All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S02E08.Revenge.of.the.Fireflies.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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

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

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator:
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Williams: TAKING RISK IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERIES.

SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS
IN THE SHADOWS.

THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.

Narrator: THE DANGERS
OF SPACE TRAVEL PUSH ASTRONAUTS

TO THEIR BREAKING POINT.

PSHOO! PSHOO! PSHOO!

THERE'S A PROCEDURE
FOR A PSYCHOTIC CREW MEMBER.

ASTRONAUTS CAN SNAP.

Narrator:
NASA DISCOVERS A HELLISH WORLD

THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Sieger: SOME PEOPLE THINK
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST.

ONE ASTRONOMER HAS CALLED IT
AN ABOMINATION.

Narrator: AND DO STRANGE LIGHTS
IN THE SKY SIGNAL ARMAGEDDON?

Oberg: IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE THINGS

THAT THE PEOPLE HAD EVER SEEN.

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

SOMETHING IN SPACE IS ATTACKING
THE BRAINS OF OUR ASTRONAUTS.

PSHOO! PSHOO! PSHOO!

THEY CAN PENETRATE YOUR BODY.
THEY CAN DAMAGE CELLS.

THEY'RE NASTY.

Narrator: THE EFFECTS
ARE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD,

BUT THE CONSEQUENCES
COULD BE FATAL.

THE BRAIN ULTIMATELY
BECOMES OVERWHELMED.

RATIONAL THOUGHT CAN MEAN
THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

Narrator: SINCE THE DAWN
OF THE SPACE PROGRAM,

NASA HAS SELECTED

HUMANITY'S BEST AND BRIGHTEST
TO BE ASTRONAUTS.

WE WENT TO THE AIR FORCE
HOSPITAL IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS,

AND WE HAD A PHYSICAL.

IT WAS A 10-DAY PHYSICAL,

AND WHEN WE FINISHED
THE PHYSICAL,

THEY KNEW MORE ABOUT ME THAN I
WOULD EVER EVEN WANT TO KNOW.

Narrator: THEY TAKE FIGHTER
PILOTS, ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS

AT THE PEAK OF THEIR PHYSICAL
AND MENTAL POWERS.

Man: THEY WERE COMBAT PILOTS.
THEY WERE TEST PILOTS.

THEY WERE NOT GONNA LOSE IT.

Narrator: BUT IN SPITE
OF THE RIGOROUS SCREENING,

WHEN THESE MEN GET INTO SPACE,
STRANGE THINGS START TO HAPPEN.

THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENS
WHEN ASTRONAUT RUSTY SCHWEICKART

STEPS OUT INTO SPACE
DURING THE APOLLO 9 MISSION.

THE EXPERIENCE LASTS
ONLY FIVE MINUTES

BUT CHANGES SCHWEICKART FOREVER.

Schweickart: ALL OF THESE
QUESTIONS CAME FLOODING --

FLOODING INTO MY MIND.

I MEAN, WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
WHO AM I?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN
WHEN I SAY "I"?

WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

WHAT WAS GOING ON?

D'Antonio: SCHWEICKART
IS CLEARLY OVERWHELMED.

HE'S LOST ALL SENSE
OF THE MISSION.

AND FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME,

HE WAS NO LONGER
A VALUABLE ASSET.

Narrator:
AND SCHWEICKART'S EXPERIENCE
IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.

D'Antonio:
ON THE SKYLAB 4 MISSION,

THE ASTRONAUTS WOULD HAVE
ARGUMENTS WITH EACH OTHER.

BUT MOST CONCERNING WAS
THAT AT ONE POINT,

THEY ACTUALLY
SHUT OFF MISSION CONTROL.

THEY STOPPED LISTENING.

THAT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM,
A SERIOUS BREACH.

THAT'S EFFECTIVELY A MUTINY.

Narrator: FROM SCHWEICKART

THROUGH THE SKYLAB MISSIONS OF
THE '70s INTO THE SHUTTLE ERA,

ASTRONAUTS FROM EVERY GENERATION
REPORT STRANGE EXPERIENCES.

ASTRONAUTS CAN SNAP,
EMBARKING ON A COURSE

WHICH DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE
TO ANYONE ELSE OR TO THEM.

IT'S NOT, UH, SOMETHING
YOU CAN PREPARE FOR.

IT'S AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

THAT --
THAT REALLY CAN'T DESCRIBE.

Narrator: NASA HAS ALWAYS BEEN
CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY

THAT SOMETHING IN SPACE
COULD HARM THE MINDS

OF THEIR ASTRONAUTS.

YEARS BEFORE MANKIND
FIRST STEPPED INTO SPACE,

THE AGENCY
BEGAN GRAPPLING WITH THE ISSUE.

IN THE 1950s,
AN AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC REPORT

WARNED THAT ASTRONAUTS

NEED TO HAVE STRINGENT
PSYCH EVALUATIONS DONE

BECAUSE THEY FOUND THAT
THEY HAD BIZARRE MOTIVATIONS

FOR WANTING TO GO TO SPACE.

Pope:
THEY CALL IT SPACE MADNESS.

IT'S A BIG DEAL FOR NASA.

IF AN ASTRONAUT LOSES IT,

THAT'S THE BIGGEST POTENTIAL
THREAT TO ANY SPACE MISSION.

Narrator: DEALING WITH
THE THREAT OF SPACE MADNESS

IS STILL A PART
OF EVERY ASTRONAUT'S TRAINING.

Chiao: THERE'S A PROCEDURE
FOR A PSYCHOTIC CREW MEMBER.

IN THAT CASE,
YOU WOULD USE DUCT TAPE

TO TRY TO RESTRAIN THE PERSON,
AND THEN ADMINISTER A SEDATIVE.

Narrator:
NEUROSCIENTIST DR. ANDY NEWBERG
HAS CONDUCTED HIS OWN ANALYSIS

OF WHAT'S HAPPENING
TO ASTRONAUT BRAINS.

I ALWAYS NOTICED
THAT THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAD ACTUALLY
GONE UP INTO SPACE

AND THOSE WHO HAD NOT.

IT SEEMS TO RESHAPE THE WAY
OUR BRAIN WORKS.

THE NORMAL PARTS OF OUR BRAIN
CAN GET ALL OUT OF WHACK.

OTHER THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN
IN ZERO GRAVITY

INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE HALLUCINATIONS,

WHERE YOU MIGHT HEAR SOMETHING
OR SMELL SOMETHING.

A -- A COMMON PHENOMENON,
FOR EXAMPLE, WITH ASTRONAUTS

WAS THAT THEY WOULD SEE FLASHES
OF LIGHT.

Narrator: INITIAL RESEARCH
SUGGESTS THAT MICROGRAVITY

CAN INHIBIT THE RELEASE
OF VITAL MOOD-ALTERING HORMONES

IN THE BRAIN.

BUT NOT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS
TO ASTRONAUTS' BRAINS

CAN BE EXPLAINED BY GRAVITY.

THERE'S ANOTHER
DESTRUCTIVE FORCE

ASSAULTING SPACE TRAVELERS,
POTENTIALLY EVEN MUTATING THEM.

Dr. Newberg:
WHEN ASTRONAUTS ARE UP IN SPACE,

THEY GET EXPOSED
TO A LOT MORE RADIATION

THAN WE ARE DOWN HERE, ON EARTH.

Durrance:
IT CAN PENETRATE YOUR BODY.

IT CAN BREAK THE DNA
AND THE CELLS THEMSELVES.

THEY'RE NASTY.

Dr. Newberg: A DESTRUCTION FROM
THE RADIATION OF BRAIN TISSUES

THAT WILL MAKE
THE BRAIN NOT WORK AS WELL.

Narrator: NO ONE KNOWS
EXACTLY HOW BADLY

RADIATION IS MUTATING
OUR ASTRONAUTS' BRAINS.

ONE THING IS FOR CERTAIN --
THE DEEPER WE TRAVEL INTO SPACE,

THE GREATER THE THREAT
IT POSES TO NASA'S MISSION

AND THE LIVES OF OUR ASTRONAUTS.

AS WE VENTURE
FARTHER AWAY FROM THE EARTH,

ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE
OF THE MAGNETOSPHERE,

RADIATION
WILL BECOME EVEN MORE INTENSE.

AND YOU START HAVING MORE
PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCERNS, AS WELL.

Dr. Newberg: THEY'RE GONNA
HAVE TO FIND WAYS

OF RESOLVING THOSE THINGS,
OR ELSE THOSE MISSIONS

ARE GONNA REALLY HAVE
POTENTIAL FAILURES.

Narrator:
A ROGUE ASTRONAUT COULD,

THEORETICALLY, DO A LOT
OF DAMAGE TO A SPACECRAFT.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER FORCES
IN SPACE

CAPABLE OF DOING
EVEN GREATER HARM.

AND SOME OF THEM
ARE HARDER TO SEE COMING.

A SERIES OF WEIRD, FLASHING
OBJECTS SHADOWS COSMONAUTS

WORKING ON THE EXTERIOR OF
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

DANCING LIGHTS SEEM TO MOVE
UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIGURE OUT

EXACTLY WHAT
THESE OBJECTS COULD BE.

Narrator:
SOON AFTER THE SIGHTING,

THE SPACE STATION MALFUNCTIONS.

Rutkowski:
IT'S A BIT UNCANNY.

THE ASTRONAUTS' LIVES
COULD BE IN DANGER.

Narrator: APRIL 19, 2013.

COSMONAUTS PAVEL VINOGRADOV
AND ROMAN ROMANENKO

STEP OUT
INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE.

THEY'RE ABOUT TO BEGIN
SIX HOURS OF WORK

ON ONE
OF THE STRANGEST EXPERIMENTS

IN THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION'S HISTORY.

THE RUSSIAN EXPERIMENT
IS CALLED BIORISK,

AND ONE HAS TO WONDER
WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON THERE.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE
RUSSIANS, THE BIORISK PROJECT

IS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE
THE EFFECTS OF SOLAR RADIATION

ON LIVING ORGANISMS IN SPACE.

CULTIVATING LIFE FORMS
ON THE OUTSIDE OF A SPACECRAFT

IS A HIGH-RISK ACTIVITY
AT THE BEST OF TIMES.

Narrator:
WHILE THE TWO COSMONAUTS
FOCUS ON COMPLETING THEIR TASKS,

SOMETHING APPEARS
IN THE DARKNESS BEHIND THEM.

THE OBJECTS ARE SEEN
TO BE FLICKERING.

THESE LITTLE DOTS
SEEM TO BE BLINKING.

THEY SEEM TO BE WINKING.

Orwall:
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIGURE OUT

EXACTLY WHAT THESE OBJECTS
COULD BE.

Narrator: THE OBJECTS ARE EERILY
REMINISCENT OF A PHENOMENON

FIRST ENCOUNTERED
BY JOHN GLENN

ON THE FIRST
MERCURY PROGRAM MISSION.

THE OBJECTS BECOME KNOWN
AS SPACE FIREFLIES.

WHEN THERE WERE FIRST REPORTS
ABOUT SO-CALLED FIREFLIES,

PEOPLE RAISED A LOT OF EYEBROWS
TO SAY, "THAT'S RIDICULOUS.

THERE'S NOTHING UP THERE.
CAN'T BE."

NOBODY BELIEVED IT.

THEY THOUGHT
THEY WERE SIMPLY ILLUSIONS.

Narrator: NASA'S INVESTIGATION
INTO GLENN'S SIGHTING

CONCLUDED THAT THE FIREFLIES
WERE ICE CRYSTALS

SHED FROM HIS MERCURY CAPSULE.

BUT THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS
SURROUNDING THE I.S.S.

AREN'T FOLLOWING
THE SAME PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR.

NASA EXPLAINS THESE THINGS
CALLED FIREFLIES

AS ICE PARTICLES.

AND SURE, THERE ARE
ICE PARTICLES IN SPACE.

BUT ICE PARTICLES
DON'T CHANGE DIRECTION.

THEY FLOAT
IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

THESE THINGS SEEM TO MOVE
UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL.

Narrator:
IMAGE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO
HAS CONDUCTED HIS OWN ASSESSMENT

TO ESTABLISH THE SIZE
OF THE OBJECTS

AND DETERMINE WHETHER THEY
COULD HAVE POSED A THREAT

TO THE MISSION.

THE OBJECTS APPEAR
IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE IMAGE,

WHICH MAKES IDENTIFYING
THEM HARDER.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT MANY
OF THESE OBJECTS

ARE SEEN BEHIND THE I.S.S.
AGAINST THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE.

IN SUCH A POSITION, IT'S REALLY
HARD TO GAUGE THEIR SIZE.

YOU DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE LARGE
OR SMALL, NEAR OR FAR.

Narrator:
WHATEVER THEY WERE,

THE MYSTERY OBJECTS' APPEARANCE
MARKS THE BEGINNING OF A CHAPTER

IN ONE OF THE MOST
DISTURBING EPISODES

IN THE HISTORY OF THE I.S.S.

SOON AFTER, THE SPACE
STATION'S AMMONIA COOLING SYSTEM

SUFFERS A MAJOR MALFUNCTION.

A SERIOUS AMMONIA LEAK
CAN CREATE A SERIOUS PROBLEM

ON THE STATION BECAUSE,
WITH THE COOLING LOOP DOWN,

YOUR ELECTRONICS THAT ARE
ON A LOOP HAVE TO BE TURNED OFF,

AND YOU LOSE MAJOR FUNCTION.

Narrator: THE I.S.S.
CARRIES TWO COOLING LOOPS.

WITH ONE DOWN, THE SITUATION
COULD BECOME CRITICAL.

IN THE EVENT THE BACKUP FAILS,

THE ASTRONAUTS' LIVES
COULD BE IN DANGER.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUTS CHRIS CASSIDY
AND THOMAS MARSHBURN

CONDUCT AN UNSCHEDULED SPACEWALK
TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

THERE ARE NO
UNSCHEDULED SPACEWALKS

ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION,

UNLESS THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.

Narrator:
BUT WHEN CASSIDY AND MARSHBURN

REACH THE SUPPOSEDLY
FAULTY PUMP,

THEY FIND NO TRACE OF ANY LEAK.

NASA'S OFFICIAL POSITION IS
THAT THERE WAS AN AMMONIA LEAK,

AND THEY TRACED ITS CAUSE
TO A FAULTY VALVE

IN THE COOLING PUMP.

WHETHER THERE WAS ANY POSSIBLE
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LEAK

AND THE APPEARANCE
OF THE FIREFLIES

REMAINS UNCERTAIN.

UP NEXT,

WHEN MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS IN
THE SKY SPARK RUMORS WORLDWIDE,

NASA GETS THE BLAME.

PEOPLE WERE RUNNING AROUND
ASKING EACH OTHER,

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?"

Narrator: A SPIRALING BEAM
OF LIGHT RISES INTO THE SKY.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE THINGS

THAT THE PEOPLE HAD EVER SEEN.

Rutkowski: PEOPLE WERE RUNNING
AROUND ASKING EACH OTHER,

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?"

Narrator:
THE MYSTERIOUS LIGHT SHOW

SPARKS A WORLDWIDE SEARCH
FOR ANSWERS.

A PORTENT, AN OMEN,

A WARNING, A TIME TUNNEL
TO ANOTHER DIMENSION,

MAYBE EVEN THE SECOND COMING.

Narrator: NASA TACKLES SOME
OF THE GREATEST PROBLEMS

FACED BY MANKIND.

BUT ITS REPUTATION
FOR ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE

ALSO CREATES UNEASE
AMONG THOSE WHO DO NOT TRUST

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

ON DECEMBER 9, 2009,
THE PEOPLE OF NORWAY

ARE PREPARING
FOR THE HISTORIC ARRIVAL

OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.

BUT FOR THE INHABITANTS
OF ONE NORTHERN TOWN,

THE DAY WILL BE REMEMBERED
FOR A VERY DIFFERENT REASON.

IT'S JUST BEFORE SUNRISE.

PEOPLE ARE GETTING READY TO GO
OUT AND TAKE THE KIDS TO SCHOOL.

SUDDENLY, THEY SEE A STRANGE
LIGHT RISING IN THE EAST,

BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN.

Narrator:
NEWS OF THE WEIRD LIGHT
IN THE MOUNTAINS SPREADS FAST.

PEOPLE WERE RUNNING AROUND
ASKING EACH OTHER,

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?"

Narrator: AS THE STUNNED
RESIDENTS LOOK ON,

THE PHENOMENON MORPHS
FROM A SIMPLE, GLOWING BEAM

INTO A TWISTING VORTEX OF LIGHT.

WITHIN A FEW SECONDS,

A GIANT SPIRAL
HUNDREDS OF MILES WIDE

DOMINATES THE PRE-DAWN SKIES.

WITNESSES ARE STILL TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT THEY'RE SEEING WHEN,
WITHOUT WARNING, IT DISAPPEARS.

AS PEOPLE
WATCH THIS AMAZING SIGHT,

SUDDENLY, A BLACK HOLE
APPEARS IN THE MIDDLE

AND SWALLOWS
THE ENTIRE APPARITION.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
INCREDIBLE THINGS

THAT THE PEOPLE HAD EVER SEEN.

Narrator: DOZENS OF VIDEOS
AND PHOTOS OF THE SIGHTING

SOON EMERGE FROM WITNESSES
AS FAR AWAY AS SWEDEN.

IT BECOMES KNOWN
AS THE SPIRAL ANOMALY.

Pope: MANY OBSERVERS DECLARE
THIS EVENT AN ELABORATE HOAX.

NO NATURAL PHENOMENON

COULD CREATE
SUCH A PERFECT SHAPE IN THE SKY.

BUT AS MORE AND MORE EYEWITNESS
ACCOUNTS EMERGE,

IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR
THIS IS A GENUINE MYSTERY.

Narrator: ONE THEORY EMERGES
THAT THE SPIRAL COULD BE

NOTHING MORE THAN AN EXTREME
FORM OF AURORA BOREALIS,

OR NORTHERN LIGHTS.

Grazier:
IF YOU LIVED IN NORWAY,

YOU'RE USED
TO SEEING SHIMMERING CURTAINS

OF GREEN AND PINK IN THE SKY.

YOU'RE NOT USED TO SEEING
A BIG SPIRAL IN THE SKY.

PEOPLE IN NORWAY KNOW WHAT
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS LOOK LIKE.

THIS WASN'T IT.

Narrator: WITH NATURAL PHENOMENA
RULED OUT AS A POSSIBLE CAUSE,

NORWEGIANS
START TO SUSPECT THE INVOLVEMENT

OF RUSSIAN MILITARY FORCES
ACROSS THE NEARBY BORDER.

Pope: RUSSIA FLATLY DENIES
ALL KNOWLEDGE

OF ANY STRANGE CLOUD
OR BEAM OF LIGHT.

SO, THAT BEGS THE QUESTION,
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING?

Narrator: THE ABSENCE
OF ANY SOLID INFORMATION

ABOUT THE CAUSE
OF THE PHENOMENON SPARKS FEARS

THAT IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING
MORE SINISTER

THAN ANY RUSSIAN WEAPON.

ALL OVER THE INTERNET,
THERE ARE A DOZEN THEORIES

EXPLAINING IT IN TERMS
OF SOME KIND OF BLACK HOLE,

SOME KIND OF
SPACE-TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

A PORTENT, AN OMEN,

A WARNING, A TIME TUNNEL
TO ANOTHER DIMENSION,

MAYBE EVEN THE SECOND COMING.

Oberg: ALL THESE WILD IDEAS
ARE JUSTIFIED

BECAUSE IT WAS ONE
OF THE WILDEST, WEIRDEST EVENTS

EVER VIDEOTAPED
IN HUMAN HISTORY.

Narrator:
ONE OF THE MOST EXTREME THEORIES
ABOUT THE BIZARRE SPIRAL

IS THAT IT IS THE FIRST STEP

IN A TOP-SECRET NASA OPERATION
KNOWN AS PROJECT BLUE BEAM.

PROJECT BLUE BEAM IS ONE
OF THE MOST WIDELY BELIEVED

CONSPIRACY THEORIES
IN THE WORLD.

IT'S THE IDEA THAT NASA

AND SOME OTHER
GOVERNMENTAL CONSPIRATORS

ARE TRYING TO ESSENTIALLY STAGE
OR FAKE, LIKE,

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
OR SOME OTHER RELIGIOUS EVENT

TO CONTROL THE POPULATION
OF THE WORLD.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO BLUE BEAM
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS,

NASA WOULD BE THE PERFECT AGENCY
TO EXECUTE THE PLAN

BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

AND ACCESS
TO ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

PROJECT BLUE BEAM THEORISTS

ACCUSE NASA
OF DEVELOPING THE TECHNOLOGY

TO PROJECT HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGES.

Narrator: CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

REFUSE TO ACCEPT
THAT NASA WASN'T INVOLVED.

BUT WITHIN HOURS,

THE SPACE AGENCY GETS BACKUP
FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE.

IN MOSCOW, THE DEFENSE MINISTRY

ANNOUNCED THE TEST LAUNCH
OF A MILITARY MISSILE.

THE RUSSIAN BALLISTIC MISSILE
SUBMARINE, DMITRI DONSKOY,

LAUNCHED A BULAVA MISSILE

AS A TEST
OF THIS NEW WEAPONS PLATFORM.

THIS MISSILE IS THE ANSWER
TO THE TRIDENT II MISSILE

THAT'S CURRENTLY IN USE
BY THE U.S. AND THE U.K.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN MISSILE
USES THREE FUEL STAGES

TO LAUNCH IT INTO SPACE.

THE RUSSIANS CLAIM THAT ONE
OF THESE STAGES

FAILED DURING A TEST LAUNCH
AND, AS IT SPAN OUT OF CONTROL,

BURNING FUEL VENTING
FROM THE SIDES

CREATED THE SPIRAL.

Oberg: IT TURNS OUT
THAT SPIRALS OF THIS TYPE

HAVE BEEN SEEN AND REPORTED
FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS,

BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME

THAT SUCH AN EVENT HAD BEEN
CAPTURED ON VIDEO CAMERA.

Narrator: WHILE THE TIMING
OF THE RUSSIAN MISSILE TEST

SEEMS TO ALIGN WITH
THE APPEARANCE OF THE SPIRAL,

CRITICS POINT OUT

THAT THE BULAVA MISSILE
USES SOLID FUEL

AND WOULD BE UNLIKELY
TO SPRAY OUT

IN THE MANNER DESCRIBED.

FOR MANY,

THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIRAL
REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

STILL TO COME,

NASA REACHES THE MOST EARTH-LIKE
PLACE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

AND DISCOVERS A MAGIC ISLAND.

Hayes: NOTHING'S THERE.
THERE'S THIS ISLAND.

IT'S GONE AGAIN.
AND THEN IT'S BACK AGAIN.

Narrator: WHEN A NASA PROBE

SURVEYS THE SEAS
OF SATURN'S LARGEST MOON...

IT'S REALLY WEIRD.
IT'S A MYSTERIOUS WORLD.

Narrator:
...IT DISCOVERS THE SEAS

OF THIS STRANGELY EARTH-LIKE
WORLD ARE HIDING A SECRET.

Hayes: NOTHING'S THERE.
THERE'S THIS ISLAND.

IT'S GONE AGAIN.
AND THEN IT'S BACK AGAIN.

THERE'S NO SATISFACTORY
EXPLANATION

OF JUST HOW ISLANDS
APPEAR ON TITAN.

Narrator: AS NASA CONTINUES TO
SEARCH FOR LIFE ON OTHER WORLDS,

TITAN HAS EMERGED AS PERHAPS
THE MOST PROMISING PLACE

TO FIND ALIEN LIFE
WITHIN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE CASSINI PROBE OBSERVES
SATURN'S MYSTERIOUS MOON

FROM A DISTANCE OF 600 MILES.

CASSINI IS ONE OF THE LAST
TRUE MISSIONS OF EXPLORATION.

Narrator:
THE FIRST CLOSE-UP IMAGES
CAME IN JANUARY 2005,

WHEN THE HUYGENS LANDER

TOUCHED DOWN
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

TITAN IS THE FIRST PLACE

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
THAT IS FAMILIAR TO US.

I MEAN, WE LOOK AT IT AND GO,
"WOW. THIS LOOKS LIKE HOME."

IT'S GOT BOTH A SOLID SURFACE,

AND THEN IT HAS HUGE RESERVOIRS
OF LAKES AND STREAMS AND PONDS.

IT'S GOT CLOUDS
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

IT'S GOT, UH, RAIN.

Narrator:
BUT FOR ALL THE SIMILARITIES,

IT'S STILL A VERY ALIEN WORLD.

THE RAINS AND THE CLOUDS
AND THE LAKES, IT'S NOT WATER.

THEY'RE COMPRISED
OF METHANE AND ETHANE,

HYDROCARBONS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

GEOLOGY YOU'RE LOOKING AT

IS NOT EVEN SANDSTONE
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

IT'S WATER ICE
THAT IS REALLY HARD,

THAT'S EVEN HARDER THAN GRANITE.
IT'S SO COLD.

IT'S 300 OR 400 DEGREES
ON THE FAHRENHEIT SCALE,

NEGATIVE 300 DEGREES.

Narrator: IN JULY 2013,
PLANETARY SCIENTIST ALEX HAYES

IS ANALYZING NEW IMAGES
OF LIGEIA MARE

WITH ONE OF HIS STUDENTS,
JASON HOFGARTNER.

AS THEY LOOK
AT THE HUGE METHANE SEA

IN TITAN'S NORTH POLAR REGION,

THEY SPOT SOMETHING
TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

Hayes: THERE WAS THIS BRIGHT
BLOB IN THIS AREA

THAT USED TO BE DARK SEA,

AND I IMMEDIATELY JUST
WROTE IT OFF.

I JUST THOUGHT, "THERE'S NO WAY
IT'S A NEW ISLAND.

IT HAS TO BE SOME
KIND OF ARTIFACT WITH --

WITH THE WAY
WE WERE LOOKING AT THE IMAGE

OR THE WAY THAT THE RADAR
WAS PROCESSING THE IMAGE."

Narrator:
BUT WHEN THE RESEARCH TEAM
AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY

GOES OVER THE DATA,

THEY DISCOVER THAT THE SO-CALLED
ISLAND IS SOMETHING VERY REAL,

AND TWICE THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN,

ON THE SURFACE
OF THE METHANE SEA.

TITAN HAS OCEANS
OF METHANE AND ETHANE,

THESE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS.

THERE'S NO SATISFACTORY
EXPLANATION

OF JUST HOW ISLANDS APPEAR.

Narrator:
NASA SCIENTISTS ARE STILL
STRUGGLING WITH THE MYSTERY

WHEN NEW DATA FROM CASSINI TURNS
THE INVESTIGATION ON ITS HEAD.

Hayes: 2013, IT'S THERE,

BUT THEN, TWO WEEKS LATER, THE
SAME AREA'S OBSERVED BY CASSINI,

AND IT'S GONE.

BUT THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IN
AUGUST 2014, THERE IT IS AGAIN.

IT'S JUST AN EXCITING TIME,
RIGHT?

NOTHING'S THERE.
THERE'S THIS ISLAND.

IT'S GONE AGAIN.
AND THEN IT'S BACK AGAIN.

Narrator:
AND WHEN IT REAPPEARS,

IT IS THREE TIMES
THE SIZE IT WAS PREVIOUSLY.

SCIENTISTS SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
TO THE MYSTERY

LOOK AT HOW NATURAL PHENOMENA
CREATE NEW LAND CLOSER TO HOME.

ON EARTH, NEW ISLANDS
SOMETIMES APPEAR,

USUALLY BECAUSE OF VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS MAKING NEW LAND,

WHICH APPEARS
THROUGH THE SURFACE IN THE SEA.

Bell:
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE
IN THE SUBSURFACE OF TITAN.

IT IS A PLANET-SIZED OBJECT.

IT IS PROBABLY DIFFERENTIATED
INTO CORE, MANTLE AND CRUST,

LIKE THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS
HAVE.

THERE COULD EASILY BE
HEAT SOURCES DOWN BELOW THERE,

THE CORE ITSELF.

Narrator: BUT FOR AN ISLAND
TO REPRODUCE THIS WAY,

TITAN WOULD HAVE
TO BE VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE.

Hayes: WE'VE NEVER SEEN
A SMOKING GUN

OF WATCHING AN EVENT OCCUR.

SO THE QUESTION
OF WHETHER OR NOT

TITAN IS CURRENTLY
VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE

IS STILL
AN OUTSTANDING QUESTION.

Narrator: WITH NO EVIDENCE
TO SUPPORT THE IDEA

THAT ICY VOLCANOES
PRODUCED TITAN'S NEW ARRIVAL,

SCIENTISTS
LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY

THAT IT MAY BE MORE ICEBERG
THAN ISLAND.

Bell: ONE COULD IMAGINE, YOU
KNOW, AN ICEBERG FOR AN EXAMPLE,

OF FROZEN ORGANIC, UH,
MOLECULES THAT ARE --

THAT'S MOVING AROUND.

I DON'T KNOW
THAT THE FROZEN METHANE, UH,

AND ETHANE WILL FLOAT
ON LIQUID METHANE AND ETHANE.

THEY MAY NOT.
MAYBE WAVES BROUGHT IT UP.

Narrator: BUT THE PROBLEM
WITH THE ICEBERG HYPOTHESIS

IS THAT THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
TITAN'S SEAS BARELY MOVE,

AND THEY SHOULDN'T CONCEAL
OR REVEAL A MASSIVE OBJECT.

FOR THE FIRST 8, 9, 10 YEARS
OF THE CASSINI MISSION,

OBSERVATIONS
OVER THESE LAKES AND SEAS

TOLD US
THAT THEY WERE MILLIMETER-FLAT.

Narrator: AS IF THE REAPPEARING
ISLAND WASN'T STRANGE ENOUGH,

THE TEAM AT CORNELL

DISCOVERS THE SAME PHENOMENON
IN ANOTHER OF TITAN'S SEAS.

Hayes: JUST TO MAKE THINGS
EVEN MORE INTRIGUING,

IN AUGUST 2014,
WE OBSERVED KRAKEN MARE,

WHICH IS THE LARGEST SEA
ON TITAN, AND A NEW MAGIC ISLAND

SHOWED UP THERE
THAT WE HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator:
RESEARCH INTO THE MYSTERY
OF THE MAGIC ISLANDS IS ONGOING.

Hayes:
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE YET.

TITAN IS THIS DYNAMIC,
INTERESTING, COMPELLING PLACE

THAT NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED.

AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IS LAND ON TITAN'S SURFACE

AND HAVE THE SPACECRAFT
LOOK AT IT

AND TELL US
WHAT REALLY IS THERE.

Narrator: COMING UP, NASA
DISCOVERS A NIGHTMARE WORLD.

SOME PEOPLE THINK
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST.

THIS PLANET COULD HAVE BEEN
DELIBERATELY MOVED.

Narrator: 400 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,
THERE IS A NIGHTMARE WORLD.

THE SURFACE OF THIS PLANET
MUST BE HELLISH.

LAVA LAKES
JUST BUBBLING EVERYWHERE.

Narrator: THE FEARSOME PLANET

HAS ASTRONOMERS
GRASPING FOR ANSWERS.

IT SEEMS TO DEFY THE LAWS
OF NATURE.

SOME PEOPLE THINK
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST.

Man: ASTRONOMERS ARE
TOTALLY BAFFLED BY IT.

ONE ASTRONOMER HAS CALLED IT
AN ABOMINATION.

Narrator: JANUARY 2013,
NASA'S KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE

STARES INTO DEEP SPACE,
SEARCHING THE MILKY WAY

FOR EARTH-LIKE PLANETS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOOKED SO HARD
AND SO LONG FOR A PLANET

THAT'S THE SIZE OF EARTH
IN THE HABITABLE ZONE,

BUT IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE
TO FIND.

Narrator: AGAINST THE ODDS,
400 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY,

KEPLER SCIENTISTS

DETECT THE FAINT SIGNAL
OF AN EARTH-SIZED PLANET.

Christiansen: WE WERE OBSERVING
KEPLER-78, THE HOST STAR,

AND WE COULD SEE
THESE TINY DIPS HAPPEN

EVERY EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS,

WHICH SEEMS RIDICULOUSLY SHORT
FOR A PLANET.

SO, AT FIRST,
WE WERE VERY SKEPTICAL.

BUT SURE ENOUGH,
WHEN WE FOLLOWED IT UP

AND GOT MORE DATA,
IT WAS A PLANET, RIGHT THERE.

Narrator:
IT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE

FOR A PLANET TO EXIST
SO CLOSE TO ITS STAR.

IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE.

Christiansen: JUST WHEN WE THINK
WE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING,

SOMETHING LIKE KEPLER-78
COMES ALONG

AND MAKES US REWRITE
ALL OF THE THEORIES.

Narrator:
THE PLANET, KEPLER-78B,
IS SO CLOSE TO ITS STAR

THAT ITS ORBIT TAKES JUST
EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS.

THIS PLANET

IS ABOUT ONE-FORTIETH
THE DISTANCE TO ITS STAR

THAT MERCURY IS FROM OURS.

THAT'S REALLY CLOSE.

Sieger: WE THINK OF MERCURY
AS A HOT, BARREN PLANET.

IT'S JUST SO MUCH MORE EXTREME
FOR KEPLER-78B.

Narrator: THE PLANET'S
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

PEAK AT OVER 5,000 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT.

Sieger: THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE
IS HOT ENOUGH TO MELT ROCK.

LAVA LAKES
JUST BUBBLING EVERYWHERE.

BUT IT'S A LIVING HELL.

Narrator: BUT FOR PLANETARY
SCIENTISTS, IT IS NOT THE HEAT

THAT MAKES THIS HELLISH WORLD
AN ABOMINATION.

ITS VERY EXISTENCE APPEARS
TO DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PLANET
CERTAINLY FLIES IN THE FACE

OF EVERYTHING WE UNDERSTAND
ABOUT PLANETARY FORMATION.

Sieger: SOME PEOPLE THINK
IT SHOULDN'T EXIST

BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

LITERALLY SUCKED
INTO THE STAR BY GRAVITY.

IT CAN'T HAVE FORMED THERE.

WE KNOW IT CAN'T
HAVE FORMED THERE.

THE STAR WAS ORIGINALLY
MUCH BIGGER

AND WOULD HAVE
ACTUALLY ENGULFED THE PLANET.

Narrator:
WHEN A STAR IS BORN,

IT SUCKS UP ALL THE DUST
AND GAS SURROUNDING IT.

PLANETS CAN ONLY FORM
IF THEY ARE FAR ENOUGH AWAY

TO DEFY THE STAR'S GRAVITY.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW,

IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE
FOR A PLANET

TO FORM AS CLOSE TO A STAR
AS KEPLER-78B.

SO SCIENTISTS
MUST FACE THE POSSIBILITY

THAT SOME UNKNOWN FORCE
HAS MOVED IT

TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION.

Christiansen:
THE BIG MYSTERY WITH KEPLER-78B
IS HOW IT GOT THERE,

RIGHT NEXT TO ITS STAR.

THE PLANET COULD MOVE
ON A DIFFERENT COURSE,

BUT YOU'D NEED SOMETHING
WITH SOME UNHOLY POWER

TO SHIFT IT OUT
OF AN EQUATORIAL ORBIT.

Narrator: THEORETICALLY, NATURAL
PHENOMENON LIKE BLACK HOLES,

OR EVEN A ROGUE STAR,

COULD EXERT IN A FORCE
TO SHIFT AN ENTIRE PLANET,

BUT THEY DO NOT ENTIRELY EXPLAIN
KEPLER-78B'S IMPOSSIBLE ORBIT.

SOMETHING MUST HAVE
SLOWED THE PLANET ENOUGH

FOR IT TO SETTLE
SO CLOSE TO THE STAR.

WE NEED SOME BRAKING MECHANISM
TO MAKE IT STOP,

AND WE HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT THAT IS.

Narrator: THE DOUBLE MYSTERY

OF HOW KEPLER-78B GOT
TO WHERE IT IS

AND HOW IT SLOWED ENOUGH
TO START ORBITING ITS STAR

DEFIES CONVENTIONAL THEORIES
OF PLANET FORMATION.

Mahin: I THINK THAT
FOR A PLANET LIKE THIS

THAT HAS SUCH
UNUSUAL CHARACTERISTICS,

YOU REALLY HAVE TO GO
OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

TO, UH, COME UP WITH AN --

SOMETHING UNUSUAL
TO TRY AND EXPLAIN IT.

Narrator: WHILE CONVENTIONAL
THEORIES FALL SHORT,

THERE ARE UNCONVENTIONAL IDEAS
THAT COULD FIT SOME OF THE FACTS

FOR KEPLER-78B.

KEPLER-78B COULD BE PART

OF AN ASTRONOMICAL
ENGINEERING PROJECT.

THIS PLANET COULD HAVE BEEN
DELIBERATELY MOVED.

YOU CAN MOVE PLANETS
USING OLD PHYSICS,

USING SIMPLE, OLD, UH,
NEWTONIAN PHYSICS

THAT, UH, DON'T REQUIRE ANY
NEW THINGS TO BE DISCOVERED.

Capps: EVEN IF YOU HAD THE POWER
TO MOVE A PLANET'S ORBIT

IN TOWARDS ITS STAR,
WHY WOULD YOU DO IT?

AND, TO ME, THE OBVIOUS ANSWER
WOULD BE NATURAL RESOURCES.

Narrator: FOR MANKIND, PLANETARY
MINING ON THIS COSMIC SCALE

IS FIRMLY IN THE REALMS
OF SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT THE CONCEPT
IS BASED ON SOUND SCIENCE.

THE KEPLER-78B WE SEE TODAY
COULD BE A ROCKY REMNANT

OF SOMETHING
THAT USED TO BE A GAS GIANT

LIKE NEPTUNE OR JUPITER.

THE CENTERS
OF THESE GIANT PLANETS

MAY CONTAIN HUGE RESERVES
OF VALUABLE METALS.

Capps:
IF YOU HAVE A GAS GIANT

AND YOU WANT TO GET
TO THE CENTER OF IT,

ONE GREAT WAY TO DO THAT WOULD
BE TO CLEAR OFF ALL THAT HELIUM

OR WHATEVER GASSES
ARE ON THE OUTSIDE.

IF YOU MOVE IT CLOSER
TO THE SUN,

SOLAR WINDS ARE GONNA
START STRIPPING THAT GAS AWAY.

Mahin:
AND IF THEY WERE THEN LEFT
WITH THIS METALLIC, ROCKY CORE,

THAT COULD BE A MILLION-YEAR
BONANZA IN TERMS OF RESOURCES.

Narrator: FOR NOW,
THE IDEA THAT KEPLER-78B

IS EVIDENCE
OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENGINEERING

IS JUST WILD SPECULATION.

BUT, SO FAR, NASA'S SCIENTISTS

HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN
THE ROGUE PLANET'S FORMATION.

Sieger:
I'D LOVE TO THINK OF THE CONCEPT
THAT ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS

ARE SOMEHOW TRYING
TO GET OUR ATTENTION

BY WHAT IS HIDDEN
AS A NATURAL PHENOMENA.

SO THE MYSTERY REMAINS.

KEPLER-78B SHOWS US
JUST HOW FAR WE HAVE TO GO

IN UNDERSTANDING PLANET
FORMATION AND EVOLUTION.

Narrator: UP NEXT,

HAS NASA'S CURIOSITY ROVER
DISCOVERED FIRE ON MARS?

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOME
SORT OF GEYSER OR ERUPTION

COMING FROM THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

WE KNOW THERE ARE NO MAN-MADE
OBJECTS AT THAT LOCATION,

SO HOW DOES THAT LIGHT OCCUR?

Narrator: THE CURIOSITY ROVER
CAPTURES AN IMAGE

OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE
PILLARS OF FIRE

ERUPTING
FROM THE MARTIAN LANDSCAPE.

WHERE DOES THIS LIGHT COME FROM?

ARE WE SEEING ANOMALIES
ON MARS CLOSE UP AND PERSONAL?

Narrator: IF THIS TRULY IS
SOMETHING INSIDE THE RED PLANET,

IT IS UNKNOWN TO HUMAN SCIENCE.

THE VAST MAJORITY
OF MARS IS A MYSTERY TO US.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE, UH,

FIRES OFF OF MARS.

Narrator: APRIL 2, 2014,

AT NASA'S JET PROPULSION LAB,

THE MARS EXPLORATION TEAM

DRIVES THE $2.5 BILLION
CURIOSITY ROVER

AROUND A CRATER
THE SIZE OF CONNECTICUT.

JIM BELL IS THE SCIENTIST
IN CHARGE

OF INTERPRETING THE IMAGES
FROM THE ROVER'S CAMERAS.

Bell: WE'RE, UH, PARTWAY
ALONG THE PATH

FROM WHERE WE LANDED
ALONG THE PLANES,

TRYING TO GET TO THE BASE
OF MOUNT SHARP,

THIS BIG MOUNTAIN
THAT'S IN FRONT OF US.

Narrator:
THE NAVIGATION CAMERAS

ON THE FRONT
OF THE CAR-SIZED VEHICLE

ARE CAPABLE OF CAPTURING
ONE IMAGE EVERY EIGHT SECONDS.

WHILE THE PATH
IN FRONT OF THE ROVER IS CLEAR,

THE IMAGE FROM 9:00 A.M.
UNIVERSAL TIME

SEEMS TO SHOW SOMETHING
IN THE FAR DISTANCE,

SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD NOT BE THERE.

WE'RE LOOKING OFF
TOWARDS THE HORIZON,

TOWARDS THIS DISTANT RIDGE,

AND THERE'S THIS BRIGHT DOT.

Narrator: THE IMAGE TRIGGERS
A MEDIA STORM.

COULD IT BE EVIDENCE
OF FIRES ON MARS?

I REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE, UH,

SO-CALLED FIRES ON MARS.

Birnes:
IT DOES MAKE YOU WONDER.

ARE WE SEEING ANOMALIES
ON MARS CLOSE UP AND PERSONAL?

Narrator: ONE EXPLANATION
FOR THE SO-CALLED ANOMALY

IS THAT CURIOSITY HAS SIMPLY
FILMED ANOTHER NASA ROVER

EXPLORING A DISTANT PART
AT THE SAME CRATER.

BUT SATELLITE POSITIONING DATA

CONFIRMS THAT THE NEAREST ROVER
IS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.

WE KNOW THERE ARE NO MAN-MADE
OBJECTS AT THAT LOCATION,

SO HOW DOES THAT LIGHT OCCUR?

Narrator:
AT FIRST, NASA SUGGESTS

THAT THE WEIRD STREAK OF LIGHT
IS A GLITCH

CAUSED BY COSMIC RAYS BOMBARDING
THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

AND HITTING
THE CAMERA'S SENSORS.

Bell:
WITH NO MAGNETIC FIELD,

THE SOLAR HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES
ARE COMING IN ALL THE TIME,

PEPPERING THE PIXELS.

SO THAT BRIGHT SPOT
IS THE SAME KIND OF FEATURE

ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM A VERY
ENERGETIC COSMIC RAY.

Narrator: BUT IT'S HARDER
FOR COSMIC RAYS TO EXPLAIN

WHAT CURIOSITY SEES

WHEN IT RETURNS TO THE AREA
THE FOLLOWING DAY.

ON THE SAME CRATER RIM,

THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE
IS STILL THERE.

WHAT'S INTERESTING
IS THAT THE SPOT OF LIGHT

IS SEEN IN TWO PHOTOS TAKEN
A DAY APART IN THE SAME PLACE,

BUT VIEWED
FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES.

SO THAT DOESN'T REALLY FIT WITH
A COSMIC RAY HITTING THE CAMERA.

Rutkowski: BECAUSE IT'S
ON TWO SEPARATE IMAGES

IN THE EXACT SAME LOCATION,

ONE HAS TO ASSUME THERE'S
SOMETHING PHYSICALLY THERE

THAT'S CAUSING THE --
THIS LIGHT TO APPEAR.

Narrator: THE SECOND IMAGE
CAUSES SCIENTISTS AT NASA

TO SEARCH FOR
ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

FOR THIS STREAK OF LIGHT.

Bell:
MARS HAS A LOT OF ROCKS.

WHEN YOU GET ROCKS
THAT ARE EITHER GLASSY

AND VERY REFLECTIVE OR FLAT

AND VERY MIRROR-LIKE
IN THE RIGHT ORIENTATION,

WITH THE SUNLIGHT
COMING IN AT THEM,

IT'S POSSIBLE TO BOUNCE
THAT SUNLIGHT, LIKE A MIRROR,

RIGHT INTO THE CAMERA
AND CREATE A GLINT.

Narrator:
BUT THE CHALLENGE WITH THIS
APPARENTLY SIMPLE EXPLANATION

IS THAT THE TWO IMAGES
FROM CURIOSITY

ARE TAKEN
FROM TWO DIFFERENT ANGLES.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING
WHERE YOU'RE SEEING SUNLIGHT

HITTING SOMETHING.

THIS LOOKS LIKE
IT'S SELF-ILLUMINATING.

IT LOOKS COMPLETELY ANOMALOUS.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOME
SORT OF A GEYSER OR ERUPTION

COMING FROM THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

Narrator: FLAMES ERUPTING
FROM BENEATH THE MARTIAN SURFACE

SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT RECENT NASA RESEARCH

SUGGESTS THAT THE RED PLANET'S
INTERIOR ONCE CONCEALED

SOME OF THE BIGGEST VOLCANOES
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IF CURIOSITY WERE ROAMING
THE FLANKS OF A GIANT VOLCANO

AND SOMEHOW, ON THE HORIZON,

IT SAW SOMETHING BILLOWING
OUT OF THE GROUND,

WELL, THAT COULD BE THE SIGN
OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

IT WOULD --
IT WOULD POSSIBLY MAKE SENSE.

Narrator: BUT VISUAL ANALYSIS
DOESN'T SUPPORT THE IDEA

THE MARTIAN FIRE
IS OF GEOLOGICAL ORIGIN.

IT DOESN'T REALLY LOOK
LIKE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY AT ALL.

SO, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM.

WHERE DOES THIS LIGHT COME FROM?

Narrator:
UNTIL WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY

TO PENETRATE
BENEATH THE SURFACE OF MARS,

THE RED PLANET'S INTERIOR
WILL KEEP ITS SECRETS.

Bell: THE VAST MAJORITY OF MARS
IS A MYSTERY TO US.

WE KNOW THE OUTSIDE VERY WELL.

BUT ONCE YOU PEEL
THAT LAYER BACK,

WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO LEARN.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

HAS A SOLAR EXPLOSION REVEALED
SOMETHING HIDING NEAR MERCURY?

IT'S LIKE THOSE MOMENTS
IN "STAR TREK,"

WHERE THE KLINGON BIRD-OF-PREY
SUDDENLY REVEALS ITS PRESENCE.

Narrator:
A NASA SATELLITE CAPTURES
A HUGE COSMIC EXPLOSION.

SUDDENLY, THIS GIANT OBJECT
JUST APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING
IN THE ORBIT OF MERCURY.

RIGHT THERE.
WHAT IS THAT?

LOOKS LIKE A FLYING SAUCER.
WHAT'S THAT DOING THERE?

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS
LOOK TO DISTANT STARS

TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS
OF THE UNIVERSE.

BUT SOMETIMES, THE ANSWERS
CAN COME FROM SURPRISING PLACES.

AND SOME
OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES

APPEAR AT MOMENTS
WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING FOR THEM.

NASA'S STEREO PROGRAM
USES TWIN SPACECRAFT

TO LOOK AT THE SUN
FROM TWO ANGLES.

THE CUTTING EDGE,
EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET SENSORS

CREATE UNIQUE IMAGES
OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THESE ARE THESE HUGE EXPLOSIONS
FROM THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

AND THEY PUT OUT A LOT OF MASS,
A LOT OF PLASMA,

THAT IS EMITTING LIGHT.

AND AS THIS PLASMA TRAVELS, IT
ENCOUNTERS THE PLANET MERCURY.

MERCURY'S PROXIMITY TO THE SUN

MAKES IT A PRIME TARGET
FOR THESE SOLAR EJECTIONS.

Narrator: THESE MAGNETIZED
BUBBLES OF BURNING PLASMA

ARE CALLED
CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS.

AND USUALLY, AS LONG
AS THEY DON'T FIRE AT EARTH,

THEY DO NO HARM.

BUT IN DECEMBER 2011,

A BLAST LASHING TOWARDS MERCURY
APPEARS TO STRIKE SOMETHING.

JUST BEFORE
STRIKING THE PLANET MERCURY,

SUDDENLY, OUT OF NOWHERE,
SOMETHING APPEARS.

IT LOOKS LIKE A SPACECRAFT.

IT'S ALMOST AS IF
A SPACESHIP'S CLOAKING DEVICE

JUST GOT DESTROYED.

Oluseyi: IT'S LIKE THOSE MOMENTS
IN "STAR TREK"

WHERE THE KLINGON BIRD-OF-PREY
SUDDENLY REVEALS ITS PRESENCE.

Narrator: THE OBJECT BECOMES
KNOWN AS THE MERCURY MOTHERSHIP.

THE APPEARANCE
OF THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

ON IMAGES FROM NASA SPACECRAFT
GENERATES INTENSE SPECULATION.

Birnes: A LOT OF PEOPLE
LOOK AT THAT VIDEO AND SAY,

"THIS PROVES THAT SPACECRAFT
ARE HIDING OUT THERE

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

AND THIS ONE, THE CAMOUFLAGE

WAS SIMPLY BLOWN OFF
BY THE SOLAR EJECTION."

Capps:
I'M NOT SURE WHICH IS COOLER,

THE IDEA THAT THERE'S A CLOAKED
SHIP HIDING NEAR MERCURY

OR THAT WE CAUGHT IT
WITH ITS PANTS DOWN

WHEN THAT SOLAR FLARE HIT.

Narrator:
A CLOAKED SPACESHIP SOUNDS
LIKE PURE SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT THE IDEA IS CLOSER TO
REALITY THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

Capps: THE NOTION OF CLOAKING
TECHNOLOGY FOR SPACESHIPS,

BEING ABLE TO HIDE, IS
SUPER POPULAR IN SCIENCE FICTION

AND "STAR TREK," BUT IT'S
ACTUALLY REAL TECHNOLOGY

THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: ONE OF THE WORLD'S
LEADING DEFENSE CONTRACTORS

ALREADY HAS WORKING PROTOTYPES
OF AN ADVANCED CLOAKING DEVICE

CAPABLE OF MASKING
THE INFRARED SIGNATURE

OF WAR MACHINES AS BIG
AS A TANK.

Capps: SO OUR CLOAKING
TECHNOLOGY TODAY

IS LIMITED BY THE SIZE
OF THE CLOAKING DEVICES.

WE CAN BLOCK MICROWAVES
OR RADARS

BUT NOT ANYTHING
LIKE VISIBLE LIGHT.

BUT JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY

TO BLOCK VISIBLE LIGHT,
MUCH LESS CLOAK A SPACESHIP,

DOESN'T MEAN IT COULDN'T EXIST.

Narrator:
EVEN THOUGH CLOAKED SPACESHIPS
ARE A THEORETICAL POSSIBILITY,

ANALYSIS OF THE NASA IMAGERY

REVEALS THERE MAY BE
A SIMPLER EXPLANATION

FOR THE MERCURY MOTHERSHIP.

I HATE TO BE THE BEARER
OF BAD NEWS,

BUT THIS IS NOT
AN UNCLOAKING ALIEN SHIP.

IT'S AN ARTIFACT
OF THE IMAGE PROCESSING.

EACH DAY
THAT SOHO TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS,

THOSE IMAGES
ARE COMBINED INTO A MOVIE.

THINGS THAT AREN'T
MOVING GET TAKEN OUT.

THINGS THAT ARE MOVING
STAY BEHIND.

AND IN THIS VIDEO,
WHAT'S MOVING?

THE STARS ARE MOVING.
MERCURY IS MOVING.

THE SOLAR ENERGY IS MOVING.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
IS ACTUALLY A GHOST IMAGE

OF MERCURY
FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE AN UNCLOAKING
SHIP WAS, IN FACT,

MERCURY THE DAY BEFORE.

Narrator: MANKIND'S TELESCOPES
AND SPACECRAFT

CATCH ONLY A TINY GLIMPSE
OF OUR VAST SOLAR SYSTEM.

OBSERVERS LURKING
IN THE DARKNESS OF SPACE

WOULD NOT REQUIRE ANY ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY TO REMAIN UNDETECTED.

AS NASA'S MISSIONS
BECOME MORE AMBITIOUS,

PUSHING FARTHER INTO SPACE,

THE AGENCY
FACES EVER-GREATER CHALLENGES,

AND NOT ALL ARE
OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN.

WITH EACH NEW DISCOVERY,
IT BECOMES CLEAR

THAT WE ARE BEGINNING A NEW ERA
OF EXPLORATION.

WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT
THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR HUMANITY.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS