Original subtitles

♪♪

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.

♪♪