All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E01.Life.in.Hell.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

Narrator: N.A.S.A.'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 RISK
IS PART OF MAKING DISCOVERIES.

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 EXPERIMENTS

CONDUCTED DURING
THE "APOLLO" PROGRAM.

Man: AND SUDDENLY,
THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE.

THIS -- THIS IS AMAZING.

THIS IS SCIENCE FICTION,
EXCEPT YOU'RE LIVING IT.

Narrator: WEIRD PHENOMENA
THAT APPEAR TO DEFY

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS...

IT REALLY DOES PROVE

THAT THERE CAN BE
A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL.

Narrator: AND THREATS
TO THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE

OF LIFE ON EARTH...

IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST
DESTRUCTIVE EVENT

IN THE HISTORY
OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

BUT THERE'S NO TRACE OF WHAT
ACTUALLY HIT US.

[ STATIC, REWINDING SOUND ]

Narrator: N.A.S.A.'s MISSIONS

HAVE UNCOVERED DISTURBING
ANOMALIES...

MAN: Okay. We're seeing
three or four objects.

MAN: No, there are --
there are three objects.

...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX
OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.

THESE ARE...

THE "APOLLO 12" MISSION ENDS

WITH HUMANITY'S FIRST DELIBERATE
SPACESHIP CRASH.

WE JETTISONED THE LUNAR MODULE.

IT IMPACTED THE MOON
AT JUST THE RIGHT SPOT.

Narrator: AND THE SCIENTISTS
MONITORING THE IMPACT

GET THE SURPRISE OF THEIR LIVES.

THIS IS WEIRD.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

UH, IT'S RINGING LIKE A BELL.

ONCE YOU GO DOWN THE PATH
OF A HOLLOW MOON,

EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: STEPPING OUT
FROM THE LUNAR MODULE,

"APOLLO 12" ASTRONAUTS
PETE CONRAD AND ALAN BEAN

BECOME THE THIRD AND FOURTH
MEMBERS OF HUMANITY

TO SET FOOT ON ANOTHER WORLD.

THIS...THIS IS AMAZING.

THIS IS SCIENCE FICTION,
EXCEPT YOU'RE LIVING IT.

WE KNEW WE'D BEEN SENT THERE
FOR A JOB,

SO I LOOKED
AT THE CUFF CHECKLIST

AND SEE WHAT WAS TO DO NEXT.

Narrator: ONE OF THE MISSION'S
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

IS AN EXPERIMENT TO REVEAL
THE MOON'S GEOLOGICAL MAKEUP.

CRASHING PART
OF THE "APOLLO 12" SPACECRAFT

SHOULD SEND
MEASURABLE VIBRATIONS

THROUGH THE LUNAR CRUST.

SCIENTISTS SAID,
"LET'S SEPARATE THE LUNAR MODULE

"AND HAVE IT IMPACT THE MOON
JUST AT THE RIGHT DISTANCE

"AWAY FROM THIS SEISMOMETER
THAT THEY PUT THERE,

"AND WE'LL MEASURE HOW
IT VIBRATES,

"AND THAT'LL TELL US
WHAT'S GOING ON

IN THE CENTER OF THE MOON."

Narrator: THE EXPERIMENT BEGINS
WITH THE INSTALLATION

OF A SEISMOMETER,
A HIGHLY SENSITIVE DEVICE

TO DETECT TINY MOVEMENTS
IN THE MOON'S SURFACE

AND THE ROCKS DEEP BELOW.

THE FIRST THING IT MEASURED
ON THERE

WAS US RUNNING NEAR IT.

THEY COULD CATCH OUR FEET.

[ BEEP ]Feet now.

We're picking up,
uh, your heavy footprints

going by the seismometer.

Narrator:
FOR THE NEXT 31 HOURS,

THIS GEOLOGY EXPERIMENT REMAINS
ON HOLD

WHILE THE ASTRONAUTS FOCUS ON
OTHER WORK,

INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION

OF A NUCLEAR-POWERED
SCIENCE STATION

ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

[ STATIC ]

THE EXPERIMENT RESUMES
WHEN THE ASCENT STAGE

BLASTS INTO ORBIT TO RENDEZVOUS
WITH THE COMMAND MODULE.

ONCE THE LUNAR MODULE
ASCENT STAGE

DOCKS WITH
THE COMMAND SERVICE MODULE

AND THEY TRANSFER
ALL THE PERSONNEL

AND THE MATERIAL
INTO THE COMMAND MODULE,

THE ASCENT STAGE BECOMES
VIRTUALLY USELESS.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Narrator:
THE ABANDONED SPACECRAFT

BECOMES A MISSILE
UNDER THE CONTROL

OF TECHNICIANS IN HOUSTON.

MAN: Guidance and control
officer reports that --

that, uh, the two spacecraft
have, uh, separated.

THE LUNAR MODULE ASCENT STAGE
IS TARGETED TO LAND

ABOUT 40 TO 50 MILES AWAY FROM
THE "APOLLO 12" LANDING SITE.

"Apollo 12," Houston.
The land is on its way down.

Narrator: TRAVELING AT
ALMOST 3,800 MILES PER HOUR,

THE USED VEHICLE SLAMS
INTO THE MOON'S SURFACE...

[ EXPLOSION ]

...CREATING A 30-FOOT-WIDE
CRATER AND A MOONQUAKE.

IT IMPACTED THE MOON
AT JUST THE RIGHT SPOT

SO OUR SEISMOMETER

COULD MEASURE WHAT THE INTERIOR
OF THE MOON WAS LIKE.

Narrator: THE RESULTS RECORDED
ON THE SEISMIC SENSORS

ASTONISH N.A.S.A. SCIENTISTS.

WHEN THEY SAW THEM
ON THE SEISMIC RECORD,

IT WAS RINGING LIKE A BELL,
AND IT JUST WOULDN'T STOP.

IT -- IT WAS JUST AMAZING.

THEY HAD NOT SEEN SOMETHING
LIKE THAT BEFORE.

THEY WONDERED,
"WHAT THE DEVIL IS THIS?"

Narrator: WHEN MAURICE EWING,

CO-HEAD
OF THE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT,

STARTS THE SCIENCE
PRESS CONFERENCE

30 MINUTES LATER,
THE MOON IS STILL RINGING.

[ STATIC ]

Man: AS FOR THE MEANING OF IT,
I'D RATHER NOT MAKE A --

AN INTERPRETATION RIGHT NOW,

BUT IT IS AS THOUGH ONE HAD

STRUCK A BELL, SAY, IN THE --
IN THE BELFRY OF THE CHURCH,

A SINGLE BLOW,
AND FOUND THAT

THE REVERBERATION
FROM IT CONTINUED.

Narrator: THE MOONQUAKE CAUSED
BY THIS SINGLE IMPACT

CONTINUES
FOR ANOTHER 25 MINUTES.

THIS, OF COURSE, SET OFF

A SEARCH TO TRY TO FIND
AN EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT THIS BIG DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WHAT WE SEE ON EARTH,

WHERE THE EARTHQUAKES
ONLY LAST FOR A FEW MINUTES,

AND ON THE MOON, WHERE THEY
GO ON FOR HOURS AND HOURS.

SCIENTISTS WHO WERE WILLING
TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX SAID,

"HEY, THAT'S HOLLOW.
WE HAVE A HOLLOW MOON."

ONCE YOU GO DOWN
THE PATH OF A HOLLOW MOON,

EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE.

SO, IF THE MOON WERE HOLLOW,
WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN?

WELL, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S NOT
A NATURALLY OCCURRING PHENOMENON

SO IT'S GOTTA BE ARTIFICIAL.

SOMEBODY PUT IT THERE.
SOMEONE BUILT IT.

[ ALARM SOUNDS ]

Man: "FIRST MEN IN THE MOON."

Narrator: THEORIES ABOUT
OUR MOON BEING HOLLOW

HAVE BECOME COMMON
IN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES

BUT DON'T FIT
WITH MAINSTREAM SCIENCE.

THE IDEA THAT THE MOON COULD BE
AN ARTIFICIAL SPACE STATION...

HOW DIFFICULT IT IS JUST TO GET
OUR SPACE STATION UP,

CAN YOU IMAGINE PUTTING
SOMETHING THE SIZE OF THE MOON

IN ORBIT?

I DON'T THINK SO.
IT HAS A BIGGER STORY.

Narrator: N.A.S.A. SCIENTISTS

HAVE THEORIZED THAT
THE UNEXPECTED VIBRATIONS

COME FROM LOW LEVELS OF WATER
IN THE MOON'S CRUST.

THE EARTH
IS A WATER-RICH PLANET.

WE HAVE WATER COVERING
THE SURFACE,

BUT THERE'S ALSO LOTS
OF WATER THAT'S BEEN BURIED DEEP

INSIDE THE EARTH'S MANTLE.

[ OBJECTS SHATTERING ]

WHEN YOU HAVE AN EARTHQUAKE,
THE WATER IN THE EARTH

ABSORBS THAT SIGNAL
VERY QUICKLY,

LIKE SHOCK ABSORBERS.

[ SHATTERING CONTINUES ]

BUT ON THE MOON, THERE'S MUCH
LESS WATER ON THE SURFACE

AND THEN ALSO VERY LITTLE WATER
INSIDE THE INTERIOR OF THE MOON.

WITHOUT THE WATER,
IT MAKES IT KEEP ON RINGING.

Narrator:
THE IDEA OF A HOLLOW MOON

REMAINS SCIENCE FICTION...

AT LEAST FOR NOW.

N.A.S.A.'s GEOLOGICAL RESEARCH

IS CONSTANTLY EXPANDING
THE BOUNDARIES

OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE BY UNLOCKING
THE SECRETS OF DISTANT WORLDS.

BUT MANY OF THE SPACE AGENCY'S
STRANGEST DISCOVERIES

ARE FOUND CLOSER TO HOME.

[ WHOOSHES ]

AGENT WHITE WAS DEEP
INTO THE UNKNOWN.

HE WAS EXPERIENCING THINGS

THAT NO PILOT HAD EVER
ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.

Narrator:
WHEN A N.A.S.A. TEST FLIGHT

SOARS TO THE EDGE OF SPACE,

EVERYONE EXPECTS IT TO BE
A SOLO JOURNEY.

WHITE SAID,
"THERE ARE THINGS OUT HERE."

WHITE'S THINKING,
"WHAT ISTHAT THING,

AND WHAT'S IT DOING
IN OUR ATMOSPHERE?"

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: JULY 17, 1962.

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR,

BOTH SUPERPOWERS FIGHT
FOR TECHNOLOGICAL SUPREMACY

OVER AIR AND SPACE.

AND N.A.S.A.'s ENGINEERS
MAN THE FRONT LINES.

THESE ARE THE EARLY DAYS

OF HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-ALTITUDE
FLIGHTS.

EVERYTHING IS NEW.
EVERYTHING IS ON THE EDGE.

Narrator: IN 1955,
N.A.S.A.'s FORERUNNER,

THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
FOR AERONAUTICS,

COMMISSIONS THE X-15,

A ROCKET-POWERED,
SUPERSONIC PLANE,

TO REACH THE EDGE
OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THE X-15 IS A JOINT VENTURE
BETWEEN N.A.S.A.

AND THE UNITED STATES
AIR FORCE,

AND IT'S TESTING
WHAT THE LIMITS ARE

FOR AIRCRAFT FLYING
AT HIGH ALTITUDE INTO SPACE

AND IS DEFINITELY
CUTTING-EDGE.

Narrator: THE CHIEF TEST PILOT
FOR THE X-15 PROGRAM

IS MAJOR ROBERT WHITE.

A VETERAN OF THREE WARS,

WHITE HOLDS THE RECORD FOR
THE FASTEST MANNED FLIGHT EVER,

OVER 4,000 MILES PER HOUR.

MAJOR WHITE
AND THE OTHER X-15 PILOTS

WERE FLYING FASTER AND HIGHER

THAN ANYONE HAD EVER FLOWN
BEFORE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: FIRST, HE HITCHES
A RIDE TO 45,000 FEET

UNDER THE WING
OF A B-52 MOTHERSHIP.

THEN THOSE ENGINES LIGHT OFF.

[ WHOOSH ]

AT THAT POINT, HE'S ALL ALONE.

Narrator:
THE ENGINES BURN FOR 82 SECONDS,

ACCELERATING WHITE
TO 3,800 MILES PER HOUR.

NEARLY 60 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH,

HE IS HIGHER THAN ANY PERSON
IN RECORDED HISTORY.

HE WAS FLYING VERY HIGH,
VERY FAST.

SUDDENLY THERE'S SOMETHING
OUT THERE.

Narrator:
WHITE RADIOS TO GROUND CONTROL

THAT HE SEES MULTIPLE
UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS.

MAN: There are a lot of things
out there. There absolutely is.

Narrator:
ONE PARTICULARLY STANDS OUT.

HE SAW THIS STRANGE OBJECT
OUTSIDE OF HIS COCKPIT WINDOW.

Narrator: THE OBJECT SEEMS
TO SHADOW HIS X-15

AS HE ZOOMS THROUGH
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE

AT MORE THAN FIVE TIMES
THE SPEED OF SOUND.

IT'S A GREAT SURPRISE. DOESN'T
EXPECT TO SEE ANYTHING UP THERE.

HE'S GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW FAR
AWAY THEY ARE, HOW BIG THEY ARE,

HOW THEY'RE MOVING RELATIVE
TO HIM. ARE THEY DANGEROUS?

Narrator: THE OBJECT KEEPS PACE
WITH THE FASTEST AIRCRAFT

HUMANITY HAS EVER PRODUCED

FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE WHITE
STARTS HIS DESCENT.

I DON'T THINK HE KNEW
WHAT IT WAS,

AND HE WAS THE ONE LOOKING
AT IT.

YOU'RE KIND OF LEFT
WITH THE QUESTION,

"WHAT THE HECK COULD
THAT HAVE BEEN?"

[ ROARING ]

Narrator: WHEN WHITE LANDS,
HE REPORTS HIS SIGHTING

TO ENGINEERS
AS PART OF HIS DEBRIEF.

Oberg: WHITE'S STORY REMAINS
CONSISTENT.

THE OBJECTS ARE SMALL,
ABOUT THE SIZE OF HIS HAND,

30 OR 40 FEET AWAY,

TUMBLING AND MOVING ALONG
IN FLIGHT WITH HIM.

ALL THESE ARE
VERY PUZZLING ASPECTS.

IT'S JUST VERY DIFFICULT
TO IMAGINE WHAT IT IS

THAT COULD BE TRAVELING
AT THE SAME SPEED

AS A MACH 4 ROCKET PLANE.

Narrator: OFFICIAL REPORTS
SUGGEST THE OBJECTS

WERE CAUGHT ON FILM BY AT LEAST
ONE OF THE ONBOARD CAMERAS,

BUT MYSTERIOUSLY,

THIS FOOTAGE
IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

NO FOOTAGE.
I MEAN, HERE'S A PLANE

THAT'S BRISTLING WITH ALL KINDS
OF CAMERAS.

IF A FILM EXISTS OF WHAT'S
GOING ON OUTSIDE THAT COCKPIT

OF AN OBJECT, YOU CAN BET THAT
WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY.

Narrator:
WITHOUT THE CRUCIAL FOOTAGE,

WHITE'S TESTIMONY
IS THE ONLY CLEAR EVIDENCE

OF THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
AT THE EDGE OF SPACE.

THIS ISN'T THE TYPE
OF INDIVIDUAL

WHO'S GONNA MAKE UP SOMETHING
OR IMAGINE IT.

HE SAW A U.F.O.,

AND HE HAD NO REASON
TO FABRICATE THAT STORY.

THIS IS
A N.A.S.A. AIR FORCE MISSION

FLOWN BY
AN AIR FORCE PILOT.

YOU DON'T GET MORE CREDIBLE
THAN THAT.

Narrator: ONE IDEA IS THAT
THE UNKNOWN OBJECTS

COULD BE THE REMAINS
OF A SATELLITE OR SPACECRAFT.

THE LIKELIHOOD OF IT
BEING MAN-MADE SPACE JUNK

OR SATELLITES
IS EXTREMELY REMOTE

BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T
MANY THINGS

THAT HAD BEEN UP THAT HIGH
AT THAT TIME.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
BUT IT CERTAINLY,

AS FAR AS WE KNOW,
WASN'T ANYTHING OF OURS.

Narrator: N.A.S.A. OFFICIALLY
DESCRIBES THE PHENOMENON

AS A BYPRODUCT

OF THE X-15's EXPERIMENTAL
PROPULSION SYSTEM.

BECAUSE OF THE SUPERCOOLED
LIQUID NITROGEN IN USE,

YOU WOULD GET ICE CRYSTALS
AND ICE FLAKES FORMING

ON THE OUTSIDE
OF THE AIRCRAFT,

AND AS THE AIRCRAFT MANEUVERS
AS IT'S IN ITS FLIGHT,

YOU'LL GET BREAKING OFF OF
THESE ICE CRYSTALS AND FLAKES.

IF YOU'RE UP AT 300,000 FEET,
THE SUNLIGHT IS GONNA REFLECT

OFF OF THAT VERY STRONGLY

AND MAKE IT VERY, VERY BRIGHT.

Narrator: AT LOWER ALTITUDES,

TRAVELING AT SUCH HIGH SPEEDS,

FRICTION WITH THE AIR
WOULD GENERATE INTENSE HEAT,

MELTING ICE CRYSTALS
AS SOON AS THEY FORM.

WHEN YOU THINK OF A ROCKET PLANE

GOING THOUSANDS OF MILES
AN HOUR, YOU THINK OF FRICTION.

BUT IT WAS ALSO IN A VACUUM,

AND THERE WAS
PRECIOUS LITTLE AIR AROUND IT.

THERE'S VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE.
THERE'S VERY LITTLE FRICTION

ON THE OUTSIDE
OF THE SPACECRAFT.

SO THESE ICE CRYSTALS ARE GONNA
FLOAT ALONG WITH THE AIRCRAFT.

Narrator:
WHITE REMAINED UNCERTAIN

ABOUT WHAT HE SAW ON THE FLIGHT.

MANY OTHERS ARE RELUCTANT TO
ACCEPT THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION.

UNLESS THEY FULLY ADMIT TO WHAT
SOME OF THEIR PILOTS,

THEIR ASTRONAUTS HAVE SEEN,

WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: UP NEXT --
N.A.S.A. REOPENS THE CASE FILE

FROM A U.F.O. SIGHTING
IN PENNSYLVANIA.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator:
WHEN AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

CRASH-LANDS IN PENNSYLVANIA...

[ EXPLOSION ]

THIS THING DIDN'T COME DOWN
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

IT LANDED 30 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF PITTSBURGH.

THE QUESTION IS, "WHAT WAS IT,
AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM?"

Narrator:
RUMORS OF N.A.S.A. INVOLVEMENT

IN THE INCIDENT SPREAD FAST.

AFTER N.A.S.A. RETRIEVED
THIS OBJECT,

THERE WAS A CONE OF SILENCE
THAT DROPPED OVER IT.

SO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

ACCORDING TO THE UNITED STATES
AIR FORCE THEMSELVES,

"THERE WAS NOTHING
TO BE SEEN HERE, FOLKS."

Narrator: N.A.S.A. HOPES THAT
IT'S GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH

MAY ONE DAY ANSWER QUESTIONS

ABOUT WHETHER MANKIND IS ALONE
IN THE UNIVERSE.

BUT OTHERS BELIEVE THOSE ANSWERS
CAN ALREADY BE FOUND

IN CHAPTERS
FROM THE SPACE AGENCY'S PAST.

WE GOT CUT OFF. STAND BY.MAN: Roger.

Narrator: DECEMBER 9, 1965.

A DAZZLING FIREBALL BURNS
THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING SKY

OVER PENNSYLVANIA.

[ WHOOSHING ]

IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS FLAMING,
BUT IT WAS REALLY GLOWING.

WHATEVER IT IS,
IT'S MOVING INCREDIBLY FAST.

Narrator: THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
SEE THE BRILLIANT LIGHT

AS IT RACES ACROSS THE CANADIAN
BORDER INTO THE UNITED STATES.

IT MADE THIS LONG S-CURVE,

FLEW OVER OHIO OVER THE WESTERN
BORDER OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Narrator: INITIAL REPORTS
SUGGEST THE FIREBALL

IS NOTHING MORE THAN
AN UNUSUALLY LARGE METEOR.

THEN WE START GETTING REPORTS
FROM KECKSBURG

THAT SOMETHING HAS LANDED
IN THE WOODS OUTSIDE OF TOWN.

Narrator: IN THE SMALL,
RURAL TOWN OF KECKSBURG,

30 MILES OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH,

LOCAL RESIDENTS REPORT
A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

FALLING FROM THE SKY.

THE PEOPLE WHO SAW
THIS THING COME DOWN

SAID IT WAS
A CONTROLLED LANDING.

IT WASN'T A CRASH.

Narrator: THE SIGHT SHOCKS
LOCAL WITNESSES.

PEOPLE SAW THIS THING COMING
DOWN FROM THE SKIES,

AN OBJECT, ACORN-SHAPED.

IT WAS ABOUT 8 TO 10 FEET.
IT WAS GLOWING A PURPLISH-BLUE.

IT LOOKED HOT,
AND IT WAS PULSATING.

IT HAD THESE STRANGE MARKINGS
ALONG THE BASE,

AND NOBODY COULD MAKE OUT
WHAT THE MARKINGS WERE.

[ LIGHTS CLICK ]

Man over P.A.:
THIS IS NOW A MILITARY ZONE.

CLEAR THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.

Narrator: WITHIN HOURS,

THE MILITARY CORDONS OFF
THE ENTIRE AREA.

THESE ARMY TROOPS

DID NOT HAVE ANY
IDENTIFYING INSIGNIA ON THEM.

NOBODY KNEW WHO THEY WERE.

THEY SHOW UP.
THEY CORDON OFF THE AREA.

EVEN
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE TROOPERS,

WHO WERE CALLED TO THE SITE --
THEY WERE THROWN OFF THE SITE.

WITNESSES REPORT THAT
WHEN THEY WENT OUT TO THE SCENE,

THEY RAN INTO FOLKS WHO
CLAIMED TO BE N.A.S.A.

WHY WOULD N.A.S.A. SHOW UP?

I MEAN, IT MAKES NO SENSE.

Narrator: WITNESSES AT THE SCENE
REPORT SEEING SOMETHING

LOADED ON THE BACK
OF A FLATBED TRUCK.

PEOPLE SAW MILITARY,
BIG VEHICLES,

CARTING AWAY THIS
ACORN-SHAPED THING.

IT WAS KIND OF,
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

Narrator: IN SPITE
OF CREDIBLE WITNESS REPORTS,

FOR FOUR DECADES,
THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

IS THAT NOTHING WAS RECOVERED
IN THE WOODS OUTSIDE KECKSBURG

AND THAT THE FIREBALL IN THE SKY
WAS JUST A METEOR.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

BUT THE STORY THAT SOMETHING
UNIDENTIFIED

CRASHED IN THE WOODS
REFUSES TO GO AWAY.

SOME SPECULATE
THAT THE "KECKSBURG U.F.O."

CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THE RE-ENTRY
OF A KOSMOS 96 SOVIET SATELLITE.

Narrator: KOSMOS 96 WAS A SOVIET
PROBE THAT WAS HEADED TO VENUS

BUT FAILED AFTER TAKEOFF
AND CRASHED.

BUT THIS APPARENTLY
STRAIGHTFORWARD EXPLANATION

DOESN'T FIT WITH THE U.S.
AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND'S RECORD

OF THE SOVIET SATELLITE'S
FATE.

THEIR REPORT CONCLUDED
THAT THERE WAS A CRASH

OF A SOVIET SPACE PROBE,

BUT THAT HAPPENED 13 HOURS
BEFORE THE KECKSBURG INCIDENT.

Narrator: THE STORIES
SURROUNDING THE INCIDENT

REMAINED UNEXPLAINED
FOR DECADES,

UNTIL 2003, WHEN A N.A.S.A.
CHIEF SCIENTIST,

NICHOLAS L. JOHNSON,
PURPORTEDLY STATES

THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR DEBRIS
FROM THE RUSSIAN PROBE

TO HAVE LANDED IN KECKSBURG
AT THAT TIME OF DAY.

BUT JUST TWO YEARS LATER,

N.A.S.A. RELEASES A STATEMENT
WHICH SEEMS TO CONTRADICT

BOTH ITS OWN CHIEF SCIENTIST
AND ALL THE PREVIOUS STORIES.

IN 2005, WE GET THIS
N.A.S.A. STATEMENT

CONFIRMING THAT
THEIR SCIENTISTS

DID ANALYZE METAL FRAGMENTS
FROM THIS OBJECT.

THE N.A.S.A. REPORT CONCLUDED
THAT THESE METAL FRAGMENTS

DID COME FROM THIS DOWNED
SOVIET SPACE PROBE.

Narrator: TO DATE, ALL REQUESTS
TO N.A.S.A.'s MISSING DOCUMENTS

HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL.

N.A.S.A.'s OWN
CATALOGING SYSTEM

SAYS THERE SHOULD BE
TWO BOXES OF DOCUMENTS

ABOUT KECKSBURG INCIDENT.

BUT SOME TIME
IN THE LAST FOUR DECADES,

THEY'VE APPARENTLY
GONE MISSING.

Narrator: WE MAY NEVER KNOW
WHETHER THE MISSING DOCUMENTS

REVEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT
WAS RECOVERED

THAT NIGHT AT KECKSBURG.

WHAT WAS IT? I DON'T KNOW.

BUT THE GOVERNMENT OBVIOUSLY
GRABBED IT AND RAN WITH IT,

AND THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT.
AND THEY GOT AWAY WITH IT.

Narrator: COMING UP,
A N.A.S.A. PROBE

FINDS SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE

ON A PLANETARY SURFACE
HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD.

Narrator:
WHEN A N.A.S.A. PROBE

REACHES THE CLOSEST PLANET
TO OUR SUN...

MERCURY'S PRETTY STRANGE.

TEMPERATURES ARE EXTREMELY HOT.
HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD.

Narrator: IN THE MIDST
OF A SUPERHEATED HELL,

IT DISCOVERS SOMETHING
IMPOSSIBLE.

THERE'S REALLY WATER ICE THERE,
AND IT'S VERY BIZARRE.

MERCURY'S A PLANET
THAT'S SO HOT,

SO CLOSE TO THE SUN

THAT NO LIVING CREATURE
CAN EXIST ON IT.

WHY IS THERE WATER ON MERCURY?

Narrator: N.A.S.A.'s SEARCH
FOR LIFE TAKES IT

TO EVERY CORNER
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

BUT OF THE MANY SCIENTISTS
WORKING

ON THE MESSENGER MISSION
TO MERCURY,

NONE ARE EXPECTING
TO SEE SIGNS OF LIFE.

FOR PROFESSOR SEAN SOLOMON,
THE PROBE'S FINAL APPROACH

IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
AFTER AN 8-YEAR WAIT.

Solomon: THERE'S A PERFECT ORBIT
ABSORPTION.

WE ALL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF.

[ SONAR BEEPING ]

THE TEAM JUST EXPLODED
WITH DELIGHT.

WE WERE THERE,
AND IT WAS WORKING.

Narrator: AS MESSENGER PASSES
OVER MERCURY'S NORTH POLE,

IT DETECTS SOMETHING STRANGE.

HYDROGEN MEASUREMENTS THAT

THERE WAS A LOT OF WATER ICE
THERE.

10 OF CENTIMETERS, MAYBE METERS,
IN THICKNESS

OF NEARLY PURE-WATER ICE.

[ STATIC ]

WATER ICE ON THIS
VERY HOT PLACE -- VERY BIZARRE.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS HAVE LONG BELIEVED

THAT MERCURY IS COMPLETELY
UNINHABITABLE.

BUT THE DISCOVERY OF ICE
ON THE HELL PLANET

RAISES NEW QUESTIONS...

INCLUDING "HOW DID
THE ICE GET THERE,

AND WHY HASN'T IT MELTED?"

IT WASN'T EVERYWHERE
IN THESE POLES.

IT WASN'T A POLAR CAP.

THE DEPOSITS WERE LOCALIZED
TO THE FLOORS OF IMPACT CRATERS.

WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT

THERE, IN FACT, WERE LOCATIONS
INSIDE THESE CRATERS

THAT COULD BE COLD ENOUGH
TO HAVE ICE IN IT.

Narrator:
LYING DEEP IN THE CRATERS,

THE WATER ICE IS SHIELDED
FROM THE SUN'S POWERFUL RAYS.

AND THANKS
TO MERCURY'S SPIN AXIS,

THE PLANET'S POLES
STAY PERMANENTLY FROZEN.

THE POLE IS
STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN,

YOU KNOW, PERPENDICULAR
TO THE ORBIT.

Solomon: THE POLES OF MERCURY
ARE EXTRAORDINARILY COLD --

MINUS 300 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

Baines:
THEY DON'T SEE THE SUN,

AND SO THEREFORE,
IT STAYS VERY, VERY COLD

AND CAN KEEP WATER FROZEN
FOR EONS.

Narrator: WHILE MERCURY'S WEIRD
PLANETARY SPIN SEEMS TO EXPLAIN

HOW ICE CAN EXIST,

IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN
THE ICE'S ORIGIN.

A CLUE COMES FROM SOMETHING ELSE

DETECTED DEEP
INSIDE THE CRATERS.

INSIDE THESE SHATTERED CRATERS,
ON THE SURFACE OF THE ICE,

THERE'S A MATERIAL THAT'S ABOUT
AS DARK AS COAL.

Solomon: WHAT IS IT?

WHAT IS THAT DARK MATERIAL
ON TOP OF THE WATER ICE?

AND THE LEADING IDEA IS THAT
IT'S ORGANIC MATERIAL.

Narrator: THIS ORGANIC MATERIAL
IS A DARK MIX

OF COMPLEX CARBON MOLECULES

THAT COULD BE ONE
OF THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE,

AND IT DOESN'T COME
FROM MERCURY.

THAT LED US TO THE IDEA THAT,

UH, THE WATER ICE ON MERCURY
CAME FROM, UH, OBJECTS

THAT IMPACTED FROM OUTSIDE,

THAT THOSE OBJECTS BROUGHT
OTHER VOLATILE COMPOUNDS,

INCLUDING ORGANIC MATERIAL.

Narrator: THE PRIME SUSPECTS FOR
DELIVERING THIS MESSY COCKTAIL

OF ICE AND ORGANIC MATERIALS
ARE COMETS,

DIRTY SNOWBALLS THAT
STREAK ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AND FREQUENTLY DIE WHEN
THEY GET CLOSE TO THE SUN.

Solomon: JUST LAST YEAR,
WE HAD TWO COMETS

THAT PASSED FAIRLY CLOSE
TO MERCURY.

Narrator: ONCE EVERY COUPLE
MILLION YEARS,

A COMET HITS MERCURY
AND THEN VAPORIZES.

THIS MATERIAL HOPS ALONG
THE SURFACE AND FINDS ITS WAY

INTO THESE COLD PLACES,

WHERE IT'S THEN FROZEN
AND THEN ACCUMULATES.

Narrator:
THE INCREDIBLE COMBINATION

OF ONE-IN-A-MILLION COMET
IMPACTS

AND DEEP CRATERS AT THE POLES OF
A WORLD WHICH DOESN'T TILT

MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR FROZEN ICE
TO EXIST

ON ONE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S
HOTTEST PLANETS.

AND IT MIGHT FORCE US TO RETHINK
SOME OF OUR IDEAS

ABOUT WHERE LIFE CAN EXIST.

MERCURY REALLY DOES PROVE

THAT THERE CANBE
A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN HELL.

[ WHOOSH ]STILL TO COME --

COULD THE SHUTTLE LAUNCH
PROVIDE ANSWERS

TO ONE OF THE GREATEST
SCIENTIFIC MYSTERIES

OF THE 20th CENTURY?

Narrator: A COLOSSAL EXPLOSION

COMES CLOSE TO WIPING OUT
LIFE ON EARTH.

IT'S PROBABLY
THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE EVENT

IN THE HISTORY
OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

Narrator:
THE EVIDENCE SEEMS TO POINT

TOWARDS AN ATOMIC APOCALYPSE...

35 YEARS BEFORE THE CREATION
OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.

HOW COULD THERE HAVE BEEN
AN EXPLOSION

LIKE A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
IN TUNGUSKA IN 1908?

UH, IT'S A DETECTIVE STORY,
FOR SURE.

YOU FOLLOW THE FACTS,
AND YOU FIND THE KILLER.

Narrator: THE FIRST MAN-MADE
ATOMIC EXPLOSION TOOK PLACE

IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT
IN 1945.

BUT IN THE LORE
OF ATOMIC SCIENCE,

ANOTHER CHAPTER IS
RARELY MENTIONED --

A STRANGE INCIDENT

IN THE REMOTE TUNGUSKA REGION
OF SIBERIA.

IT BEGINS ON A JUNE MORNING,

WHEN A HUNTING TRIP COMES
TO AN EXPLOSIVE END.

A LIGHT, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN,
SUDDENLY APPEARS,

STREAKS ACROSS THE SKY...

AND EXPLODES.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE LOCALS TRULY BELIEVE

THAT IT WAS THEIR GOD BRINGING
ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION
DESTROYS AN AREA

MORE THAN TWICE THE SIZE
OF NEW YORK CITY

AND PRODUCES SHOCK WAVES
POWERFUL ENOUGH

TO CAUSE VIBRATIONS
3,000 MILES AWAY.

FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS,

THE CAUSE
OF THE SO-CALLED TUNGUSKA EVENT

REMAINS AN ENIGMA.

IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST
DESTRUCTIVE EVENT IN THE HISTORY

OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION,

BUT THERE'S NO TRACE
OF WHAT ACTUALLY HIT US.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
ENDURING MYSTERIES

OF 20th-CENTURY SCIENCE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator:
THE IMPACT SITE IS SO REMOTE

THAT THE FIRST INVESTIGATORS
DON'T ARRIVE

UNTIL 19 YEARS AFTER THE EVENT.

THE ONLY CLUE THEY FIND
IS THE INCREDIBLE ARRANGEMENT

OF MILLIONS OF DEAD TREES.

EXPLORERS OUT THERE FOUND
THESE TREES,

RADIALLY KNOCKED DOWN
FROM A CENTER POINT,

AND THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT
WHAT -- WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.

Narrator:
THE INVESTIGATION REVEALS

THAT SOMETHING BURNED
AND STRIPPED THE TREES.

THE WAY THE TREES HAD BEEN
BURNT, STRIPPED,

AND BLOWN DOWN AT TUNGUSKA

WAS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME WAY
AS IN A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION.

SO THE QUESTION IS, HOW COULD
THERE HAVE BEEN AN EXPLOSION,

LIKE A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
IN TUNGUSKA IN 1908?

WE WOULDN'T HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
FOR ANOTHER 35 YEARS.

Narrator:
WITH NO EARTHLY EXPLANATION,

SCIENTISTS TURN TO THE HEAVENS.

THE FACT THAT THERE WAS SUCH
SIGNIFICANT DEVASTATION

AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS

NO NUCLEAR CAPABILITY
ON THIS PLANET

MADE PEOPLE WONDER,

"IS IT POSSIBLE THAT SOMETHING
CAME FROM THE STARS?"

Narrator:
FOR MOST OF THE 20th CENTURY,

SCIENTISTS BELIEVED THAT
A MASSIVE ASTEROID IMPACT

CAUSED THE TUNGUSKA EVENT,

BUT THEY LACK A CRUCIAL PIECE
OF EVIDENCE.

THE PROBLEM IS,
THERE IS NO CRATER AT TUNGUSKA,

SO WHERE DID THAT ASTEROID GO?

Narrator:
GEOPHYSICIST MICHAEL KELLEY

HAS SPENT OVER 10 YEARS
INVESTIGATING THIS MYSTERY.

UH, IT'S A DETECTIVE STORY
FOR SURE.

YOU FOLLOW THE FACTS,
AND YOU FIND THE KILLER.

Narrator: KELLEY'S FIRST CLUE
COMES IN 2007,

WHEN HE NOTICES STRANGE,
GLOWING CLOUDS FORMING

AFTER THE LAUNCH OF
SHUTTLE MISSION STS-118.

TWO DAYS AFTER THE SHUTTLE
WAS LAUNCHED,

THERE'S A SPECTACULAR
NOCTILUCENT CLOUD DISPLAY,

I MEAN, ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST
AND PRETTIEST

THAT I'VE EVER SEEN.

Narrator: NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS
ARE AN EXTREMELY RARE PHENOMENON

THAT FORM 50 MILES UP.

THE CLOUDS RESEMBLE
THE GLOWING SKIES

REPORTED BY WITNESSES
AFTER THE EXPLOSION IN SIBERIA.

YOU COULD READ A BOOK
AT NIGHT AT MIDNIGHT,

AND THAT REALLY GOT ME
THINKING

BECAUSE
THE WAY THEY DESCRIBED IT

WOULD BE EXACTLY THE WAY
YOU WOULD DESCRIBE

A NOCTILUCENT CLOUD.[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]

Narrator: KELLEY DISCOVERS
THAT THE GLOWING CLOUDS APPEAR

FOLLOWING THE RELEASE

OF 600,000 POUNDS OF WATER VAPOR
FROM THE SHUTTLE'S ENGINES.

THERE'S REMARKABLE SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENED

AFTER TUNGUSKA AND WHAT HAPPENED
AFTER THE SHUTTLE LAUNCHES.

THIS SUGGESTS THAT WHATEVER
CAUSED THE TUNGUSKA EVENT

MUST ALSO HAVE RELEASED
VAST AMOUNTS OF WATER

INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THAT'S WHEN I STARTED THINKING

THAT THIS REALLY COULD NAIL
THE MYSTERY OF TUNGUSKA.

Narrator: FOR KELLEY,
THERE'S ONLY ONE EXPLANATION.

WELL, IT OBVIOUSLY IS
AN EXPLOSION OF A COMET.

Narrator:
KELLEY'S INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES

THAT, IN JUNE 1908,
A MASSIVE ICY COMET

EXPLODES HIGH
IN THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

LEAVING NO CRATER BUT RELEASING
HUGE CLOUDS OF WATER VAPOR,

JUST LIKE THE SHUTTLE LAUNCH.

[ EXPLOSION ]

I THINK WE FINALLY HAVE
AN ANSWER

TO ONE
OF SCIENCE'S GREATEST ENIGMAS.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

A N.A.S.A. MISSION
TO THE RED PLANET

STUMBLES ACROSS
A SCI-FI PHENOMENON.

Narrator: WHEN A N.A.S.A. PROBE
SURVEYS A MARTIAN SATELLITE,

WHAT IT DISCOVERS ASTONISHES
SCIENTISTS ON EARTH.

I TOOK A LOOK
AT THE PHOBOS IMAGE.

I LITERALLY COULD NOT BELIEVE
MY EYES.

Narrator: A TOWERING STRUCTURE
LOOMS OVER THE MOON'S SURFACE.

IF YOU WERE TO BE STANDING
AT THE SURFACE OF PHOBOS,

THIS THING WOULD BE
A SKYSCRAPER.

IT'S SO PROPER AND RIGHT ANGLED,

YOU THINK
THAT IT'S ARTIFICIAL.

N.A.S.A.'s
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY

IS THE SITE
OF SOME OF HUMANITY'S GREATEST

TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS.

AMONG ITS MANY SUCCESSES IS

THE MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR
PROGRAM.

BUT IN 1998, ONE THING NOBODY
ON THE ELITE N.A.S.A. TEAM

EXPECTS TO FIND

IS SIGNS OF CONSTRUCTION

ON THE SURFACE OF
THE RED PLANET'S LARGEST MOON.

I WASN'T REALLY LOOKING
FOR ANYTHING,

JUST KIND OF GLANCING THROUGH
THE IMAGES.

AND SOMETHING JUST POPPED OUT
AND -- AND STRUCK ME.

I SAID,
"WHOA. WHAT IS THIS THING?"

Narrator: INSTEAD OF
A FEATURELESS EXPANSE

OF EMPTY ROCK,

Palermo: PALERMO SEES SOMETHING
DISTURBINGLY REGULAR.

WHAT I SAW KIND OF
BLEW MY MIND AWAY.

THE SHADOW WAS A LOT LONGER
THAN IT SHOULD BE.

IT LOOKED LIKE
THIS MONOLITHIC STRUCTURE.

THE SIGHTING BEARS
LITTLE RESEMBLANCE

TO ANY KNOWN
NATURAL PHENOMENON.

LO AND BEHOLD, THERE WAS
THIS GIGANTIC MONOLITH

SITTING AT THE SURFACE OF PHOBOS

THAT WAS, ESSENTIALLY,
A TOWERING FEATURE.

IT'S THE SIZE OF A SKYSCRAPER.

USING THE LENGTH OF THE SHADOW,

SCIENTISTS CALCULATE THAT
THE ODD STRUCTURE

IS OVER 400 FEET HIGH.

TO HAVE A STRUCTURE STANDING
UPRIGHT AS BIG AS THIS IS,

JUST STICKING OUT
OF THE SURFACE,

YOU KNOW, IT'S --
IT'S A STRANGE PHENOMENA.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE BECOMES
KNOWN AS THE PHOBOS MONOLITH...

AND IT GENERATES EXCITEMENT

AMONG THE GIANTS
OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

THERE'S A MONOLITH THERE,
A VERY UNUSUAL STRUCTURE

ON THIS LITTLE POTATO-SHAPED
OBJECT.

WHEN PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT THAT,

THEY'RE GONNA SAY,
"WHO PUT THAT THERE?"

WHEN I SAY THE WORD "MONOLITH,"

THE FIRST THING I THINK ABOUT
IS 2001.

ARTHUR CLARKE --
HE MADE THE MONOLITH

A GIFT FROM ALIEN KIND.

Narrator:
IN "2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY,"

AN UNKNOWN CIVILIZATION LEAVES
TOWERING MONOLITHS

ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM
AS BEACONS TO CONTACT HUMANITY.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE POSED
THE NOTION,

"WHAT IF ALIENS WERE INTERESTED
IN THE EARTH,

WERE INTERESTED IN POSSIBLY US?"

IF YOU'RE AN ALIEN RACE

THAT'S WANTING TO REACH OUT
TO HUMANITY,

YOU DON'T WANT TO MESS UP
OUR EVOLUTION.

WHAT YOU WOULD DO

IS PUT A MESSAGE FOR THEM
JUST OUTSIDE THEIR REACH.

Narrator: BUT N.A.S.A.'s
PLANETARY SCIENTISTS

HAVE AN EXPLANATION
FOR THE MONOLITH'S PRESENCE

THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE ALIENS.

AS MUCH AS I WOULD FIND IT
EXCITING

IF IT WERE A-A MONUMENT LEFT
BY AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION,

THE HYPOTHESIS TO BEAT IS THAT
IT'S JUST A-A BOULDER.

IT'S A GIANT BOULDER
SITTING ON ITS END.

Narrator: THOUGH
A SKYSCRAPER-SIZED BOULDER

PERCHING PRECARIOUSLY ON ONE END
SOUNDS UNLIKELY,

THE TINY MOON'S WEAK GRAVITY
MAKES STRANGE THINGS POSSIBLE.

THIS WEAK-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT --

IT DOESN'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE
IF YOUR BOULDER IS SITTING

ON ONE END OR IF YOU'RE SORT OF
LYING -- LYING ON YOUR SIDE.

UH, THINGS JUST TEND TO SIT
ON THESE BODIES

THE WAY THEY LAND ON THEM.

THIS MONOLITH IS PROBABLY
JUST A GIANT BOULDER

THAT WAS TOSSED
IN THIS CATASTROPHIC EVENT.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator:
UNTIL WE REACH PHOBOS,

ALL THEORIES
ABOUT THE MONOLITH'S ORIGIN

MUST REMAIN SPECULATIVE.

STILL TO COME,

WHEN N.A.S.A. SUFFERS ONE
OF THE GREATEST TRAGEDIES

IN ITS HISTORY,

THE INVESTIGATION
TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TURN.

MAN: Two minutes...
[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Narrator: WHEN N.A.S.A. LOSES
THE SPACE SHUTTLE "COLUMBIA"...

NOT A WEEK GOES BY
THAT I DON'T DREAM

OF MY FRIENDS THAT WERE
ON THAT MISSION.

THAT NEVER LEAVES YOU.

[ ROARING ]

Narrator: THE INVESTIGATION
BEGINS IMMEDIATELY.

THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THEORIES
ABOUT WHAT IT COULD'VE BEEN,

FROM COSMIC LIGHTNING,
OR MEGALIGHTNING,

TO EXTRATERRESTRIALS,
TO ENEMY ACTION.

Narrator: AND AN INCREDIBLE
PHOTOGRAPH SEEMED TO SUGGEST

SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENED
TO THE SHUTTLE.

TO ME, IT LOOKED LIKE
A CREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPH

AND WAS WORTH TAKING
ANOTHER LOOK AT BY N.A.S.A.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: FEBRUARY 1, 2003.

AFTER A 16-DAY SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH MISSION,

STS-107 RE-ENTERS
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

So far, fine.
We have good trims.

THE VOICE OF FLIGHT COMMANDER
RICK HUSBAND

CUTS OFF MID-TRANSMISSION.

No onboard system
can fix changes

right before we lost data.

WOMAN: Those correct flight,
all look good.

MAN:
"Columbia," Houston. Com check.

"Columbia," Houston.
UHF, com check.

I WAS WORKING IN MISSION CONTROL
THAT FATEFUL MORNING

WHEN "COLUMBIA" BROKE UP
DURING RE-ENTRY.

AND THE FACT THAT THEY
DISINTEGRATED,

BASICALLY, BEFORE OUR VERY EYES,

AND THERE WAS NOTHING
WE COULD DO

WAS A VERY DEVASTATING EVENT

FOR ALL OF US
IN MISSION CONTROL.

INVESTIGATING THE DISASTER

IMMEDIATELY BECOMES
N.A.S.A.'s TOP PRIORITY.

WELL, THAT'S WHAT I TOLD HIM.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

N.A.S.A.'s GOING TO WORK
VERY HARD

AND LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED
UNTIL THEY'RE SURE THEY KNOW

WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT.

YOU HAVE TO GET
TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.

OTHERWISE, YOU CAN'T FLY
THE VEHICLE AGAIN.

YOU NEED AN ANSWER.

Narrator: IN THE MOMENTS
BEFORE THE TRAGEDY,

AMATEUR ASTRONOMER PETER GOLDIE
WAS PHOTOGRAPHING THE RE-ENTRY.

Goldie: FEBRUARY 1, 2003,
WAS THE SECOND TIME I WITNESSED

A SHUTTLE LANDING
COMING OVER SAN FRANCISCO.

IT WAS QUITE CLEAR TO SEE
AND QUITE BEAUTIFUL TO SEE

BECAUSE IT MAKES A LONG,
VERY BRIGHT LINE ACROSS THE SKY.

AND, OF COURSE, YOU -- YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT,

SO IT'S A TREMENDOUS THING.

Narrator: WATCHING FROM
A SAN FRANCISCO HILLSIDE,

GOLDIE HAS NO IDEA
WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

THE FIRST INKLING HE HAS
WITNESSED SOMETHING UNUSUAL

COMES WHEN HE LOOKS OVER
THE DAY'S PHOTOGRAPHS.

I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.

IT LOOKED,
FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES,

TO BE AS IF IT WAS A JAGGED
PURPLE BOLT OF LIGHTNING

INTERSECTING THE, UH,
PATH OF THE SHUTTLE.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHES ]

Narrator: AT THE MOMENT
GOLDIE TAKES HIS SHOT,

"COLUMBIA'S" TOO HIGH

FOR ANY CONVENTIONAL
LIGHTNING STRIKE.

BUT IT'S STILL A POSSIBILITY
N.A.S.A. TAKES SERIOUSLY.

WHEN ROCKETS LEAVE BEHIND
A VAPOR TRAIL,

THE LIGHTNING STRIKE WILL COME
UP AND CHASE THE ROCKET

UP TO THE BASE OF SPACE.

THESE LIGHTNING STRIKES

HAVE 100,000 VOLTS OR MORE
AND A MILLION AMPERE.

BOY, THAT'S A LOT OF POWER.

THAT JUST, UH,

IT HEATS THE ATMOSPHERE
100,000 DEGREES EASY.

AND WHEN THEY DO SO,

THEY CAN CAUSE TREMENDOUS
FLASHES OF LIGHT,

DEFINITELY CAUSE
INSTRUMENTATION PROBLEMS.

Narrator: FOR N.A.S.A.,

EVIDENCE OF
AN ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE

IS DISTURBING ENOUGH TO CALL IN
VETERAN ASTRONAUT TAMMY JERNIGAN

TO INVESTIGATE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT
TO LOOK AT EVERY PIECE OF DATA

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEARING
ON THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.

THE PHOTOGRAPH CERTAINLY
WARRANTED FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: SO WHAT DID
GOLDIE CAPTURE ON CAMERA,

AND DID IT CONTRIBUTE
TO THE DISASTER?

N.A.S.A. IMAGING EXPERTS BEGIN
BY EXAMINING GOLDIE'S EQUIPMENT.

THEY ANALYZED THE PHOTOGRAPH,
UM, AND THE, UM,

CORKSCREW PHENOMENON, I BELIEVE,

WAS ATTRIBUTED TO SOME TYPE
OF VIBRATION.

THE CAMERA SHUTTER OPENS
FOR THE TIME EXPOSURE.

THERE'S A BRIEF JIGGLE,
THE ZIG -- UP AND DOWN ZIGZAG.

Narrator: THIS MINUTE UP
AND DOWN MOVEMENT OF THE CAMERA

AT THE PRECISE MOMENT
THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN

CREATES THE APPEARANCE
OF THE ZIGZAG

IN WHAT IS ACTUALLY
THE ARROW-STRAIGHT LINE

OF THE SHUTTLE'S TRAJECTORY.

THE TIMING OF THE SHOT
AS THE SHUTTLE BREAKS UP

IS JUST TRAGIC COINCIDENCE.

THE JIGGLING JUST HAPPENED TO
COINCIDE WITH THE MOMENT

THAT THEY HAD LOST
THE TELEMETRY.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY
OF THE CAMERA FAULT

RULES OUT THE POSSIBILITY

THAT A LIGHTNING BOLT
BROUGHT COLUMBIA DOWN.

LIFT OFF
OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.

SUBSEQUENT N.A.S.A.
INVESTIGATIONS REVEAL

CRITICAL DAMAGE TO A THERMAL
PROTECTION PAD DURING TAKEOFF.

30 SECONDS INTO THE FLIGHT.

Man: THE THREE LIQUID-FUEL
MAIN ENGINES

BEGINNING TO THROTTLE BACK,

REDUCING THE STRESS
ON THE SHUTTLE AS IT BREAKS

THROUGH THE SOUND BARRIER.

WHEN THE SHUTTLE CAME IN
FOR RE-ENTRY,

UM, BECAUSE
THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

OF THAT THERMAL PROTECTION
SYSTEM HAD BEEN VIOLATED,

IT WAS NOT ABLE TO STAND

THE THERMAL AND MECHANICAL
STRESSES OF RE-ENTRY

AND CAME APART.

COMMANDER RICK HUSBAND,
ILAN RAMON,

PILOT WILLIAM McCOOL,
MICHAEL ANDERSON, DAVID BROWN...

THE LOSS OF "COLUMBIA'S"
SEVEN ASTRONAUTS

REMAINS ONE
OF N.A.S.A.'s DARKEST DAYS.

N.A.S.A.'s ONGOING MISSIONS
HAVE FORCED US

TO LOOK AT OUR OWN WORLD
WITH NEW EYES

WHILE WE STRUGGLE
WITH STRANGE PHENOMENA

THAT CHALLENGE EVERYTHING
WE THINK WE KNOW.

MORE THAN FOUR DECADES AFTER MAN
FIRST SET FOOT ON THE MOON,

WE'RE STILL DISCOVERING
MYSTERIES

IN THE DARK RECESSES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS