All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S04E01.Plutos.Stranger.Things.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
IS A TINY FRACTION

OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY OUT THERE.

Narrator:
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Lee: WE HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT'S OUT THERE.

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES
THAN DISCOVERIES.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING
TO THROW AT US NEXT.

Narrator: ALIEN MEGASTRUCTURES
THAT DWARF THE IMAGINATION.

Lee: WE COULD BE DEALING
WITH THE FIRST EXAMPLE

OF AN ALIEN SOCIETY OUT IN SPACE

Narrator: DANCING LIGHTS
DEFY EXPLANATION.

Man: OH, MY GOODNESS.

Narrator:
AND UNUSUAL ACTIVITY

ON OUR SOLAR SYSTEM'S
SMALLEST WORLD.

WE TRAVEL
FOUR BILLION MILES TO PLUTO,

AND WHEN WE GET THERE,

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.

Narrator: THESE ARE...

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

A NASA TELESCOPE
DISCOVERS A MASSIVE OBJECT

ORBITING A DISTANT STAR.

IT'S NOT LIKE ANYTHING
WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

WHATEVER THIS THING IS,
IT'S BIG.

IT'S BIGGER THAN ANY PLANET
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S BEYOND HUMAN SCALE.

Narrator: EVIDENCE POINTS TO
AN ARTIFICIAL STRUCTURE.

THIS IS TRULY AMAZING.

AND IF THIS STRUCTURE IS REAL,

WE'RE GOING WHERE
NO ONE'S GONE BEFORE.

Narrator:
NASA's KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE

IS ON A MISSION
TO FIND EARTHLIKE PLANETS.

Aguilar:
IT STARES AT AN AREA OF SPACE

WHERE THERE'S THOUSANDS
OF STARS, AND WE WAIT.

AND WE WAIT TILL ONE
OF THOSE STARS SLIGHTLY DIMS,

AS A PLANET MOVES
IN FRONT OF IT.

THEN WE KNOW
WE HAVE FOUND A PLANET.

Narrator: PLANETS ORBIT THEIR
PARENT STAR LIKE CLOCKWORK.

AS THEY PASS BETWEEN THE STAR
AND THE TELESCOPE,

THE LIGHT FROM THE STAR DIMS.

WHEN KEPLER'S GAZE
TURNS UPON TABBY'S STAR

1,500 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY
IN THE CYGNUS CONSTELLATION,

ASTRONOMERS NOTICE SOMETHING
VERY UNUSUAL.

THE STAR IS CRAZY.

IT'S NOT BEHAVING LIKE
ANYTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN.

OF THE TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF STARS

THAT HAVE BEEN MONITORED
BY KEPLER,

THIS IS A COMPLETE ONE-OFF.

Narrator: WHATEVER SPECTRUM
YOU VIEW IT IN,

THE LIGHT FROM THE STAR
IS BEHAVING VERY STRANGELY.

SO, HERE'S THE ODD THING
ABOUT IT.

THE DIMMING IS NOT REGULAR --
IT'S IRREGULAR.

SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS
IN FIVE DAYS,

SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS
IN 100 DAYS.

IT SHOWS ERRATIC
DROPS IN BRIGHTNESS --

SOMETIMES SMALL,
SOMETIMES LARGE --

AND WE'RE REALLY NOT
SURE WHAT'S GOING ON.

IT'S LIKE SOMEONE'S PLAYING
WITH THE DIMMER SWITCH

ON THIS STAR.

Narrator:
IF THE DIMMING WAS CAUSED
BY PLANETS ORBITING THE STAR,

IT WOULD COME
AT REGULAR INTERVALS.

THE TIMING IS WRONG.

SOMETHING ELSE IS OBSCURING
TABBY'S STAR,

AND THE DROP IN LIGHT IT CAUSES
IS OFF THE SCALES.

IF A JUPITER-SIZE PLANET --

THE BIGGEST PLANET
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM --

WERE TO PASS
IN FRONT OF THIS STAR,

IT WOULD ONLY BLOCK
ABOUT 1% OF THE LIGHT.

Narrator: WHATEVER IS BLOCKING
TABBY'S STAR'S LIGHT

IS AT LEAST 20 TIMES LARGER

THAN THE BIGGEST PLANET
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

THAT WOULD REQUIRE
TOO BIG OF A PLANET.

IT'S JUST IMPLAUSIBLE
TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT BIG.

Narrator: AN OBJECT 20 TIMES
THE SIZE OF JUPITER

IS SIMPLY TOO BIG
TO BE A PLANET.

THE FORCES OF GRAVITY
WOULD IGNITE ITS CORE,

TURNING IT INTO A PROTOSTAR.

THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY
IT COULD BE A PLANET.

Narrator: THE MYSTERIOUS DIMMING
SEEMS TO DEFY ALL LOGIC.

SOMETHING OUT THERE
IS SO ENORMOUS

IT'S BLOCKING THE LIGHT
FROM TABBY'S STAR.

SO, IT MAKES YOU WONDER --
IF WE HAVE ELIMINATED

ALL THE POSSIBLE
SCIENTIFIC ANSWERS,

MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: ONE TEAM
AT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

HAS A RADICAL, NEW THEORY.

THE BEHAVIOR THAT WE'RE SEEING
WITH THIS STAR MATCHES

WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT

FROM SOMETHING CALLED
A DYSON SPHERE,

A MEGASTRUCTURE BUILT
BY AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION

AROUND ITS STAR.

Narrator: THE DYSON SPHERE IS
A STAPLE OF SCIENCE FICTION.

THEORETICALLY,

A SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED
EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION

COULD HARNESS THE ENERGY
OF A STAR DIRECTLY

BY SURROUNDING IT
WITH GARGANTUAN SOLAR PANELS.

Lee: THIS HAS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT
FROM A DYSON SPHERE,

A MEGASTRUCTURE SO BIG,

IT WAS BLOCKING
THE LIGHT FROM THAT STAR.

NOW, THAT GETS
YOUR ATTENTION.

Narrator: THE DYSON SPHERE
IS THE BRAINCHILD

OF RENOWNED ASTRONOMER
AND PHYSICIST FREEMAN DYSON.

IT WOULD ALMOST LOOK LIKE
A SHELL AROUND THE STAR.

Narrator: DYSON THEORIZED

THAT THE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS
OF AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION

WOULD OUTSTRIP THE RESOURCES
OF ITS PLANET.

TAPPING DIRECTLY INTO THE POWER
OF A RAGING STAR

SOLVES THE PROBLEM.

ENERGY COMING FROM THE SUN

COULD BE BOUNCED BACK
DOWN TO YOUR PLANET,

AND YOU WOULD HAVE
SO MUCH ENERGY,

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

Narrator:
UNTIL NOW, MOST SCIENTISTS

HAD VIEWED THE DYSON SPHERE
AS AN INTERESTING POSSIBILITY.

IT COULD BE REAL.

Lee: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT I ACTUALLY SEE
SO MANY SERIOUS ASTRONOMERS

BE REALLY OPEN
TO THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
REALLY STRANGE

THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE
AN ALIEN SOCIETY OUT THERE.

Narrator: THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE
TO SUGGEST

THAT THE OBJECT
NEAR TABBY'S STAR

IS NOT A COMPLETE DYSON SPHERE.

IT COULD BE ONE
UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Aguilar: SO, IF THESE
ARE ALIEN STRUCTURES

THAT ARE BEING BUILT,

THE LIGHT SHOULD BE
GROWING DIMMER AND DIMMER

AND MORE IRREGULAR.

Narrator: A NOBEL PRIZE WINNING
ASTRONOMER TESTS THE THEORY

AND DISCOVERS
THAT SCIENCE FICTION

MIGHT BE TURNING INTO
SCIENCE FACT.

Ballard:
BRADLEY SCHAEFER WENT INTO

THIS HISTORICAL ARCHIVE
OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES

AND LOOKED AT THE BRIGHTNESS
MEASUREMENTS OF THIS STAR,

GOING BACK TO 1890.

Ferreira: WHAT HE FINDS
IS THAT OVER THE LAST CENTURY,

THE STAR HAS DIMMED BY 20%,

WHICH IS COMPLETELY
UNPRECEDENTED

FOR THIS CATEGORY OF STAR.

Narrator:
ALL THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS

THAT SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL
IS HAPPENING

IN THE CYGNUS CONSTELLATION.

THERE'S NO WIDELY ACCEPTED
NATURAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE EVENTS
AROUND TABBY'S STAR.

IF THIS IS SOME KIND
OF ALIEN SUPERSTRUCTURE,

OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE

PROBABLY THE MOST EXCITING
DISCOVERY IN ASTRONOMY

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

I MEAN, WE COULD BE DEALING
WITH THE FIRST EXAMPLE

OF AN ALIEN SOCIETY
OUT IN SPACE.

THIS WOULD BE THE BIGGEST STORY
IN SPACE EXPLORATION -- PERIOD.

Narrator: COMING UP...

NASA ASTRONAUTS SEE
STRANGE LIGHTS ON THE MOON.

I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE FIREWORKS
IN YOUR EYEBALL.

IT WAS SPECTACULAR.

Narrator:
AND A DEEP-SPACE PROBE

DETECTS UNUSUAL ACTIVITY
ON A DISTANT WORLD.

SO, HAS THE NEW HORIZONS
SPACECRAFT TAKEN PICTURES

OF GIANT SNAILS ON PLUTO?

Narrator: THE FIRST HUMANS
TO REACH DEEP SPACE

SEE THINGS THEY CANNOT EXPLAIN.

IT'S LIKE LIGHT
FLASHING IN MY EYEBALLS.

I THOUGHT,
"DID I REALLY SEE A FLASH?"

Schultz:
IMAGINE WHAT MISSION CONTROL
WAS THINKING --

"IS JACK GOING NUTSO?"

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS
OF THE APOLLO PROGRAM

BECOME THE SUBJECTS
OF A BIZARRE EXPERIMENT.

IT WAS LIKE A BIG BOX
THAT I WAS TO PUT ON.

IT LOOKED LIKE HORSE BLINDERS
THAT YOU PUT ON A HORSE.

Narrator:
THE FIRST APOLLO MISSION

IS THE CULMINATION OF THE MOST
AMBITIOUS ENGINEERING PROJECT

IN HUMAN HISTORY.

MANY OF THE DANGERS ASTRONAUTS
FACE ARE STILL UNKNOWN.

AND I LOOK UP
AT THIS ENORMOUS SATURN ROCKET.

AND IT'S FULLY FUELED.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ALIVE.

WE'RE BASICALLY
BEING PUT ON A BOMB

THAT HAS AN EXHAUST
THAT ALLOWS US TO GO INTO SPACE.

Narrator: SEVERAL
OF THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS

REPORT SEEING SOMETHING STRANGE
AS THEY APPROACH THE MOON.

I SAW A FLASH, AND I THOUGHT,

"DID I REALLY SEE A FLASH?"

I'M HAVING THESE LIGHT FLASHES,
AND I'M SEEING --

IT'S LIKE LIGHT
FLASHING IN MY EYEBALLS.

THEY WOULD SEE THEM
WHEN THEIR EYES WERE OPEN,

WHEN THEIR EYES WERE SHUT.

Duke: I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE
FIREWORKS IN YOUR EYEBALL.

IT WAS SPECTACULAR.

Narrator: ASTRONAUTS FROM EVERY
LUNAR MISSION AFTER APOLLO 11

REPORT THE SAME THING --

FLASHES APPEAR TO BE DANCING
BEFORE THEIR EYES.

OTHERS SPARKLE OUTSIDE
THE MODULE.

SOME EVEN FLASH
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOMENON

BECOMES ONE OF NASA's
TOP PRIORITIES.

NASA SCIENTISTS SUSPECT
AT LEAST SOME OF THE FLASHES

ARE CAUSED BY COSMIC RAYS --
A CONSTANT BARRAGE

OF HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES
FROM THE SUN.

Pope: NASA BEGAN TO THINK
THEY MAY BE DEALING

WITH SOMETHING GOING
ON INTERNALLY --

LIGHTS THAT ARE CAUSED BY
THE INTERACTION OF RADIATION

WITH THE BRAIN,
THE OPTIC NERVE.

Narrator: NASA ENGINEERS DESIGN
A SOPHISTICATED EXPERIMENTAL RIG

TO TEST WHETHER COSMIC RAYS
ARE BEHIND SOME OF THE EPISODES.

NASA SCIENTISTS DEVELOPED
THIS REALLY STRANGE DEVICE --

A HELMET THAT WOULD GO OVER
THE ASTRONAUT'S HEAD.

IT WAS CALLED

THE APOLLO LIGHT FLASH
MOVING EMULSION DETECTOR --

THE ALFMED.

Narrator:
THE ALFMED IS A BLACK BOX

THAT COMPLETELY COVERS

THE ASTRONAUT'S HEAD.

ITS INTERIOR IS LINED WITH
A SILVER BROMIDE FILM

THAT CAN DETECT COSMIC RAYS.

Orwoll:
IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING,
LITERALLY, OUT OF A SCI-FI MOVIE

THAT WOULD CLEARLY
BLOCK THEIR VISION

SO THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY DARK.

Narrator:
CHARLES DUKE WEARS THE HELMET

ON HIS WAY TO THE MOON.

IT WAS LIKE A BIG BOX
THAT I WAS TO PUT ON.

IT LOOKED LIKE HORSE BLINDERS
THAT YOU PUT ON A HORSE.

SO, THE ASTRONAUTS
WEREN'T NECESSARILY THRILLED

ABOUT THESE EXPERIMENTS,

MAINLY BECAUSE -- HERE YOU
ARE FLYING TO THE MOON.

YOU'RE FLYING
IN DEEP SPACE,

AND NOW YOU HAVE TO STICK
A BOX ON YOUR HEAD?

Duke: SO I PUT THIS ON.

AND THEN I START
TO CLOSE MY EYES

AND DESCRIBE THE LIGHT FLASHES
THAT I'M SEEING.

Narrator: ALFMED'S DETECTORS

RECORD ACTUAL COSMIC RAYS
PASSING THROUGH THE HELMET.

IF THEY COINCIDE WITH DUKE'S
FLASHES, IT'S A SMOKING GUN.

TWICE, DUKE REPORTS A FLASH
AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME

AS A COSMIC RAY BLASTS
THROUGH THE HELMET.

IT SEEMS NASA
HAS SOLVED THE MYSTERY.

DO COSMIC RAYS EXPLAIN
MOST OF THESE WEIRD FLASHES?

PROBABLY.

BUT DO THEY EXPLAIN EVERYTHING

THAT THESE ASTRONAUTS
ARE SEEING?

THAT'S HARDER TO SAY.

Narrator: BUT ON MANKIND'S
FINAL MISSION TO THE MOON,

APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT JACK SCHMITT
SEES SOMETHING...

Schmitt: Hey, I just saw a flash
on the lunar surface.

Narrator: ...SOMETHING
THAT CAN'T BE EXPLAINED

BY COSMIC RAYS.

Narrator: AS APOLLO 17
APPROACHES THE MOON,

COMMANDER GENE CERNAN SPOTS
AN OBJECT

APPARENTLY HOVERING CLOSE
TO THE HORIZON.

ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS
LOOKS OUT AND HE SAYS,

"WAIT A MINUTE.
I CAN SEE SOMETHING OUTSIDE.

THIS IS NOT INTERNAL.

I AM LOOKING AT SOMETHING
OUTSIDE THE SPACECRAFT."

Cernan: Hey, Bob, I'm looking
at a bright object.

And it's obviously rotating
because it's flashing.

It's way out in the distance,
as I say,

'cause there are particles
that are close by,

and it's obviously
not one of those.

NEEDLESS TO SAY,
THIS IS EXTREMELY UNNERVING.

ANY OBJECT OUTSIDE
THE SPACE CAPSULE --

I MEAN, YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS,
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING?"

Narrator: JUST AS APOLLO 17
PREPARES TO LAND,

ASTRONAUT JACK SCHMITT
SEES SOMETHING ELSE

ON OR NEAR THE MOON'S SURFACE.

Schmitt: Hey, I just saw a flash
on the lunar surface.

It was a bright, little flash,

right out there
near that crater.

Schultz:
IMAGINE WHAT MISSION CONTROL
WAS THINKING --

[ LAUGHS ]

"IS JACK GOING NUTSO?

IS HE ACTUALLY SEEING
SOMETHING ON THE SURFACE?"

Narrator:
ONE ASTRONAUT SEEING SOMETHING

COULD BE EXPLAINED
AS A HALLUCINATION.

TWOSTRANGE SIGHTINGS
MERITS FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

CERNAN AND SCHMITT'S REPORT
BAFFLES EXPERTS FOR DECADES.

A PHOTOGRAPH
FROM THE APOLLO 17 ARCHIVE

COULDOFFER A CLUE
TO WHAT CERNAN SAW.

D'Antonio: THIS IMAGE WAS TAKEN
DURING A LUNAR EXCURSION,

ON APOLLO 17.

AND, IN THIS IMAGE,
YOU SEE A MOONSCAPE,

BUT YOU SEE SOMETHING ELSE.

UP HERE IN THE CORNER

IS A REALLY ODD
THREE-DOT OBJECT.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

THERE'S THIS CLUSTER
OF THREE BLUISH-COLORED LIGHTS.

THEY'RE TOO BRIGHT AND TOO BLUE
TO BE A PLANET OR CONSTELLATION.

COULD THAT BE
WHAT CERNAN SAW?

Narrator: APOLLO ASTRONAUT
ALFRED WORDEN HAS A THEORY

FOR WHAT THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
COULD BE.

ON A PREVIOUS MISSION,

HE RELEASED A MINIATURE
SPACECRAFT TO ORBIT THE MOON.

JUST BEFORE WE STARTED
OUR WAY BACK HOME,

I RELEASE A SMALL SUBSATELLITE.

AND IT GOES OUT ON A RAIL
THAT TWISTS IT,

AND AS IT'S TWISTING,
LONG ARMS COME OUT

TO STABILIZE IT IN ITS SPIN.

IT'S IN LUNAR ORBIT, SPINNING,

AND THE SUN IS REFLECTING OFF
THE ARMS AS THEY GO AROUND.

AND YOU CAN SEE
THE FLASHING OF THE ARMS.

MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT
THAT'S WHAT GENE'S SEEING.

BUT I DO NOT KNOW
IF OURS IS STILL THERE.

Narrator: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE
CERTAIN ABOUT WHAT CERNAN SAW.

SOME SPECULATE
THAT SCHMITT'S SIGHTING

COULD BE CAUSED
BY METEORS HITTING THE MOON.

THE MOON, JUST LIKE THE EARTH,
GETS HIT BY IMPACTS.

BUT THE EARTH HAS AN ATMOSPHERE,
SO WE SEE METEORS.

BUT THE MOON DOESN'T
HAVE MUCH ATMOSPHERE,

SO WHEN IT GETS HIT,

IT FORMS A BRIEF
FLASH OF LIGHT.

IT CAN HAPPEN IN LESS
THAN A SECOND.

Narrator: TO DATE, THERE IS
NO OFFICIAL NASA EXPLANATION

FOR THE APOLLO 17 SIGHTINGS.

EVEN AT THIS POINT IN TIME,

WE DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN
WHAT THIS IS.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE
DETECTS SIGNS OF MOVEMENT

ON THE SURFACE OF PLUTO.

DID WE FIND SOME
SORT OF CREATURE ON PLUTO?

Narrator:
SOMETHING HUGE IS SHIFTING

ON THE SUPPOSEDLY DEAD WORLD.

SO, HAS THE NEW HORIZONS
SPACECRAFT TAKEN PICTURES

OF GIANT SNAILS ON PLUTO?

Narrator:
AFTER A 10-YEAR JOURNEY,

NASA's NEW HORIZONS PROBE

FINALLY REACHES
THE MOST MYSTERIOUS WORLD

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM -- PLUTO.

PLUTO IS SO FAR AWAY, EVEN
THE MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPES

ONLY REVEAL A SMALL, FUZZY DISK.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE
NEW HORIZONS PROBE WILL FIND.

I THINK EXPECTATIONS WERE
THAT IT COULD VERY WELL

BE JUST A DEAD,
UNINTERESTING LUMP OF ICE.

AND, BOY, WERE WE WRONG.

Narrator:
THE IMAGES FROM NEW HORIZONS
ASTONISH SCIENTISTS.

THEY REVEAL MOUNTAIN RANGES
OF PURE ICE --

VOLCANOES THAT ERUPT,
NOT WITH BOILING ROCK,

BUT WITH ICY NITROGEN
AND AMMONIA.

RATHER THAN A COLD,
UNINTERESTING LUMP OF ICE,

PLUTO IS AN ALIEN WORLD
IN ITS OWN RIGHT.

Narrator: ONE SHOT CAPTURES
THE WORLD'S ATTENTION.

WE TRAVEL FOUR BILLION MILES
TO PLUTO,

AND WHEN WE GET THERE,

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING
MOVING ON THE SURFACE.

IT LOOKS UNMISTAKABLY
LIKE SOME KIND OF TRAIL.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THAT?

Narrator:
NASA's NEW HORIZONS PROBE

HAS DETECTED STRANGE ACTIVITY
ON PLUTO.

NEW HORIZONS HAS SHOWN US
VISTAS OF PLUTO

THAT WE HAVE JUST
NEVER SEEN BEFORE --

UNPRECEDENTED IMAGES,
INCLUDING...THIS ONE.

THIS IMAGE ACTUALLY
LOOKS LIKE A SNAIL.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT
MIGHT BE A SHELL AND A HEAD.

IT'S REALLY STRANGE.

AND I HAVE TO ADMIT, IT LOOKS
LIKE IT'S LEAVING A PATH.

SO, DO WE SEE
SPACE SNAILS ON PLUTO?

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: THE IMAGE SHOWS
WHAT LOOKS LIKE SNAILS

GLIDING ACROSS THE ICY PLAINS.

THE DISCOVERY SENDS
THE BLOGOSPHERE INTO A FRENZY.

WHEN THIS THING WAS FOUND,
IT BLEW THE DOORS WIDE OPEN.

THE INTERNET WAS BLAZING
WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

Narrator:
COULD THIS UNEXPLORED WORLD

BE HIDING THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S
GREATEST SECRET?

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT LIFE

SUGGESTS THAT NOTHING
COULD SURVIVE

IN THE FREEZING OUTER REACHES
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE ON PLUTO
IS MINUS-400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

NOBODY IS EXPECTING
TO SEE LIFE THERE.

THE SURFACE OF PLUTO --
A HORRIBLE PLACE FOR LIFE.

I WOULD SAY
AN IMPOSSIBLEPLACE FOR LIFE.

LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY --

EVERYTHING IN YOUR BODY
WOULD FREEZE IN A FEW SECONDS.

Narrator: THE EXTREME CONDITIONS
MAKE IT UNLIKELY

THE OBJECTS IN THE IMAGE
ARE LIVING CREATURES.

AND THE ANATOMY OF SNAILS

MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM
TO REACH SUCH A HUGE SIZE.

YOU BETTER PUT
A SKELETON IN IT.

OTHERWISE,
IT'S JUST GOING TO COLLAPSE

IN AN UNAPPETIZING HEAP.

Narrator:
MANY PLANETARY SCIENTISTS

CONSIDER A GEOLOGICAL
EXPLANATION FOR THE SNAILS

TO BE MORE LIKELY.

ONE POTENTIAL CLUE TO
THE MYSTERY COMES FROM IMAGES

OF A VAST ICE SHEET
WHERE THE SNAILS ARE FOUND.

Aguilar:
THIS FLAT SURFACE AREA ON PLUTO,
CALLED SPUTNIK PLANUM,

IS HOST
TO THESE STRANGE MARKINGS

THAT WE FIND
ON THE SURFACE OF PLUTO.

Narrator: SPUTNIK PLANUM

IS APPROXIMATELY THE SIZE
OF THE HUDSON BAY.

BENEATH ITS STILL FROZEN
SURFACE,

IT IS CHURNING WITH ACTIVITY.

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED
IT WAS A DEAD WORLD --

NOTHING WAS CHANGING,
NOTHING WAS HAPPENING --

BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE.

PLUTO IS AN ACTIVE
GEOLOGICAL WORLD.

Narrator: UNDER THE INCREDIBLE
PRESSURES OF PLUTO'S INTERIOR,

A SEA OF FROZEN NITROGEN
IS GRADUALLY DEFORMING,

MAKING IT BEHAVE
LIKE A THICK FLUID.

THE RESULT --
A CONSTANT CHURN OF ICE.

THINK OF A LAVA LAMP,

WITH A BLOB SLOWLY COMING UP
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LAMP.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME THING
THAT'S HAPPENING ON PLUTO.

Narrator:
OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

GEOLOGICAL PLATES
OF FROZEN NITROGEN

PUSH UP TO THE SURFACE OF PLUTO,

WHERE THEIR EDGES COOL
AND BEGIN TO CRACK.

THESE LINES ARE NONE OTHER
THAN THE EDGES

OF CONVECTION ZONES,

WHERE WARM MATERIAL
HAS COME UP IN THE CENTER,

AND THEN COLD MATERIAL,
NOW COOLING,

DROPS DOWN ALONG THE EDGES.

Narrator: THE CONVECTION THEORY

EXPLAINS THE TRAILS
AS PARTIALLY FROZEN CRACKS,

BUT IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE
MOVEMENT OF THE GIANT SNAILS

ACROSS GLACIERS OF NITROGEN.

THESE GIANT SNAILS
ARE PROBABLY WATER ICE.

Narrator: PLUTO IS SO COLD,

WATER FREEZES INTO
ROCK-HARD MOUNTAINS OF ICE,

TALLER THAN THE ALPS,
WHICH CLUSTER AROUND

THE EDGES
OF THE NITROGEN PLAINS.

FROZEN WATER IS LESS DENSE
THAN FROZEN NITROGEN,

SO IT FLOATS ABOVE IT.

WATER ICE IS GOING
TO BE ROCK-HARD

AND MIGHT FORM A LARGE ICEBERG.

IT WOULD SIT ON TOP
OF THE NITROGEN ICE.

Aguilar:
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON
THE SURFACE OF SPUTNIK PLANUM.

WE'RE SEEING ICEBERGS FLOATING
IN A SEA OF FROZEN NITROGEN.

Narrator: THE SNAILS
ARE NOT LIVING CREATURES,

BUT THEIR VERY EXISTENCE

MAY OFFER NEW HOPE FOR LIFE
ON THIS INHOSPITABLE WORLD.

IF THE TEMPERATURE
BELOW THE SURFACE

IS WARM ENOUGH
TO PRODUCE GLACIAL ACTIVITY,

THEN PLUTO COULD POTENTIALLY
HOST NEW FORMS OF LIFE.

Shostak:
WE THINK OF LIFE AS BEING
ON THE SURFACE OF A WORLD.

IT'S CONCEIVABLE THAT IF YOU DUG
A DEEP HOLE ON PLUTO,

YOU MIGHT FIND SOME
SORT OF MICROBIAL LIFE

WAY, WAY DOWN THERE.

80% OF THE LIFE ON OUR PLANET
IS ACTUALLY UNDERGROUND.

THERE'S MORE LIFE DOWN THERE
THAN THERE IS UP HERE.

Narrator: IN THE FEW BRIEF
MONTHS SINCE IT FLEW PAST PLUTO,

NEW HORIZONS IS REVEALING

THAT EVEN 3.5 BILLION MILES
FROM THE SUN,

LIFE MAY FIND A WAY.

THERE MAY BE LIFE ON PLUTO.

I MEAN, YOU CAN'T RULE
THAT OUT ALTOGETHER.

BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE
ON THE SURFACE,

AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE BIG.

Narrator: THE SOVIET UNION

SHOOTS DOWN
A NASA RESEARCH AIRCRAFT.

Pope: THIS WAS NOT
ELECTRONIC SPYING.

THIS WAS NOT PHOTOGRAPHIC
EXPERIMENTATION.

THIS WAS SCIENCE.

Narrator: FOR DECADES,
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS ACCUSE NASA

OF COVERING FOR SECRET
MILITARY OPERATIONS.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE COVER STORY
IS THAT IT'S BALONEY.

AND THE RUSSIANS KNOW IT.

Narrator:
NOW DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

PROVE THAT NASA WAS FRAMED.

IT'S VERY UNLIKELY
THAT NASA's BEING TOLD

EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.

EVEN PEOPLE WITHIN
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THESE MISSIONS.

Narrator: NASA ANNOUNCES TO THE
WORLD THAT A RESEARCH AIRCRAFT

CONDUCTING HIGH-ALTITUDE
WEATHER EXPERIMENTS OVER TURKEY

HAS DISAPPEARED.

THE PILOT IS PRESUMED DEAD.

ATMOSPHERIC AND WEATHER SAMPLING

ARE A KEY PART
OF NASA's MISSION.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING UNUSUAL
ABOUT THISOPERATION.

WHY IS NASA CONDUCTING
HIGH-ALTITUDE RESEARCH

IN TURKEY?

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: NASA MAINTAINS
THAT ITS AIRCRAFT

ACCIDENTALLY DRIFTED OFF COURSE.

Friedman: UNFORTUNATELY,
A WEATHER-OBSERVATION PLANE

HAS FLOWN OVER
THE SOVIET UNION,

BLOWN OFF COURSE
BY BAD WINDS AND STUFF,

AND WE'VE LOST THE PLANE
AND THE PILOT.

ISN'T THAT A SHAME?

Narrator: THE RUSSIANS CLAIM
THE AIRCRAFT IS A SPY PLANE.

THE LEADER OF THE SOVIET UNION,
NIKITA KHRUSCHCHEV,

APPEARS BEFORE
THE SOVIET PARLIAMENT

AND SAYS THAT THE USSR

HAS SHOT DOWN
AN AMERICAN SPY PLANE

THAT TRESPASSED
INTO SOVIET TERRITORY.

Narrator: NASA RELEASES
A PHOTO OF THE CRAFT

WITH THEIR LOGO ON THE TAIL.

Nichols: NASA, OF COURSE,
IS OUTRAGED.

THIS IS INNOCENT
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,

THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION,

THE PLANE FLEW ON AUTOPILOT.

IF IT STRAYED
INTO ANYBODY ELSE'S AIRSPACE,

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT
AND NOTHING MORE.

Narrator: BUT THE SOVIETS
HAVE AN ACE UP THEIR SLEEVE.

THE RUSSIANS WAIT UNTIL THE U.S.
IS FULLY COMMITTED

TO THE COVER STORY

BEFORE THEY RELEASE THAT
THEY HAVE INFORMATION,

THAT THE STORY IS FALSE.

Nichols: THEY HAVE THE PILOT.
HE'S ALIVE.

HE'S CONFESSED
TO BEING A SPY.

THEY HAVE THE PLANE.
THEY HAVE THE WRECKAGE.

AND THEY HAVE HIS EQUIPMENT.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE COVER STORY
IS THAT IT'S BALONEY.

AND THE RUSSIANS KNOW IT.

Nichols:
THE NASA RESEARCH MISSION

IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MOST
DISASTROUS SPY MISSIONS

IN U.S. HISTORY.

Narrator:
ON THE FIRST OF MAY, 1960,

A U.S. SPY PLANE
LABELED ARTICLE 360

TAKES OFF
ON A TOP-SECRET MISSION,

CODENAMED
"OPERATION GRAND SLAM."

THE PLANE IS LOCKHEED U-2C.

THE PILOT'S NAME IS GARY POWERS.

THE U-2 IS
A REMARKABLE AIRCRAFT,

CAPABLE OF FLYING
AT FANTASTIC HEIGHTS

AND TAKING INCREDIBLE
HIGH-RESOLUTION PICTURES

THAT WILL ENABLE
THE AMERICANS

TO DETERMINE THE TRUE LEVEL
OF SOVIET MILITARY CAPABILITIES.

GARY POWERS IS ONE
OF A HANDFUL OF HIGHLY TRAINED,

ELITE PILOTS

AT THE CUTTING EDGE
OF THIS ENTIRE PROGRAM.

Narrator: THE U-2 OPERATES
AT AN ALTITUDE OF 70,000 FEET,

FAR HIGHER
THAN ANY SOVIET FIGHTER PLANE

CAN REACH AT THAT TIME.

McGaha:
THEY THOUGHT AT THE TIME

THAT THE U-2 WAS
NOT VULNERABLE TO ATTACK

BECAUSE IT FLEW
AT SUCH HIGH ALTITUDE,

IT COULD NOT BE SHOT DOWN.

Pope: AS IT TURNS OUT,

THAT'S A DANGEROUS
AND FALSE ASSUMPTION.

THE SOVIETS KNOW
THAT THE AMERICANS

ARE OVERFLYING THEIR TERRITORY
AT HIGH ALTITUDES,

AND THEY'VE DEVELOPED
SYSTEMS TO COUNTER IT.

Narrator:
FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS,

THE SOVIET MILITARY
HAS BEEN ROLLING OUT

THE NEW S-75 DVINA
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE.

THE DVINA CAN REACH HIGHER

THAN ANY PREVIOUS
SOVIET ANTI-AIRCRAFT WEAPON.

Pope: AS GARY POWERS
APPROACHES HIS FIRST TARGET,

THERE'S AN IMPACT.

THERE'S AN EXPLOSION.

THE AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN HIT.

GARY POWERS MANAGED
TO EJECT SUCCESSFULLY

FROM THE AIRCRAFT
AND PARACHUTED TO THE GROUND,

WHERE HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
ARRESTED

BY THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES.

[ INDISTINCT TALKING ]

Narrator: NOW THE RUSSIANS
HAVE THE WRECKAGE

OF A TOP-SECRET U.S. SPY PLANE

AND THE PILOT WHO FLEW IT.

McGaha:
FOR A PILOT WHO'S BEEN CAPTURED
AND BEHIND ENEMY LINES

AND UNDER INTERROGATION,

THIS WOULD BE A VERY,
VERY STRESSFUL MOMENT,

BECAUSE YOU'RE THINKING
ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS --

WHAT YOU CAN SAY,
WHAT YOU CAN'T SAY --

AND JUST A GREAT DEAL
OF STRESS

AND, OF COURSE,
INTIMIDATION, AS WELL.

[ POUNDS TABLE ]

Narrator: FOR THE SOVIETS,
THIS IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION.

THEY PARADE POWERS
IN A SHOW TRIAL

TO EXPOSE AMERICA'S LIES
TO THE WORLD.

THE RUSSIANS ARE SAYING
THAT THE PILOT

GAVE THEM A CONFESSION.

BUT EVEN WITHOUT A CONFESSION,

THEY HAVE THE AIRPLANE
AND THE EQUIPMENT.

IT'S PRETTY CLEAR WHAT
HE WAS DOING UP THERE.

THE SOVIETS HAVE BEEN DOING
THIS SORT OF THING

SUCCESSFULLY FOR DECADES.

THEY KNOW HOW TO PLAY THIS.

McGaha: I THINK THE SOVIETS
WERE FAR MORE CONCERNED

ABOUT USING THIS
AS A PROPAGANDA ISSUE

THAN ANY KIND OF INFORMATION

THEY WERE GOING
TO GLEAN FROM HIM.

Narrator: TO THE WATCHING WORLD,
IT LOOKS LIKE NASA IS COMPLICIT

IN A MILITARY-INTELLIGENCE
PROGRAM

TO SPY ON THE SOVIET UNION.

THIS IS SOMETHING
OF A BLACK EYE TO NASA,

WHICH HAD PRIDED ITSELF

ON BEING A CIVILIAN
AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE PROGRAM.

AND NOW THEIR NAME
HAS BEEN USED TO COVER

FOR AN OBVIOUS SPY PROGRAM.

Narrator: FOR DECADES,

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
USED THE INCIDENT

AS EVIDENCE THAT NASA OPERATIONS

ARE A FRONT
FOR SECRET MILITARY PROJECTS.

THE ROLE OF NASA, WITH REGARD
TO MILITARY ACTIVITIES,

IS A GRAY AREA
ABOUT WHICH WE KNOW VERY LITTLE.

THEY DO PLENTY
OF CLASSIFIED WORK

BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY
OF MANY THINGS IS CLASSIFIED.

Narrator: BUT RECENTLY
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THAT AT THE TIME
OF THE OPERATION,

NASA KNEW NOTHING
ABOUT THE MISSION.

IT'S VERY UNLIKELY
THAT NASA's BEING TOLD

EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.

EVEN PEOPLE WITHIN
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THESE MISSIONS.

THEY'RE ONE OF THE MOST SECRET
PROGRAMS THE AMERICANS HAVE

AT THIS MOMENT.

NASA IS ORDERED BY
THE EISENHOWER ADMINISTRATION

TO RELEASE THE COVER STORY

THAT ONE OF THEIR AIRCRAFT
HAS GONE OFF COURSE

AND CRASHED DURING
A RESEARCH MISSION.

THEY WERE COERCED
INTO DOING THAT,

AND THEY WEREN'T REALLY
VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT.

♪♪

Narrator:
AVAILABLE RECORDS MAKE IT CLEAR

NASA WAS NOT INVOLVED
IN OPERATION GRAND SLAM.

BUT PARTS OF THE STORY
ARE STILL SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

ALTHOUGH SOME OFFICIAL FILES
ON THIS INCIDENT

HAVE BEEN RELEASED,

SOME OF THE NSA FILES
REMAIN UNDER LOCK AND KEY

TO THIS DAY.

SO THERE MAY BE PARTS
OF THE STORY

THAT WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

Narrator: UP NEXT...

DANCING LIGHTS
IN THE INDIANA SKY

DEFY EXPLANATION.

IF YOU SAW THIS IN THE SKY,

YOU WOULD WONDER IF THE END
OF THE WORLD WAS COMING.

Man: OH, MY GOODNESS.

Narrator: TERRIFYING LIGHTS

APPEAR IN THE SKIES
ABOVE INDIANA.

IT LOOKS LIKE
A GIANT BEAM OF LIGHTNING

IS JUST FROZEN IN THE SKY.

IT'S LIKE NOTHING
I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S SO BRIGHT AND SO STRAIGHT,
IT DOESN'T LOOK NATURAL.

Narrator: A LOCAL CYCLIST
SEES SOMETHING SO SHOCKING

HE STOPS TO RECORD IT.

WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE
IS THE FOOTAGE HE RECORDS.

THE VOICE YOU HEAR IS HIS.

A HUGE BEAM OF LIGHT
DANCES HIGH IN THE CLOUDS.

WHAT'S SO CRAZY ABOUT THIS IS
HOW ORDERLY THE LIGHT LOOKS.

IT LOOKS LIKE A GIANT SPOTLIGHT
IS SHINING BETWEEN CLOUDS.

IT'S KIND OF WAVING
BACK AND FORTH.

IT'S A BURNING SPEAR OF LIGHT
POINTING ALMOST VERTICAL.

IT JUST DOESN'T LOOK NATURAL.

Narrator: THE LIGHT
IS BRIGHT ENOUGH TO BE SUNLIGHT,

BUT THE SUN CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN
BEHIND A NEARBY CLOUD.

Man: THAT IS WEIRD.

WHAT THE [BLEEP] IS THAT?

Narrator: WHATEVER IT IS,
IT'S COMPLETELY SILENT.

ALL YOU CAN HEAR

ARE THE TERRIFIED COMMENTS
OF THE CYCLIST.

Man: OH, MY GOODNESS.

WHAT THE HELL?

[BLEEP]
I'M FLIPPING OUT, DUDE.

IF YOU SAW THIS IN THE SKY,

YOU WOULD WONDER IF THE END
OF THE WORLD WAS COMING.

Narrator: SOME OBSERVERS
POINT TO THE FACT

THAT THE BEAM IS DANCING
BETWEEN STORM CLOUDS

AS A POSSIBLE CLUE
TO ITS NATURE.

COULD IT BE A STRANGE FORM
OF LIGHTNING?

THERE'S NO WAY THAT
THIS COULD BE LIGHTNING.

IT'S A SHORTER PILLAR.
IT CONTINUES TO MOVE.

LIGHTNING
IS A VERY QUICK FLASH.

Narrator: ONE
OF THE MOST POPULAR THEORIES

IS THAT THE LIGHT
COULD BE REFLECTING

OFF A PASSING AIRPLANE.

BUT THAT AIRCRAFT WOULD HAVE
TO BE SITTING STILL IN THE SKY.

AND AIRCRAFT, GENERALLY,

ARE MAKING A PATH
THROUGH THE SKY.

THEY DON'T SIT STILL.

Man: 5, 4...

Narrator: MANY REMARK THAT IT

LOOKS LIKE THE LAUNCH TRAIL
OF A SPACECRAFT.

IT PRETTY MUCH DOES LOOK
LIKE A ROCKET LAUNCH.

WHEN A ROCKET-EXHAUST TRAIL
HITS A CLOUD,

IT CREATES A BRIGHT LIGHT

THAT EXTENDS STRAIGHT UP
INTO THE SKY.

Narrator:
BUT THE NEAREST LAUNCH PAD

IS OVER 500 MILES AWAY
ON THE NORTH ATLANTIC COAST.

AS FAR AS WE'RE AWARE,
THERE ARE NO ROCKETS

THAT ARE LAUNCHED IN INDIANA.

Narrator: SOME LOCAL WITNESSES
TO THE PHENOMENON

SUSPECT HIGH-TECH
GOVERNMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMS

COULD BE RESPONSIBLE.

THERE ARE LOADS OF BIG,
VERY EXPENSIVE,

HIGHLY CLASSIFIED PROGRAMS

FOR DEVELOPING
A NEW WEAPON SYSTEM,

A NEW WAY TO KILL PEOPLE,

A NEW WAY TO EXPLODE THINGS,
TO DESTROY STUFF.

ONE OF THE THEORIES
THAT WAS FLOATING AROUND

WAS THAT MAYBE THIS WAS
A TEST OF THE HAARP SYSTEM.

Narrator:
HAARP IS THE HIGH FREQUENCY
ACTIVE AURORAL RESEARCH PROGRAM.

OFFICIALLY, IT CONDUCTS

HIGH-ALTITUDE
WEATHER EXPERIMENTS

BY FIRING ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
HIGH UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

BUT PARTS OF
THIS GOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROGRAM

ARE CLASSIFIED,
LEAVING SKEPTICS TO BELIEVE

THAT THE WORK MAY BE
A COVER FOR WEAPONS RESEARCH.

THERE'S CERTAINLY SOME MILITARY
APPLICATIONS INVOLVED.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THE CLASSIFIED PORTIONS?

WE DON'T KNOW,
AND THEY'RE NOT TALKING.

Narrator: HAARP
DOES OPENLY BLAST ENERGY BEAMS

HIGH INTO THE IONOSPHERE,

BUT SOME SUSPECT THEIR MOTIVES.

SOME HAVE SUGGESTED
THIS IS RELATED

TO AFFECTING CLIMATE CHANGE
DIRECTLY

OR TRYING TO KNOCK SATELLITES
OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE

OR, PERHAPS,
HEATING THE ATMOSPHERE

TO THE POINT WHERE THE
ATMOSPHERE ITSELF IS GLOWING,

AS A RESULT OF SOME
OF THE RADIATION

THAT'S BEING POURED FORTH.

Narrator: BUT THE SCIENCE DOES
NOT SUPPORT THE HAARP THEORY.

SO, THE HAARP ARRAY
DOES SHOOT POWERFUL BEAMS

OF ENERGY INTO THE SKY,

BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING
TO BE VISIBLE AS BEAMS OF LIGHT.

Narrator: THE HAARP FACILITY
IS IN ALASKA.

EVEN IF ITS ION RAYS WERE
VISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE,

WITNESSES AT GROUND LEVEL
MORE THAN 1,000 MILES AWAY

WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THEM.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BLAMING HAARP
FOR ALL KINDS OF CRAZY STUFF.

I DON'T THINK IT'S HAARP.

Narrator:
SOME HAVE ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN

THE STRANGE DANCING LIGHT
AS A METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON.

WITH THE INTENSITY
OF THE LIGHT,

THE WAY THAT IT'S SO BRIGHT,
ONE POSSIBLE THEORY

IS THAT IT COULD BE
A JUMPING SUN DOG.

Narrator: A SUN DOG IS AN
ATMOSPHERIC TRICK OF THE LIGHT

THAT APPEARS WHEN THE SUN'S RAYS
ARE DEFLECTED

BY HIGH-ALTITUDE ICE CRYSTALS.

MUCH LIKE A MIRROR, THE CRYSTALS
REFLECT THE SUN'S RAYS,

CREATING A SHIMMERING BEAM
OF LIGHT.

IN CERTAIN RARE CONDITIONS,
THE CRYSTALS CAN SHIFT,

MAKING THE SUN DOG
APPEAR TO JUMP.

Jeras: A THUNDER CLOUD
COULD RELEASE ELECTRICITY

INTO THE ATMOSPHERE
FROM A LIGHTNING STRIKE,

AND IT COULD ALTER
THE ICE CRYSTALS

AND MAKE THEM CHANGE
SO IT WOULD APPEAR

THAT THE LIGHT BEING
REFLECTED ACTUALLY JUMPS.

SO, IN THE PRESENCE OF,
SAY, A THUNDERSTORM,

THEN THE SUN DOG MIGHT ACTUALLY
LEAP AROUND THE SKY,

JUST LIKE WE SEE HERE.

Narrator: FOR LIGHTNING
TO PRODUCE A JUMPING SUN DOG

ON THE SCALE VISIBLE IN FOOTAGE,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SUSTAINED
AND POWERFUL.

MULTIPLE LIGHTNING STRIKES
CHANGING THE ELECTRICAL MAKEUP

OF THE ATMOSPHERE
WOULD BE NEEDED

IN ORDER TO MAKE IT
CONTINUALLY JUMP THE WAY

THAT IT DOES IN THE VIDEO.

Narrator: THE VIDEO SHOWS
NO SIGN OF LIGHTNING AT ALL.

SO IN THE ABSENCE
OF ANY RATIONAL EXPLANATION,

THE PHENOMENON IN THIS FOOTAGE
REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

NASA's EXPLORATION OF THE COSMOS

CONTINUES TO CONFRONT US WITH
THINGS WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

YOU LOOK
AT THE HUBBLE TELESCOPES

AND SCENES THAT WE SEE
OF THE EXPLODING STARS,

THE FORMATION OF STARS,
THE EXPANDING OF THE UNIVERSE,

IT'S IN A CONSTANT
STATE OF CHANGE.

Narrator: THE VOYAGES
OF THE FIRST PIONEERS

STILL POSE MYSTERIES.

DO COSMIC RAYS EXPLAIN
MOST OF THESE WEIRD FLASHES?

PROBABLY.

BUT DO THEY EXPLAIN EVERYTHING

THAT THESE ASTRONAUTS
ARE SEEING?

THAT'S HARDER TO SAY.

Narrator:
NEW MISSIONS REDEFINE OUR IDEAS

OF WHERE LIFE CAN EXIST.

Shostak:
THERE MAY BE LIFE ON PLUTO,

BUT IT'S NOT GOING
TO BE ON THE SURFACE,

AND IT'S NOT
GOING TO BE BIG.

Narrator:
IDEAS BECOME REALITY.

Lee: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT I ACTUALLY SEE
SO MANY SERIOUS ASTRONOMERS

BE REALLY OPEN
TO THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THIS COULD ACTUALLY BE
AN ALIEN SOCIETY OUT THERE.

Narrator: THE UNKNOWN AWAITS.

LET'S SEE.
LET'S DISCOVER THESE UNKNOWNS.

AND TO ME, THAT'S A CHALLENGE.

WE WANT TO SEE
WHAT'S OUT THERE.