WELL, THIS IS CLEARLY A HOAX.

Narrator: YET THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE

OF THE CLOUD IN THE FIRST PLACE.

SOMETHING MUST HAVE CAUSED IT.

FOR THE ANSWER TO THIS, JIM BELL BELIEVES

WE NEED TO STUDY THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE LANDING.

MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES THINK THAT WE SORT OF ACCIDENTALLY

CAPTURED THE -- THE CRASH AND THE EXPLOSION OF THE SKY CRANE.

THIS WHOLE PACKAGE FLIES AWAY OFF TO THE HORIZON,

STILL HAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF FUEL ON IT,

AND AS IT HITS THE GROUND, THAT FUEL EXPLODES,

CREATES THIS BIG PLUME AND --

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THOSE IMAGES.

Narrator: BUT NOT EVERYONE

ACCEPTS THE SKY CRANE EXPLANATION.

IT'S TOO SIMPLISTIC. TOO EASY.

I THINK WE WOULD CERTAINLY KNOW

IF THE SKY CRANE WAS GOING AWAY AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO IT.

WE'D KNOW ABOUT THAT.

Narrator: TO DATE, NASA HAS OFFERED NO OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE ANOMALY.

PERHAPS WE NEED TO LOOK FARTHER AFIELD

FOR SIGNS OF ALIEN ACTIVITY.

FAR OUT IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS,

SCIENTISTS HAVE SPOTTED SOMETHING

THAT RAISES INTRIGUING POSSIBILITIES.

WHEN WE SEE

HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION COMING FROM DEEP SPACE,

YOU KNOW, ONE POSSIBILITY IS,

WELL, MAYBE THAT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S NUCLEAR ROCKET.

[ WHOOSHES ]

IT'S THE MOST AWESOME SURFING EXPERIENCE

YOU CAN IMAGINE.

[ CLICK ]

Narrator: NASA's SCIENTISTS DETECT STRANGE X-RAY SIGNALS

IN A NEIGHBORING GALAXY.

MAYBE THAT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S NUCLEAR ROCKET.

Narrator: COULD THEY BE TRACES OF AN ALIEN STAR DRIVE?

DUMPING NUCLEAR BOMBS OUT THE REAR HATCH

AND RIDING THE WAVE.

IT NEEDS FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: 2010 -- NASA's CHANDRA OBSERVATORY

DETECTS AN X-RAY SIGNATURE IN A NEIGHBORING GALAXY CLUSTER

KNOWN AS THE SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS INITIALLY INTERPRET THE X-RAY AS A PULSAR.

PULSARS ARE SPINNING NEUTRON STARS,

AND THEY RESULT FROM THE COLLAPSE OF MASSIVE STARS.

Narrator: WHEN THE STAR COLLAPSES,

ALL OF ITS MASS CONCENTRATES INTO A TINY SPHERE --

THE PULSAR.

IT'S CALLED PULSAR BECAUSE WHEN THESE

VERY, VERY DENSE OBJECTS ROTATE,

THEY EMIT X-RAYS IN PULSES.

Narrator: BUT THIS PULSAR IS BEHAVING VERY WEIRDLY.

THE OBJECT TAKES 18 MINUTES TO ROTATE,

WAY LONGER THAN ANY PULSAR SHOULD.

TO HAVE A PULSAR THAT ROTATES AT ONLY 18 MINUTES,

WITH A PERIOD OF 18 MINUTES IS PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE.

THE DATA THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: IF THE SIGNAL ISN'T A PULSAR,

WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?

WHEN WE SEE HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION

COMING FROM DEEP SPACE,

YOU KNOW, ONE POSSIBILITY IS

WELL, MAYBE THAT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S NUCLEAR ROCKET.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: A NUCLEAR ROCKET THAT EXPLODES REGULARLY

EVERY 18 MINUTES MIGHT SOUND UNLIKELY,

BUT THE PHYSICS MAKES SENSE.

[ STATIC ]

IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD,

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A REACTION,

ACCORDING TO NEWTON'S SECOND LAW.

ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO BURN CHEMICAL FUEL

IN OUR ROCKETS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

ANOTHER IS TO DROP LITTLE BOMBS BEHIND YOURSELF

AND JUST EXPLODE THEM

AND LET THE EXPLOSION PUSH YOU FORWARD.

EARLY IN THE SPACE AGE,

IT WAS THOUGHT THAT WE COULD DO THAT WITH ATOMIC BOMBS.

RADIATION WOULD PUSH ON THE PLATE BEHIND THE SPACECRAFT

AND THEN MOVE IT FORWARD.

[ EXPLOSIONS ]

PUSHING THEM, BAM, BAM, BAM, THROUGH SPACE.

[ EXPLOSIONS ]

YOU'RE DUMPING NUCLEAR BOMBS

OUT THE REAR HATCH AND RIDING THE WAVE.

IT'S THE MOST AWESOME SURFING EXPERIENCE YOU CAN IMAGINE.

Narrator: IT SOUNDS LIKE SCIENCE FICTION, BUT IT ISN'T.

[ STATIC ]

FOOTAGE FROM A TOP SECRET 1950s PROJECT SHOWS

THAT NASA WAS SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING USING ATOMIC BOMBS

AS A METHOD OF PROPULSION.

THE SCHEME WAS CALLED PROJECT ORION.

[ EXPLOSIONS ]

THERE WAS TALK OF USING AN ATOMIC BOMB

TO MOVE A PRE-FORMED COLONY

THE SIZE OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

TO MARS.

THERE WAS SERIOUS DISCUSSION OF IT,

AND ON PAPER IT WOULD WORK.

[ STATIC ]

ONE DESIGN, UH, ASSUMED THAT

WE WOULD USE NUCLEAR BOMBS, UH, EVEN AT THE LAUNCH,

AND THEREFORE THERE WOULD BE SEVERAL NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS

IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: PROJECT ORION WAS EVENTUALLY ABANDONED IN 1964

BECAUSE OF NUCLEAR TEST TREATIES.

BUT HUMAN TREATIES WOULDN'T KEEP OTHER CIVILIZATIONS

FROM USING THE TECHNOLOGY.

IF WE WERE TO SEE A SIGNAL FROM THAT FAR AWAY,

IT WOULD REQUIRE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ENERGY --

MUCH LARGER THAN ANY NUCLEAR BOMB

THAT WE COULD EVER PRODUCE.

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THIS SIGNAL WAS INDEED PRODUCED

BY AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION.

Narrator: IF THIS IS NOT AN ALIEN ORION DRIVE,

SCIENTISTS HAVE TO EXPLAIN

THE POTENTIAL PULSARS' STRANGE BEHAVIOR.

CURRENTLY, WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S SPINNING THIS SLOWLY.

BUT THE THEORY IS THAT

IN SOME WAY ITS INTERACTION WITH A COMPANION STAR

IS ACTUALLY SLOWING IT DOWN RATHER THAN SPEEDING IT UP.

IT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND.

IF THIS IS A PULSAR,

IT'S NOT ACTING LIKE ANY PULSAR WE'VE EVER SEEN.

IT'S UNIQUE SOMEHOW IN THE UNIVERSE

OR AT LEAST TO OUR PERCEPTION,

BUT IT GOES EXACTLY LIKE WHAT I WOULD EXPECT

A PROJECT ORION DRIVE TO BEHAVE.

EVERY TIME WE SEE SOMETHING

THAT'S CREEPILY, STRANGELY REGULAR,

IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE A CORNER OF OUR BRAIN THAT SAYS,

"WHAT IF SOMEBODY MEANT THAT TO HAPPEN?"

Narrator: UP NEXT...

[ THUNDERCLAP ]

WHAT IF LIGHTNING CAN COMMUNICATE WITH ITSELF?

YOU SEE ONE FLASH ON ONE STORM, AND ABOUT A FEW SECONDS LATER,

YOU SEE ANOTHER FLASH ON THE OTHER STORM.

Narrator: SECRET SIGNS IN THE SKY SUGGEST AN ALIEN CODE.

THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WERE ACTUALLY TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: ASTRONAUTS IN ORBIT WITNESS A BAFFLING PHENOMENON

UNDETECTABLE FROM THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

SOMETIMES WE'LL BE CONFRONTED WITH THINGS

THAT WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND, THAT ARE JUST WEIRD.

IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WAY.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON UP THERE.

[ THUNDERCLAP ]

Narrator: LIGHTNING STORMS HUNDREDS OF MILES APART

APPEAR TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.

THUNDERSTORM CELLS ARE QUITE DISTANT.

HOW COULD ONE STORM KNOW WHAT THE OTHER STORM IS DOING?

[ STATIC ]

[ ALARM SOUNDING ]

Narrator: AFTER THE TRAGIC BREAKUP

OF THE "COLUMBIA" SHUTTLE DURING RE-ENTRY,

NASA SCIENTISTS ANALYZE THE FOOTAGE BEAMED BACK

FROM ITS FINAL MISSION.

THE ASTONISHING IMAGES PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR SOMETHING

ASTRONAUTS HAVE REPORTED SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF SPACE FLIGHT.

WHEN YOU'RE UP IN ORBIT 200 MILES UP,

AND YOU'RE LOOKING OUT A THOUSAND MILES

IN ANY PARTICULAR DIRECTION, IT JUST SEEMS AMAZING TO ME

THAT YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA SEE LIGHTNING.

LIGHTNING STRIKES ALL OVER THE PLANET

MILLIONS OF TIMES A DAY.

IT KILLS A LOT OF PEOPLE, CAUSES A LOT OF DAMAGE.

WE, IN SOME SENSE, KNOW HOW THE INSIDE OF STARS

WORK BETTER THAN HOW THE INSIDE OF A THUNDERSTORM WORKS

JUST A FEW MILES OVER OUR HEADS.

Narrator: ASTRONAUTS REPORT BOLTS OF LIGHTNING

HUNDREDS OF MILES APART,

FLASHING IN PRECISELY ORCHESTRATED SEQUENCES.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, SOMEWHERE THERE WOULD BE

A-A LIGHTNING STRIKE,

AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT TRIGGERED

A WHOLE SERIES OF LIGHTNING STRIKES.

A REAL CHAIN REACTION TYPE OF THING.

[ WHOOSH ]IT'S GOING...

[ IMITATES LIGHTNING WHOOSHING ] AND JUST SORT OF

RUNNING OVER THE CLOUD AND -- AND DISCHARGING THE CLOUD.

SO IT HAS A PATTERN, YOU KNOW?

IT WOULD SEEM TO WALK ACROSS THE CLOUD LIKE THAT.

Narrator: WEATHER SPECIALIST SKEET VAUGHAN

HAS A NAME FOR THE UNCANNY PHENOMENON.

HE CALLS IT SYMPATHETIC LIGHTNING.

OUR DEFINITION OF SYMPATHETIC LIGHTNING

WAS ARRIVED AT BECAUSE WE SAW TWO BIG ELECTRICAL STORMS

ABOUT 1,500 MILES APART.

YOU SEE ONE FLASH ON ONE STORM, AND ABOUT A FEW SECONDS LATER,

YOU SEE ANOTHER FLASH ON THE OTHER STORM.

AND SO THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WERE

ACTUALLY TALKING TO EACH OTHER.

THIS IS HARD TO FIGURE OUT. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

THUNDERSTORM CELLS ARE QUITE DISTANT.

UM, HOW COULD ONE STORM KNOW WHAT THE OTHER STORM IS DOING?

YOU WONDER IF THESE TWO THINGS

ARE SENDING COMMUNICATIONS BACK AND FORTH.

AND IT APPEARS THEY MAYBE -- MAYBE ARE.

Narrator: PHYSICIST STANTON FRIEDMAN

WONDERS IF THERE IS SOME OTHER EXPLANATION

FOR THIS STRANGE PHENOMENON.

[ ELECTRICITY SURGES ]

I THINK THERE ARE REALLY INTERESTING PHENOMENA HERE,

AND WE'RE NOT BEING TOLD ANYTHING ABOUT THEM.

[ LIGHTNING STRIKING ]

I THINK IF WE LOOK CAREFULLY AT SOME OF THE REPORTS WE GET

OF FLYING SAUCERS, WE FIND ELECTRICAL ASPECTS.

FOR EXAMPLE, COLOR IN THE REGION AROUND THE CRAFT

CHANGES AS IT CHANGES DIRECTION.

THE COLOR CHANGES WHEN THE SPEED CHANGES.

Narrator: THE PROCESS OF HARNESSING ELECTRICITY

TO IMPROVE FLIGHT IS CALLED MAGNETO-AERODYNAMICS.

THIS WOULD BE INTERACTIONS OF CRAFT IN THE ATMOSPHERE,

ELECTRICAL INTERACTIONS.

[ STATIC, BEEP ]

[ KEYBOARD KEYS CLICK ]

WHEN I DID A SURVEY ON MAGNETO-AERODYNAMICS,

I FOUND THAT THERE WERE 900 REFERENCES TO GOVERNMENT REPORTS

USING THAT ONE KEY WORD.

LIKE IT OR NOT,

90% OF THOSE REFERENCES WERE CLASSIFIED.

[ KEYS CLACK ]

I WOULD SURE LOVE TO SEE THOSE CLASSIFIED FILES

ABOUT MAGNETO-AERODYNAMICS. WOW.

Narrator: THE CONTENTS OF THE MYSTERIOUS FILES

ON MAGNETO-AERODYNAMICS REMAIN CLASSIFIED.

AND FOR THE TIME BEING, AT LEAST,

THE PHENOMENON KNOWN AS SYMPATHETIC LIGHTNING

MUST REMAIN...UNEXPLAINED.

SOMETHING STRANGE IS GOING ON.

Narrator: IN SPACE, SOMETHING EVEN STRANGER IS HAPPENING.

COMING UP...

SOMETHING UP THERE IS SABOTAGING THE MIR SPACE STATION.

Narrator: AND STRANGE OBJECTS

DOG THE LAST MISSION ON THE MOON.

WAS THIS A WARNING

FROM SOME KIND OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL CULTURE,

"STAY OFF THE MOON. IT'S NOT YOURS. IT'S OURS"?

Narrator: MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS BUZZ THE MIR SPACE STATION.

[ STATIC, PINGING ]

CHRIS HADFIELD SAW SOMETHING OUT THE WINDOW.

HE ALMOST WONDERS IF SOMETHING UP THERE IS SABOTAGING

OR IS TRYING TO SABOTAGE THE MIR SPACE STATION.

COULD IT BE E.T. PROBES LOOKING AT THE MIR SPACE STATION?

MAN: Flight crew OTT, close and lock your visors.

Have a good flight.

Narrator: IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD WAR,

NASA's SHUTTLE "ATLANTIS" IS ABOUT TO TRY

ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS SPACE MANEUVERS EVER ATTEMPTED.

Man: AND LIFTOFF OF SPACE SHUTTLE "ATLANTIS"

WITH THE RUSSIAN DOCKING MODULE,

A THRESHOLD TO WORLD COOPERATION IN SPACE.

[ PINGING ]

Narrator: THE SHUTTLE MUST DOCK WITH RUSSIA'S MIR SPACE STATION.

THE LIVES OF THOSE ABOARD,

LIKE MISSION SPECIALIST JERRY ROSS, DEPEND ON IT.

[ RADIO CHATTER ]

177 FEET STOPPED.

ALL RIGHT.

IT HAD NEVER BEEN DESIGNED FOR A LARGE VEHICLE

SUCH AS A SPACE SHUTTLE TO COME UP AND DOCK TO IT.

AND IT REALLY WAS A PRETTY PRECARIOUS THING FOR US

TO COME IN AND DOCK DIRECTLY

TO THE MIR SPACE STATION WITH A SPACE SHUTTLE.

MAN: "Atlantis," go with throttling.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THE MIR SPACE STATION

PROBABLY WEIGHED A HALF A MILLION POUNDS,

AND THE SPACE SHUTTLE WEIGHED A QUARTER OF A MILLION POUNDS.

AND WE'RE BOTH FLYING AT 5 MILES PER SECOND,

200 AND SOME MILES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

SO ALL THOSE THINGS

ARE PLAYING INTO WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

.1 OR .06?.06.

Narrator: THE SLIGHTEST MISJUDGMENT

COULD END IN TRAGEDY.

BUT JUST AS THEY THINK

THE HARDEST PART OF THEIR MISSION IS OVER,

SOMETHING UNEXPECTED DISTRACTS THE ASTRONAUTS.

I RECALL CHRIS HADFIELD MENTIONING

THAT HE SAW SOMETHING OUT THE WINDOW,

AND SEVERAL OF US CAME UP TO THE WINDOW.

WE GRABBED SOME CAMERAS AND SOME BINOCULARS,

AND WE WERE TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT IT WAS.

Orwoll: DURING THIS DOCKING PROCESS,

THEY START TO NOTICE THAT THERE ARE OBJECTS MOVING

AND ESSENTIALLY FLYING, UH, FROM THE LOOK OF IT,

AROUND THE MIR SPACE STATION.

[ STATIC, PINGING ]

START WONDERING WHAT ALL THIS IS.

[ STATIC ]

[ RADIO CHATTER ]

[ MEN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: NASA SAYS THE OBJECTS ARE ICE PARTICLES SHAKEN FREE

BY THRUSTER VIBRATIONS.

WE HAVE ICE ALL OVER THE PLACE BECAUSE WATER CANNOT EXIST

IN A VACUUM AS WATER.

IT HAS TO FLASH IMMEDIATELY INTO ICE.

SO WHEN WE DUMP WATER OVERBOARD, FOR EXAMPLE,

IT IMMEDIATELY TURNS INTO ICE...INSTANTLY.

MAN: There is a tremendous amount of ice

that we saw coming off the back end,

some very large chunks of it.

ANY OF THESE LITTLE CHUNKS OF ICE WILL FLOAT OUT

AWAY FROM YOU.

THEY'LL REFLECT SUNLIGHT.

SO IF YOU SEE THEM OUT THERE A WAYS AWAY FROM YOU,

SOMETIMES IT LOOKS LIKE LIGHT SHINING.

Narrator: BUT THE EXPLANATION RAISES MORE QUESTIONS

THAN IT ANSWERS.

LOT OF ICE PARTICLES IN SPACE.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS, IF THEY'RE ICE PARTICLES

THAT FLAKED OFF MIR,

WOULDN'T THEY BE GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION

OR IN SIMILAR DIRECTIONS? BUT THESE OBJECTS

ARE FLYING ALL OVER THE PLACE.

SO WHATEVER THEY ARE,

THEY CERTAINLY DON'T ACT LIKE ICE PARTICLES.

ICE PARTICLES SHOULD MOVE AWAY AND STAY AWAY.

THEY SHOULDN'T MOVE AROUND

AS IF THEY WERE PROPELLED BY SOMETHING.

I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT ON SOME OCCASIONS,

ICE PARTICLES HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OFF

BECAUSE OF MOTION WITHIN THE CRAFT OR WHATEVER.

BUT WHAT -- NOT NEARLY AS MANY AS NASA IS CLAIMING.

IT'S AN EASY OUT, AND NOBODY IS CHECKING.

Narrator: IN 15 YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY,

MIR SUFFERS DANGEROUS FIRES,

A NEAR CATASTROPHIC COLLISION,

AND PERIODS OF OUT OF CONTROL TUMBLING.

IT HAS LED SOME OF HER CREW TO SUSPECT THEY WERE NOT ALONE.

I MEAN, THERE WERE ISSUES WITH MIR,

AND CHRIS HADFIELD COMMENTS

THAT HE ALMOST WONDERS IF SOMETHING UP THERE

IS SABOTAGING OR IS "TRYING TO SABOTAGE"

THE, UH, MIR SPACE STATION.

Narrator: BAD LUCK, DANCING ICE, OR SPACE SABOTEURS?

THE MIR MYSTERY REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

STILL TO COME --

STRANGE SIGHTINGS ON NASA's LAST MISSION TO THE MOON.

THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THE EASIEST EXPLANATION

FOR WHY WE DIDN'T GO ON PAST "APOLLO 17"

IS THAT SOMEBODY OUT THERE SAID,

"STAY THE HECK OFF OUR MOON."

Narrator: AND WHEN ONE ASTRONOMER

GOES LOOKING FOR ASTEROIDS, HE FINDS SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.

IT WAS REALLY QUITE ASTONISHING.

THIS OBJECT IS NOT ON ITS OWN IN THE SKY.

THERE'S SOMETHING WITH IT.

IT'S THE GREAT UNKNOWN.

IT'S THE FAR FRONTIER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: SOMETHING APPEARS TO BE SHADOWING

THE ASTRONAUTS OF THE "APOLLO 17" MISSION.

YOU SEE THIS VERY, VERY THIN,

UH, RECTANGULAR IMAGE THAT'S KIND OF HOVERING,

SEEMINGLY ALMOST FLYING.

[ STATIC ]

IS IT SOMETHING WATCHING THE ASTRONAUTS?

WE'VE GOT TO PULL OUT.

WHAT IS THIS THING THAT'S FLYING ABOVE THE LUNAR LANDSCAPE?

WAS THIS A WARNING, "STAY OFF THE MOON.

IT'S NOT YOURS. IT'S OURS"?

It's got to be one of the most proud moments of my life,

I guarantee ya.

Narrator: DECEMBER 14, 1972.

[ PINGING ]

"APOLLO 17" ASTRONAUTS, EUGENE CERNAN AND JACK SCHMITT,

ARE PLANTING EXPLOSIVES ON THE MOON.

THE ASTRONAUTS SET UP A NETWORK OF SEISMOMETERS

ON THE LUNAR SURFACE, AND THESE IMPACTS

WOULD GIVE YOU CLUES TO THE INTERIOR OF THE MOON.

Narrator: THE EXPLOSIVES ARE PART OF A GEOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT

WHICH WILL PROFILE THE UPPER CRUST OF THE MOON.

[ STATIC ]

BEFORE THE ASTRONAUTS LEAVE,

CERNAN TAKES SOME LAST MINUTE PHOTOGRAPHS.

YEARS LATER, ONE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

CATCHES THE ATTENTION OF ASTRONOMER JIM SCOTTI.

SO I'M LOOKING AT THESE IMAGES, AND I SEE THE MOSTLY BLACK SKY,

BUT I SEE A LITTLE STREAK UP IN THE TOP PART OF THE IMAGE.

I START THINKING ABOUT WHAT SORT OF NATURAL PHENOMENA

OR MANMADE PHENOMENA WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IN THE SKY.

Orwoll: WHAT IS THIS STRANGE, SMALL, RECTANGULAR SHAPE

THAT WE'RE SEEING FLYING ABOVE THE LUNAR SURFACE?

IS IT SOME KIND OF CRAFT, OR WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?

[ STATIC ]

IS THERE SOMETHING OUT THERE WATCHING US

WHILE WE'RE WALKING ON THE LUNAR SURFACE?

WHEN I SEE SOMETHING

THAT I CAN'T QUITE RECOGNIZE RIGHT AWAY,

UH, YOU CAN SORT OF TAKE THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH,

OR YOU CAN JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS,

AND I PREFER THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH.

I LOOK AT THE, UH, PRINT, THE HIGH-RESOLUTION PRINT,

AND I CAN SEE THE SHAPE, AND I --

IT GIVES ME AN IDEA OF...

Okay, Bob, I've got my tools of the trade right here.

Narrator: SCOTTI THINKS THE SOLUTION LIES

WITH JACK SCHMITT.

NASA PICKED HIM FOR THE "APOLLO 17" CREW

BECAUSE OF HIS BACKGROUND AS A GEOLOGIST.

Let's see if I can't crack the corner and get that contact.

JACK SCHMITT WAS THE FIRST SCIENTIST-TO-ASTRONAUT

TO WALK ON THE MOON -- THE ONLY GEOLOGIST EVEN TODAY

THAT HAS EVER WALKED ON THE MOON.

It's obviously very, uh, very cohesive.

WE NEED TO KNOW A GREAT DEAL MORE ABOUT THE VARIATION

OF THE CONCENTRATION OF DIFFERENT MINERALS.

THEY WANT TO KNOW IN DETAIL.

WHERE'S THE GOOD STUFF?

I can see it from here! It's orange!

Yeah, that is really orange.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS SPOT TELLTALE SIGNS OF TITANIUM

AND OTHER EXOTIC MINERALS.

THEY ARE EAGER TO CONTINUE THEIR SURVEY.

THERE ISN'T ENOUGH TIME, TONY.

WE NEED MORE TIME.

THEY GOT TO LEAVE AT A CERTAIN TIME

REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE GOT.

Narrator: RUNNING LOW ON OXYGEN, THEY MUST END THE SPACE WALK.

[ STATIC ]

JUST BEFORE THEY HEAD BACK TO THE MODULE,

CERNAN ASKS THE MISSION'S GEOLOGIST AN ODD QUESTION.

GENE CERNAN SAYS, "CAN I THROW THE HAMMER?

ARE WE DONE WITH IT?"

JACK SAYS,

"CAN I THROW THE HAMMER? I'M THE GEOLOGIST."

Narrator: SCOTTI THINKS THIS CONVERSATION

IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY

OF THE ANOMALY IN CERNAN'S PHOTOGRAPHS.

MOST LIKELY, THESE THREE IMAGES WERE TAKEN BY GENE CERNAN,

WHO WAS CARRYING A CAMERA WITH BLACK AND WHITE FILM,

AND IT'S VERY CONSISTENT WITH HIM

TAKING SOME IMAGES OF THE HAMMER IN FLIGHT.

MYSTERY SOLVED.

Man: THIS CLOSES A GOLDEN CHAPTER

IN THE AGE OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

[ CLICKING ]

Narrator: MANKIND NEVER RETURNED TO THE MOON.

[ ELECTRICITY POWERS DOWN ]

AS ONE CHAPTER CLOSES,

ANOTHER OPENS ON THE FURTHEST REACHES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE KUIPER BELT IS THE NEW MYSTERIOUS ZONE

OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S THE GREAT UNKNOWN.

Narrator: BUT SOMETHING IS MISSING.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN THERE ONCE UPON A TIME.

Narrator: MORE THAN 90% OF WHAT SHOULD BE THERE

HAS SIMPLY DISAPPEARED.

SO WHY IS THE KUIPER BELT DEPLETED?

THERE'S A LOT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND.

IT'S A TOTAL MYSTERY.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: HAWAII, AUGUST 2001.

JJ KAVELAARS SEARCHES THE KUIPER BELT,

THE VAST AREA OF SPACE

AT THE FAR FRONTIER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

[ WHIRS ]

USING A STATE-OF-THE ART TELESCOPE,

HE'S HUNTING THE DEBRIS LEFTOVER FROM PLANET FORMATION.

WE'RE BASICALLY DOING ARCHAEOLOGY.

WE'RE DIGGING THROUGH THE SKY

AND LOOKING AT THESE OBJECTS,

TRYING TO MAP OUT THE EVOLUTION OF OUR PLANETARY SYSTEM.

[ CLANK ]

Narrator: HE'S TRACKING A TINY OBJECT

LABELED "2001 QW322."

I ENTER THE COORDINATES FOR 2001 QW322

INTO THE TELESCOPE CONTROL SYSTEM.

THE TELESCOPE SLEWS OVER, POINTS AT THAT PART OF THE SKY,

AND I ACQUIRE AN IMAGE.

[ ELECTRICITY WHIZZING ]

Narrator: BUT THIS IS NO ROUTINE OBSERVATION.

IT WAS REALLY QUITE ASTONISHING.

THIS OBJECT IS NOT ON ITS OWN IN THE SKY.

THERE'S SOMETHING WITH IT.

Narrator: THE OBJECT IS A BINARY PAIR --

TWO TINY ASTEROIDS BOUND TOGETHER

BY THE PULL OF THEIR OWN GRAVITY.

THAT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

THERE'S ALMOST 80,000 MILES BETWEEN THE PAIR --

THE DIAMETER OF 10 EARTHS.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE TO US THAT SUCH TINY, TINY OBJECTS

CAN BE BOUND TOGETHER

AND BE SEPARATED BY SUCH A LARGE DISTANCE.

Narrator: BUT THEY'RE STILL TOGETHER,

AND THERE ARE OTHERS JUST LIKE THEM.

THIS ISN'T THE ONLY LOOSELY BOUND BINARY

IN THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO NOW WE KNOW THERE'S A WHOLE POPULATION

OF THESE KINDS OF ORBITS OUT THERE.

Narrator: THAT LEADS SCIENTISTS TO A MIND-BLOWING CONCLUSION.

IN ORDER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN,

A STAGGERING 99% OF THE MATERIAL

THAT SHOULD BE IN THE KUIPER BELT

MUST HAVE DISAPPEARED.

[ WHOOSH ]

COULD THAT HAPPEN NATURALLY?

ONE OF THE LEADING THEORIES FOR WHY THE KUIPER BELT

COULD BE DEPLETED IS THAT

THE GAS GIANTS -- JUPITER, SATURN, NEPTUNE, AND URANUS

DIDN'T JUST FORM WHERE THEY'RE AT NOW AND STAY THERE.

WE THINK THAT MAYBE THERE WAS

ALMOST SOME COSMIC BILLIARDS THAT WENT ON

UH, AS THE ORBITS OF THE PLANETS

WERE SETTLING THEMSELVES INTO PLACE.

THESE THINGS ARE PRETTY HEAVY DUTY PLAYERS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND SO THEY WERE THROWING THEIR WEIGHT AROUND.

THE THEORY IS, IS THAT THEIR GRAVITATIONAL INFLUENCE

GOT RID OF A LOT OF THINGS

THAT WERE ORIGINALLY IN THE KUIPER BELT.

Narrator: ASTRONOMER MARC D'ANTONIO

HAS ANOTHER THEORY.

HE BLAMES AN UNKNOWN INTRUDER

FOR GRABBING THE MATERIAL ON ITS WAY OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE HAVE A SIMULATION OF THE KUIPER BELT RIGHT HERE,

WHERE WE USE THIS MAGNET, AND WE RUN IT UNDERNEATH.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE

HOW ATTRACTIVE FORCES PULL AND TUG

PARTICLES OUT OF THE WAY.

IN OUR KUIPER BELT, THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT

OF PULLING PLANETS AND ASTEROIDS.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN SPECULATE ABOUT IS WHETHER

WE HAD MORE PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM OR NOT.

IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN IF IT WAS EJECTED

BY SOME GRAVITATIONAL INTERACTION WITH JUPITER

OR ONE OF THE OTHER PLANETS,

IT WOULD HAVE ALSO LEFT OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

AND GOING RIGHT OUT LIKE THIS

AND TAKEN A WHOLE BUNCH OF KUIPER BELT OBJECTS WITH IT.

THE KUIPER BELT IS THE NEW MYSTERIOUS ZONE

OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S THE GREAT UNKNOWN.

IT'S THE FAR FRONTIER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND WE HAVE A NASA MISSION THAT'S GOING

TO GO FIND OUT WHAT'S OUT THERE.

IT'S CALLED NEW HORIZONS, AND OUR DESTINATION IS PLUTO.

Morris: ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE

WILL REMAIN UNANSWERED UNTIL THE NEW HORIZONS MISSION

GETS THERE AND PROVIDES US WITH HOPEFULLY SOME OF THESE ANSWERS.

Narrator: NASA's UNCEASING QUEST FOR ANSWERS

TAKES US TO THE OUTER EDGES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND.

ROVERS CROSS FARAWAY PLANETS,

AND TELESCOPES LOOK TO DISTANT STARS,

SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON OUR OWN PLANET'S MYSTERIES,

OFFERING GLIMPSES OF EXCITING NEW POSSIBILITIES.

THE ANSWERS TO SPACE'S GREATEST CHALLENGES ARE OUT THERE.

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com