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: THE TERRIFYING TRUTH ABOUT MANKIND'S FIRST SPACEWALK

BECOMES A SOVIET STATE SECRET.

Holschuh: IF HE'S NOT ABLE TO RE-ENTER THE HATCH,

THAT'S HOW THE FIRST SPACEWALK ENDS --

WITH AN ASTRONAUT DEATH.

Narrator: THE FIRST HUMAN SPACECRAFT TO APPROACH A COMET

ENCOUNTERS AN UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SIGNAL.

IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S SINGING.

Kavelaars: MAYBE THIS IS IT. MAYBE THIS IS

THE COMMUNICATION FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD.

Narrator: AND A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT APPEARS

ON THE VIDEO FEED OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THE SHAPE OF THIS OBJECT CLEARLY LOOKED ARTIFICIAL,

AND I DON'T DOUBT THAT IT WAS ARTIFICIAL.

THE ONLY QUESTION WAS, WHAT WAS IT?

Narrator: NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

MAN: Okay, we're seeing three or four objects.

MAN #2: Yeah, there are three objects.

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

THESE ARE NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: A COSMONAUT BECOMES THE FIRST MAN TO WALK IN SPACE.

NO ONE HAD EVER DONE IT.

NO ONE HAD EVER WORN A SUIT OUTSIDE OF THEIR VEHICLE.

AND NOBODY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT.

THE SOVIETS, THEY ALWAYS CLAIMED THAT IT WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS.

Narrator: THE TRUE STORY STAYS A SOVIET STATE SECRET

FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES.

Man: WE WERE AT THE INFANCY OF SPACE TRAVEL.

DISASTERS WERE EXPECTED.

♪♪

Narrator: COSMONAUT ALEXEY LEONOV

IS ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY FOR THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM.

THE SPACE SPECTACULAR THAT THEY HAD IN THEIR SIGHTS

WAS TO ACTUALLY HAVE A COSMONAUT GET OUT OF THE SPACECRAFT

AND WALK IN SPACE, TO ACTUALLY FLOAT IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE.

THIS WAS THE SPACE RACE REALLY HEATING UP NOW.

Narrator: IT'S A RACE THE RUSSIANS ARE WINNING.

Holschuh: ALEXEY LEONOV STEPS OUT OF HIS CAPSULE

TO PERFORM THE FIRST SPACEWALK IN HUMAN HISTORY.

WHAT NASA DIDN'T KNOW

WAS THAT LEONOV'S SPACEWALK DID NOT GO AS SMOOTHLY AS PLANNED

AND, IN FACT, CAME CLOSE TO KILLING THE COSMONAUT.

LEONOV GETS OUTSIDE.

HE'S FREE OF THE SPACECRAFT,

AND HE'S FLOATING AT THE END OF AN UMBILICAL.

AND HE'S AMAZED BY THE VIEW.

HE SEES THE EARTH BEFORE HIM.

HE'S WAVING AT THE CAMERA AS HE FLOATS AWAY FROM THE SHIP.

Narrator: LEONOV SPENDS A EUPHORIC 10 MINUTES FLOATING IN SPACE

BEFORE MISSION CONTROL ORDERS HIM

BACK TO THE VOSKHOD SPACECRAFT.

AS HE APPROACHES THE AIR LOCK, HE REALIZES HE HAS A PROBLEM.

Chaikin: LEONOV TRIES TO SQUEEZE HIS BODY

BACK INTO THIS INFLATABLE AIR LOCK.

BUT HE REALIZES THAT, IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

HIS SPACE SUIT HAS SUDDENLY BALLOONED.

Narrator: THE LACK OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN SPACE

HAS CAUSED THE AIR INSIDE HIS SUIT TO EXPAND.

SO NOW, HE'S OUTSIDE, IN THIS INFLATED, HUMAN-SHAPED BALLOON.

AND SUDDENLY, ALL OF HIS JOINTS ARE STIFF.

LEONOV WAS ALSO WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK.

Narrator: IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES,

THE SPACECRAFT WILL ENTER EARTH'S SHADOW,

PLUNGING LEONOV INTO COMPLETE DARKNESS,

MAKING RE-ENTRY INTO THE AIR LOCK ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

SO HE TAKES REALLY ALMOST A DESPERATE MEASURE

AND ACTUALLY LETS OUT SOME OF THE OXYGEN FROM HIS SUIT

VIA A VALVE ON HIS WRIST.

Narrator: OPENING HIS SUIT IN SPACE

EXPOSES HIS BODY TO A RAPID PRESSURE CHANGE

THAT COULD CAUSE CRIPPLING DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS.

BY GOING DOWN IN PRESSURE,

HE RISKS THAT SOME OF THE NITROGEN

MIGHT COME OUT OF SOLUTION IN HIS BLOOD, FORMING BUBBLES.

Narrator: DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS CAN CAUSE TOTAL PARALYSIS.

IF LEONOV KEEPS THE SUIT VALVE OPEN TOO LONG,

CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO THE VACUUM OF SPACE

CAN HAVE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT DEPRESSURIZATION IS

ALL OF THE LIQUIDS THAT ARE EXPOSED TO VACUUM

WILL BOIL AWAY, FREEZING THE TISSUE UNDERNEATH.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL REALIZES SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG.

LEONOV SHOULD BE INSIDE THE AIR LOCK BY NOW.

SOVIET OFFICIALS CUT THE LIVE CAMERA FEED

THAT IS BROADCASTING LEONOV'S FEAT

TO MILLIONS OF VIEWERS AROUND THE WORLD.

LEONOV IS GETTING HOTTER AND HOTTER

BECAUSE HE'S OVERWHELMING THE COOLING SYSTEM IN HIS SUIT.

AND SO, OF COURSE, THAT'S A RISK THERE OF

ACTUALLY GETTING SOMETHING LIKE HEAT STROKE.

Narrator: LEONOV'S CORE TEMPERATURE RISES

BY A POTENTIALLY DEADLY 3.2 DEGREES.

SWEAT POOLS IN HIS BOOTS, FILLING HIS SUIT.

IF HE'S NOT ABLE TO DEPRESSURIZE AND RE-ENTER THE HATCH,

END OF STORY.

THAT'S HOW THE FIRST SPACEWALK ENDS --

WITH AN ASTRONAUT DEATH.

Narrator: LEONOV'S RISK PAYS OFF.

HIS SUIT DEFLATES ENOUGH FOR HIM TO FIT THROUGH THE AIR LOCK.

THE ORDEAL COSTS HIM 10% OF HIS BODY WEIGHT.

Grazier: LOSING 13 POUNDS OF YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN 12 MINUTES

WILL LEAVE YOU EXHAUSTED, DISORIENTED,

AND BARELY ABLE TO FUNCTION.

Narrator: TOGETHER WITH COPILOT PAVEL BELYAYEV,

HE MUST NOW PREPARE TO RETURN TO EARTH.

BUT THE VOSKHOD SPACECRAFT'S AUTOMATIC GUIDANCE SYSTEM

IS MALFUNCTIONING.

THEY WILL HAVE TO MANUALLY CONTROL THE CRAFT

DURING RE-ENTRY.

AND THERE IS ONLY ENOUGH FUEL FOR ONE ATTEMPT.

Pearlman: THEY HAD TO FIRE THEIR RETROTHRUSTERS

AT AN EXACT MOMENT.

YOU HAVE TO GET THIS RIGHT.

THERE WON'T BE ANY SECOND CHANCES.

Narrator: ACTIVATING THE RETROTHRUSTERS,

THEY MANAGE TO PENETRATE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

Pearlman: THE COSMONAUTS' PROBLEMS ARE NOT OVER YET.

DURING RE-ENTRY,

THE SPACECRAFT'S TWO HALVES FAIL TO SEPARATE,

THROWING THEM INTO A WILD SPIN.

Narrator: A COMMUNICATION CABLE THAT SHOULD HAVE DETACHED

STILL LINKS THE ORBITAL AND LANDING MODULES.

THEY ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL, HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH.

SO AS THEY'RE DESCENDING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,

THEY FEEL THE G's START TO BUILD.

THEY GET UP TO 8 TO 10 G's.

Narrator: WITH JUST SECONDS TO SPARE,

THE CABLE BURNS THROUGH,

SEPARATING THE TWO CRAFT,

ALLOWING THE LANDING MODULE'S CHUTES TO DEPLOY.

THEY TOUCH DOWN SAFELY.

BUT THEY LAND MORE THAN 1,000 MILES OFF COURSE

IN ARCTIC SIBERIA.

Chiao: THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS 22 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BELOW ZERO.

OF COURSE, HYPOTHERMIA AND FREEZING TO DEATH

CAN OCCUR PRETTY RAPIDLY.

Narrator: WEARING DAMP SPACE SUITS, THE COSMONAUTS ENDURE

TWO WHOLE NIGHTS IN THE OPEN BEFORE RESCUERS REACH THEM.

THE SOVIET REGIME SELLS THE MISSION AS A COMPLETE SUCCESS,

SECURING THEIR POSITION LEADING THE SPACE RACE.

Pearlman: NASA WAS AGAIN PLAYING CATCH-UP.

Narrator: THE APPARENT RUSSIAN SUCCESS

MAKES NASA ACCELERATE ITS SCHEDULE

FOR THE FIRST AMERICAN TO WALK IN SPACE.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN CALLED FOR ASTRONAUT ED WHITE

TO CARRY OUT A SAFETY RUN IN JUNE,

TWO MONTHS LATER THAN LEONOV'S FIRST SPACEWALK.

Pearlman: PRIOR TO LEONOV'S SPACEWALK,

NASA'S PLAN FOR GEMINI 4 WAS TO HAVE ED WHITE OPEN THE HATCH,

STAND UP ON HIS SEAT, LOOK OUTSIDE,

AND THEN SIT BACK DOWN AND CLOSE THE HATCH.

Narrator: TO CATCH UP WITH THEIR SOVIET RIVALS,

NASA ABANDONS THE SAFETY RUN

AND CHANGES WHITE'S MISSION TO A FULL SPACEWALK

MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

ON JUNE 3, 1965,

WHITE BECOMES THE FIRST AMERICAN TO WALK IN SPACE.

HE SPENDS 23 MINUTES OUTSIDE THE GEMINI 4 MODULE.

ED WHITE'S SPACEWALK WAS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

EVEN WITH THE RISK NASA TOOK BY MOVING IT FORWARD.

Narrator: ED WHITE DOES NOT HAVE TO PAY THE SAME PRICE AS LEONOV

FOR HIS PLACE IN HISTORY.

Cunningham: ED WAS FLOATING AROUND, THOROUGHLY ENJOYING IT.

IN FACT, JIM McDIVITT HAD TO REALLY COERCE HIM

TO COME BACK INTO THE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: COMING UP,

A NASA PROBE FOUR BILLION MILES FROM EARTH

ENCOUNTERS AN UNIDENTIFIED RADIO SIGNAL.

[ HUMMING ]

WHAT'S CAUSING THIS SOUND? WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

WE DIDN'T EXPECT ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

[ HUMMING ]

Narrator: AS THE ROSETTAPROBE APPROACHES A COMET TUMBLING THROUGH SPACE,

IT PICKS UP A MYSTERIOUS RADIO SIGNAL.

WHAT'S CAUSING THIS SOUND? WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING?

Narrator: THE COMET APPEARS TO BE SINGING.

MAYBE THIS IS IT. MAYBE THIS IS

THE COMMUNICATION FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT HISTORY, MANY HUMAN CULTURES

BELIEVED COMETS WERE A SIGN OF IMPENDING DISASTER.

TODAY, WE HAVE LANDED SPACECRAFT UPON THEM.

AND YET, THEY ARE NO LESS MYSTERIOUS.

♪♪

THE ROSETTASPACECRAFT NEARS THE END

OF ITS 10-YEAR, 4 BILLION-MILE JOURNEY.

ITS TARGET IS THE COMET KNOWN AS 67P.

THIS IS THE FIRST REALLY CLOSE-UP LOOK AT A COMET

IN HUMAN HISTORY.

Narrator: EVEN TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT,

THE FIRST IMAGES FROM ROSETTA

TAKE MORE THAN AN HOUR TO REACH EARTH.

THE APPEARANCE OF A COMET ASTONISHES SCIENTISTS.

IT'S LIKE A PEANUT, ALMOST.

IT'S GOT ROUGH TERRAIN.

IT'S GOT SMOOTH TERRAIN.

IT'S GOT ROCKY AREAS.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS MONITORING THE DATA FEED FROM THE PROBE

NOTICE IT'S PICKING UP A RADIO SIGNAL.

WHAT WE START TO HEAR IS WE HEAR THIS REALLY LOW-FREQUENCY SOUND.

THIS SOUND IS BELOW THE FREQUENCIES

THAT WE CAN HEAR WITH OUR EARS.

Narrator: TO MAKE TO SOUND AUDIBLE TO THE HUMAN EAR,

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY EXPERTS BOOST THE RADIO FREQUENCY

BY A FACTOR OF 10,000.

AND WHEN WE DO HEAR IT,

IT'S A VERY UNUSUAL, VERY STRANGE SOUND THAT IT'S MAKING.

[ HUMMING ]

Narrator: COMET 67P, A TOTALLY DEAD CHUNK OF ICE AND ROCK,

APPEARS TO BE SINGING.

THE COMET SONG IS COMPLETELY NEW TO US.

WE DIDN'T EXPECT IT.

Narrator: THE COMET SONG IS THE LATEST OF MANY STRANGE SIGNALS

EXPLORATION MISSIONS HAVE ENCOUNTERED

IN THE DEPTHS OF SPACE.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE ENCOUNTERED,

IF YOU WILL, NOISE FROM THE COSMOS.

AFTER ALL, JUPITER MAKES SOME NOISE.

[ WARBLING ]

DISTANT GALAXIES MAKE SOME NOISE.

HOT GAS, COLD GAS, THEY ALL MAKE NOISE.

THESE ARE ALL NATURAL PHENOMENA.

Narrator: BUT THE RADIO SIGNALS FROM UNINHABITED PLANETS,

LIKE JUPITER AND SATURN, ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO EXPLAIN.

[ WARBLING ]

Grazier: THESE PLANETS PRODUCE VERY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELDS

THAT INTERACT WITH SUBATOMIC PARTICLES

TO PRODUCE RADIO WAVES.

THESE ARE THE SIGNALS SCIENTISTS ARE PICKING UP.

Narrator: COMET 67P SHOULD NOT BE CAPABLE

OF PRODUCING THAT TYPE OF SIGNAL.

WE DON'T THINK THAT THE COMET HAS A MAGNETIC FIELD.

IN FACT, THE MEASUREMENTS TELL US

IT DOESN'T HAVE A MAGNETIC FIELD.

Narrator: AS SCIENTISTS STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN

HOW COMET 67P IS CREATING THE EERIE SOUNDS,

THE INTERNET EXPLODES WITH THEORIES.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS JUMP ON THAT RIGHT AWAY

BECAUSE THEY SAY, "LOOK.

THIS COULD BE AN ATTEMPT BY EXTRATERRESTRIALS

TO COMMUNICATE WITH US."

[ HUMMING ]

Oluyesi: THIS IDEA ISN'T REALLY THAT CRAZY BECAUSE

WE HAVE SENT OUT COMMUNICATIONS INTENDED FOR ALIENS.

WHEN THE PIONEER AND VOYAGER SPACECRAFT

WERE SENT TO THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM IN THE 1970s,

THEY PUT MESSAGES ON IT.

IN THE CASE OF THE VOYAGERS, THEY SENT A RECORD.

Man: THE MESSAGES WERE DESIGNED

TO GIVE A PICTURE OF 20th-CENTURY EARTH

AND ITS INHABITANTS

TO POSSIBLE EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATIONS

WHO MIGHT INTERCEPT THE SPACECRAFT

MILLIONS OF YEARS FROM NOW.

Shostak: THAT RECORD HAD SELECTIONS OF MUSIC.

IT HAD PEOPLE SPEAKING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.

Boy: HELLO FROM THE CHILDREN OF PLANET EARTH.

SO WHEN PEOPLE START TO HEAR SOUNDS COMING FROM COMETS,

THEY GET VERY EXCITED THAT, "MAYBE THIS IS IT.

MAYBE THIS IS THE COMMUNICATION FROM SOME ALIEN WORLD."

Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 29th, A LEAKED E-MAIL,

ALLEGEDLY FROM THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY,

FUELS SPECULATION THAT THE ROSETTAMISSION

MAY HAVE A SECRET AGENDA.

Shostak: THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK

THAT THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY LANDED ON COMET 67P

FOR REASONS OTHER THAN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

THE E-MAIL SAID, "MAKE NO MISTAKE.

YOU DON'T SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

TO CONSTRUCT A SPACECRAFT TO GO ON A JOURNEY

JUST TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS OF A RANDOMLY SELECTED COMET."

THE E-MAIL CONTAINED PHOTOS

SHOWING WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING DEFINITELY ARTIFICIAL

WHERE NOTHING ARTIFICIAL SHOULD BE.

WELL, IF IT REALLY IS AN ALIEN CRAFT,

MAN, THAT'S A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING THAN A COMET,

ISN'T IT?

Narrator: THE ROSETTAPROBE CONTINUES TO ORBIT THE COMET.

ON OCTOBER 20, 2014,

ITS OSIRIS CAMERA OFFERS SCIENTISTS A NEW CLUE

ABOUT WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THE SOUND.

Grazier: COMET 67P IS VENTING GAS AND DUST PARTICLES.

AND AS THEY ESCAPE, SOMETHING'S HAPPENING.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS SPECULATE THE PARTICLES THE COMET EMITS

BECOME MAGNETIZED BY SOLAR WINDS.

THE VIBRATIONS OF THESE CHARGED PARTICLES

COULD POTENTIALLY PRODUCE SOUND AS RADIO WAVES.

BUT WE CAN TRANSLATE THAT RADIO SIGNAL INTO SOUND.

AND THAT'S WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. IT'S SINGING.

Narrator: THE THEORY FITS MOST OF THE KNOWN FACTS AROUND 67P.

BUT MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMET REMAIN UNANSWERED.

THEY'RE SO COMPLICATED

THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT A LONG TIME

BEFORE WE FULLY UNDERSTAND IT.

SO FOR NOW, IT'S REALLY NOT KNOWN WHY COMETS SING SONGS.

Narrator: COMING UP, A CHINESE LUNAR PROBE COMES UNDER ATTACK.

THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE MOON THAT IS REALLY LETHAL.

Narrator: CHINA'S FIRST MOON ROVER BREAKS DOWN WITH NO EXPLANATION.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING

IS SABOTAGING THE MISSIONS.

Narrator: COULD A DESTRUCTIVE PHENOMENON

THAT PLAGUED THE APOLLO MISSIONS BE RESPONSIBLE?

Schultz: THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE MOON THAT IS REALLY LETHAL.

AND WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT.

♪♪

Narrator: TODAY, SPACE EXPLORATION IS A MULTINATIONAL ENDEAVOR.

THIRTEEN COUNTRIES HAVE AN ACTIVE SPACE PROGRAM.

EVERY NATION MUST LEARN FOR ITSELF

TO HANDLE THE DANGERS THAT WAIT IN THE DARKNESS.

CHINA JOINS THE MAJOR PLAYERS IN SPACE EXPLORATION

WHEN ITS LUNAR ROVER, JADE RABBIT,

TOUCHES DOWN IN AN AREA OF THE MOON

KNOWN AS THE BAY OF RAINBOWS.

Man: A SPACE PROGRAM IS A REAL BADGE OF HONOR

TO SHOW THAT YOU CAN PLAY IN THOSE BIG LEAGUES.

Teitel: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1976

THAT ANY NATION HAS LANDED ANYTHING ON THE MOON.

THE ROVER STARTED WORKING,

AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE GOING FINE.

BUT THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT JUST STOPPED.

NOTHING'S WORKING. DEAD.

Narrator: THE CHINESE SPACE ADMINISTRATION'S

CRYPTIC EXPLANATION

DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM AS A MECHANICAL CONTROL ABNORMALITY.

IT'S REALLY VERY HARD TO READ INTO

THE CHINESE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THEIR PROBLEMS

LIKE THE MECHANICAL CONTROL ANOMALY.

THEIR INSIGHT INTO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IS INCOMPLETE.

Narrator: CHINESE NEWS REPORTS HINT

THAT THE ROVER WAS DELIBERATELY IMPAIRED.

THE STATE MEDIA SUGGESTS THAT THIS COULD BE DUE TO

UFOs SABOTAGING THE JADE RABBIT ROVER.

THEN, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

Narrator: CONSPIRACY THEORISTS USE FOOTAGE FROM THE ISS

AS EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE UFO THEORY.

ENTHUSIASTS ARE LOOKING AT THE LIVE FEED

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

WHEN THEY SEE A STRANGE, ARTIFICIAL OBJECT.

Teitel: IT IS A MASSIVE COINCIDENCE

THAT YOU HAVE THE FIRST CHINESE MISSION ON THE MOON GOING

AND THIS UFO FLYING TOWARDS IT.

Narrator: BUT NASA IDENTIFIES THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

AS THE CYGNUS AUTOMATED SPACECRAFT

DELIVERING SUPPLIES TO THE ISS.

THE CHINESE SPACE AGENCY

RULES OUT EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVOLVEMENT.

THEIR SCIENTISTS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THE ROVER WAS HIT BY METEOR.

THE MOON HAS HAD THIS VIOLENT HISTORY.

AND IT HAS THE SCARS TO PROVE IT.

Teitel: EVERY YEAR, THE MOON IS HIT AT LEAST 100 TIMES BY METEOROIDS.

THAT'S WHY IT'S COVERED IN CRATERS.

Narrator: WHEN NASA's LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

FLIES DIRECTLY OVER THE STRICKEN ROVER,

INVESTIGATORS GET THEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY

TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE.

IT MANAGES TO CAPTURE A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

OF THE WHOLE AREA,

FROM THE INITIAL LANDING SPOT

TO THE BROKEN ROVER'S FINAL RESTING PLACE.

Narrator: JADE RABBIT IS INTACT.

AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FRESH METEOR STRIKES NEARBY.

WHATEVER SNARED THIS RABBIT, IT WASN'T A METEOR.

Narrator: THE CHINESE INVESTIGATION DRAWS A BLANK.

BUT NASA ENGINEERS SUGGEST

THAT JADE RABBIT MAY HAVE BEEN ATTACKED

BY A MYSTERIOUS GRAY SUBSTANCE

THAT PLAGUED PREVIOUS MOON MISSIONS.

THIS MATERIAL IS HAZARDOUS TO EQUIPMENT, HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH,

HAZARDOUS TO THE ENTIRE MISSION.

WE DID EXPERIMENTS WHERE WE BLEW IT AT KEVLAR,

AND IT CUT RIGHT THROUGH IT.

Narrator: DURING THE APOLLO 15 MISSION,

ASTRONAUTS WHO'D BEEN ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

INADVERTENTLY BROUGHT THE DANGEROUS GRAY SUBSTANCE

BACK INTO THE SPACECRAFT WITH THEM.

MY EXPERIENCE ON APOLLO 15 WAS THAT DAVE SCOTT AND JIM IRWIN,

WHEN THEY CAME BACK TO THE COMMAND MODULE,

THEIR SUITS WERE ACTUALLY GRAY.

Oberg: THEIR SPACE SUITS WERE STARTING TO LEAK,

THE JOINTS ON THE SUITS ON SOME OF THE ELBOWS

AND THE SHOULDERS AND THE WRIST JOINTS WERE JAMMING

IN THE SUITS THAT THEY DEPENDED ON FOR THEIR VERY LIVES.

WE HAD TO CLEAN OFF THOSE SUITS.

WE VACUUMED THEM AS BEST BE COULD,

COULDN'T GET IT ALL OFF.

IT WAS JUST STUCK AND WOULD NOT LET GO.

MAN: Uh, light-gray material on either side.

Oh, man. That's incredible.

Narrator: A YEAR LATER, ON APOLLO 17,

THE STRANGE SUBSTANCE EATS THROUGH THREE LAYERS OF KEVLAR

IN ASTRONAUT HARRISON SCHMITT'S BOOT.

ANYTHING THAT CAN BE ROUGH ENOUGH TO SCRATCH THROUGH KEVLAR

IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY HAZARDOUS.

Narrator: AFTER EXAMINING ALL THE EVIDENCE COLLECTED BY NASA,

SPACE EXPERTS IDENTIFIED THE DESTRUCTIVE MATERIAL.

IT TURNS OUT THIS IS MOON DUST.

LUNAR DUST MAY LOOK LIKE A LITTLE, HARMLESS POWDER.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THROUGH A MICROSCOPE,

YOU CAN SEE THIS IS NO ORDINARY DUST.

IT'S ALL TO DO WITH THE SHAPE OF THE PARTICLES.

Narrator: CLOSE EXAMINATION REVEALS THAT MOON DUST

IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM DUST ON EARTH.

Metzger: IT'S BEEN THROUGH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WEATHERING PROCESS.

LUNAR DUST IS WEATHERED BY MICROMETEOROID IMPACTS.

AND THESE WILL CREATE SPLATTERS OF GLASS

THAT WILL SOLIDIFY AND HARDEN DUST

INTO THESE CRAZY, ODD, SHARP SHAPES.

SO THEY'RE LIKE SHARP, LITTLE KNIFE BLADES.

Narrator: THE JAGGED LUNAR DUST HAS ANOTHER DISTURBING PROPERTY

THAT THREATENS ASTRONAUTS.

IT'S ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED

BECAUSE OF THE IONIZING RADIATION

THAT STRIKES THE MOON CONTINUOUSLY.

SO LUNAR DUST HAS THIS CLING-Y FEATURE.

THE SAME WAY THAT YOUR CLOTHES MIGHT STICK TO YOU

WHEN THEY COME OUT OF THE DRYER,

THE DUST WILL STICK TO YOU BECAUSE OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE.

Narrator: TINY KNIVES OF MOON ROCK

WHICH CLING TO ANYTHING THAT COMES NEAR

ARE POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING TO MAN OR MACHINE.

LUNAR DUST IS EXTREMELY ABRASIVE.

AND WHEN IT GETS INTO ROTATING MECHANISMS, ROTATING JOINTS,

IT BEGINS TO CREATE FRICTION.

AND EVENTUALLY, IT'LL BIND UP THE JOINTS

SO THAT THE MACHINE CANNOT MOVE ANYMORE.

THE DUST IS SO SMALL, IF YOU BREATHED IT IN,

IT WOULD ACTUALLY GO DIRECTLY INTO THE BLOODSTREAM.

THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO DANGEROUS.

Narrator: IT'S THESE UNIQUE, DESTRUCTIVE QUALITIES

THAT MAKE SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT MOON DUST

CAUSED THE JADE RABBIT'S BREAKDOWN.

AS FOR NOW, WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY IT FAILED.

BUT CERTAINLY, THE LEADING INDICATOR

IS THAT THE MOON DUST ATE IT.

Narrator: JADE RABBIT LIES FROZEN IN THE BAY OF RAINBOWS.

UNTIL SCIENTISTS CAN FIND A WAY TO COMBAT THE DEADLY DUST,

IT WILL REMAIN A LETHAL HAZARD FOR ANY MOON TRAVELER.

Metzger: WE BELIEVE THAT THE LUNAR DUST

IS THE NUMBER-ONE CHALLENGE IN RETURNING TO THE MOON.

Narrator: UP NEXT, NASA TRIES TO PREVENT PANIC FROM SPREADING

AFTER REPORTS THAT A KILLER ASTEROID IS ABOUT TO HIT EARTH.

Grazier: CHUCKS OF EARTH WILL BE BLOWN UP INTO THE SKY

ONLY TO FALL BACK AS SECONDARY IMPACTS.

Narrator: TERROR GRIPS THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES...

PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT THERE'S A 2 1/2-MILE-WIDE ASTEROID

HEADING FOR THE EARTH.

Narrator: WHILE NASA DENIES THE OBJECT IS A THREAT,

THE U.S. MILITARY MOBILIZES ON AN UNPRECEDENTED SCALE.

Teitel: ALL THE MOST ELITE MILITARY GROUPS IN THE U.S.

ARE PREPARING FOR SOMETHING.

THEY'RE ALL GETTING READY FOR SOMETHING BIG.

♪♪

Narrator: NEWS REPORTS OF AN ASTEROID ABOUT TO HIT EARTH

CAUSE WIDESPREAD ALARM.

IT TAKES ONLY ONE TO DESTROY AN ENTIRE CITY

AND POTENTIALLY KILL MILLIONS.

IF A 2.5-MILE-WIDE ASTEROID STRUCK EARTH,

IT WOULD RUIN OUR WHOLE DAY.

CHUNKS OF EARTH WOULD BE BLOWN UP INTO THE SKY

ONLY TO FALL BACK AS SECONDARY IMPACTS.

THE SHOCK WAVE WOULD BLOSSOM OUT,

DEVASTATING BUILDINGS, TOWNS,

AND ANYTHING THAT GOT IN ITS PATH.

Narrator: TO PREVENT PANIC, NASA ISSUES A STATEMENT.

NASA ISSUES AN ABSOLUTELY CATEGORICAL DENIAL

THAT THERE'S ANY ASTEROID HEADING FOR THE EARTH.

Narrator: BUT LEAKED INFORMATION ABOUT A PLANNED MILITARY OPERATION

FUELS FEARS THAT THE GOVERNMENT

MAY NOT BE REVEALING THE WHOLE TRUTH.

THE MOST ELITE MILITARY UNITS IN THE U.S. ARE MOBILIZING --

THE U.S. SEALS, THE MARINE CORPS.

IT'S LIKE THEY'RE GETTING READY FOR SOMETHING.

THE OPERATION IS CALLED JADE HELM.

THE STATED PURPOSE IS TO MASTER THE HUMAN DOMAIN.

THAT COULD MEAN ANYTHING.

Narrator: THE DATE AND TIME OF THE PREDICTED ASTEROID IMPACT

PASSES WITHOUT INCIDENT.

THIS TIME, THERE IS NO CRISIS

FOR THE SOLDIERS OF OPERATION JADE HELM TO CONFRONT.

BUT THE THREAT OF AN ASTEROID ARMAGEDDON IS ALL TOO REAL.

IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF IF WE'RE GONNA GET A BIG METEOR IMPACT.

THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHEN?

Lubin: OCCASIONALLY, WE GET HIT BY SOMETHING LARGE,

SUCH AS HAPPENED IN RUSSIA NOT TOO LONG IN CHELYABINSK.

AND THAT HAD AN EQUIVALENT ENERGY OF ABOUT 1/2 A MEGATON,

WHICH IS THE SIZE OF

A SIGNIFICANT STRATEGIC THERMONUCLEAR WEAPON.

Narrator: THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OBJECTS

LARGER THAN THE CHELYABINSK METEOR

IN POTENTIALLY DEADLY NEAR-EARTH ORBITS.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO IF A LARGE ASTEROID IS HEADING OUR DIRECTION?

WELL, RIGHT NOW, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING.

WE DON'T HAVE A MITIGATION STRATEGY IN PLACE.

AS CHARLES BOLDEN, THE NASA CHIEF SAID,

THE BEST DEFENSE WE HAVE AGAINST A LARGE ASTEROID IMPACT

IS CURRENTLY PRAYER.

Narrator: NASA ADMITS IT'S POWERLESS TO PREVENT SUCH A DISASTER.

AND MOST EXISTING IDEAS FOR ANTI-ASTEROID DEFENSE MEASURES

ARE PURE SCIENCE-FICTION.

Teitel: IN THE MOVIE "ARMAGEDDON," THEY TAKE A NUKE TO AN ASTEROID,

DRILL DOWN SO THEY CAN BURY IT BEFORE DETONATING IT.

THAT MIGHT WORK, BUT IT'S A HARD THING TO PULL OFF,

EVEN IF YOU'RE BRUCE WILLIS.

THE OTHER BIG, KILLER ASTEROID MOVIE IS "DEEP IMPACT."

IN THAT MOVIE, THE PLAN IS TO ATTACH THRUSTERS TO THE ASTEROID

AND KICK IT OFF ITS COLLISION COURSE WITH THE EARTH.

BUT THAT'S EVEN HARDER TO PULL OFF.

IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK IN THE MOVIE.

Narrator: FORTUNATELY FOR THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF LIFE ON EARTH,

SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING ON MORE PRACTICAL IDEAS

FOR HOW TO STOP A KILLER ASTEROID.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN NUKES AND ROCKET THRUSTERS WON'T WORK?

WELL, YOU CAN PAINT THE ASTEROID WHITE.

Narrator: CHANGING THE COLOR OF AN ASTEROID COULD CHANGE ITS ORBIT

BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A LITTLE-KNOWN PHENOMENON CALLED

THE YARKOVSKY EFFECT.

AS AN OBJECT IS TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE,

IT ABSORBS RADIATION.

IT ABSORBS HEAT FROM THE SUN.

Hyland: AS THE ASTEROID SPINS IN THE SUN,

ONE SIDE OF IT GETS HOTTER THAN THE OTHER.

AND THAT SIDE EMITS MORE HEAT ENERGY

IN THE FORM OF THESE LITTLE PARTICLES OF LIGHT

THAT WE CALL PHOTONS.

AND EACH PHOTON GIVES A LITTLE KICK.

Narrator: THAT KICK EITHER SPEEDS THE ASTEROID UP

OR SLOWS IT DOWN,

DEPENDING UPON WHICH WAY IT'S SPINNING.

PAINTING AN ASTEROID WHITE WOULD MAKE IT ABSORB LESS HEAT

AND ALTER ITS COURSE.

Hyland: AND THAT WOULD RESULT IN A CHANGE

IN THIS IMBALANCE OF HEATING,

MODIFY THE YARKOVSKY EFFECT AND THUS REDIRECT THE ORBIT.

♪♪

Narrator: THE PLAN HAS ONE MAJOR FLAW --

IT COULD TAKE MORE THAN A DECADE

TO ALTER THE COURSE OF A KILLER ASTEROID.

HUMANITY'S BEST HOPE COULD BE THE WORK OF ONE SCIENTIST

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN SANTA BARBARA.

DR. PHIL LUBIN HAS DEVISED A LASER CANNON,

CODE NAMED PROJECT D.E.-STAR.

Lubin: THE LASERS ARE FOCUSED ONTO THE TARGET.

THE TARGET BEGINS TO HEAT.

THE HEATED TARGET EMITS MOLECULES FROM THE SURFACE.

THAT MASS WHICH IS EJECTED

PUSHES THE ASTEROID IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

AND THAT DEFLECTS OR CHANGES THE ORBIT OF THE ASTEROID,

CAUSING IT, HOPEFULLY, TO MISS THE EARTH.

Narrator: IF WE CAN GET THE LASER CANNON CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE TARGET,

WE COULD DEFLECT THE DANGEROUS ASTEROIDS FAST.

SO, ASTEROIDS THE SIZE OF A HOUSE ARE A THREAT.

AND A D.E.-STAR MISSION WOULD NOT TAKE VERY LONG AT ALL

TO DEAL WITH THAT.

IT COULD BE DONE IN WEEKS OR LESS.

Narrator: THE BAD NEWS FOR HUMANITY

IS THAT NONE OF THESE ANTI-ASTEROID DEFENSE MEASURES

WILL BE READY FOR AT LEAST A DECADE.

WE CAN ONLY HOPE WE DON'T NEED THEM ANY SOONER.

Garvie: WE RECKON THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED

AT LEAST 95% OF THE REALLY BIG ASTEROIDS,

THE ONES THAT COULD WIPE OUT OR CHANGE LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

BUT THERE'S STILL THAT 5%.

Narrator: STILL TO COME, FOOTAGE FROM THE ISS

FUELS SPECULATION ABOUT SECRET NASA CRAFT

OPERATING IN EARTH ORBIT.

WE SEE THIS UNUSUAL OBJECT NEXT TO ISS FOR A FEW MINUTES.

AND THEN THE VIDEO FEED CUTS OUT.

[ BEEP ]

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT APPEARS

ON THE CAMERAS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

WHATEVER THIS OBJECT IS,

IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANYTHING THAT'S DOCKED WITH ISS BEFORE.

Narrator: MOMENTS AFTER THE OPTIC MATERIALIZES,

THE LIVE VIDEO FEED GOES DOWN.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

IS THERE SOMETHING NASA DOESN'T WANT US TO SEE?

♪♪

Narrator: THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ORBITS 220 MILES ABOVE EARTH.

THE CAMERAS OF ITS LIVE VIDEO FEED OPERATE 24 HOURS A DAY.

AMATEUR OBSERVERS ARE LOOKING AT

THE LIVE FEED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

WHEN THEY SEE A STRANGE YELLOW ELLIPTICAL-SHAPED OBJECT.

Narrator: PEOPLE WATCHING THE FOOTAGE ON EARTH

NOTICE THE OBJECT SEEMS TO HOLD THE SAME POSITION

RELATIVE TO THE SPACE STATION FOR SEVERAL MINUTES.

JUST MINUTES AFTER IT APPEARS

IN THE LIVE FEED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

THE CAMERA CUTS OUT.

SO THE QUESTION BECOMES, IS THIS A COINCIDENCE?

OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT NASA DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE?

WHENEVER WE SEE SOMETHING UNIDENTIFIED NEXT TO ISS,

WE HAVE TO ASSUME IT'S POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.

Narrator: WHEN THE FOOTAGE GOES VIRAL ON THE INTERNET,

MANY COMMENTERS CLAIM THE OBJECT IS NOTHING MORE

THAN A PIECE OF ORBITAL DEBRIS.

Shostak: SOME PEOPLE SURMISE THIS COULD BE A PIECE OF SPACE JUNK,

A PRETTY BIG PIECE OF SPACE JUNK.

AND THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT WORRYING

TO BE SO CLOSE TO THE ISS.

Narrator: A PIECE OF DEBRIS OF THIS APPARENT SIZE

WOULD BE A DEADLY THREAT TO THE ISS.

BUT THE MYSTERIOUS YELLOWISH OBJECT

DOESN'T BEHAVE LIKE SPACE JUNK.

IT'S NOT JUST A PIECE OF SPACE JUNK

BECAUSE THESE PIECES OF DEBRIS

ARE ORBITING THE EARTH AT 17,500 MILES AN HOUR.

THEY'RE NOT GONNA COME UP TO THE STATION

AND JUST SIT NEXT TO IT NICELY LIKE THAT.

Narrator: EXPERTS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THE OBJECT COULD BE PART OF

THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE ISS.

NOW, THIS THING WASN'T ON THE SCHEMATICS OF THE SPACE STATION.

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN OBVIOUS THING TO CHECK.

SO IT'S SOMETHING ELSE.

THIS APPEARS TO BE ATTACHED TO THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ SITE

AND DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY OF THOSE OTHER KINDS OF MODULES.

Narrator: THE SOYUZ SPACECRAFT IS THE MAIN FORM OF TRANSPORT

FOR ASTRONAUTS TRAVELING TO AND FROM THE ISS.

SO THIS THING WAS RIGHT NEAR THE DOCKING PORT

OF THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ MODULE.

I MEAN, WAS IT TRYING TO COME ABOARD?

DID IT HAVE PERMISSION TO COME ABOARD?

Narrator: COULD THIS MYSTERIOUS YELLOW OBJECT

BE AN UNIDENTIFIED DOCKED SPACECRAFT?

Huston: THE SHAPE OF THE OBJECT IS UNUSUAL.

IT DOES APPEAR TO HAVE SOME POINT TO IT,

WHICH COULD INDICATE THAT IT INTENDS

SOME SORT OF ATMOSPHERIC PENETRATION.

Narrator: THE OBJECT'S AERODYNAMIC, STREAMLINED PROPORTIONS

LEAD SOME OBSERVERS TO THEORIZE THIS COULD REPRESENT

A NEW, TOP-SECRET PROTOTYPE SPACECRAFT.

NASA AND OTHER SPACE AGENCIES HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR YEARS

TO DEVELOP SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT

FOR SPACE TRAVEL, AND THAT'S REUSABLE VEHICLES.

THE CURVES ARE SIMILAR TO A REUSABLE, HYPERSONIC SPACECRAFT

THAT COULD MAKE ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHTS.

Narrator: NASA HAS TWO KNOWN CRAFT BEARING A SUPERFICIAL RESEMBLANCE

TO THE MYSTERY OBJECT,

HYPERSONIC TEST VEHICLES CALLED THE X51 AND THE X43.

THEY HAVE SET WORLD SPEED RECORDS FOR AIRPLANES,

ALTHOUGH THEY'RE UNMANNED, OF MACH 5, 6, AND MACH 7.

THAT'S CALLED HYPERSONIC.

Narrator: BUT NEITHER OF THE KNOWN NASA CRAFT

ARE DESIGNED FOR SPACE MISSIONS.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME WHO SPECULATED

THAT THIS OBJECT WAS THE NEXT ITERATION OF THE X51 OR THE X43.

I DON'T BELIEVE SO.

THE X43 AND THE 51 WERE BOTH WHAT ARE CALLED AIR BREATHERS.

AND THAT MEANS THEY HAD TO HAVE ATMOSPHERE IN ORDER TO FLY.

Narrator: NASA DOES HAVE ANOTHER ENGINE SYSTEM IN DEVELOPMENT

THAT COULD GET A CRAFT OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE

AND FLYING THROUGH SPACE.

THE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC DRIVE

CONVERTS THE ENERGY OF A CRAFT'S MOVEMENT INTO ELECTRICITY.

THEN, IT USES THE ELECTRICITY TO VAPORIZE GAS OR LIQUID,

TURNING IT INTO A PROPELLANT.

THE DESIGN HAS NO MOVING PARTS AND HAS ALREADY PROVEN TO WORK.

ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE

AT 17,000 MILES AN HOUR, YOU CAN JUST KEEP GOING.

SO ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS STOCK UP WITH FUEL AND AIR,

AND YOU CAN GO AS FAR AS YOU WANT.

WHOEVER DEVELOPS THIS TECHNOLOGY FIRST HAS A MASSIVE EDGE.

THEY WILL MAKE SPACE THEIR OWN BACKYARD,

AND EVERYONE ELSE WILL BE STUCK PLAYING CATCH-UP.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE APPEARS NOT TO SUPPORT THE IDEA

THE OBJECT IS AN ADVANCED PROTOTYPE SPACECRAFT.

THIS BRIGHT OBJECT HERE

COULD ACTUALLY BE A LENS REFLECTION OF THE SOLAR PANELS,

WHICH ARE BRIGHTLY LIT ON THIS SOYUZ SPACECRAFT.

OR IT COULD BE AN INTERNAL REFLECTION

OFF OF INSTRUMENTATION

IN THE WINDOW THROUGH WHICH THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN.

Narrator: BUT THE SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS DO NOT SATISFY EVERYONE.

Huston: IT WASN'T LIKE A PIECE OF LINT ON THE LENS

OR SOME OPTICAL ILLUSION OF SOME SORT

BECAUSE THE EARTH MOVED BENEATH IT.

THE LIGHT CAME AND WENT. SHADOWS CAME AND WENT.

AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE AN ACTUAL PRESENCE.

SO THAT'S MYSTERIOUS.

Narrator: COMING UP, PANIC SPREADS

AS SCIENTISTS DISCOVER LIVING ORGANISMS FALLING FROM THE SKY

IN A MYSTERIOUS BLOOD-RED RAIN.

Wainwright: WE PUT THEM UNDER THE MICROSCOPE,

AND WE SEE THEY ARE BIOLOGICAL.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. I CAN'T TELL YOU.

Narrator: A STORM OF BLOOD-RED WATER

FALLS FROM THE SKIES OF SOUTHERN INDIA.

IT LOOKS LIKE A RED RAIN OF BLOOD,

LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A BIBLICAL PLAGUE.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE STRANGE FLUID

SEEMS TO SHOW THE PRESENCE OF SOMETHING LIVING WITHIN IT.

SEEMS LIKE, THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT THIS ORGANISM,

THE LESS WE KNOW.

♪♪

Narrator: SHOWERS OF BIZARRE RED RAIN

SHOCKED THE PEOPLE OF KERALA IN SOUTHERN INDIA.

LOTS OF VILLAGERS COLLECTED

BUCKETS AND BOTTLES FULL OF WATER

THAT WAS, IN SOME CASES, ALMOST BLOOD RED.

Narrator: WHEN THE BLOOD RAIN KEEPS FALLING FOR TWO MONTHS,

FEAR SPREADS AMONG THE PROVINCE'S

30 MILLION INHABITANTS.

IT WASN'T A SIMPLE EVENT THAT HAPPENED IN ONE TINY PLACE.

IT WAS OVER A WIDESPREAD REGION.

AND THE AMOUNT OF WATER INVOLVED WAS HUGE.

IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN IN YOUR HOMETOWN,

YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: TWO INDIAN SCIENTISTS DECIDE TO INVESTIGATE THE MYSTERY.

THE TWO SCIENTISTS WHO INVESTIGATE THIS

GO OUT TO COLLECT SAMPLES TO FIND OUT WHY THE RAIN IS RED.

Narrator: DR. GODFREY LOUIS AND DR. SANTHOSH KUMAR

GATHER SAMPLES OF THE MYSTERIOUS RAIN

AND SPEAK TO WITNESSES ABOUT

THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE RAINFALL.

SCIENTISTS ASKED LOCAL PEOPLE

AND DISCOVERED THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM

JUST BEFORE THE RED RAIN STARTED TO FALL.

Narrator: AN OFFICIAL REPORT SUGGESTS

THE LOUD BANG COULD HAVE BEEN A SONIC BOOM

CAUSED BY A METEOR EXPLODING AS IT HIT EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

A DISINTEGRATING METEOR COULD EXPLAIN THE RED RAIN.

IF THE METEOR EXPLODED,

DUST COULD HAVE REMAINED IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

AND THAT COULD HAVE AFFECTED THE COLOR OF THE NEXT RAIN

WHEN IT STARTED TO FALL.

Narrator: IT'S A PLAUSIBLE THEORY.

EARTH IS BOMBARDED BY

UP TO 78,000 TONS OF METEORITES EVERY YEAR.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THIS IDEA.

THE RAIN ALSO OCCURRED MONTHS LATER,

SIGNIFICANT TIME PERIOD LATER.

HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW THERE COULD BE

THE DEBRIS OF THE SAME METEORITE COMING BACK AGAIN.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY ASTRONOMICAL SENSE

OR METEOROLOGICAL SENSE.

Narrator: LOUIS AND KUMAR EXAMINE THEIR SAMPLES OF RED RAIN

UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

WHEN THEY EXAMINED THE MATERIAL,

THEY FOUND THESE LITTLE, TINY, ROUND RED PARTICLES

ON THE INSIDE OF THE LIQUID.

Narrator: VISUALLY, THE PARTICLES RESEMBLE HUMAN BLOOD CELLS.

BUT THEY DON'T BEHAVE LIKE BLOOD CELLS.

Grazier: WHATEVER THESE THINGS ARE,

INVESTIGATORS SEE THEM REPRODUCING UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

Narrator: REPRODUCTION SUGGESTS THE STRANGE PARTICLES

COULD BE ALIVE.

THEY SEND SAMPLES OF THE RED RAIN

TO MICROBIOLOGISTS IN THE U.K. FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.

WE PUT THEM ON THE ELECTROMICROSCOPE.

WE LOOK AT THEM AT FAR HIGHER MAGNIFICATION.

AND WE SEE MORE COMPLEXITY.

WE CAN SEE MORE DETAIL.

I WAS CONVINCED THEY WERE BIOLOGICAL ENTITIES.

Narrator: THE SCIENTISTS CONDUCT A SERIES OF TESTS

TO CHECK IF THERE REALLY IS

SOMETHING LIVING IN THE RED RAIN.

SO THE NEXT STAGE IS TO SEE IF THEY'VE GOT DNA IN THEM

BECAUSE, OF COURSE, DNA IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH LIFE.

WE CAN DO THAT VERY SIMPLY BY USING A STAIN

WHICH REACTS WITH THE DNA AND LIGHTS UP, ESSENTIALLY,

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.

AND WE DO THIS, AND WE FIND DNA.

Narrator: THEY ARE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE DNA.

BUT ITS PRESENCE IN THE RED RAIN IS UNDENIABLE.

Genge: THE EARTH'S SURFACE IS TEEMING WITH LIFE.

AND DURING VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS,

THAT DUST CAN BE PUT HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

AND SO MOST OF THE DUST THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY

IS LIKELY TO CONTAIN MICROORGANISMS.

Narrator: THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S OFFICIAL REPORT ON THE INCIDENT

STATES THAT THE RED RAIN WAS CAUSED BY ALGAE.

THE MICROORGANISMS TURNED OUT TO BE A LICHEN-FORMING ALGAE.

AND THESE JUST HAPPEN TO BE VERY COMMON

IN THE AREA WHERE THE RED RAIN FELL.

Narrator: BUT FURTHER EXPERIMENTS BY LOUIS AND KUMAR

DO NOT SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT'S ASSERTION

THAT THE ORGANISMS IN THE RAIN ARE ALGAE.

Grazier: THEY EXPOSED THE SAMPLES TO HEAT, TO RADIATION,

TO EXTREME PRESSURE, TO A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS,

AND THE SAMPLES REMAIN UNAFFECTED.

Narrator: THERE ARE FEW KNOWN EARTH LIFE-FORMS

WHOSE CELLS COULD SURVIVE SUCH HARSH TESTS.

THE EVIDENCE LEADS LOUIS AND KUMAR TO MAKE A STARTLING CLAIM.

THESE SCIENTISTS SAY

THAT THE MICROBES COME FROM OUTER SPACE

AND HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO EARTH BY A METEORITE.

Narrator: IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT NASA HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING FOR YEARS.

McKay: FROM EXPOSING ORGANISMS

IN THE LONG-DURATION EXPOSURE FACILITY PUT UP BY SHUTTLE

AND IN EXPERIMENTS PUT UP BY THE U.S. AND EUROPE

ON THE SPACE STATION,

ORGANISMS PUT IN SPACE BUT SHIELDED FROM SUNLIGHT

CAN'T SURVIVE LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

Narrator: NASA'S ALSO FOUND THE COMPONENTS OF LIFE ON SPACE ROCKS.

WE KNOW, FROM STUDIES OF METEORITES

THAT HAVE LANDED ON EARTH

AND NOW FROM STUDIES OF COMETS IN SITU, IN SPACE,

THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE ARE COMMON.

THEY'RE BEING MADE NATURALLY BY THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S ALGAE EXPLANATION

FOR THE BLOOD RAIN IS STILL DISPUTED.

KEY QUESTIONS REMAIN UNANSWERED.

FOR THE MOMENT, NO ONE'S BEEN ABLE TO SEQUENCE THIS ORGANISM,

THAT IS, FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT IT IS BASED ON ITS DNA CONTENT.

FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THE RED RAINS OF KERALA

ARE STILL A PHENOMENA THAT NEEDS TO BE STUDIED.

AND THEY REMAIN A MYSTERY.

Narrator: HALF A CENTURY

AFTER THE FIRST HUMAN STEPPED OUT INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

THE ALIEN ENVIRONMENT REMAINS A STERN TEST FOR MAN AND MACHINE.

THE THREATS FACED BY THE PIONEERS OF SPACE TRAVEL

ARE STILL OUT THERE.

AND EVEN OUR OWN WORLD REMAINS UNDER THREAT.

AS EXPLORATION MISSIONS

PUSH FARTHER INTO THE DEPTHS OF SPACE,

WE WILL ENCOUNTER THINGS THAT ARE EVEN HARDER TO EXPLAIN.