All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E03.Hammer.of.Thor.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

--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.

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