Original subtitles

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

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

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE.

IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS, IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS

INTO SPACE, ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

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 SOVIET PROBE UNCOVERS EVIDENCE

OF SOMETHING UNSETTLING ON THE MOON.

I REALLY WONDER IF THE GERMANS COULD'VE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK THEY COULD HAVE.

THE RED PLANET COMES ALIVE.

THERE COULD BE A WONDER WORLD FOR SMALL LIVING CREATURES

UNDERNEATH THE MARTIAN SURFACE RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY GOOD ARGUMENTS

THAT SAY THERE CAN'T BE.

AND SOMETHING IN ORBIT APPEARS TO THREATEN

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

ABSOLUTELY UNEXPECTED PHENOMENA.

WE'RE GONNA SEE DEVASTATING EFFECTS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

NASA'S MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

OKAY. WE'RE SEEING THREE OR FOUR OBJECTS.

Man: YEAH, THERE ARE, UH, THERE ARE THREE OBJECTS.

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

[ STATIC, BEEP ]

THESE ARE...

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

A SERIES OF REVOLUTIONARY SOVIET LUNAR PROBES

DISAPPEAR AS THEY APPROACH UNEXPLORED TERRITORY.

EVERYTHING CUTS OUT. BAM.

NOTHING.

Narrator: WHEN ONE OF THE PROBES FINALLY RETURNS TO EARTH,

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER UNSETTLING EVIDENCE

THAT SOMETHING ELSE GOT TO THE MOON FIRST.

WHAT COULD IT HAVE BEEN?

I REALLY WONDER IF THE GERMANS COULD'VE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK THEY COULD HAVE.

Narrator: 3:17 P.M., JULY 20, 1969.

WHEN THE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS BECOME THE FIRST PEOPLE

IN HISTORY TO SET FOOT ON ANOTHER WORLD...

THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

...RUSSIA SUFFERS A CRUSHING DEFEAT

IN THE BATTLE TO CONQUER SPACE.

WHEN ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN LANDED ON THE MOON,

I THINK THE RUSSIANS WERE DEVASTATED.

I THINK THAT WAS A BIG BLOW TO THEM.

BUT JUST THREE DAYS BEFORE THE AMERICAN LANDING,

THE RUSSIAN ATTEMPT TO UPSTAGE THEIR AMERICAN RIVALS

APPEARS TO BE GOING WELL,

AS THE UNMANNED SOVIET PROBE CODE-NAMED LUNA 15

ARRIVES IN LUNAR ORBIT.

WHILE LUNA 15 ISN'T A MANNED MISSION, IT IS A BIG STEP

IN LUNAR EXPLORATION AND SHOULD PUT THE SOVIETS BACK

IN A STRONG POSITION.

Narrator: LUNA 15's FLIGHT PLAN CALLS FOR LANDING

ON A MYSTERIOUS AREA OF THE MOON KNOWN AS THE SEA OF CRISES.

THE PROBE'S MISSION IS TO DRILL INTO THE SURFACE

AND BEAT THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS BACK TO EARTH

WITH MANKIND'S FIRST SAMPLES OF MOON ROCK.

EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING FINE,

BUT THEN 4 MINUTES INTO THE DESCENT, EVERYTHING CUTS OUT.

BAM. NOTHING.

Narrator: FIVE YEARS LATER, THE RUSSIANS MAKE ANOTHER

ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE SAME AREA WITH LUNA 23.

BUT THE SECOND CRAFT ALSO CRASHES AND FAILS TO BRING BACK

ANY ROCKS FROM THE SEA OF CRISES.

DESPITE THE SETBACKS, THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY LAUNCHES

ANOTHER PROBE, HOPING THAT IT CAN BEAT THE ODDS AND AVOID

WHATEVER CAUSED ITS PREDECESSORS TO FAIL.

LUNA 24 FOLLOWS VERY SOON AFTER LUNA 23, UH,

LANDS JUST A COUPLE OF MILES AWAY.

THE RUSSIANS AREN'T GIVING UP ON THIS ONE.

Narrator: LUNA 24 SUCCEEDS

WHERE THE PREVIOUS RUSSIAN MISSIONS FAILED,

RETURNING TO EARTH WITH A PRECIOUS SAMPLE

FROM THE UNEXPLORED REGION.

THE SAMPLE OF LUNAR SOIL BROUGHT BACK WEIGHS LESS THAN

7/10 OF A POUND, BUT HAS A BIG IMPACT ON THE SOVIETS'

UNDERSTANDING OF LUNAR GEOLOGY.

Narrator: THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS

SHOCK SOVIET GEOLOGISTS.

IT LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO THE SOIL

IN AN AREA OF THE MOON THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY UNDISTURBED

FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.

WHAT COULD IT HAVE BEEN?

Narrator: TESTS ON THE SAMPLE CONFIRM THAT THE SOIL

USED TO BE BURIED DEEP UNDERGROUND.

SOMEONE OR SOMETHING BROUGHT IT TO THE SURFACE.

THE SOVIETS KNOW THAT THE AMERICANS HAVEN'T BEEN

TO THIS PART OF THE MOON.

THEY THINK THIS IS THEIR TURF.

SO THEY HAVE TO FACE UP TO THE QUESTION --

WHO THE HECK'S BEEN DISTURBING THE LUNAR SURFACE HERE?

Narrator: COULD SOMEONE ELSE HAVE LANDED ON THE MOON

BEFORE THE U.S. AND RUSSIA?

I HAVE HEARD THAT THE GERMANS DEVELOPED A MOON ROCKET

BEFORE THEY WERE DEFEATED IN 1945.

WE KNOW FOR A FACT FROM NASA'S OWN RECORDS

THE GERMANS HAD A VERY ADVANCED SPACE EXPLORATION PROGRAM.

THE NAZIS WERE LEADERS IN THE ROCKETRY INDUSTRY.

AND THEY HAD PEOPLE LIKE WERNHER VON BRAUN.

Narrator: GERMAN AEROSPACE ENGINEER WERNHER VON BRAUN

IS THE FOUNDING FATHER OF ROCKET SCIENCE.

WERNHER VON BRAUN WAS A GENIUS.

MAY HAVE BEEN A NAZI, BUT HE WAS A GENIUS.

AND WAS ABLE TO DESIGN SYSTEMS THAT TO THIS DAY

ARE STILL ASTOUNDING TO US.

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II, THE NAZI REGIME

ASKED VON BRAUN TO DEVELOP THE V-2 ROCKET,

THE FIRST MAN-MADE CRAFT TO REACH SPACE.

NASA AND THEIR RUSSIAN COUNTERPARTS BOTH KNOW

THAT THIS NAZI SUPERWEAPON WAS A KEY STEP

IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR OWN MOON ROCKETS.

WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LAND ON THE MOON

IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE GERMANS.

DAMN RIGHT.

THE FIRST AMERICAN ROCKET WAS BASED ON V-2 TECHNOLOGY.

THE FIRST RUSSIAN ROCKET WAS ESSENTIALLY JUST A V-2.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO BELIEVE THAT THE NAZIS PUSHED

THEIR TECHNOLOGY JUST THAT LITTLE BIT FURTHER?

I REALLY WONDER IF THE --

IF THE GERMANS COULD'VE GOTTEN TO THE MOON.

ACTUALLY, I THINK THEY COULD HAVE.

Narrator: NAZI TECHNOLOGY MAY HAVE HAD THE POTENTIAL

TO REACH THE MOON,

BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT A GERMAN SPACECRAFT

DISTURBED THE DUST OF THE SEA OF CRISES.

IN 2011, NASA'S LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY OF THE LUNA 24 PROBE.

AGAINST ALL ODDS, LUNA 24 LANDED IN THE VICINITY

OF A CRATER.

Narrator: THE IMAGE FROM THE LRO REVEALS THAT,

BY PURE CHANCE, LUNA 24'S LANDING SPOT

WAS AT THE EDGE OF A CRATER FROM AN ASTEROID IMPACT

THAT RELEASED ROCK FROM DEEP UNDERGROUND.

THE SOVIETS WERE HOPING THIS WOULD BE A PERFECT LANDING SITE,

BUT NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE LUNAR GEOLOGY'S GONNA BE

UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY LAND.

Narrator: SO THE LUNA 24 SAMPLE

THAT SEEMED LIKE FRESHLY DISTURBED DIRT

WAS THE RESULT OF GEOLOGY RATHER THAN NAZI TECHNOLOGY.

IF THE PROBE HAD RETURNED A SAMPLE FROM ANYWHERE ELSE,

THE MOON DIRT WOULD'VE TESTED NORMAL.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY OF A CRATER SOLVES THE MYSTERY

OF LUNA 24'S STRANGE SAMPLE.

BUT THE FATE OF THE OTHER SOVIET PROBES REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

ADVANCED NAZI ROCKET TECHNOLOGY FROM THE 1940s

PALES IN COMPARISON TO NASA'S CURRENT SPACECRAFT.

BUT AS WE ENTER A NEW ERA OF EXPLORATION,

NEW DISCOVERIES REMIND US THAT WE ARE STILL

IN THE EARLY YEARS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY.

IN A DISTANT CONSTELLATION,

AN ANCIENT STAR IS SURROUNDED BY MYSTERIOUS RINGS.

RINGS AROUND STARS THAT ARE AS OLD AS THIS STAR IS

ARE VERY RARE.

FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES, THE RINGS DEFY ALL ATTEMPTS

AT SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION.

WHEN WE CAN'T EXPLAIN WHAT WE SEE WITH WHAT WE KNOW,

WE HAVE TO START EXPLAINING WITH WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: AND THE ONLY SCIENCE CAPABLE OF EXPLAINING

THIS PHENOMENON IS TRULY MIND-BLOWING.

Vogt: ANY CIVILIZATION CAPABLE OF MAKING A --

A RING WORLD AROUND ITS STAR

WOULD BE LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD OF US.

Narrator: SOUTHERN SPAIN, 1995.

HIGH IN THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS,

ASTRONOMER BENJAMIN ZUCKERMAN EXPLORES AN UNUSUAL STAR

ABOUT 190 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH

IN THE DISTANT CETUS CONSTELLATION.

WE WEREN'T REALLY SURE WHAT WE MIGHT FIND.

SO ALTHOUGH IT DEFINITELY WAS A WOW MOMENT TO SEE 49 CET,

AT THE TIME, WE DID NOT REALIZE QUITE HOW UNUSUAL

IT WAS GOING TO TURN OUT TO BE.

Narrator: THE STAR IS SURROUNDED BY TWO ENORMOUS RINGS.

ONE OF THE RINGS HAS A RADIUS, I THINK,

OF ABOUT A BILLION MILES.

THE OTHER ONE IS TWO OR THREE TIMES THAT SIZE, FARTHER OUT.

AND SO THESE ARE -- ARE RINGS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN PLACES

WHERE YOU WOULD EXPECT PLANETS TO FORM.

Narrator: FOR AN ASTRONOMER, THE OBVIOUS CONCLUSION

IS THAT HE'S LOOKING AT RINGS OF DUST AND GAS,

WHICH OFTEN ENCIRCLE YOUNG STARS.

BUT AFTER YEARS OF OBSERVATION, ZUCKERMAN DISCOVERS

THAT 49 CETI IS NOT YOUNG AT ALL.

THIS STAR IS ABOUT 40 OR 50 MILLION YEARS OLD,

WHICH MAKES IT THE OLDEST STAR WE KNOW OF

WITH THESE DUSTY DEBRIS DISCS.

ONCE A STAR GETS OLDER THAN ABOUT 5 MILLION YEARS,

MOST OF THE GAS THAT'S ORBITING IN THESE DISCS DISSIPATES,

AND DUST PARTICLES EITHER GET BLOWN AWAY FROM STARS,

OR THEY SPIRAL INTO STARS.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE -- THE GREAT MYSTERIES.

THERE'S SOME PROCESS THAT'S REPLENISHING THE GAS

INTO THIS DISC SYSTEM,

AND WE DON'T SEE THAT PROCESS GOING ON

IN OUR PLANETARY SYSTEM.

IT'S HARD TO KIND OF GET IT INTO YOUR HEAD.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HOLDS TOGETHER

THE RINGS AROUND 49 CETI RAISES SOME INTRIGUING QUESTIONS,

QUESTIONS CONVENTIONAL SCIENCE CAN STRUGGLE TO ANSWER.

WHEN WE CAN'T EXPLAIN WHAT WE SEE WITH WHAT WE KNOW,

WE HAVE TO START EXPLAINING WITH WHAT WE DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: PERHAPS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY IDEA

FOR WHAT THE RINGS COULD BE

COMES FROM THE REALM OF SCIENCE FICTION.

THE CONCEPT OF A GIANT RING-SHAPED WORLD

SURROUNDING A STAR WAS FIRST PROPOSED

BY NOVELIST LARRY NIVEN.

LARRY NIVEN'S ORIGINAL "RINGWORLD" CONCEPT

WOULD TAKE THE MATERIAL

OF SOME USELESS PLANETS AND USE THEM TO POUND OUT

A RIBBON THAT SURROUNDS A STAR.

AND THIS RIBBON IS KEPT INFLATED BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE,

RESULTING IN MILLIONS OF TIMES MORE USEFUL SURFACE AREA

FOR A CIVILIZATION, BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT TRILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

SO IT'S A FASCINATING CONCEPT.

Narrator: THE IDEA OF ANOTHER CIVILIZATION

BUILDING A RING WORLD AROUND 49 CETI

IS HUMBLING FOR HUMANITY,

ESPECIALLY AS WE STRUGGLE TO REACH OUR NEAREST PLANET.

ANY CIVILIZATION THAT WOULD BE CAPABLE OF MAKING A --

A RING WORLD AROUND ITS STAR

WOULD BE LIGHT-YEARS AHEAD OF US,

PROBABLY TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AHEAD OF US

IN TECHNOLOGICAL SUPERIORITY.

Narrator: BUT ALTHOUGH THE RING WORLD IDEA IS COMPELLING,

SCIENTISTS MUST FIRST RULE OUT NATURAL PHENOMENA.

FOR 17 YEARS, THE STRANGE STAR REMAINS UNEXPLAINED

UNTIL ZUCKERMAN COMES UP WITH A NEW THEORY

THAT SOMETHING TRULY EXTRAORDINARY IS PROVIDING

THE GAS TO MAKE THE RINGS.

Zuckerman: IN 2012, WE ATTRIBUTED ITS EXISTENCE

TO THE COLLISIONS OF AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER

OF COMET-LIKE OBJECTS.

WE ESTIMATED THAT THERE HAVE TO BE SOMETHING LIKE 100 TRILLION

OR MORE COMETS ORBITING AROUND THE STAR,

AND THAT THE COMETS COULD BE COLLIDING, SAY,

EVERY 10 SECONDS.

AND THAT'S HOW THIS GAS THAT WE DISCOVERED IN 1995

IS BEING PRODUCED.

Kavelaars: THE RATE OF COLLISIONS IS ASTOUNDING.

IT'S HARD TO KIND OF GET INTO YOUR HEAD

THAT THINGS COULD BE COLLIDING INTO EACH OTHER THAT FREQUENTLY.

Narrator: COLLISIONS IN THE STORM OF TRILLIONS OF COMETS

WOULD EXPLAIN THE RING'S APPARENTLY ENDLESS SUPPLY

OF DUST AND GAS.

HOW THERE COULD BE THAT MANY COMETS

400 TIMES THE MASS OF EARTH

IN A SINGLE STAR SYSTEM REMAINS A MYSTERY.

UP NEXT, A SHOCKING DISCOVERY SUGGESTS

THERE REALLY MAY BE LIFE UNDER THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

[ BEEP ]

Narrator: A NASA TELESCOPE MONITORING MARS

DISCOVERS SOMETHING THAT COULD REWRITE THE HISTORY

OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE HAVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY.

WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE. WE NEED TO GO BACK TO MARS AND FIND OUT.

Narrator: THE RED PLANET SEEMS TO BE ALIVE.

THERE COULD BE A, UH, A WONDER WORLD FOR SMALL

LIVING CREATURES UNDERNEATH THE MARTIAN SURFACE RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY GOOD ARGUMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE

THAT SAY THERE CAN'T BE.

Narrator: EVER SINCE NASA FIRST BEGAN ITS EXPLORATION OF MARS,

THE SPACE AGENCY HAS STRUGGLED WITH THE QUESTION

OF WHETHER THERE COULD BE LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.

NOW IT JUST MIGHT HAVE AN ANSWER.

ON THE SUMMIT OF MAUNA KEA, IN HAWAII,

NASA'S POWERFUL INFRARED TELESCOPE ZOOMS IN

ON EARTH'S NEAREST NEIGHBOR.

IN MARCH OF 2003,

THE DATA STARTS SHOWING SOMETHING STRANGE.

IT IS NOW ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THERE IS METHANE ON MARS.

IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 19,000 TONS OF -- OF METHANE

BEING PRODUCED ON MARS THAT --

THAT REALLY WE COULDN'T EXPLAIN.

Narrator: THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS DISCOVERY

STUNNED ASTRONOMERS.

THE VERY PRESENCE OF METHANE ON MARS IS REALLY,

UH, EXTRAORDINARY.

ONE OF THE VERY EXCITING THINGS ABOUT FINDING METHANE ON MARS

IS THAT IT'S AN INDICATOR OF BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.

IT MIGHT BE A SIGNAL THAT THERE ARE LIVING THINGS,

AND LIVING THINGS ON ANOTHER WORLD WOULD BE, OF COURSE,

ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC FINDINGS

IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE.

Narrator: NASA'S SCIENTISTS LAUNCH A LONG-TERM INVESTIGATION

INTO THE SOURCE OF THE WEIRD PHENOMENON.

THEY MUST FIRST DETERMINE IF THE CLOUDS OF GAS ARE SIMPLY

A RELIC FROM MARS' GEOLOGICAL PAST.

Lorenz: METHANE HAS A VERY SHORT LIFETIME

IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE.

MARS IS A VERY OXIDIZING PLACE,

AND THAT KIND OF BURNS THE METHANE UP.

FOR IT TO EVEN BE THERE IN ANY DETECTABLE AMOUNT

MEANS THAT THERE HAS TO BE A SOURCE FOR IT,

IT HAS TO BE REPLENISHED.

WHERE WOULD THIS METHANE COME FROM?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS STRUGGLING TO ANSWER

THIS QUESTION TURN TO OUR OWN PLANET FOR CLUES.

ON EARTH, IT'S -- THERE'S A FEW WAYS OF MAKING METHANE.

VOLCANOES, FOR EXAMPLE, MAKE METHANE.

THERE ONCE WERE GREAT VOLCANOES ON MARS, BUT WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE

WHATSOEVER THAT THERE ARE ANY ACTIVE VOLCANOES ON MARS TODAY.

SO THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF METHANE ON MARS

IS UNLIKELY TO HAVE COME FROM ANY VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

Narrator: THE ABSENCE OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY ON MARS

FORCES SCIENTISTS TO CONSIDER A STARTLING POSSIBILITY.

ON EARTH, MOST METHANE IS PRODUCED BY LIVING ORGANISMS.

Genge: FOR EXAMPLE, COWS.

COWS PRODUCE VAST AMOUNTS OF METHANE.

THAT'S PART OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE. IT'S PART OF THEIR METABOLISM.

WHAT IF METHANE IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE WAS TELLING US THAT,

TODAY ON MARS, THERE WERE LIFE FORMS ALIVE SOMEWHERE

PRODUCING IT?

Narrator: SINCE NASA FIRST DETECTED METHANE,

MANKIND HAS DISPATCHED 10 MISSIONS TO EXPLORE

THE ATMOSPHERE AND SURFACE OF MARS.

SO FAR, NONE HAVE DISCOVERED DEFINITIVE PROOF OF LIFE.

BUT MAYBE WE'VE BEEN LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.

THE IDEA THAT, UH, THERE'S METHANE ON MARS WHERE WE REALLY

WOULDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE FOUND IS -- IS MAYBE A HINT

THAT PERHAPS THERE COULD BE A SOURCE THAT'S ASSOCIATED

WITH LIFE, MAYBE IN THE SUBSURFACE.

Bell: I THINK, IF THERE IS LIFE ON MARS,

IT'S LIKELY DEEP UNDERGROUND.

AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY GOOD ARGUMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE

THAT SAY THERE CAN'T BE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: THE CONCEPT OF A SUBTERRANEAN MARTIAN WORLD

FULL OF LIVING ORGANISMS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING

FROM A SCI-FI FILM.

BUT THE IDEA IS BASED ON ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC FACT.

OVER 80 PERCENT OF EARTH LIFE IS ACTUALLY LIVING UNDERNEATH

THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

AND SO THE FACT THAT WE DON'T FIND LIFE AT THE SURFACE OF MARS

TODAY DOESN'T REALLY TELL YOU MUCH ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES

OF LIFE UNDERNEATH.

THERE COULD BE A WONDER WORLD FOR -- FOR SMALL

LIVING CREATURES UNDERNEATH THE MARTIAN SURFACE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: SOMETIME IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS,

THE EUROPEAN AND RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCIES PLAN TO SEND

A ROVER TO THE RED PLANET TO EXPLORE THE THREE KEY AREAS

WHERE LIFE COULD EXIST.

UNTIL THEN, THE SOURCE OF THE METHANE ON MARS

WILL REMAIN A MYSTERY.

WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE. WE NEED TO GO BACK TO MARS AND FIND OUT.

Lee: WE HAVE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY.

METHANE IS RIGHT NOW THE HOTTEST LEAD THAT WE HAVE

FOR LIFE ON MARS.

Narrator: COMING UP, NASA'S SPACECRAFT ARE UNDER ATTACK.

IT'S VIOLENT, AND WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

IF YOU'RE NOT SCARED, YOU SHOULD BE.

[ BEEP ]

Narrator: A MYSTERIOUS ENERGY IS ATTACKING NASA CRAFT

IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

IT'S VIOLENT, AND WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

YOU COULD SUFFER ACUTE DAMAGE, WHICH CAN LEAD TO DEATH.

Narrator: COULD THIS FORCE PROVIDE CLUES

TO ONE OF THE MOST TRAGIC AVIATION ACCIDENTS IN HISTORY?

SOMETHING MUST'VE HAPPENED, SOMETHING UNIQUE

TO CAUSE THE FLIGHT TO FALL OUT OF THE AIR.

IF YOU'RE NOT SCARED, YOU SHOULD BE.

HALF A CENTURY OF SPACE EXPLORATION HAS UNCOVERED

THREATS WHICH EVEN NASA'S GREATEST MINDS

STRUGGLE TO COMPREHEND.

THERE ARE SOME INCREDIBLY DESTRUCTIVE FORCES

IN THIS UNIVERSE.

CATASTROPHIC EVENTS ARE HAPPENING AROUND THE GALAXY

EVERY DAY.

Narrator: BUT INCREDIBLY, ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES

FOR HUMAN SPACECRAFT IS RIGHT ON EARTH'S DOORSTEP.

THIS AREA HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY,

AND IT'S A PRETTY BIG AREA.

IT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF HALF OF SOUTH AMERICA.

IT'S KNOWN TO CAUSE ANOMALIES IN SPACECRAFT, IN SHUTTLES.

IN FACT, IT'LL CRASH PERSONAL COMPUTERS.

Man: WE ARE JUST COMING UP ON THE TELESCOPE.

OKAY.

YOU DON'T CONDUCT A SPACE WALK

WHEN YOU'RE PASSING OVER THAT SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY.

YOU JUST DON'T DO IT.

YOU COULD CALL IT THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE OF SPACE.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: ONE THEORY FOR THE ANOMALY'S WEIRD EFFECTS

IS THAT THEY COULD BE CAUSED BY SPACE RADIATION.

IN THE 1950s, JAMES VAN ALLEN CAME UP WITH WHAT AT THE TIME

WAS A, WELL, CRAZY IDEA THAT THE EARTH WAS ACTUALLY

SURROUNDED BY ENERGETIC RADIATION BELTS.

HE WAS RIGHT, AND IN FACT, THOSE BELTS WERE NAMED

AFTER HIM.

Narrator: THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD

KEEPS THE POWERFUL RADIATION OF THE VAN ALLEN BELTS

THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM THE PLANET'S SURFACE.

BUT FOR SOME REASON, THERE ARE DENTS IN THE FORCE FIELD

WHICH ALLOW DESTRUCTIVE ENERGY

TO GET DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE GROUND.

[ WHOOSHING ]

THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD ISN'T SYMMETRIC,

AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE ARE PLACES ON THE EARTH'S SURFACE

WHERE THE MAGNETIC FIELD IS A LITTLE WEAKER.

IN THOSE REGIONS, THE VAN ALLEN BELTS COME MUCH CLOSER

TO THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

Narrator: IN THE REGION OF SPACE ABOVE THE OCEAN

200 MILES EAST OF BRAZIL,

THE STORM OF CHARGED PARTICLES BECOMES A VERY REAL THREAT.

ANYTHING MOVING THROUGH THAT REGION OF SPACE IS BOMBARDED

BY HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES

HITTING AT A RATE OF 6,000 PARTICLES PER SQUARE INCH

PER SECOND.

THAT'S HUGE.

YOU DON'T REALLY WANNA FLY INSIDE THE RADIATION BELTS

BECAUSE YOU COULD SUFFER ACUTE RADIATION DAMAGE,

WHICH CAN LEAD TO DEATH.

[ STATIC ]

Narrator: THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY EFFECTS

OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY ON ORBITING NASA CRAFT

ARE WELL DOCUMENTED.

BUT RECENTLY, A THEORY HAS EMERGED WHICH SUGGESTS

THE REACH OF THE ANOMALY'S DESTRUCTIVE POWER

COULD BE FAR GREATER THAN ANYONE HAD IMAGINED.

COULD AN AIRCRAFT FLYING DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH

THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY

HAVE ITS VITAL INSTRUMENTATION KNOCKED OUT?

Narrator: RADIATION CAN DAMAGE

CRITICAL AIRCRAFT COMPUTER SYSTEMS.

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY IS THAT, EVEN ABOVE THE ANOMALY,

THE CLOSEST THE RADIATION BELTS COME TO EARTH

IS AROUND 125 MILES.

AIRLINERS FLY AT AROUND 38,000 TO 40,000 FEET.

AT THAT ALTITUDE, THEY ARE STILL VERY FAR AWAY

FROM THE VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELTS.

Narrator: FOR THE ANOMALY TO HAVE ANY EFFECT

ON COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING

TO BRIDGE THE DISTANCE UP TO SPACE.

ONE IDEA IS VAST STREAKS OF MEGALIGHTNING.

THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THERE COULD BE SOME KIND OF CASCADING

EFFECT FROM THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE

THAT COMES DOWN AND COULD POSSIBLY INTERACT

WITH ELECTRONICS.

Narrator: METEOROLOGIST JUSTIN BERK IS INVESTIGATING

WHETHER SUCH A PHENOMENON COULD HAVE PLAYED A PART

IN THE TRAGIC LOSS OF AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 447 IN 2009.

I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "THIS AREA,

THIS SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY, WAS PRETTY DARN CLOSE

TO WHERE THE AIR FRANCE FLIGHT PATTERN WAS."

Narrator: FLIGHT 447 LEAVES RIO DE JANEIRO

AT 10:29 P.M. LOCAL TIME ON MAY 31st.

MINUTES BEFORE THE PLANE DISAPPEARS,

IT FLIES INTO A TROPICAL STORM ABOVE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

A SPOKESPERSON FROM AIR FRANCE SAID THAT THE FLIGHT

WAS LIGHTLY IMPACTED BY LIGHTNING.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

SINCE PLANES ARE DESIGNED TO GET HIT BY LIGHTNING,

SOMETHING ELSE MUST HAVE HAPPENED,

SOMETHING SPECIAL, SOMETHING UNIQUE

TO CAUSE THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM POSSIBLY TO FAIL AND THE,

UM, FLIGHT TO FALL OUT OF THE AIR.

Narrator: BLACK BOX DATA RECOVERED FROM THE WRECKAGE

REVEALS THAT TURBULENCE FORCED THE PILOTS TO CLIMB UP

THOUSANDS OF FEET TOWARD THE DENSE FIELD OF RADIATION.

IF MEGALIGHTNING CHANNELED CHARGED PARTICLES

FROM THE RADIATION BELTS INTO THE PLANE'S FUSELAGE,

IT COULD HAVE SERIOUS EFFECTS ON INSTRUMENTATION.

YOU HAVE A TROPICAL-BASED THUNDERSTORM THAT ITSELF IS --

IS CHARGED WITH A LOT OF ELECTRICITY.

THEN YOU ADD IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY THAT HAS BEEN

DOCUMENTED TO HAVE HIGHLY CHARGED PARTICLES.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE TWO LINKED UP WITH THAT ONE MOMENT

IN TIME, THAT RARITY OF A CONNECTION,

THAT SUPERCHARGED THAT STORM

TO SEND HIGHER VOLTAGE

THAT JUST OVERLOADED THE CIRCUITS ON THE PLANE.

[ PLANE DESCENDS RAPIDLY ]

BERK'S THEORY THAT FLIGHT 447 WAS OVERWHELMED

BY STRANGE ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA IS SUPPORTED BY RECORDS

OF A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE PILOTS.

ONE HOUR AND 51 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT,

THE PILOT AND COPILOT CAN BE HEARD ON THE BLACK BOX

DISCUSSING ST. ELMO'S FIRE,

WHICH IS A STATIC DISCHARGE

THAT'S CRAWLING ALL OVER THE PLANE.

Narrator: THE BLACK BOX RECORDINGS STOP AT 2:14 A.M.

AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION CONCLUDES THAT THE CRASH

IS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF PILOT ERROR

AND INSTRUMENT FAILURE.

BUT FOR BERK, THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC ANOMALY

ON THE DISASTER IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE.

IT SEEMS TO ME IT'S A VERY PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION

FOR WHY THIS AIRCRAFT GOT TAKEN OUT OF THE SKY.

Narrator: STILL TO COME --

COULD AN UNIDENTIFIED VAPOR TRAIL POSE A DEADLY THREAT

TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION?

AN ABSOLUTELY UNEXPECTED PHENOMENON.

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

[ BEEP ]

Narrator: AN ASTRONAUT ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

SPOTS AN EERIE VAPOR TRAIL EMANATING FROM EARTH.

HE NOTICES OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE A FLASH OF LIGHT.

AN ABSOLUTELY UNEXPECTED PHENOMENON.

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

AS MISSION CONTROL STRUGGLES TO IDENTIFY THE THREAT,

WITNESSES ON THE GROUND REPORT AN EXPLOSION

HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

Capps: ON A SPACE STATION, ANY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

WOULD JUST BE DEVASTATING.

OCTOBER 10, 2013.

ASTRONAUT LUCA PARMITANO USES A RARE MOMENT OF DOWNTIME

TO PHOTOGRAPH EARTH'S GREATEST LIGHT SHOW.

AN ASTRONAUT IS SITTING IN THE CUPOLA, THE VIEWPORT

OF THE SPACE STATION,

GETTING READY TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

THE I.S.S. IS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 17,500 MILES PER HOUR.

IT SEES A SUNSET OR A SUNRISE EVERY 45 MINUTES.

THE VIEWS FOR THE ASTRONAUTS ARE STUNNING.

Narrator: BUT PARMITANO'S SIGHTSEEING DOESN'T LAST LONG.

HE NOTICES OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE A FLASH OF LIGHT.

[ WHOOSHING ]

OFF TO THE WEST, HE SUDDENLY SEES AN ABSOLUTELY UNEXPECTED

PHENOMENON.

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

IT'S ALREADY HIGH IN THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, AND IT LOOKS

AS IF IT'S COME FROM THE EARTH.

Narrator: THE OBJECT'S VELOCITY AND TRAJECTORY

MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A POTENTIAL THREAT.

THE TRAIL STARTS TO DISAPPEAR IN THE FADING EVENING LIGHT,

BUT AS THE ASTRONAUTS STARE AT IT,

THEY SEE SOMETHING ELSE STRANGE.

Oberg: THEY OBSERVE A MYSTERIOUS CLOUD, AN EXPANDING CLOUD

ON THE HORIZON THAT APPEARS TO BE GETTING CLOSER.

Narrator: THE IMAGE THE ASTRONAUTS CAPTURE

IS UNLIKE ANYTHING EVER SEEN FROM THE I.S.S.

IT'S A SPOOKY IMAGE.

SOMETHING EMANATES FROM EARTH, CREATES A MASSIVE, HOLLOW CLOUD.

IT'S THE CLASSIC SIGNATURE OF A SPACECRAFT,

YET THERE IS NO SPACECRAFT.

THERE'S NO EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THIS THING IS.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL CANNOT SEE THE PHOTOS IN REAL TIME,

SO THEY'RE UNABLE TO MAKE ANY ASSESSMENT

OF WHAT THE CREW IS SEEING.

WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THE CREW REPORTS DOWN

TO MISSION CONTROL AT NASA WHAT THEY'VE SEEN.

NASA DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS.

Pope: THE CREW'S IN THIS WEIRD SITUATION.

THEY'VE DEFINITELY SEEN SOMETHING, BUT HOUSTON'S DENYING

THERE'S ANYTHING THERE.

THERE'S NO RECORD OF A LAUNCH,

AND SO YOUR NEXT QUESTION HAS TO BE, WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?

Narrator: AS THE ASTRONAUTS STRUGGLE TO IDENTIFY

THE SIGHTING, REPORTS EMERGE FROM RUSSIA

OF A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT MOVING ACROSS THE SKIES.

VIDEOS OF THE EVENT IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO CIRCULATE ONLINE.

INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THERE WERE FOLKS IN RUSSIA WHO WERE

REPORTING SEEING THE EXACT SAME THING AS THE ASTRONAUTS

AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.

Oberg: IN NORTHERN KAZAKHSTAN, IN THE URAL AREA OF RUSSIA,

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE NOW PHOTOGRAPHING IT

WITH THEIR VIDEO CAMERAS, THEIR DASH CAMS,

AND FILING IT ON YOUTUBE WITHIN A FEW HOURS,

CALLING IT A UFO.

Narrator: INITIALLY, NASA DOESN'T LINK THE FOOTAGE

FROM THE GROUND WITH THE BIZARRE EVENTS WITNESSED FROM THE I.S.S.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

BUT JUST AS IT SEEMS AS IF THE SIGHTING WILL REMAIN

UNEXPLAINED, THE RUSSIAN MILITARY MAKES

A STARTLING DISCLOSURE.

IN MOSCOW, OFFICIALS ANNOUNCED THE TEST FLIGHT

OF A MILITARY MISSILE.

IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, THIS NOTICE APPARENTLY NEVER GOT

TO NASA'S ATTENTION.

Orwall: GENERALLY, THE RUSSIANS DO PUT OUT INFORMATION ABOUT

MISSILE TESTS THAT THEY'RE PERFORMING.

ANYTHING LAUNCHED INTO SPACE, WELL, YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT IT IS

AND WHERE IT'S GOING BECAUSE YOU NEED TO TRACK

THOSE THINGS TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT THE I.S.S.

Narrator: THE MISSILE LAUNCH BECOMES THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE SIGHTING.

MISSION CONTROL VETERAN JIM OBERG BELIEVES

THAT THE EERIE SHAPE OF THE CLOUD

CAN BE EXPLAINED BY A DISCARDED ROCKET STAGE

CASTING A SHADOW IN THE CENTER OF THE MISSILE'S EXHAUST PLUME.

Oberg: WHAT'S SO INTRIGUING ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE IS THAT

IT'S TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

THAT CLOUD THAT THEY TOOK ALMOST 100 PICTURES OF IS

AN EXTRAORDINARY SIGHT IN SPACE,

AN EXTREMELY RARE TYPE OF RUSSIAN MISSILE TEST.

AND JUST PURELY BY CHANCE, THE ROCKET IS SILHOUETTED

AGAINST THE SETTING SUN.

Narrator: AS LONG AS THE VEIL OF SECRECY

SURROUNDING RUSSIAN MISSILE TESTS PERSISTS,

IT WILL BE HARD TO KNOW FOR CERTAIN WHAT EFFECTS

THEY MAY PRODUCE OR WHETHER THEY ARE JUST

A SMOKE SCREEN FOR DEEPER SECRETS.

UP NEXT, A MYSTERIOUS DEEP SPACE SIGNAL

APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM A NEWLY DISCOVERED

HABITABLE WORLD.

I SAID, "WOW. THIS IS FANTASTIC." [ LAUGHS ]

IS THIS E.T.?

YOU ACTUALLY DARE TO THINK, "DID WE FIND IT?

DID WE FIND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE?"

Narrator: WHILE SEARCHING SPACE FOR SIGNALS FROM OTHER WORLDS,

AN ASTRONOMER SPOTS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

I SAID, "WOW, THIS IS FANTASTIC."

[ LAUGHS ] IS THIS E.T.?

THE QUESTION IS, IS SOMEONE FIRING THAT LASER PULSE AT US?

YOU ACTUALLY DARE TO THINK, "DID WE FIND IT?

DID WE FIND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE?"

SOME OF NASA'S FINEST SCIENTISTS HAVE GRAPPLED WITH

THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION OF WHETHER WE ARE ALONE

IN THE UNIVERSE.

BUT REALISTICALLY, IF WE DO EVER RECEIVE AN ANSWER,

WE MAY STRUGGLE TO RECOGNIZE IT.

[ BEEPING ]

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, DECEMBER 2008.

ASTROPHYSICIST DR. RAGBIR BHATHAL

IS GETTING READY FOR HIS REGULAR SEARCH OF THE SOUTHERN SKIES.

WHENEVER THERE'S A NICE, CLEAR NIGHT, WE RECORD

ONTO THE OBSERVATORY.

WE HAVE A LIST OF OBJECTS, AND WE JUST GO HOP FROM ONE OBJECT

TO THE OTHER INTO QUITE LATE INTO THE NIGHT.

LIKE MANY SKYWATCHERS, DR. BHATHAL IS HOPING

FOR A SIGNAL FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

BUT UNLIKE MANY OF HIS PEERS,

HE DOESN'T FOCUS ON RADIO SIGNALS.

FORTY YEARS HAVE PASSED BY, AND, UH,

NOTHING HAD BEEN DISCOVERED.

SO A NUMBER OF US THOUGHT, "WELL, IT'S TIME WE MOVE INTO

ANOTHER SPECTRUM."

Narrator: ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS COULD HAVE A RANGE

OF COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE TO THEM.

WE ARE AN EMERGING CIVILIZATION.

WE'VE ONLY HAD RADIO 100 YEARS IN OUR 5-BILLION-YEAR HISTORY.

SOME STARS ARE 10 BILLION YEARS OLD.

OUR STAR IS 5 BILLION YEARS OLD.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE CIVILIZATIONS BILLIONS OF YEARS AHEAD OF US.

Narrator: PERHAPS A MORE LIKELY COMMUNICATION METHOD

WOULD BE LASERS SIGNALING.

IF WE HAVE DEVELOPED LASERS, IT'S LIKELY THAT ANOTHER

CIVILIZATION HAS DEVELOPED LASER SYSTEMS.

WE KNOW THAT WE CAN ENCODE LASERS WITH SIGNAL

AND HAVE IT DECIPHERED AT THE OTHER END.

SO, WHY CAN'T AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION DO THE SAME THING

AND TRY AND COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS?

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 2008,

DR. BHATHAL IS EIGHT YEARS INTO HIS SEARCH FOR LASER SIGNALS

OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN.

WE DID THIS NORMAL RUN. I WENT INTO THE OBSERVATORY.

I CHECKED THE EQUIPMENT, UH,

MADE SURE I ALIGNED THE TELESCOPE.

AND THEN I STARTED MY SEARCH.

Narrator: HE USES AN OPTICAL TELESCOPE TO SEARCH

THE TUCANAE STAR CLUSTER 16,000 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

WHEN HE LOOKS AT THE DATA, HE SEES SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

Bhathal: I FOUND THIS, UH, THIS SPIKE ON THE SCREEN,

AND THAT WAS EXCITING.

WE WENT BACK AND, UH, CHECKED THAT OUR INSTRUMENTS WERE NOT

MALFUNCTIONING, AND, UH, THE EQUIPMENT PASSED ITS,

YOU KNOW -- THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE EQUIPMENT.

I SAID, "WOW, THIS IS FANTASTIC." [ LAUGHS ]

"YOU KNOW, HAVE I SEEN THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, IS IT --

IS THIS E.T.?"

Narrator: BHATHAL'S FIND IS EXCEPTIONAL.

BUT THEN A STRANGE SERIES OF EVENTS STARTS TO MAKE IT LOOK

LIKE A DEFINING MOMENT IN HISTORY.

IN SEPTEMBER 2010, A TEAM OF ASTRONOMERS

DISCOVERS A PLANET IN THE HABITABLE ZONE

OF THE STAR GLIESE 581.

AND REPORTS ON SEVERAL WEB SITES CLAIM THAT THE NEW PLANET

IS THE POINT OF ORIGIN FOR DR. BHATHAL'S

MYSTERIOUS LASER SIGNAL.

THIS IS SOMETHING BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS.

WE KNOW THAT ALMOST ALL STARS HAVE PLANETS GOING AROUND THEM.

AND SOME OF THESE PLANETS -- ACTUALLY, A LOT OF THESE PLANETS

ARE PLANETS THAT ARE KIND OF NICE PLANETS.

THEY'RE -- WE CALL 'EM GOLDILOCKS PLANETS --

NOT TOO HOT, NOT TOO COLD, NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM THEIR SUN.

AND SOME OF THEM HAVE LIQUID WATER

AND THE RIGHT CONDITIONS FOR LIFE.

Narrator: FOR A MOMENT, IT SEEMS AS IF THE DATA

COULD FINALLY PROVIDE AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION

OF WHETHER WE ARE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE.

Shostak: IN 2010, THERE WAS ANNOUNCED A DISCOVERY

OF A PLANET CALLED GLIESE 581G,

WHICH MEANS THAT IT WAS THE FIFTH PLANET

AROUND THE STAR GLIESE 581.

AND IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT WAS DETECTED

THAT MIGHT BE HABITABLE.

IN FACT, SOME OF THE DISCOVERERS SAID,

"HUNDRED PERCENT SURE THAT IT HAS LIFE."

IF WE HAVE AN INTELLIGENT SIGNAL TIED TO AN EXOPLANET,

YOU ACTUALLY DARE TO THINK, "DID WE FIND IT?

DID WE FIND EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE?"

Narrator: BUT WHILE IT DOES INITIALLY LOOK LIKE

GLIESE 581G COULD ACTUALLY BE THE FIRST HABITABLE PLANET

FOUND OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

THE REPORTS SUGGESTING IT COULD BE THE SOURCE

OF THE TUCANAE LASER BEAM TURN OUT TO BE WRONG.

AND THERE IS ANOTHER MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE POTENTIALLY

LIFE-CHANGING DISCOVERY.

A LOT OF PLANET HUNTERS WERE SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL THAT THEY'D

ACTUALLY HAD THIS SIGNAL FOR THIS PLANET BEING THERE.

AND ACTUALLY, RECENT WORK IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS

HAS SHOWN WITHOUT DOUBT THAT GLIESE 581G

DOESN'T ACTUALLY EXIST, THAT IT WAS AN ARTIFACT

OF THE DATA REDUCTION THAT WAS USED.

Narrator: WITH NO PLANET NEAR THE POINT OF ORIGIN,

THE MYSTERIOUS LASER PULSE MUST HAVE SOME OTHER SOURCE.

ALL ATTEMPTS TO FIND IT A SECOND TIME FOR VERIFICATION

HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL.

Bhathal: PHYSICS IS A VERY HARD DISCIPLINE,

AND YOU NEED TO HAVE, IN THIS CASE, EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE.

AND THE EXTRAORDINARY EVIDENCE WASN'T THERE.

YES, WE ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR IT,

AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR IT.

Narrator: WHILE FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS

MAY STILL PROVE THAT THIS SIGNAL WAS A FALSE LEAD,

THE SEARCH FOR FIRST CONTACT CONTINUES.

STILL TO COME -- IS THERE AN UNKNOWN FORCE

IN THE GALACTIC CORE CAPABLE OF MOVING ENTIRE STARS?

SOMETHING WEIRD IS HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR MILKY WAY.

Narrator: IN A DISTANT REGION OF SPACE

CLOSE TO THE GALACTIC CORE,

THE STARS ARE FORMING INTO STRANGE PATTERNS.

SOMETHING WEIRD IS HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR MILKY WAY.

Narrator: BUT THE CAUSE OF THE PHENOMENON

IS UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE.

2009.

ASTROPHYSICIST ALBERT ZIJLSTRA BEGINS HIS RESEARCH

WITH THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE, LOOKING FOR PLANETARY NEBULAE

LOCATED NEAR THE CENTER OF OUR GALAXY.

BUT ZIJLSTRA ISN'T INTERESTED

IN THE BEAUTY OF THE ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA.

HE'S INVESTIGATING REPORTS OF A DISTURBING ANOMALY

CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF OUR GALAXY.

NEBULAE SHOULDN'T BE POINTING IN A UNIFORM DIRECTION.

IT GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING SCIENTISTS KNOW

ABOUT HOW THEY FORM.

BUT HOWEVER IMPROBABLE THE PHENOMENON

OF NEBULAE FORMING INTO PATTERNS MIGHT BE,

ZIJLSTRA CAN'T IGNORE THE EVIDENCE IN FRONT OF HIM.

WHAT MAKES THE PHENOMENON EVEN STRANGER IS THAT

IT SEEMS TO BE ONLY ONE TYPE OF NEBULA FORMING INTO PATTERNS.

WHATEVER THE FORCE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PHENOMENON,

SOME NEBULAE SEEM TO BE IMMUNE.

WHEN YOU SEE ORDER OR PATTERNS, IT'S NATURAL TO THINK ABOUT

WHAT COULD BE CREATING THAT ORDER.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE ABOUT

WHAT IS PRODUCING SUCH ORDER.

BUT WHILE THE GALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD

IS TOO WEAK TODAY TO HAVE ANY EFFECT ON STARS,

IT MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.

IF THERE WAS THIS GALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD THAT CAUSED THIS,

THE QUESTION IS, WHAT CAUSED THE MAGNETIC FIELD?

Narrator: UNTIL THE REALITIES OF THE GALACTIC MAGNETIC FIELD

ARE BETTER UNDERSTOOD, THE STRANGE ALIGNMENT

OF THE BUTTERFLY NEBULAE WILL REMAIN A MYSTERY.

EVEN AS NASA LEADS US INTO THE FUTURE, EVERY MISSION

IS BUILT UPON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PAST.

AND NEW DISCOVERIES FORCE US TO RETHINK OUR UNDERSTANDING

OF THE COSMOS.

AS WE EXPLORE EVER DEEPER INTO SPACE,

ONLY ONE THING IS CERTAIN -- WE WILL BE ASTONISHED.