Original subtitles

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.