Original subtitles

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

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.

Narrator: SECRET WEAPONS WITH SUPER-HERO POWERS...

BASICALLY, IF I CAN SEE IT, I CAN KILL IT WITHIN HALF AN HOUR.

Narrator: ...OUR PLANET UNDER ATTACK...

ARE THERE ALIEN LIFE FORMS INVADING THE EARTH?

YES, I THINK SO.

Narrator: ...AND UNIDENTIFIED FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON.

THAT'S AN AWFULLY BIG FOOTPRINT.

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.

THOR,

GOD OF THUNDER, GOD OF WAR, MODERN SUPER HERO.

HE WIELDS THE HAMMER MJOLNIR, A WEAPON OF AWESOME POWER.

Huston: THE HAMMER OF THOR

CAN HIT THE EARTH WITH AMAZING FORCE, AMAZING AND DRAMATIC.

Narrator: A SIGHTING IN THE SKIES ABOVE THE U.S. SPARKS FEARS

WE MAY BE WITNESSING

THE AWESOME POWER OF THOR STRIKING FROM THE HEAVENS.

BUT THIS THOR IS NO GOD.

NOVEMBER 18th, 2009.

IN THE SKIES ABOVE UTAH AND NEVADA,

WITNESSES SEE SOMETHING THEY CAN'T IDENTIFY

STREAK THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.

A LIGHT BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN SUDDENLY APPEARS.

Narrator: THE BURNING ORANGE LIGHT

GROWS BIGGER AND BRIGHTER AS IT PASSES OVERHEAD.

THIS IS FAR FASTER THAN A BULLET.

Narrator: FINALLY, IT IMPACTS SOMEWHERE IN THE DESERT,

LIGHTING UP THE SKY.

WE'RE DEALING WITH EXTREMELY POWERFUL FORCES HERE.

Narrator: OFFICIALS EXPLAIN THAT THE BLINDING FLASH

WAS AN EXPLODING METEOR.

BUT THE PEOPLE OF NEVADA HAVE SEEN FLASHES LIKE THIS BEFORE,

AND IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH METEORITES.

[ EXPLOSION ]

IN THE LATE 1940s, THE FIRES IN THE SKY WERE ATOMIC TESTS,

AND THEY CONTINUED FOR DECADES.

BUT THE NUCLEAR TESTS OF THE COLD WAR ERA

LEFT TELLTALE TRACES.

AFTER THE 2009 EVENT,

THERE IS NEITHER THE FALLOUT OF A NUKE

NOR ANY SIGN OF THE CRATER THAT A METEOR WOULD LEAVE.

THIS IS WEIRD. IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

Narrator: A POSSIBLE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY EMERGES

WHEN NEWS LEAKS THAT, IN THE MONTHS BEFORE THE INCIDENT,

NASA LAUNCHED A ROCKET UNDER CONDITIONS OF TOTAL SECRECY.

Pope: IT'S A BOEING DELTA IV ROCKET,

ONE OF THE FEW HEAVY-LIFT VEHICLES

THAT NASA HAS CAPABLE OF GETTING A LARGE PAYLOAD INTO ORBIT.

THE LAUNCH TAKES PLACE AT NIGHT.

IT WAS A TOTAL MEDIA BLACKOUT,

AND NASA ISN'T SAYING WHAT'S ON BOARD.

Narrator: A NASA OBSERVER TRACKS THE TRAJECTORY

TO THE DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, A MILITARY TEST FACILITY.

THE APPEARANCE OF FIREBALLS IN THE SKY

AFTER THE SECRET ROCKET LAUNCH MAKES SOME LOCALS

SUSPECT THEIR BACKYARD IS BEING USED TO TEST WEAPONS ONCE AGAIN,

BUT NOT FOR NUKES.

AMONG THE MANY INCREDIBLE DEVICES

THE U.S. MILITARY HAS CREATED,

THERE IS AT LEAST ONE ACTUAL DESIGN FOR A SPACE WEAPON

THAT COULD CREATE THE SPECTACLE WITNESSES

SAW IN THE SKIES OVER UTAH AND NEVADA.

ITS NAME IS THOR.

Pournelle: NOW, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU LEARN ABOUT SPACE AND WAR --

TAKE THE HIGH GROUND, BOY,

OR THEY'LL KICK HELL OUT OF YA IN THE VALLEYS.

AND THAT'S JUST AN EXTENSION OF THAT.

TAKE THE HIGH GROUND.

Narrator: JERRY POURNELLE IS MOST FAMOUS

FOR WRITING AMAZING SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT HE HAS AN INTERESTING PAST.

Capps: BEFORE JERRY POURNELLE BECAME A FAMOUS SCI-FI WRITER,

HE WAS WORKING AT BOEING IN THE '50s.

AND THIS NOTION OF PROJECT THOR WAS ONE OF HIS IDEAS.

Narrator: PROJECT THOR, LIKE THE HAMMER OF THE GOD,

IT IS A SIMPLE BUT DEVASTATINGLY EFFECTIVE CONCEPT.

YOU TAKE ABOUT, OH, SAY, A 20-FOOT CHUNK

OF A TELEPHONE POLE MADE OUT OF HIGH-TUNGSTEN STEEL

AND YOU PUT GPS RECEIVER IN IT.

YOU PUT THAT SUCKER INTO ORBIT,

AND THERE ISN'T ANY TARGET ON EARTH I CAN'T DESTROY WITH IT.

IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.

IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING BIG IN SPACE

AND YOU DROP IT DOWN TO EARTH,

IT'S GONNA HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF KINETIC ENERGY WHEN IT ARRIVES.

THERE ISN'T MUCH DEFENSE.

IN FACT, THERE IS NO DEFENSE.

YOU'RE SADDAM HUSSEIN,

AND YOU BUILD YOURSELF A BUNKER 30 FEET UNDERGROUND, RIGHT?

PRETTY HARD TO GET YOU OUT OF THERE.

NOT WITH THOR, IT ISN'T.

BASICALLY, IF I CAN SEE IT,

I CAN KILL IT WITHIN HALF AN HOUR.

Narrator: TAKING OUT A HARD TARGET LIKE AN UNDERGROUND BUNKER

WOULD USUALLY REQUIRE THE MESSY, DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF A NUKE.

THOR BRINGS ALL THE POWER BUT WITH PINPOINT PRECISION

AND NO RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT.

IF YOU CAN DELIVER AN OBJECT AT 12,000 FEET PER SECOND,

I DON'T NEED A WARHEAD.

IT'S NOT RADIOACTIVE AT ALL.

IT'S JUST MOMENTUM ENERGY.

THERE'S NO EXPLOSION AS YOU THINK OF AN EXPLOSION.

[ CRASH, RUMBLING ]

IT ISN'T MASS THAT MAKES A BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND;

IT'S HOW FAST IT'S MOVING.

NO WARNING. NO EMANATIONS. NO RADAR.

VERY DIFFICULT TO DETECT AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP.

THE IMPACT WOULD BE AMAZING AND DRAMATIC.

WITH JUST A FEW OF THESE PROJECT THOR PLATFORMS IN SPACE,

YOU COULD DELIVER MATERIAL ON TARGET

ALMOST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WITHIN A FEW MINUTES.

YOU COULD PROBABLY LEVEL HALF A CITY BLOCK

WITH A SINGLE IMPACT.

Narrator: IN THE 1950s, THE COST OF DEPLOYING PAYLOADS

AS HEAVY AS PROJECT THOR BY ROCKET WAS PROHIBITIVE.

SO, ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL SOURCES,

THE PROJECT WAS DROPPED.

BUT IT WASN'T FORGOTTEN.

DURING THE '70s, THE AIR FORCE

ACTUALLY DID A SERIOUS PROJECT ON THE DESIGN,

AND I AM TOLD THAT SOMETHIN' WAS DONE DURING THE '90s, TOO.

Narrator: THE DESIRE TO HAVE A WEAPONS SYSTEM LIKE THOR OPERATIONAL

DROVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL SPACECRAFT

CAPABLE OF FLYING INTO ORBIT AND RETURNING TO EARTH.

THAT'S WHY WE TRIED TO DEVELOP REUSABLE SPACESHIP.

THEN, SOMETHING LIKE THOR BECOMES MUCH CHEAPER,

MUCH MORE PRACTICAL.

Narrator: THIS 1993 FOOTAGE IS FROM EXPERIMENTS OF THE DC-X ROCKETS

AT WHITE SANDS TEST RANGE.

Pournelle: THE AIR FORCE BUILT DC-X, WHICH WAS A SCALE MODEL

OF A FULLY REUSABLE SINGLE-STAGE-TO-ORBIT SHIP.

WE FLEW 11 MISSIONS.

DIDN'T FLY 'EM HIGH,

BUT WE FLEW 'EM AND PROVED THE CONCEPT.

MAN: It's lookin' good.

Translation's lookin' good.

MAN #2: Woo-hoo!

Narrator: BUT ULTIMATELY, THE IDEA

WAS TOO AMBITIOUS TO ACHIEVE WITH 1990s TECHNOLOGY.

NASA TOOK IT OVER AFTER THE AIR FORCE FLEW IT 11 TIMES

AND WRECKED IT ON THE FIRST MISSION.

Narrator: AND THE PROJECT FADED INTO OBSCURITY.

Capps: OFFICIALLY, THERE IS NO PROJECT THOR.

IT'S DEEMED TOO EXPENSIVE

TO GET THESE TUNGSTEN TELEPHONE POLES UP INTO ORBIT.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT HAPPENING IN A BLACK BUDGET

SOMEWHERE.

Narrator: MOST OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S SPENDING

ON SPACE WEAPONRY DEVELOPMENT IS CLASSIFIED,

BUT REPORTS ON ITS UNCLASSIFIED BUDGET SUGGEST THAT,

SINCE THE YEAR 2000, SPENDING ON SPACE WEAPONS

HAS GROWN BY OVER A BILLION EVERY YEAR.

AND A RECENT U.S. AIR FORCE DOCUMENT

OUTLINING FUTURE SPACE WEAPONS

CONTAINS A REFERENCE TO HYPERVELOCITY ROD BUNDLES.

IMAGINE A DRONE IS THE KINDERGARTEN IN THIS FIELD.

THIS IS THE GRADUATE SCHOOL.

IT COSTS TOO MUCH TO PUT 'EM UP THERE.

BUT, BOY, ONCE THEY'RE THERE, IT'S VERY EASY TO ACTIVATE THEM,

AND THEY'RE REALLY PRETTY DOGGONE ACCURATE.

Narrator: OFFICIALLY, THE U.S.A. HAS NO THOR PLATFORMS IN SPACE.

Capps: WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING

IF THERE'S A PROJECT THOR PLATFORM IN SPACE RIGHT NOW.

BUT IF THERE IS, I SURE HOPE IT'S GOT A U.S. FLAG ON IT.

Narrator: COMING UP, DID NASA PHOTOGRAPH EVIDENCE

THAT WE WERE BEATEN TO THE MOON?

IT'S ONE FOOT, THEN THE OTHER FOOT, THEN THE OTHER FOOT.

SOMEBODY'S BEEN WALKING BAREFOOT ON THE MOON.

Narrator: THE HISTORY BOOKS TELL US

ONLY 12 MEN HAVE LEFT FOOTPRINTS ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

BUT A RECENT NASA IMAGE SUGGESTS

THAT OTHERS HAVE LEFT THEIR MARK ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PICTURE,

YOU SEE THESE VERY STRANGE, OBLONG FEATURES.

SOME OF THEM LOOK LIKE A TRAIL OF FOOTPRINTS ACROSS THE MOON.

Narrator: IF THESE ARE NOT THE FOOTPRINTS

OF HUMANITY'S FIRST INTERPLANETARY EXPLORERS,

THEY MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE.

SCHMITT: Oh, what a nice day. Oh.

Funny. There's not a cloud in the sky.

APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT HARRISON SCHMITT

IS ONE OF THE LAST MEN TO SET FOOT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

A GEOLOGIST BY PROFESSION, HE COLLECTS OVER 700 LUNAR SAMPLES

ON THE LONGEST MOONWALK IN HISTORY.

SCHMITT: Here. Put it in here with the dirt.

Little dirt never hurt anybody.

YOU'RE ALWAYS TRYIN' TO THINK AHEAD,

"HOW AM I GONNA GET EVERYTHING DONE THAT I NEED TO DO

IN THE LIMITED TIME AVAILABLE?"

Okay. We're still lookin' at leavin' at six minutes from now.

Narrator: TO COVER GROUND QUICKLY,

HE CAME UP WITH HIS OWN UNIQUE WAY OF MOONWALKING.

I WOULD GLIDE ABOVE THE SURFACE AND PUSH WITH MY TOES

EACH TIME I CAME DOWN AND ACCELERATE THAT WAY.

♪ I was strolling on the moon one day ♪

Narrator: TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR TIME,

SCHMITT AND FELLOW ASTRONAUT EUGENE CERNAN

COVER MORE THAN 20 MILES IN THE LUNAR ROVER.

SCHMITT: We're right where we wanted to be for station two.

And it looks like a great place.

Narrator: WITH NO WIND OR EARTHQUAKES ON THE MOON,

THEIR TRACKS WILL REMAIN UNTOUCHED FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.

Schmitt: AS WE LAUNCHED OFF THE MOON,

YOU COULD GLANCE OUT THE WINDOW AND SEE BOTH YOUR LAUNCH PAD

AND ALSO THE TRACKS THAT YOU HAD LEFT AROUND IT.

Narrator: THOSE TRACKS WERE STILL THERE ALMOST 40 YEARS LATER,

WHEN NASA'S LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

SENT BACK HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES OF THE MOON IN 2009.

Schmitt: THAT HAS BEEN REALLY FUN

TO SEE THESE PICTURES 40 YEARS LATER OF WHERE YOU WERE,

AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

THERE ARE TRACKS EVERYWHERE.

WE DID CROSS OUR TRACKS ONCE IN A WHILE,

MADE SOME JOKING COMMENTS

ABOUT, "SOMEBODY'S BEEN HERE BEFORE US,"

AND THAT KIND OF THING.

Narrator: BUT WHEN THE LUNAR ORBITER

SENDS BACK ANOTHER SET OF IMAGES FROM THE MOON,

THE JOKE GETS SERIOUS.

Schultz: THEY LOOK LIKE STRANGE FOOTPRINTS

MARCHING ACROSS THE SURFACE,

AND YOU WONDER WHAT CAUSED THEM.

Birnes: IT'S NOT JUST THAT THEY'RE SHAPED LIKE A FOOTPRINT,

BUT IT'S THE PATH.

IT'S ONE FOOT, THEN THE OTHER FOOT, THEN THE OTHER FOOT.

AND YOU ALMOST THINK, LOOKING AT IT,

"SOMEBODY'S BEEN WALKING BAREFOOT ON THE MOON."

Narrator: THESE STRANGE MARKINGS

ARE 30 MILES FROM THE NEAREST APOLLO LANDING SITE,

BUT THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS NEVER

TRAVELED FURTHER THAN 20 MILES FROM THEIR SPACECRAFT.

AND IF THEY ARE FOOTPRINTS, THEY'RE ON AN INHUMAN SCALE.

THESE LOOK LIKE THE KIND OF TRAILS YOU'D SEE IN A DESERT.

BUT THE PROBLEM WITH THESE

WAS THAT THEY WEREN'T HUMAN-SIZED FOOTPRINTS.

THEY WERE REALLY BIG FOOTPRINTS.

THOSE ARE SEVERAL KILOMETERS ACROSS.

THAT'S AN AWFULLY BIG FOOTPRINT.

NO CREATURE COULD CREATE SUCH A MASSIVE PRINT,

SO SCIENTISTS START LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS.

SOME SUGGEST A METEORITE IMPACTING THE MOON

CREATED THE FEATURE.

Weiss: THE EARLIEST PHASE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM HISTORY

WAS AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT PLACE.

THE MOON WAS BEING BOMBARDED

BY A TREMENDOUS RAIN OF IMPACTORS,

WHICH CREATED THE CRATERS THAT WE SEE TODAY.

Narrator: BUT IF THE FOOTPRINTS WERE CAUSED BY A METEOR CHAIN,

THE CRATERS SHOULD BE ARRANGED IN A DEAD STRAIGHT LINE.

Kring: THESE STRUCTURES THAT WE SEE STRETCHING

OVER TENS OF KILOMETERS ACROSS THE LUNAR SURFACE

DO NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO IMPACT-CRATERING PROCESSES.

Narrator: WITH METEORS RULED OUT, SCIENTISTS LOOK

FOR SIMILAR STRUCTURES ELSEWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THEY FIND A CLUE IN THE LAVA BEDS OF CALIFORNIA,

WHERE UNCANNILY SIMILAR CRATERS

SPREAD ACROSS AN AREA COVERING 46,000 ACRES.

THEY BELIEVE THAT THESE LINEAR CHAINS OF HOLES ARE

ACTUALLY THE SURFACE EXPRESSION OF A BURIED TUBE OF LAVA

THAT WAS CARRYING MAGMA BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

WE NOW KNOW THAT THERE WAS EXTENSIVE VOLCANISM

ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

THERE ARE HUGE PLAINS OF LAVA ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

Kring: THESE STRUCTURES ARE IN THE MIDST OF THESE LAVA PLAINS,

WHICH ERUPTED 2 TO 3 BILLION YEARS AGO.

THEY ARE EXQUISITELY PRESERVED ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

BECAUSE GEOLOGIC PROCESSES TODAY ARE NOT ERASING THEM.

THERE WAS LAVA RUNNING UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE,

AND THESE ARE WHERE THE ROOF ACTUALLY CAVED IN.

Narrator: LAVA TUBES ON EARTH ARE A WELL-STUDIED PHENOMENON.

TODAY, LAVA STILL FLOWS

THROUGH THE TUBES OF HAWAII'S MOUNT KILAUEA.

DEEPER INSIDE THE MOUNTAIN,

THERE ARE ENORMOUS, ANCIENT TUBES

WHICH OPEN INTO A VAST, UNDERGROUND LABYRINTH.

THESE ARE THE LONGEST AND DEEPEST KNOWN TO EXIST ON EARTH,

BUT THEY PALE IN COMPARISON TO THE TUBES ON THE MOON,

WHICH ARE 10 TIMES AS BIG.

SO YOU JUST CAN'T IMAGINE

WHAT THE INTERIORS OF THESE AREAS MUST BE LIKE.

THERE ARE THESE HUGE, IN MANY CASES, CAVES

THAT COULD GO FOR MANY KILOMETERS.

YOU COULD WALK DOWN.

AAAAH!

Narrator: THE IDEA OF LIFE IN UNDERGROUND LABYRINTHS ON THE MOON

FIRST APPEARED IN A 1901 H.G. WELLS STORY.

[ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ]

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON.

AND IN A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE, IT IS AN IDEA THAT, TODAY,

SOME SCIENTISTS ARE TAKING VERY SERIOUSLY.

BUT IN THIS NEW VISION,

INSTEAD OF AN ADVANCED LUNAR CIVILIZATION,

IT WILL BE A HUMAN COLONY INHABITING THE LUNAR CAVERNS.

A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE SUGGESTED

THESE WOULD BE GOOD PLACES FOR A, SAY, LUNAR BASE.

Narrator: THE LUNAR LAVA TUBES COULD PROVIDE

A READY-MADE UNDERGROUND COMPLEX WITH STABLE TEMPERATURES

AND SHIELDING FROM RADIATION AND METEORITES.

MAYBE WELLS' VISION WASN'T THAT FAR-FETCHED.

UP NEXT, NASA SCIENTISTS

INVESTIGATE STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN DEATH VALLEY.

IN THE NATIVE TIMES, THERE IS A CLEAR INDICATION

OF SOMETHING UP IN THE SKY THAT'S UNEXPLAINED.

Narrator: STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THE DRIEST PLACE ON EARTH.

Rutkowski: LARGE STONES SEEM TO HAVE LEFT TRACKS

MOVING ACROSS THE DESERT FLOOR, WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Narrator: A NASA-BACKED TEAM OF SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATES.

Birnes: AND THESE AREN'T LITTLE PEBBLES.

THESE ARE BIG ROCKS.

WHAT'S MAKING THESE ROCKS MOVE IS A MYSTERY.

Narrator: WHAT WEIRD FORCE IS MAKING THE ROCKS OF DEATH VALLEY ROLL?

DEATH VALLEY IS THE LOWEST PLACE IN THE U.S.

AND HOLDS THE GLOBAL RECORD

FOR THE HIGHEST RECORDED AIR TEMPERATURE.

BUT LOW ALTITUDE AND SEARING HEAT

CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW 700-POUND ROCKS

MOVE AS FAR AS 1,500 FEET ACROSS THE VALLEY FLOOR.

SOME OF THESE ROCKS ARE HEAVY.

THEY COULD EASILY BE 300 TO 400 POUNDS.

THEY HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PUSHED BY SOME FORCE

ACROSS THESE DRY LAKEBEDS.

Lorenz: THERE'S THIS EXTRAORDINARY SENSE

THAT THIS ROCK SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

SOMEHOW, IT MOVED.

SOME OF THE TRAILS, HUNDREDS OF YARDS LONG,

SORT OF PARALLEL, IN CONCERT.

IT'S REALLY EXCEPTIONAL

FOR ROCKS TO MOVE SOMEHOW BY THEMSELVES.

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

Narrator: BUT THESE WEIRD, MOVING ROCKS ARE NOT A NEW PHENOMENON.

THEY'VE BEEN HAPPENING ON THE DRY LAKE BED FOR SO LONG

LOCALS CALL IT RACETRACK PLAYA.

France: THE FIRST REFERENCE IS AROUND THE 1850s

WHEN THEY WOULD MENTION THESE ROCKS

WITH THESE LONG, SNAKE-LIKE TRAILS BEHIND THEM.

Narrator: THERE ARE NO FOOTPRINTS OR OTHER SIGNS OF ACTIVITY

ANYWHERE NEAR THE TRAILS ON THE CRACKED MUD.

NO HUMAN MOVED THESE STONES.

IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

RESEARCHERS SCOUR THE HISTORICAL RECORD FOR CLUES

AND FIND TANTALIZING EVIDENCE

IN ANCIENT NATIVE AMERICAN ROCK CARVINGS.

Heffernan: IN THE NATIVE TIMES, THERE IS A CLEAR INDICATION

OF SOMETHING UP IN THE SKY THAT'S UNEXPLAINED.

France: ONE OF THE CLAIMS ON HOW THESE ROCKS MYSTERIOUSLY MOVE

IS ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS GENERATED BY UFOS.

Rutkowski: HISTORICALLY, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF UFO PHENOMENA

IN AND AROUND DEATH VALLEY.

SO IT'S NATURAL FOR SOME TO ASSUME

THAT THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UFOS AND ROCKS

THAT SEEM TO MOVE MYSTERIOUSLY.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH SIGHTINGS OF STRANGE FLYING OBJECTS

HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE AREA FOR MANY YEARS,

SUSPECTED UFO ACTIVITY HAS NEVER BEEN CAUGHT ON CAMERA UNTIL NOW.

IN JANUARY 2013,

PHOTOGRAPHER GAVIN HEFFERNAN IS SHOOTING A NIGHT SKY TIME-LAPSE

ABOVE THE ROCKS OF DEATH VALLEY.

ESSENTIALLY, I USED A VERY LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY

TO LET AS MUCH LIGHT AS POSSIBLE IN

AND ALLOW US TO SEE THINGS IN THE SKY

THAT OUR NAKED EYE WOULD NOT ACTUALLY REVEAL TO US.

SO WITH THE COMBINATION OF DEATH VALLEY'S UNBELIEVABLE DARK SKIES

AND WITH THIS LONG EXPOSURE, ALL OF A SUDDEN,

WE'RE LOOKING A LITTLE FURTHER INTO SPACE

THAN YOU REALLY CAN IMAGINE IS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: HEFFERNAN CAPTURES A TRAIL IN THE SKY CIRCLING ABOVE THEM.

WONDERING, "WHAT WAS THAT?"

NONE OF US HAD HEARD ANYTHING.

NONE OF US HAD SEEN ANYTHING WITH OUR EYES AT THE LOCATION.

SO IT WAS QUITE A SURPRISE

TO ACTUALLY SEE SOMETHING SO SIGNIFICANT

CIRCLING THREE TIMES OVER THIS SHOT.

Narrator: COULD THIS BE THE MYSTERIOUS CAUSE

OF DEATH VALLEY'S WANDERING ROCKS?

PLANETARY SCIENTIST RALPH LORENZ DOESN'T THINK SO.

THERE'S ACTUALLY A CLUE TO THIS PROCESS,

AND THAT IS THAT, IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC,

BOULDERS CAN BE RAFTED BY ICE.

YOU CAN HAVE ACRES OF ICE FOR THE WIND TO DRAG ON

THAT MAGNIFIES THE WIND FORCE ON THE ROCK AND CAN BULLDOZE IT.

Narrator: BUT DEATH VALLEY IS NOT AN ICY WASTELAND.

IT'S THE HOTTEST PLACE ON EARTH.

A NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH TEAM SETS UP AN EXPERIMENT

TO TRACK THE ROCKS ON RACETRACK PLAYA FOR 10 YEARS.

AFTER A TWO-YEAR WAIT, THEIR PATIENCE PAYS OFF.

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, NOBODY HAD SEEN THE ROCKS MOVE.

BUT, IN FACT, THAT CHANGED THIS WINTER.

Narrator: IN WINTER, THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES OF DEATH VALLEY

CAN WORK BOTH WAYS.

Narrator: DEATH VALLEY IS A DESERT.

BUT DURING WINTER AND ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, IT FREEZES.

WHEN THAT LAKE FROZE OVER, ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS,

ROCKS HAVE BEEN SEEN TO MOVE.

Narrator: SHEET ICE FORMS AROUND THE ROCKS,

LIFTING THEM CLEAR OF THE LAKE BED.

WHEN THE ICE THAWS, IT BREAKS UP.

SOME OF IT CLINGS TO THE ROCK,

FORMING A KIND OF FLOATING LIFESAVER.

ON THE SLIPPERY MUD OF THE LAKE BED,

A GENTLE PUSH FROM THE WIND

IS ENOUGH TO SLIDE THE ROCKS ALONG THE VALLEY FLOOR.

Lorenz: IF THE ICE IS SOMEHOW FLOATING THE ROCKS,

THEN YOU HARDLY NEED ANY WIND AT ALL, ACTUALLY, TO MOVE IT.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

IT'S LIKE THE GODZILLA OF EARTHS.

IT'S A MASSIVE EARTH. WE CALL IT A MEGA-EARTH.

Narrator: A PLANET SO MASSIVE IT SHOULD NOT BE.

Dumusque: IT'S A MIND-BLOWING DISCOVERY,

AND IT OPENS PLENTY OF NEW POSSIBILITIES.

Seager: IT'S COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

IT'S LIKE NOTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: ITS VERY EXISTENCE CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING

WE THINK WE KNOW ABOUT HOW PLANETS ARE FORMED.

Christiansen: IT'S THIS MASSIVE THING,

AND WE HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW IT GOT THERE.

Narrator: IN THEIR MISSION OF EXPLORATION,

NASA SCIENTISTS SEARCH THE FAR REACHES OF SPACE,

REVEALING ALIEN WORLDS, BIZARRE STAR SYSTEMS

AND PHENOMENA WHICH DEFY EXPLANATION.

SOME OF THEIR MOST INTRIGUING FINDS

COME FROM THE SPACE AGENCY'S KEPLER TELESCOPE.

THE HALF-BILLION-DOLLAR SPACECRAFT

HUNTS FOR NEW PLANETS,

WORLDS LIKE OURS THAT COULD HOLD LIFE.

Seager: KEPLER MONITORS THE BRIGHTNESS OF A STAR

FROM LITERALLY SECOND TO SECOND,

LOOKING FOR A DROP IN BRIGHTNESS.

Narrator: JULY 2009.

KEPLER DETECTS A SMALL DIP IN LIGHT

AROUND A STAR 560 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER TWO PLANETS ORBITING THE STAR,

ONE A PLANET SIMILAR IN SIZE TO EARTH.

THE OTHER, KEPLER-10C,

IS UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY'VE EVER SEEN.

IT'S BIG. IT'S TWICE THE SIZE OF EARTH, BUT IT'S DIFFERENT.

Narrator: SOMETHING ABOUT THE WORLD SEEMS OFF.

ASTRONOMER XAVIER DUMUSQUE

IS ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE UNUSUAL PLANET

USING A GROUND-BASED TELESCOPE.

Dumusque: AFTER SIX MONTHS OF DATA,

WE STARTED TO SEE A HUGE SIGNAL THERE,

WHICH MEAN THAT THE PLANET WAS MUCH MORE MASSIVE

THAN WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING --

17 TIMES MORE MASSIVE THAN THE EARTH

BUT WITH A SIMILAR DENSITY,

EVEN A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.

Narrator: THE DENSITY READINGS FROM THIS WORLD

CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING --

THIS HUGE PLANET IS A SOLID MASS OF ROCK AND METAL.

IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

YOU HAVE TWO TYPES OF PLANETS --

PLANETS THAT ARE ROCKY IN COMPOSITION AND PLANETS

MUCH MORE MASSIVE, LIKE JUPITER AND NEPTUNE,

AND THEY ARE MADE OF GAS.

WE KNOW THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF ROCKY PLANETS

BECAUSE WE SEE SIGNS OF THEM IN DISCS WHERE PLANETS ARE FORMING.

AND WE THINK KEPLER-10C IS MADE OF JUST IRON AND SILICATES,

JUST LIKE OUR OWN EARTH IS.

THIS WAS REALLY LIKE SOMETHING VERY, VERY STRANGE.

Narrator: DUMUSQUE IS SO SHOCKED THAT HE DOUBLE-CHECKS HIS DATA,

BUT THE FIGURES HOLD UP.

THE ROCKY PLANET IS 17 TIMES THE MASS OF EARTH.

Seager: IT'S LIKE THE GODZILLA OF EARTHS.

IT'S A MASSIVE EARTH. WE CALL IT A MEGA-EARTH.

Narrator: THE RESULTS LEAVE ASTRONOMERS BAFFLED.

KEPLER-10C HAS COMPLETELY SENT PLANET-FORMATION THEORISTS

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.

Narrator: AN EARTH-LIKE PLANET THIS MASSIVE SHOULD NOT EXIST.

ACCORDING TO CONVENTIONAL THEORIES OF PLANET FORMATION,

A WORLD THIS BIG AND HEAVY SHOULD TURN INTO A GAS GIANT.

Christiansen: ALL OF OUR PLANETARY FORMATION THEORIES THAT WE'VE COME UP WITH

TO DESCRIBE THE SYSTEMS WE'VE FOUND SO FAR WOULD TELL US

THAT THIS PLANET MUST HAVE ACCRETED A LARGE ATMOSPHERE.

LIKE, IT MUST HAVE BECOME A GAS GIANT, LIKE JUPITER OR SATURN.

Narrator: PLANETS LIKE JUPITER AND SATURN

START OUT AS MASSIVE, SOLID CORES.

AND THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF THEIR BIG CORES

DRAGS IN MATERIAL FROM ALL AROUND THE SYSTEM,

CREATING GIANT PLANETS WREATHED IN GAS.

JUPITER'S CORE IS THOUGHT TO BE OF ORDER 10 EARTH MASSES,

AND THIS PLANET IS ALMOST TWICE THAT.

IF IT FORMED NEAR THE STAR AND GAS DISC,

IT SHOULD HAVE ACQUIRED A LARGE AMOUNT OF GAS FROM THIS DISK

AND BECOME A GAS-GIANT PLANET LIKE JUPITER.

BUT IT HASN'T. IT DOESN'T HAVE A BIG ATMOSPHERE.

IT'S A BOWL OF ROCK,

AND WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: THE KEPLER SYSTEM SIMPLY DOESN'T BEHAVE THE WAY WE EXPECT IT TO.

Christiansen: WHEN WE'VE BEEN COMING UP WITH FORMATION THEORIES FOR PLANETS,

FOR MANY YEARS,

WE ONLY HAD ONE PLANETARY SYSTEM THAT WE COULD MODEL,

WHICH WAS OUR OWN.

SO ALL OF OUR THEORIES WERE GEARED TOWARDS

FINDING SYSTEMS, EVOLVING SYSTEMS LIKE OUR SYSTEM.

Narrator: IF WE STICK WITH THE EXISTING MODEL

FOR HOW PLANETARY SYSTEMS WORK,

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE EXPLANATION FOR KEPLER-10C,

THE PLANET MUST ONCE HAVE HAD A LARGE GAS ATMOSPHERE

THAT HAS SINCE BEEN STRIPPED AWAY.

BUT THERE IS NO KNOWN FORCE CAPABLE OF DOING THIS.

Christiansen: WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO STRIP OFF

WHATEVER ATMOSPHERE IT MUST HAVE ACCUMULATED

AND LEAVE THIS GIANT BALL OF ROCK JUST SITTING THERE.

SOMEONE OR SOMETHING

HAS COME ALONG AND SIPHONED OFF ALL THE GAS.

Narrator: HARVESTING VALUABLE RESOURCES FROM GAS GIANTS IS A STAPLE

OF CLASSIC SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT A GAS GIANT'S REAL MOTHER LODE

IS HIDDEN DEEP BENEATH ITS CLOUDS.

Capps: IF YOU WANT TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A GAS GIANT,

WHERE ALL THE VALUABLE MINERALS ARE,

IT'S GONNA MAKE YOUR LIFE A LOT EASIER

IF YOU STRIP OFF ALL THOSE GASES ON THE OUTSIDE FIRST.

Narrator: THE TECHNOLOGY TO PERFORM SUCH INCREDIBLE FEATS

OF PLANETARY ENGINEERING IS FAR BEYOND OUR CURRENT CAPABILITIES.

Capps: OBVIOUSLY, WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY

TO STRIP THE GAS OFF OF A GAS GIANT BUT,

THEORETICALLY, MORE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY COULD DO THAT.

Narrator: ADVANCED HUMAN MINING COLONIES

WON'T BE APPEARING ON DISTANT WORLDS ANYTIME SOON.

BUT SCIENTISTS ARE STILL SEARCHING

FOR AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION FOR KEPLER-10C's GASLESS GIANT.

THIS PLANET, JUST FOR THE MOMENT, CANNOT BE EXPLAINED.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS DISCOVER BUGS ON THE WINDSHIELD OF THE I.S.S.

HOW THE HELL DID IT GET THERE?

Narrator: WHEN TWO RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS

SET OUT ON A ROUTINE WINDOW-CLEANING MISSION,

THE LAST THING THEY EXPECT TO FIND

IS EVIDENCE OF LIFE IN THE COLD EMPTINESS OF SPACE.

LIFE IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT'S THERE.

Narrator: AND THE ONLY EXPLANATION IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.

NO LIFE ON EARTH IS DESIGNED TO LIVE IN SPACE.

IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN THE CREW ABOARD THE SPACE STATION

ARE NOT THE ONLY ORGANISMS TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE.

AUGUST 18th, 2014.

COSMONAUTS ARTEMYEV AND SKVORTSOV

LEAVE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

FOR A FIVE-HOUR SPACEWALK.

ONE OF THEIR MUNDANE TASKS IS TO CLEAN EACH WINDOW

ON MANKIND'S MOST EXPENSIVE MOBILE HOME.

WE THINK OF SPACE AS A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

BUT, ACTUALLY, IN EARTH ORBIT

IS DEBRIS FROM ALL THE SPACE MISSIONS WE'VE EVER DONE.

AND SPACECRAFTS GET COATED IN THIS MATERIAL.

Narrator: WHEN THE COSMONAUTS GET BACK INSIDE,

THEY EXAMINE THEIR CLEANING MATERIALS.

Wickramasinghe: THEY ANALYZE THE WIPES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE,

AND WHAT THEY FIND IS SHOCKING.

THE COSMONAUTS WERE ASTONISHED TO FIND, UNDER A MICROSCOPE,

THAT THERE WAS PLANKTON.

Narrator: PLANKTON ARE MICROSCOPIC FORMS OF LIFE

FOUND IN EARTH'S OCEANS AND LAKES.

SO NO ONE EXPECTS TO FIND PLANKTON IN SPACE.

HOW THE HELL DID IT GET THERE?

Narrator: SOME MICRO-ORGANISMS

CAN BE BLOWN INTO EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE BY THE WIND,

BUT IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE

THAT AIR CAN PLUCK PLANKTON FROM THE OCEAN

AND DELIVER IT 220 MILES UP THROUGH THE VACUUM OF SPACE.

Wickramasinghe: THERE'S NO WAY IN WHICH

A PARTICLE AS HEAVY AS A PLANKTON

CAN RIDE AIR CURRENTS TO THAT HEIGHT.

AIR CURRENTS DON'T WORK VERY WELL IN A HARD VACUUM.

Narrator: SOME HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE PLANKTON HITCHED A RIDE

TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ON RESUPPLY MISSIONS.

BUT MOST OF THE ROCKETS

COME FROM A PLACE WHERE YOU WON'T FIND ANY PLANKTON.

Wickramasinghe: YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT ALL THE RUSSIAN LAUNCHES

ARE FROM BAIKONUR IN KAZAKHSTAN, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT,

AND YOU DON'T FIND MARINE ORGANISMS THERE.

Narrator: BUT NOT EVERY RESUPPLY ROCKET COMES FROM THE KAZAKH DESERT.

Genge: THE AMERICANS LAUNCH FROM CAPE CANAVERAL,

WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

WHICH IS FULL OF MARINE PLANKTON.

Narrator: SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE SPACE STATION'S UNEXPECTED IMMIGRANTS

CAME UP ON AN AMERICAN SPACECRAFT.

BUT UP IN SPACE, THEIR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WOULD BE SLIM.

Garvie: SOME ORGANISMS CAN SURVIVE IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.

IT'S LIKE SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

BUT WHAT MAKES THIS CLAIM SO UNUSUAL, SO SPECIAL,

IS THAT THIS SEA PLANKTON

WAS SUPPOSEDLY ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SPACE STATION,

EXPOSED, NOT JUST TO THE VACUUM,

BUT TO THE HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS AND RADIATION FROM THE SUN.

Narrator: ASTROBIOLOGIST CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE

DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT ANY PLANKTON FROM EARTH

COULD SURVIVE IN SUCH A HARSH ENVIRONMENT.

NO LIFE ON EARTH IS DESIGNED TO LIVE IN SPACE.

[ RUMBLING ]

I THINK A FRAGMENT OF A FROZEN COMET LAKE

WAS TRAVELING ALMOST PARALLEL TO THE SPACE STATION

AND COLLIDED WITH IT.

Narrator: AS STRANGE AS THE IDEA

OF COMET-LAUNCHED SPACE PLANKTON SOUNDS,

WICKRAMASINGHE IS NOT THE ONLY SCIENTIST TO SUPPORT IT.

Hoover: MARINE PLANKTON GOT ON THE OUTSIDE WINDOWS

WHEN THE SPACE STATION

PASSED THROUGH TAILS OF COMETARY DEBRIS.

Narrator: THE THEORY IS THAT A COMET FROM THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM

WAS CAUGHT BY THE GRAVITY WELL OF OUR SUN.

AS IT APPROACHED THE EARTH,

THE HEAT FROM THE SUN MELTED THE COMET'S ICY SURFACE,

FORMING A PLUME OF GAS, DUST, AND MICROBE-LADEN ICE BEHIND IT.

THE PLUME COULD'VE BRUSHED ACROSS THE SPACE STATION,

DEPOSITING ITS MICROBIAL CARGO ONTO THE I.S.S.

BUT HOW COULD MICROBIAL LIFE SURVIVE SUCH A LONG JOURNEY?

Garvie: WE KNOW THAT IF WE PUT, FOR INSTANCE, A MICRO-ORGANISM

OR SHIELD IT FROM THE COSMIC RAYS

JUST BELOW THE SURFACE OF A METEORITE,

IT CAN PROBABLY STAY IN SUSPENDED ANIMATION

FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, ALMOST INDEFINITELY.

SO THAT LENDS CREDENCE

TO THE FACT THAT LIFE COULD BE SEEDED THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE.

THE FASCINATING THING IS THAT MOST PEOPLE

THINK THAT EVERYTHING ALIVE HAS TO BE IN LIQUID WATER.

THAT ISN'T TRUE.

I COLLECTED SAMPLES OF LIVING ORGANISMS IN ICE,

IN ANCIENT ICE.

AND WHEN THIS ICE IS ALLOWED TO THAW,

ALL OF THESE LITTLE BACTERIA

COME OUT AND START SWIMMING AROUND, VERY HAPPY

BECAUSE IT'S NOW SPRINGTIME AGAIN.

Narrator: SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE SPACE SLIME ON THE I.S.S.

DID NOT COME FROM EARTH AT ALL.

ARE THERE ALIEN LIFE-FORMS INVADING THE EARTH?

YES, I THINK SO.

Narrator: NASA IS STILL WAITING FOR THE RUSSIANS TO RELEASE DATA

ABOUT THE SPACE SLIME ON THE I.S.S.

UNTIL THEY DO,

WE CAN'T DEFINITIVELY KNOW WHERE THE PLANKTON CAME FROM.

UP NEXT, THE SPACE EEL RETURNS.

AND I NOTICED SOMETHING THAT WAS SLOWLY ROTATING

AND FLYING ABOUT AS FAST AS WE WERE.

Musgrave: IT'S A SNAKE-LIKE OBJECT OF SIX FEET, SEVEN FEET.

AND I'M WONDERING WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: WHEN A VETERAN NASA AND AIR FORCE PILOT

TOOK PICTURES IN SPACE,

THE LAST THING HE EXPECTED TO SEE WAS THIS.

IT WAS WIGGLING LIKE A LONE WORM.

WRITHING LIKE A LIVING BEING.

Narrator: SOON AFTER THE MYSTERY OBJECT DISAPPEARS,

THE SHUTTLE SUFFERS A SERIOUS MALFUNCTION.

HE WAS ABOUT TO STEP OUT INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

AND HIS SUIT COULD'VE KILLED HIM.

Orwall: NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE

AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

MARCH 1st, 2002.

AS THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA

LIFTS OFF FROM THE KENNEDY LAUNCH PAD,

PILOT AND MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIAST

DUANE "DIGGER" CAREY TAKES CONTROL OF THE MACHINE

PACKING 7.5 MILLION POUNDS OF THRUST.

Carey: THE FIRST TWO MINUTES IS LIKE RIDING

A SUPERCHARGED NITRO-FUELED HARLEY DAVIDSON

FULL OF FIRE, VIBRATION, AND THRUST AND SPEED.

A LOT OF NOISE, A LOT OF SMOKE.

Man: BE ADVISED, CLEARED THE TOWER.

[ RADIO CHATTER ]

Carey: SUDDENLY, WHEN THE SOLID'S COME OFF,

YOU'RE RIDING ON A HONDA GOLD WING --

POWERFUL, SMOOTH, QUIET,

BUT IT'S STILL GETTING YOU THERE REAL QUICK.

Narrator: CAREY AND THE REST OF THE STS-109 CREW

ARE TASKED WITH ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING MISSIONS

IN NASA'S HISTORY --

REPAIRING THE $2-BILLION HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

D'Antonio: THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE IS A VERY EXPENSIVE SYSTEM.

AFTER FINDING OUT THAT IT HAD THIS HUGE MALFUNCTION,

NASA'S ENTIRE REPUTATION IS AT STAKE.

Narrator: WHILE THE MISSION SPECIALISTS STRUGGLE

TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS,

CAREY DOCUMENTS THEIR ACTIVITIES WITH VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHS.

Carey: CREWS ARE ALWAYS TRAINED TO PICK UP A CAMERA

IN WHATEVER SPARE MOMENTS THEY HAVE,

POINT 'EM OUT THE WINDOW AND TAKE PICTURES.

Narrator: SUDDENLY, CAREY IS DISTRACTED FROM HIS OBSERVATIONS

BY SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE SHUTTLE.

Carey: I HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT MY WINDOW.

AND I NOTICED AN ARTIFACT OR SOMETHING.

IT APPEARED TO BE A METALLIC OBJECT,

COMPLEX SHAPE THAT WAS SLOWLY ROTATING

AND FLYING ABOUT AS FAST AS WE WERE.

Narrator: THE OBJECT TWISTS ON ITSELF,

EMITTING SPORADIC FLASHES OF LIGHT AS IT MOVES.

WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME ABOUT THIS IMAGE

IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST A SHAPELESS BLOB.

IT'S AN ARC.

AND AS IT TUMBLES,

SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY CAN SEE IT WRITHING LIKE A LIVING BEING.

IT WAS WIGGLING LIKE A LONE WORM, A LONE WORM IN SPACE.

Narrator: AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME

THAT A WORM-LIKE ENTITY HAS BEEN SPOTTED NEAR THE SHUTTLE.

AND WHAT'S SO ODD ABOUT IT IS THAT ASTRONAUT STORY MUSGRAVE

DESCRIBED SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR ON HIS SPACE TRIPS, AS WELL.

BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN -- BOOP --

THERE'S AN OBJECT THAT CAME FROM NOWHERE.

IT WASN'T THERE. NOW IT'S THERE.

IT'S A SNAKE-LIKE OBJECT OF 6 FEET, 7 FEET.

AND I'M WONDERING WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: BACK ON STS-109,

CAREY ASKS MISSION CONTROL TO HELP IDENTIFY THE OBJECT.

Carey: I TOOK SOME PICTURES OF IT, SOME VIDEOS,

SENT THEM DOWN TO THE GROUND.

YOU KNOW, "WHAT IS THIS THING?"

Narrator: BUT NASA HAS A MORE IMMEDIATE CONCERN.

PAYLOAD COMMANDER JOHN GRUNSFELD IS PREPARING TO STEP INTO SPACE

AND RENDEZVOUS WITH HUBBLE WHEN HE ENCOUNTERS A PROBLEM.

WHILE WE WERE PREPARING FOR EVA NUMBER 3 ON THE THIRD DAY,

WATER STARTED TO LEAK INTO HIS SUIT.

D'Antonio: CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT HE MUST HAVE FELT?

HE WAS ABOUT TO STEP OUT INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

AND HIS SUIT COULD'VE KILLED HIM.

Narrator: WITH WATER LEAKING INTO HIS SUIT,

GRUNSFELD HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO RETREAT INSIDE

AND REMOVE HIS SUIT BEFORE THE BUILDUP BECOMES CRITICAL.

SO WE BASICALLY HAD TO GET JOHN BACK INTO THE ORBITER

AND BUILD A NEW SPACE SUIT FOR HIM

OUT OF EVERYBODY ELSE'S SPACE-SUIT PARTS.

Narrator: NASA TECHNICIANS IMMEDIATELY QUARANTINED THE SUIT

UNTIL THEY UNCOVERED THE CAUSE OF THE WATER LEAK.

WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS, NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE

AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: THE INVESTIGATION TRACES THE PROBLEM

TO A SUDDEN VOLTAGE SPIKE IN THE SPACE STATION'S AIRLOCK.

Carey: THEY THEORIZED THERE WAS A LITTLE VOLTAGE SPIKE,

WHICH CAUSED ONE OF THE VALVES IN JOHN'S SPACE SUIT

TO STAY OPEN.

AND THEN THE WATER STARTED TO LEAK INTO THE SPACE SUIT.

Narrator: THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER THE SUIT MALFUNCTION

WAS LINKED TO THE FLASHING OBJECT SPOTTED BY CAREY.

IT'S ANOTHER MYSTERY COMING OUT OF NASA.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR THE SPECIFIC EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT HAPPENED,

WHAT THAT OBJECT WAS,

AND WHY THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

Carey: I THINK, A FEW DAYS LATER,

WE DID GET AN ANSWER IN SOME E-MAIL OR SOMETHING

LIKE THAT THAT SAID, "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO PURSUE IT.

THERE'S A LOT OF PHENOMENA

WE ENCOUNTER UP THERE THAT ARE UNEXPLAINED.

PERHAPS, SOMEDAY,

WHEN WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN SPACE AND MORE TIME

TO HUNT DOWN THESE LEADS,

WE'LL ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS."

Narrator: VETERAN ASTRONAUT STORY MUSGRAVE ISN'T SO SURE.

TO WHAT EXTENT

DO WE UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING OUT IN SPACE?

WE DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING.

I AIN'T GOT NO ANSWERS.

Narrator: IN ITS ENDLESS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

NASA CASTS ITS EYE FAR INTO THE DEPTHS OF SPACE,

FINDING IMPOSSIBLE PLANETS AND DISTANT STAR SYSTEMS

AND MYSTERIES IN OUR OWN.

EVEN IN THE VERY ORBIT OF THE EARTH ITSELF,

THERE REMAIN THINGS THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS