All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S03E02.Return.of.the.Moon.Bugs.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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.