All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S03E01.Pluto.Under.Pressure.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

[ 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