Original subtitles

[ EXPLOSION ]

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.

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: LOST RECORDINGS CAPTURE THE MOMENT

APOLLO ASTRONAUTS HEAR UNIDENTIFIED TRANSMISSIONS

ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON...

A MYSTERIOUS RUSSIAN SATELLITE SPARKS FEARS

OF A SPACE ARMS RACE...

Woman: IS IT A THREAT TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY?

WE WANNA KNOW WHAT THE POTENTIAL THREAT COULD BE TO US.

AND NASA ANNOUNCES THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW EARTH.

THERE WILL BE PREDATORS.

THERE WILL BE CREATURES MOVING AWAY FROM PREDATORS.

[ SCREECHES ]

Narrator: NASA'S MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED

DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

MAN: Okay. We're seeing three or four out there.

MAN: Yeah. There are -- there are three objects.

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

THESE ARE...

MAN: Apollo 10. 2 minutes to LOS.

Narrator: APOLLO 10 LOSES CONTACT WITH MISSION CONTROL

AND ENCOUNTERS AN UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SIGNAL.

THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE.

Narrator: WHEN THE MISSION RETURNS TO EARTH,

ALL RECORDS OF THE INCIDENT ARE CLASSIFIED.

THE TAPES REVEAL CONVERSATIONS

BETWEEN THE ASTRONAUTS ABOUT A PHENOMENON

THAT THEY DID NOT REPORT TO MISSION CONTROL.

♪♪

Narrator: MAY 18, 1969.

APOLLO 10 PREPARES FOR LAUNCH FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.

Man: 40 SECONDS AND COUNTING.

TOM STAFFORD MAKING A FINAL CHECK FOR THIS COMPUTER.

APOLLO 10 -- IT BASICALLY RAN A DRESS REHEARSAL

FOR APOLLO 11's LUNAR LANDING.

Man: LAUNCH COMMENCE LIFTOFF. WE HAVE LIFTOFF.

THEY DID EVERYTHING APOLLO 11 WOULD DO,

SHORT OF LANDING ON THE MOON'S SURFACE.

THIS WAS THE MOST COMPLICATED MISSION TO DATE.

♪♪

Man: APOLLO 10, THIS IS HOUSTON. YOU ARE HALFWAY. OVER.

[ BEEP ]

Narrator: APOLLO 10 ENTERS LUNAR ORBIT.

AS THEY PASS AROUND THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON,

THE ASTRONAUTS LOSE ALL CONTACT WITH EARTH.

IT'S ABOUT AN HOUR ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOON,

AWAY FROM EARTH, WHERE YOU LOSE RADIO CONTACT.

Narrator: DURING THIS HOUR, THE ASTRONAUTS ARE ON THEIR OWN.

NO ONE ON EARTH CAN SEE OR HEAR THEM.

WHEN THEY EMERGE, THEY SEEM TO HAVE SURVIVED THEIR VOYAGE

AROUND THE FAR SIDE UNSCATHED.

MAN: Houston, you can tell the world that we have arrived.

AS FAR AS ANYONE ON EARTH KNOWS, THIS MISSION

IS GOING LIKE CLOCKWORK, EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

THERE'S NOTHING IRREGULAR GOING ON AT ALL.

Narrator: BUT NEARLY 4 DECADES LATER,

LOST RECORDINGS EMERGE REVEALING AN UNSETTLING INCIDENT

ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.

[ WHINING SOUND ]

THERE ARE RECORDERS THAT RECORD

WHATEVER'S GOING ON ON THE BACK SIDE.

AND THEN YOU DO A DATA DUMP

WHEN YOU COME AROUND THE FRONT SIDE.

AND HOUSTON, OR MISSION CONTROL, THEN CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENED

WHEN YOU WERE AROUND THE BACK SIDE.

Narrator: AFTER THE NASA ASTRONAUTS RETURNED TO EARTH...

MAN: Uh, Roger, Houston. We are returning to the Earth.

Over.

Narrator: NASA TRANSCRIBES THE TAPES,

THEN BURIES THEM IN THE ARCHIVES WITHOUT COMMENT.

THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE RECORDED IN THE TRANSCRIPTS,

BUT THOSE TRANSCRIPTS WERE CLASSIFIED.

NASA WOULD WITHHOLD INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC

IF THEY THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE PUBLIC'S BEST INTEREST.

Narrator: EVEN AFTER DECLASSIFICATION,

THE TRANSCRIPTS LAY UNDISCOVERED IN THE NASA ARCHIVES UNTIL 2008.

FINDING RECORD OF THIS CONVERSATION

IS LIKE FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK.

IT TAKES YEARS TO COME TO LIGHT.

THE TAPES CONTAIN RECORDINGS OF STRANGE, OTHERWORLDLY MUSIC

COMING THROUGH THE APOLLO MODULE'S RADIO.

[ STATICKY WHIRRING SOUND ]

THE CONVERSATIONS THAT FOLLOW THE SOUNDS

MAKES IT CLEAR THEY ARE UNLIKE ANYTHING

THE ASTRONAUTS HAVE EVER HEARD.

IN THEIR HEADSETS,

IT SOUNDED LIKE A WOO-WOO KIND OF A NOISE.

[ STATICKY WHISTLING AND WHOOSHING SOUND ]

IF I WERE TO HEAR SOMETHIN' BACK THERE,

THE FIRST THING, PROBABLY, IT WOULD FREAK ME OUT.

OVER THE COURSE OF AN HOUR, THEY MENTION IT MULTIPLE TIMES.

THIS IS NOT JUST SOME ANOMALY.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE ALL REALLY HEARING,

AND IT'S REALLY WEIRD.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS STRUGGLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE

OF THE STRANGE SOUNDS.

THE SOUNDS THAT THE ASTRONAUTS HEARD

COULD NOT BE COMING FROM THE PLANET EARTH

BECAUSE THEY'RE ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON,

OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE EARTH.

THIS WAS THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.

FOR ALL THEY KNEW, ANYTHING COULD HAVE BEEN DOWN THERE.

COULD THIS BE AN ALIEN SIGNAL? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE HEARING?

Narrator: AFTER ALMOST AN HOUR OF TRANSMISSION,

THE SOUND STOPS.

BEFORE THEY RE-ENTER RADIO CONTACT WITH EARTH,

THE ASTRONAUTS DISCUSS WHETHER TO REPORT THEIR EXPERIENCE

TO MISSION CONTROL.

THE APOLLO 10 SOUNDS REMAIN A MYSTERY FOR DECADES,

UNTIL ANOTHER NASA PROBE

UNCOVERS A POSSIBLE CLUE TO THEIR NATURE.

THE CASSINI SPACECRAFT

PICKED UP BROADCASTS LIKE THIS FROM SATURN.

[ INDISTINCT OTHERWORLDLY CONVERSATION ]

THESE NOISES -- SOME OF THEM ARE REALLY WEIRD.

THEY EVEN SOUND, UNDER SOME CONDITIONS,

LIKE STRANGE ALIEN SPEECH.

Narrator: FOR THE SOUNDS FROM SATURN,

THERE IS A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION.

THESE ARE CAUSED BY CHARGED PARTICLES

MOVING THROUGH SATURN'S MAGNETIC ENVIRONMENT.

[ STATIC SOUNDS ]

IMAGINE BEING ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOON,

ALL ALONE, AWAY FROM THE EARTH,

AND HEARING THESE KINDS OF SOUNDS.

I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THEY COULD HAVE BEEN UNNERVED.

Narrator: BUT THE UNSETTLING NOISES

THE APOLLO 10 ASTRONAUTS HEARD

COULD NOT BE CAUSED BY MAGNETIC FIELD.

THE MOON DOESN'T HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE

OR A MAGNETIC FIELD,

SO WE WOULDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE MAKING ANY TRANSMISSIONS

THAT COULD BE PICKED UP ON A RADIO.

Narrator: SINCE THE SOUNDS CAN'T BE FROM THE MOON,

NASA'S RADIO TECHNICIANS COME UP WITH THEIR OWN THEORY.

THE RADIOS IN THE TWO SPACECRAFT

WERE INTERFERING WITH EACH OTHER.

THEY WERE ON VHF,

AND THERE WAS A BIT OF RADIO INTERFERENCE.

AND THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE SOUND.

Narrator: BUT APOLLO ASTRONAUT AL WORDEN

DOESN'T AGREE WITH THE RADIO THEORY.

[ STATIC WHOOSHING SOUND ]

THE APOLLO 10 CREW IS VERY USED TO THE KIND OF NOISE

THAT THEY SHOULD BE HEARING.

LOGIC TELLS ME THAT IF THERE WAS SOMETHING RECORDED ON THERE,

THEN THERE WAS SOMETHING THERE.

THE APOLLO 10 ASTRONAUTS

NEVER PUBLICLY DISCUSSED WHAT THEY HEARD.

IF YOU'RE AN ASTRONAUT AND YOU START HEARING

THESE STRANGE SOUNDS, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?

THEY WERE ALL ABSOLUTELY PETRIFIED

OF BEING GROUNDED

IF THERE WAS EVEN THE SLIGHTEST QUESTION MARK

OVER THEIR STATE OF MIND.

SO, WHAT DO THEY DO? THEY STAYED SILENT.

TO DATE, THE ORIGIN OF THE NOISES MENTIONED

IN THE APOLLO 10 RECORDINGS REMAINS A MYSTERY.

I SUSPECT THERE'S A VERY, VERY CLEAR CAUSE

OF WHAT THEY HEARD ON APOLLO 10,

WHICH MAYBE WE HAVEN'T UNCOVERED YET.

I JUST THINK WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

Narrator: STILL TO COME, AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER

SPOTS A STRANGE DISTURBANCE IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NO ONE HAD EVER SEEN AROUND MARS.

TO CREATE A STRUCTURE THIS LARGE,

SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED HERE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

♪♪

Narrator: AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER SEES SOMETHING ENORMOUS EMERGING

FROM THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.

THERE WERE 150 MILES.

NOW THAT'S 25 TIMES THE ALTITUDE OF MOUNT EVEREST.

Narrator: NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS.

WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOMETHING

WE'RE SIMPLY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SEEING.

♪♪

Narrator: MARCH 19, 2012.

AMATEUR ASTRONOMER WAYNE JAESCHKE

IS PHOTOGRAPHING MARS FROM HIS HOME-BUILT OBSERVATORY

WHEN HE MAKES AN UNSETTLING DISCOVERY.

I WAS PLANNING ON TAKING PICTURES OF MARS,

AND I WAS LOOKING AT THE IMAGE OF MARS ON THE SCREEN,

AND SOMETHING DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE QUITE RIGHT.

I SEE A SPOT ON THE PLANET THAT WOULDN'T REALLY FOCUS.

Narrator: WAYNE'S FIRST INSTINCT

IS THAT IT'S A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM.

I CHECKED THE TELESCOPE. I TRIED TO REALIGN THE MIRRORS.

I TRIED TO REFOCUS.

STILL SOMETHING DIDN'T SEEM QUITE RIGHT.

Narrator: TO RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY

THIS THING IS THE PRODUCT OF A TECHNICAL ERROR,

HE SETS THE TELESCOPE

TO RECORD HIGH-DEFINITION IMAGES OVERNIGHT.

THE NEXT DAY AFTER I PROCESSED THE DATA,

I'M SEEING A STRANGE FEATURE.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS, AND I'M THINKING TO MYSELF,

"THIS CAN'T BE REAL."

BUT I'M LOOKING AT IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND IT IS REAL.

IT'S THERE.

IT ROTATES WITH THE PLANET,

AND IT'S ABOUT THE LIMB OF THE PLANET.

BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE THERE.

IF WE CAN SEE THIS THING FROM HUNDREDS

OF MILLIONS OF MILES AWAY, IT HAD TO BE ENORMOUS.

Narrator: WAYNE SHARES THE IMAGES ONLINE,

WHERE THE MYSTERY DRAWS THE ATTENTION

OF NASA ASTRONOMERS.

Baines: ASTRONOMERS ARE COMPLETELY PUZZLED.

WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

TO HAVE THIS FEATURE IN THE SKIES OF --

OF MARS IS COMPLETELY BAFFLING.

Narrator: WAYNE'S PICTURES

SEND THE WORLD OF ASTRONOMY INTO MELTDOWN.

THERE ARE NEWS ORGANIZATIONS CALLING ME.

THERE'S WEBSITES COVERING THIS. IT'S ALL OVER THE WORLD.

AND THEN THE THEORIES START TO COME OUT.

Narrator: ONE SCIENTIST SUGGESTS THE STRANGE APPARITION

COULD BE THE PRODUCT OF AN AURORA,

A LIGHT SHOW PRODUCED BY A PLANET'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

WE CAN SEE AURORAL ACTIVITY ON THE EARTH.

WE CAN SEE IT WITH OUR NAKED EYE.

IT CAN BE GREEN OR BLUE OR RED,

AND IT IS CAUSED BY PARTICLES

THAT ARE TRAPPED FROM THE SOLAR WIND

COMING AND INTERACTING WITH THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD.

Narrator: AURORAS HAVE BEEN SEEN IN THIS AREA OF MARS BEFORE.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY --

NO AURORA ON RECORD HAS EVER REACHED 150 MILES

ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.

SO WHAT WE SEE NOW IS NOT THAT.

WE SEE SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: SEVERAL OF THE ASTRONOMERS

LOOKING INTO THE MYSTERY

SUGGEST THIS THING COULD BE SOME KIND OF GIANT CLOUD,

PERHAPS MADE OF MARTIAN DUST.

ON MARS, DUST STORMS OCCUR -- PRETTY LARGE DUST STORMS

THAT CAN, ONCE IN A WHILE, COVER THE WHOLE PLANET.

THE DUST ON MARS IS EXCEPTIONALLY FINE.

AND EVEN IN THE RAREFIED ATMOSPHERE,

WINDS CAN WHIP IT UP INTO HUGE DUST DEVILS.

[ WIND WHISTLING ]

IS THE CLOUD AN ENORMOUS MARTIAN TWISTER?

PROFESSIONAL ASTRONOMERS CALCULATED

THAT IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES

ABOVE THE SURFACE OF MARS AND MAYBE 600 MILES LONG.

WE KNOW IT WAS -- IT WAS ABSOLUTELY GIGANTIC.

Narrator: THE OBJECT IS TOO HIGH TO BE A MARTIAN DUST CLOUD.

THE ATMOSPHERE ON MARS IS SO THIN

THAT THE FLYING DUST CAN'T GET VERY HIGH.

IT'S JUST NOT THICK ENOUGH.

THE ATMOSPHERE'S NOT THICK ENOUGH TO HOLD IT UP,

SO IT FALLS RIGHT DOWN AGAIN.

WHAT UNKNOWN FORCE CAN THROW MARTIAN DUST

SO HIGH INTO THE ATMOSPHERE?

I THINK THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR THIS

IS THAT IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN AN IMPACT.

[ WHOOSHING, EXPLOSION ]

THAT'S A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY OF SENDING STUFF UP VERY HIGH.

IT'S CLOSE TO THE ASTEROID BELT,

SO YOU KNOW THE IMPACT MUST OCCUR.

Narrator: EXPERTS PREDICT ONE MASSIVE ASTEROID IMPACT ON MARS

EVERY THREE YEARS.

THE IMPACT THEORY SEEMS TO BE THE BEST EXPLANATION

FOR JAESCHKE'S ANOMALY,

UNTIL SCIENTISTS ANALYZE ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.

SO WHEN YOU WANNA TRY TO UNDERSTAND

THE COMPOSITION OF AN OBJECT IN SPACE,

WHAT'S COMMONLY DONE IS SPECTROSCOPY.

IF YOU'RE GONNA MEASURE THE SUNLIGHT

THAT'S REFLECTED OFF OF THAT OBJECT...

Narrator: THE RESULTS BLOW THE DUST CLOUD THEORY APART.

THIS CLOUD WAS RICH IN WATER.

JUST LIKE EARTH, MARS HAS A WEATHER SYSTEM.

THIS IS A WATER CLOUD,

AND THERE ARE OTHER WATER CLOUDS ON MARS.

IT SEEMED LIKE THIS WAS A CASE CLOSED.

Narrator: BUT AGAIN, THIS VAST ANOMALY

IS SIMPLY TOO HIGH FOR THE EXPLANATION TO FIT.

WATER DOESN'T GET THAT HIGH.

THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS WATER CLOUD,

AND THAT WAS THE ALTITUDE.

AT 150 MILES OF ALTITUDE, THERE WAS NO WAY

THAT THIS COULD BE JUST YOUR ORDINARY WATER CLOUD.

WE DON'T HAVE CLOUDS ON EARTH

150 MILES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE PLANET.

WE HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND SATELLITES

AND THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

Narrator: IF THE WATER DOESN'T COME FROM MARS,

COULD IT COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE?

IT MIGHT BE A COMET

THAT EXPLODED HIGH UP IN THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY OBSERVED

IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF JUPITER.

Narrator: THE WATER CLOUD MIGHT BE EVIDENCE

OF A SIMILAR EVENT ON MARS.

COMETS CAN BREAK UP.

THEY ARE MADE MOSTLY OF WATER ICE,

AND THEY WILL RELEASE WHEREVER THEY BREAK UP.

[ WHOOSH ]

[ EXPLOSION ]

SO, IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S NOT WATER VAPOR

THAT CAME FROM BELOW.

IT'S WATER VAPOR THAT CAME FROM ABOVE.

THE THEORY SEEMS TO FIT PERFECTLY,

EXCEPT FOR ONE THING:

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE

FOR A LARGE COMET ENTERING THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

AT THE TIME OF THE CLOUD'S APPEARANCE.

THERE'S A LOT OF THEORIES ABOUT WHAT THIS COULD BE.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER IT'S SOME SORT OF NATURAL PHENOMENON

OR -- OR SOMETHING ELSE.

WE SIMPLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

CAMERAS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

CAPTURE FOOTAGE OF THREE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS.

THEY HAVE WINGS. THEY HAVE APPENDAGES,

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THESE WINGS ARE ACTUALLY FLAPPING.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

♪♪

Narrator: THE LIVE FEED

ON THE I.S.S. CAPTURES THREE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS

LEAVING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THIS IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL. THE MOVEMENT OF THE PROJECTIONS

ON THE SIDE OF THE OBJECTS LOOKS LIKE WINGS.

Narrator: WITHIN SECONDS OF THE OBJECTS' APPEARANCE,

THE VIDEO CUTS OUT.[ STATIC ]

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAMERAS?

WHAT IS IT THAT WE AREN'T SEEING AFTER WE LOSE THE VIDEO?

Narrator: 200 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH,

THERE ARE EYES LOOKING DOWN ON US.

THE CREW OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

LIVE AN ISOLATED EXISTENCE IN AN ALIEN ENVIRONMENT.

IT IS AN EXPERIENCE

THAT NOTHING ON EARTH CAN PREPARE YOU FOR.

JUNE 2015.

ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

NASA ASTRONAUT SCOTT KELLY IS PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL

OF THE SEVENTH SpaceX DRAGON RESUPPLY MISSION.

OUTSIDE THE I.S.S., FOUR HIGH-DEFINITION CAMERAS

KEEP A CONSTANT VIGIL OVER NEARBY SPACE.

[ STATIC ]

THE LIVE VIDEO FEED PICKS UP

SOMETHING THE ASTRONAUTS INSIDE ARE UNAWARE OF.

AT FIRST, YOU JUST SEE THIS ONE DOT

MOVING ACROSS THE FRAME THAT SORT OF TWINKLES.

BUT THEN THERE'S ANOTHER ONE AND ANOTHER ONE.

AND THEN THEY START MOVING,

AND SUDDENLY YOU REALIZE, WELL, WHAT A MINUTE.

THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY BIZARRE GOING ON HERE.

Narrator: MOMENTS AFTER THE OBJECTS APPEAR,

NASA'S LIVE FEED CUTS OUT.[ STATIC ]

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO THE CAMERAS?

WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING AFTER WE LOSE THE VIDEO?

Narrator: WITH NO EXPLANATION FROM NASA,

INTEREST IN THE FOOTAGE EXPLODES ACROSS THE INTERNET.

WHEN YOU SEE THIS VIDEO INITIALLY,

YOU SEE THESE OBJECTS MOVING UP INTO SPACE.

THERE'S FLICKERING. THERE'S MOVEMENT.

IT'S VERY CONVINCING.

HERE'S THE WEIRD THING ABOUT IT.

THEY HAD WING-SHAPED APPENDAGES

THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE FLAPPING.

Narrator: THE BIZARRE FLYING MOVEMENT

OF THESE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS

EARNS THEM THE ONLINE NAME OF "SPACE ANGELS."

FOR SOME OBSERVERS, THE SIGHTING

REMINDS THEM OF A STRANGE INCIDENT

ON ONE OF THE I.S.S.'s PREDECESSORS,

THE SALYUT 7 SPACE STATION.

IN 1984, COSMONAUTS LEONID KIZIM

AND OLEG ATKOV WERE ON BOARD THE SALYUT 7 SPACE STATION

WHEN THEY REPORTEDLY SAW SOMETHING ORANGE

OUTSIDE THE SPACECRAFT.

IN A PANIC, THEY BOTH THOUGHT IT WAS A FIRE

AND RUSHED TO THE WINDOW TO SEE WHAT WAS OUTSIDE,

AND THIS IS WHERE THE STORY GETS A LITTLE WEIRD.

Narrator: THE COSMONAUTS REPORT SEEING

WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS COLOSSAL, WINGED, HUMANOID ENTITIES

HOVERING JUST OUTSIDE THE STATION.

AT FIRST, THIS WAS DISMISSED AS A HALLUCINATION

CAUSED MAYBE BY OVERWORK

OR BY THE SHORTAGE OF OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN.

BUT THEN WHEN THE REPLACEMENT CREW CAME ON BOARD,

THE SAME THING HAPPENED.

AND ON THIS OCCASION, ALL SIX OF THEM SAW THE STRANGE,

WINGED HUMANOID FIGURES OUT THERE IN THE VOID OF SPACE.

♪♪

Narrator: BACK ON EARTH, THE COSMONAUTS

ARE SUBJECTED TO RIGOROUS PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

AND ARE ALL GIVEN A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH.

THIS IS A MULTIPLY WITNESSED,

MULTIPLE-CORROBORATED SIGHTING

OF STRANGE-LOOKING FIGURES

OUTSIDE THE SALYUT SPACE STATION.

SO IT CAN'T JUST BE AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.

Narrator: THE WINGED CREATURES FROM THE SALYUT 7 SIGHTING

REMAIN UNEXPLAINED FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.

NASA DOES NOT BELIEVE

THAT THE SO-CALLED SPACE ANGELS IN THE FOOTAGE

ARE THE SAME PHENOMENON WITNESSED BY THE COSMONAUTS.

FOR SOME, A MORE PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THE WINGS

IS THAT THEY COULD BE THE SOLAR PANELS

OF A SATELLITE.

THERE ARE ABOUT 1,300 SATELLITES IN ORBIT TODAY,

AND THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES,

FROM A LAPTOP UP TO THE SIZE OF A GREYHOUND BUS.

PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM USE SOLAR ENERGY.

AND THE BIG ONES TEND TO USE THE LONG SOLAR WINGS,

WHICH EXTEND FROM EACH SIDE OF THE SATELLITE.

Narrator: INTRIGUINGLY, SOLAR PANELS

CANCAUSE AN ORANGE GLOW

SIMILAR TO WHAT THE SALYUT 7 COSMONAUTS DESCRIBED.

I MEAN, THE SUN HITTING THE SOLAR PANELS,

TO JUST HAVE THIS THING GLOW LIKE YOU'RE IN A CAMPFIRE.

AND THEN THE STARK DARKNESS OF THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE

CONTRASTING WITH THESE MODULES, AND THE SOLAR RAYS,

IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE TO SEE THAT.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE THEORY DOES NOT SATISFY EVERYONE.

NOW, IF THESE ARE SOLAR PANELS DEPLOYING ON ANOTHER SATELLITE,

SOLAR PANELS DEPLOY VERY, VERY SLOWLY.

RAPIDLY FLAPPING WINGS

COULD NOT BE THE SOLAR PANELS DEPLOYING ON ANOTHER SATELLITE.

Narrator: ONE THEORY TO EXPLAIN THE APPARENT FLAPPING

OF THE SPACE ANGELS

IS THAT IT COULD BE DEBRIS FLICKERING

IN THE UNUSUAL LIGHT CONDITIONS OF SPACE.

HERE'S THE FLICKERING OBJECT.

NOW, IT FLICKERS BECAUSE OF A CLASH

BETWEEN RECORDING SPEED AND THE FACT

THAT THE OBJECT'S ACTUALLY ROTATING IN SPACE.

MANY OBJECTS DO THIS.

IT WILL SPIN AND SPIN AND SPIN IN SPACE,

AND THERE'S NOTHING TO STOP THEM.

AND PEOPLE OFTEN CONFUSE THEM WITH ALIEN SPACECRAFT,

WHEN IN FACT THEY'RE JUST SMALL OBJECTS

OUTSIDE THE WINDOW

OR MOVING AWAY FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: CRITICS OF THE SPACE DEBRIS EXPLANATION

POINT OUT THAT THE OBJECTS APPEAR TO BE HEADING UPWARDS.

ANOTHER ODD THING ABOUT THE SPACE ANGELS

IS THAT THESE THINGS LOOK LIKE

THEY'RE COMING UP FROM PLANET EARTH,

NOT OUT FROM OUTER SPACE, BUT UP.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING COMING UP FROM PLANET EARTH?

THE OBJECTS GO HIGHER IN SPACE

BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING AN ILLUSION.

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

IS ACTUALLY RECEDING FROM THE OBJECTS,

LEAVING THEM BEHIND IN ITS ORBIT.

AND AS IT GOES DOWN IN ITS CURVED ORBIT,

THE OBJECTS WILL APPEAR TO GO HIGHER IN THE SKY.

THAT CREATES THE ILLUSION.

Narrator: WITHOUT FURTHER EVIDENCE,

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVIDE A DEFINITIVE EXPLANATION

FOR THE SPACE ANGEL PHENOMENON.

UP NEXT, WHEN RUSSIA LAUNCHES A MYSTERY OBJECT INTO ORBIT,

NASA INVESTIGATES.

IS IT A THREAT TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY?

WE WANNA KNOW WHAT THE POTENTIAL THREAT COULD BE TO US.

♪♪

Narrator: AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

IN EARTH'S ORBIT STARTS STALKING RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT.

IF A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT SUDDENLY APPEARS IN SPACE

AND THEN STARTS MANEUVERING

AS IF IT'S UNDER DIRECTED CONTROL,

PEOPLE ARE GONNA START ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS.

Narrator: THE DISTURBING APPEARANCE

SPARKS FEARS OF A SPACE ARMS RACE.

WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS,

NASA IS DEFINITELY GONNA BE CONCERNED.

♪♪

Narrator: TODAY, SPACE IS THE FRONTIER

FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER CRAFT IN THE DARKNESS.

SOME SERVE A SINISTER PURPOSE.

♪♪

MAY 23, 2014.

THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY ANNOUNCES

IT IS LAUNCHING THREE SATELLITES.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, EVERYBODY WHO LAUNCHES SPACECRAFT

TELLS EVERYONE ELSE WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU CAN ENSURE SAFETY

OF THE LAUNCH AND THE SAFETY OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES

SO THAT THERE'S NO DIFFICULTY OR COLLISION.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator: THE SATELLITES, NUMBERED 2496 TO 2498,

ARE PART OF THE RUSSIAN KOSMOS SERIES.

THE KOSMOS SATELLITES ARE A RUSSIAN SERIES

OF MILITARY COMMUNICATION SATELLITES.

THEY'RE USED TO RELAY MESSAGES FROM SHIPS AT SEA

AND GROUND FORCES BACK TO THEIR BASE.

Narrator: SPACE ENTHUSIASTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

TRACKING THE THREE NEW SATELLITES

SEE SOMETHING TOTALLY UNEXPECTED...

A FOURTH OBJECT APPEARING IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

SO WHEN RUSSIA LAUNCHES THREE SATELLITES

AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT AND TELLS EVERYBODY,

AND THEN DOES A FOURTH,

IT'S NOT ONLY MYSTERIOUS AND CONCERNING,

IT COULD BE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

Narrator: AT FIRST, AMATEURS ASSUME

THAT THE MYSTERY OBJECT IS SPACE JUNK.

WE DO GET PLENTY OF SPACE JUNK, WHICH COMES FROM THE LAUNCHES

AND FROM OPERATIONS IN ORBIT, BUT THIS IS UNUSUAL.

IT SEEMS TO BE MOVING IN A FIXED FASHION.

Narrator: THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

BEGINS TO TRACK THE FOURTH OBJECT.

TO THEIR AMAZEMENT, IT STARTS TO MOVE

LIKE IT HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN.

THIS ISN'T A WEATHER SATELLITE OR COMMUNICATION SATELLITE.

THOSE DON'T MANEUVER VERY MUCH.

[ SONAR PINGS ]

IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECT THAT SHOWS UP IN SPACE,

THAT IS CLEARLY UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL,

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE

ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY DEEPENS WHEN THE OBJECT THEN

SEEMS TO RENDEZVOUS WITH OTHER RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT.

IF, IN FACT, THE RUSSIANS HAVE VERY MANEUVERABLE SPACECRAFT,

SATELLITE OR OTHERWISE, THAT CAN CHANGE ORBIT,

THAT CAN GO TO OTHER SATELLITES,

THERE ARE A LOT OF POSSIBILITIES ON WHAT THAT COULD ACCOMPLISH,

ALL THE WAY FROM BEING A REPAIR STATION

OR REFUELING STATION FOR OTHER SATELLITES.

Narrator: DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION,

THE RUSSIANS REFUSE TO COMMENT ON THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT.

PART OF THE RUSSIAN RULES ARE TO DENY EVERYTHING

AND ADMIT NOTHING.

THE RUSSIANS AREN'T SAYING ANYTHING.

IT'S LIKE, "GO HOME. NOTHING TO SEE HERE."

I NEVER BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY SAY THAT.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING THAT THEY SAY ANYWAY,

SO I FEEL LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ALWAYS

HAVE TO LOOK INTO.

Narrator: THE WEST FACES THE ALARMING PROSPECT

THAT THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

COULD BE A NEW BREED OF SPACE WEAPON.

THE IDEA OF ANTI-SATELLITE WEAPONRY IS OLD.

IT GOES BACK TO WHEN SATELLITES WERE FIRST DEVELOPED.

IF SOMEBODY'S GONNA PUT UP A SATELLITE,

SOMEBODY ELSE IS GONNA SAY, "WELL, WE'LL TAKE IT OUT."

YOU DON'T NEED JAMES BOND LASER BEAMS

TO KILL SATELLITES.

YOU NEED OTHER SATELLITES TO KILL SATELLITES.

THINGS IN ORBIT ARE ACTUALLY MOVING QUITE FAST.

AND TO DESTROY SOMETHING IN ORBIT, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO

IS PUT SOMETHING IN FRONT OF SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: IF RUSSIA'S MYSTERY OBJECT

IS A SATELLITE KILLER,

IT COULD MARK THE BEGINNING OF A SPACE ARMS RACE.

FOR ONE OF THE GREAT POWERS

TO DESTROY THE SATELLITES OF ANOTHER MAJOR POWER,

WOULD BE A REALLY DRAMATIC ACT

AND BE THE PRECURSOR TO SOMETHING MAJOR AND DANGEROUS.

IF IT HAPPENED DURING A TIME OF ESCALATING TENSIONS,

IT COULD BE THE PRELUDE TO WAR.

Narrator: RUSSIA'S MILITARY INTERVENTION

IN THE UKRAINE HAS RAISED TENSIONS WITH THE WEST

TO THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE THE COLD WAR.

AND DEPLOYMENT OF A SPACE WEAPON

WOULD VIOLATE A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL TREATY.

EVERY MAJOR SPACE POWER HAS SIGNED UP

TO THE OUTER SPACE TREATY,

WHICH BANS THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEAPONRY IN SPACE.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT CAN'T BE DONE IN SECRET, THOUGH.

Narrator: AFTER 7 MONTHS OF INCREASING PRESSURE

FROM THE WEST, RUSSIA FINALLY BREAKS IT SILENCE.

THEY CLAIM THE OBJECT

IS NOTHING MORE THAN A UNIVERSITY EXPERIMENT.

AT FIRST, RUSSIA DOESN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE IT.

THEN THEY SAY IT'S DOING PEACEFUL UNIVERSITY SCIENCE.

WELL, WHY DIDN'T THEY SAY THAT WHEN IT WAS LAUNCHED?

IT COULD BE A SPY SATELLITE.

IT COULD HAVE ABILITIES TO INSPECT THINGS

ON THE GROUND OR OTHER OBJECTS IN SPACE

THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN OBJECT GETS THE NAME "KOSMOS-2499."

IF IT DOES HAVE ANY OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES,

THEY REMAIN HIDDEN.

RUSSIA RARELY TELLS YOU THE TRUTH, IT SEEMS,

AND IF THEY DO, IT'S TO THEIR BENEFIT.

[ WHOOSH ]

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: COMING UP, A NASA PROBE

IN THE OUTER REACHES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

DISAPPEARS WITHOUT EXPLANATION.

EVERYBODY IS COMPLETELY IN DISASTER MODE.

YOU CAN IMAGINE THE TENSION.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING. WE HAVE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.

♪♪

[ SONAR PINGS ]

Narrator: AS NASA'S NEW HORIZONS PROBE

APPROACHES THE DWARF PLANET, PLUTO,

MISSION CONTROL LOSES CONTACT.

WE LOST ALL COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE SPACECRAFT

IN A PERIOD OF ABOUT A SECOND AND A HALF.

Narrator: NOW NASA MUST FIGHT TO SAVE THE $700 MILLION MISSION.

THE WHOLE MISSION COULD BE OVER IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

[ WHOOSH ]

♪♪

Narrator: NASA PLANS ITS MISSIONS OF EXPLORATION

IN EXTRAORDINARY DETAIL,

BUT THERE ARE THINGS IN THE DARKNESS

THAT NO HUMAN CAN ANTICIPATE.

JULY 4, 2015.

NASA'S NEW HORIZONS SPACE PROBE IS JUST 10 DAYS AWAY FROM PLUTO

AND 3 BILLION MILES AWAY FROM EARTH.

ITS MISSION IS TO PHOTOGRAPH PLUTO'S SURFACE,

COLLECTING NEW DATA ABOUT THIS MYSTERIOUS DWARF PLANET.

THE NEW HORIZONS PROJECT IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT HUMANKIND HAS EXPLORED PLUTO IN THE KUIPER BELT.

IT'S ALL COMING TO THIS MOMENT AFTER 9 1/2 YEARS OF FLIGHT

AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT BEFORE THAT?

SO THIS IS -- THIS IS RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE.

Narrator: NEW HORIZONS' MISSION CONTROL

IS PREPARING FOR THE SPACECRAFT'S FLYBY

OF THE UNEXPLORED WORLD

WHEN IT SUDDENLY GOES QUIET.

[ STATIC ]

[ TELEPHONE RINGS ]

I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM MY PROJECT MANAGER,

AND HE CALLED ME TO SAY,

"ALAN, WE'VE LOST CONTACT WITH THE SPACECRAFT."

THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN.

Narrator: THE "OUT OF LOCK" MESSAGE ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN

MEANS THEY ARE GETTING NO DATA FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED TO NEW HORIZONS

ON THE APPROACH TO PLUTO.

IT'S ABOUT THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN IN A SPACE MISSION,

BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH IT,

THEN YOU CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DIAGNOSE

AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

UNLESS A SOLUTION IS FOUND,

THIS COULD BE THE END OF THE MISSION.

Narrator: OVER 15 YEARS OF HARD WORK

COULD ALL BE FOR NOTHING.

NO COMMUNICATION MEANS NO DATA.

10 DAYS BEFORE THE FLYBY AND ONLY 3 DAYS

BEFORE THE FLYBY DATA COLLECTION IS TO BEGIN,

WE'RE PRESENTED WITH THE BIGGEST EMERGENCY MISSION.

AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING.

WE CAN'T DELAY THE FLYBY.

Narrator: NASA'S EXPERTS CALL A SERIES OF CRISIS MEETINGS.

THEY SUSPECT THE ISSUE LIES WITH THE PROBE'S ON-BOARD COMPUTERS.

THEY EVENTUALLY NARROW IT DOWN TO TWO POSSIBILITIES,

ONE OF WHICH IS THAT THE MAIN COMPUTER

HAS REBOOTED ITSELF, WHICH IS SOMETHING

THAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON THE SPACECRAFT BEFORE,

SO IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.

Narrator: BUT A SIMPLE REBOOT

DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE CONTINUED LOSS OF COMMUNICATION.

THE SECOND SCENARIO IS THAT THE SPACECRAFT ACTUALLY SENSED

THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG ON BOARD

AND DID WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.

IT SHUT DOWN THE PRIMARY COMPUTER

AND TURNED EVERYTHING OVER TO THE BACKUP COMPUTER.

IF THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENED TO NEW HORIZONS,

IT'S THE FIRST TIME IN 9 1/2 YEARS

OF GOING ALL THE WAY FROM THE EARTH OUT TO PLUTO.

VERY SCARY.

Narrator: IF THE PROBE HASSWITCHED ITSELF OVER

TO ITS BACKUP COMPUTER AND INTO SAFE MODE,

THE WHOLE MISSION IS NOW IN JEOPARDY.

IN SAFE MODE, THE ONLY THING THE SPACECRAFT DOES

IS TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.

IT DOESN'T COLLECT ANY SCIENCE,

ANY IMAGES OR SPECTRA OR OTHER DATA TYPES.

IT DOESN'T POINT THE PAYLOAD, THE CAMERAS AND THINGS,

AT PLUTO AND ITS SATELLITES.

IT'S ONLY TAKING CARE OF ITSELF.

Narrator: THE PROBE IS EFFECTIVELY USELESS

AND IS STILL HURTLING TOWARD PLUTO

AT 32,000 MILES AN HOUR.

BUT THERE IS ONE GLIMMER OF HOPE.

IF THE BACKUP COMPUTER HAD, IN FACT, TAKEN OVER,

IT WOULD BE USING A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT RADIO FREQUENCY

AND TRANSMISSION RATE.

Narrator: USING NASA'S DEEP SPACE NETWORK RADIO ANTENNA,

THE TEAM SEARCHES FOR THE NEW HORIZONS' BACKUP SIGNAL.

THEN, AT 11 MINUTES PAST 3 P.M., ONE WORD

COMES UP ON THE SCREEN AND IT SAYS, "LOCKED,"

AND THAT MEANS THAT THE DISH HAS FOUND NEW HORIZONS,

AND IT'S SPEAKING TO THE SPACECRAFT AGAIN.

Narrator: BUT THE TEAM STILL HAS NO IDEA

WHAT HAPPENED TO NEW HORIZONS OUT IN SPACE

TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS EVENTUALLY REVEAL THE ISSUE.

IT SEEMS THAT THE SPACECRAFT WAS GETTING VERY CONFUSED.

THE COMPUTERS WERE TRYING TO DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS

AND SAVE STUFF TO MEMORY AND SEND COMMUNICATIONS AROUND,

AND IT JUST CRASHED DOWN.

IT'S A BIT LIKE HAVING TOO MANY WINDOWS

OPEN ON YOUR COMPUTER, AND IT JUST FREEZES.

Narrator: THEORETICALLY, NEW HORIZONS

CAN OPERATE ON JUST THE BACKUP COMPUTER.

BUT MISSION CONTROL DOESN'T WANNA TAKE THAT GAMBLE.

THE TEAM DECIDES TO RECONFIGURE NEW HORIZONS

TO PUT EVERYTHING BACK ONTO THE MAIN COMPUTER,

BECAUSE THIS IS THE COMPUTER THAT'S BEEN RUNNING THE MISSION

FOR 9 1/2 YEARS

AND IT'S THE COMPUTER THAT THEY KNOW.

Narrator: THE RECONFIGURATION WILL MEAN

SHUTTING DOWN THE COMPUTER

AND LOSING CONTACT WITH THE PROBE AGAIN,

THIS TIME FOR 1 HOUR AND 15 MINUTES.

TIME IS NOW THEIR ENEMY.

EVEN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, OUR RADIO SIGNALS

TAKE 4 1/2 HOURS

FROM THE EARTH TO REACH PLUTO.

AND WHEN THE SPACECRAFT RESPONDS,

IT TAKES ANOTHER 4 1/2 HOURS.

SO THE TEAM IS WORKING REALLY QUICKLY

TO TRY TO GET THIS UP,

KNOWING THAT IT'S GOING TO BE 9 HOURS BEFORE

THEY GET THAT CONFIRMATION BACK FROM NEW HORIZONS

THAT THE COMMAND HAS ACTUALLY WORKED.

MY MISSION'S OPERATIONS MANAGER ESTIMATED

THAT THAT WAS SEVERAL WEEKS OF WORK AT A NORMAL PACE,

BUT WE HAD TO DO IT UNDER THE GUN

IN ONLY A MATTER OF DAYS AND DO IT RIGHT OR MISS PLUTO.

Narrator: NOW NEW HORIZONS IS SO CLOSE TO PLUTO,

ALL THE TEAM CAN DO IS HOPE THEIR PLAN HAS WORKED.

WAITING TO SEE THAT THIS HAS ACTUALLY WORKED

IS EXTREMELY STRESSFUL

FOR THE TEAM IN THE MISSION'S OPERATIONS CENTER.

Narrator: THREE DAYS AFTER NEW HORIZONS

FIRST DISAPPEARED, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH ARRIVES.

AT 10:21 TUESDAY MORNING,

THE SPACECRAFT COMES BACK ONLINE.

IT'S SENDING DATA BACK DOWN TO THE EARTH.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]THIS HUGE MOMENT OF RELIEF

FOR THE TEAM AS EVERYTHING COMES BACK ONLINE

AND EVERYTHING'S WORKING WELL AGAIN.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE CONTINUE ]

OUR MISSION OPERATIONS TEAM NEVER MADE A SINGLE MISSTEP

IN PUTTING THIS ALL BACK TOGETHER

AND GETTING US SET UP.

AND THEY ENGAGED THE FLYBY TIMELINE

WITH JUST 3 HOURS TO GO.

Narrator: THE RESULTS OF NEW HORIZONS' FLYBY

ARE MIND-BLOWING,

REVEALING BEAUTIFUL, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN IMAGERY

OF THE STUNNING DWARF ICE PLANET

AT THE VERY OUTER REACHES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO, AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH,

WE MAPPED THE PLUTO SYSTEM, PLUTO AND ALL OF ITS MOONS,

IN EXQUISITE DETAIL.

THE MISSIONS LEADER, PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ALAN STERN,

CALLED IT THE TEAM'S APOLLO 13 MOMENT.

EVERYONE CAME TOGETHER, AND IT REALLY WAS THEIR FINEST HOUR.

WE TRAVELED AT A SPEED OF OVER 35,000 MILES AN HOUR

FOR 9 1/2 YEARS,

AND ARRIVED AT OUR TARGET AT ONLY 97 SECONDS EARLY

AFTER 9 1/2 YEAR JOURNEY.

THAT'S SHARPSHOOTING.

Narrator: COMING UP, NASA MAKES AN ASTONISHING ANNOUNCEMENT --

A PLANET EERILY SIMILAR TO EARTH...

I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW EXCITING THIS IS.

THIS ACTUALLY MIGHT BE IT.

Narrator: ...WHERE LIFE MAY TAKE ON STRANGE, NEW FORMS.

THEY LIVE UNDERGROUND. THEY COME OUT AT NIGHT.

THEY WOULD BE SHORTER, STOCKIER.

THEY'D BE STRONGER THAN WE WERE.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: NASA DISCOVERS AN UNCANNILY EARTH-LIKE PLANET.

THIS NEWS IS ELECTRIFYING.

WHEN NASA'S CALLING SOMETHING "EARTH 2.0,"

YOU KNOW IT'S SOMETHING BIG.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY COULD ANSWER

SOME OF THE GREATEST QUESTIONS IN SCIENCE.

IT GIVES US A SNAPSHOT FOR WHAT OUR PLANET

MIGHT LOOK LIKE IN THE DISTANT FUTURE.

Narrator: BUT IF THIS IS THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD,

IT IS GRIM.

UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WORLD THAT IS NOW DYING.

ITS TIME IS LIMITED.

♪♪

Narrator: THE LIGHT FROM DISTANT STARS

CAN TAKE CENTURIES TO REACH US.

TO LOOK AT ANY OF THEM IS TO GAZE INTO THE DISTANT PAST.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE INTO THE FUTURE ARE RARE.

NOVEMBER 12, 2009.

EIGHT MONTHS INTO ITS MISSION

TO EXPLORE OUR GALAXY FOR EARTH-LIKE PLANETS,

THE KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE SPOTS A DIP IN THE BRIGHTNESS

OF THE STAR KNOWN ONLY AS KEPLER-452.

Seager: YOU CAN'T JUMP UP AND DOWN YET... [ CHUCKLES ]

BECAUSE IT TAKES HUNDREDS OF HOURS

OF WHAT WE CALL VALIDATION.

YOU NEED TO RULE OUT EVERY OTHER POSSIBILITY

BEFORE YOU CAN BE CERTAIN THAT THAT LITTLE DROP IN BRIGHTNESS

IS CAUSED BY A PLANET AND IS NOT SOME KIND OF FAKE SIGNAL.

Narrator: ALL INDICATIONS SUGGEST

KEPLER HAS DISCOVERED A NEW WORLD.

SO MANY TIMES WHEN I'VE BEEN

ON THE BRINK OF A MAJOR DISCOVERY,

WE SEARCH EVERY LAST POSSIBILITY,

AND THEN IT TURNS OUT TO BE NOTHING.

IN THIS CASE, ACTUALLY, IT HELD TRUE.

Narrator: NASA ANNOUNCES THE DISCOVERY

OF THE NEW PLANET.

FROM THE OUTSET, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS NO ORDINARY WORLD.

FIRST, THERE'S ITS LOCATION.

KEPLER-452b SITS RIGHT IN A HABITABLE ZONE,

WHAT WE CALL THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE.

NOT TOO WARM, NOT TOO COLD,

NOT TOO BRIGHT, NOT TOO DARK -- JUST RIGHT FOR LIFE.

Narrator: EXCITEMENT MOUNTS WHEN FURTHER ANALYSIS REVEALS

452b COULD HAVE A POTENTIALLY BREATHABLE ATMOSPHERE.

WITH THOSE TEMPERATURES IN THAT ATMOSPHERE,

IT COULD ACTUALLY BE SUITABLE FOR LIQUID WATER ON THE SURFACE.

Narrator: AND WHEN SCIENTISTS FACTOR IN

THE LIGHT FROM KEPLER-452,

IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT THIS IS

THE MOST EARTH-LIKE WORLD HUMANITY HAS EVER DISCOVERED.

THE LIGHT FROM THE PARENT STAR

IS MUCH LIKE THE LIGHT FROM OUR OWN STAR.

IT HAS THE SAME MIXTURE OF COLORS.

SO PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF PLANTS,

LIKE THE ONES HERE ON EARTH, WOULD PROBABLY BE JUST FINE.

YOU COULD PROBABLY TAKE A PLANT FROM EARTH,

MOVE IT TO THAT PLANET, AND IT WOULD GROW JUST FINE.

PLANT LIFE MEANS THAT THERE COULD BE OXYGEN.

OXYGEN MEANS THAT THERE COULD BE LIFE LIKE OURS.

♪♪

Narrator: THE INCREDIBLE COMBINATION OF LIQUID WATER,

LIGHT, AND TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR LIFE

INSPIRES NASA TO GIVE PLANET KEPLER-452b A NEW NAME --

EARTH 2.0.

Ferreria: THIS NEWS IS ELECTRIFYING.

WHEN NASA'S CALLING SOMETHING EARTH 2.0,

YOU KNOW IT'S SOMETHING BIG.

KEPLER-452b IS THE CLOSEST WE HAVE

TO ANYTHING LIKE EARTH YET.

Narrator: EARTH 2.0 APPEARS TO HAVE EVERY INGREDIENT

NECESSARY FOR LIFE.

BUT BECAUSE OF THE PLANET'S STRONGER GRAVITY,

LIFE COULD TAKE UNUSUAL FORMS.

[ SCREECHES ]

THIS PLANET IS MUCH MORE MASSIVE THAN EARTH,

SO, CONSEQUENTLY, THE GRAVITY WOULD BE DOUBLED.

THE CREATURES WOULD RESPOND TO IT IN A VERY INTERESTING WAY.

TO THEM, IT WOULD BE NORMAL.

TO US, IT WOULD BE LABOR, LIKE WE HAD CEMENT IN OUR SHOES,

WALKING OVER THE SURFACE OF THIS PLANET.

BUT THROUGH EVOLUTION, THEY WOULD ADAPT.

THEY WOULD BE SHORTER. THEY'D DEFINITELY BE STOCKIER.

THEY'D BE STRONGER THAN WE WERE.

THEY WOULD LOOK VERY DIFFERENT THAN US AS HUMANS.

SO IF WE STOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF 'EM,

WE WOULD STAND OUT IN THE CROWD, AND THEY'D ALWAYS REFER TO US

AS "THE TALL CREATURES FROM EARTH."

Narrator: COMMUNICATING WITH OUR COUSINS

FROM EARTH 2.0 COULD BE DIFFICULT.

WE DREAM OF CREATURES LOOKING LIKE US

THAT WE COULD COMMUNICATE BACK AND FORTH, LIKE "STAR TREK."

COME ON, EVERYBODY EITHER HAS LUMPS

ON THEIR NOSE OR POINTY EARS, BUT THEY'D SPEAK ENGLISH.

[ GROWLING ]

BUT THE REALITY IS THERE'S NO REASON

THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE SAME CAPABILITY TO COMMUNICATE.

COME ON. WHALES HAVE BIGGER BRAINS

AND BIGGER THINKING AREAS THAN HUMANS.

WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU SPOKE TO A WHALE?

[ GROWLING ]

Narrator: ASTONISHINGLY,

THIS WORLD COULD PROVIDE A GLIMPSE OF OUR OWN FUTURE.

Aguilar: KEPLER-452b ORBITS

AROUND A STAR VERY SIMILAR TO OUR SUN,

BUT IT'S A BILLION AND A HALF YEARS OLDER THAN OURS.

IT IS SENDING OUT 10% MORE HEAT

THAN IT DID A BILLION AND A HALF YEARS AGO

IF IT WAS THE SAME AGE AS OUR SUN.

Narrator: THE FUTURE FOR LIFE ON EARTH 2.0,

AND ULTIMATELY OUR OWN WORLD, IS GRIM.

UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WORLD THAT IS NOW DYING.

A LOT OF CREATURES HAVE DISAPPEARED

OFF THE SURFACE OF THIS PLANET.

BUT THE ONES THAT SURVIVE ARE HARDY,

AND THEY'VE LEARNED TO ADAPT.

[ SCREECHES ]

THEY LIVE UNDERGROUND. THEY SEARCH FOR WATER.

THIS WAS A BIG PART OF THEIR LIFE,

IF THEY'RE BUILT ANYTHING LIKE WE ARE HERE ON EARTH.

TO US, THIS WORLD AT THIS POINT

MIGHT ALMOST LOOK LIKE THE SAHARA DESERT.

♪♪

Narrator: WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT ANY INHABITANTS

OF EARTH 2.0 FIND A WAY TO ESCAPE THEIR FATE.

KEPLER-452b IS 1,400 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

WE'RE NOT GOING THERE ANYTIME SOON, IF EVER.

AND AS FAR AS LIFE ON THAT PLANET MIGHT BE CONCERNED,

WELL, IT'S JUST GONNA REMAIN A MYSTERY FOR A WHILE.

♪♪

Narrator: MORE THAN 4 DECADES AFTER THE FIRST VOYAGE

AROUND THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON, THERE ARE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

THAT CONTINUE TO DEFY EXPLANATION.

EVEN OUR CLOSEST PLANETARY NEIGHBORS

ARE CONSTANTLY THROWING UP FRESH MYSTERIES.

HUMANITY'S CONFLICTS CREATE NEW THREATS ABOVE OUR OWN WORLD.

♪♪

AND NASA'S EXPLORATION OF THE STARS

OFFERS A VISION OF A FUTURE THAT COULD ONE DAY BE OURS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS