Original subtitles

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

Man: THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW THAN WE DO KNOW.

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE,

IT'S CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Man: TAKING RISK IS PART OF MAKING DISCOVERY.

SPACE EXPLORATION IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH,

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS IN THE SHADOWS.

THERE COULD BE ANYTHING OUT THERE.

Narrator: A SPACECRAFT RETURNING FROM THE I.S.S.

LOSES CONTACT WITH MISSION CONTROL.

THERE'S NO SIGN OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW

AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS CAPTURE A MYSTERIOUS METAL SPHERE

HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE...

INSIDE THE SPHERE, IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,

AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.

Narrator: AND IMAGES FROM THE SURFACE OF VENUS

REVEAL SOMETHING THAT SEEMS TO BE MOVING.

THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING THERE. THE QUESTION IS, "WHAT IS IT?"

Narrator: NASA'S MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED

DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

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

MAN: There are, uh -- there are three objects.

Narrator: ...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX

OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.

THESE ARE...

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

NASA TAKES UNPRECEDENTED STEPS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY

OF THE FIRST MANNED MISSION TO THE MOON.

WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF RISK?

Narrator: BUT RECENTLY UNCOVERED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THE SPACE AGENCY'S SECRET PLANS PREPARING FOR DISASTER.

WE DIDN'T THINK THE FIRST ATTEMPT WOULD EVER MAKE IT.

♪♪

Narrator: NASA MAKES THE FINAL PREPARATIONS

FOR MANKIND'S FIRST VOYAGE TO THE MOON.

THE CLOCK WAS TICKING. YOU HAD TO REACH THERE

TO ACHIEVE JOHN F. KENNEDY'S MANDATE

BY THE END OF THE DECADE SOMETIME IN 1969.

Narrator: NASA DOES NOT GREEN-LIGHT THE MISSION

TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON

UNTIL EVERY PART OF THE SPACECRAFT

IS RATED 99.9% RELIABLE.

EVERYTHING THAT THE ASTRONAUTS DID

HAD BEEN CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT WELL IN ADVANCE

TO MINIMIZE THE RISK.

Narrator: BUT MEMBERS OF NASA'S ASTRONAUT CORE

HAVE THEIR OWN PRIVATE FEARS.

THE FEELING AMONGST THE ASTRONAUT CORE

WAS THAT THERE'S A BIG CHANCE

THAT THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE IT.

MAN: The vehicle is starting to pressurize.

We are go for Apollo 11.

♪♪

Narrator: RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

SUGGEST NASA WAS FULLY PREPARED FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG.

THEY CONTAIN A SPEECH

FOR THE PRESIDENT TO DELIVER IF THE MISSION ENDED IN TRAGEDY.

WILLIAM SAPPHIRE,

PRESIDENT'S SPEECH WRITER, WROTE A SPEECH.

THAT SPEECH TALKED ABOUT THE HEROIC ASTRONAUTS

AND HOW THEY'VE GIVEN THEIR LIFE FOR THE CAUSE OF EXPLORATION.

IT WAS A VERY FINELY CRAFTED SPEECH.

THESE BRAVE MEN, NEIL ARMSTRONG

AND EDWIN ALDRIN,

KNOW THAT THERE IS NO HOPE FOR THEIR RECOVERY,

BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS HOPE FOR MANKIND

IN THEIR SACRIFICE.

THE PRESIDENT'S STAFF WROTE THIS SPEECH

FOR WHAT NASA CONSIDERED TO BE

THE MOST LIKELY DISASTER SCENARIO --

TWO ASTRONAUTS LANDING ON THE MOON

BUT NEVER RETURNING.

YOU'RE FACED WITH ASTRONAUTS WHO ARE ON THE SURFACE

AND ARE ALIVE AND ARE THERE UNTIL THEY RUN OUT OF OXYGEN.

♪♪

PEOPLE WOULD LOOK AT THE MOON AT NIGHT

AND REALIZE TWO DEAD AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS

WERE ON THE LUNAR SURFACE FOREVER.

Narrator: DESPITE ALL OF NASA'S CAREFUL PREPARATION,

THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

OUTLINED IN THE PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH

ALMOST CAME TRUE.

ONCE THEY GOT INTO THE MISSION,

IT WAS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD UNTIL THEY WENT TO THE LANDING.

Narrator: AS THEY ENTER THE FINAL STAGES OF THE DESCENT,

ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN

REALIZE THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE PLANNED LANDING SITE.

THE AUTOMATED LANDING SYSTEM WAS GONNA BRING THEM DOWN

IN A ROCKY FIELD.

THE MINUTE THAT NEIL SAW THESE BOULDERS,

THE QUESTION WAS CAN HE FIND A PLACE TO LAND?

Narrator: CONTACT WITH A BOULDER

COULD DAMAGE ONE OF THE MODULE'S LANDING LEGS.

IF ONE OF THOSE LEGS BREAKS,

WE'RE SUNK

'CAUSE WE PROBABLY CAN'T LAUNCH OFF THE MOON FROM THERE.

THAT'S THE END OF IT.

Narrator: ARMSTRONG DISENGAGES THE AUTOMATED CONTROLS

AND MANUALLY PILOTS THE MODULE TO A NEW LANDING SITE.

♪♪

[ BEEPS ]BUT THE DIVERSION

BURNS UP VALUABLE FUEL.

HE WAS COMING CLOSE TO RUNNING OUT OF GAS.

Narrator: FOR THE ASTRONAUTS TO SURVIVE THE MISSION,

THEY MUST LAND WITH ENOUGH FUEL REMAINING FOR TAKE-OFF.

HE'S GOT A MINUTE OF FUEL REMAINING, PERIOD.

Narrator: THEY ARE SECONDS AWAY FROM THE EXACT SCENARIO

NASA MOST FEARED.

WE WERE ALL THINKING THE ODDS ARE NOT GOOD.

WE'RE STARTING TO TIME IT, AND HE'S TRYING TO FIND A PLACE.

HE'S NOT TALKING.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL IS LESS THAN A MINUTE AWAY

FROM ORDERING AN ABORT

WHEN ARMSTRONG EXECUTES A PERFECT TOUCHDOWN.

♪♪

ARMSTRONG: Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.

THEY JUST KEEP GOING UNTIL THEY TOUCH DOWN.

THEY DID A GREAT JOB.

HELLO, NEIL AND BUZZ.

THIS CERTAINLY HAS TO BE THE MOST HISTORIC TELEPHONE CALL

EVER MADE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.[ RADIO CHATTER ]

Narrator: APOLLO 11's LANDING WAS A CLOSE CALL,

JUST AS NEIL ARMSTRONG HAD EXPECTED.

NEIL ARMSTRONG SAID HE THOUGHT HE ONLY HAD A 50% CHANCE

OF ACTUALLY MAKING THE LANDING SUCCESSFULLY.

NO ONE CAN BE CERTAIN OF ALL THE RISKS

INVOLVED IN A FEAT

NEVER BEFORE ATTEMPTED IN HUMAN HISTORY.

WE ALL KNEW THAT A LOT OF LUCK WAS INVOLVED IN THIS.

THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE UP IN NASA HEADQUARTERS

THAT DIDN'T WANNA MAKE ANY MORE LANDINGS.

Narrator: WHAT CANBE SAID

IS THAT THE RISK DID NOT DETER THE PIONEERS OF SPACE TRAVEL.

WE COULD PERISH ON A FLIGHT, BUT IF WE DID,

THE GOOD SIDE OF THAT IS THAT

WE'D BE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS FOREVER.

Narrator: UP NEXT, A SPACECRAFT

RETURNING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DISAPPEARS.

OUT OF CONTACT WITH MISSION CONTROL,

THEY COULD BE HEADED FOR DISASTER.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: A RETURN FLIGHT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

RUNS INTO TROUBLE DURING RE-ENTRY.

IT'S MOVING WAY TO FAST.

YOU GOT SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

MISSION CONTROL LOSES CONTACT WITH THE SPACECRAFT.

SOYUZ TMA-11 APPEARS TO VANISH.

THERE'S NO SIGN

OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.

Narrator: APRIL 19, 2008.

AT THE END OF A GROUND-BREAKING 6 MONTH MISSION,

NASA'S FIRST FEMALE COMMANDER PEGGY WHITSON UNDOCKS

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND HEADS HOME.

PEGGY WHITSON HAS NOW BROKEN THE RECORD

FOR THE AMERICAN FEMALE WITH THE MOST HOURS IN SPACE,

AND SHE AND HER TWO CREWMATES,

THEY'RE STARTING THEIR JOURNEY BACK TO EARTH.

Narrator: THE 4-HOUR JOURNEY TO EARTH

WILL BE A LANDMARK FLIGHT.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME WOMEN ACTUALLY OUTNUMBERED MEN

ONBOARD A SPACECRAFT SINCE 1963.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL IN KOROLEV

JUST OUTSIDE MOSCOW

GIVES THEM THE GREEN LIGHT TO BEGIN RE-ENTRY.

EVERYTHING IS LINED UP.

ALL SYSTEMS ARE OPERATING NORMAL,

AND THEY'RE SET TO LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN.

Narrator: JUST AS THE CAPSULE ENTERS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

IT STARTS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY.

SMOKE APPEARS IN THE CABIN.

WE HAVE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.

THERE'S NOT A THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

THIS IS A SERIOUS EMERGENCY.

THAT CAPSULE CAN BREAK UP AT ANY MOMENT.

THE SPACECRAFT IS OUT OF CONTROL

AND PICKING UP SPEED AS IT HURDLES TOWARDS EARTH.

THEY'RE TEARING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

AT 25 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.

AT THAT SPEED, THE G-FORCES CAN DO SERIOUS DAMAGE.

INSIDE THE SOYUZ, THE CREW

EXPERIENCES 8 TIMES THE FORCE

OF EARTH'S GRAVITY CRUSHING THEIR BODIES.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT PEGGY WAS FEELING

AS THESE 8G SPIKES WERE GOING THROUGH HER BODY.

[ RATTLING ]

I COULD TELL YOU FROM LANDING IN THE SPACE SHUTTLE

THAT 3 G's IS A LOT TO EXPERIENCE.

G-FORCE CAN KILL YOU.

IT'S BASICALLY LIKE GETTING CRUSHED BY A BIG WEIGHT.

Narrator: THE UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT

ALSO INFLICTS CRITICAL DAMAGE TO THE SOYUZ HEAT SHIELD.

[ ALARM SOUNDING ]

THE OUTSIDE OF THE SPACECRAFT

IS HEATING UP TO AN EXCESS OF 3,000 DEGREES.

THEY'VE LOST CONTACT WITH MISSION CONTROL.

THE ANTENNA HAS BURNED OFF.

Narrator: RUSSIAN MISSION CONTROL RECEIVES NO DATA

FROM THE CRAFT DURING RE-ENTRY,

BUT IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

OUT OF CONTACT WITH MISSION CONTROL,

THEY COULD BE HEADED FOR DISASTER.

THERE'S NO SIGN OF THE CAPSULE OR THE CREW

AT THE INTENDED LANDING SITE.

MISSION CONTROL ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED.

Narrator: PUBLICLY, THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY, ROSCOSMOS,

GIVES NO HINT OF THE POTENTIAL DISASTER.

RUSSIAN TV IS ANNOUNCING THEIR SAFE RETURN,

ANOTHER TEXTBOOK MISSION.

THE FATE OF PEGGY WHITSON AND THE REST OF THE CREW

REMAINS UNKNOWN

UNTIL A FARMER 250 MILES

FROM THE PLANNED LANDING SITE SEES SOMETHING IN THE SKY.

SOME KAZAKH FARMER SEE ESSENTIALLY AN EXPLOSION

IN THE SKY

AND WHAT LOOKS LIKE DEBRIS FALLING TO THE GROUND.

THEY HEAR A BOOM, SEE SMOKE IN THE SKY,

AND THEN SEE A SPACECRAFT SEEM TO EXPLODE.

IT'S THE CAPSULE. THE HEAT SHIELD SEPARATES.

THE PARACHUTES DEPLOY,

BUT IT STILL SLAMS INTO THE GROUND.

Narrator: OVER 3 TONS OF CAPSULE AND CREW

CRASHES DOWN ONTO THE HARD KAZAKH PLAIN.

THE FARMERS RUSH OVER EXPECTING TO FIND CARNAGE.

IT COULD BE A VERY GRAVE SITUATION.

INCREDIBLY, THE THREE ASTRONAUTS INSIDE ARE BADLY SHAKEN

BUT OTHERWISE UNHARMED.

IT'S REMARKABLE TO BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THAT

AND BE ABLE

TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND -- AND GO HOME.

Narrator: THEIR TERRIFYING ELEVATOR DROP FROM SPACE

IS WHAT SCIENTISTS CALL A BALLISTIC ENTRY.

A BALLISTIC ENTRY IS TYPICALLY AN EMERGENCY MODE

WHEN SOME OF THE SYSTEMS HAVE FAILED

AND IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO ACCURATELY CONTROL THE ENTRY.

Narrator: A BALLISTIC ENTRY ENDANGERS

BOTH THE SPACECRAFT AND THE CREW.

THE DESCENT MODULE COMES IN AT AN EXTREME STEEP ANGLE.

THAT'S JUST A BIG ROUND SPHERE COMING IN.

THERE'S NO CONTROL.

Stott: YOU'RE GONNA BE SWINGING. YOU'RE GONNA BE SPINNING.

G-FORCES BUILD UP TO VERY EXTREME LEVELS.

QUITE HONESTLY, IT'S GONNA BE LIKE A CAR CRASH.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: SOMETHING MUST HAVE HAPPENED

TO THE SOYUZ MODULE TO SEND IT

INTO THIS HIGHLY UNUSUAL FLIGHT PATH.

ASTONISHINGLY, THE RUSSIANS CLAIM THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT

WAS THE FEMALE-DOMINATED CREW.

ACCORDING TO THE HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,

IT WASN'T MAYBE A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION

SO MUCH AS A GENDER PROBLEM.

PERMANOV WAS ACTUALLY QUOTED AS SAYING,

"WHEN A MAJORITY OF THE CREW IS FEMALE,

"SOMETIMES CERTAIN KINDS OF UNSANCTIONED BEHAVIOR

OR SOMETHING ELSE OCCURS."

Narrator: PERMANOV'S STATEMENT CLEARLY

BLAMES THE FEMALE-DOMINATED CREW FOR THE BALLISTIC ENTRY.

ROSCOSMOS INITIALLY STATED THAT THE CREW

CHANGED THE FLIGHT PLAN JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY.

Narrator: BUT NASA SUSPECTS A TECHNICAL FAULT.

THE ANSWER TURNS OUT TO BE EXPLOSIVE.

[ BOOM ]

Narrator: JUST BEFORE RE-ENTRY,

THE ASTRONAUT CAPSULE OF THE SOYUZ

IS ATTACHED TO A SERVICE MODULE.

THE TWO PARTS OF THE SPACECRAFT

ARE SUPPOSED TO SEPARATE WITH THE DETONATION

OF FIVE EXPLODING BOLTS THAT CONNECT THEM.

ONE OF THE FIVE PYRO-BOLTS

HOLDING THE CRAFT TOGETHER FAILED TO DETONATE.

WHICH MEANS THAT THE TWO MODULES STAY CONNECTED

FOR A HUNDRED SECONDS MORE THAN THEY NORMALLY SHOULD.

FAILURE TO SEPARATE ON TIME IS WHAT SENDS THE SOYUZ OFF COURSE.

WITH THAT BOLT ATTACHED, IT'S ALMOST

LIKE THE DESCENT MODULE

IS COMING IN WITH A TRAILER ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF IT.

THIS IS NOT THE WAY YOU WANNA ENTER EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

AS SOON AS THE PROBLEM IS IDENTIFIED,

ALL EXISTING SOYUZ SPACECRAFT

ARE MODIFIED TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT FROM RE-OCCURRING.

BUT ONE UNMODIFIED CAPSULE

IS STILL DOCKED WITH THE SPACE STATION.

COSMONAUTS VOLCOV AND KONONENKO

WENT AND DID A 6-HOUR SPACE WALK

AND ACTUALLY DISCONNECTED THE PYRO-BOLT

THAT DOESN'T FIRE ON THAT SPACECRAFT.

♪♪

Narrator: THE SOYUZ IS STILL THE PRIMARY MEANS FOR TRAVEL

TO AND FROM THE I.S.S..

THE HARD LESSONS LEARNED FROM PEGGY WHITSON'S EXPERIENCE

WILL BENEFIT ALL FUTURE ASTRONAUTS

WHO SERVE THERE.

PEGGY'S EXPERIENCE COMING HOME IN A BURNING,

TUMBLING SOYUZ GETTING 8 G's IS SIMILAR

TO WHAT SANDRA BULLOCK WENT THROUGH IN THE MOVIE "GRAVITY."

THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, AS ASTRONAUTS, DO.

WE -- WE GET OURSELVES READY FOR THE UNKNOWN.

♪♪

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

SCIENTISTS CAPTURE AN UNIDENTIFIED METALLIC SPHERE

HIGH IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

THAT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,

AND NOW IT'S OOZING OUT.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER

A MYSTERIOUS METALLIC SPHERE HURDLING INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE.

IT IS MADE PRINCIPALLY OF TITANIUM,

WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.

Narrator: A CLOSE INSPECTION SEEMS

TO REVEAL SOMETHING ALIVE INSIDE.

IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT, THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

Narrator: A TEAM OF ASTROBIOLOGISTS

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

SEARCHES FOR SIGNS OF ALIEN LIFE INFILTRATING OUR ATMOSPHERE.

THEY USE WEATHER BALLOONS EQUIPPED WITH G.P.S. TECHNOLOGY

TO GATHER EVIDENCE.

THEY USE THE WEATHER BALLOONS AS A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE WAY

OF SEEING WHAT'S UP THERE IN THE STRATOSPHERE.

WE HAVE A CD DRAWER

WHICH CAN OPEN AND CLOSE AT ANY ALTITUDE WE CHOOSE.

WHEN IT'S OPEN,

IT CONTAINS THESE LITTLE, ROUND STUBS,

AND THE MATERIAL FALLS ONTO THE STUBS.

VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, VERY SIMPLE.

Narrator: THE RESEARCH RIG FLIES 16 MILES

UP TO REACH THE STRATOSPHERE.

AT THIS ALTITUDE, TEMPERATURES REACH MINUS 68 FAHRENHEIT

AND HUNDRED-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS ARE COMMON.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ESSENTIALLY FISHING TRIPS.

WE SENT UP BALLOONS, AND WE CATCH WHAT WE CATCH.

AFTER 17 MINUTES OF SAMPLING AT 84,000 FEET,

THE C.D. DRAWER CLOSES

AND THE PAYLOAD PARACHUTES BACK TO EARTH.

THE TEAM FOLLOWS STRICT PROTOCOLS

TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION

WHILE TAKING THE SAMPLES BACK TO THE LAB FOR ANALYSIS.

SO WE PUT THE STUBS

INTO THESE VERY HIGH POWERED SCANNING ELECTROMICROSCOPE

THAT LOOKS AT THE SURFACE OF THE STUB.

Narrator: THE SAMPLES SIT ON SMALL CIRCLES OF STERILE CARBON.

ON ONE OF THEM, THE TEAM SPOTS A STRANGE SPHERE

ABOUT THE WIDTH OF A HUMAN HAIR.

NOW THIS IS A -- A PHOTOGRAPH, AN IMAGE,

OF WHAT WE SEE DOWN THE ELECTROMICROSCOPE.

YOU CAN SEE IT'S A SPHERICAL BALL.

I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S SPHERICAL

EXCEPT THAT SPHERES ARE VERY STABLE OBJECTS.

Narrator: SOME OBSERVERS CLAIM THE SAMPLE IS NO MYSTERY.

IT IS SIMILAR IN SIZE

TO GRASS SEEDS OR GRAINS OF POLLEN.

BOTH OCCUR NATURALLY AT HIGH ALTITUDES.

THERE HAVE BEEN RECORDS

EVEN OF SPIDERS BEING FOUND IN THE STRATOSPHERE

AND MICROBES.

IF HURRICANES AND OTHER WEATHER PHEMONENA

CAN BRING UP SPIDERS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

THEN YES, I WOULD EXPECT THAT GRASS SEEDS

AND POLLEN CAN GET THERE AS WELL.

Narrator: THE SHEFFIELD TEAM BOMBARDS

THE STRANGE SPHERE WITH X-RAYS

TO GET CLUES TO ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.

WE DID E.D.X. ANALYSIS, X-RAY ANALYSIS.

WE FIND THAT IT IS MADE, PRINCIPALLY, OF TITANIUM

WITH A LITTLE BIT OF VANADIUM, WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.

Narrator: TITANIUM IS A RATE METAL

NORMALLY FOUND DEEP IN THE EARTH'S CRUST,

NOT OVER 15 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

MICROSCOPIC INVESTIGATION OF THE SAMPLE

REVEALS ANOTHER STARTLING DISCOVERY.

A DENT IN THE HARD CARBON SURFACE

OF THE SAMPLE COLLECTION STUB

RESEMBLES A TINY IMPACT SITE.

SO, WE'VE GOT THIS AMAZING IMPACT, RIGHT?

AND NOW THAT IS JUST KIND OF EQUIVALENT

TO THE IMPACT CRATER

THAN AN ASTEROID WOULD CAUSE IF IT HIT THE EARTH.

SO, WE THINK THIS IS A MINI ASTEROID, AS IT WERE.

♪♪

Narrator: BUT CRITICS POINT OUT

THAT FINDING TITANIUM ENTERING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE IS POSSIBLE.

IT COULD SIMPLY BE A FRAGMENT OF SPACE JUNK.

ONE HAS TO REMEMBER

THAT THERE ARE PARTICLES OF TITANIUM IN EARTH ORBIT

THAT RE-ENTER ALL THE TIME.

THESE ARE PARTICLES THAT ARE PUT THERE

BY EXPLODING SPACECRAFT IN LOW EARTH ORBIT.

IT'S NOT SURPRISING

THAT THEY EVENTUALLY GET CAPTURED

BY THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AND COME DOWN.

Narrator: WHEN THE TEAM ATTEMPTS TO MOVE THE SPHERE,

THEY MAKE A DISTURBING DISCOVERY

THAT MAKES THE SPACE JUNK HYPOTHESIS SEEM UNLIKELY.

WHEN WE MOVE THE BALL ACROSS,

MATERIAL STREAMS FROM THE BALL.

WHEN WE DO AN ANALYSIS ON THAT,

WE FIND IT'S MADE OF CARBON AND OXYGEN

WITH A BIT OF NITROGEN.

Narrator: THERE IS SOMETHING OOZING FROM THE METAL SPHERE,

AND TESTS REVEAL THE STRANGE MATERIAL

CONTAINS ORGANIC MATTER.

SO IT'S LIVING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL, WE BELIEVE.

SO THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN INSIDE THE SPHERE,

AND NOW, BECAUSE WE'RE MOVING IT ACROSS,

IT'S OOZING OUT.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY OF ORGANIC MATTER INSIDE THE SPHERE

OPENS THE DOOR TO AN AMAZING HYPOTHESIS.

WHEN I SEE THE SPHERE,

ONE POSSIBILITY THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THAT MAYBE IT'S A DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR PANSPERMIA.

THE IDEA OF PANSPERMIA IS LIFE EVERYWHERE,

THAT MICROORGANISMS

COULD BE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE COSMOS

AND COULD BE TRAVELING FROM ONE BODY TO ANOTHER.

SEEDS CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.

SPORES CAN TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE.

LIFE IS NOT BLOCKED BY SPACE.

Narrator: NOT EVERYONE ACCEPTS THE CLAIM

THAT THE SPHERE IS TRANSPORTING LIFE FROM AN ALIEN WORLD.

IT SEEMS A LEAP TO SUGGEST THAT IT COMES, UH,

FROM OUTER SPACE RATHER THAN FROM EARTH.

EXCEPTIONAL CLAIMS REQUIRE EXCEPTIONAL EVIDENCE.

Narrator: IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SUCH A TINY PIECE OF METAL

COULD'VE TRAVELED ACROSS SPACE ON ITS OWN,

BUT THE SHEFFIELD TEAM

BELIEVES IT MAY HAVE BEEN PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER.

SO WHAT WE'RE THINKING

IS POSSIBLY THIS MATERIAL COMES FROM COMETS.

SO, IT'S COMING IN IN LARGE PIECES OF ICE.

LIFE COULD BE TRAPPED IN THE ICE AND SENT OUT FROM OTHER PARTS

OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT COULD THEN TRAVEL TO EARTH,

GO THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE AND LAND IN OUR OCEANS

AND TAKE UP RESIDENCE.

Narrator: IF THE METAL SPHERE IS INDEED

TRAVELING BETWEEN PLANETS, SEEDING BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL,

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STAGGERING.

IF WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS CORRECT THEN THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.

IT CHANGES BIOLOGY.

BIOLOGY IS NO LONGER AN EARTH-CENTERED SUBJECT.

IT'S CONNECTED TO THE COSMOS.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE EVERYWHERE.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

AN ASTRONAUT ON A SPACE WALK DISCOVERS DAMAGE TO HIS SUIT.

ASTRONAUT LIVES ARE AT STAKE. NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: 200 MILES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,

AN ASTRONAUT DISCOVERS A BREACH IN HIS SPACE SUIT.

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.

YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT,

THAT COULD KILL YOU VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: NASA LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION

TO FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY DAMAGE.

THEY NOTICED SEVERAL, UH, CUTS

IN THE FINGERTIPS ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES

AS IF SOMEONE HAD TAKEN A RAZOR BLADE

AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.

♪♪

Man: FROM RICK MASTRACCHIO'S HELMET CAMERA, GOOD VIEW

AS, UH, CLAY ANDERSON,

HE MERGES TO BEGIN THE SECOND SPACE WALK

OF HIS CAREER.

Narrator: I.S.S. ASTRONAUTS RICK MASTRACCHIO

AND CLAY ANDERSON

ARE ALMOST FIVE HOURS INTO A SPACE WALK.

THEIR MISSION IS TO REPOSITION

ONE OF THE STATION'S COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNAE.

AN ASTRONAUT OUTSIDE DOING E.V.A.,

HE'S ABLE TO IMPROVISE OR FIX THINGS

THAT MIGHT BE MORE DIFFICULT TO DO ROBOTICALLY.

HUMANS ARE VERY FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE,

AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS

WHY IT'S USEFUL TO HAVE HUMANS IN SPACE.

Man: RICK MASTRACCHIO AT THE END OF THE STATION'S ROBOTIC ARM,

TAKES A RIDE TO THE P-6 SOLAR RAY TRUSS STRUCTURE.

Narrator: WITH TWO AND A HALF HOURS OF THE MISSION REMAINING,

MASTRACCHIO CARRYS OUT A ROUTINE CHECK ON HIS GEAR.

SUDDENLY, HE NOTICES THAT, UH, ON HIS LEFT THUMB,

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND OF A CUT ON HIS GLOVE.

Narrator: WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE SPACE WALK

BECOMES AN EMERGENCY.

YOU'RE IN THE HARD VACUUM OF SPACE,

AND YOU GET A HOLE IN YOUR SUIT.

THAT COULD KILL YOU VERY QUICKLY.

IF YOU LOSE THE PRESSURE IN YOUR SUIT,

YOUR FLUIDS IN YOUR BODY WOULD BEGIN TO BOIL.

Narrator: DESPITE THE DANGER, MASTRACCHIO KEEPS COOL

AND REPORTS THE DAMAGE TO MISSION CONTROL.

Narrator: THE DANGER OF A SUIT RUPTURE

FORCES MISSION CONTROL TO ORDER AN ABORT.

THE REACTION IS TO GET BACK INSIDE THE SPACE STATION

AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: MASTRACCHIO'S TASKS REMAIN UNCOMPLETED,

BUT WITH THE ASTRONAUT'S LIFE AT STAKE,

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE.

YOU CAN'T IGNORE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

WHEN ASTRONAUT LIVES ARE AT STAKE,

NASA HAS TO INVESTIGATE.

Narrator: MASTRACCHIO SURVIVES, BUT NASA NEEDS TO FIND OUT

WHAT CAUSED THE POTENTIALLY DEADLY DAMAGE TO HIS GLOVE.

THE PRIMARY LAYER OF HIS GLOVE ON THE LEFT THUMB,

HE HAD SOME DAMAGE TO THAT.

Narrator: MASTRACCHIO COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY A MICROMETEOROID.

IT'S SOMETHING WE WORRY ABOUT, MICROMETEOROID DEBRIS,

UH, ACTUALLY HITTING A SUIT.

Narrator: SPACE SUITS ARE DESIGNED

TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING AN E.V.A. CAN THROW AT THEM.

THE SPACE SUIT IS DESIGNED

TO ABSORB THE IMPACT OF A MICROMETEOROID IN --

IN MUCH THE SAME WAY

THAT SOMETHING LIKE A BULLETPROOF VEST WOULD BE.

Narrator: TO ABSORB THE IMPACT

OF MICROMETEOROIDS FLYING FASTER THAN A RIFLE BULLET,

MODERN SPACE SUITS

USE LAYERS OF A SPECIAL TYPE OF POLYESTER CALLED MYLAR.

MYLAR IS VERY THIN,

SO YOU CAN ADD A LOT OF LAYERS IN A SMALL AREA,

AND BY ADDING ALL THOSE LAYERS,

EACH LAYER IS ABLE TO ABSORB A LITTLE BIT

OF THE IMPACT FORCE OF SOMETHING LIKE A MICROMETEOROID.

BY THE TIME THE MICROMETEOROID GETS TO THE LAYER

THAT HOLDS THE AIR IN,

IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FORCE TO PUNCTURE THE SUIT.

Narrator: IF THE DAMAGE TO MASTRACCHIO'S GLOVE

DID NOT HAPPEN OUTSIDE THE SPACE STATION,

IT MUST HAVE HAPPENED INSIDE.

THE ASTRONAUTS TAKE VERY GOOD CARE

OF THE SPACE SUITS AND ALL OF THE HARDWARE.

THERE'S NO WAY

THIS SUIT WOULD'VE BEEN DAMAGED INSIDE THE STATION,

BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS

WE CHECK VERY CAREFULLY

BEFORE ANYBODY GOES OUT THE HATCH.

Narrator: BUT RICK MASTRACCHIO IS NOT THE FIRST ASTRONAUT

TO SUFFER AN UNEXPECTED TEAR IN HIS GLOVES.

IN OCTOBER 2000, LEROY CHOW

WAS INSTALLING POWER CONVERTER UNITS

ON THE I.S.S. EXTERIOR.

SO, MY SECOND, UH, SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION,

I'M OUTSIDE DOING TWO SPACE WALKS.

AND IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER THE MISSION WAS OVER

THAT THEY NOTICED SEVERAL,

UH, CUTS ON THE FINGERTIPS ON BOTH OF MY GLOVES

AS IF SOMEONE HAD TAKEN A RAZOR BLADE

AND CUT THE RUBBER MATERIAL.

Narrator: NASA LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT

WHAT IS SLICING ITS SPACE SUITS.

THE 2-WEEK INQUIRY REACHES AN ASTONISHING CONCLUSION.

THE PERPETRATOR IS THE I.S.S. ITSELF.

WHEN YOU'RE ON A SPACE WALK, YOU'RE SPACE WALKING

WITH YOUR HANDS ALONG THESE HANDRAILS.

Narrator: THE HANDRAILS ALONG THE SIDES OF THE I.S.S.

HELP ASTRONAUTS MOVE QUICKLY AND EASILY IN ZERO GRAVITY,

BUT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY EXPOSED TO THE HAZARDS OF SPACE.

MICROMETEOROID DAMAGE CAUSES PITTING

AND THEN CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE A SHARP EDGE TO BE FORMED.

IN THAT CASE, IF AN ASTRONAUT THEN RUNS HIS HAND OVER IT, UH,

IT'S POSSIBLE TO CUT THE GLOVE.

Narrator: THE THREAT OF THESE TINY, JAGGED, METAL CRATERS

FORCES NASA TO REVISE ITS E.V.A. PROCEDURES.

ON THE SPACE WALKS WE DO NOW,

EVERY 45 MINUTES, AS YOU'RE GETTING A SUNRISE OR A SUNSET,

THEY'RE ALSO HAVING YOU PHYSICALLY REPORT TO THEM,

"WHAT DO YOUR GLOVES LOOK LIKE?

"DO YOU SEE ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR GLOVE

FROM THE LAST TIME YOU REPORTED TO ME?"

WHEN YOU GET BACK INSIDE AFTER YOUR SPACE WALK,

THE FIRST THING THEY DO BEFORE THEY TAKE YOUR GLOVES OFF IS

THEY PHOTOGRAPH YOUR GLOVES...[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

SO THAT YOU CAN DOCUMENT

WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM.

♪♪

Narrator: TO COMBAT THE THREAT,

NASA IS DEVELOPING A NEW GENERATION OF SPACE SUITS.

SKIN SUIT 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.

THEY'RE SKIN-TIGHT. THEY'RE DYNAMIC.

THIS IS A PUT IT ON,

TIGHTEN THE SUIT, WALK OUT THE DOOR,

DO YOUR BUSINESS IN SPACE. IT'S --

IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW PARADIGM FOR SPACE SUIT DESIGN.

♪♪

Narrator: UP NEXT,

A MYSTERIOUS MOON ORBITING SATURN

VANISHES FROM THE NIGHT SKY.

BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS, THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY,

MOONS DON'T DO THAT.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: A LEGENDARY ASTRONOMER DISCOVERS A NEW MOON.

THIS IS A MAJOR SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.

Narrator: BUT WITHIN WEEKS OF ITS DISCOVERY,

THE MOON VANISHES.

THIS IS BAFFLING. WHERE DID IT GO?

♪♪

Narrator: AT THE NEWLY BUILT PARIS OBSERVATORY,

ASTRONOMER GIOVANNI CASSINI

BEGINS HIS OBSERVATIONS OF SATURN.

IMAGINE YOURSELF AS GIOVANNI CASSINI

IN THE 17th CENTURY.

HE'S USING A VERY RUDIMENTARY TELESCOPE,

POINTING IT AT SATURN.

Narrator: CASSINI NOTICES SOMETHING

PASSING ACROSS THE FACE OF THE RINGED PLANET.

HE FINDS A MOON.

ASTRONOMERS LATER NAME IT IAPETUS

AFTER ONE OF THE TITANS FROM GREEK MYTHOLOGY.

DISCOVERING A MOON OF A PLANET IS A MAJOR DISCOVERY.

YOU WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT.

AND SO, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT,

GIOVANNI IS LOOKING THROUGH HIS TELESCOPE,

LOOKING AT IAPETUS.

Narrator: BUT AS IT PASSES TO THE EASTERN SIDE OF SATURN,

IAPETUS VANISHES.

♪♪

ONE NIGHT, WHILE HE'S WATCHING, IT DISAPPEARS.

IT'S LIKE SOME HUGE COSMIC MAGIC TRICK.

POOF.

♪♪

BY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS,

THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY, MOONS DON'T DO THAT,

AND HE NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS.

Narrator: CASSINI COMES UP WITH A THEORY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

HE HAD ONE IDEA.

THE IDEA WAS THAT ONE SIDE OF THE MOON WAS BRIGHT,

AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON WAS DARK.

WHEN IT WAS COMING TOWARDS YOU, YOU COULD SEE IT.

IT WAS NICE AND BRIGHT.

MOON'S GOING AWAY, YOU COULDN'T SEE IT.

BUT HOW COULD THAT BE?

NO PLANET IS LIKE THAT. NO MOON IS LIKE THAT.

Man: AND LIFT-OFF OF THE CASSINI SPACECRAFT

ON A BILLION-MILE TREK TO SATURN.

Narrator: CASSINI'S THEORY

REMAINS UNTESTED FOR MORE THAN 300 YEARS.

IN 1997, NASA LAUNCHES A PROBE

TOWARDS SATURN NAMED AFTER THE GREAT ASTRONOMER.

CASSINI CARRYS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED SUITE

OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS EVER TAKEN

INTO THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: WHEN THE PROBE FLIES BY IAPETUS,

IT SENDS BACK HIGH-DEFINITION IMAGES...

THAT REVEAL SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.

WHAT YOU SEE IS THIS RIGID MATERIAL

GOING AROUND THE EQUATOR OF THE MOON.

IT'S AN AMAZINGLY HIGH RIDGE.

IT'S ABOUT THREE TIMES LARGER THAN EVEREST.

Narrator: THE RIDGE IS COLOSSAL --

800 MILES LONG AND UP TO 12 MILES HIGH.

WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING THAT'S UNIQUE

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

A GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURE

THAT BASICALLY CROSSES THE ENTIRE OBJECT.

WHERE DOES SUCH A LARGE, COHERED,

BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE COME FROM?

HOW IS IT CREATED?

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS STRUGGLE

TO EXPLAIN THE PRESENCE OF THE MOUNTAINOUS RIDGE

ON A WORLD THAT SHOULD NOT BE GEOLOGICALLY ACTIVE.

THE BEST THEORY WE HAVE RIGHT NOW

IS THAT SOMETHING CAME IN

AND IMPACTED THE SURFACE OF IAPETUS.

[ EXPLOSION ]

AN ENORMOUS RING OF DEBRIS SPRUNG UP AROUND THE PLANET.

THIS RING CIRCLED AROUND IAPETUS AND SPREAD ITSELF OUT,

BUT EVENTUALLY, IT WAS DRAWN BACK DOWN ONTO THE PLANET,

CREATING THIS RING-LIKE STRUCTURE AT ITS EQUATOR.

Narrator: BUT THE CASSINI DATA OFFERS NO SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

FOR THE THEORY THAT AN IMPACT CREATED THE RIDGE ON IAPETUS.

WE'VE BEEN IN ORBIT NOW FOR A LONG TIME,

AND WE STILL REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES THIS RIDGE.

IT MAY BE ONE OF THOSE MYSTERIES

THAT, YOU KNOW, STAYS WITH US EVEN AFTER CASSINI IS OVER.

Narrator: THE IMAGES FROM THE PROBE RAISE A NEW MYSTERY,

BUT THEY ALSO OFFER AN ANSWER TO AN OLD ONE.

THEY CONFIRMED THAT, YES, IN FACT, IAPETUS HAS TWO SIDES.

IT HAS A LIGHT SIDE AND A DARK SIDE.

THE SURFACE OF THE LIGHT SIDE IS BRIGHT, SHINING ICE,

BUT THE OTHER DARK SIDE IS COVERED

IN A STRANGE MATERIAL OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN.

OF COURSE, THE QUESTION WAS WHERE DID

THAT DARK MATERIAL COME FROM?

Narrator: THE FIRST THEORY SCIENTISTS CONSIDERED

IS THAT THE DARK MATERIAL COULD BE FROM VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT INTERNAL PROCESSES CAUSED THIS --

VOLCANOES SPRAYING OUT, UH, MATERIALS.

Narrator: BUT THE CASSINI IMAGES SHOW NO SIGNS OF ANY VOLCANOES.

THERE'S NO VOLCANISM OR ANYTHING

THAT REVEALS ANY KIND OF GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.

♪♪

Narrator: THE DARK SIDE REMAINS A MYSTERY

UNTIL NASA DIRECTS THE GAZE

OF THE INFRARED SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE

TOWARD THE DISAPPEARING MOON.

EVEN FARTHER OUT FROM SATURN IS A RING THAT WE CAN'T SEE,

BUT WE CAN SEE IT WITH INFRARED.

WHAT SPITZER IS SHOWING US

IS THIS ENORMOUS, VAST RING OF DUST,

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETELY UNKNOWN.

Narrator: THE ENORMOUS RING

SURROUNDS ONE OF SATURN'S LESSER KNOWN MOONS.

IT'S ACTUALLY SO THICK

THAT 20 SATURNS COULD BE STACKED UP INSIDE OF IT.

AND INSIDE THAT RING IS ANOTHER MOON CALLED PHOEBE.

Narrator: PHOEBE IS AN UNUSUAL DARK COLOR

AND APPEARS TO BE DISINTEGRATING.

PHOEBE IS VERY PECULIAR,

AND AS IT WARMS UP FROM THE SUN'S RADIATION,

GOING AROUND SATURN,

IT'S EMITTING ALL SORTS OF MATERIAL.

IT'S LIKE THIS OLD CAR

SPEWING OUT ALL KINDS OF CITY DUST AS IT GOES

AND LEAVING THIS RING OF MATERIAL AROUND SATURN.

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE DISINTEGRATING MOON

IS THE MOST LIKELY SOURCE OF THE DARK MATERIAL

COVERING ONE SIDE OF IAPETUS.

IAPETUS IS CIRCLING SATURN, AND EVERY TIME IT GOES AROUND,

IT SMASHES INTO THIS RING FROM PHOEBE,

AND IT'S, LIKE, ACCUMULATING, UH, BUGS

ON THE WINDSHIELD OF A CAR, AND SO THIS DUSTING

ACCUMULATES ONTO THE FRONT SURFACE OF IAPETUS

AS IT CIRCLES AROUND,

AND INDEED, IT'S THE LEADING SURFACE

OF IAPETUS IN ITS ORBIT THAT IS DARK.

♪♪

Narrator: MORE THAN 3 CENTURIES AFTER CASSINI

FIRST DISCOVERED THE DISAPPEARING MOON,

THE SPACECRAFT THAT BEARS HIS NAME

IS STILL PUSHING BACK THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE.

IT'S STILL GIVING US ALL SORTS OF MYSTERIES TO TRY TO SOLVE.

♪♪

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

IMAGES FROM THE PLANET VENUS

APPEAR TO SHOW SOMETHING MOVING ON THE SURFACE.

IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE.

IN THE NEXT SHOT, IT'S OVER HERE.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: A SOVIET SPACE PROBE

REACHES THE HOTTEST PLANET IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

VENUS IS REALLY AN INHOSPITABLE PLACE TO VISIT.

Narrator: THE PROBE SENDS BACK IMAGES

WHICH SEEM TO SHOW SOMETHING MOVING ON THE SURFACE.

NO LIFE FORM WE KNOW OF CAN EXIST AT THOSE TEMPERATURES,

SO WHAT IS IT?

♪♪

Narrator: THE SOVIET VENERA 13 SPACE PROBE

NEARS THE END OF ITS 4-MONTH JOURNEY TO THE PLANET VENUS.

♪♪

A LANDER PACKED WITH A PAYLOAD OF CAMERAS

AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

PLUNGES MORE THAN 30 MILES THROUGH CLOUDS OF SULFURIC ACID

TO REACH THE SURFACE.

AMERICA MAY BE THE FIRST NATION TO LAND HUMANS ON THE MOON,

BUT THE SOVIET UNION NAILS THE EXPLORATION OF VENUS.

IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR, UH, SPACE EXPLORATION,

A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE MOON AND MARS,

AND VENUS IS KINDA LEFT BEHIND

WHEN VENUS MAY BE THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE TO OBSERVE.

Narrator: IN THE COLD WAR ERA, THE SOVIETS

KEEP THE FINDINGS OF THE PROBE A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET.

DURING THE 1970s AND '80s,

WE KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE VENERA MISSIONS TO VENUS.

Narrator: IT TAKES THREE DECADES BEFORE A RUSSIAN SCIENTIST,

LEONID KSANFOMALITI,

REVEALS ASTONISHING IMAGES FROM THE SOVIET ARCHIVES.

HE'S REANALYZING PICTURES,

AND HE NOTICES SOMETHING RATHER STRANGE.

Narrator: THERE'S SOMETHING UNUSUAL

IN THE BARREN LANDSCAPE.

THERE'S CLEARLY SOMETHING THERE, BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT?

Orwoll: HE SEES WHAT LOOKS LIKE A DISK.

Narrator: THE DISK SEEMS TO BE MOVING.

IN ONE SHOT, IT'S HERE,

AND IN THE NEXT SHOT, IT'S OVER HERE.

♪♪

Narrator: BUT NASA IMAGE ANALYSIS

SUGGESTS THAT THE ANOMALY IS NOT A SINGLE OBJECT THAT MOVED.

IT IS ACTUALLY TWO SEPARATE BUT SIMILAR-LOOKING OBJECTS

WHICH HAVE FALLEN FROM THE SPACECRAFT ITSELF.

NASA PHOTO ANALYSTS, UPON REVIEWING THE PHOTOGRAPHS,

HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY PROBABLY THE LENS CAPS

FROM THE TWO VENERA CAMERAS.

Narrator: BUT THE RUSSIAN SCIENTIST

SPOTS ANOTHER SHAPE IN THE IMAGE THAT IS HARDER TO EXPLAIN.

HE SEES WHAT APPEARS TO BE A SCORPION TO HIM.

KSANFOMALITI DECLARES THE PROBE'S CAMERAS

HAVE CAPTURED EVIDENCE OF LIFE ON VENUS.

♪♪

A SCORPION-LIKE CREATURE ON THE SURFACE OF VENUS

SOUNDS A LITTLE OUT THERE,

BUT IS THERE A WAY THAT VENUS COULD SUPPORT LIFE?

Narrator: ANY LIFE ON VENUS WOULD FACE HUGE PROBLEMS.

♪♪

THERE ARE A LOT

OF UNAPPEALING PLACES IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

BUT PROBABLY NONE AS UNAPPEALING AS VENUS.

IF YOU DECIDED TO TAKE A STROLL ON VENUS,

IT'D BE UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU'D EVER EXPERIENCED.

THE ATMOSPHERE WOULD BE CRUSHING ON YOUR BODY.

THE ROCKS UNDERNEATH YOUR FEET WOULD BE RED-HOT,

ALMOST MOLTEN, READY TO MELT.

♪♪

THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE ON VENUS IS OVER 800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THAT'S HOT ENOUGH TO MELT LEAD.

VENUS IS OFTEN SAID TO BE EARTH'S SISTER PLANET,

ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT THE SISTER YOU'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

BECAUSE OF THE HIGH TEMPERATURES.

Narrator: IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY FURTHER EVIDENCE

FOR THE EXISTENCE OF SCORPION CREATURES ON VENUS,

WE CAN ONLY GUESS AT WHAT THE SHAPE IN THE IMAGE MIGHT BE.

MY TAKE ON THIS IMAGE

IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT A FURROW

THAT WAS DUG BY THIS INSTRUMENT COVER

AFTER IT WAS EJECTED FROM THE VENERA 13 CRAFT.

[ RUMBLING ]

Narrator: NASA SENDS ITS OWN PROBE

PIONEERED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH

INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE ON VENUS.

THERE'S AN IMPORTANT, UH, ZONE ON VENUS

WHICH IS ACTUALLY SURPRISINGLY EARTH-LIKE,

AND THAT IS THE CLOUDS -- THE HIGH CLOUDS

WHICH ARE OCCURRING AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES

THAT ARE NOT THAT DIFFERENT FROM EARTH'S SURFACE.

Narrator: IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS,

THERE ARE CONSTANT RAINS OF SULFURIC ACID

WHICH WOULD BE DEADLY TO MOST KNOWN FORMS OF LIFE,

BUT NOT ALL.

WE DO KNOW LIFE ON EARTH EXISTS IN VERY INHOSPITABLE PLACES.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN CAVES, YOU GET SOME BACTERIA,

THESE EXTREMOPHILE BACTERIA,

THAT CAN EXIST IN A VERY ACIDIC ENVIRONMENT

SOMEWHAT LIKE BEING IN YOUR CAR BATTERY.

♪♪

Narrator: IF LIFE CAN THRIVE IN ACID ENVIRONMENTS ON EARTH,

IT CAN EXIST WITHIN THE ACID CLOUDS OF VENUS.

WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD EXIST IN THE CLOUDS OF VENUS?

IT WOULD BE A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURED FROM BOTTOM TO TOP,

FROM THE SIMPLEST TO THE MOST COMPLEX.

YOU CAN HAVE PREDATORS FLYING THROUGH.

YOU CAN HAVE HUGE COLONIAL CREATURES

LIVING ABOVE IN THE CLOUDS,

MOVING LIKE BEAUTIFUL BALLOONS

FLOATING OVER THE SURFACE OF VENUS.

WHO KNOWS, BECAUSE NATURE ALWAYS AMAZES US

WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE.

Narrator: TODAY, SCIENTISTS ARE INVESTIGATING

IF VENUS COULD SUPPORT ANOTHER FORM OF LIFE -- HUMANKIND.

IF HUMANS ARE GOING TO SURVIVE INDEFINITELY INTO THE FUTURE,

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE EARTH.

WE SEE IT IN THE FOSSIL RECORD THAT FROM TIME TO TIME,

MUCH OF EARTH'S LIFE GETS WIPED OUT,

AND THE MORE PLANETS WE HAVE, THE BETTER.

Narrator: SURVIVING IN THE VENUSIAN CLOUDS

MIGHT NOT BE AS FAR-FETCHED AS IT SOUNDS.

THE SOURCE OF OXYGEN IS ALREADY THERE.

IT'S JUST A MATTER

OF EXTRACTING IT FROM THE CARBON DIOXIDE.

WATER'S THERE. NITROGEN'S THERE.

YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO IMPORT ANY BASIC LIFE SUPPORT MATERIAL.

IT'S ALL THERE. YOU JUST NEED TO PROCESS IT.

♪♪

Narrator: THE TECHNOLOGY TO TURN THESE IDEAS

INTO REALITIES IS ALREADY IN DEVELOPMENT.

INFLATABLE MODULES ARE ALREADY BEING CONSIDERED

FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

SO IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG STEP TO IMAGINE THAT

THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY COULD BE USED TO MAKE A HABITAT

THAT COULD FLOAT IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF VENUS.

Narrator: COULD EARTH'S TWISTED SISTER

BECOME OUR NEXT HOME?

IT'S PURE SPECULATION TODAY,

BUT WE COULD SEE AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE,

A HUMAN COLONY ON VENUS.

Narrator: ALMOST HALF A CENTURY

AFTER MAN FIRST SET FOOT ON THE MOON,

THERE ARE STILL ASPECTS OF THE MISSION SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

ARMSTRONG: Tranquility Base. The Eagle has landed.

Narrator: THE ARCHIVES OF COLD WAR RIVALS

STILL CONTAIN SECRETS.

AND NEW DISCOVERIES CHALLENGE EVERYTHING WE THINK WE KNOW.

♪♪