All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E02.Top.Secret.Terror.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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.