All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E06.Nazis.on.the.Moon.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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.