All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S04E02.Rise.of.the.Planet.Killer.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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

Teitel: 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.

Lee: THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

Oluseyi: WE RUN ACROSS MORE
MYSTERIES THAN DISCOVERIES.

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

Narrator: ASTRONAUTS ON
THE FINAL APOLLO MISSION

FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES.

Jurek:
SOMETHING IS GOING TERRIBLY,
TERRIBLY WRONG.

Narrator: THE FBI INVESTIGATES
THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

OF A TOP NASA SCIENTIST.

Teitel: WHAT DOES HE KNOW,

AND COULD HE POSSIBLY
BE A THREAT?

Narrator:
AND DECLASSIFIED TRANSCRIPTS
REVEAL AN UNEXPLAINED SIGHTING

ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.

Orwoll:
WHATEVER THIS PHENOMENA IS,
THIS IS BEYOND STRANGE.

Narrator: THESE ARE
NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE FINAL APOLLO MISSION
ENDS IN NEAR-DISASTER.

Jurek: SUDDENLY,
THEIR EYES START TO WATER.

THEIR FACES ARE BURNING.

Narrator: THE DEADLY INCIDENT
HAPPENS JUST DAYS AFTER

SOVIET COSMONAUTS GAINED ACCESS
TO THE SPACECRAFT.

Jurek: WAS IT SABOTAGE
FROM THE RUSSIAN SIDE?

WAS THERE
A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION?

Oberg: HARDLINERS IN THE KREMLIN

MIGHT NOT WANT
THIS MISSION TO SUCCEED.

Narrator:
AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR,

THE WORLD LIVES IN THE SHADOW
OF NUCLEAR DEVASTATION.

Jurek:
IT'S REALLY HARD TO OVERSTATE
THE FEAR OF WORLD WAR III.

IT'S A REAL AND PRESENT DANGER
IN THE LIVES OF ALL AMERICANS.

Narrator:
NASA'S APOLLO-SOYUZ MISSIONS,

RUN IN COOPERATION
WITH THE SOVIET UNION,

OFFER A RAY OF HOPE.

THOMAS STAFFORD,
VANCE BRAND, AND DEKE SLAYTON

ARE THE ASTRONAUTS CHOSEN
TO RENDEZVOUS

WITH THEIR RUSSIAN
COUNTERPARTS IN SPACE.

Zak: THIS IS A SIGN
THAT THINGS CAN CHANGE

AND THE COLD WAR
CAN BE OVERCOME.

Jurek: COMING TOGETHER,
BOTH EAST AND WEST,

THE RUSSIANS AND THE AMERICANS,
GAVE HOPE TO THE WORLD

THAT WE WOULD ALL NOT DIE
IN A FIERY EXPLOSION SOME DAY.

Narrator:
AT 12:12 P.M. ON JULY 17,

THE APOLLO CAPSULE
DOCKS WITH SOYUZ

120 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

FOR THE NEXT 44 HOURS,
ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS

HAVE ACCESS TO
EACH OTHERS' SPACECRAFT.

NOW THE TWO NATIONS
ARE NO LONGER COMPETING.

THEY ARE NOW
COOPERATING IN SPACE.

Jurek: THE APOLLO-SOYUZ MISSION
IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

IT'S TEXTBOOK.

NINE DAYS IN SPACE,
THREE MILLION MILES TRAVELED,

AN HISTORIC LINKUP IN SPACE.

Narrator:
THE MISSION APPEARS TO BE
A MAJOR STEP FORWARD

IN EAST-WEST RELATIONS.

NOW, ALL THE APOLLO CREW
HAS TO DO

IS BRING THE SPACECRAFT
DOWN TO EARTH.

THE LANDING SEQUENCE
FOR AN APOLLO CAPSULE

WAS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD
AND VERY SIMPLE.

AFTER THE INITIAL
ATMOSPHERIC BREAKING,

YOU FALL STRAIGHT DOWN...

POP OUT A SERIES OF PARACHUTES
TO SLOW YOU FURTHER

TILL THE PARACHUTES THEMSELVES

GENTLY DEPOSIT YOU
ON THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN.

THAT'S THE THEORY.

Narrator:
WHAT SHOULD BE A ROUTINE
PROCEDURE TURNS BAD.

Man: WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Jurek: SUDDENLY,
THEIR EYES START TO WATER.

THEIR FACES ARE BURNING.

SOMETHING IS GOING TERRIBLY,
TERRIBLY WRONG.

[ COUGHING ]

Oberg: SOMETHING IS
IN THE CABIN AIR,

AND IT'S CORROSIVE
AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY.

Narrator: MISSION COMMANDER
THOMAS STAFFORD

IDENTIFIES THE THREAT.

Jurek: STAFFORD SEES
THE YELLOW-BROWN MIST,

HE SMELLS IT,

AND HE INSTANTLY REALIZES
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Ferreira: IT'S ONE OF THE MOST
DEADLY SUBSTANCES

USED IN MAN'S SPACEFLIGHT.

NITROGEN TETROXIDE IS
A VERY CAUSTIC,

CORROSIVE, AND POISONOUS GAS.

IT CAN KILL YOU IN MINUTES.

Narrator: AT 30,000 FEET,

THE CAPSULE IS FALLING
AT 300 MILES PER HOUR.

[ COUGHING ]

IF THE CREW DON'T DEPLOY
THE LANDING CHUTES,

THEY WILL DIE INSTANTLY
UPON IMPACT.

THE TIMING IS DISASTROUS.

THEY'RE HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH,

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE
DEPLOYING THE PARACHUTES,

AND INSTEAD, THEY'RE FIGHTING
FOR THEIR LIVES.

Oberg: AS THE CAPSULE
CONTINUES TO DESCEND

AND THE MEN FIGHT
THE EFFECTS OF THE FUMES,

THEY BEGIN TO
LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS.

[ COUGHING ]

THE PARACHUTES,
BECAUSE THE AUTOMATIC SYSTEM

WAS NOT ACTIVATED,
WILL NOT COME OUT.

[ COUGHING ]

Narrator: STAFFORD FIGHTS OFF
OXYGEN STARVATION.

STAFFORD KNEW
HE WAS SUFFERING FROM

CHEMICALLY INDUCED HYPOXIA,

SO HE STARTED TO GRUNT-BREATHE
TO KEEP OXYGEN IN HIS LUNG

TO KEEP THE PRESSURE UP
SO HE WOULDN'T PASS OUT.

Oberg: THEY MANAGE TO MANUALLY
DEPLOY THE PARACHUTES

THOUSANDS OF FEET TOO LOW.

Jurek:
THEY'RE GOING TO SPLASH DOWN,

BUT THEY'RE GOING TO HIT
AND THEY'RE GOING TO HIT HARD.

[ CRASH, SPLASH ]

Narrator:
THE APOLLO CAPSULE HITS
THE OCEAN SO FAST,

IT TIPS UPSIDE DOWN,

TRAPPING THE SUFFOCATING
ASTRONAUTS INSIDE.

Jurek: STAFFORD RECOGNIZES
IMMEDIATELY THAT THEY NEED

TO GET FRESH OXYGEN.

PROBLEM IS,
HE'S STRAPPED IN UPSIDE DOWN.

Orwoll:
STAFFORD UNLATCHES HIMSELF
AND HE DROPS LIKE A ROCK,

BUT THE OXYGEN MASKS ARE BACK

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
WHERE HE JUST CAME FROM,

AND HE'S RUNNING
ON BORROWED TIME.

Narrator:
THE UPSIDE-DOWN CAPSULE'S
AIR VENTS ARE BLOCKED BY WATER.

STAFFORD KNOWS
THAT HIS CREWMATES

MAY HAVE ONLY MINUTES TO LIVE.

Jurek: AND HE HEARS
SLAYTON COUGHING

BUT HE HEARS NOTHING
COMING FROM BRAND,

AND HE RECOGNIZES
THAT HIS CREW MEMBER

IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.

HE LOOKS OVER
AND BRAND HAS PASSED OUT.

IF STAFFORD'S
GOING TO DO SOMETHING,

HE'S GOT TO DO IT NOW
AND HE'S GOT TO DO IT FAST.

HE HAS TO FIND THE OXYGEN MASKS.

Ferreira:
HE FINDS THEM AND PUTS ONE
ONTO BRAND WHO --

MIRACULOUSLY, BRAND BEGINS TO
REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS AGAIN.

HE ALSO GIVES ONE TO SLAYTON
AND PUTS ONE ON HIMSELF.

Narrator: THE CAPSULE HAS
A LIMITED OXYGEN SUPPLY.

IT'S A QUICK REPRIEVE,

BUT HIS CREW
IS STILL IN TROUBLE.

STAFFORD CAN NOW FOCUS ON
GETTING THE CAPSULE UPRIGHT

SO THAT THEY CAN FINALLY
GET SOME FRESH AIR.

Narrator: HE DEPLOYS
PURPOSE-DESIGNED FLOATS

IN THE APOLLO'S NOSE CONE
TO GET IT UPRIGHT.

HE CAN FINALLY OPEN THE VENTS.

THE CRAFT IS SUDDENLY
FILLED WITH FRESH AIR.

THEY CAN BREATHE AGAIN.

Jurek: YOU CAN IMAGINE
THIS WAS THE SWEETEST AIR

THIS CREW HAS EVER TASTED.

[ APPLAUSE ]

Narrator:
AS SOON AS THE ASTRONAUTS
ARE OUT OF DANGER,

FOCUS SHIFTS TO HOW
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED.

Jurek: A LOT OF SPECULATION
STARTED TO FILL THE MEDIA.

WAS IT SABOTAGE
FROM THE RUSSIAN SIDE?

WAS THERE
A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION?

Oberg: IT WAS REASONABLE TO FEAR
THAT HARDLINERS IN THE KREMLIN

MIGHT NOT WANT
THIS MISSION TO SUCCEED.

Narrator: WHAT SHOULD BE
A DIPLOMATIC TRIUMPH

IS ON THE VERGE OF CATASTROPHE.

NASA LAUNCHES ITS INVESTIGATION.

Jurek: NASA HAS TO FIND OUT WHAT
CAUSED THIS ALMOST-TRAGIC END

TO A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.

Narrator: DOCKING PILOT
DEKE SLAYTON'S TESTIMONY

SHEDS LIGHT ON WHAT WENT WRONG.

Oberg: SLAYTON REMEMBERED
HAVING READ OFF A COMMAND

TO SHUT OFF THE REACTION
CONTROL SYSTEM,

BUT HE SAYS THERE WAS
A SQUAWK ON THE INTERCOM.

BRAND DIDN'T HEAR THE READ-OFF
AND DIDN'T HIT THE SWITCH.

Orwoll: AS A RESULT OF THIS,

THE REACTION CONTROL
SYSTEM GETS LEFT ON

AND DEADLY GASES
FROM THE THRUSTERS

ARE VENTED BACK INTO THE CABIN
AND ESSENTIALLY

TURNED THE CAPSULE
INTO A GAS CHAMBER.

Jurek: ULTIMATELY, THE MISTAKE
ON NOT FLIPPING THE SWITCH

WAS REALLY
A COMMUNICATIONS ERROR.

Narrator:
THOMAS STAFFORD'S QUICK ACTIONS
SAVED HIS CREW

AND PREVENTED A BREAKDOWN
IN SUPERPOWER RELATIONS.

IT IS NO UNDERSTATEMENT
THAT THE APOLLO-SOYUZ MISSION

COULD'VE ENDED
IN ABSOLUTE DISASTER

IF NOT FOR THE QUICK, CALM,

AND COOL THINKING
OF TOM STAFFORD,

WHO SAVED HIS CREWMATES
AND SAVED THE MISSION.

Narrator: TODAY, WE REMEMBER
THE APOLLO-SOYUZ MISSION

AS A MOMENT WHEN THE COLD WAR
THAWED JUST A LITTLE.

Jurek:
THE HANDSHAKE ON APOLLO-SOYUZ

SYMBOLIZED FOR THE WORLD
THAT THE SPACE RACE

WAS COMING TO AN END
AND THAT THERE WAS HOPE

THAT THE COLD WAR,
THE SHADOW THAT WE HAD

ALL LIVED UNDER,
WOULD BE COMING TO AN END.

Narrator:
THE NEAR-DISASTER HAS BECOME
A FOOTNOTE IN HISTORY.

THANKS TO STAFFORD'S HEROICS
AND THE NASA INVESTIGATION,

THE MISSION DOESN'T END IN
DISASTER AND POLITICAL TURMOIL.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
A SCIENTIST WORKING ON NASA'S

MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR MARS MISSION
MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARS.

HE HAD SIGNIFICANT ACCESS
TO IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGY.

DID HE CROSS THE LINE?

WELL, THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY
WANTS TO FIND OUT.

Narrator:
A NASA SCIENTIST VANISHES.

THE FBI INVESTIGATES.

NO EXPLANATION,
HE'S JUST GONE.

BUT NOTHING DISAPPEARS
WITHOUT A TRACE.

Teitel: WHAT DOES HE KNOW,

AND COULD HE POSSIBLY
BE A THREAT?

[ HELICOPTER WHIRRING ]

Narrator: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.

DR. RON LI IS ONE OF
THE LEADING SCIENTISTS

IN NASA'S $1.5 BILLION
MARS MISSION.

THIS GUY IS A WORLD EXPERT

IN REMOTE SENSING
AND GEOSPATIAL MAPPING.

HE'S MADE REALLY
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS

TO THE MARS EXPLORATION ROVER
MISSIONS AS WELL AS NASA'S

LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE
ORBITER MISSION.

Narrator: IN JANUARY 2014,

HE'S AT THE PINNACLE
OF HIS CAREER,

WORKING TOWARDS A MANNED MISSION
TO THE RED PLANET.

HE'S PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

ON NASA'S LATEST MARS ROVER.

PROFESSOR RON LI IS IN LINE

TO BE A PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
ON MARS 2020,

WHICH IS REALLY
A SPACE SCIENTIST'S DREAM GIG.

THIS IS THEJOB,
A MISSION TO MARS.

THIS IS THE --
THE IS THE GOLD STANDARD.

Narrator: ON FEBRUARY 15,
DR. LI DOESN'T SHOW UP FOR WORK.

Baker: ONE DAY,
OUT OF THE BLUE, HE'S GONE.

AND I MEAN GONE.

HE DOESN'T EVEN
PACK UP HIS OFFICE.

ALL HIS POSSESSIONS
STILL IN HIS OFFICE.

HIS WIFE'S STILL
IN THE STATES.

AND HE DISAPPEARS.

Gutheinz: THIS IS A VERY
ACCOMPLISHED SCIENTIST.

HE'S NOT THE TYPE OF GUY
YOU WOULD EXPECT

TO JUST DROP OFF OF THE MAP.

WHY WOULD HE DISAPPEAR?

Narrator: THE FIRST CLUE COMES
WHEN THE MISSING SCIENTIST

SENDS A BRIEF E-MAIL
TO OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.

THERE WAS A SHORT E-MAIL

FROM THIS SCIENTIST ASKING
FOR THE LEAVE

TO TAKE CARE OF HIS PARENTS
WHO ARE IN CHINA.

BUT THAT'S ALL THERE IS.

Narrator: UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS
WHO RESPOND TO THE E-MAIL

RECEIVE NO REPLY.

THEY TRY TO REACH OUT TO HIM,
NO LUCK.

THEY CAN'T MAKE CONTACT.

Narrator: FOR ALMOST A WEEK,
LI'S COLLEAGUES

CAN ONLY SPECULATE
ABOUT HIS FATE.

WHEN HE FINALLY MAKES CONTACT,
THE MESSAGE COMES FROM CHINA.

Teitel: SIX DAYS
AFTER HE DISAPPEARED,

HE SENDS A RESIGNATION E-MAIL
TO HIS EMPLOYERS.

Birnes: WHY WOULD A PERSON
WHO SUBMITTED A GRANT

THAT LIKELY WOULD'VE BEEN
APPROVED FOR IMAGING ON MARS,

WHY WOULD HE SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR?

THIS JUST DOESN'T
MAKE ANY SENSE.

Narrator: FOUR DAYS AFTER
LI'S RESIGNATION,

HIS WIFE ARRIVES
AT HIS LAB UNANNOUNCED.

WHEN LI'S WIFE
WENT TO CLEAR OUT

HER HUSBAND'S OFFICE
AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY,

SHE WAS QUESTIONED
BY THE UNIVERSITY

ABOUT LI'S ACTIONS.

SHE MAINTAINED THAT
LI WAS VERY SECRETIVE

AND NEVER DISCUSSED HIS WORK

AND THAT SHE KNEW
NOTHING ABOUT IT.

Narrator:
THE PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR
IS SO DISTURBING

THAT UNIVERSITY STAFF
ALERT THE FBI.

THE BUREAU AGENTS
WERE SO WORRIED

ABOUT LI'S WIFE'S BEHAVIOR,
THEY PUT HER ON A WATCH LIST.

Narrator: THE FBI DISCOVERS
THAT IN THE WEEKS

BEFORE HE DISAPPEARED,

LI WAS ALREADY
UNDER INVESTIGATION

BY HIS EMPLOYER FOR LINKS TO
A CHINESE RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

Gutheinz: JUST BEFORE HE LEFT,
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

WAS INVESTIGATING HIS TIES

TO A TOP EDUCATIONAL
FACILITY IN CHINA.

HE'S BEEN ON STAFF FOR 20 YEARS.

NOW, THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT.

Narrator:
LI'S RECENTLY DISCOVERED
CHINA CONNECTION

POSES AWKWARD QUESTIONS.

WHAT DOES HE KNOW, AND COULD
HE POSSIBLY BE A THREAT?

Narrator:
LI'S WORK GIVES HIM ACCESS

TO HIGHLY RESTRICTED
CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

INTENDED FOR
THE MARS 2020 MISSION.

Teitel:
LI WAS WORKING ON DEVELOPING
A NEW IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

FOR USE ON THE MARS 2020 ROVER,

AND THIS WAS SUCH A NEW,
SENSITIVE TECHNOLOGY

THAT IT'S CONTROLLED
BY THE GOVERNMENT.

IT'S NOT ALLOWED
TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY

WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.

Birnes: THIS IS SPECIFIC
TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

THIS IS THE HEART AND SOUL
OF LONG-DISTANCE SURVEILLANCE.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND
OF TECHNOLOGY THE CHINESE

WOULD LOVE TO HAVE,
NOT JUST FOR A SPACE PROGRAM,

BUT FOR TOP-SECRET
MILITARY SURVEILLANCE.

Narrator: TWO WEEKS AFTER
LI'S DISAPPEARANCE,

SECURITY OFFICIALS
INTERCEPT HIS WIFE

AS SHE'S TRYING TO BOARD
A PLANE TO CHINA.

Teitel: LI'S WIFE IS DETAINED
AT THE AIRPORT IN SAN FRANCISCO

WHEN SHE WAS ON HER WAY
TO MEET HER HUSBAND IN SHANGHAI.

Baker: SHE HAS ALL OF LI'S FILES
ON DISK DRIVES,

ON THUMB DRIVES, LAPTOP.

OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A CONCERN.

Narrator: COULD LI HAVE BEEN
LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE?

Teitel: THE FBI HAD TO SERIOUSLY
CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THAT LI WAS A CHINESE SPY
WORKING WITHIN NASA.

Baker: YOU CAN IMAGINE
WHAT NASA'S THINKING.

DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM?
DO YOU HAVE A SPY IN YOUR MIDST?

DID HE CROSS THE LINE?

WELL, THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY
WANTS TO FIND OUT.

Narrator: IN NOVEMBER 2015,
THE CHINESE SPACE AGENCY

MAKES A DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT

THAT SEEMS TO CONFIRM
NASA'S WORST FEARS.

THEY'VE NOW ANNOUNCED
A MARS LANDING MISSION

FOR 2020,
THE SAME TIME FRAME

THAT LI WAS GOING TO BE
WORKING ON A MARS MISSION.

Narrator:
THE CHINA SPACE AGENCY PLANS
TO LAND A ROVER ON MARS

WITHOUT ANY
EXPLORATORY MISSIONS.

THE AMBITIOUS GOALS
HEIGHTEN FEARS OF ESPIONAGE.

OUR MISSIONS TO MARS
IN THE VERY BEGINNING FAILED.

RUSSIA, ALL OF THEIR MARTIAN
ORBITERS HAVE FAILED.

HERE'S CHINA SUDDENLY SAYING,

"WE DON'T NEED ANY ORBITERS.

WE'RE JUST GOING TO
LAND RIGHT ON MARS."

HOW COULD THE CHINESE
BE SO CONFIDENT?

KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN CHINA RIGHT NOW

AND THEIR AGGRESSIVE
SPACE PROGRAM,

THE TIMING IS SUSPECT.

[ APPLAUSE ]

Baker: COINCIDENCE?
I DON'T KNOW.

I COME FROM
THE INTELLIGENCE WORLD.

REALLY THERE ARE
VERY FEW COINCIDENCES.

THE LINKS BETWEEN
LI'S DISAPPEARANCE

AND THE RAPID PROGRESS
OF CHINA'S MARS PROGRAM

REMAINS UNCONFIRMED.

HAS A FEDERAL OFFENSE
BEEN COMMITTED?

THE FBI'S INVESTIGATION
IS ONGOING,

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO WAIT AND SEE.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
APOLLO ASTRONAUTS SEE SOMETHING

THEY CAN'T EXPLAIN
ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON.

THERE'S SOMETHING THERE
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SMOKE.

Orwoll: THIS IS BEYOND STRANGE.

Narrator:
APOLLO ASTRONAUTS ENCOUNTER

SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE
ON THE MOON.

Pope:
THE ASTRONAUTS SEE SOMETHING
DOWN ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THERE'S A STRANGE
LIGHT DOWN THERE.

Man: APOLLO 8.THERE'S SOMETHING THERE,

AND IT LOOKS LIKE SMOKE.

Narrator:
DECLASSIFIED NASA TRANSCRIPTS
REVEAL THE ASTRONAUTS

ARE UNABLE TO EXPLAIN
WHAT THEY SAW.

Orwoll:
WHATEVER THIS PHENOMENA IS,
THIS IS BEYOND STRANGE.

Narrator:
ON A CLEAR WINTER'S MORNING,
THE $113 MILLION

SATURN V ROCKET TOWERS
OVER KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.

Man: WE HAVE
IGNITION SEQUENCE START.

Narrator: AT 7:51 A.M.,
IT BLASTS OFF.

Man: THE ENGINES ARE ARMED.

FOUR, THREE, TWO.

LIFTOFF AT 7:51 A.M.

Narrator: IN JUST 10 MINUTES,

IT CARRIES THE APOLLO 8 CAPSULE
BEYOND EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

APOLLO 8 IS MANKIND'S
FIRST MISSION INTO DEEP SPACE.

THEY'RE HEADING INTO
UNKNOWN TERRITORY.

THESE WILL BE THE FIRST PEOPLE
TO ORBIT THE MOON.

WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE.

Narrator: AFTER CROSSING
OVER 230,000 MILES OF SPACE,

APOLLO 8 FINALLY
REACHES ITS DESTINATION.

Man: APOLLO 8,
ALL SYSTEMS GO.

Man: SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE.

Narrator: AS THE CAPSULE'S ORBIT
PASSES BEHIND THE MOON,

APOLLO 8 LOSES
RADIO CONTACT WITH EARTH.

FOR 45 MINUTES,

THE ASTRONAUTS
ARE FURTHER FROM EARTH

THAN ANY HUMAN HAS EVER BEEN.

MISSION CONTROL WON'T KNOW
UNTIL THEY REEMERGE,

"HAVE THEY MADE IT?"

Man: APOLLO 8?
APOLLO 8, THIS IS HOUSTON.

GROUND CONTROL WAITS.
THE MEDIA WAITS.

THE WORLD WAITS.

Man: APOLLO 8, HOUSTON.
OVER.

Man: GO AHEAD, HOUSTON.
THIS IS APOLLO 8.

Narrator:
WHEN THE SPACECRAFT REAPPEARS,

THE CREW SEEMS UNHARMED
BY THEIR ORDEAL.

Man: GOOD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE.

Narrator:
THE MISSION IS A SUCCESS.

THE SECRET OF WHAT THEY SAW
DURING THEIR ISOLATION

REMAINS UNDISCOVERED FOR YEARS.

Worden:
ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOON,

WHERE YOUR COMMUNICATIONS
ARE CUT OFF FROM THE EARTH,

THERE WAS A RECORDING DEVICE
ONBOARD

THAT RECORDS ANYTHING
THAT'S BEING SAID.

Narrator:
NASA TRANSCRIBES THE RECORDINGS
AND SEALS THEM IN THE ARCHIVES.

THEY REMAIN CLASSIFIED
FOR YEARS.

WHEN AMATEUR INVESTIGATORS
DISCOVER THE CONTENTS

OF THOSE RECORDINGS,
THEY'RE ASTONISHED.

IN THE FINAL MINUTES
BEFORE HEADING BACK TO EARTH,

THE CREW HAS A VERY
BIZARRE CONVERSATION.

Man 1: THERE'S A STRANGE
LIGHT DOWN THERE.

Man 2: IS IT A BONFIRE?

Man 1: IT MIGHT BE CAMPFIRES.

AND WHAT THE TRANSCRIPT SHOWS
IS QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.

THE ASTRONAUTS SEE SOMETHING
DOWN ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THEY SEE LIGHTS.

AND THEY ACTUALLY SAY,
"THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THERE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A FIRE."

THESE ARE TWO NASA ASTRONAUTS
ON AN APOLLO MISSION,

TALKING ABOUT SEEING A CAMPFIRE

OR A BONFIRE ON
THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

THIS IS BEYOND STRANGE.

Oberg: THERE'S NO AMBIGUITY
IN THAT LANGUAGE.

BORMAN SAYS, "BONFIRE."

ANDERS SUGGESTS, "CAMPFIRE."

THOSE ARE THE WORDS
THEY REALLY USE.

Man:
WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY STANDING
ON OUR HEADS DOWN HERE.

Narrator:
THERE WAS NO VISUAL RECORD

OF WHAT
THE APOLLO 8 ASTRONAUTS SAW.

Man: TELEMETRY
AND RADAR TRACKING IS SOLID.

VELOCITY 27,800
FEET PER SECOND.

Narrator:
BUT JUST SEVEN MONTHS LATER,

THE APOLLO 11 MISSION CAPTURES
AN IMAGE OF A PHENOMENON

SIMILAR TO WHAT BORMAN
AND ANDERS DESCRIBED.

WHATEVER THIS PHENOMENA IS,

IT'S BEEN VISUALLY ID'd
BY ONE APOLLO CREW

AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANOTHER.

Narrator:
AT HIGH MAGNIFICATIONS,
THE IMAGE BECOMES PIXELATED,

BUT THERE IS SPECULATION
THESE MARKS COULD BE WHAT

THE APOLLO 8 CREW
DESCRIBED AS SMOKE.

Pope: THIS IS NOT SOME RUMOR
OR SOME CONSPIRACY.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
IS DOCUMENTED OFFICIALLY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY

THE ASTRONAUTS SAW
A NATURAL PHENOMENON.

Oberg: THERE'S NO FREE OXYGEN
ON THE MOON,

SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE
A FIRE ON THE SURFACE.

IT'S JUST --
IT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING THERE
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SMOKE.

WE KNOW IT CAN'T BE A CAMPFIRE,
SO IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: ONE ALTERNATIVE
SOURCE OF OXYGEN

AND THEREFORE FIRE
COULD BE SPACECRAFT DEBRIS.

THERE IS OXYGEN
IN THE FUEL OF A ROCKET,

SO ONE THEORY IS,
COULD THIS BE PART OF A ROCKET

IMPACTING ON THE LUNAR SURFACE?

Narrator:
AFTER REACHING THE MOON,

THE APOLLO CRAFT JETTISONS
ITS STAGE-THREE ROCKET BOOSTER.

COULD THIS BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE APOLLO 8
BONFIRE SIGHTING?

I SUPPOSE IT'S A POSSIBILITY.

I GUESS THERE MIGHT BE
SOME SMOKE FROM IT.

THERE WAS STILL
SOME FUEL ONBOARD.

Narrator:
NASA TRACKS AND DOCUMENTS

THE PATH OF EVERY
SEPARATED BOOSTER.

THESE RECORDS CONTRADICT
THE ROCKET THEORY.

WHEN NASA LOOK AT THE ROCKETS
FROM APOLLO 8,

THEY FIND, NO, THEY HAVE NOT
IMPACTED THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THEY'RE STILL IN ORBIT.

THAT STILL LEAVES
THE QUESTION OF,

WHAT WERE THE ASTRONAUTS SEEING?

Narrator:
APOLLO PROGRAM GEOLOGIST
PETE SCHULTZ

HAS A THEORY THAT COULD
EXPLAIN THE SIGHTINGS.

COULD IT BE THAT THERE
WAS SOME FORM OF ERUPTION,

AN ERUPTION OF COLD GAS?

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN
WHAT THEY SAW?

Narrator: THE MOON IS SUPPOSED
TO BE GEOLOGICALLY DEAD,

BUT SCHULTZ HAS FOUND EVIDENCE
THAT A HARDENED LAVA LAKE

ON THE MOON CONTAINS
TRAPPED POCKETS OF GAS.

OCCASIONALLY,
THESE VENT INTO SPACE.

Schultz: WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT
SOME FEATURES ON THE MOON,

AND WE SEE EVIDENCE THAT
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN

SOME FORM OF DEGASSING EVENT
THAT THREW UP DUST.

Narrator: IF THESE ERUPTIONS
CATCH THE SUNLIGHT,

THEY CAN LOOK LIKE SMOKE,
BUT THE LAVA LAKE

IS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY
FROM THE APOLLO SIGHTING,

SO IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THIS
IS WHAT THE CREW WITNESSED.

THEY SAW THIS ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON.

THAT ISN'T THE AREA THAT YOU
WOULD EXPECT TO SEE ERUPTIONS.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUTS WHO HAVE STUDIED
THE LUNAR SURFACE AGREE

THAT THIS COULD NOT ACCOUNT
FOR THE APOLLO 8 SIGHTINGS.

I WENT AROUND THE MOON 75 TIMES

AND I NEVER SAW
ANYTHING LIKE THAT,

AND MY ORBIT WAS
HIGH INCLINATION ENOUGH

THAT I SAW A GOOD SHARE
OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.

SO WE'RE LEFT WITH
THIS QUESTION AGAIN,

WHAT REALLY DID THEY SEE?

Narrator:
THE MYSTERIOUS SIGHTINGS
REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

STILL TO COME,
ASTRONOMERS CATCH

A TERRIFYING GLIMPSE
OF OUR PLANET'S FATE.

WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING HERE

IS ENTIRE WORLDS
BEING TORN TO PIECES.

THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Narrator:
ASTRONOMERS FIND A STAR
DEFYING THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Ballard:
WHATEVER'S HAPPENING IS VERY
EXCITING AND VERY MYSTERIOUS.

Oluseyi: THE PHYSICS DOESN'T
SEEM TO MAKE SENSE.

Narrator:
THE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY
COULD SPELL EARTH'S DOOM.

Aguilar:
THIS IS AN INEVITABLE FATE

AND THERE'S NOTHING TO BE DONE.

Narrator: 2014.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS
USE THE KEPLER TELESCOPE

TO HUNT THE COSMOS FOR DYING
STARS KNOWN AS WHITE DWARVES.

Oluseyi: A WHITE DWARF IS WHAT
WE CALL AN EVOLVED STAR.

THIS MEANS THAT
THE STAR WAS BORN,

IT LIVED WHAT WE CALL
ITS MAIN SEQUENCE LIFE,

LIKE OUR SUN IS CURRENTLY DOING,
BUT THEN IT DIED.

THE NUCLEAR REACTIONS
IN ITS CORE WENT OUT.

Narrator: ON MAY 30,

THE HARVARD TEAM DETECT
UNUSUAL ACTIVITY AROUND

A WHITE DWARF
IN THE VIRGO CONSTELLATION.

Grazier: WE KNOW THIS
IS A WHITE DWARF,

BUT THIS IS A WHITE DWARF
UNLIKE ANY WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.

Hoeksema: THERE'S SOMETHING
WEIRD GOING ON.

IT'S A MYSTERY.

WE REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT THIS IS.

Narrator: WHITE DWARFS ARE
USUALLY SURROUNDED

BY A LAYER OF LIGHT GASES,

BUT THIS ONE SEEMS TO BE
SHROUDED IN DENSE METALS.

Hoeksema: THE STRANGE THING
ABOUT THIS STAR

IS THAT WE'RE SEEING THESE
HEAVIER ELEMENTS IN THE SURFACE,

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU
REALLY SHOULDN'T SEE

IN A WHITE DWARF.

Grazier::
WE HAVE CALCIUM, ALUMINUM,

MAGNESIUM, EVEN IRON
ON THE SURFACE OF THIS STAR.

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

Narrator:
THE PRESENCE OF THESE METALS

ON THE SURFACE OF THE STAR
BAFFLES ASTRONOMERS.

A WHITE DWARF HAS A VERY
POWERFUL GRAVITY.

THOSE HEAVY METALS SHOULD HAVE
SUNK TO THE CENTER.

THE PHYSICS DOESN'T
SEEM TO MAKE SENSE.

THERE SHOULD NOT BE
HEAVY ELEMENTS ON ITS SURFACE

UNLESS THE PHYSICS HAS TURNED
THE STAR INSIDE OUT.

Narrator:
THERE IS NO KNOWN FORCE CAPABLE
OF TURNING A STAR INSIDE-OUT,

SO THE METALS CANNOT BE
FROM THE STAR ITSELF.

THEY MUST COME
FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.

SINCE WE DON'T NORMALLY EXPECT
TO SEE THESE ELEMENTS

AT THE SURFACE
OF A WHITE DWARF,

ARE THEY BEING SUPPLIED
FROM ANOTHER SOURCE?

Narrator: LIGHT READINGS
REVEAL THE PRESENCE

OF A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

PASSING ACROSS THE FACE
OF THE STAR.

BUT ALONE, IT DOESN'T ACCOUNT
FOR THE EXISTENCE

OF VAST QUANTITIES OF METALS.

Hoeksema: WE HAVE A CLUE AS TO
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

EVERY FOUR OR FIVE HOURS,
IT GETS A LITTLE BIT DIMMER,

AND THAT MUST BE
DUE TO SOMETHING

COMING BETWEEN US
AND THAT STAR.

Ballard: WHATEVER'S HAPPENING,
THESE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE LIGHT

ARE OCCURRING
MORE AND MORE OFTEN,

AND THAT'S VERY EXCITING
AND VERY MYSTERIOUS.

Narrator:
DIPS IN THE STAR'S BRIGHTNESS

CAN INDICATE THE PRESENCE
OF AN ORBITING PLANET,

BUT THE OBJECT ORBITING
THIS WHITE DWARF

ISN'T BEHAVING LIKE ANY WORLD.

Grazier:
IT CAN'T BE A SINGLE PLANET

BECAUSE THE DIPS IN LIGHT
WOULD BE AT REGULAR INTERVALS.

IT'S NOT EVEN MULTIPLE PLANETS,

BECAUSE, AGAIN,
THOSE ARE PREDICTABLE.

THESE SEEM TO BE AT RANDOM.

Narrator: AS THE TEAM CONTINUE
TO MONITOR THE STAR,

THEY DETECT
A MASSIVE DEBRIS TRAIL

BEHIND THE ORBITING OBJECT.

THIS DISCOVERY LEADS THEM
TO A SHOCKING CONCLUSION.

THE DYING STAR WAS ONCE
ORBITED BY SEVERAL PLANETS,

BUT IT IS NOW
TEARING THEM APART.

Grazier: THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING FOR
THE FIRST TIME

IS A STAR THAT HAS DESTROYED
ITS TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

AND IS NOW CONSUMING THEM.

Hoeksema:
SO WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE

IS WE'RE SEEING THE SURFACE
BEING RIPPED OFF

AND WE'RE SEEING
ALL THESE DIFFERENT PIECES

ORBITING AROUND
NOT AS ONE PLANET ANYMORE

BUT AS SOMETHING
THAT'S BEEN DESTROYED.

Narrator:
THE WHITE DWARF'S MASSIVE
GRAVITATIONAL FORCES

TEARS THE METALS
OUT OF THE PLANETS

AND SCATTERS THEM ACROSS
THE STAR'S SURFACE.

WE'RE SEEING A STAR
TAKE ITS PLANETS

WITH IT TO
THE STELLAR GRAVEYARD.

Narrator: THIS IS AN EVENT NEVER
BEFORE SEEN IN HUMAN HISTORY.

WHAT WE'RE WITNESSING HERE

IS ENTIRE WORLDS
BEING TORN TO PIECES.

WE'RE WATCHING THE END
OF A STAR SYSTEM

AND A PLANETARY SYSTEM
RIGHT BEFORE OUR VERY EYES.

Narrator:
THE SCALE OF DESTRUCTION
IS CHILLING,

AND IT COULD OFFER A GLIMPSE
OF OUR OWN FATE.

IT'S VERY EASY TO DISMISS THIS

BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING
SO FAR AWAY.

BUT WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY
SEEING IS THE FUTURE

OF OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: ONE DAY,
OUR SUN WILL BURN ITSELF OUT

AND TURN INTO A WHITE DWARF,

AND IT TOO WILL BECOME
A PLANET KILLER.

Oluseyi: EVERY DAY,
THE SUN IS A LITTLE LARGER

THAN IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE.

EVENTUALLY, IT WILL SWELL UP
AND ENGULF MERCURY

AND THEN VENUS
AND THEN THE EARTH.

THIS SYSTEM IS A PEEK
INTO OUR FAR-DISTANT FUTURE.

WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE
IS GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.

OUR FUTURE HERE ON EARTH
IS A TERRIBLE FUTURE.

WE WILL JUST VAPORIZE.

THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

THE APPEARANCE
OF GREEN FIREBALLS

IN THE SKIES ABOVE ROSWELL

SPARKS A MAJOR
MILITARY INVESTIGATION.

EVEN AS WE SIT HERE TODAY,

IT IS A MYSTERY
COMPLETELY UNRESOLVED.

Narrator: GLOWING GREEN
FIREBALLS TERRIFY PILOTS

IN THE NEW MEXICO SKIES.

NO ONE CAN COME UP
WITH A RATIONAL EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT ALL THESE
PEOPLE ARE SEEING.

Narrator: THE SIGHTINGS BECOME
NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES.

Birnes:
WHEN BOTH CIVILIAN PILOTS
AND MILITARY PILOTS AGREE

THAT THEY'VE SEEN
THE SAME THING,

THAT'S A PROBLEM.

Narrator: A LONE PILOT
TRAVELING HIGH ABOVE NEW MEXICO

SEES A GREEN BALL OF FIRE
FLYING TOWARDS HIS AIRCRAFT.

Birnes: IT'S NOT JUST
A DISTANT OBSERVATION.

WHATEVER THIS THING IS,
IT FLIES DIRECTLY AT THE PLANE.

THIS THING IS GETTING
LARGER AND LARGER,

AND THEY'RE SO WORRIED
ABOUT AN IMMINENT COLLISION

THAT THEY TAKE EVASIVE ACTION.

Narrator: JUST 30 MINUTES LATER,

THE MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL
BUZZES ANOTHER AIRCRAFT.

BOTH PILOTS ARE UNABLE
TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEY'VE SEEN.

ALL PILOTS ARE FAMILIAR

WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
IN WHICH THEY OPERATE,

SO WHEN THEY SAY, "THIS IS LIKE
NOTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE,"

YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK.

Narrator: WHEN THE PILOTS
REPORT THEIR ENCOUNTERS,

THE U.S. AIR FORCE CLAIMS
THE SO-CALLED "FIREBALLS"

ARE JUST FLARES.

THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THAT EXPLANATION.

FLARES WOULDN'T BE
2,000 FEET UP IN THE AIR.

THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF FLARES
IS TO ILLUMINATE THE GROUND.

Narrator:
OVER THE FOLLOWING WEEKS,
FURTHER REPORTS EMERGE

OF STRANGE GREEN LIGHTS
IN THE NEW MEXICO SKIES.

ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST APPEARS
OVER ROSWELL.

AS NEWS OF THE SIGHTINGS SPREAD,
THERE'S AN ELEMENT OF HYSTERIA

THAT SPREADS ACROSS THE NATION.

THE PRESS STARTS WRITING
THESE HEADLINES,

"HAVE WE BEEN VISITED
FROM OUT OF SPACE?"

THE LEAD STORY
IN THE COUNTRY TODAY.

"HAS E.T. FINALLY ARRIVED?"

Anchor: JET FIGHTERS RACED ALOFT
TO INTERCEPT A REPORTED SAUCER.

Narrator: THE TIMING OF
THE SIGHTINGS IS UNCANNY.

IT COMES JUST 18 MONTHS AFTER
THE INFAMOUS ROSWELL INCIDENT.

WHEN THE GREEN FIREBALLS START
APPEARING ABOVE MILITARY BASES,

THE U.S. AIR FORCE TAKES ACTION.

HIGH-RANKING MILITARY OFFICIALS
ARE DEFINITELY GETTING NERVOUS.

THESE UNIDENTIFIED LIGHTS
ARE APPEARING

NEAR SEVERAL HIGH-SECURITY SITES
IN THE UNITED STATES,

AND NOBODY HAS ANY IDEA

WHAT THEY ARE
OR WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 9,
THE AIR FORCE ASKS

LEADING ASTRONOMER LINCOLN LAPAZ
TO INVESTIGATE THE SIGHTINGS.

LINCOLN LAPAZ IS A RESPECTED
ASTRONOMER, LEADING SCIENTIST.

HE AND COLLEAGUES CONVENE
A SPECIAL CONFERENCE

TO INVESTIGATE
THESE MYSTERIOUS SIGHTINGS.

Narrator: LAPAZ CONSIDERS
THE POSSIBILITY THE FIREBALLS

COULD BE CONNECTED
TO A RECENT METEOR SHOWER.

METEORS REGULARLY APPEAR
IN THE SKIES ABOVE

THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY,
SO IT'S A PLAUSIBLE THEORY.

Jeras: METEORS WILL SHOW
A BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE SKY,

AND A LOT OF TIMES,
THEY CAN BE GREEN,

DEPENDING WHAT
THE MAKEUP OF IT IS.

IF THERE'S NICKEL IN IT,
THAT CAN CREATE A GREEN GLOW.

Narrator: THREE DAYS INTO
HIS INVESTIGATION,

LAPAZ SEES THE GREEN
FIREBALLS FOR HIMSELF.

THIS SIGHTING LEADS HIM
TO REJECT THE METEOR THEORY.

THERE'S NO SONIC BOOMS,

THERE'S NO TRAILS
OR TRACES ON THE GROUND.

LAPAZ'S CONCLUSIONS
ARE PRETTY EMPHATIC,

THESE GREEN FIREBALLS
ARE ARTIFICIAL.

Narrator:
LAPAZ DOES NOT SPECULATE

ON WHO COULD BE
MAKING THE FIREBALLS.

DECLASSIFIED
MILITARY RECORDS REVEAL

HIGH-RANKING AIR FORCE OFFICERS
FEARED THE FIREBALLS

WERE A NEW SOVIET SUPERWEAPON.

Orwoll: DID THE SOVIETS HAVE
A SECRET STEALTH WEAPON

THAT WAS CAPABLE OF REACHING
INLAND MILITARY BASES

COMPLETELY UNDETECTED?

Pope: IF THE SOVIETS COULD FLY
THAT FAR UNDETECTED

OVER AMERICAN TERRITORY,

I MEAN, THIS WAS
A POTENTIAL DISASTER.

Narrator:
SOVIET RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS
WERE RESPONSIBLE

FOR SEVERAL SIGHTINGS
OF LIGHTS IN THE SKIES

OVER ALASKA DURING THE COLD WAR.

BUT NEW MEXICO WAS
BEYOND THE REACH

OF SOVIET MILITARY
AVIATION IN 1948.

Nichols:
THE SOVIET UNION SIMPLY DIDN'T
HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DO THIS.

THERE WAS NO WAY THEY COULD FLY
UNDETECTED

A THOUSAND MILES
INTO THE UNITED STATES.

THE FACT THAT THESE
GREEN FIREBALLS

ARE SOVIET INCURSIONS
OVER THE UNITED STATES,

THAT THEORY FAILS.

Narrator:
THE ORIGIN OF THE FIREBALLS
REMAINS A MYSTERY FOR DECADES.

IN 2005, A RESEARCHER
FOR AERIAL PHENOMENA

PUTS FORWARD A NEW THEORY.

THE LIGHTS COULD BE CAUSED
BY FALLOUT FROM NUCLEAR TESTING.

Birnes: HE BRINGS OUT THE THEORY

THAT THESE REALLY
ARE NATURAL OCCURRENCES

THAT RESULT FROM
ALL THE NUCLEAR TESTING

THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE 1950s
IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST,

ESPECIALLY IN NEW MEXICO.

Narrator:
BUT THE DATES OF THE SIGHTINGS

DON'T MATCH WITH
KNOWN NUCLEAR TESTS.

THERE WERE NO NUCLEAR TESTS
IN THIS AREA.

EVEN HAD THERE BEEN
NUCLEAR TESTS,

FALLOUT IS INVISIBLE.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEE
GLOWING IN THE SKY.

Narrator: TO THIS DAY,
WITNESSES CONTINUE TO REPORT

SIGHTINGS OF GREEN FIREBALLS
IN THE U.S.

AND AS FAR AWAY
AS BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA.

THEIR ORIGIN AND PURPOSE
REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

NO ONE'S EVER COME UP
WITH A DEFINITIVE THEORY

OF WHAT THESE LIGHTS ARE,
AND SO IT'S PROBABLY

JUST GOING TO ALWAYS
REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
CAMERAS ON THE MARS ORBITER

CAPTURE AN IMAGE
OF SOMETHING STRANGE

ON THE SURFACE
OF THE RED PLANET.

Porges: THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THAT THIS TAKES
CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Lee:
THIS BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF SOMETHING THAT WAS
INTENTIONALLY PUT THERE.

Narrator:
A NASA CRAFT CAPTURES AN IMAGE
OF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

Teitel: IT'S A HUGE OBJECT.

IT TOWERS OVER
THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.

Narrator:
COULD THE MYSTERY OBJECT
REWRITE THE HISTORY

OF THE RED PLANET?

Porges: THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THAT THIS TAKES
CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Lee:
THIS BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF SOMETHING THAT WAS
INTENTIONALLY PUT THERE,

SOMETHING THAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN ERECTED.

Narrator: JULY 24, 2008.

NASA'S MARS RECONNAISSANCE
ORBITER PASSES ABOVE

THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.

ITS HIGH-RISE CAMERA CAPTURES
AN IMAGE OF A REMARKABLE OBJECT.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER SNAPPING ]

ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU SEE
THIS TOWERING STRUCTURE

THAT'S LOOMING OVER
THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator:
WHEN NASA PUBLISHES THE PHOTO,

THE PRESS NAMES IT
"THE MARS MONOLITH."

WHEN YOU SEE A GIANT STRUCTURE
SITTING ON AN --

ON MARS, THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THE MONOLITH IN
"2001 -- A SPACE ODYSSEY."

Narrator: IN STANLEY KUBRICK'S
SCI-FI CLASSIC,

"2001 -- A SPACE ODYSSEY,"

MONOLITHS ARE
EXTRATERRESTRIAL DEVICES

USED TO ACCELERATE
HUMAN EVOLUTION.

THE MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER
CAPTURES THE IMAGE

FROM AN ALTITUDE
OF MORE THAN 100 MILES.

Porges: IT MAY ONLY BE A TINY
LITTLE DOT IN THIS PHOTO,

BUT THIS IS TAKEN
FROM SPACE.

THIS STRUCTURE LOOKS HUGE
AND IT'S CASTING A LONG SHADOW.

IT LOOKS LIKE A REALLY,
REALLY TALL BUILDING LOOKS

WHEN SEEN FROM ORBIT ON EARTH.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OBJECT
BEARS LITTLE RESEMBLANCE

TO ANY KNOWN NATURAL FEATURE.

WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT --

THAT'S BUILT
WITH STRAIGHT LINES,

RECTANGLES, SQUARES,

THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THAT THIS TAKES
CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Narrator:
THE MONOLITH IN
"2001 -- A SPACE ODYSSEY"

WAS THE WORK OF FICTIONAL
EXTRATERRESTRIALS.

THE ORIGIN OF
THE REAL MARS MONOLITH

IS THE SUBJECT OF SPECULATION.

Teitel: WHAT WOULD BE
THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING

A VERY TALL, THIN STRUCTURE
OF SOME KIND ON MARS?

IT CONJURES IMAGES
OF STONEHENGE.

MAYBE IT'S THE FOUNDATION
OF SOME TALL STRUCTURE.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS
RECENTLY DISCOVERED

THAT STONEHENGE LIES ON TOP OF
A HUGE COMPLEX OF STRUCTURES.

THERE IS SPECULATION
THAT THE MARS MONOLITH

COULD ALSO ONCE HAVE BEEN PART
OF SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER.

Lee:
IS IT SOMETHING THAT IS
JUST A REMNANT OF

A LARGER OBJECT
THAT EXISTED IN THE PAST,

SOMETHING THAT WOULD'VE BEEN
WEATHERED AND ERODED OVER TIME?

Narrator: THE MONOLITH'S HEIGHT
AND REGULARITY

HAVE INSPIRED SPECULATION
ABOUT THE EXISTENCE

OF AN ADVANCED STRUCTURE
KNOWN AS A SPACE ELEVATOR.

Teitel: A SPACE ELEVATOR IS
ESSENTIALLY A LONG CORD.

ONE END IS ANCHORED
TO THE PLANET

SO THAT YOU CAN SEND
A PAYLOAD CLIMBING UP

THIS LADDER-LIKE STRUCTURE
INTO ORBIT

AS OPPOSED TO LAUNCHING IT
WITH A HEAVY ROCKET.

Narrator: THEORETICALLY,
THE SPACE ELEVATOR CORD

ATTACHES TO
A COUNTERWEIGHT IN ORBIT

SUCH AS AN ASTEROID
OR SPACE STATION.

Shostak:
YOU BUILD IT ON THE EQUATOR

AND IT GOES UP
100,000 KILOMETERS.

THAT'S A LONG WAY.

AND THEN YOU CAN GET INTO SPACE
WITHOUT EXPENSIVE ROCKETS.

Narrator: ELEVATOR CAPSULES
MUCH LIKE CABLE CARS

USE THE CORD TO CLIMB
OUT OF EARTH'S GRAVITY.

THIS CAPABILITY WOULD
GIVE A CIVILIZATION

A HEAD START IN COLONIZING
OTHER PLANETS

AND EXPLOITING THEIR RESOURCES.

Lee: YOU CAN USE THAT
AS A LAUNCHING POINT

TO GO INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO THE SPACE ELEVATOR IS
SORT OF A DRAMATIC

ENGINEERING UNDERTAKING.

Narrator:
MANKIND IS NOT YET ABLE
TO LAND SCIENTISTS ON MARS

TO EXAMINE
THE MONOLITH'S STRUCTURE.

THE IDEA OF
A MARTIAN SPACE ELEVATOR

REMAINS PURE SPECULATION,

BUT THE REALITY
MAY NOT BE FAR AWAY.

IT SOUNDS LIKE SCIENCE FICTION,
BUT ACTUALLY,

THERE ARE COMPANIES DEVELOPING
THIS TECHNOLOGY RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: IF MANKIND BUILDS
ONE OF THESE STRUCTURES,

THE STARS ARE WITHIN OUR REACH.

Brin: THERE IS NO DOUBT
UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES

THAT WE'D BECOME
AN INTERPLANETARY SPECIES,

A CIVILIZATION THAT LIVES

AND WORKS WITH MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE OUT THERE.

Narrator:
NASA'S RESEARCH SHOWS US
GLIMPSES OF OUR DESTINY.

Lee: THIS SYSTEM'S A PEEK
INTO OUR FUTURE.

WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE
IS GOING TO HAPPEN HERE.

Narrator:
THE KNOWLEDGE ITS MISSIONS
GAINED IS PRICELESS.

Pope: A MISSION TO MARS.

THIS IS THE GOLD STANDARD.

Narrator:
THE COST OF EXPLORATION
CAN BE SHOCKINGLY HIGH.

Jurek: IT IS NO UNDERSTATEMENT
THAT THE MISSION

COULD'VE ENDED
IN ABSOLUTE DISASTER.

Narrator:
ONE THING IS CERTAIN --

THE PRICE OF IGNORANCE
IS HIGHER.