Original subtitles

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

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

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Williams: 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.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA BE AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.

Narrator: UNNATURAL PHENOMENA ON DISTANT WORLDS.

THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS WITH THIS ARE STARTLING.

Man: THE MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY EVER MADE

IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE.

Narrator: COULD NASA PHOTOGRAPHS CAST DOUBT

ON MANKIND'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

REAL LIFE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.

A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT,

AND THE GOVERNMENT LIED ABOUT IT.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Narrator: NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

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

MAN #2: Yeah, there are three objects.

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

THESE ARE NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

NASA SPACE ENGINEER

JOHN SCHUESSLER INVESTIGATED REAL-LIFE X-FILES.

Rutkowski: JOHN SCHUESSLER'S PURPOSE WAS TO TRY AND FIND EVIDENCE,

SOME PROOF THAT UFOS AND ALIEN VISITATION IS REAL.

HE WAS NUMBER ONE, SHARP ENGINEER,

TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY.

Narrator: IN FEBRUARY, 1981, SCHUESSLER

GETS CALLED IN TO INVESTIGATE A UFO IN NASA'S BACKYARD.

A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT,

AND THE GOVERNMENT LIED ABOUT IT.

THIS CERTAINLY STANDS OUT TO ME AS ONE OF THE MOST INTRIGUING,

AND STILL AN OPEN CASE.

Narrator: DECEMBER 29, 1980, 9:00 P.M.,

BETTY CASH WAS DRIVING A CAR ALONG A LONELY ROAD

OUTSIDE OF DAYTON, TEXAS.

Narrator: BETTY'S ACCOMPANIED BY HER BEST FRIEND, VICKY LANDRUM,

AND VICKY'S 7-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON, COLBY.

Brines: SUDDENLY, AS THEY'RE DRIVING ALONG THIS ROAD,

THEY SEE THIS FLAMING OBJECT IN THE SKY.

Narrator: THE BRIGHT LIGHT HOVERS 60 FEET ABOVE THE ROAD.

THEY'RE SO FRIGHTENED, BETTY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES

NOT MORE THAN 130 FEET FROM THE OBJECT.

Birnes: SHE GETS OUT OF THE CAR TO GET A BETTER LOOK AT THIS OBJECT,

AND SUDDENLY SHE FEELS BURNS ALL OVER HER BODY AND --

AND VICKY AND COLBY ALSO FELT BURNS.

THEY FEEL A LOT OF HEAT, WHICH WAS VERY PECULIAR.

I MEAN, TEXAS IS HOT, BUT NOT THAT HOT.

Narrator: AS BETTY STARTS TO GET BACK IN THE CAR,

SHE STRUGGLES WITH THE DOOR.

THE SIDE OF THE CAR, THE METAL OF THE CAR,

WHERE SHE PUT HER HAND WAS SEARING HOT.

Narrator: THE INTENSE HEAT IS NOT THE ONLY STRANGE THING

BETTY ENCOUNTERS THAT NIGHT.

THEN, THESE HELICOPTERS COME OUT OF THE BLUE.

Birnes: WHAT ARE THEY? THEY LOOK MILITARY.

THEY WERE CHASING OR ACCOMPANYING THIS OBJECT

AS IT WAS MOVING AWAY.

Friedman: WHERE'D THE HELICOPTERS COME FROM?

WHAT WERE THEY DOING THERE?

HOW DID THEY KNOW TO BE THERE?

Narrator: IN A STATE OF SHOCK, THEY HEAD HOME TO RECOVER.

THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE LASTED ONLY ABOUT 20 MINUTES,

BUT IT WOULD CHANGE THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

Narrator: SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING HOME,

ALL THREE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE STRANGE SYMPTOMS.

BETTY CASH IN PARTICULAR GETS SICKER AND SICKER AND SICKER.

HER HAIR STARTED COMING OUT IN PATCHES.

Birnes: SO SHE FINALLY GOES TO A DOCTOR

WHO SAYS, "YOU'VE GOT THE SAME KIND OF REACTION

"THAT THE RESIDENTS OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI HAD

WHO WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY INCINERATED BY THE ATOMIC BOMB."

Friedman: HOW DO WE EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED?

THEY CAME DOWN WITH SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE TO RADIATION.

Narrator: WHEN BETTY CASH FIRST LEAVES THE HOSPITAL,

SHE IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER,

SO SHE CALLS NASA FOR HELP.

THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER DENIES ANY NASA INVOLVEMENT

IN THE INCIDENT,

BUT THEY PUT HER IN CONTACT WITH ONE OF THEIR ENGINEERS,

JOHN SCHUESSLER,

WHO RUNS A VOLUNTEER INVESTIGATION PROGRAM

CALLED PROJECT VISIT.

PROJECT VISIT WAS VERY INTERESTED IN TRYING TO PROVE

THAT THE UFO PHENOMENON WAS REAL.

SO WHEN THE CALL CAME IN FROM VICKY AND BETTY

THAT SUCH A PHENOMENON HAD OCCURRED,

THEY SET OUT TO INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATOR JOHN SCHUESSLER

RETURNS TO THE SCENE OF THE INCIDENT.

SHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATIONS FOUND, AMONG OTHER THINGS,

THAT THE ROAD IN QUESTION APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN DUG UP

AND REPLACED WITH FRESH ASPHALT

WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER THIS INCIDENT.

Narrator: SCHUESSLER SEARCHES FOR SIGNS OF THE RADIATION

THAT COULD'VE CAUSED BETTY'S ILLNESS

BUT FINDS NOTHING.

UNDETERRED, SCHUESSLER MOVES ON TO THE HELICOPTER ANGLE.

HE CONTACTS LOCAL MILITARY BASES

TO FIND OUT WHO AND WHAT WAS FLYING THAT NIGHT.

EVERY SINGLE LOCAL BASE IN TEXAS SAID,

"NOBODY WAS FLYING HELICOPTERS THAT NIGHT, SO IT WASN'T US."

THEY WEREN'T LYING.

THEY DIDN'T.

Narrator: FLIGHT DATA RECORDS CONFIRM THIS.

SCHUESSLER'S INVESTIGATION HITS A DEAD END.

SO WHERE DID THE HELICOPTERS COME FROM?

YEARS LATER, DR. WILLIAM BIRNES ALSO INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT.

HE DISCOVERED THAT PRESIDENT CARTER HAD SET UP

A SECRET STEALTH HELICOPTER UNIT AT THE END OF HIS PRESIDENCY.

IT WAS A NIGHTTIME HELICOPTER FIGHTING UNIT, TOP SECRET,

RUN OUT OF THE INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT DIVISION.

THAT WAS THE UNIT THAT WAS MOBILIZED THAT NIGHT.

Narrator: BIRNES BELIEVES THAT BETTY'S ENCOUNTER

COULD BE RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT

OF A TOP-SECRET NUCLEAR POWERED AIRCRAFT.

Birnes: THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH.

THE NUCLEAR REACTOR OVERHEATED, CAUGHT ON FIRE,

THREATENED TO MELT COMPLETELY,

SO THEY CALLED ON A TOP-SECRET HELICOPTER UNIT

TO FLY TO TEXAS,

CHAIN THE THING,

GO OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO

AND DROP IT IN THE WATER.

Narrator: BUT SOME OBSERVERS ARE NOT CONVINCED.

IT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN IT ANSWERS.

MAYBE IT WAS A SECRET AMERICAN SYSTEM,

BUT I DON'T THINK SO.

I WORKED ON NUCLEAR AIRPLANES.

I DON'T THINK WE HAD ONE FLYING AROUND TEXAS.

Narrator: AND WHILE A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT

COULD EXPLAIN BETTY'S RADIATION SICKNESS,

IT WOULD ALSO LEAVE EVIDENCE,

EVIDENCE SCHUESSLER NEVER FOUND.

Friedman: SOMETHING STRANGE WAS THERE,

A TRUE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT DOING PECULIAR THINGS,

AND WHERE THE GOVERNMENT LIED ABOUT IT.

Narrator: SCHUESSLER HIMSELF BELIEVED THAT BETTY HAD BEEN BLASTED

BY THE MICROWAVES OF SOME EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM.

BUT UNTIL THE MILITARY RELEASES NEW INFORMATION, BETTY, VICKY,

AND COLBY'S TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

UP NEXT, COULD FAKED PHOTOGRAPHS UNDERMINE

THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY?

Narrator: IN 1972, ASTRONAUTS ON MANKIND'S FINAL LUNAR MISSION

CAPTURE SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE IMAGES IN HISTORY.

THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.

THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS IS REMARKABLE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT NASA DOESN'T KNOW

IS THAT THESE IMAGES WILL ALSO FUEL

ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES OF ALL TIME.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY

IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE WRONG.

Narrator: NASA HAS GIVEN US THE MOST ICONIC IMAGES OF THE PLANET

WE CALL HOME,

THE REALITIES OF SPACE TRAVEL, AND THE SURFACE OF OTHER WORLDS.

THE SPACE AGENCY'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE HOW WE KNOW THE UNIVERSE,

BUT TO SOME, THE IMAGES SUGGEST A SINISTER CONSPIRACY.

DECEMBER 12, 1972, IN A HARSH LUNAR VALLEY,

APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT

HARRISON "JACK" SCHMITT IS WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK

ON ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING MISSIONS IN NASA'S HISTORY.

Schmitt: TIME IS RELENTLESS WHEN YOU'RE IN SPACE.

NOT ONLY IS THE CLOCK TICKING AWAY AND YOU GOT TASKS TO DO

THAT EVERYBODY EXPECTS YOU TO DO,

BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA BE AROUND THE NEXT ROCK.

Narrator: WHAT NOBODY REALIZES

IS THAT THIS IS NASA'S FINAL MANNED MOON MISSION.

IF THE LUNAR SCIENTISTS DON'T GET WHAT THEY NEED NOW,

THERE MAY NEVER BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.

Orwall: THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHANCE TO COLLECT SAMPLES.

THEY'LL TRAVEL THE FARTHEST AWAY FROM THE LUNAR MODULE.

THEY WILL SPEND THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME

ON THE SURFACE MOON. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MISSION.

Narrator: WITH THE INTENSE WORK SCHEDULE,

THE AMOUNT OF TIME SCHMITT DEVOTES TO TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS

SURPRISES SOME OBSERVERS.

BUT THE PICTURES HE TAKES ARE BREATHTAKING.

Orwall: THESE PHOTOS ARE ICONIC.

IN FACT, THE BLUE MARBLE

IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY-RECOGNIZED PHOTOS

IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

Schmitt: THE WHOLE APOLLO COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS

IS REMARKABLE IN HOW WELL THEY WERE TAKEN

AND HOW WELL THEY TURNED OUT.

Narrator: THE PHOTOS WERE INTENDED TO CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION,

REKINDLING INTEREST IN THE MOON,

AND THEY DID,

BUT NOT IN THE WAY NASA EXPECTED.

Rutkowski: THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE AROUND TODAY

WHO BELIEVE THAT NASA NEVER WENT TO THE MOON,

THAT IT WAS ALL SOME SORT OF ELABORATE HOAX.

Narrator: AND SCHMITT'S PHOTOS ARE A KEY PART OF THE CONSPIRACY THEORY.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS ABOUT APOLLO FAKERY

IS THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE WRONG.

THERE ARE NO STARS IN ANY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

THAT ARE TAKEN ON THE MOON.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO FORMER SHUTTLE FLIGHT CONTROLLER JAMES OBERG,

THE PHOTOS LACK STARS

BECAUSE THE ASTRONAUTS ADJUSTED THEIR CAMERA SETTINGS

TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MOON'S UNIQUE LIGHT CONDITIONS.

OUT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT,

THE LIGHT SENSITIVITY OF YOUR CAMERA WILL BE SO LOW

THAT THE STARLIGHT IS JUST TOO WEAK TO REGISTER.

Schmitt: YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT

WHEN YOU'RE ON THE SURFACE IN THE CAMERA ADJUSTMENTS,

AND WE PRIMARILY JUST CHANGED THE APERTURE OF THE CAMERA.

Narrator: BUT SOME PEOPLE QUESTION OTHER ASPECTS OF THE APOLLO 17 IMAGES.

THEY ARGUE THAT OBJECTS IN THE PHOTOS

APPEAR TO BE LIT FROM MORE THAN ONE DIRECTION

WHEN THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

SHOULD BE THE SUN.

ALL THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS WHO THINK THAT THE LUNAR LANDINGS

WERE FAKED ON A SOUND STAGE POINT TO THIS.

THE SHADOW CONSPIRACY.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT ASTRONAUT'S SHADOW

IT GOING OFF TOWARD THE LEFT SIDE

AND THAT THIS SHADOW IS GOING STRAIGHT UP.

WE'RE TOLD BY THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

THAT IT'S ON A SOUND STAGE,

WHERE MULTIPLE LIGHTS ARE LIGHTING THE SCENE.

Narrator: THE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS MAY BE RIGHT ABOUT THE LIGHTING,

BUT NOT THE CONSPIRACY.

THE MOON'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL REFLECTIVE PROPERTIES

MAY ACTUALLY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS.

IT HAS -- WE SOMETIMES CALL A VERY HIGH BACKSCATTER PROPERTY.

Narrator: THIS MEANS THAT THE BRIGHT WHITE SURFACES

OF THE MOON ACT LIKE A MIRROR,

REFLECTING LIGHT FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

AT A VARIETY OF ANGLES.

THAT GIVES YOU A VERY BRIGHT RETURN OFF THAT SURFACE.

BECAUSE IT'S GETTING THE LIGHT

DIRECTLY REFLECTED FROM MANY, MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES.

Narrator: SO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE MOON'S REFLECTIVE POWER

COULD CAUSE MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SHADOWS,

BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ONE VERY IMPORTANT DETAIL.

IF THIS PICTURE RECEIVED LIGHT FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES,

THE STRONG VISIBLE SHADOWS

SUGGEST THAT EACH FIGURE SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE SHADOW.

BUT THEY DON'T, SO THERE MUST BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RAW PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE,

IT IS CLEAR THAT IT'S BEEN SHOT ON AN EXTREME WIDE-ANGLE LENS,

WHICH CAUSES WHAT'S KNOWN AS A FISHEYE EFFECT.

THIS CURVES THE PICTURE,

MAKING THE SHADOWS CONVERGE ON ONE CENTRAL FOCAL POINT.

IT CHANGES THEIR DIRECTION

SO THAT THEY LOOK LIKE THEY'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY

WHEN, IN FACT, WHEN VIEWED FROM ABOVE,

THEY'RE PERFECTLY IN LINE WITH EACH OTHER.

Narrator: AND IMAGES TAKEN 40 YEARS AFTER APOLLO 17 LEFT THE MOON

PROVIDE FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THE LANDING WAS REAL.

Schmitt: WE NOW HAVE THESE LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER PICTURES

THAT SHOW, IN VERY HIGH RESOLUTION, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

THE TRACKS ARE THERE,

YOU CAN SEE THE ROVER SITTING OVER THERE,

AND THE FLAG.

THE AMERICAN FLAG IS STILL THERE BECAUSE IT'S CASTING A SHADOW.

ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Narrator: NASA OFTEN OPERATES IN ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS,

WHERE THE NORMAL RULES MAY NOT APPLY.

BUT AS LONG AS THERE ARE APPARENT INCONSISTENCIES

IN ANYTHING NASA DOES,

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

THE FLIGHTS WERE REAL.

PEOPLE WERE REAL, THE MACHINERY WAS REAL.

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THE PROGRAM

THAT EVEN HINTS OF IT BEING A SCAM.

Narrator: COMING UP...

COULD A STRANGE MATERIAL IN THE UTAH DESERT

BE EVIDENCE OF A LIFE FORM UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE?

I HAVE FOUND 18 SITES THAT CAN BE VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: AT REMOTE DESERT LOCATIONS,

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER A SUBSTANCE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.

IT'S THIS VERY STRANGE COATING

THAT COVERS THE SURFACE OF STONE.

Narrator: THE COATING IS NOT MADE BY ANY KNOWN NATURAL PROCESS

ON PLANET EARTH.

Lee: I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY CLEAR RESOLUTION OF WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: THE ONLY OTHER PLACE WHERE THIS WEIRD SUBSTANCE

IS FOUND IS ON MARS.

UTAH'S CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE MOST MAGICAL BUT WEIRD PLACE

ON EARTH.

BUT OF ALL THE PARK'S WONDERS, PERHAPS THE STRANGEST

IS SOMETHING MANY VISITORS NEVER SEE --

AN ODD SUBSTANCE OF TOTALLY UNKNOWN ORIGIN.

THERE'S A VARNISH, THIS STRANGE COATING

THAT COVERS ROCKS IN DESERTS.

IT'S USUALLY A BLACK, SHINY,

VERY THIN LAYER THAT COATS THE OUTSIDE OF STONES.

DESERT VARNISH IS WEIRD.

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS HOW DESERT VARNISH FORMS.

Cleland: SOME SCIENTISTS THINK THAT DESERT VARNISH IS NON-LIVING,

AND OTHERS THINK THAT IT'S PRODUCED BY LIVING MICROBES.

IT'S REALLY WEIRD.

Narrator: SCIENTIST CAROL CLELAND'S INTEREST IN DESERT VARNISH BEGAN

WHEN SHE INVESTIGATED POSSIBLE EVIDENCE

OF ALTERNATIVE LIFE FORMS ON EARTH.

I INVESTIGATED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES,

AND DESERT VARNISH WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MOST INTERESTING.

BUT THE TERRESTRIAL INVESTIGATION

LEAD TO A COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED PLACE.

THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT DESERT VARNISH EXISTS ON MARS.

WE'VE SEEN THESE DARK-COLORED COATINGS

ON THE SURFACES OF ROCKS ON MARS.

AND IF WE SAW THAT ON EARTH,

WE'D REALLY BE SAYING THAT'S DESERT VARNISH.

Narrator: THE DESERT VARNISHES ON EARTH AND MARS

SEEM TO BE CHEMICALLY ALMOST IDENTICAL.

BOTH CONTAIN A MIX OF IRON AND MANGANESE OXIDE

LACED WITH ORGANIC MATERIALS.

Hoover: IT IS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY

THAT THE DESERT VARNISH ON ROCKS ON MARS

COME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES.

Genge: WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT DESERT VARNISH ON MARS,

OF COURSE, IS IF IT TRAPS MICROBES ON EARTH

AND PERFECTLY PRESERVES THEM,

THEN MAYBE IT DOES THIS ON THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.

SO MAYBE THE EVIDENCE WE'RE LOOKING FOR,

FOR LIFE IN THE PAST OF MARS

IS IN THE LITTLE BLACK CRUSTS ON THE OUTSIDES OF ROCKS.

Narrator: THE PRESENCE OF DESERT VARNISH ON MARS

AND JUST A FEW ISOLATED DESERT LOCATIONS ON EARTH

IS HARD TO EXPLAIN.

ONE POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE MYSTERY

COMES FROM STRANGE SYMBOLS CARVED INTO THE UTAH ROCKS,

KNOWN AS PETROGLYPHS.

PETROGLYPHS ARE MADE BY PREHISTORIC NATIVE AMERICANS

THAT ROAMED THESE REGIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THE PETROGLYPH IS CREATED BY REMOVING A THIN LAYER OF VARNISH

TO REVEAL THE WHITE ROCK UNDERNEATH.

Narrator: THE MOST REMARKABLE PETROGLYPHS SHOW TALL,

THIN CREATURES IN SOME KIND OF BODY SUIT,

AND RESEARCHER TIM FRANCE HAS OBSERVED OTHER UNUSUAL FEATURES

THAT KEEP APPEARING IN THE DESIGNS.

France: I HAVE FOUND 18 PETROGLYPH SITES

THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS UFOS OR VISITORS FROM OUTSIDE SPACE.

MOST OF THE CREATIONIST THEORIES FROM THESE TRIBES

TALK ABOUT THE GREAT TURTLE THAT CAME FROM SPACE.

IT COULD BE THE TURTLE IS THEIR ONLY WAY

TO INTERPRET THE CRAFT THAT THEY ARRIVED IN.

THESE ARE REFLECTIONS OF WHAT PEOPLE SAW.

THE ARTISTS WERE ACCUSTOMED TO PUTTING THINGS IN THEIR ART

THAT REFLECTED REALITY.

Narrator: IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT EXACTLY THE ANCIENT PEOPLES

WHO CREATED THE CARVINGS

WERE TRYING TO DEPICT ON THE DESERT VARNISH.

FOR CAROL CLELAND,

THE DESERT VARNISH IS NOT EVIDENCE OF ALIEN VISITORS,

BUT IT COULD HOLD CLUES TO UNKNOWN LIFE FORMS.

THERE'S NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF LIFE

COULDN'T HAVE EVOLVED IN PARALLEL WITH OUR FORM OF LIFE.

Narrator: DESERT VARNISH COULD BE THE FIRST SIGN

OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS A SHADOW BIOSPHERE,

MICROBIAL LIFE FORMS WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

BIOCHEMISTRY TO LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

Cleland: THE REASON THAT DESERT VARNISH

STRIKES ME AS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR SHADOW BIOSPHERE

IS THAT IT CONSISTS IN THIN LAYERS THAT LOOK A LOT

LIKE STROMATOLITES,

WHICH ARE A VERY EARLY FORM OF LIFE ON EARTH.

THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS THAT THE MOST POWERFUL TECHNIQUES

USED BY MICROBIOLOGISTS WOULDN'T DETECT A FORM OF LIFE

THAT DIFFERED VERY MUCH FROM OUR FORM OF LIFE.

IT WOULDN'T DETECT DNA THAT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR DNA.

Narrator: THE SHOCKING IMPLICATION IS THAT ALIEN LIFE FORMS

COULD BE PRACTICALLY STARTING US IN THE FACE --

WE'RE JUST NOT CAPABLE OF RECOGNIZING THEM.

Lee: IF, IN OUR ONE SOLAR SYSTEM,

WE WERE TO FIND TWO TREES OF LIFE,

THAT WOULD BE THE HOLY GRAIL OF OUR SEARCH FOR ALIEN LIFE.

AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN, WITH TWO TREES,

YOU HAVE THE PROSPECTS OF FINDING

A FOREST OF LIFE OUT THERE.

Narrator: COMING UP NEXT,

THE TOP-SECRET MISSION THAT ALMOST DESTROYED A SHUTTLE.

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE

LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS.

THEY WERE FACING A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.

Narrator: ON A HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED MISSION,

THE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS TAKES A DEVASTATING HIT.

DAMAGE OF THIS LEVEL IS POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC.

THE WORST CASE IS YOU LOSE A SHUTTLE.

IT'LL BURN THROUGH. IT'LL COME APART.

Narrator: NASA WILL NOT ADMIT THAT ANY REPAIR OPERATIONS

TOOK PLACE IN ORBIT, YET SOMEHOW,

THE SHUTTLE SURVIVES.

IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD

THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.

IT WAS HEART-STOPPING.

Narrator: DECEMBER 2, 1988,

THE FIVE CREW MEMBERS OF A CLASSIFIED MISSION, STS-27,

BLAST OFF FROM THE KENNEDY LAUNCH PAD AT CAPE CANAVERAL.

Man: ATLANTIS BEGINS ANOTHER SPACE VOYAGE AS IT CLEARS THE TOWER.

I'LL NEVER FORGET HOW THE BOOSTER ROCKETS,

WHICH SHINE WITH A LIGHT AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN,

HOW IT LIT UP THE LAUNCH PAD AND LIT UP, IT SEEMED LIKE,

THE WHOLE STATE OF FLORIDA.

Narrator: SHUTTLE COMMANDER "HOOT" GIBSON LEADS THE TOP-SECRET MISSION,

BUT EVEN TODAY, NONE OF THE CREW MEMBERS

CAN TALK ABOUT THE SECRETS OF THAT FLIGHT.

THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHLY CLASSIFIED

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSIONS.

THE PAYLOADS ARE A CLOSELY-GUARDED SECRET.

Narrator: DESPITE THE INTENSE SCRUTINY SURROUNDING THE MISSION,

THE LAUNCH GETS OFF TO THE WORST POSSIBLE START.

WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE,

A PIECE FROM THE ROCKET BOOSTER CAME OFF AND RIPPED ITS WAY

DOWN THE BELLY OF THE SHUTTLE ITSELF,

CREATING DAMAGE TO HUNDREDS OF TILES.

WE HAD THINGS GOING WRONG ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.

DAMAGE OF ANY SORT IS DANGEROUS,

LET ALONE DAMAGE OF THE EXTENT THAT HAPPENED HERE.

Narrator: EIGHT MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE STRICKEN SHUTTLE

MANAGES TO REACH THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF ORBIT.

BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME,

THE CREW HAS NO IDEA OF THE DANGER THEY'RE IN.

WE WANT TO START SHOOTING PICTURES RIGHT AWAY,

SO WE ACTUALLY DO BREAK OUT SOME OF THE CAMERAS VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: ONLY WHEN THE CAMERAS TRACK ACROSS THE BODY OF THE SHUTTLE

DOES THE THREAT BECOME APPARENT.

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE

Orwall: LIKE FOR THESE MILITARY PILOTS

TO SEE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE AND REALIZE THAT THE MISSION

AND THEIR LIVES POTENTIALLY ARE IN THE BALANCE.

Gibson: ANY TIME WE SEE SOMETHING

OR WE HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON BOARD THE ORBITER,

WE'RE GONNA TALK TO MISSION CONTROL ABOUT IT,

BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US.MAN: Yes?

WE CALL THEM AND TELL THEM, "HEY, OUR TILES ARE FALLING OFF.

IS THIS GONNA BE A MISSION IMPACT TO US?"

MAN: Yeah, we'll be all ears listening for a debris --

Debris report from the SN.

MAN: Okay, stand by.

Narrator: THE CREW BEAMS FOOTAGE OF THE DAMAGE DOWN TO HOUSTON,

BUT THE CLASSIFIED NATURE OF THE MISSION

HAS AN UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCE.

AS A RESULT OF THE SECURITY REGULATIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS,

THE PICTURES COMING DOWN

WERE A POOR QUALITY AND LOWER RESOLUTION.

Orwall: THE CREW IS SEEING THE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS LIVE

AND REALIZES THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION.

MISSION CONTROL IS SEEING DEGRADED IMAGES

AND DOESN'T THINK IT'S AS BIG A CONCERN.

All systems performing well.

Narrator: BECAUSE MISSION CONTROL CAN'T SEE THE EXTENT

OF THE DAMAGE ON THE LOW-RESOLUTION FOOTAGE,

THEY DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM.

THOUGH "HOOT" GIBSON

DECLINED TO BE INTERVIEWED ABOUT THE SUBJECT,

SOME OBSERVERS BELIEVE THAT THE CREW HAD NO CHOICE

BUT TO CONDUCT AN UNAUTHORIZED SPACE WALK

TO FIX THE DAMAGED HEAT SHIELD.

McGaha: THE CREW COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING

AGAINST THE WISHES OF NASA

AND TRIED TO DO SOME KIND OF REPAIR.

FLIGHT CREW IS IN CHARGE OF THE VEHICLE,

AND SO THEY'RE IN THE BEST POSITION

TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST THING TO DO IS AT THE TIME.

AND SO SOMETIMES,

THAT COULD RUN COUNTER TO THE DESIRES OF MISSION CONTROL.

Narrator: BUT IF A SHUTTLE HAVE SUFFERED CRITICAL DAMAGE,

THERE IS A LIMIT TO WHAT THE CREW CAN DO TO FIX IT.

NASA REFUSES TO CONFIRM OR DENY THAT THE SPACE WALK TOOK PLACE

DURING MISSION STS-27.

WHETHER OR NOT THE DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED,

THE CREW HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO ATTEMPT RE-ENTRY.

SO IF YOU KNOW YOUR HEAT SHIELD'S BEEN COMPROMISED,

YOU'RE VERY CONCERNED DURING ENTRY

AND, UNTIL YOU HIT WHEELS STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY,

YOU'RE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

Narrator: DURING RE-ENTRY,

A SUPER HEATED 2,900 DEGREE FAHRENHEIT WAVE OF PLASMA FORMS

ON THE HEAT SHIELD, EATING INTO THE DAMAGED TILES.

ONCE YOU START BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

AND IF THE TILES DON'T PROTECT YOU OR OTHERWISE,

THERE'S NO REAL ALTERNATIVES LEFT.

YOU'RE JUST GONNA BURN UP.

THEY WERE FACING A LIFE-AND-DEATH RE-ENTRY.

Narrator: FINALLY, ATLANTIS TOUCHES DOWN AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE.

WHEN GROUND STAFF INSPECT THE DAMAGED CRAFT,

THEY DISCOVER JUST HOW CLOSE THE MISSION CAME TO DISASTER.

MORE THAN 700 TILES WERE DAMAGED.

Oberg: IT WAS HEART-STOPPING,

BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE TO A SHUTTLE HEAT SHIELD

THAT HAD EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED.

IT BARELY HELD TOGETHER.

Orwall: IT'S PROVIDENCE THAT THE WORST TILE DAMAGE

OCCURRED WHERE IT DID, WHERE THE SHUTTLE WAS REINFORCED.

ANYWHERE ELSE, THE SHUTTLE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST,

AND THE PROGRAM WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN LOST AS WELL.

Narrator: UP NEXT, A REAL-LIFE CLOSE ENCOUNTER FORESHADOWS DISASTER.

THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN

THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.

Narrator: WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS NOT COMPUTER GRAPHICS.

THIS IS AN ACTUAL RECORDING OF AN ENCOUNTER

WITH UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS IN THE SKIES OVER NORWAY.

THERE ARE THESE FLOATING ORBS, LIGHTS,

THAT SEEM TO HANG IN THE AIR.

WHAT COULD THEY BE?

Narrator: ALL OVER THE WORLD,

STRANGE SIGHTINGS CAUSE TERROR.

THESE PEOPLE COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT THEY WERE SEEING.

AND THEN, AFTER MANY OF THE SIGHTINGS

COMES A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE.

YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA.

RETIRED GOVERNMENT GRAIN INSPECTOR JIM CONACHER

AND HIS WIFE DECIDE TO SPEND ONE MORNING OF THEIR VACATION

ON LAKE TAGISH.

JIM AND HIS WIFE ARE GOING UP ALONG THE SHORE

AND ABOUT 300 METERS AWAY,

THEY COME UPON THESE FOUR BRIGHT ORBS OR OBJECTS,

FOUR FEET IN DIAMETER.

OBJECTS SEEM AS LIGHTS DURING DAYTIME

WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY BRIGHT INDEED.

AND THEY WERE HOLDING THEIR POSITION,

DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE WIND WAS GUSTING A BIT,

WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THEY WERE UNDER

SOME SORT OF INTELLIGENT CONTROL.

DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT THERE'S SOME NATURAL PHENOMENON

WHEN YOU THINK THEY WERE JUST TOO INCREDIBLE,

THE WAY THEY BEHAVED.

Birnes: THE FIRST THOUGHT WAS,

"WHAT ARE THESE ORBS? WHAT COULD THEY BE?"

THE SUSPICION ABOUT THESE THINGS STILL EXISTS.

Rutkowski: THE FOUR LIGHTS MOVE OVER THE TREETOPS,

HEADING UPWARDS TOWARDS THE AREA OF THE MOUNTAIN

WHERE THE OTHER THREE LIGHTS APPEARED,

SEEMED TO JOIN WITH THEM, AND THEN MOVED ON.

Narrator: ON RETURNING FROM HIS VACATION,

CONACHER DECIDES TO FIND OUT WHAT THE STRANGE LIGHTS WERE.

BUT ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATOR MARTIN JASEK,

HIS RESEARCH HITS A BRICK WALL.

HE HAD THE SLIDES SUBMITTED TO THE WEATHER OFFICE,

WHO SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.

HE WAS TOLD THAT THE CASE WAS CLASSIFIED,

WHICH IS VERY, VERY PUZZLING.

[ SPECTATORS SCREAMING ]

Narrator: THE CONACHERS WERE NOT THE FIRST TO SEE THESE LIGHTS.

THEY'VE BEEN REPORTED ALL AROUND THE WORLD,

AND NASA WANTS TO KNOW WHY.

NASA SCIENTIST FRIEDEMANN FREUND INVESTIGATES THE PHENOMENON.

HE DISCOVERS THAT THESE SIGHTINGS

HAVE A HISTORICAL PRECEDENT.

Freund: 200, 300 YEARS AGO,

PEOPLE SOMETIMES DESCRIBED, IN GREAT ACCURACY,

THE SAME PHENOMENA THAT WE ARE OBSERVING TODAY.

AND THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN

THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING DRAMATIC.

Narrator: ON AUGUST 15, 2007,

THE PHENOMENON CAUSES TERROR IN THE SKIES ABOVE LIMA, PERU.

IN LIMA, AN AIRPLANE WAS IN THE APPROACH

AND THE PILOT WAS ACTUALLY THEN REPORTING TO THE TOWER,

"I SEE LIGHTS ALL OVER THE PLACE,

HERE AND THERE AND THERE."

Narrator: THE PLANE LANDS SAFELY,

BUT REPORTS OF MORE AND MORE LIGHTS IN THE SKY FLOOD

IN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

AND WITHIN HOURS OF THE SIGHTINGS,

PERU GETS HIT BY A DEVASTATING TECTONIC EVENT.

Freund: THERE WAS A MAGNITUDE EIGHT EARTHQUAKE IN PERU,

EQUIVALENT TO SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND ATOMIC BOMBS EXPLODING

AT THE SAME MOMENT.

Narrator: FOR FREUND, THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN.

HE STUDIES 400 YEARS OF EARTHQUAKE HISTORY

AND FIND HUNDREDS OF ACCOUNTS OF THE STRANGE LIGHTS

FORESHADOWING DISASTER,

INCLUDING PRIOR TO THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906.

Freund: I BELIEVE THAT THESE LIGHTS ARE A WARNING SIGN

THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE

WHICH IS A RESULT OF SOMETHING EVEN MORE TRAUMATIC

HAPPENING DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST.

Narrator: IN 2006, FREUND'S INVESTIGATION LEADS HIM TO AN UNUSUAL THEORY.

HE BELIEVES THE LIGHTS MIGHT BE CAUSED BY REACTIONS

IN CERTAIN KINDS OF ROCK, DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,

THAT PRODUCE ELECTRIC DISCHARGES.

Freund: THESE MAFIC ROCKS,

WHEN THEY SOLIDIFY DURING THE COOLING, PRODUCE DEFECTS,

WHICH, WHEN WE STRESS IT, PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.

YOU HAVE ROCKS THAT ARE BEING

STRESSED BY THE FORCES OF THE DEEP EARTH

AND IT BECOMES A SOURCE

OF ELECTRICITY THAT IS FLOWING THROUGH THE ROCK COLUMN,

REACHING THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,

GOING UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND PRODUCING LIGHT.

Narrator: COULD THIS EXPLAIN THE STRANGE LIGHTS

THAT JIM CONACHER SAW ON JULY 1, 1973?

Jasek: JIM DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE LIGHTS WERE

AND NEVER FOUND A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION FOR THEM.

Narrator: ON THE SAME DAY THAT JIM SPOTTED THE LIGHTS,

A MAGNITUDE 6.7 EARTHQUAKE STRUCK THE COAST OF ALASKA.

THE EPICENTER WAS LESS THAN 200 MILES FROM JIM'S POSITION.

THE ANSWER TO JIM'S CONACHER'S MYSTERY

MAY BE BENEATH THE SURFACE OF OUR PLANET,

BUT THERE ARE OTHER WORLDS WHERE SECRETS LIE BURIED.

IMAGES BEAMED BACK FROM MERCURY LEAVE SCIENTISTS STUNNED...

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL FEATURES SEEN ANYWHERE

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THERE'S, LIKE, SPIDER LEGS GOING IN MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

I SEE THAT AND I'M -- I'M NERVOUS ABOUT IT.

I'M WONDERING WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS.

Birnes: ARE THOSE SPIDER LEGS ROADS?

ARE THEY TUNNELS?

Narrator: WHAT IS THE MERCURY SPIDER AND HOW DID IT GET THERE?

MERCURY, THE CLOSEST PLANET TO THE SUN.

IN JANUARY, 2008,

NASA'S MESSENGER PROBE BUZZES THE PLANET,

SKIMMING JUST 124 MILES ABOVE ITS SURFACE.

MESSENGER TAKES THE FIRST HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES

OF THE CALORIS BASIN,

A HUGE, 3.8 BILLION-YEAR-OLD IMPACT CRATER.

WE FINALLY SAW WHAT THE CENTER OF CALORIS LOOKED LIKE,

AND WE WERE AMAZED.

THE CENTER DIDN'T LOOK LIKE ANYTHING THAT WE'D SEEN

ON ANY OTHER PLANET.

Narrator: A 25-MILE-WIDE DOME SITS IN THE MIDDLE

OF THE MASSIVE BASIN, SURROUNDED BY TENTACLE-LIKE PROJECTIONS.

Solomon: IT WAS THIS SPOKE PATTERN

OF SOMETHING LIKE 200 SPOKES

THAT WERE ALMOST PERFECTLY RADIAL

TO THE CENTER OF THE BASIN.

IT WAS DUBBED THE SPIDER.

Narrator: THIS WEIRDLY SYMMETRICAL SPIDER IS 143 MILES ACROSS,

DOMINATING AN ENTIRE REGION OF MERCURY'S SURFACE.

Solomon: WHY ISN'T IT REPEATED ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET?

WHAT IS SINGULAR ABOUT THAT AREA?

WHAT COULD HAVE MADE THIS STRUCTURE?

TO THIS DAY, WE'RE STILL ARGUING.

Narrator: FOR SOME, THE ANSWER SEEMS OBVIOUS.

MY FIRST REACTION SEEING THAT IS IT LOOKS LIKE LIVING CREATURES

BURROWING THROUGH THE ROCK.

IF YOU WANTED TO BRAVE THE HARSH CONDITIONS ON MERCURY,

THE ONLY PLACE THAT MAKES SENSE IS UNDERGROUND.

Narrator: MERCURY'S THICK IRON-RICH CRUST

COULD OFFER PROTECTION FROM THE SUN'S EXTREME TEMPERATURES

AND LETHAL RADIATION.

BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT THE SPIDER,

THIS SET OF FAULTS,

HAS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A NATURAL CAUSE.

Narrator: IFTHE SPIDER ISA NATURAL PHENOMENON,

THERE COULD BE SEVERAL CAUSES.

ONE THEORY IS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

BUT THE SPIDER DOES NOT RESEMBLE ANY OTHER VOLCANIC FORMATION

ON THE PLANET.

PERHAPS THE MOST COMPELLING IDEA

IS THAT MERCURY'S SPIDER WAS CREATED WHEN A LARGE METEORITE

IMPACTED THE SURFACE OF THE BASIN.

MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A ROCK HITS YOUR WINDSHIELD,

THE PRE-STRESS LED TO AN IMMEDIATE FRACTURE PATTERN.

IF A COSMIC COLLISION FORMED THE SPIDER,

SCIENTISTS WOULD ALSO EXPECT TO SEE AN IMPACT CRATER,

RIGHT AT THE VERY CENTER OF THE FORMATION.

Grazier: BUT IT TURNS OUT IT IS OFFSET

FROM THE CENTER OF WHERE ALL THOSE CRACKS CONVERGE.

IT ALSO APPEARS TO BE LATER THAN WHEN THESE CRACKS

WERE FIRST FORMED, SO THAT CRATER IS PROBABLY COINCIDENTAL.

Narrator: AT LEAST UNTIL THE MESSENGER PROBE BEGINS A NEW, CLOSER ORBIT

OF MERCURY IN MARCH 2015,

THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER'S FORMATION

WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

THERE ARE COMPETING IDEAS.

NONE OF THEM SEEM COMPLETELY SATISFYING,

SO THIS IS AN UNANSWERED QUESTION.

Narrator: STILL TO COME, WHEN IS A MOON NOT A MOON?

"THAT'S NO MOON."

Narrator: THE DISTANT MOON KNOWN AS TRITON HAS GONE ROGUE...

TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.

Narrator: ...APPARENTLY DEFYING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

TRITON IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHER LARGE SATELLITES

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

MOONS GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION THAT THE PLANET ROTATES.

THIS GUY'S GOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

HOW'D THAT HAPPEN?

Narrator: 1989.

AFTER A 12-YEAR JOURNEY, NASA'S VOYAGER 2 MISSION

REACHES THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM AND THE GAS GIANT NEPTUNE.

FIRST SEEING THE IMAGES OF NEPTUNE WAS REALLY EXCITING,

BECAUSE WE WENT THERE WITH NO IDEA

WHAT WE WERE GOING TO FIND,

AND SUDDENLY, HERE ARE THESE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES.

Narrator: IT'S A TRIUMPH FOR VOYAGER 2,

BUT WHEN NASA EXAMINES TRITON,

THE LARGEST OF NEPTUNE'S 13 MOONS,

THEY SPOT SOMETHING DISTURBING.

THE MOON IS GOING THE WRONG WAY AROUND THE PLANET.

Kavelaars: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EARTH/MOON SYSTEM,

THE MOON'S GOING AROUND THE EARTH, JUST LIKE THIS,

KIND OF CLOSE TO THE EQUATOR OF THE EARTH.

WHEN WE LOOK AT TRITON,

WHAT WE SEE IS THE MOON'S GOING AROUND IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.

IT IS THE ONLY LARGE MOON

OF ANY OF THE PLANETS THAT DOES THIS.

Narrator: TRITON'S BEHAVIOR SEEMS COMPLETELY UNNATURAL.

IT CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING WE THINK WE KNOW

ABOUT HOW PLANETS AND MOONS FORM.

MOST MOONS GET CREATED AS THE PLANET ITSELF GETS CREATED.

SO YOU HAVE THIS SWIRLING BALL OF GAS AND MATERIALS

THAT ARE COLLAPSING DOWN INTO THE CENTRAL PLANET,

AND THEN SOME DEBRIS LEFT OVER

COLLAPSES DOWN INTO THE SATELLITE.

SO YOU EXPECT ALL THE OBJECTS TO GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION

AROUND THE PLANET.

THAT'S VERY UNDERSTANDABLE.

WHAT'S NOT UNDERSTANDABLE IS HOW DO YOU GET A MOON,

ESPECIALLY A LARGE ONE,

TO GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION?

Narrator: THE RESEMBLANCE

TO THE PLANET-DESTROYING ARTIFICIAL MOONS

OF THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES IS STRIKING.

AS THEY'RE APPROACHING THE DEATH STAR, OBI-WAN

PEERS THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND SAYS, "THAT'S NO MOON."

Capps: IF YOU WANT TO PARK IN THE SOLAR

SYSTEM, KEEP AN EYE ON EARTH

AND ALL THE INTERESTING THINGS GOING ON THERE.

NEPTUNE'S THE PERFECT PLACE TO PARK YOUR ARTIFICIAL PLANET.

Narrator: TRITON'S SURFACE SEEMS TO SUPPORT THE THEORY.

IT APPEARS TO HAVE AREAS THAT ARE SMOOTH AS METAL,

REFLECTING 70% OF THE SUN'S RAYS.

Kavelaars: TRITON'S A VERY CONFUSING WORLD.

IT'S THE ORBIT AND IT'S THE TYPE OF MOON IT IS.

YEAH, TRITON IS VERY CONFUSING.

Narrator: EVEN FOR THE MOST SKEPTICAL SCIENTIST,

ALL THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT TRITON IS NO ORDINARY MOON.

Agnor: IT'S EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT TRITON FORMED

ORBITING AROUND NEPTUNE.

IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE FOR IT TO HAVE FORMED LOCALLY.

Narrator: THERE IS ONE OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE DEATH STAR THEORY.

IF I'M FLYING AN ARTIFICIAL PLANET THROUGH SPACE

AND I DECIDE THAT I WANT TO PARK IT ON NEPTUNE,

I'M GONNA BE SURE TO GO THE RIGHT WAY AROUND THE PLANET

IF I'M TRYING TO HIDE.

Baines: TRITON IS NOT A DEATH STAR.

IT'S NOT MADE OUT OF MATERIALS WE'D EXPECT IT TO BE MADE OUT OF

IF SOMEBODY WAS BUILDING THE THING.

IT'S MADE OUT OF NATURAL MATERIALS THAT YOU'D EXPECT.

BUT IF TRITON IS NOT ARTIFICIAL, WHY IS ITS SURFACE SMOOTH?

ON TRITON, WE SAW ERUPTIONS OF MATERIAL

INTO ITS THIN ATMOSPHERE.

WATERY ERUPTIONS CAN FREEZE AND MAKE A SMOOTH SURFACE, AT LEAST,

FILLING IN THE IMPACT CRATERS.

Kavelaars: PEOPLE CALL IT CRYOVOLCANISM,

AN ICE-BASED, COOLED VOLCANIC PROCESS.

Narrator: THAT STILL LEAVES THE MYSTERY OF TRITON'S WEIRD ORBIT,

BUT ASTRONOMER DR. CRAIG AGNOR HAS A THEORY.

Agnor: BECAUSE TRITON IS GOING IN THE OPPOSITE ORBITAL DIRECTION

OF ALL OF ITS NEIGHBORS,

THE GENERAL IDEA FOR ITS ORIGINAL

IS THAT IT MADE A CLOSE APPROACH TO NEPTUNE

AND IT SOMEHOW BECAME A BOUND COMPANION.

Narrator: TRITON CAME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE,

FLYING THROUGH SPACE UNTIL IT HITS SOMETHING NEAR NEPTUNE

AND WAS CAPTURE BY THE PLANET'S GRAVITY.

BUT EVEN THIS EXTRAORDINARY IDEA

ONLY PARTIALLY SOLVES THE MYSTERY.

Agnor: IF THE OBJECT THAT TRITON

COLLIDED WITH WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO SLOW IT DOWN

AND ENABLE ITS CAPTURE,

IT WAS ALSO LIKELY LARGE ENOUGH TO DESTROY IT.

Narrator: TO DATE, NO ONE HAS EXPLAINED

HOW OR WHY TRITON SURVIVED ITS HYPOTHETICAL COLLISION.

NASA'S ASTRONAUTS CONSTANTLY RISK THEIR LIVES

TO PUSH BACK THE BOUNDARIES OF KNOWLEDGE,

EVEN THOUGH SOME WOULD CAST DOUBT ON THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.

NASA CRAFT PROBE THE SECRETS OF DISTANT PLANETS,

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS TO THE MYSTERIES OF SPACE.

SOMETIMES ANSWERS LIE RIGHT BENEATH OUR FEET,

BUT OFTEN, THE MYSTERIES REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.