Original subtitles

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

Kavelaars: 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: APOLLO ASTRONAUTS BRING SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

BACK FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE.

IS THIS ORGANISM TERRESTRIAL OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL?

Narrator: A DARING CIA MISSION UNLOCKS THE SECRETS

OF THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM.

Oberg: THEY WERE GONNA FIND OUT, BY HOOK AND BY CROOK,

HOW A SPACE PROBE WAS BUILT.

Narrator: AND A DEEP-SPACE MISSION

DISCOVERS A PYRAMID ON A DISTANT WORLD.

Teitel: OF ALL THE THINGS WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA FIND ON CERES,

IT WASN'T THIS.

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...

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

AN IMAGE FROM THE CURIOSITYROVER

SPARKS WORLDWIDE CONTROVERSY.

Teitel: RIGHT THERE, AS CLEAR AS A HAND IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE,

YOU CAN SEE THE SHADOW ON THE LEFT OF THE ROVER.

Narrator: SOMETHING IS CASTING A SHADOW OVER THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A HUMAN FIGURE.

Narrator: NASA'S CURIOSITYROVER

IS ONE MONTH INTO ITS EXPLORATION

OF MARS' GALE CRATER.

Bell: WE'RE INTERESTED IN MARS BECAUSE IT'S SO MUCH LIKE THE EARTH.

WE'RE SENDING THIS VERY SOPHISTICATED LABORATORY

TO A PLACE WHERE THERE MAY HAVE BEEN LIFE IN THE PAST,

THERE MAY STILL BE SOME EVIDENCE

OF THAT PAST LIFE PRESERVED THERE.

AND WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO DETECT IT.

Narrator: THE ROVER'S ARRAY OF 17 CAMERAS

PHOTOGRAPHS EVERY STEP OF ITS JOURNEY.

AND NASA PUBLISHES HUNDREDS OF THESE IMAGES ONLINE.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

ONE PICTURE FROM A NAVIGATION CAMERA

REVEALS SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

Pope: THERE'S ONE CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS IMAGE

AND ALL THE OTHER IMAGES TAKEN ON MARS,

AND IT'S THE SHADOW.

WHAT'S CASTING THAT SHADOW?

Narrator: THE PHOTO GOES VIRAL,

AND THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW PROVOKES INTENSE SPECULATION.

♪♪

Birnes: THERE'S WHAT LOOKS LIKE A HUMANOID FIGURE,

A HUMANOID SHAPE, A SHADOW STANDING RIGHT OUTSIDE THE ROVER

AND CAPTURED ON CAMERA.

IT IS A VERY, VERY INTRIGUING IMAGE.

Narrator: NASA DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE SHADOW.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS POINT TO A LEAKED NASA DOCUMENT

AS A POSSIBLE CLUE.

ONE OF THE THINGS FOUND WAS A SPREADSHEET,

WHICH APPARENTLY WAS ENTITLED "NON-TERRESTRIAL OFFICERS."

WHAT OTHER MEANING COULD "NON-TERRESTRIAL OFFICER" HAVE

IF NOT OFF OF THIS PLANET?

IF THEY'RE NOT DEPLOYED ON EARTH, WHERE ARE THEY?

MAYBE THEY'RE PART

OF A PERMANENT HUMAN PRESENCE ON MARS.

Narrator: THE SUCCESS OF THE MATT DAMON BLOCKBUSTER

DEPICTING A MANNED MISSION TO MARS

HAS HEIGHTENED INTEREST IN THE RED PLANET.

BUT NASA CLAIMS IT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE CAPABILITY

TO SEND A MANNED SPACECRAFT TO MARS.

Birnes: DO WE HAVE PERSONNEL ON MARS?

IS THERE ACTUALLY A SECRET SPACE PROGRAM?

Lee: NO HUMAN HAS EVER BEEN TO MARS.

AND EVEN THOUGH WE'VE SENT MANY SPACECRAFT MISSIONS,

THEY'VE ALL BEEN ROBOTIC.

NOW NASA, OF COURSE, SAID THAT NOBODY HAS BEEN TO MARS.

AND YET, OTHER PEOPLE WILL POINT OUT, "WELL, YEAH,

BUT A LOT OF THE TECHNOLOGY TO GO TO MARS EXISTS.

SO, WHY ARE WE NOT USING IT?

WHY ARE THERE NO PEOPLE ON MARS?"

♪♪

Narrator: SKEPTICS POINT OUT THAT THE SHAPE OF THE SHADOW

IN THE IMAGE FROM THE CURIOSITYROVER

DOESN'T MATCH ANY KNOWN SPACE SUIT CURRENTLY IN USE.

EVERY SUIT THAT'S EVER BEEN DEVELOPED

HAS BEEN ONE THAT PLACES THE ASTRONAUT

INSIDE OF A GAS BUBBLE.

THAT CAUSES SUITS TO BE INCREDIBLY IMMOBILE.

SO, LOOKING AT THE PHOTO,

THE ASTRONAUT IS MAKING A MOTION WITH HIS ARM

THAT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE WITH GAS SUITS TODAY.

Narrator: BUT THE MOVEMENT OF RAISING AN ARM

WOULD ONLY BE IMPOSSIBLE IF THE FIGURE IN THE ROVER IMAGE

WAS WEARING A SUIT BASED ON CURRENT, HUMAN TECHNOLOGY.

JUST AS AVIATION TECHNOLOGY RUNS 10, 15, 20 YEARS

AHEAD OF WHAT'S PUBLICLY DECLARED,

IT STANDS TO REASON THAT THE SAME

IS TRUE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY.

Holschuh: SKINSUIT DEVELOPMENT IS UNDERWAY CURRENTLY BY NASA

AND BY OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD.

AND THESE SUITS LOOK NOTHING LIKE THE SUITS

THAT YOU'RE USED TO SEEING.

[ KEYBOARD CLACKING ]

Narrator: PHOTO ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO

HAS BEEN USING COMPUTER MODELING TO INVESTIGATE

WHAT COULD HAVE CREATED

THE DISTINCTIVE ARM SHAPE IN THE IMAGE.

I TOOK THE ROVER, AND I PUT IT WHERE IT BELONGS

AND PUT THE SUN IN THE SKY WHERE IT BELONGS

FOR THE TIME THAT SHOT WAS TAKEN.

AND WHAT I FOUND WAS SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING.

Narrator: RECREATING THE LIGHTING CONDITIONS

IN WHICH THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN

REVEALS THE SOURCE OF THE SHADOW.

WHEN I RENDERED IT, I SAW THIS SHOW UP.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTO IN QUESTION,

THIS COULD BE THIS,

AND THAT COULD BE THAT, AND THAT COULD BE THAT.

AND THERE'S THE MastCam SITTING OVER HERE.

I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE MARS HAND LENS IMAGER

ON THE END OF THE ROBOTIC ARM.

Narrator: WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST-EVER MARTIAN TOURIST

IS SIMPLY CURIOSITY'S OWN SHADOW.

THE ASTRONAUTS ARM IS IN FACT

AN EXTENDED ROBOTIC ARM HOLDING A CAMERA.

BUT THE DAY THAT A HUMAN BEING VISITS MARS

MAY BE JUST OVER THE HORIZON.

THE ORION SPACECRAFT THAT WILL ONE DAY CARRY MANKIND

TO THE RED PLANET ALREADY EXISTS.

THE ROCKET THAT WILL POWER THE MISSION IS UNDER TRIAL

AT THE ATK TEST FACILITY IN UTAH.

Price: IT IS LARGER THAN ANY LAUNCH VEHICLE

THAT'S EVER BEEN PRODUCED BEFORE.

IT'S ABOUT 25 PERCENT MORE POWERFUL

THAN EVEN THE SATURN V LUNAR ROCKETS IN THE PAST.

Narrator: ORION IS ALREADY FLYING.

Man: THE DAWN OF ORION

AND A NEW ERA OF AMERICAN SPACE EXPLORATION.

Price: WE FLEW IN DECEMBER. VERY SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT.

PROOFED OUT MOST OF THE SYSTEMS

THAT WE CAN DO FROM A LOW-EARTH ORBIT

TO GET CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE.

Narrator: ORION'S ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

WILL ENABLE ASTRONAUTS TO TRAVEL AT UNPRECEDENTED SPEEDS.

Mueller: SOME OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE THESE ION DRIVES.

THIS IS A TYPE OF ENGINE THAT ACTUALLY SENDS

VERY SMALL PARTICLES AT NEAR LIGHTSPEED

OUT THE BACK OF THE NOZZLE OF THE SPACESHIP.

AS OPPOSED TO A BIG EXPLOSION,

IT'S A REALLY, REALLY SMALL EXPLOSION

THAT HAPPENS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

Narrator: BUT THERE ARE OTHER OBSTACLES

TO ESTABLISHING A HUMAN PRESENCE ON MARS.

PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IS KEEPING ASTRONAUTS ALIVE AND HEALTHY

DURING WHAT COULD BE A 2 1/2 YEAR JOURNEY.

Shostak: HOW ARE WE GONNA GET ENOUGH FOOD ONBOARD TO FEED THE CREW?

AND SECONDLY, HOW ARE WE GOING TO PROTECT THEM

AGAINST THE DEADLY RADIATION BOILING OFF THE SUN?

IF THE SUN HAS A STORM, AND IT OCCASIONALLY DOES,

IT'S GONNA BOIL OFF THESE HIGH-SPEED PARTICLES

THAT WILL ZIP RIGHT THROUGH THEIR BODIES

AND GIVE THEM INSTANT CANCER.

IT'S NOT A GOOD SCENE.

Narrator: FOOD WILL BE A PROBLEM FOR ANY MANNED MISSION.

BUT AS LONG AS THE SPACECRAFT CAN CARRY ENOUGH OF IT,

IT COULD OFFER THE SOLUTION TO THE DEADLY RADIATION.

Lee: ONCE YOU'VE CONSUMED THE FOOD, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.

YOUR POOP STILL CONTAINS HYDROGEN.

AND HYDROGEN REMAINS

A VERY PRECIOUS RADIATION PROTECTANT FOR YOU.

AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR POOP

IS ACTUALLY PUT IT IN BAGS, SEAL THE BAGS,

AND PUT THOSE BAGS BACK ON THE WALL

WHERE YOU TOOK THE FOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE,

SO THAT YOUR RADIATION SHIELDING REMAINS INTACT.

Narrator: A RADIATION SHIELD MADE OF HUMAN EXCREMENT

WILL BE JUST ONE OF THE GRIM REALITIES OF SPACE TRAVEL

FOR THE FIRST PIONEERS TO MARS.

Lee: ONCE YOU GO INTO DEEP SPACE ON YOUR WAY TO MARS,

THAT'S WHEN MEASURES LIKE THESE ARE GOING TO REALLY MATTER.

Narrator: FOR NOW, CURIOSITY CONTINUES ITS JOURNEY

ACROSS THE RED PLANET ALONE.

BUT IT MIGHT HAVE COMPANY SOON.

Shostak: I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE EVENTUALLY GO TO MARS.

I'M SURE THAT WE WILL DO THAT.

AND MAYBE AT THAT POINT,

SOME HUMAN WILL WALK UP TO A ROVER

AND PUT THEIR HAND ON IT,

BUT OF COURSE THAT HASN'T HAPPENED YET.

Narrator: UP NEXT, THE APOLLO 12 MISSION

BRINGS BACK SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.

HAD THEY JUST DISCOVERED LIFE ON THE MOON?

IS THIS ORGANISM TERRESTRIAL OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL?

Narrator: APOLLO 12 ASTRONAUTS

RETURN TO EARTH CARRYING AN UNEXPECTED PAYLOAD.

THERE IS SOMETHING ALIVE ON THOSE CAMERAS.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONAUTS

STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN THE MYSTERY.

AT THE TIME, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT SPACE

WAS AN INSTANTLY LETHAL ENVIRONMENT.

HAD THEY JUST DISCOVERED LIFE ON THE MOON?

Narrator: APOLLO 12 BECOMES THE SECOND MANNED SPACECRAFT

TO APPROACH THE LUNAR SURFACE.

BEAN: I got some kind of a horizon out here.

I got some craters, too, but I don't know where I am yet.

I THOUGHT, "WHERE ARE WE GONNA LAND?

THERE'S NO ROOM TO LAND."

AND THEN WE WAITED FOR THESE PROBES TO ILLUMINATE,

WHICH WERE ABOUT 5 FEET BELOW THE LANDING PAD.

I SAID, "CONTACT LIGHT."

Contact light.

Man: ROGER. COPY CONTACT.

AND THEN PETE TOUCHED DOWN.

AND I THOUGHT, "WOW.

THIS IS THE MOON. WE'RE REALLY HERE."

APOLLO 12 WAS THE SECOND MANNED LUNAR-LANDING MISSION.

AND ONE OF THE GOALS OF THIS MISSION

WAS TO RECOVER HARDWARE FROM THE SURVEYOR 3 PROBE

THAT HAD LANDED 2 YEARS EARLIER

AND SEE JUST WHAT THE LUNAR ENVIRONMENT DID

TO SOMETHING THAT WAS EXPOSED TO THE SURFACE FOR THAT LONG.

Narrator: THE TWO ASTRONAUTS, ALAN BEAN AND PETE CONRAD,

CONDUCT A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF SURVEYOR 3.

THEY HAD BEEN IN SPACE LONGER THAN ANY OTHER SPACE HARDWARE.

THE THING THEY WANTED THE MOST WAS THE TELEVISION CAMERA

BECAUSE THE TELEVISION CAMERA HAD METALS IN IT.

IT HAD A LOT OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS,

AND THEY COULD THEN LOOK AT THE EFFECT

OF RADIATION,

TEMPERATURE CHANGE, AND ALL THIS.

THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF

BECAUSE IF YOU'RE EVER GONNA BUILD BASE ON THE MOON,

YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF COLONIZATION EFFORT,

YOU NEED TO KNOW -- IS DUST GOING GET INTO EVERYTHING?

AND WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO AIR ON THE OUTSIDE?

WHAT ABOUT THE EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE?

SO IT'S OF COURSE IMPORTANT TO KNOW

HOW YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT HAS PERFORMED.

Narrator: 10 DAYS AFTER LEAVING EARTH,

THE ASTRONAUTS RETURN,

CARRYING WITH THEM THE EQUIPMENT RECOVERED FROM SURVEYOR 3.

WHEN SCIENTISTS EXAMINE THE CAMERA,

THEY FIND SOMETHING DISTURBING.

INVESTIGATORS TOOK A LOOK AT THIS CAMERA

AND SAMPLED IT FOR MICROBIAL GROWTH.

AND SURPRISINGLY, GOT GROWTH

FROM 1 OF 33 LOCATIONS THAT THEY SAMPLED.

Narrator: THEY FIND SOMETHING ALIVE

ON A CAMERA THAT'S BEEN ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS.

THE THOUGHT AT THE TIME IS THAT THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT

WAS THE EXTREME POSSIBILITY FOR LIFE,

THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD SURVIVE IN SPACE.

EXPOSED TO SPACE, EVERYTHING WOULD DIE.

SPACE, AS WE KNOW IT, IS INHOSPITABLE.

THERE'S NO WATER, SOLAR RADIATION FLARE,

SHOULDN'T SEE ANYTHING, BUT IT'S THERE.

SO THE QUESTION THAT REMAINS NOW IS,

"IS THIS ORGANISM TERRESTRIAL OR EXTRATERRESTRIAL?"

Narrator: THE ORGANISM RESEMBLES A WELL KNOWN EARTH LIFE-FORM.

THE ORGANISM THAT WAS FOUND WAS A STREPTOCOCCUS-TYPE ORGANISM,

WHICH IS SIMILAR TO ORGANISMS YOU'VE GOT ALL OVER YOUR BODY,

AND THAT WHEN YOU'RE NOT FEELING WELL,

THEY'LL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CAUSE DISEASE.

Narrator: BUT THE SCIENTISTS WHO FOUND THE ORGANISM

KNOW OF NO FORM OF HUMAN LIFE CAPABLE OF SURVIVING

IN THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT OF SPACE.

THE OBVIOUS QUESTION IS, "WELL, HOW DID IT GET HERE?

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?"

ONE EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED HERE

IS THAT IN FACT THESE BACTERIA

WERE JUST THE RESULT OF CONTAMINATION THAT OCCURRED

WHEN THIS INSTRUMENT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO EARTH.

Narrator: A NASA SCIENTISTS WHO WORKED ON THE SURVEYOR PROGRAM CLAIMS

TO HAVE IDENTIFIED AN INCIDENT

WHICH COULD HAVE CONTAMINATED THE SAMPLES.

THE VIDEOS OF THIS SAMPLING, LOOKING AT THOSE,

I SAW AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION

IN TERMS OF LIMITING CONTAMINATION.

NOT ONLY DID THE INVESTIGATORS PICK UP SAMPLING EQUIPMENT,

HOLD IT AGAINST THEIR BARE ARMS, AND PUT IT BACK AGAIN,

ONE INVESTIGATOR ACTUALLY BREATHES ON THE CAMERA AREA

THAT THEY WERE GOING TO SAMPLE.

Narrator: BUT BOTH CURRENT AND FORMER NASA SCIENTISTS

REJECT THE CONTAMINATION HYPOTHESIS.

I BELIEVE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY, TOTALLY INCORRECT.

TREMENDOUS CARE WAS TAKEN WITH THIS CAMERA

BECAUSE NOBODY KNEW WHAT IT CONTAINED.

THEY HAD MADE TREMENDOUS PLANS

TO DO A DETAILED STUDY

OF THE CAMERA AS IT WAS DISASSEMBLED

AND TO LOOK AT EVERY PART TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY POSSIBILITY

THAT ANY KIND OF MICROORGANISMS MIGHT BE PRESENT.

Narrator: THE PRESENCE OF ONLY ONE KIND OF ORGANISM

MAKES CONTAMINATION AFTER APOLLO 12'S RETURN

SEEM UNLIKELY.

THEY ONLY FOUND STREPTOCOCCUS MITIS.

NOW, IF THEY HAD CONTAMINATED THAT CAMERA

WHILE THEY WERE WORKING,

YOU CANNOT SNEEZE AND PRODUCE ONLY STREPTOCOCCUS MITIS.

YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT MICROORGANISMS.

THERE ARE ABOUT 750 MILLION BACTERIA

IN EVERY TINY DROP OF SPITTLE.

IT IS REALLY NOT A PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION

THAT THE CONTAMINATION CAME IN

AFTER IT HAD BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO EARTH.

Narrator: IF THE LIFE-FORM ON THE CAMERA IS TERRESTRIAL,

AND NOT THE RESULT OF CONTAMINATION,

THE ONLY POSSIBLE CONCLUSION

IS THAT IT MUST HAVE SOMEHOW TRAVELED TO THE MOON.

Hoover: SOMEONE WHO WAS ASSEMBLING THE CAMERA

MAY HAVE SNEEZED OR COUGHED

AND GOT EARTH-HUMAN MICROORGANISMS

INTO THE CAMERA LENS AREA,

AND THEN IT WENT TO THE MOON.

NOW, WHY WOULD THEY JUST FIND ONE MICROORGANISM ON THE MOON?

WELL, THE ANSWER IS VERY SIMPLE --

MOST OF THEM DIED.

BUT THIS LITTLE HEARTY BUGGER,

CALLED STREPTOCOCCUS MITIS,

DECIDED THAT IT DIDN'T WANT TO DIE,

AND SO IT JUST SAT THERE AND STAYED THERE

ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON FOR 2 1/2 YEARS

BEFORE THE APOLLO 12 ASTRONAUTS CAME AND GOT IT.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS THEORIZE

THAT TO SURVIVE THE HAZARDS OF THE LUNAR SURFACE,

THE ORGANISM MUST HAVE ENTERED

SOME KIND OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

WHEN THEY TRIED TO GET THESE BACTERIA

TO GROW AGAIN, THEY WERE KIND OF RELUCTANT.

IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR THEM TO GET BACK UP TO SPEED.

IF A MICROORGANISM'S ON THE MOON

AND HAS GONE INTO A DEEPLY DORMANT STATE

TO SURVIVE THE VACUUM, THE COLD,

AND THE LOW-LEVEL RADIATION,

THEN WHEN IT FINDS ITSELF BACK ON EARTH IN GOOD CONDITIONS,

IT'S GONNA TAKE IT LONGER TO WAKE UP

AND LONGER TO GET BACK INTO FULL METABOLIC ACTION.

Narrator: IF THE LIFE-FORM DISCOVERED ON SURVEYOR

REALLY IS SOMETHING FROM EARTH THAT HAS SURVIVED IN SPACE,

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING.

THE POSSIBILITY THAT MICROORGANISMS

COULD REMAIN ALIVE ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

FOR 2 1/2 YEARS

IS TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT TO SCIENCE

BECAUSE THAT MEANS, BASICALLY,

THAT MICROORGANISMS COULD CONCEIVABLY

BE TRANSPORTED IN SPACE FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.

McKay: AND SO OUR IDEA OF HOW LIFE SPREADS

HAS TO BE REORIENTED BASED ON THIS.

LIFE IS NOT CONFINED TO PLANETS.

[ CRACKLING ]

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

NASA'S DAWNPROBE DETECTS AN UNIDENTIFIED STRUCTURE

ON THE PROTOPLANET CERES.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A PYRAMID.

WHAT'S GOING ON? WE HAVE NO IDEA.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE IN THE FAR REACHES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

ENCOUNTERS UNIDENTIFIED LIGHT SOURCES

ON A ROCK TUMBLING THROUGH SPACE.

Christiansen: THERE ARE LIGHTS SHINING

FROM WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DEAD ROCK.

Narrator: NO HUMAN CRAFT HAS EVER REACHED HERE,

AND YET THERE ARE STRUCTURES WHICH DEFY EXPLANATION.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A PYRAMID.

♪♪

Narrator: NEARLY 8 YEARS INTO ITS MISSION

TO EXPLORE THE ASTEROID BELT,

NASA'S DAWNPROBE APPROACHES CERES.

WE'RE AT THE EDGE OF DISCOVERING HOW.

WE'RE FLYING INTO THE ASTEROID BELT.

WE'RE GONNA SEE WHAT THESE OBJECTS

IN THE ASTEROID BELT ARE MADE FROM.

IT'S OUR NEW FRONTIER, THE NEW PLACE TO EXPLORE.

Seager: MANY PLANETARY SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THAT CERES IS A PROTOPLANET,

THAT IT'S ONE OF THOSE OBJECTS THAT FORMED

BUT DIDN'T GET BIG ENOUGH TO BECOME A PLANET.

SO WE THINK IT MAY HOLD SOME CLUES TO HOW PLANETS FORM.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS WAITING WITH ANTICIPATION

TO KNOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO FIND.

Narrator: WHEN THE FIRST CLOSE-UP IMAGES OF CERES BEAM BACK TO EARTH,

SCIENTISTS STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.

THE FIRST IMAGES COME BACK FROM THAT OBJECT,

AND WE'RE COMPLETELY STUNNED.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS GRAY FIELD OF CRATERS

AND REGULAR TYPES OF DUST,

THERE ARE THESE REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTS COMING FROM THE SURFACE.

WHAT'S GOING ON? WE HAVE NO IDEA.

Seager: BRIGHT, WHITE SPOTS,

MUCH, MUCH BRIGHTER

THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ENTIRE CERES.

Narrator: AS THE PROBE PASSES CLOSER TO THE PROTOPLANET,

FURTHER IMAGES REVEAL MORE LIGHTS.

Kavelaars: WE SEE THAT THESE LIGHTS

THAT ARE COMING FROM THE SURFACE

AREN'T JUST A ONE-OFF PHENOMENA.

Major: FIRST IT WAS TWO,

AND THEN IT WAS A CLUSTER OF BRIGHT SPOTS.

AND THEN WE REALIZED

THAT THOSE BRIGHT SPOTS WERE INSIDE OF A CRATER.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY NEARLY A DOZEN BRIGHT SPOTS

SPREAD ACROSS TWO SEPARATE CRATERS.

Teitel: THIS ISN'T A TRICK OF THE LIGHT.

THESE FEATURES ARE REAL, AND THEY'RE MASSIVE --

6 MILES ACROSS. THAT'S THE SIZE OF A CITY.

Narrator: INITIAL THEORIES ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS SHINING SPOTS

SUGGEST THEY COULD BE MADE OF ICE.

WHEN YOU SEE A SHINING, REFLECTIVE SURFACE ON A PLANET,

NORMALLY YOU THINK OF SOMETHING LIKE AN ICE CAP --

LIKE THE POLAR ICE CAPS OF THE EARTH

ARE BRIGHT AND VERY REFLECTIVE.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE ICE THEORY.

CERES IS COVERED IN ICE.

Narrator: IF THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE PROTOPLANET

IS COVERED IN ICE,

THE ENTIRE PLANET SHOULD BE SHINING BRIGHTLY,

NOT JUST PATCHES.

WHY NOT ALL OVER THE PLANET, MANY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS?

YOU'VE GOT TO TIE

ALL THE DIFFERENT, LITTLE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER

TO KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE STILL PUZZLING OVER THE MYSTERY OF THE LIGHTS,

WHEN, THREE MONTHS LATER,

THE DAWNPROBE SENDS BACK NEW IMAGES

THAT REVEAL SOMETHING EVEN STRANGER.

Baines: WE FOUND ONE OTHER VERY STRANGE FEATURE ON CERES.

IT'S A MOUNTAIN THREE MILES HIGH IN THE SHAPE OF A PYRAMID.

Christiansen: THIS PYRAMID IS ALL ON ITS OWN.

IT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE ALPS BUT ON A DWARF PLANET

THAT'S ONLY A HUNDREDTH THE SIZE OF THE EARTH.

THIS IS LIKE FINDING THE EIFFEL TOWER ON A GOLF BALL.

WHAT CAUSES SUCH ENORMOUS FEATURES

TO APPEAR ON SUCH A SMALL OBJECT?

THIS IS REALLY UNUSUAL.

CERES IS NEARLY A PERFECT SPHERE, WITH THE EXCEPTION

OF THIS PYRAMID STICKING OUT THE SURFACE.

OF ALL THE THINGS WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA FIND ON CERES,

IT WASN'T THIS.

Narrator: AN UNUSUAL FEATURE ON THE SIDE OF THE CERES PYRAMID

HINTS THAT THE STRANGE STRUCTURE COULD BE LINKED

TO THE BRIGHT SPOTS ELSEWHERE ON THE SURFACE.

Teitel: WE ALSO SEE STRIPES ON THIS PYRAMID

THAT ARE NOT AS REFLECTIVE BUT STILL QUITE BRIGHT.

Kavelaars: ARE THEY THE SAME AS THE OTHER BRIGHT FEATURES

WE'RE SEEING ON THE PLANET, OR ARE THEY CAUSED

BY SOME DIFFERENT PROCESS?

Narrator: IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS,

SCIENTISTS LOOK FOR CLUES CLOSER TO HOME.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE EARTH FROM SPACE,

SOME OF THE SHINIEST PARTS ARE ACTUALLY SALT FLATS,

LIKE YOU FIND IN UTAH OR BOLIVIA.

Baines: SALT IS VERY REFLECTIVE.

UH, IT'S MADE OUT OF LITTLE CRYSTALS

THAT CAN REFRACT THE LIGHT AND REFLECT IT BACK AT YOU,

SO MAYBE THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON.

MAYBE IT'S SALT FLATS ON THE SURFACE OF CERES.

Narrator: IF SALT REALLY IS WHAT'S CAUSING

THE BRIGHT SPOTS ON CERES,

IT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

SALT FLATS TYPICALLY GET CREATED BY FLUIDS, BY WATER.

THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD ALLOW LIFE TO EXIST,

IS IF IT HAD A SUBSURFACE OCEAN

THAT HAD SOME SALT CONTENT.

PERHAPS WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS EVIDENCE

THAT THE CORRECT CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS

MAY ACTUALLY EXIST ON THIS OBJECT IN THE ASTEROID BELT

FOR LIFE TO EXIST ON IT.

IT'S FANTASTIC.

Narrator: THE DAWN SPACECRAFT DOES NOT HAVE THE INSTRUMENTS

CAPABLE OF SEEING WHAT MAY LIE BENEATH THE SURFACE OF CERES.

FOR NOW, WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE.

AT THIS STAGE, CERES IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY TO US.

Narrator: STILL TO COME, THE C.I.A. MOUNTS A DARING OPERATION

TO LEARN THE SECRETS OF THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM.

Nichols: A TEAM OF HUMAN BEINGS WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO

GET THEIR HANDS ON IT AND TAKE IT APART.

Narrator: AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR,

THE C.I.A. HATCHES A DARING PLAN

TO STEAL SOVIET SPACE SECRETS.

Woman: IT'S LIKE A CLASSIC HEIST MOVIE,

BUT THE GUYS DOING THE HEIST ARE C.I.A. AGENTS.

Narrator: CAN A HIGH-RISK, COVERT OPERATION

PUT NASA BACK ON TRACK IN THE SPACE RACE?

Nichols: IF THESE GUYS WERE CAUGHT,

THE DAMAGE TO SUPERPOWER RELATIONS

WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE.

Narrator: THE COLD WAR

IS ABOUT TO ENTER A NEW AND DANGEROUS PHASE.

THE SOVIET UNION KICK-STARTS THE SPACE RACE

WITH THE LAUNCH OF SPUTNIK,

THE WORLD'S FIRST ORBITAL SATELLITE.

THE SOVIET UNION SLAM-DUNKED US.

THEY BEAT US TO THE PUNCH.

McGaha: IT WAS A SHOCK

BECAUSE WE HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT OF OURSELVES

AS BEING THE LEADER IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE UNITED STATES' RESPONSE

IS A SATELLITE CALLED THE VANGUARD.

MILLIONS OF VIEWERS WATCH THE LAUNCH ON LIVE TV.

JUST A FEW FEET OFF THE PAD, THE ROCKET EXPLODED.

HUMILIATING EXPLOSION, ON CAMERA,

OF THE AMERICAN RESPONSE.

Narrator: EVEN KENNEDY ACKNOWLEDGES

RUSSIA'S TOTAL DOMINANCE IN SPACE.

KENNEDY CAME OUT AND SAID, "WE CAN'T CATCH THEM.

THEY'RE JUST TOO FAR AHEAD."

Oberg: PANIC AND DESPAIR WERE GETTING DEEPER AND DEEPER.

THIS WAS A FATAL TREND THAT HAD TO BE REVERSED.

Narrator: THE SOVIETS DECIDE TO PARADE THEIR SUCCESS

IN FRONT OF THE WORLD.

IN 1959, RUSSIA SENDS SOME OF ITS MOST MODERN SPACECRAFT

ON A WORLD TOUR OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOWS.

FOR THE C.I.A., IT'S A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.

Oberg: YOU ALWAYS WANT TO GRAB THE ENEMY'S HARDWARE,

SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO.

A TEAM OF HUMAN BEINGS WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO

GET THEIR HANDS ON IT AND TAKE IT APART.

Narrator: THE SOVIET STAR OF THE SHOW

IS THEIR MOST ADVANCED SPACECRAFT TO DATE,

THE LUNIK 5...

...WHICH HAD RECENTLY SENT BACK PHOTOGRAPHS

FROM THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.

THE AMERICANS CAUGHT A LUCKY BREAK.

THE SOVIETS WERE SO EAGER TO SHOW THIS THING OFF,

THEY ACTUALLY USED A REAL ONE INSTEAD OF A MOCK-UP.

Oberg: THIS COULD BE THE COOKIE JAR,

IF THEY CAN ONLY GET THEIR HANDS ON IT.

Narrator: BUT SOVIET SECURITY AROUND THE PROBE IS TIGHT.

THE SOVIETS CLEARLY KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING

THAT THE C.I.A. WOULD WANT TO SEE.

THERE WAS A 24-HOUR GUARD AROUND THE EXHIBIT HALLS,

AND IT WAS CONSTANTLY WATCHED.

Narrator: IT SEEMS LIKE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE,

BUT C.I.A. OPERATIVES DISCOVER THAT AFTER EACH EXHIBITION,

THE PROBE IS PACKED UP

AND DRIVEN BY TRUCK TO A LOCAL RAIL YARD.

THE RAIL YARDS ARE HEAVILY GUARDED BY SOVIET GUARDS,

WHO CHECK EACH CRATE AS IT COMES INTO THE YARD.

Narrator: THIS JOURNEY TO THE RAIL YARD

GIVES THE C.I.A. A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY.

THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS COMING IN OR WHEN,

SO THAT GIVES THE C.I.A. AGENTS A LOOPHOLE TO INTERCEPT A TRUCK.

Narrator: THE C.I.A. LAUNCHES

OF THE MOST DARING COVERT OPERATIONS

OF THE COLD WAR.

THEY WERE GOING TO KIDNAP THE LUNIK,

TAKE IT APART, PHOTOGRAPH IT,

PUT IT BACK TOGETHER, AND RETURN IT

BEFORE ANYBODY NOTICES IT WAS GONE.

Oberg: THEY WERE GOING TO FIND OUT, BY HOOK AND BY CROOK,

HOW A SPACE PROBE WAS BUILT.

Narrator: C.I.A. AGENTS MANAGE TO TURN

ONE OF THE EXHIBITION TRUCK DRIVERS,

WHO MAKES SURE HE IS THE LAST TO LEAVE THE EXHIBITION SITE,

WITH THE LUNIK ON BOARD.

THE DRIVER HAS GOT HIS INSTRUCTIONS,

DRIVES IT UP TO WHERE A C.I.A. DRIVER TAKES OVER.

THEY HIJACK THE TRUCK AND THEN DRIVE THE TRUCK

INTO A SALVAGE YARD THAT THEY'VE RENTED JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Narrator: AT DAWN,

THE LUNIK'S HANDLERS WILL CONDUCT A STOCK CHECK.

UNLESS THE SPACECRAFT CAN BE RETURNED INTACT BEFORE THEN,

THE THEFT WILL BE DISCOVERED.

Nichols: THIS WAS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

IF THESE GUYS WERE CAUGHT,

THE DAMAGE TO SUPERPOWER RELATIONS

WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE.

Narrator: WITH THE CLOCK TICKING,

THE TEAM OF U.S. EXPERTS STARTS TO EXAMINE THEIR PRIZE.

BUT THEY GET AN UNWELCOME INTERRUPTION.

CLICK, CLICK, THE LIGHTS ARE ON.

SUDDENLY, BOOM, EVERYBODY FREEZES.

HAVE THEY BEEN CAUGHT? ARE THEY ABOUT TO BE SHOT?

Narrator: THE SECONDS TICK BY IN TOTAL SILENCE.

IT'S A FALSE ALARM.

IT WAS AN AUTOMATIC TIMER. IT JUST HAPPENED.

Narrator: THE PANIC IS OVER.

NOW THE EXPERTS NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY'VE GOT THEIR HANDS ON.

THEY HAVE HIT THE JACKPOT. THIS ISN'T A REPLICA.

THIS IS A REAL PRODUCTION MODEL,

THE FIFTH IN THE SERIES.

Narrator: WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK,

THE UNDERCOVER TEAM CONDUCTS

AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF THE SPACECRAFT.

THEY SPEND THE ENTIRE NIGHT

METHODICALLY TAKING APART THE LUNIK,

PHOTOGRAPHING EVERY PART OF IT, ANALYZING IT,

FIGURING OUT HOW EVERY PIECE OF IT GOES TOGETHER.

Narrator: DAWN IS APPROACHING FAST,

AND THE TEAM HAS TO REBUILD THE MODULE

SO THAT IT LOOKS COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED.

THE KEY TO MILITARY INTELLIGENCE IS NOT ONLY TO LEARN THINGS,

BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENEMY DOES NOT KNOW YOU KNOW THEM.

Narrator: BUT THE LUNIK PROBE

DOESN'T COME WITH AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

Oberg: THEY HAD BOLTS THAT WOULDN'T GO ON.

THEY HAD TO FILE SOME OF THEM DOWN.

Woman: THERE'S ONE PIECE THAT WON'T FIT,

ONE ROD THAT THEY JUST CANNOT SEEM TO GET BACK INTO PLACE.

Narrator: THE LOAD-BEARING ROD

IS A KEY COMPONENT OF THE MODULE.

IF IT'S NOT THERE, THE THEFT WILL BE OBVIOUS TO THE RUSSIANS.

WITH ONLY MINUTES TO SPARE,

THE C.I.A. TEAM FINALLY MANAGES TO SCREW IT IN PLACE

AND COMPLETE THE ASSEMBLY.

THE TRUCK WITH THE LUNIK IN THE CRATE

IS RETURNED TO THE RAIL YARD.

AND AT 7:00 A.M., THE GUARD ARRIVES.

HE CHECKS OFF THE CRATE, AND IT GOES ON ITS WAY.

THE SOVIETS DIDN'T CATCH ON UNTIL A YEAR LATER

WHEN IT GOT BACK TO MOSCOW.

AND BY THAT TIME, THEY COULDN'T EVEN TELL

WHAT COUNTRY IT HAD BEEN KIDNAPPED IN.

Narrator: SOVIET SPACE SECRETS ARE NOW IN THE HANDS

OF NASA's SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS.

Oberg: ANY SECRETS WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN HELPFUL

TO PEOPLE BUILDING A NEW SPACECRAFT FOR THE U.S.

Narrator: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CERTAIN

HOW MUCH INFLUENCE INFORMATION FROM THE STOLEN LUNIK

HAD ON THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM.

BUT WITHIN JUST A YEAR OF THE COVERT OPERATION,

ALAN SHEPARD BECOMES AMERICA'S FIRST MAN IN SPACE.

WE MAY NEVER KNOW THE FULL INFLUENCE OF THE LUNIK

ON THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM.

THE DETAILS OF WHAT EXACTLY THEY LEARNED

FROM THE LUNIK HEIST ARE STILL CLASSIFIED.

Narrator: UP NEXT, AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

APPEARS IN THE NIGHT SKY,

AND IT'S HEADING TOWARDS EARTH.

THIS THING MUST BE A SPACECRAFT.

THERE'S NOTHING ELSE IT COULD BE.

Narrator: AN ASTRONOMER SPOTS AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

HEADING TOWARDS EARTH.

Genge: THIS OBJECT IS COMING TOWARDS US FROM DEEP SPACE.

NOBODY REALLY KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: ITS TRAJECTORY SUGGESTS

IT POSSESSES SOME KIND OF ENGINE.

Garvie LOOKING AT THE PATH THAT THIS OBJECT IS ON NOW,

IT MUST HAVE POWERED ITSELF IN THE PAST.

Genge THIS THING IS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

SOMEBODY BUILT IT, BUT WHO?

Narrator: A TELESCOPE IN THE HILLS NORTH OF TUCSON, ARIZONA,

SCANS THE SKIES

IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LEO CONSTELLATION.

IT IS PART OF A NASA-SPONSORED INITIATIVE

SEARCHING FOR ANYTHING IN SPACE

THAT COULD BE A THREAT TO OUR PLANET.

THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF ASTEROIDS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND SO WE TRY AND MAP THESE

AND WORK OUT WHAT THEIR ORBITS ARE

AND MAKE SURE THERE'S NOTHING GONNA COME

TOO CLOSE TO THE EARTH IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

ASTEROID IMPACTS CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME.

THEY'VE HAPPENED ALL THROUGH EARTH HISTORY.

THEY COULD EVEN HAPPEN TOMORROW.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE TELESCOPE DATA

REVEALS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A POSSIBLE THREAT OBJECT.

THE OBSERVERS SEND DETAILS OF THE NEWLY DISCOVERED OBJECT

TO THE MINOR PLANET CENTER IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,

WHERE IT IS GIVEN THE ASTEROID DESIGNATION 2010 KQ.

BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY,

SCIENTISTS NOTICE SOMETHING STRANGE.

Genge: MOST ASTEROIDS HAVE ORBITS

THAT TAKE THEM 'ROUND AND 'ROUND THE SUN.

THIS THING IS REALLY WEIRD

BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO HAVE ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME ORBIT

AS THE EARTH.

Narrator: THE OBJECT SEEMS TO BE TRACKING THE EARTH.

IF YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT IT IS,

THEN IT'S TIME TO CONSULT WITH OTHER EXPERTS.

WHAT ARE WE DEALING WITH HERE?

Narrator: NASA USES AN INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY IN HAWAII

TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY WEIRD ABOUT THIS ONE.

Narrator: BY STUDYING THE BRIGHTNESS OF 2010 KQ,

THEY ARE ABLE TO DETERMINE ITS SIZE.

Genge: THIS THING IS TINY.

IT'S ONLY A FEW TENS OF FEET IN LENGTH,

WHICH IS MUCH SMALLER THAN MOST ASTEROIDS.

Narrator: THE OBJECT'S SMALL SIZE

IS NOT THE ONLY STRANGE THING ABOUT IT.

NASA USES DATA FROM ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD

TO FINE-TUNE THEIR OWN ORBITAL CALCULATIONS FOR 2010 KQ.

THEY DETERMINE THAT 2010 KQ's CURRENT ORBIT

IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE WITH KNOWN NATURAL FORCES.

Genge: LOOKING AT THE ORBIT OF THIS OBJECT

SUGGESTS THAT AT SOME POINT IT'S BEEN POWERED.

Narrator: NEWS OF THE DISCOVERY SPARKS SPECULATION WORLDWIDE.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THIS AN ALIEN PROBE

COME TO INVESTIGATE US.

BUT IF YOU HAD THE TECHNOLOGY

TO VISIT THE EARTH AND OBSERVE US,

THIS ORBIT WOULD BE VERY INEFFICIENT

BECAUSE IT ONLY BRINGS IT CLOSE ONCE EVERY 25 YEARS.

Narrator: NASA's INVESTIGATION CONTINUES TO WORK ON THE BASIS

THAT 2010 KQ IS AN ASTEROID.

ON MAY 25th, ASTRONOMERS TURN THE FAULKES TELESCOPE IN HAWAII

TO LOOK AT THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT FOR 30 MINUTES.

THE OBSERVATIONS REVEAL THAT 2010 KQ

IS AN EXTREMELY UNUSUAL COLOR.

IF THIS WAS AN ASTEROID,

WE'D EXPECT ITS SURFACE TO BE DULL AND DARK.

AND YET, IT'S BRIGHT AND REFLECTIVE.

Narrator: THE COLOR OF 2010 KQ

DOESN'T MATCH ANY KNOWN ASTEROID TYPE,

BUT IT DOES MATCH SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

Woman: COLUMBIA, HOUSTON, WE HAVE A TALLY-HO ON ELDA.

Narrator: IN THE 1980s,

NASA PERFORMED AN EXPERIMENT TESTING THE EFFECT

OF THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT ON PAINTS

AFTER YEARS OF EXPOSURE.

WHEN SCIENTISTS COMPARE THE FINDINGS

OF THIS EXPERIMENT TO 2010 KQ,

THE RESULTS ARE ASTONISHING.

THE COLOR OF THIS OBJECT IS SPOOKILY CONSISTENT

WITH AGED TITANIUM DIOXIDE PIGMENT,

WHICH IS EXACTLY THE SAME COLOR

AS PAINT USED IN ROCKET BOOSTERS.

Narrator: THIS OBJECT IS COVERED

IN THE PAINT THEY USE FOR ROCKETS.

THE CONCLUSION IS INESCAPABLE.

NASA SAY THAT THIS CAN ONLY BE A MAN-MADE OBJECT.

Narrator: BUT WHERE ON EARTH COULD IT HAVE COME FROM?

Man: LIFT-OFF, THE FINAL LIFT-OFF OF ATLANTIS.

WHEN SHUTTLES OR SOME SATELLITES ARE LAUNCHED,

ONCE THEIR BOOSTER ROCKETS ARE SPENT,

THEY DETACH AND FALL BACK TO EARTH.

Turner: TRACKING THE TRAJECTORY OF THIS OBJECT,

WE CAN TRACE IT BACK IN TIME

AND SEE THAT IT COULD BE ASSOCIATED

WITH DEBRIS FROM A ROCKET LAUNCH

AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE 1970s.

Narrator: TRACING ITS ORBIT BACK THROUGH SPACE AND TIME,

SCIENTISTS CONCLUDE THAT IT MUST HAVE LEFT EARTH ORBIT

IN APRIL 1975.

THIS NARROWS DOWN THE SEARCH FOR 2010 KQ's IDENTITY.

WE'RE ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THIS IS THE UPPER-ROCKET STAGE

OF A RUSSIAN LUNAR PROBE.

Narrator: BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY.

DECOMMISSIONED SATELLITES CAN'T EVEN ESCAPE

EARTH'S GRAVITATIONAL PULL,

SO HOW CAN THIS THING?

Narrator: ESCAPING EARTH'S GRAVITY TAKES FAR MORE POWER

THAN A SINGLE RUSSIAN LUNAR BOOSTER ROCKET CAN PROVIDE.

ONE POTENTIAL EXPLANATION IS THAT THE BOOSTER

ARRIVED AT A SPECIAL POSITION IN SPACE

CALLED THE L1 LAGRANGIAN POINT.

Genge: THE L1 LAGRANGIAN POINT IS WHERE THE EARTH

AND THE SUN'S GRAVITY BALANCE EACH OTHER OUT.

AN OBJECT PASSING THROUGH THAT POINT

CAN SUDDENLY CHANGE ITS ORBIT

IN A VERY CHAOTIC FASHION.

IF YOU PASS SOMETHING THROUGH THE L1 LAGRANGIAN POINT,

YOU CAN NEVER BE CERTAIN ABOUT WHAT IT'S GONNA DO.

Narrator: IT COULD BE THAT 2010 KQ

TRAVELED THROUGH THE L1 POINT

AND FELL INTO ORBIT AROUND THE SUN,

JUST AHEAD OF THE EARTH.

TRAVELING SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN THE EARTH,

IT WOULD TAKE DECADES FOR IT TO CATCH UP WITH US IN OUR ORBIT

AND BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE DETECTED

BY EARTH-BASED TELESCOPES.

THE BEST AVAILABLE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT 2010 KQ

IS ALMOST CERTAINLY PART OF A RUSSIAN LUNAR MISSION.

BUT IT WILL BE A LONG TIME

BEFORE THE THEORY CAN BE PROVED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

THE JURY IS OUT ON THIS ONE FOR NOW.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2036

BEFORE THIS OBJECT COMES BACK TOWARDS US AGAIN.

Narrator: STILL TO COME, AN ASTRONAUT'S CRY OF SHOCK

ECHOES ACROSS THE LIVE VIDEO FEED FROM THE I.S.S.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Pope: A HIGHLY TRAINED ASTRONAUT SCREAMING OUT IN TERROR.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: TWO UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

APPEAR NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE TWO OBJECTS ARE.

Narrator: HUNDREDS WATCHING THE LIVE VIDEO FEEDS

HEAR WHAT SOUNDS LIKE AN ASTRONAUT OVERCOME WITH FEAR.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Pope: A HIGHLY TRAINED ASTRONAUT SCREAMING OUT IN TERROR.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: A RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACECRAFT

CARRYING REPLACEMENT CREW

APPROACHES THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

AS YOU GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE SPACE STATION,

YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POSITION AND ANGLE

OF THE SPACECRAFT IS JUST RIGHT.

Narrator: THE SOYUZ IS COMMENCING

FINAL DOCKING PROCEDURES

WHEN THE SOUND OF A WOMAN'S SHOUT

ECHOES OUT THROUGH THE LIVE VIDEO FEED.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Narrator: THE VOICE IS SAMANTHA CRISTOFORETTI,

ITALY'S FIRST FEMALE ASTRONAUT.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

SUDDENLY, CRISTOFORETTI YELLS OUT IN ITALIAN,

"OH, MY GOD! OH, MY GOD!"

AND THE RUSSIAN COSMONAUT WHO'S WITH HER IS SAYING, "CALM DOWN.

CALM DOWN."

Narrator: THE CLIP OF THE ASTRONAUT'S REMARKABLE OUTBURST

GOES VIRAL,

WITH MANY ONLINE COMMENTATORS

CLAIMING THAT IT IS A CRY OF FEAR.

Pope: THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED.

HERE SHE IS APPARENTLY SCREAMING IN TERROR.

WHAT DID CRISTOFORETTI SEE?

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO FEED REVEALS TWO OBJECTS

THAT SEEM TO APPEAR JUST BEFORE CRISTOFORETTI CRIES OUT.

Pope: YOU CAN SEE TWO SMALL

BUT CLEARLY DEFINED OBJECTS PASSING ACROSS THE CAMERA.

IT'S NOT AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.

DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE AN EFFECT OF THE CAMERA.

THERE REALLY DO SEEM TO BE OBJECTS THERE.

Birnes: IT'S VERY SUSPICIOUS

THAT YOU SEE THESE TWO OBJECTS FIRST,

THEN CRISTOFORETTI STARTS EXCLAIMING,

"OH, MY GOD."

Narrator: SOME HAVE ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN THE LIGHTS

AS REFLECTIONS FROM PIECES OF SPACE JUNK.

BUT THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THIS THEORY.

D'Antonio: ASTRONAUTS ARE QUITE USED TO

SEEING DEBRIS OUTSIDE THE WINDOWS,

SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING

THAT SHOCKED HER.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Narrator: A MORE INTRIGUING POSSIBILITY

IS THAT THE BRIGHT DOTS IN THE VIDEO FOOTAGE

MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN TINY SPACECRAFT.

THERE'S THESE NEW CLASS OF SPACECRAFT CALLED CubeSats.

THESE SPACECRAFT ARE VERY TINY.

IT'S JUST THIS LITTLE SQUARE

THAT'S 4 INCHES BY 4 INCHES BY 4 INCHES.

AND IT'S ABOUT 3 POUNDS OR A KILOGRAM OF WEIGHT.

Narrator: CubeSats WERE ORIGINALLY INVENTED

TO SHOW STUDENTS HOW TO BUILD SATELLITES.

NOW NASA AND OTHER AGENCIES

ARE USING THEM FOR MISSIONS TO THE MOON

AND EVEN ANOTHER PLANETS.

BY PURE CHANCE, A BATCH OF THE TINY CRAFT

HAD BEEN RELEASED NOT LONG BEFORE CRISTOFORETTI'S ARRIVAL

AT THE I.S.S.

Dove: IN 2014, WE LAUNCHED ABOUT 33 OF THEM,

ALL OUT FROM THE SPACE STATION.

I CAN IMAGINE THAT IF I WERE UP IN SPACE

AND I SAW A SWARM OF THESE LITTLE OBJECTS COMING TOWARD ME,

I WOULDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF THEM AT FIRST.

I WOULDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT THEY WERE.

Narrator: TWO DAYS AFTER THE SIGHTING,

CRISTOFORETTI WRITES HER OWN EXPLANATION

OF WHAT SHE SAW IN AN ENTRY ON HER BLOG.

CRISTOFORETTI SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE WAY

THE SEATING IS CONFIGURED, UH,

SHE ONLY FIRST CAUGHT SIGHT OF THE I.S.S., UH, VERY LATE,

SO SHE WAS SUDDENLY CONFRONTED BY THIS SPECTACULAR VIEW.

Bowersox: THERE'S A LOT OF AWE-INSPIRING

AND FANTASTIC MOMENTS, AND THE FIRST ONE

IS WHEN YOU SEE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

Melvin: THE COLORS, I MEAN, THE SUN HITTING THE SOLAR PANELS,

TO JUST HAVE THIS THING GLOW LIKE IT'S IN A CAMPFIRE.

IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE TO SEE THAT.

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Narrator: CRISTOFORETTI CRIED OUT NOT IN FEAR, BUT IN WONDER.

Melvin: WHEN IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME COMING TO SPACE,

NO MATTER WHAT TRAINING YOU'VE HAD,

YOU CAN BE OVERCOME BY JUST THE SHEER BEAUTY

AND THE UNEXPECTED.

Narrator: EVEN FROM MANKIND'S FIRST MISSIONS TO THE MOON,

THERE ARE QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED.

AS WE CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

IT BECOMES CLEAR HOW LITTLE WE UNDERSTAND.

AND HOWEVER ADVANCED OUR TECHNOLOGY BECOMES...

Christoforetti: [ GASPS ] OH, MY GOD!

Narrator: ...SPACE WILL CONTINUE TO SHOCK AND AWE

THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO FACE ITS DANGERS.