All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S03E07.Red.Storm.Rising.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

♪♪

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

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

THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator:
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

TAKING RISK IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERIES.

SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH.

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

THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE.

Narrator: A MALFUNCTION
ON THE MIR SPACE STATION

LEAVES TWO ASTRONAUTS
TRAPPED IN HARD VACUUM.

YOU CAN SURVIVE
IN YOUR SPACE SUIT

BUT ONLY FOR SO LONG.

IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION,
SUITS BECOME YOUR WORST ENEMY.

Narrator:
NASA'S PLUTO PROBE REVEALS

A BIZARRE ALIEN LANDSCAPE.

THERE WERE MOUNTAINS,
BIG GLACIERS.

WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH THIS STRANGE LITTLE WORLD?

AND A CIRCLE OF GLOWING LIGHTS
HOVERS IN THE SKIES

NEAR THE NERVE CENTER
OF THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM.

THIS ISN'T SOME LITTLE FARM
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

THIS IS OVER HOUSTON.

WHEN YOU SEE A CIRCLE OF LIGHTS
IN THE SKY

THAT'S UNIDENTIFIED,

A LOT OF PEOPLE
GO STRAIGHT TO "ALIENS."

♪♪

Narrator: NASA'S MISSIONS

HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...

Man: OKAY, WE'RE SEEING
THREE OR FOUR OUT THERE.

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

Narrator:
THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX

OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.

THESE ARE...

AN URGENT SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH PROJECT

FORCES NASA TO USE RUSSIA'S
CRUMBLING MIR SPACE STATION.

THE MIR SPACE STATION
IS A POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP,

AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT.

Narrator: WILL TWO ASTRONAUTS
PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE?

THEY'RE LOCKED
OUT OF THE SPACE STATION.

THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY
TRAPPED IN SPACE.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING.

[ SONAR PINGS ]

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 1997.

RUSSIA'S MIR SPACE STATION
IS FALLING APART.

OVER THE LAST 7 MONTHS,

A SEQUENCE
OF UNSETTLING INCIDENTS

HAS ENDANGERED THE LIVES
OF NASA ASTRONAUTS.

[ EXPLOSION, ALARM SOUNDS ]

THERE WAS A FIRE,
AND IT WAS CAUSED

BY THE MALFUNCTION
OF AN OXYGEN CANDLE DEVICE,

WHICH ACTUALLY
BURNS CERTAIN CHEMICALS

TO RELEASE OXYGEN.

FIREBALLS SHOT OUT OF IT
ACROSS THE SPACECRAFT,

ACTUALLY TRAPPED
THE CREW MEMBERS

AWAY FROM THE --
FROM THE RESCUE VEHICLE

THAT THEY'D HAVE TO GET INTO

IF THEY HAD TO EVACUATE
THE SPACE STATION.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUT JERRY LINENGER

BARELY ESCAPES WITH HIS LIFE.

RUSSIA COMPLETELY DOWNPLAYS
THE FIRE.

THEY SAY IT LASTED
FOR ONLY 90 SECONDS.

BUT WHEN JERRY LINENGER
FINALLY COMMUNICATES WITH NASA,

HE TELLS THEM
IT LASTED FOR 14 MINUTES.

AND IT WAS OUT OF CONTROL.

Narrator:
SOON AFTER THE FIRE,

A SPACECRAFT
ON A ROUTINE RESUPPLY MISSION

COLLIDES WITH MIR.

Gutheinz:
AGAIN, DISASTER STRIKES.

THE RESUPPLY SHIP
CRASHES INTO THE SPEKTR MODULE.

THE HULL IS CRACKED.

OXYGEN VENTS INTO SPACE.

THE SOLAR RAY IS DESTROYED.

AND THE MIR BEGINS TO ROTATE
OUT OF CONTROL.

MIR IS ADRIFT FOR 2 WEEKS.

Narrator:
NASA KNOWS HOW DANGEROUS MIR IS.

BUT A MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
INTO CURES FOR A.I.D.S.

URGENTLY REQUIRES AN EXPERIMENT
IN ZERO-G CONDITIONS.

MIR IS THE ONLY ZERO-G LAB
IN EXISTENCE.

THEY WANT TO SEND
THE ASTRONAUT, DAVID WOLF,

UP TO THE SPACE STATION, MIR,
WITH THE RUSSIANS.

BUT MIR IS KIND OF PLAGUED
BY A LOT OF ISSUES,

A LOT OF PROBLEMS.

Narrator: ASTRONAUT DAVID WOLF
BECOMES A MISSION SPECIALIST

ON MIR EXPEDITION 24.

SO ON SEPTEMBER 25th,

DAVID LIFTS OFF TO FLY UP
TO THE MIR SPACE STATION.

STRAIGHTAWAY,
HE STARTS TO NOTICE LOTS

OF PROBLEMS ON BOARD,
SPECIFICALLY CONDENSATION.

UH, HE SEES LARGE BALLS
OF ESSENTIALLY SLIMY, GOOEY,

UH, CONDENSATE MIXED IN
WITH, UH, SLIME.

Narrator:
RIGHT FROM THE START,

MIR'S PROBLEMS
HAMPER WOLF'S MISSION.

THERE WERE NUMEROUS
POWER OUTAGES ON THE MIR.

NOVEMBER, THERE WERE 4 DAYS
THAT THEY WENT WITHOUT POWER.

DESPITE ALL THE PROBLEMS,

HE'S ACTUALLY ABLE TO GET
SOME VERY VALUABLE SCIENCE

COMPLETED AND GET
SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTS

DONE THAT ARE
ON A VERY LONG LIST.

Narrator: AS A MEMBER
OF MIR CREW,

WOLF MUST ALSO ASSIST
WITH THE MAINTENANCE

OF THE SPACE STATION.

HE PREPARES
FOR HIS FIRST SPACE WALK

ALONGSIDE EXPERIENCED COSMONAUT
ANATOLY SOLOVYEV.

SPACE WALKS ARE CONSIDERED,
I THINK TO BE,

ONE OF, IF NOT THE MOST,
DANGEROUS THINGS THAT WE DO.

Narrator: WOLF AND SOLOVYEV
CONDUCT AN EXTENSIVE EXAMINATION

OF THE STATION'S EXTERIOR,

SEARCHING FOR SIGNS
OF WEAR AND DAMAGE.

THEY'VE BEEN OUT THERE
FOR 3 HOURS.

EVERYTHING'S BEEN GOING JUST
ACCORDING TO PLAN, SMOOTHLY.

AND IT'S TIME TO HEAD BACK
INTO THE SPACE STATION.

AT THE END
OF THE SCHEDULED E.V.A.,

THEY CLIMB INTO MIR'S AIRLOCK
READY TO REPRESSURIZE.

ONCE YOU'RE IN THE AIRLOCK,
YOU THINK, "THAT'S IT."

YOU'RE SAFE. BUT REALLY,
YOU'RE ONLY HALFWAY THERE.

Narrator:
WHEN THEY TRY TO SEAL

THE AIRLOCK'S OUTER DOOR
BEHIND THEM,

IT REFUSES TO CLOSE.

UNTIL THE OUTER HATCH IS SEALED,

YOU CAN'T RE-PRESSURIZE
THE AIRLOCK.

AND WITHOUT REPRESSURIZING
THE AIRLOCK,

THERE'S NO WAY
TO OPEN THE INNER DOOR.

THEY'RE LOCKED
OUT OF THE SPACE STATION.

THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY
TRAPPED IN SPACE.

Narrator: THREE HOURS
AFTER THEY STARTED THE E.V.A.,

THE ASTRONAUTS
ARE RUNNING OUT OF AIR.

THE LONGER YOU'RE TRAPPED
OUTSIDE OF YOUR CAPSULE,

YOU HAVE TO BE AFRAID
OF OVERCONSUMPTION

OF YOUR OXYGEN RESOURCES

'CAUSE THERE ARE
VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES.

Narrator:
A BUILDUP OF CARBON DIOXIDE

COULD KILL THEM
BEFORE THEY RUN OUT OF AIR.

ULTIMATELY, CO2 CONCENTRATIONS
WILL BUILD UP INSIDE THE SUIT,

UH, BECOMING TOXIC
AT A CERTAIN LEVEL,

WHICH WILL LEAD TO ASPHYXIATION.

[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]

♪♪

Narrator:
FOR THE NEXT 4 HOURS,

THEY MAKE REPEATED ATTEMPTS
TO FIX THE OUTER SEAL.

THERE'S ONE LAST
DESPERATE HOPE FOR THEM,

AND THAT'S TO USE ONE
OF THE OTHER MODULES

OF THE SPACE STATION
AS AN AIRLOCK.

Narrator: THEIR ONLY HOPE
OF SURVIVAL IS TO TURN ONE

OF MIR'S HABITATION MODULES
INTO AN IMPROVISED AIRLOCK.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT SOLUTION
IS THAT

THAT MODULE IS NOT DESIGNED

FOR GUYS
IN BIG, BULKY SPACE SUITS

TO BE CRAWLING IN AND OUT OF IT.

Narrator: BUT BOTH ASTRONAUTS
ARE CONNECTED

TO THE STATION'S EXTERIOR
BY LIFE-PRESERVING TETHERS.

TO GET
INTO THE HABITATION MODULE,

THEY'LL HAVE TO DISCONNECT.

WHILE THE TETHERS
USUALLY JUST KEEP YOU

FROM FLOATING OFF INTO SPACE,
MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE

THAT THE TETHERS ALSO HELP
REGULATE THE SUIT TEMPERATURE.

ONCE THE TETHER ISN'T HOOKED,
YOU'VE GOT 5 MINUTES

BEFORE YOU'RE COOKED ALIVE
INSIDE YOUR SUIT.

Narrator: THE PLAN IS RISKY,

BUT THE ALTERNATIVE
IS A SLOW DEATH BY ASPHYXIATION.

THEY DISCONNECT, BUT INSTANTLY,

THE HEAT MAKES THEIR SUIT VISORS
FOG UP, AND THEY'RE BLIND.

[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]

Narrator: STRUGGLING TO SEE,

THE ASTRONAUTS FEEL THEIR WAY
TO THE HABITATION MODULE.

THEY HAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY,

BUT MOVING QUICKLY IN A SUIT
MEANS EXERTING A LOT OF ENERGY.

YOU'RE GONNA HEAT UP,

AND YOU'RE GONNA PRODUCE
EVEN MORE FOG INSIDE THE SUIT.

Narrator: WITHOUT THEIR TETHERS,

THE ASTRONAUTS
ARE AT RISK OF HEAT STROKE,

AND TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY.

AFTER A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
OF EFFORT,

THEY'RE ABLE
TO BUNDLE THEMSELVES

INTO THE TEMPORARY AIRLOCK,
GET THE OUTER HATCH SHUT

AND THEN GET BACK
INTO THE MIR SPACE STATION.

Narrator: WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
A 4-HOUR E.V.A.

BECAME A GRUELING 12-HOUR FIGHT
FOR SURVIVAL.

♪♪

DESPITE THE CLOSE CALL,
THE MIR SPACE STATION

REMAINS IN SERVICE
FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS.

WHEN YOU GO
TO AN AGING SPACE STATION,

YOU'RE GONNA
EXPECT SOME PROBLEMS.

BUT NOT THE SERIOUS ONES
THAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: COMING UP --
3 BILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

A NASA PROBE DISCOVERS MOUNTAINS

ON A WORLD THAT SHOULD BE
GEOLOGICALLY DEAD.

WE NEVER EXPECTED IT
TO LOOK LIKE THIS.

SO WHAT'S CAUSING
THESE MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS?

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: A NASA PROBE
DISCOVERS SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE

ON THE SURFACE OF PLUTO.

PLUTO JUST BLOWS
EVERYONE'S MIND.

THERE'S MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS
ON THIS TINY PLANET

3 BILLION MILES AWAY.

HOW CAN THAT BE?

Narrator: PLUTO SHOULD BE
GEOLOGICALLY DEAD.

WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH THIS STRANGE LITTLE WORLD?

Narrator: AS NASA MISSIONS
PUSH FARTHER OUT

TOWARDS THE LIMITS
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

WE'RE DISCOVERING MORE
AND MORE EVIDENCE

OF FORCES WE DON'T UNDERSTAND.

3 BILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

NASA'S NEW HORIZON PROBE
BEGINS THE FIRST FLYBY OF PLUTO.

WE'VE SEEN IMAGES
OF PLUTO FROM HUBBLE,

FROM GROUND-BASED TELESCOPES.

BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

WE'RE EVER GOING TO SEE
ANYTHING ON THE SURFACE.

WHAT PLUTO LOOKS LIKE UP CLOSE
AND PERSONAL IS ANYONE'S GUESS.

Narrator:
EVEN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT,

IT TAKES MORE THAN 4 HOURS
FOR IMAGES FROM THE PROBE

TO REACH SCIENTISTS ON EARTH.

WE BEGAN TO SEE
THIS REALLY STRANGE,

DARK, MYSTERIOUS SURFACE.

Narrator: THE PICTURES REVEAL
SOMETHING TOTALLY UNEXPECTED,

TOWERING ABOVE
THE BLEAK LANDSCAPE OF ICE.

SO WE SEE PLUTO
HAS MOUNTAINS -- BIGMOUNTAINS.

EVERYBODY IS SHOCKED.
NO ONE WAS EXPECTING TO FIND

FEATURES QUITE LIKE THIS
ON PLUTO.

WE EXPECT THE SURFACE OF PLUTO

TO BE MUCH LIKE THE OTHER
ICY MOONS AND PLANETS --

A SURFACE OF ICE
WITH A SMATTERING OF CRATERS.

HOW WRONG WE WERE.

Narrator:
THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAINS

ARE AS HIGH AS THE ROCKIES.

THE DISCOVERY PROMPTS SCIENTISTS
TO SPECULATE

HOW MOUNTAINS FORMED
ON THIS COLD, BARREN WORLD.

ON EARTH, WE GET MOUNTAIN RANGES
BECAUSE OF PLATE TECTONICS.

THEY SIT ON TOP OF THE PLANET

BECAUSE WE HAVE
THIS MOLTEN CORE.

THEY MOVE AGAINST EACH OTHER,
AND AS THEY PUSH UP

AGAINST EACH OTHER,
THEY CREATE A MOUNTAIN RANGE.

Narrator:
BUT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

PLUTO DOES NOT HAVE
A MOLTEN CORE.

WE'RE PRETTY CERTAIN
PLATE TECTONICS

ISN'T HAPPENING ON PLUTO.

IT'S FROZEN.

IT HAS A LITTLE CORE
OF SOLID ROCK ON THE INSIDE

AND A BIG,
THICK LAYER OF SOLID ICE.

YOU CAN'T HAVE IT CONVECTING
AND MOVING AROUND

AND CAUSING
THE COLLIDING OF CRUST

TO MAKE MOUNTAIN RANGES
LIKE WE HAVE ON EARTH.

Narrator:
WITH TECTONICS RULED OUT,

SCIENTISTS CONSIDER
WHAT OTHER FORCE

COULD BE AT WORK ON PLUTO.

ONE OTHER WAY THAT MOUNTAINS
CAN BE FORMED IN OTHER BODIES

OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
IS JUST FROM GRAVITY.

Bagenal: WE KNOW FROM LOOKING
AT OTHER OBJECTS --

MOONS OF JUPITER, FOR EXAMPLE,

THAT SOMETIMES THE MOONS
CAN INTERRUPT THE SURFACE

AND CRACKING AND WARPING.

AND THIS DRIVES MOUNTAINS,
VOLCANOES,

AND BIG RIFTS AND VALLEYS.

MAYBE THE SAME THING IS
HAPPENING AT PLUTO WITH CHARON.

Narrator: CHARON IS THE LARGEST
OF PLUTO'S FIVE ORBITING BODIES.

IT TRAVELS AROUND THE DWARF
PLANET EVERY 6 DAYS.

BUT CHARON IS TINY COMPARED
TO JUPITER'S MOONS.

SO COULD THESE FORCES
BETWEEN PLUTO AND CHARON

BE DRIVING THESE MOUNTAINS?

DOESN'T SEEM TO BE LIKELY.

THEY'RE IN A VERY TIGHT ORBIT.

AND SO IT'S A VERY STEADY
BEHAVIOR BETWEEN THEM.

IT'S NOT DRIVING,
WARPING AND CHANGING

AND CONSTANTLY VARYING.

IF CHARON'S PULL ISN'T CREATING
THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAINS,

WHAT OTHER COSMIC FORCES
COULD BE AT WORK?

ANOTHER EXPLANATION IS THAT
PLUTO HAS JUST BEEN BOMBARDED

WITH OBJECTS
FROM THE KUIPER BELT,

WHICH IS THIS MASSIVE RING
OF MILLIONS OF ROCKS

FLYING AROUND
OUTSIDE THE ORBIT OF NEPTUNE,

SMASHING INTO EACH OTHER.

THE PROCESS OF BODIES
COMING FROM OUTSIDE,

STRIKING ANOTHER BODY,

EXCAVATING IT AND CREATING
RAMPARTS OF CRATERS

WHICH MAYBE LATER ON,
BY SOME PROCESS,

GET ERODED DOWN,
SO ALL YOU SEE ARE MOUNTAINS.

IF ENOUGH
OF THESE KUIPER BELT OBJECTS

HIT PLUTO IN THE RIGHT WAY,
IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT COULD LOOK

LIKE THERE WERE
VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS

ON THE SURFACE OF THIS PLANET.

BUT THAT'S NOT
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.

Bagenal:
WE SEE THESE MOUNTAINS ON PLUTO.

THEY'RE STICKING UP AND POINTY.

BUT THEY DON'T LOOK
LIKE IMPACT CRATERS.

THEY DON'T LOOK
LIKE THEY'RE BEING FORMED

BY SOMETHING
HITTING THE SURFACE.

JUST DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT.

Narrator: A POTENTIAL CLUE TO
THE MYSTERY OF THE MOUNTAINS

COMES FROM IMAGES OF A VAST,
CURIOUSLY FLAT PLAIN

NEXT TO THE GIANT PEAKS.

ONE OF THE MOST EXOTIC SURFACES
ON PLUTO IS SPUTNIK PLANUM.

BIG, WHITE AREA, EXPANSIVE ICE.

Narrator:
THE MASSIVE ALIEN ICE SHEET

IS LIKE NOTHING
WE HAVE ON EARTH.

IT'S ICE, BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT.

WHAT THESE IMAGES ARE SHOWING
IS FROZEN CARBON DIOXIDE,

METHANE AND NITROGEN
ON THE SURFACE OF PLUTO

THAT COULD BE MOVING SIMILARLY
TO HOW GLACIERS MOVE ON EARTH.

NO ONE EXPECTED TO SEE ANYTHING

THAT LOOKS
LIKE GLACIERS ON PLUTO.

THIS IS FASCINATING.

Narrator: THIS FROZEN DESERT
INSPIRES A NEW THEORY --

THAT GLACIAL ACTIVITY COULD HAVE
CREATED THE MILE-HIGH MOUNTAINS.

SO WE SEE THIS BIG
GLACIAL SYSTEM ON PLUTO.

COULD THAT BE CAUSING
THE MOUNTAINS?

COULD IT BE CARVING OUT

AND LEAVING
THE MOUNTAINS BEHIND?

Porco: IT'S POSSIBLE THAT PLUTO,
IN THE PAST, HAS HAD GLACIERS --

GLACIERS OF NITROGEN ICE,

A MUCH SOFTER,
MORE VOLATILE ICE THAN WATER...

AND ACTUALLY JUST
SCOURED THESE MOUNTAINS

AND MADE THEM LOOK KIND OF LIKE

GLACIAL FEATURES
LOOK ON THE EARTH.

Narrator: THE THEORY SO FAR
REMAINS UNPROVEN.

FOR NOW, PLUTO'S MOUNTAINS
ARE STILL AN ENIGMA.

WE'RE ALWAYS SURPRISED
DURING THESE EVENTS

WHEN WE GO BY AN ALIEN BODY

AND IT'S NOT SO MUCH
A FAILURE OF THOUGHT.

IT'S A FAILURE OF IMAGINATION.

IT'S A MYSTERY,
BUT THINGS BEHAVE ON PLUTO

VERY DIFFERENTLY
THAN THEY DO ON EARTH.

AND WE'RE STILL TRYING
TO FIGURE IT OUT.

♪♪

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
TWO AMATEUR RADIO ENTHUSIASTS

BECOME INTERNATIONAL CELEBRITIES

AFTER REVEALING
SECRET SOVIET SPACE DISASTERS.

THE BROTHERS HEARD A SIGNAL
WHICH THEY INTERPRETED AS A MAN

WHO WAS NEARING CARDIAC ARREST,
A DYING COSMONAUT.

♪♪

Narrator: TWO ITALIAN BROTHERS
PRODUCE RECORDINGS

OF WHAT THEY CLAIM ARE
SECRET SOVIET SPACE MISSIONS.

THERE'S THIS RECORDING
THAT'S RELEASED

THAT SEEMS TO BE
OF A FEMALE COSMONAUT

SCREAMING IN AGONY
AS HER RE-ENTRY CAPSULE

BURNS UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

[ Woman shouting indistinctly ]

Narrator: ARE THEY EVIDENCE
OF A MASSIVE COVER-UP?

ALMOST HALF
OF THE ORIGINAL COSMO GROUP

VANISHED BEFORE FLYING,
AND THEY VANISHED

FROM THE GROUP PHOTOGRAPHS
AS WELL.

THEY WERE AIRBRUSHED
FROM HISTORY.

♪♪

Narrator: THE DARKNESS OF SPACE
HIDES MANY SECRETS.

FEW PEOPLE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY

TO SEE OR HEAR WHAT HAPPENS
BEYOND OUR OWN PLANET.

FEWER, STILL, CAN BE TRUSTED.

THE SPACE RACE ENTERS
A NEW AND DANGEROUS PHASE.

YURI GAGARIN'S
TRIUMPHANT MANNED MISSION

IS STILL 2 MONTHS AWAY.

TWO ITALIAN BROTHERS
HAVE FRONT ROW SEATS

FOR THE ACTION.

THE TWO MOST FAMOUS
PRIVATE SPACE LISTENERS

WERE THE JUDICA-CORDIGLIA
BROTHERS

IN TURIN, ITALY.

EVEN AS NASA AND THE SOVIETS

HAD MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR
COMMUNICATION RIGS,

THEY WERE USING
HOME-BUILT SHORTWAVE EQUIPMENT

TO TUNE IN TO NORTH AMERICAN
AND RUSSIAN SPACEFLIGHT.

[ STATIC CRACKLING ]

Narrator:
ACHILLE AND GIOVANNI

ARE SELF-TAUGHT
RADIO ENTHUSIASTS

WHO BUILT THEIR OWN APPARATUS

TO MONITOR RADIO TRANSMISSIONS
FROM SPACE.

♪♪

THE BROTHERS
SCAVENGED EQUIPMENT,

WORLD WAR II SURPLUS,
DONATED EQUIPMENT,

WHATEVER THEY COULD FIND,

AND MADE A LISTENING POST

IN A BUILDING OUTSIDE OF TURIN
WITH AN ANTENNA ON A ROOF

THAT THEY WOULD POINT BY HAND
AT OUTER SPACE.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: THE BROTHERS'

HOME-BUILT
RADIO SURVEILLANCE RIG

GIVES THEM AN INSIDE TRACK
ON SOVIET SPACE ACTIVITY.

Oberg: THESE BROTHERS
WERE LISTENING TO SIGNALS,

INTERPRETING THE SPEED
TO THE SIGNALS

AND GUESSING ABOUT THE ALTITUDE
OF THE SATELLITES

AND LEARNING WHAT WAS GOING ON,

EVEN IF OFFICIAL S-SOURCES
WOULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.

Narrator:
WEEKS BEFORE YURI GAGARIN

OFFICIALLY BECOMES THE FIRST MAN
IN SPACE,

THE BROTHERS
MAKE A SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT.

THEY CLAIM TO HAVE TRACKED
AND RECORDED

A MANNED RUSSIAN MISSION
ALREADY ORBITING OUR PLANET.

THE BROTHERS HEARD A SIGNAL --
A REPETITIVE SIGNAL,

WHICH THEY INTERPRETED
AS A HEARTBEAT.

THEY PLAYED THEIR TAPE
TO THEIR FATHER,

WHO WAS A CARDIOLOGIST,

AND HE CONCLUDED
FROM THE HIGH RATE,

THE HIGH PULSE RATE,
THAT IT WAS A MAN

WHO WAS NEARING CARDIAC ARREST,

A DYING COSMONAUT.

Narrator: COULD THIS RECORDING
REALLY BE EVIDENCE

OF SECRET SOVIET MISSIONS?

THE BROTHERS' STORY
EXPLODES IN THE WORLD'S PRESS,

WHO ARE EAGER TO HIGHLIGHT
A RUSSIAN FAILURE.

PEOPLE ARE THINKING,
"ARE THE SOVIETS

TELLING US EVERYTHING ABOUT
THEIR TRACK RECORD IN SPACE?

ARE THERE COSMONAUTS
WHO HAVE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE

AND THAT WE'LL NEVER
HEAR ABOUT?"

Narrator:
EXPERTS CAST DOUBT ON THE IDEA

THAT RUSSIA SECRETLY
LAUNCHED A MAN INTO SPACE.

YOU COULD DO SECRET LAUNCHES
OF HARDWARE.

MUCH HARDER TO DO
A SECRET LAUNCH OF A HUMAN BEING

AND GET AWAY WITH IT.

Narrator: THERE IS
AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT THE BROTHERS HEARD.

AT THE TIME THEY MADE
THE RECORDING,

THE RUSSIANS HAD JUST PUT FOUR
DOGS INTO ORBIT ON TEST FLIGHTS.

THE SATELLITE THEY WERE
LISTENING TO

WAS CARRYING SOME DOGS,

AND THE NATURAL HEART RATE
OF A DOG

IS MUCH HIGHER THAN HUMANS'.

IF THEY WERE HEARING
THE DOG'S HEART RATE

AND THOUGHT IT WAS A PERSON,

THEY WOULD MISINTERPRET IT
TO BE A DYING PERSON.

[ DOG PANTING ]

Narrator: BUT THE TRUTH
ABOUT THIS RECORDING

DOESN'T COME OUT FOR YEARS.

THE BROTHERS BECOME FAMOUS.

Oberg: THE 1960s, OF COURSE,
THE WHOLE WORLD WAS SPACE-CRAZY.

JUDICA-CORDIGLIA BROTHERS
WERE VERY POPULAR.

THEY WERE --
THEY WERE MEDIA STARS IN ITALY

AND AROUND THE WORLD.

Narrator: RIDING THE WAVE
OF THEIR POPULARITY,

THE BROTHERS RELEASE
ANOTHER EXTRAORDINARY RECORDING,

APPARENTLY SHOWING
ANOTHER COSMONAUT IN DISTRESS.

[ Woman speaking indistinctly ]

[ Woman continues speaking
indistinctly ]

THERE'S THIS RECORDING
THAT'S RELEASED

THAT SEEMS TO BE
OF A FEMALE COSMONAUT

SCREAMING IN AGONY

AS HER RE-ENTRY CAPSULE
BURNS UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

[ Woman screaming ]Narrator: BUT EXPERT ANALYSIS

OF THE RECORDING
FEELS INCONSISTENCIES.

WHY DID THIS FEMALE COSMONAUT

NOT ADHERE TO STANDARD
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS?

[ Woman speaking indistinctly ]

Narrator:
SOME BELIEVE THE RECORDING

COULD HAVE COME

FROM A SUPPOSEDLY UNMANNED
RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT

THAT WAS IN SPACE
AT THE TIME -- VENERA 2.

♪♪

[ EXPLOSION ]

THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES
WITH THE RECORDINGS.

[ INDISTINCT CHATTER ]

DID THE BROTHERS
REALLY HAVE THE KIND

OF COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT

CAPABLE OF RECORDING
THIS KIND OF TRANSMISSION?

Oberg: IN HINDSIGHT, THE PROBLEM
WITH THE BROTHERS' RECORDINGS

IS THAT, FIRST, NO ONE ELSE
WAS HEARING THESE SIGNALS.

AND SECONDLY,
THEY WERE PICKING THEM UP

WHEN THE SATELLITES

WERE SUPPOSEDLY THOUSANDS
OF MILES AWAY.

THEY WERE OUT OF RANGE.

NO ONE ELSE, EVEN NASA,
FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THAT.

Narrator:
EXPERT ANALYSIS SUGGESTS

THE BROTHERS' RECORDINGS

WERE NO MORE
THAN AN ELABORATE HOAX.

BUT WHY WAS THE WEST
SO QUICK TO SUPPORT

TWO AMATEUR RADIO ENTHUSIASTS'
WILD CLAIMS

ABOUT DYING RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS?

I THINK
TWO VERY TELEGENIC AND --

AND ENTHUSIASTIC YOUNG ITALIANS
SAY THAT THEY HAD OUTSMARTED

THE ENTIRE SOVIET COVER-UP
WAS GOOD PRESS.

PEOPLE WANTED TO BELIEVE
THAT THE LEAD

THAT THE SOVIETS HAD WAS
BECAUSE OF THEIR DISREGARD

FOR THE LIVES
OF THEIR COSMONAUTS

AND NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR
TECHNOLOGICAL SOPHISTICATION.

[ CLICKING ]

Narrator:
THE BROTHERS DID NOT UNCOVER

A SOVIET SPACE COVER-UP.

BUT RECENTLY DISCOVERED
EVIDENCE REVEALS

THAT THERE WERE GOOD REASONS
FOR THE WEST TO BE SUSPICIOUS.

THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM
WAS RUN BY THEIR MILITARY.

IN THE FALL 1960, THE RUSSIANS
HAD A SECRET MISSION.

THE PROBLEM WAS
IT EXPLODED ON LAUNCH,

KILLING 165 PEOPLE.

THOSE DEATHS
WERE NOT REPORTED ON

BECAUSE THEY REFLECTED
ON THE SOVIET UNION.

AND THEY WERE
A PROPAGANDA DISASTER.

THE RUSSIANS DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT UNTIL AFTER THE FALL

OF THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: DESPITE THE EVIDENCE
OF A GENUINE COVER-UP,

THERE IS NO DOUBT SURROUNDING
THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

OF THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM.

GAGARIN WAS THE FIRST MAN

TO GO INTO SPACE
AND COME BACK ALIVE.

AND HE DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN

WHEN HE SAT IN THAT CAPSULE.

AND FOR THAT,
THE WORLD HONORS HIM.

[ RUMBLING ]

Narrator: COMING UP --
CAN A NASA SATELLITE OFFER CLUES

TO A GHOSTLY WHITE RAIN
HAUNTING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST?

THERE WERE REPORTS FROM LOCALS
OF BLACK HELICOPTERS IN THE AIR

JUST BEFORE THE RAINFALL.

♪♪

Narrator:
A WHITE RAIN AS THICK AS MILK

FALLS ACROSS
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

RAIN IN OREGON
AND WASHINGTON IS NORMAL.

THICK, MILKY RAIN IS NOT NORMAL.

IT LOOKED LIKE SKIM MILK.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS STRUGGLE
TO FIND AN EXPLANATION.

THERE ARE SOME WHO BELIEVE

THAT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE
OF GERM WARFARE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

WHEN WEIRD STUFF
STARTS FALLING FROM THE SKY,

YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY.

♪♪

Narrator:
NASA SATELLITES HAVE UNCOVERED

SOME OF THE MOST
BAFFLING MYSTERIES

OF THE COSMOS.

THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN USED
TO INVESTIGATE

BIZARRE PHENOMENA ON EARTH.

[ THUNDERCLAP ]A RAIN OF STRANGE WHITE FLUID

INTERRUPTS THE MORNING COMMUTE

ACROSS WASHINGTON STATE
AND OREGON.

[ RAIN FALLING ]

COMING DOWN, IT LOOKED NORMAL.

BUT WHEN IT LANDED, IT DIDN'T.

IT LOOKED LIKE SKIM MILK.

Narrator: THE RAIN LEAVES

A STRANGE, DIRTY RESIDUE
IN ITS WAKE.

YOU COULD SEE PEOPLE

DRIVING THEIR CARS
STOPPED AT STOPLIGHTS,

THEY HAD
THEIR WINDSHIELD WIPERS GOING,

AND OF COURSE THAT WAS JUST
SMEARING THE WHITE

ACROSS THE GLASS.

AND PEOPLE LOOKED BAFFLED.

♪♪

Narrator:
LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS REPORT

STRANGE CONCURRENT EVENTS.[ THUNDERCLAP ]

AT FIRST, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION.

AS THIS WEIRD RAIN IS FALLING,
ON THE VERY SAME DAY,

THERE'S MASSIVE WILDFIRES
BURNING TO THE SOUTH.

YOU HAVE TO WONDER,
ARE THESE THINGS CONNECTED?

Narrator: THE WILDFIRES ARE
RAGING OVER 500 MILES AWAY

ACROSS CALIFORNIA'S
SIERRA NEVADA.

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
EVACUATED FROM THEIR HOMES.

THIS IS A GOOD THEORY,
BECAUSE WHEN TINY PARTICLES

LIKE SMOKE PARTICLES
GET INTO CLOUDS AND IT RAINS,

THEY CAN COLOR
THE RAIN DROPLETS,

PERHAPS EVEN TO MAKE
THIS MILKY RAIN.

Narrator:
BUT THE THEORY FALLS SHORT

WHEN INVESTIGATORS
LOOK AT WEATHER RECORDS.

THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IDEA

IS THAT THE WINDS ARE BLOWING
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

ANY ASH COMING UP
FROM THOSE WILDFIRES

IS NOT GOING TO BE BLOWN
INTO THE AREA

WHERE WE SEE THE RAIN.[ SIREN WAILING ]

Narrator: HISTORICAL RECORDS
REVEAL PREVIOUS INCIDENTS

WHICH COULD OFFER CLUES
TO THE MYSTERY.

IT TURNS OUT
THAT THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME

THAT WE'VE HAD MILKY RAIN
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

SIMILAR INCIDENTS WERE REPORTED
IN 1994

IN A TOWN CALLED OAKVILLE.

SHORTLY AFTER THE RAINS,
THERE ARE REPORTS

OF LOCALS BEING STRUCK DOWN
BY FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS.

Narrator:
THE REMARKABLE TIMING

OF THE INCIDENTS
FUELS CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

THERE WERE REPORTS FROM LOCALS
OF BLACK HELICOPTERS IN THE AIR

JUST BEFORE THE RAINFALL.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF OAKVILLE'S
MYSTERIOUS MILKY RAIN

ADDS FUEL TO THE FIRE.

APPARENTLY, THE RAIN SAMPLES

CONTAIN A MIX
OF POTENTIALLY HARMFUL BACTERIA

AND THERE ARE SOME WHO BELIEVE
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE

OF GERM WARFARE.

Narrator:
THE IDEA SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING

OUT OF "THE X-FILES,"
BUT IT HASHAPPENED BEFORE.

A SENATE INVESTIGATION
IN 1977 REVEALED

THAT THE U.S. MILITARY

HAD CONDUCTED NO LESS THAN 239
BIOLOGICAL WARFARE TESTS

OVER POPULATED PORTIONS
OF THE UNITED STATES.

SO THIS WHOLE NOTION, IT'S NOT
THAT FAR-FETCHED AT ALL.

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
LINKING THE GOVERNMENT

TO THE MILKY RAIN IN 1994
OR IN 2015.

INSTEAD, INVESTIGATORS TURN
TO A DISTURBING IMAGE

CAPTURED
BY NASA'S LANDSAT SATELLITE.

AN ENORMOUS DARK "V" HANGING
OVER THE SKIES IN RUSSIA --

THAT'S STRANGE.

Narrator: NASA'S REAL-TIME
SATELLITE STREAMING

ALLOWS SCIENTISTS TO TRACK

METEOROLOGICAL EVENTS
ACROSS THE GLOBE.

THE MASSIVE "V"
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

IS THE RESULT OF AN ERUPTION
FROM A RUSSIAN VOLCANO,

WHICH OCCURS SHORTLY BEFORE
THE MILKY RAIN BEGINS TO FALL.

SHIVELUCH VOLCANO IS ONE

OF THE MORE ACTIVE VOLCANOES
ON EARTH.

IT'S LOCATED
IN KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA,

WHICH LIES IN AN AREA
CALLED "THE RING OF FIRE."

THE RING OF FIRE IS FAMOUS
FOR ITS HUNDREDS OF VOLCANOES.

[ ERUPTION ]

THIS IS A MASSIVE ERUPTION.

VOLCANOES ARE VERY GOOD
AT POWDERING ROCK,

THROWING IT HIGH
IN THE AIR AS DUST.

AND THEN THAT DUST
CAN FALL IN RAIN.

Narrator: COULD THE ERUPTION
HAVE SOMEHOW CAUSED MILKY RAIN

TO FALL THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY?

[ THUNDERCLAP ]

SOME ERUPTIONS
FROM SHIVELUCH VOLCANO

HAVE BEEN VIOLENT ENOUGH
TO PRODUCE ASH

THAT CAN ACTUALLY
GET ALL THE WAY

UP INTO THE STRATOSPHERE.

WHEN ASH GETS
INTO THE STRATOSPHERE,

IT GETS CAUGHT UP
IN THE JET STREAM

AND CAN BE TRANSPORTED GLOBALLY.

Narrator: BUT ANALYSIS
OF WEATHER RECORDS AT THE TIME

DOES NOT SUPPORT
THE VOLCANO THEORY.

IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM
AS THE WILDFIRES.

THE PREVAILING WINDS
NEAR THE VOLCANO

ARE NOT BLOWING
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

THEY'RE NOT LEADING THE ASH
TOWARD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

Narrator:
SCIENCE WRITER LINDA WEIFORD

CONDUCTS HER OWN INVESTIGATION
INTO THE PHENOMENON.

SO WITH ALL THESE THEORIES
FLOATING AROUND,

I DECIDED TO CONSULT A GROUP
OF SCIENTISTS

AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY.

I GAVE THE DATA
TO GEOLOGISTS,

A HYDROCHEMIST,
A AIR QUALITY SPECIALIST,

AND A METEOROLOGIST.

AND I THOUGHT, "SURELY WITH
ALL THESE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS,

THEY'LL BE ABLE
TO FIGURE IT OUT."

Narrator: LABORATORY TESTING
OF THE RAIN SAMPLES

ENABLES THE TEAM
TO COME UP WITH A THEORY

FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING.

THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
OF THE RAIN

SHOWED A HIGH SODIUM CONTENT.

THAT WAS THE CLINCHER FOR US.

AFTER REVIEWING THE DATA,

THE SCIENTISTS
DECIDED CONCLUSIVELY

THAT THIS MYSTERIOUS MILKY RAIN
HAD ORIGINATED

FROM AN ANCIENT SALINE LAKE
IN SOUTHERN OREGON.

Narrator: SODIUM IN THE RAIN

EXPLAINS THE STRANGE MILKY,
WHITE COLOR.

WEIFORD USES METEOROLOGICAL DATA

TO WORK OUT HOW IT FIRST
GOT INTO STORM CLOUDS

FAR FROM THE LAKE.

A NUMBER OF THINGS HAPPENED,
AND THEY CONVERGED.

SO YOU HAD THIS ANCIENT LAKE BED

PRETTY DRIED OUT
BECAUSE OF A PROLONGED DROUGHT.

THEN ON THE NIGHT
OF FEBRUARY 5th,

A HUGE WINDSTORM HIT.[ WIND HOWLING ]

AND IT HAD HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS
IN SOUTHERN OREGON.

Narrator: THE HURRICANE WHIPS UP
ALL THE SODIUM-RICH DUST

INTO THE SKY WHERE IT CATCHES
THE PREVAILING WINDS.

Weiford:
IT CARRIED THE DUST NORTHWARD.

WHEN IT HIT THE RAINSTORM,
THE RAIN BROUGHT IT DOWN,

AND WE HAD MILKY RAIN.[ THUNDERCLAP ]

MOTHER NATURE THREW A CURVEBALL
ON THIS ONE.

[ RAINFALL ]

Narrator: COMING UP --

HOUSTON RESIDENTS
SPOT UNIDENTIFIED LIGHTS

HOVERING IN THE SKIES NEAR
NASA'S JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

WE'VE GOT
MULTIPLE WITNESS REPORTS,

AND NOBODY IS OFFERING
ANY CREDIBLE EXPLANATIONS.

♪♪

[ WHIRRING SOUND ]

Narrator: A CIRCLE
OF GLOWING LIGHTS HOVERS

IN THE SKIES
NEAR THE NERVE CENTER

OF THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM.

THIS ISN'T SOME LITTLE FARM
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

THIS IS OVER HOUSTON.

Narrator: FOOTAGE OF THE STRANGE
PHENOMENON GOES VIRAL.

WHEN YOU SEE A CIRCLE OF LIGHTS
IN THE SKY THAT'S UNIDENTIFIED,

A LOT OF PEOPLE
GO STRAIGHT TO "ALIENS."

Narrator:
NASA HAS A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.

OVER DECADES, THE PEOPLE
HAVE GROWN USED

TO STRANGE SIGHTS
IN THEIR SKIES.

BUT SOME ARE STILL HARD
TO EXPLAIN.

A HOUSTON RESIDENT STEPS OUTSIDE
TO FILM A BUILDING STORM.

[ THUNDERCLAP ]BETWEEN FLASHES OF LIGHTNING,

HE CAPTURES FOOTAGE
OF A REMARKABLE OBJECT --

A CIRCLE OF LIGHTS
WHICH SEEMS TO HOVER IN THE AIR.

YOU CAN SEE THIS OBJECT
CLEARLY FROM THE GROUND,

AND IT LOOKS BIG.

Narrator:
WHEN THE FOOTAGE APPEARS ONLINE,

COMMENTATORS SPECULATE ON WHAT
MIGHT BE CAUSING THE ANOMALY.

ONE OF THE MOST
POPULAR EXPLANATIONS

IS THAT IT IS SIMPLY LIGHT
REFLECTING DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS.

ONE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING
KIND OF CLOUD

IS CALLED A NOCTILUCENT CLOUD,

AND THAT'S FORMED
IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

AND THAT CAN OFTEN PRODUCE
VERY UNUSUAL GLOWING EFFECTS.

IT'S ILLUMINATED BY THE SUN,
WHICH IS BELOW THE HORIZON.

CLOUDS DO REFLECT LIGHT
BACK TO EARTH,

BUT IN THIS MUCH DETAIL?

Narrator:
OTHER COMMENTATORS SUGGEST

THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT
COULD BE AN EXAMPLE

OF THE MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENON
KNOWN AS BALL LIGHTNING.

[ LIGHTNING STRIKING ]

THESE RARE AND MYSTERIOUS ORBS
OF LIGHT

APPEAR DURING
AND AFTER THUNDERSTORMS.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REPORTING
BALL LIGHTNING FOR CENTURIES

AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS
OF REPORTS,

AND YET WE STILL DON'T
FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PHENOMENON.

Narrator:
BUT THE CIRCULAR SHAPE

OF THE HOUSTON ANOMALY
MAKES THIS THEORY UNLIKELY.

TRYING TO EXPLAIN
THIS CASE AS BALL LIGHTNING

IS RIDICULOUS, FRANKLY,

BECAUSE TO --
TO HAVE 16 BALLS OF LIGHT

IN A CIRCULAR FORMATION
SEEMS COMPLETELY IMPLAUSIBLE.

Narrator:
WHEN MULTIPLE WITNESSES

REPORT SIMILAR SIGHTINGS

IN A RANGE
OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS,

IT SOON BECOMES CLEAR

THAT THE LIGHTS ARE NOT
CAUSED BY THE WEATHER.

ON MAY 23rd,
A HOUSTON RESIDENT ACCIDENTLY

CAPTURES THESE SAME LIGHTS
FLYING OVER DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.

Narrator:
THREE MONTHS LATER,

THE FORMATION OF LIGHTS
APPEARS AGAIN.

ANOTHER HOUSTON RESIDENT
CAPTURES THESE SAME LIGHTS

WHILE FILMING
AN UNUSUAL CLOUD FORMATION.

WE'VE GOT
MULTIPLE WITNESS REPORTS,

AND NOBODY IS OFFERING
ANY CREDIBLE EXPLANATIONS.

Narrator: TO U.F.O. WATCHERS,
THE LOCATION OF THE SIGHTINGS

SEEMS LIKE
A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.

WHATEVER THIS IS,

IT'S LESS THAN 30 MILES AWAY
FROM THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

Narrator:
THERE IS EVEN WILD SPECULATION

THAT THIS COULD BE
EVIDENCE OF ALIENS

SPYING ON NASA.

IN TV, IN FILM,

FLYING SAUCERS
ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH ALIENS.

[ WHIRRING SOUND ]

Narrator: SOME SUSPECT
THE SIGHTINGS COULD BE CONNECTED

WITH AN ADVANCED NASA CRAFT.

NASA CURRENTLY HAS ITS OWN
FLYING SAUCER UNDER DEVELOPMENT.

IT'S CALLED THE L.D.S.D.

Narrator: THE L.D.S.D.,

OR LOW-DENSITY SUPERSONIC
DECELERATOR,

IS NOT A FLYING SAUCER
FROM MARS.

IT'S A FLYING SAUCER DESIGNED

TO HELP GET HUMANS
TO THE RED PLANET.

WHEN WE DO GET TO MARS,
WE'RE GOING VERY FAST.

WE HAVE TO SPEND A LOT
OF ENERGY IN PROPELLANT

THAT WE'VE BROUGHT WITH US
TO SLOW OURSELVES DOWN.

WELL, ANOTHER WAY
TO SLOW YOURSELF DOWN

IS TO SKID
ACROSS THE ATMOSPHERE OF MARS.

Pearlman: THE L.D.S.D.
IS A 2-PART SYSTEM.

IT HAS THIS THRUSTER

THAT INITIALLY FIRES
TO SLOW DOWN THE CRAFT,

AND THEN IT HAS A LARGE RING
THAT ACTS AS AN AIR BRAKE.

THE L.D.S.D. IS NOT
A THEORETICAL PROJECT

THAT EXISTS ONLY ON A COMPUTER.

NASA'S ACTUALLY BUILT IT
AND FLOWN IT TWICE.

THIS THING'S REAL.

FOR THE TESTS,
THEY FLOAT THE L.D.S.D.

UP TO 120,000 FEET
WITH BALLOONS,

THEN IGNITE A ROCKET MOTOR.

THAT ROCKET MOTOR
TAKES IT TO 180,000 FEET.

WHEN IT REACHES MACH 4,
THE ROCKET DETACHES,

AND THE L.D.S.D. DROPS.

Narrator:
THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

IS JUST 20 MILES
FROM DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.

BUT IT IS AN UNLIKELY VENUE

FOR TESTING AN ADVANCED CRAFT
LIKE THE L.D.S.D.

♪♪

THERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY

THIS IS PROBABLY NOT
THE L.D.S.D.

THE FIRST TWO TESTS
THAT DIDN'T GO AS PLANNED.

THE LARGE PARACHUTE THAT WAS
TO SLOW ITS FINAL DESCENT

FAILED TO DEPLOY.

L.D.S.D. FALLS A LONG WAY.

THIS IS THE BIG REASON

WHY THEY'RE NOT OPERATING IT
OVER HOUSTON OR ANY OTHER CITY.

Narrator:
AFTER MONTHS OF SPECULATION,

AN ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY
COMES FROM HOUSTON LOCALS.

♪♪

AS A HOUSTONIAN,
I HAVE A POTENTIAL EXPLANATION

THAT'S MUCH MORE DOWN-TO-EARTH.

DRIVING ALONG OUR FREEWAYS HERE,

WE HAVE
VERY DISTINCT STREETLIGHTS.

THEY'RE CIRCULAR IN NATURE.

THEY HAVE MULTIPLE LIGHTS.

IN FACT, EVEN DURING THE DAY,

THEY SORT OF LOOK LIKE U.F.O.s.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A LENS FLARE
CREATED BY THIS LIGHT.

THIS LIGHT IS ACTUALLY MADE
OF A RING OF LIGHTS.

THIS RING OF LIGHTS CREATES
THE LENS FLARE THAT WE SEE.

AND SO UNFORTUNATELY,
WE DON'T HAVE A --

A U.F.O. TO LOOK AT.

♪♪

[ CLANKING ]

♪♪

Narrator: STILL TO COME --

U.S. SURVEILLANCE SATELLITES
DETECT SIGNS

OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
ON THE MOON.

[ CLICKING ]

ISN'T THIS THE PERFECT PLACE
TO EXPLODE AN ATOMIC BOMB

WITHOUT BEING SPIED ON?

♪♪

Narrator: U.S. SATELLITES
MONITOR THE EARTH

FOR SIGNS
OF BANNED NUCLEAR TESTS.

THIS WAS THE COLD WAR.

THERE WAS DEEP DISTRUST
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES

AND THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator:
THEY DETECT AN ENERGY SIGNATURE

RESEMBLING THE DETONATION
OF A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

BUT THE LOCATION MAKES NO SENSE.

WHEN THEY STARTED
TO TRY TO PIECE TOGETHER

WHERE ON THE EARTH
THIS HAPPENED,

THEY REALIZED THAT IT DIDN'T
HAPPEN ON EARTH AT ALL.

WHY WOULD ANYONE EXPLODE
A NUCLEAR WEAPON ON THE MOON?

I-I-I-I THINK
THAT'S JUST INSANE.

[ DRUM BEATING CADENCE ]

Narrator: COLD WAR TENSIONS
ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.

THE UNITED STATES ALONE HAD
ALMOST 32,000 NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

THE SOVIET UNION
HAD AT LEAST ANOTHER 20,000

IN THEIR OWN INVENTORY.

THE NUMBER OF WEAPONS
ON BOTH SIDES

WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL.

Narrator: TO PREVENT

A POTENTIALLY
CATASTROPHIC ESCALATION,

THE SOVIET UNION
AND THE UNITED STATES

SIGNED A TREATY
BANNING NUCLEAR WEAPON TESTING

ABOVE GROUND.

IF EITHER SIDE
BREAKS THE TEST BAN TREATY,

THE COLD WAR IS GOING
TO GET VERY HOT, VERY FAST.

Narrator:
THE U.S. MILITARY DEPLOYS

THE VELA SATELLITES
SURVEILLANCE NETWORK

TO MAKE SURE THE SOVIETS
HONOR THE TREATY.

THE VELA SATELLITES
ARE IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH

TO DETECT POTENTIAL
NUCLEAR DETONATIONS.

ON JULY 2, 1967,

SCIENTISTS AT THE LOS ALAMOS
NATIONAL LABORATORY

MONITORING THE SATELLITE DATA

SEE SOMETHING DISTURBING...[ ALARM WAILS ]

A MASSIVE SURGE OF RADIATION
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S
DETONATING NUKES.

THE U.S., THEY KNOW THEY HAVEN'T
DETONATED A NUCLEAR WEAPON,

BUT THEY DON'T KNOW
WHO ELSE MIGHT HAVE.

Narrator: BUT THE SOURCE
OF THE RADIATION IS A MYSTERY.

WHEN THEY STARTED
TO TRY TO PIECE TOGETHER

WHERE ON THE EARTH
THIS HAPPENED,

THEY REALIZED THAT IT DIDN'T
HAPPEN ON EARTH AT ALL.

Narrator: THE SIGNAL IS COMING
FROM OUTER SPACE.

THE IDEA OF DETONATING
NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN SPACE

SOUNDS CRAZY.

BUT THE U.S. MILITARY
IS PLANNING TO DO EXACTLY THAT.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

THE RUSSIANS WERE GETTING THERE
FIRST TO JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING,

AND THE U.S.
DESPERATELY WANTED TO CATCH UP.

Narrator: PROJECT A119
IS A TOP SECRET PLAN

DEVELOPED
BY THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

TO TEST A NUCLEAR BOMB
ON THE MOON.

NUCLEAR PHYSICIST
LEONARD REIFFEL

IS LEADING A 10-MAN TEAM

RESEARCHING THE EFFECTS
OF NUCLEAR BLASTS.

THEY INTENDED TO USE
A LOW-YIELD WARHEAD

SMALLER THAN THE HIROSHIMA BOMB

BECAUSE ANYTHING MORE POWERFUL
WOULD BE TOO HEAVY

FOR AVAILABLE ROCKETS.

WHY WOULD ANYONE EXPLODE
A NUCLEAR WEAPON ON THE MOON?

I-I-I-I THINK THAT'S JUST
INSANE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator:
DETONATING NUKES ON THE MOON

COULD OFFER A WAY
FOR EITHER SUPERPOWER

TO EVADE THEIR OBLIGATIONS
UNDER THE TEST BAN TREATY.

ISN'T THIS THE PERFECT PLACE

TO EXPLODE AN ATOMIC BOMB
WITHOUT BEING SPIED ON?

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE INITIAL FLASH --
THAT OPTICAL FLASH THAT COMES

FROM ONE OF THESE EXPLOSIONS
WOULDN'T BE VISIBLE.

THEY COULD HIDE IT.

BUT OVER TIME,
THERE'D BE A LARGE PLUME,

AND THAT LARGE PLUME
WOULD WIND UP

EXPANDING BEYOND THE MOON,

AND IT WOULD PRODUCE
VERY HIGH ENERGY PROTONS

AND GAMMA RAYS.

Narrator: THE VELA SATELLITE
DETECTED A BURST OF GAMMA RAYS,

APPARENTLY COMING
FROM THE VICINITY OF THE MOON.

ON EARTH, THEY ARE A CLEAR SIGN
OF A NUCLEAR DETONATION.

BUT THE SOVIETS
DENY ALL RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THE BURSTS
OF RADIATION IN SPACE.

♪♪

THE SOURCE OF THE GAMMA RAYS

REMAINS A MYSTERY
FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS.

A BREAKTHROUGH COMES
WHEN A LATER GENERATION

OF VELA SATELLITE, EQUIPPED
WITH LONGER-RANGE SENSORS,

DETECTS ANOTHER BURST.

RESEARCHERS REALIZE
THAT THESE GAMMA RAYS

COME FROM ENERGETIC EXPLOSIONS
IN DISTANT GALAXIES.

GAMMA RAY BURSTS ARE CREATED

WHEN STARS MUCH,
MUCH BIGGER THAN OUR SUN

WIND UP DYING AS USING UP
ALL OF THEIR FUEL AND EXPLODING.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator:
THESE CATACLYSMIC EVENTS

SEND STORMS OF GAMMA RAYS
HURDLING THROUGH SPACE.

TO SCIENTISTS
LOOKING AT THE DATA

FROM THE EARLY VELA SATELLITES,

IT LOOKS AS IF THE RADIATION
ORIGINATES FROM THE MOON

BECAUSE THAT'S AS FAR
AS THEIR SENSORS CAN SEE.

WHAT THEY THINK IS EVIDENCE
OF SECRET SOVIET NUCLEAR TESTS

IS ACTUALLY THE MOST POWERFUL
DESTRUCTIVE FORCE

IN THE UNIVERSE.

[ WHOOSHING ]

I'M SURE SOMEONE,
SOMEWHERE HAD THE IDEA

OF BLOWING UP
A NUCLEAR WEAPON ON THE MOON.

BUT I THINK WE CAN ALL BE GLAD

THAT NO ONE WAS ACTUALLY
CRAZY ENOUGH TO DO IT.

[ EXPLOSION ]

♪♪

Narrator: NASA'S ONGOING
EXPLORATION OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

CONTINUES TO UNCOVER
NEW MYSTERIES.

ADVANCES IN SCIENCE OFFER

ANSWERS
TO DECADES-OLD QUESTIONS.

OUR OWN PLANET

STILL BEHAVES IN WAYS
WE STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND,

AND SPACE STILL
HOLDS DEADLY SURPRISES.

♪♪