All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E05.Did.We.Nuke.Jupiter.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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

Kavelaars: 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: A MYSTERIOUS FORCE
SMASHES A SPACECRAFT

FROM THE APOLLO PROGRAM
INTO THE MOON.

YOU THINK WE'D UNDERSTAND IT,
WE'D KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT,

BUT WE DON'T.

Narrator: A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

REVEALS SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD NOT BE THERE.

Rutkowski: IF THEY'RE REALLY
ON THE MOON,

WHY DO WE SEE OBJECTS
REFLECTED IN THEIR VISORS?

IT'S SUPPOSED
TO BE EMPTY UP THERE.

Narrator:
AND FORGOTTEN IMAGES

REVEAL THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE MOST ICONIC PICTURE

IN THE HISTORY
OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

Bell: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR IMAGE

WITHOUT SEEING A HUMAN FACE.

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

WHEN AN APOLLO SPACECRAFT

CRASHES
INTO THE LUNAR SURFACE...

Worden: A LOT OF VERY CLEVER
PEOPLE DID THE MATH ON THAT ONE.

IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

Narrator:
...THE NASA INVESTIGATION
BEGINS IMMEDIATELY.

YOU THINK WE'D UNDERSTAND IT,
WE'D KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT,

BUT WE DON'T.

Narrator: AND THE ANSWERS
ARE STRANGER THAN FICTION.

WERE WE TRESPASSING
ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S TERRITORY?

AUGUST 4, 1971, 75 MILES
ABOVE THE LUNAR SURFACE,

APOLLO 15's COMMAND MODULE
PILOT, ALFRED WORDEN,

PREPARES THE SPACECRAFT FOR
THE PERILOUS THREE-DAY JOURNEY

BACK TO EARTH.

YOU ALWAYS WORRY
ABOUT SOMETHING GOING WRONG.

YOU CANNOT DO A PROGRAM
AS FAR-REACHING

AND AS CHALLENGING
AS GOING TO THE MOON

WITHOUT EXPECTING
SOMETHING TO GO WRONG.

Narrator:
BEFORE WORDEN HEADS HOME,

HE HAS ONE FINAL
MISSION OBJECTIVE --

TO RELEASE
A THREE-FOOT-LONG MICROSATELLITE

THAT WILL CONTINUE
STUDYING THE MOON

LONG AFTER THE ASTRONAUTS
HAVE LEFT.

Worden: WE HAD THAT PROGRAMMED
IN OUR FLIGHT PLAN

EXACTLY DOWN TO THE SECOND WHEN
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT.

ALL I HAD TO DO
WAS PUSH A BUTTON.

I HAD THE SIMPLE PART
OF THE JOB.

Man: LAUNCH.

Worden: YOU WATCH IT GO,
AND YOU CALL HOUSTON CONTROL

AND YOU SAY, "IT'S GONE.
IT'S ON ITS WAY."

Man: BACKING STATIONS
HAVE ACQUIRED THE SATELLITE.

AND THEN WE WATCHED IT SPIN
OUT OF SIGHT.

Narrator:
THE SATELLITE DRIFTS OFF,

ORBITING THE MOON EVERY 2 HOURS
FOR THE NEXT 16 MONTHS,

GATHERING DATA
ABOUT THE MOON'S MAGNETIC

AND GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS.

THE EXPERIMENT IS SO SUCCESSFUL
THAT, ON THE NEXT MISSION,

APOLLO 16 ASTRONAUTS
LAUNCH AN IDENTICAL SATELLITE.

BUT JUST A FEW DAYS LATER,
SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS.

Genge: THE SATELLITE
STARTS DOING SOMETHING

THAT'S REALLY UNEXPECTED.

IT'S VEERING OFF COURSE,
BEHAVING ALMOST UNPREDICTABLY.

Paige:
THERE MUST BE SOME FORCE

THAT HAD CAUSED
THE SPACECRAFT'S ORBIT

TO BECOME UNSTABLE.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE'S ORBIT
KEEPS CHANGING.

WITHIN THREE WEEKS,

IT GOES FROM FLOATING 80 MILES
ABOVE THE MOON

TO SKIMMING JUST SIX MILES
ABOVE THE SURFACE.

Paige: AS NASA WAS WATCHING
THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION,

THEY WERE, OF COURSE, ALARMED
THAT IT WAS GETTING SO CLOSE

TO THE MOON.

Narrator:
JUST 35 DAYS AFTER LAUNCH,

NASA LOSES CONTACT
WITH ITS SPACECRAFT.

ANALYSIS OF THE FLIGHT DATA

CONFIRMS THE SPACE
AGENCY'S FEARS.

THE PROBE CRASHED INTO THE MOON.

THEY HAD A PREDICTION THAT
IT WOULD LAST FOR TWO YEARS.

IT ONLY LASTED 35 DAYS.

WHY?

NASA SPACECRAFT DON'T JUST CRASH
FOR NO REASON.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE CRASH

PUTS NASA
IN A DIFFICULT POSITION

AND PROVOKES WILD SPECULATION.

WAS THERE A GROUP,
WHOEVER THAT GROUP MIGHT BE,

THAT DIDN'T WANT US
GOING TO THE MOON?

WERE WE TRESPASSING
ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S TERRITORY?

Narrator:
AS STRANGE AS THE IDEA SOUNDS,

THIS IS NOT THE APOLLO PROGRAM'S
FIRST UNCANNY EXPERIENCE

NEAR THE LUNAR SURFACE.

EARLY INCIDENTS PROMPTED NASA
SCIENTISTS TO PUT PROCEDURES

IN PLACE TO DEAL
WITH UNEXPLAINED SIGHTINGS.

NASA HAS A CODE
FOR SOMETHING LIKE THESE.

THEY CALL THEM MOON PIGEONS.

THIS IS PART OF THE IMAGERY
THAT LED NASA TO COMMISSION

THIS STUDY
OF WHAT THEY CALL MOON PIGEONS,

THINGS SEEN OUT THE WINDOW.

Narrator: NASA DOES NOT BELIEVE
THAT SOME UNKNOWN PRESENCE

ON THE MOON IS RESPONSIBLE,

BUT THE SPACE AGENCY'S
EXPLANATION FOR THE CRASH

IS NO LESS EXTRAORDINARY.

THERE MAY BE SOMETHING
GOING ON INSIDE THE MOON

THAT SCIENTISTS
DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.

GRAVITY ON THE MOON
IS -- IS VARIABLE.

IT'S NOT A CONSTANT GRAVITY
AROUND THE MOON.

Schultz: THE MOON IS LUMPY,

NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE HILLS
AND VALLEYS,

BUT BECAUSE THERE'S AREAS
UNDERNEATH THAT ACTUALLY

HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE GRAVITY
THAN OTHER AREAS.

Narrator:
UNUSUALLY DENSE MOON ROCK

CAUSES THESE ZONES
OF EXTRA-STRONG GRAVITY.

SCIENTISTS CALLED THE ZONES
MASCONS.

A MASCON IS KIND
OF AN INVISIBLE FORCE

THAT CHANGES THE BASIC GRAVITY
OF THE MOON,

BUT IT CHANGES IT IN LOCAL AREA,
NOT THE WHOLE GRAVITY.

Narrator: NASA CALCULATES
THE SATELLITE'S TRAJECTORY

TO WITHIN A FRACTION
OF A DEGREE,

BUT DIFFICULT VARIABLES
LIKE MULTIPLE MASCONS

COULD ADD UP
TO CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES.

THESE MASCONS
CAUSE THE SATELLITE TO CRASH

BECAUSE THEY GIVE A LITTLE TUG.

SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY ACTUALLY
CHANGE THE POSITION

OF WHERE THE SATELLITE
GETS CLOSEST TO THE MOON.

AND IF THEY KEEP DOING
IT LONG ENOUGH,

JUST IN SMALL INCREMENTS,

EVENTUALLY IT WILL CRASH.

Narrator: THE CRASH
OF THE APOLLO SUBSATELLITE

WAS AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY FORCES
OUTSIDE OF NASA'S CONTROL,

AND IT WAS NOT THE LAST CRAFT
TO MEET A VIOLENT END.

UP NEXT, NASA GOES NUCLEAR

ON THE LARGEST PLANET
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT WAS VERY SURPRISING.
NOBODY EXPECTED IT.

WE EFFECTIVELY EXPLODED
A NUCLEAR DEVICE

IN JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator:
WHEN A DARK SPOT APPEARS
ON THE SURFACE OF JUPITER...

Baines: IT WAS NOT JUST ANY OLD
DARK SPOT.

THIS THING WAS HUGE.

Narrator:
...CONSPIRACY THEORISTS BLAME
A CONTROVERSIAL NASA MISSION.

WE EFFECTIVELY EXPLODED
A NUCLEAR DEVICE

IN JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator:
FROM THE APOLLO PROGRAM
TO TODAY'S DEEP-SPACE PROBES,

NASA'S SPACECRAFT

REPRESENT THE PINNACLE
OF HUMAN ENGINEERING.

BUT SPACE TRAVEL
STILL PROVIDES CHALLENGES

FOR EVEN THE MOST
BRILLIANT DESIGNS.

OCTOBER 2003,
AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER

IS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS
OF THE LARGEST PLANET

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
WHEN HE SEES SOMETHING STRANGE.

A DARK SPOT APPEARED ON JUPITER
BACK IN 2003,

WHICH WAS VERY STRANGE,
VERY SURPRISING.

NOBODY EXPECTED IT.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS INITIALLY
SUGGEST THAT,

LIKE JUPITER'S FAMOUS RED SPOT,
THE DARK DOT COULD BE A STORM

IN JUPITER'S VIOLENT ATMOSPHERE.

Genge:
THE BIG RED SPOT OF JUPITER

IS ACTUALLY A STORM
THAT'S RAGED NOW FOR --

FOR AT LEAST 300 YEARS.

THEY COME AND THEY GO.

SO IT WOULDN'T BE TOO SURPRISING

IF A NEW SPOT SUDDENLY
APPEARED ON THIS GIANT PLANET.

Narrator: WHILE A STORM
COULD GENERATE A SPOT

ON JUPITER'S SURFACE,

FOR IT TO BE VISIBLE
THROUGH TELESCOPES,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE LARGER
THAN ANY WEATHER SYSTEM

EVER SEEN ON EARTH.

D'Antonio:
JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE IS MASSIVE.

FOR SOMETHING TO CREATE
A BLACK SPOT THAT BIG

WOULD REQUIRE A HUGE
AMOUNT OF ENERGY TO BE RELEASED.

Narrator:
AN ALTERNATIVE IDEA FOR THE SPOT

IS THAT IT COULD BE THE SITE
OF AN ASTEROID OR COMET IMPACT.

JUPITER'S COLOSSAL SIZE

AND POWERFUL GRAVITATIONAL PULL
MAKE IT A PRIME TARGET

FOR ANYTHING FLYING
THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

JUPITER'S THIS GIANT PLANET

THAT PRETTY MUCH VACUUMS UP
STUFF AS IT GOES ALONG.

D'Antonio:
IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT
A FOREIGN BODY, SUCH AS A COMET,

COULD IMPACT JUPITER AND CAUSE
MASSIVE EXPLOSION SCARS.

IN FACT, IT'S HAPPENED.

COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY
IMPACTED JUPITER,

AND YOU SAW A BEAUTIFUL STRING
OF DARK, BLACK SPOTS.

Narrator:
BUT EVEN ON JUPITER,

A BIG IMPACT
IS A ONCE-IN-A-DECADE EVENT,

AND RECORDS REVEAL THAT NONE
WAS PREDICTED AROUND THE TIME

OF THE SPOT'S APPEARANCE.

D'Antonio:
IF THESE BLACK SPOTS AREN'T
CAUSED BY SOMETHING NATURAL,

OR IF THEY'RE NOT CAUSED
BY AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION,

WHAT'S LEFT?

COULD IT BE US?

Narrator:
HUMAN BEINGS CREATING SPOTS

ON THE SURFACE OF A PLANET
500 MILLION MILES AWAY

SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE...

...BUT JUST A MONTH BEFORE
THE DARK SPOT IS PHOTOGRAPHED,

NASA'S GALILEO PROBE
IS FLOATING TOWARD JUPITER

AS IT NEARS THE END OF ITS LIFE.

AND THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM

WITH DISPOSING
OF THE DYING SPACECRAFT.

IT CARRIES A FULLY FUNCTIONING
NUCLEAR REACTOR.

WE HAVE TO SEND NUCLEAR DEVICES
ON A SPACECRAFT.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY
TO POWER THEM

AS THEY GET INTO DEEP SPACE.

AND SO, YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE
BETWEEN DO WE JUST

LEAVE THIS NUCLEAR REACTOR
FLOATING AROUND IN SPACE,

OR DO WE DISPOSE OF IT
IN SOME WAY?

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS FEAR THAT GALILEO'S
NUCLEAR POWER GENERATOR

COULD WREAK HAVOC ON ONE
OF THE MOST PROMISING PLACES

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM FOR HOSTING
EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE.

THERE WAS A DANGER
THAT THE GALILEO SPACECRAFT

MIGHT ACTUALLY IMPACT EUROPA,

WHICH IS WHAT WE DIDN'T WANT
TO HAVE HAPPEN,

PARTICULARLY NOW THAT WE THINK
THERE COULD BE LIFE

UNDER THE ICE IN THIS BIG OCEAN.

WE DON'T WANT
TO IMPACT THIS SPACECRAFT

INTO A LIFE-BEARING OBJECT.

Narrator: AT THE TIME
THE GALILEO MISSION WAS PLANNED,

THERE WAS LITTLE EVIDENCE
TO SUGGEST

THERE COULD BE LIVING CREATURES
BENEATH THE ICE OF EUROPA.

SO SCIENTISTS DIDN'T WORRY
ABOUT PROBE DISPOSAL.

BUT THE FEAR OF CONTAMINATING
A LIFE-BEARING WORLD

FORCES THEM
TO CREATE A FINAL PLAN

TO INCINERATE THE SPACECRAFT
AND ITS PLUTONIUM REACTOR.

WE KNEW WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING
WITH THIS SPACECRAFT.

WE JUST COULDN'T LET
IT FLOAT AROUND IN SPACE.

SO WE DECIDED THAT WE
WOULD ACTUALLY PUT GALILEO

TO ITS DEATH
BY PLUNGING IT INTO JUPITER.

Narrator:
AS NASA'S DECISION GOES PUBLIC,

A DUTCH PHYSICIST,
JACCO VAN DER WORP,

WARNS THAT SENDING
NUCLEAR MATERIAL

INTO JUPITER'S
VOLATILE ATMOSPHERE

COULD HAVE
CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES.

JACCO VAN DER WORP'S THEORY
IS THAT THE GALILEO PROBE,

WHICH CARRIES PLUTONIUM
IN ITS CORE,

COULD ACTUALLY BE IMPLODED BY
THE PRESSURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE

AND CAUSE JUPITER
TO TURN INTO A MASSIVE FIREBALL.

Narrator: UNDETERRED, NASA
CRASHES GALILEO INTO JUPITER.

WE EFFECTIVELY EXPLODED
A NUCLEAR DEVICE

IN JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

Baines: THERE WAS SOME EFFORT TO
ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE SPACECRAFT

AS IT WENT INTO THE PLANET.
IT'S PRETTY AMAZING.

IT ALL VAPORIZED WITHIN A FEW
HOURS OF HITTING THAT SURFACE.

THIS ONE OBJECT
FROM MANKIND IS NOW JUST PART

OF THE EPHEMERAL GASES
OF THE PLANET.

Narrator: DESPITE THE REMARKABLE
TIMING OF ITS APPEARANCE,

THE EVIDENCE SEEMS TO INDICATE
THE GALILEO EXPLOSION

DID NOT CREATE
THE 2003 DARK SPOT.

SCIENTISTS ARE NOW WORKING
ON A THEORY THAT THE APPEARANCE

OF AT LEAST SOME
OF THE DARK SPOTS ON JUPITER

COULD BE CAUSED
BY ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON.

IT'S SPECULATED
THAT WE MAY BE SEEING THE --

THE EFFECT OF HYDROCARBONS
CREATED BY AURORA.

IT'S LIKE THE AURORA BOREALIS
ON THE EARTH,

BUT MANY THOUSANDS
OF TIMES MORE POWERFUL.

BUT IT'S STILL A MYSTERY.

Narrator:
IN A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE,
GALILEO'S GREATEST DISCOVERY,

THAT ONE OF JUPITER'S MOONS
COULD HOLD LIFE,

CONDEMNED THE PROBE
TO DESTRUCTION.

BUT SOME MYSTERIES
THAT DEFY EXPLANATION

ARE MUCH CLOSER
THAN THE JUPITER SYSTEM.

UP NEXT, ON THE LUNAR SURFACE,

THE APOLLO 12 ASTRONAUTS CATCH
SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE ON CAMERA.

Rutkowski: IF THEY'RE REALLY
ON THE MOON,

WHY DO WE SEE OBJECTS
REFLECTED IN THEIR VISORS?

IT'S SUPPOSED
TO BE EMPTY UP THERE.

Narrator: A PHOTOGRAPH
FROM THE APOLLO 12 MISSION

REVEALS SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD NOT BE THERE.

Rutkowski: IF THEY'RE REALLY
ON THE MOON,

WHY DO WE SEE OBJECTS
REFLECTED IN THEIR VISORS?

IT'S SUPPOSED
TO BE EMPTY UP THERE.

Man: THIS PARTICULAR PICTURE
SHOWS SOMETHING

THAT DOES NOT APPEAR IN
ANY OTHER OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH.

Narrator:
COULD A SINGLE IMAGE CAST DOUBT

ON HUMANKIND'S
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Man: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
AMAZING.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE
MOON LANDINGS NEVER HAPPENED.

Narrator:
IN THE APOLLO 12 LUNAR MODULE,

ASTRONAUTS PETE CONRAD
AND ALAN BEAN

MAKE THEIR FINAL APPROACH

ABOVE A REGION OF THE MOON
KNOWN AS THE OCEAN OF STORMS.

Bean: I'VE GOT SOME KIND
OF A HORIZON OUT THERE.

I'VE GOT SOME CRATERS, TOO,
BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM YET.

I THOUGHT,
"WHERE ARE WE GONNA LAND?

THERE'S NO ROOM TO LAND."

AND THEN WE WAITED
FOR THESE PROBES TO ILLUMINATE,

WHICH WERE ABOUT 5 FEET
BELOW THE LANDING PAD.

I SAID, "CONTACT LIGHT."

CONTACT LIGHT.

Man: ROGER.
COPY CONTACT.

AND THEN PETE TOUCHED DOWN.

WE ARE ABOUT TO LAND IN 20 FEET.

Narrator:
FOR CONRAD AND BEAN,

THE EXPERIENCE
OF STEPPING ON TO ANOTHER WORLD

IS OVERWHELMING.

I LET GO OF THE LADDER
AND STARTED TO WOBBLE A BIT

AND STEADIED MYSELF,
AND I THOUGHT, "WOW.

THIS IS THE MOON.
WE'RE REALLY HERE."

THIS IS AMAZING.

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

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS
SPEND MUCH OF THE MISSION

DOCUMENTING THEIR ACTIVITIES
WITH PHOTOGRAPHS.

Bean:
WE HAD SPENT A LOT OF TIME

BEING TRAINED
TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE MOON.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE
AUTOMATIC FOCUS THEN.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE
AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE.

YOU HAD TO SET 'EM MANUALLY.

WE DIDN'T SCREW UP
ONE SINGLE FRAME

BECAUSE WE HAD HAD
THIS GOOD TRAINING.

Narrator:
IN SPITE OF CHALLENGING
PHOTOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS

AND A TOTALLY ALIEN ENVIRONMENT,

BEAN AND CONRAD CAPTURE IMAGES
OF INCREDIBLE QUALITY.

BUT FOR SOME, THE PICTURES
SEEM TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

Rutkowski:
THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AMAZING,

AND IT'S VERY HARD
TO BELIEVE THAT SUCH QUALITY

COULD BE OBTAINED USING
RELATIVELY PRIMITIVE EQUIPMENT

UNDER VERY HARSH CONDITIONS.

Narrator:
ONE PHOTOGRAPH OF BEAN

DRAWS UNWELCOME ATTENTION
FOR NASA.

THE ANOMALY IS SMALL
BUT CLEARLY VISIBLE.

YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE CONRAD
IN BEAN'S FACEPLATE HERE,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE
AS WELL.

DEFINITELY DOESN'T BELONG THERE.

Narrator:
THE SINGLE FRAME OFFERS
NO EXPLANATION FOR THE ANOMALY,

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER RECORD

OF WHAT HAPPENED
DURING THE MISSION.

Bean:
WE ARE ABOUT TO LAND IN 20 FEET.

Narrator:
APOLLO 12 WAS ALSO EQUIPPED
WITH A COLOR TELEVISION CAMERA.

MY JOB
WHEN I GOT OUT WAS TO GO OVER,

GET THAT COLOR TV CAMERA,
AND MOVE IT OUT

AND POINT IT BACK SO
THAT EVERYBODY COULD WATCH.

Narrator:
BUT JUST AS HE BEGINS TO FILM,

BEAN'S FOOTAGE CUTS OUT,

LEAVING NO VIDEO RECORD
OF THE ANOMALY'S SOURCE.

Rutkowski:
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS SAY THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE MOON

THAT NASA DOESN'T WANT
THE PUBLIC TO KNOW ABOUT,

AND IT WAS VERY CONVENIENT
THAT THE CAMERA BROKE

SO THAT THERE'S
NO SUBSEQUENT VIDEO FOOTAGE

OF THE LANDING.

Narrator:
BEAN EXPLAINS THE VIDEO FAILURE

AS A SIMPLE MISTAKE.

Bean: I'M SURE
THEY TOLD ME IN TRAINING,

"DO NOT POINT THIS THING
AT THE SUN.

DO NOT DO THAT."

I DIDN'T REMEMBER THAT,
AND I POINTED AT THE SUN

AND IT BURNED OUT THE TUBE.

THIS IS A PRETTY ADVANCED
CAMERA,

BUT THERE'S SIMPLE PHYSICS
INVOLVED.

AND IF YOU POINT IT AT THE SUN,

YOU'RE GOING
TO FRY THE VIDICON TUBE,

AND YOU'RE GOING
TO LOSE THE PICTURE.

Narrator:
WITHOUT A VIDEO RECORD,

WE CAN ONLY SPECULATE
ON WHAT CAUSED THE ANOMALY.

ONE IDEA IS THAT THE ROGUE
REFLECTION IN BEAN'S VISOR

COULD BE THE COMMAND MODULE,

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

AS ITS ORBIT CARRIED IT
PAST THE LANDING SITE.

BUT THAT EXPLANATION DOESN'T
SATISFY THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS.

IT COULD NOT BE
THE COMMAND MODULE

BECAUSE THE COMMAND MODULE
IS 60 MILES AWAY,

AND IT'S NOT GONNA SHOW UP
THAT BIG.

Narrator: CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
SUGGEST THE PHOTOGRAPH

PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT NASA
FAKED THE MOON MISSIONS.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
THE MOON LANDINGS NEVER HAPPENED

AND THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY
FILMED IN SOME TYPE

OF MOVIE STUDIO.

PETE CONRAD TAKES A PICTURE
OF ALAN BEAN

WITH A REFLECTION IN HIS VISOR

THAT CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
POINT TO AS BEING INDICATION

OF STUDIO LIGHTING.

IF THEY'RE REALLY ON THE MOON
INSTEAD OF ON A SOUND STAGE,

WHY DO WE SEE OBJECTS
REFLECTED IN THEIR VISORS?

IT'S SUPPOSED
TO BE EMPTY UP THERE.

Narrator:
AN OVERHEAD LIGHTING RIG

ON A MOVIE SET COULD EXPLAIN
THE ANOMALY'S PRESENCE,

BUT THERE ARE OTHER THEORIES
ABOUT ITS ORIGIN.

D'Antonio:
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT.

BACK IN THE '60s AND '70s,

THE TECHNOLOGY DIDN'T REMOTELY
EXIST TO FAKE MOON LANDINGS

IN A CONVINCING WAY.

I THINK THAT IT'S ACTUALLY
MOON DUST

THAT HAS BEEN PLACED
ON THE HELMET

BY THE CONTINUAL RAISING

AND LOWERING OF THE VISOR
BY THE ASTRONAUT.

Narrator:
WITH NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE,

THEORIES ABOUT THE VISOR
ANOMALY REMAIN SPECULATION.

BUT THE IDEA THAT NASA
FAKED THE MOON LANDINGS

DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH THE MEN
WHO FLEW THE MISSIONS.

MY RESPONSE TO THOSE WHO THINK

IT WAS ALL DONE
ON A SOUND STAGE...

I THINK IT'S KIND OF AN INSULT

BECAUSE WE HAVE FURTHERED
KNOWLEDGE,

WE'VE DONE
SOME WONDERFUL THINGS,

AND, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED,
IT'S ALL HOT AIR.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

Narrator: THE IMAGES
FROM THE APOLLO PROGRAM

ARE NOT THE ONLY
CONTROVERSIAL NASA PHOTOGRAPHS.

STILL TO COME,
INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER

FORGOTTEN IMAGES
THAT UNMASK THE FACE ON MARS.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
ASTONISHING IMAGES

IN SPACE-EXPLORATION HISTORY.

Narrator: THE FIRST NASA PROBE
TO REACH MARS

BEAMS BACK AN ICONIC IMAGE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
ASTONISHING IMAGES

IN SPACE-EXPLORATION HISTORY.

IT LOOKED LIKE A FACE.

YOU CAN SEE EYE SOCKETS, A NOSE
AND A MOUTH STRUCTURE.

Narrator: BUT WHEN VIKING
TAKES MORE IMAGES

TO VERIFY THE PHENOMENON,

THE DATA GETS BURIED
SOMEWHERE IN THE NASA ARCHIVES.

IT SEEMS, TO ME, KIND
OF IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE PICTURES.

Narrator: AND THE MYSTERY
OF THE FACE ON MARS

BECOMES A CONSPIRACY THEORY.

IT'S EASY TO SEE WHY SOME PEOPLE
WOULD BECOME SUSPICIOUS.

Narrator: EVER SINCE NASA
FIRST CARRIED MAN INTO SPACE,

THE AGENCY HAS TAKEN
A PURELY SCIENTIFIC APPROACH

TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER WE
ARE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE.

ITS SCIENTISTS SUBJECT
ANY POTENTIAL EVIDENCE

TO CAREFUL SCRUTINY
BEFORE RELEASING INFORMATION

TO THE PUBLIC.

BUT SOMETIMES THE PUBLIC
MAKES UP ITS OWN MIND.

JULY 1976, NASA'S
VIKING I LANDER MAKES HISTORY

AS THE FIRST HUMAN SPACECRAFT

TO TOUCH DOWN
ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

1,000 MILES UP,

THE VIKING ORBITER
SCANS THE SURFACE

TO FIND LANDING SITES
FOR SUBSEQUENT MARS MISSIONS.

THE IMAGES IT BEAMS BACK
TO SCIENTISTS ON EARTH

SHOW THE RED PLANET

IN UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL.

AND ONE PICTURE SENDS SHOCKWAVES
AROUND THE WORLD.

Rutkowski: WHAT CAME BACK
WAS AN ASTONISHING ARRAY

OF VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS,

BUT THE MOST PARTICULARLY
INTERESTING FEATURE WAS A FACE

THAT SEEMED TO JUMP
OUT OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS,

LOOKING OUT AT EARTH

AS IF TO SAY, "WE ARE HERE.
WE ARE HERE."

IT LOOKED LIKE A FACE.

YOU COULD SEE EYE SOCKETS,
A NOSE AND A MOUTH STRUCTURE.

Bell: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR IMAGE

WITHOUT SEEING A HUMAN FACE.

Narrator: NASA ORIGINALLY
RELEASES THE PHOTO OF THE FACE

TO THE PUBLIC TO CAPTURE
INTEREST IN SPACE EXPLORATION.

IT WORKS, PERHAPS BECAUSE
THE DISCOVERY OF A FACE ON MARS

HAD ALREADY BEEN PREDICTED.

ALMOST 20 YEARS BEFORE VIKING
TOOK ITS ICONIC PHOTOGRAPH,

LEGENDARY ARTIST JACK KIRBY

PRODUCED A COMIC BOOK
CALLED "THE FACE ON MARS."

JACK KIRBY'S COMIC BOOK

SPECULATED ON A LONG-DEAD RACE
THAT HAD ERECTED A FACE ON MARS,

WHICH IS WHY WHEN A FACE
ON MARS WAS DISCOVERED,

IT REALLY
RAISED FURTHER SPECULATION

THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE
IN THIS UNIVERSE.

Narrator:
IF THE FACE TRULY IS A MONUMENT,

IT IS SO ENORMOUS,
18 FOOTBALL FIELDS LONG,

THAT IT WOULD BE VIEWABLE
ONLY FROM THE AIR

OR FROM SPACE.

SPECULATION THAT THE FACE
ON MARS

WAS LEFT BEHIND BY CREATURES
THAT USED TO LIVE ON MARS

IS NOT THAT FAR-REACHING.

ON EARTH, WE HAVE THINGS LIKE
STONEHENGE AND THE PYRAMIDS.

THEY'RE VISIBLE FROM THE AIR.

Narrator:
THE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE FACE
ON MARS TURNS TO FRENZY,

AND VIKING PROGRAM CHIEF
SCIENTIST GERALD SOFFEN

ISSUES A STATEMENT
DISMISSING THE ANOMALY

AS A TRICK OF THE LIGHT.

Palermo: IT MIGHT HAVE FREAKED
THEM OUT A LITTLE BIT.

THEY MIGHT BE JUST NERVOUS ABOUT
WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE FOUND.

AND NASA GOES, "NO,
IT'S JUST AN IMAGING GLITCH.

OH, THIS AND THAT.
LET'S JUST MOVE ON."

Narrator:
SOME SAY THE FACE ON MARS

IS JUST A CREATION
OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION.

WE'RE PROGRAMMED AS HUMANS
TO RECOGNIZE FACES.

WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT IT.

YOU KNOW, EVOLUTIONARILY,

IT'S TO OUR ADVANTAGE
TO KNOW WHO'S THE GOOD GUYS

AND WHO'S THE BAD GUYS.

IT'S JUST VERY COMMON,

AND WE SEE FACES ALL THE TIME,
EVERYWHERE.

Narrator:
THE ONLY WAY FOR SCIENTISTS
TO ASCERTAIN THE TRUE NATURE

OF THE ANOMALY
IS TO OBTAIN MORE DATA.

35 DAYS LATER,
THE VIKING ORBITER

MAKES A SECOND PASS
OVER THE CYDONIA REGION OF MARS

AND TAKES ANOTHER PICTURE
OF THE SAME AREA.

AND DESPITE SHOOTING FROM
A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ANGLE,

THE FACE
IS STILL CLEARLY VISIBLE.

IF YOU LOOK
AT THIS LEFT-HAND IMAGE,

YOU CAN SEE THE FACE
WITH ITS SHADOW.

BUT 35 DAYS LATER, ANOTHER PHOTO
OF THE SAME REGION WAS TAKEN,

AND YOU SEE, AGAIN, THE FACE,

BUT WITH A SLIGHTLY SHORTER
SHADOW,

MEANING THE SUN
WAS AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE.

SO THE QUESTION IS,
ARE THESE NATURALLY OCCURRING

OR ARE THEY ARTIFICIAL?

Narrator: THIS SECOND IMAGE
SEEMS TO OFFER CONFIRMATION

THAT THE FACE ON MARS
IS NOT JUST A TRICK OF THE LIGHT

BECAUSE, IF THE SHAPE
WAS ONLY FORMED BY SHADOWS,

IT WOULD NOT BE VISIBLE
FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE

IN DIFFERENT LIGHT CONDITIONS.

BUT FOR SOME REASON, THIS IMAGE
DOES NOT REACH THE PUBLIC.

IT ONLY EMERGES
FOUR YEARS LATER,

WHEN TWO IMAGE PROCESSING
EXPERTS CONDUCT THEIR OWN SEARCH

THROUGH OLD MARS MISSION DATA.

WHEN A SECOND IMAGE OF THE FACE

IS DISCOVERED LATER
AMONG SUPPOSEDLY MISFILED DATA,

IT ALL BEGINS TO SMELL
A LITTLE FUNNY.

IT'S TEMPTING TO SPECULATE
THAT THERE'S SOME SORT

OF CONSPIRACY TO KEEP THE TRUTH
FROM THE PUBLIC.

Narrator:
NASA MAINTAINS THAT THE IMAGES
WERE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC,

BUT THE METHODS OF ARCHIVING

AND PRESERVATION MAY HAVE MADE
THEM HARD TO ACCESS.

THEY ALL GET STORED ON TAPES.

MULTIPLE COPIES
OF TAPES GET MADE.

THEY GET ARCHIVED
IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS.

IT SEEMS, TO ME, KIND
OF IMPOSSIBLE TO LOSE PICTURES.

Narrator:
FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS,

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
ACCUSE NASA OF IGNORING DEMANDS

FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION
OF THE FACE.

BUT IN 1998, A SPOKESMAN
FOR THE MARS EXPLORATION PROGRAM

MAKES A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT.

JIM GARVIN,
WHO WAS A SENIOR SCIENTIST

ON THE MISSION TO EXPLORE MARS,

SAID THAT THE FACE ON MARS
WAS THE NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY.

Narrator: NASA'S WILLINGNESS
TO EXPEND VALUABLE RESOURCES

ON SOMETHING THEY'VE ALREADY
DISMISSED AS UNIMPORTANT

AROUSES SUSPICION
IN SOME QUARTERS.

WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE?

WHY WAS IT GOING
TO SUCH EXTRAORDINARY LENGTHS

TO LOOK AT THIS FACE?

PERHAPS NASA BELIEVED, ITSELF,

THAT THIS WAS AN ARTIFICIAL
CONSTRUCT OF SOME SORT.

Narrator:
EVEN THOUGH THE RESOLUTION

IS 10 TIMES SHARPER
THAN IN THE 1970s,

NASA'S 1998 PHOTOGRAPH
DOESN'T PROVIDE AN ANSWER

TO THE MYSTERY
THAT SATISFIES EVERYONE.

SOME PEOPLE ARE SUGGESTING
THAT NASA DOCTORED THE IMAGE

TO HIDE THE FACE ON MARS.

D'Antonio: IT WAS TAKEN
DURING THE MARTIAN WINTER.

THERE WAS SOME CLOUD COVER

THAT WAS OBSCURING A FEW
OF THE DETAILS,

AND THE LIGHT
AND THE PHOTO ITSELF

ARE FROM SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT ANGLES.

SO IT WASN'T A DIRECT COMPARISON
TO THE PREVIOUS PHOTOS.

Narrator: IN 2001,

NASA MAKES A FINAL ATTEMPT
TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

THE MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR PROBE

TAKES ANOTHER IMAGE
FROM DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

NASA BROKE DOWN
TO PUBLIC DEMAND.

THEY FINALLY JUST
TASKED THE SATELLITE

TO TAKE AN EXACT,
CLOSE-UP IMAGE OF THAT AREA.

Narrator: NASA TECHNICIANS
MERGE THE LATER SHOT

WITH THE PREVIOUS IMAGES TO
BUILD A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL.

TAKE THOSE IMAGES
OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE,

PUT THEM INTO A COMPUTER.

YOU CAN GO FROM THIS IS
A FLAT THING ON A PIECE OF PAPER

SEEN IN THE 1970s.

NOW IT'S REAL.

Narrator: NASA'S 3-D IMAGE
PROVIDES CONCLUSIVE PROOF

THAT THE FACE ON MARS
ISN'T A FACE AT ALL.

IN FACT,
IT IS A BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN,

A GEOLOGIC FEATURE
WITH ERODING SLOPES.

Narrator: ULTIMATELY,
THE MYSTERY OF THE FACE ON MARS

WAS THE PRODUCT
OF PRIMITIVE IMAGING TECHNIQUES

FROM THE EARLY DAYS
OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

TODAY, WE HAVE HIGH-DEFINITION
IMAGES BEAMED FROM ROBOTS

ON THE SURFACE
OF THE RED PLANET,

AND YET WE STILL FIND MYSTERIES
THERE WE CANNOT EXPLAIN.

STILL TO COME, SOMETHING
IS MOVING ON THE SURFACE

OF THE SUPPOSEDLY DEAD PLANET.

ONE MOMENT
IT WASN'T THERE YET,

AND THEN THE NEXT MOMENT
IT'S THERE.

WHO PUT IT THERE?

Narrator:
WHEN NASA'S OPPORTUNITY ROVER
PHOTOGRAPHED SOMETHING

EXTRAORDINARY
ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE...

SO, HERE, YOU HAVE ON THE GROUND

A LUMP THAT SOMEHOW IS SHAPED
LIKE A JELLY DOUGHNUT.

Narrator: ...THE DISCOVERY
CREATES WORLDWIDE CONFUSION.

THE JELLY DOUGHNUT IS, INDEED,
A BIT OF A MYSTERY.

Lee: ONE MOMENT
IT WASN'T THERE YET,

AND THEN THE NEXT MOMENT
IT'S THERE.

Narrator:
APART FROM OUR OWN PLANET,
THERE IS NOWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE

WE KNOW BETTER THAN THE SURFACE
OF MARS...

...BUT THIS SUPPOSEDLY DEAD
WORLD CAN STILL SURPRISE US.

JANUARY 8, 2014,
THE OPPORTUNITY ROVER

HAS SPENT 10 YEARS SCOURING
THE RED PLANET FOR MINERALS.

AS IT CROSSES THE RIDGE

ON THE EDGE OF THE 14-MILE-WIDE
ENDEAVOR CRATER,

IT SPOTS SOMETHING CONFUSING.

WE TOOK SOME COLOR PICTURES
OF IT,

AND THAT'S WHERE THE JELLY
DOUGHNUT CAME FROM.

KIND OF ROUND,
ABOUT DOUGHNUT SIZE

WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, REDDISH,
PURPLISH DIMPLE IN THE MIDDLE.

Narrator:
THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

LOOKS LIKE NOTHING ELSE
EVER SEEN ON MARS.

BUT WHEN SCIENTISTS LOOK
AT PHOTOGRAPHS

OF THE SAME PATCH OF GROUND
FROM 12 DAYS EARLIER,

THE ODDITY
EVOLVES INTO A MYSTERY.

AT THE EXACT SAME SPOT,

THERE WAS NO JELLY DOUGHNUT.

Bell:
THE REASON THAT IT'S INTERESTING
TO SEE THINGS MOVE ON MARS

IS BECAUSE
IT HARDLY EVER HAPPENS.

THE JELLY DOUGHNUT
WAS CERTAINLY NOT THERE,

AND THEN IT WAS THERE.

Bell: THE MOST INTERESTING THING
THAT'S HAPPENED IN THIS PLACE

IN THE PAST 2 BILLION YEARS,
AT LEAST,

IS THE ROVER DRIVING PAST.

THAT'S THE MOST ACTIVITY
THAT'S HAPPENED THERE.

MY FIRST IDEA WHEN I --
WHEN I SAW THIS WAS,

MAYBE A MARTIAN JUST PUT IT
THERE AS, "HEY, HERE WE ARE."

Narrator:
WHEN NASA DOES NOT OFFER
A SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION,

SPECULATION MOUNTS.

IS THE DOUGHNUT ORGANIC LIFE,

A FUNGUS OR PLANT
GROWN OUT OF THE MARTIAN SOIL?

ONE CONTROVERSIAL SCIENCE WRITER
EVEN FILES A LAWSUIT

THAT PUSHES NASA TO EXAMINE
THE OBJECT MORE CLOSELY.

AND SEVERAL
LEADING SCIENTISTS AGREE

THAT THE STRANGE OBJECT
MERITS INVESTIGATION.

I'VE BEEN A FOSSIL HUNTER
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS,

AND WHEN I GO OUT
HUNTING FOSSILS,

I SEE THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF ROCKS.

BUT WHEN I SEE ONE
THAT LOOKS INTERESTING,

I SAY, "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

WAIT A MINUTE. I'VE GOT
TO EXAMINE THIS IN DETAIL."

I CAN'T SAY THAT NASA DIDN'T
STUDY THIS ROCK IN DETAIL,

BUT IF IT WERE STUDIED
IN DETAIL, THEN THAT

SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SUBJECT
OF A SCIENTIFIC PAPER.

I -- YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE
ANY COMMENT ON ANY LAWSUITS,

BUT I THINK IT'S --
IT'S ONLY NATURAL

FOR THE PUBLIC
TO BE CURIOUS ABOUT THIS.

IT REALLY WAS SOMETHING
THAT IS AMBIGUOUS.

Narrator: NASA IS INITIALLY
UNABLE TO EXPLAIN

HOW THE MYSTERIOUS ROCK
COULD HAVE MOVED.

FORMER NASA SCIENTIST
RICHARD HOOVER

HAS HIS OWN THEORY.

Hoover: IT'S PROBABLY PART
OF A METEORITE

THAT CAME IN AND LANDED
ON THE SURFACE OF MARS

AND BROKE INTO PIECES.

AND ONE OF THE PIECES

HAPPENED TO LAND
RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE ROVER.

Narrator: WHILE HOOVER'S THEORY
IS PLAUSIBLE,

THERE IS NO CORROBORATING
EVIDENCE AVAILABLE.

Bell: THE ROVER DOESN'T HAVE
ANY KIND OF A SEISMOGRAPH.

THERE'S NO WAY TO --

UNLESS WE VISUALLY SAW
A NEW CRATER APPEAR,

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY
WE'D BE ABLE TO DETECT IT.

Narrator: WHEN NASA DOES MAKE
AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT,

IT SUGGESTS THE JELLY DOUGHNUT
IS A ROCK

DISLODGED
FROM THE ROVER'S WHEEL.

THE OPPORTUNITY ROVER
DID A -- A KIND OF A PIROUETTE.

AND WE THINK THAT,

IN THE PROCESS OF THAT WHEEL
MOVING ACROSS THE GROUND,

THAT WE KIND
OF FLICKED THIS ROCK

AND KIND OF TIDDLY-WINKED IT
OUT OF THE GROUND AND THAT IT --

IT MOVED TO THE LOCATION THERE,
WHERE WE SEE IT.

Lee: I CAN TELL YOU THAT,

HAVING DRIVEN JEEPS AND ROVERS
ACROSS DESERTS ON THE EARTH,

IT ACTUALLY DIDN'T SURPRISE
ME AT ALL.

Bell: WHAT WE THINK HAPPENED
IS IT CRUSHED THE ROCK,

AND SOME OF THE ROCK WENT
INTO THE WHEEL WELL, YOU KNOW,

LIKE IN YOUR WASHING MACHINE,

KIND OF GETTING MIXED AROUND
BEFORE IT EVENTUALLY CAME OUT.

Narrator:
BUT EVEN IF THE WHEEL THEORY
IS CORRECT, NASA SCIENTISTS

ADMIT THAT THE JELLY DOUGHNUT
STILL POSES OTHER QUESTIONS.

OUTSIDE, IT'S GOT KIND
OF A WEIRD, DEEP, RED COLOR,

NOT A MARTIAN KIND OF RED.

WE'RE SEEING
A STRANGE COMPOSITION.

NO ONE HAS EVER PUBLISHED
ANY SCIENTIFIC DETAILS

OF WHAT WAS
THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION,

WHAT WAS THE NATURE
OF THE REDDISH INTERIOR.

THESE ARE THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS

THAT THE BIOLOGISTS
WANT TO KNOW,

TO THINK ABOUT
WAS IT A HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator: IF NOTHING ELSE,

THE JELLY DOUGHNUT
PROVES THAT THERE IS STILL MUCH

WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND
ABOUT THE RED PLANET.

BUT WE DO NOT NEED
TO TRAVEL TO DISTANT WORLDS

TO FIND MYSTERIES.

SOME OF THE STRANGEST EVENTS
HAPPEN IN NASA'S OWN BACKYARD.

All:
THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

AS NASA PREPARES TO LAUNCH
A REVOLUTIONARY SPACE PROBE,

SOMETHING BIZARRE HAPPENS

IN THE SKIES
OVER CAPE CANAVERAL.

Man: LIFTOFF OF THE ATLAS V WITH
THE SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY.

Narrator:
AS A NASA ROCKET BLASTS OFF,

A SERIES OF FREAK WEATHER EVENTS
HITS THE LAUNCH SITE.

YOU DON'T NORMALLY SEE THIS SORT
OF THING AT A ROCKET LAUNCH.

Narrator:
AND AS THE ROCKET GETS HIGHER,

THE SKIES ABOVE CAPE CANAVERAL
KEEP GETTING STRANGER.

IT WAS QUITE UNIQUE
AND UNEXPECTED.

THIS IS LIKE A SCI-FI MOVIE,
EXCEPT IT'S REAL LIFE.

IT'S REALLY HAPPENING.

Narrator:
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE
STATION, FEBRUARY 11, 2010.

AN ATLAS V ROCKET WAITS
FOR A BREAK IN THE WEATHER

ABOVE SPACE LAUNCH COMPLEX 41.

IT CARRIES A PRECIOUS PAYLOAD --

NASA'S $850 MILLION
SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY.

THE SATELLITE PROMISES TO BEAM
BACK 50 TIMES MORE DATA

THAN ANY MISSION
IN NASA'S HISTORY,

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS
OF OUR NEAREST STAR.

Orwall: IT'S A BEAUTIFUL
WINTER'S MORNING,

LIGHT CLOUDS IN THE SKY.

IT'S A GORGEOUS DAY
FOR A ROCKET LAUNCH.

Man: T-MINUS 15 SECONDS.

Narrator: ROMEO DURSCHER,
THE SDO'S EDUCATION

AND OUTREACH MANAGER,
FILMS THE LAUNCH.

THIS WAS THE MISSION I HAD BEEN
WORKING ON FROM DAY ONE,

SO THERE WAS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT
ON MY PART TO BE THERE

AND SEE OUR PROJECT FINALLY
LIFT OFF AND TAKE TO THE SKIES.

All:
THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO.

Man: AND IGNITION AND LIFTOFF
OF THE ATLAS V.

Narrator:
FOR DURSCHER AND HIS COLLEAGUES
ON THE OBSERVATORY PROGRAM,

THIS MOMENT SHOULD BE THE
CULMINATION OF YEARS OF WORK.

BUT THE CROWD
DOESN'T GET THE SPECTACLE

THEY WERE EXPECTING TO SEE.

I WAS LOOKING THROUGH
THE VIEWFINDER OF MY CAMERA

WHEN I HEAR THE -- THE CROWD
GO, "WOW."

[ CROWD MURMURING ]

EVERYBODY WAS SAYING
HOW INCREDIBLE THIS WAS,

AND PEOPLE WHO HAD SEEN
40, 50, 60 LAUNCHES

HAD NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE.

PEOPLE LOOK UP AND SEE
THIS PORTION OF THE SKY

WHERE THERE'S A SPECTRUM
OF JUST GORGEOUS COLORS.

YOU SEE THE YELLOW.
YOU SEE SOME GREEN AND ORANGE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A DIAMOND
IN THE SKY.

Narrator: THE MANIFESTATION
OF THE WEIRD RAINBOW PHENOMENON

RIGHT ABOVE
AN ACTIVE ROCKET-LAUNCH SITE

IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF.

ANYTHING THAT POSES A THREAT
TO THE SPACECRAFT

COULD TRIGGER AN ABORT,
EVEN AFTER LAUNCH.

MISSION CONTROL
IGNORES THE PHENOMENON

AND THE LAUNCH CONTINUES.

BUT AS THE ROCKET
GOES SUPERSONIC...

...THE SKIES AROUND IT
BECOME EVEN STRANGER.

Kelley: YOU CAN SEE
CONCENTRIC CIRCLES WAVE

AS IT WENT OUT,
ONE AFTER THE OTHER,

JUST LIKE THROWING A PEBBLE
IN A POND.

Durscher: THE RIPPLES LOOKED,
AT FIRST, VERY SMALL,

BUT THEY QUICKLY
BECAME BIGGER AND BIGGER.

I'M THINKING,
"SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE."

WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, NOT QUITE
KNOWING WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING.

Narrator: JUST AS IT SEEMS
AS IF THE LAUNCH

OF THE SOLAR DYNAMICS
OBSERVATORY MUST BE CURSED,

THE WATCHING CROWDS

SEE YET ANOTHER STRANGE
PHENOMENON IN THE SKY.

DURSCHER CAPTURES THE MOMENT
ON CAMERA.

THERE WAS A -- A KIND
OF LIKE A WHITE BEAM OF LIGHT

THAT APPEARED
TO FOLLOW THE ROCKET.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S TRAVELING
AT INCREDIBLE SPEED.

NORMALLY LIGHT EFFECTS
HANG IN THE SKY.

THEY'RE NOT CHANGING.

THIS LIGHT FOLLOWS THE ROCKET
UPWARDS.

IT'S SOMETHING I'VE NEVER SEEN
IN THE SKY BEFORE.

Narrator:
FACED WITH SUCH A FREAK EVENT
COMING OFF THE BACK

OF AN UNPRECEDENTED SERIES
OF PHENOMENON,

SCIENTISTS SEARCH
FOR AN EXPLANATION.

THEY THEORIZE
THAT THE FIRST PHENOMENON,

A MULTI-COLORED APPARITION
ABOVE THE LAUNCH SITE,

COULD BE RELATED TO THE WEATHER
CONDITIONS ON THAT DAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE A PATCH
OF A RAINBOW,

BUT IN FACT
IS NOT A RAINBOW AT ALL.

IT'S KNOWN AS A SUNDOG.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING
AS A RAINBOW,

EXCEPT INSTEAD OF WATER VAPOR

OR WATER DROPLETS,
IT'S ICE CRYSTALS.

AND SO YOU HAVE THESE DANCING
COLORS IN THE SKY.

Narrator:
SUNDOGS ARE PERHAPS THE MOST
SPECTACULAR MANIFESTATION

OF A GROUP
OF ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON

KNOWN TO WEATHER SCIENTISTS
AS ICE HALOS.

HALO PHENOMENA CAN RESULT
WHEN THE SUNLIGHT

PASSES THROUGH COUNTLESS
MINUSCULE CRYSTALS OF ICE

UP IN HIGH CLOUDS,

WHICH EACH ACT
LIKE TINY PRISMS

THAT GLINT
THE SUNLIGHT TOWARDS YOU.

Narrator:
FOOTAGE FROM PREVIOUS LAUNCHES
REVEALS THE SECOND PHENOMENON,

THE STRANGE RIPPLING EFFECT
IN THE SKY,

HAS BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

BUT ITS INTERACTION WITH
THE SUNDOG IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
IS THAT THE ROCKET

IS ACHIEVING MAX Q,
THE MAXIMUM DYNAMIC PRESSURE,

THE GREATEST RESISTANCE
IN THE ATMOSPHERE,

AS IT'S MOVING UPWARDS.

BAM.
THEY HIT THE SUNDOG,

AND IT JUST DISAPPEARS.

Narrator:
AND WEATHER SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THAT THE FINAL PHENOMENON,

THE BEAM OF LIGHT
THAT PRECEDES THE ROCKET,

COULD ALSO BE A PREVIOUSLY
UNDISCOVERED OPTICAL EFFECT.

AS THE ROCKET
FLIES THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,

IT'S SUPERSONIC,

AND IT HAS TO TELL
THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF IT

THAT IT'S COMING,
SO IT CREATES A SHOCK FRONT.

AND THAT SHOCK FRONT WILL THEN
TRAIL OFF BEHIND THE ROCKET,

JUST LIKE THE WAKE OF A BOAT.

Narrator:
THE RAPID APPEARANCE

OF A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN
LIGHT EFFECT

RIGHT AFTER TWO OTHER
STRANGE ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON

MAY NOT BE A COINCIDENCE.

WHATEVER THE CAUSE OF THIS
STRANGE SERIES OF EVENTS WAS,

IT DID NOT PREVENT
THE SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT

OF THE SOLAR DYNAMICS
OBSERVATORY.

IT CONTINUES TO PROBE
THE MYSTERIES

OF OUR NEAREST STAR.

DECADES AFTER MAN FIRST SET FOOT
ON THE MOON,

THE APOLLO MISSIONS
CONTINUE TO SHOCK AND ASTONISH.

AS WE BUILD UPON THE LESSONS
OF THE PAST,

NEW DISCOVERIES BRING WITH THEM
FRESH CHALLENGES.

A NEW ERA OF SPACE EXPLORATION
RAISES EXCITING QUESTIONS,

AND THE ANSWERS
JUST MIGHT CHANGE EVERYTHING.

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