All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S04E04.The.Earth.Next.Door.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.

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES
THAN DISCOVERIES.

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

[ COUGHING ]

Narrator: AN ASTRONAUT
BATTLES A RAGING FIRE...

200 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

RIGHT THERE, I SAY,
"WE HAVE TO GET THAT FIRE OUT,

OR WE'RE GONNA LOSE OUR LIVES,

AND WE'RE GONNA LOSE
THIS SPACE STATION."

Narrator: STRANGE LIGHTS
IN THE SKIES ABOVE CHINA.

THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT
NATURALLY OCCURRING.

NO ONE REALLY KNEW
WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Narrator: AND A CLASSIFIED
AIR FORCE PROGRAM

TO PUT SPIES IN SPACE.

IT SOUNDS LIKE
A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY.

BUT IT'S REAL.

Narrator: THESE ARE
NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

1995.

FOUR YEARS
AFTER THE FALL OF THE U.S.S.R.,

NASA DECIDES TO SEND
ITS ASTRONAUTS TO TRAIN

ON RUSSIA'S MIR SPACE STATION.

NASA, OF COURSE, UNDERSTANDS
PERFECTLY THAT MIR

IS VERY IMPORTANT
AS A FIRST STEP

TOWARD THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.

Narrator: DUE TO THE HISTORY
BETWEEN THE TWO COLD WAR RIVALS,

THE MISSIONS
ARE UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE.

THE PUBLIC AND THE CONGRESS

ARE VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT
COOPERATION WITH THE RUSSIANS.

COLD WAR, OF COURSE, IS STILL
IN THE MEMORY OF MANY PEOPLE.

Narrator:
ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS

CHOSEN TO WORK ON MIR
IS JERRY LINENGER.

IN FEBRUARY 1997,

HE IS JOINED
BY TWO RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS

AND A GERMAN.

SO, WE'RE ALL JUST
SITTING AROUND, EATIN' DINNER.

I GRAB SOME DEHYDRATED BORSCHT,
DEPART,

GO TO DO SOME WORK
IN A DIFFERENT MODULE.

Narrator: AT 10:35 P.M...[ ALARM BLARES ]

...THE MIR SPACE STATION'S
MASTER ALARM SUDDENLY GOES OFF.

MASTER ALARM MEANS YOU'RE HAVIN'
A REALLY BAD DAY IN SPACE.

VASILI TSIBLIYEV COMES FLYING
FAST AROUND THE CORNER.

I SAID, "IS IT SERIOUS?"
AND HE SAID, "YES, VERY.

FIRE."

WE'VE GOT A FLAME COMIN' OUT
3 OR 4 FEET IN LENGTH,

BLOWTORCH-LIKE IN INTENSITY,
SPARKS FLYIN' OFF THE END OF IT,

COMIN' OUT
OF AN OXYGEN CANISTER.

[ COUGHING ]

Narrator: WITHIN SECONDS,

THE WHOLE MODULE
FILLS WITH TOXIC FUMES.

Linenger: I GRAB THE RESPIRATOR
OFF THE WALL,

FULL RUBBER MASK OVER MY HEAD,

ACTIVATE THE OXYGEN CANISTER,
BREATHE IN.

AND I GET NOTHING.

Narrator:
THE RESPIRATOR HAS FAILED.

LINENGER HAS TO SURVIVE

ON THE OXYGEN STORED
IN HIS BLOOD

UNTIL HE CAN GET TO ANOTHER.

I THINK TO MYSELF,

"GOT TO GET
TO THAT NEXT RESPIRATOR."

AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU,
I WASN'T SURE

WHERE THAT NEXT RESPIRATOR WAS.

Narrator: THE SUPERHEATED FLAME
BEGINS TO EAT

INTO THE STRUCTURE
OF THE SPACE STATION.

I SEE WHAT LOOKS TO BE A BALL
OF WAX BEING SPLATTERED

AGAINST THE FAR BULKHEADS.

REALIZE IT'S NOT BALLS OF WAX.
IT IS MOLTEN METAL.

THIS THING IS FIRING
MOLTEN METAL ACROSS.

GONNA PIERCE THE HULL.

RIGHT THERE, I SAY,
"WE HAVE TO GET THAT FIRE OUT,

OR WE'RE GONNA LOSE OUR LIVES,

AND WE'RE GONNA LOSE
THIS SPACE STATION."

THINKIN' ABOUT MY SON,
I YELLED OUT, "GOODBYE, JOHN.

YOU KNOW, LOOKS LIKE I'M NOT
GONNA BE MAKIN' IT BACK."

SAID GOODBYE TO MY WIFE.

STARTIN' TO FEEL AS
IF I'M SORT OF UNDERWATER.

STARTIN' TO GET A LITTLE FUZZY
PERIPHERAL VISION

FROM NEEDIN' OXYGEN.

Narrator: BLINDED BY SMOKE,
LINENGER HAS TO FEEL HIS WAY

TO A WORKING RESPIRATOR.

[ BREATHING DEEPLY ]

[ INHALES DEEPLY ]
BREATHE IN, AND I GET OXYGEN.

HYPERVENTILATE
THE NEXT 30, 40 SECONDS.

GET MY BLOOD-OXYGEN LEVEL
BACK UP.

AND I JUST SCREAM,
"WE'RE GONNA GET THAT FIRE OUT.

GONNA SEE MY BOY AGAIN."

Narrator: LINENGER
AND VALERY KORZUN ATTEMPT

TO TACKLE THE BLAZE
WITH MIR'S FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

THAT FLAME HAS INTENSITY.

EXHAUST
THREE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

I'M FINALLY HEADIN' IN THERE
WITH A FOURTH FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

AND THEN VASILI JUST SCREAMS,
"JERRY, FIRE'S OUT."

ADRENALINE REALLY FLOWIN'.

BIG SIGH OF RELIEF
WHEN THAT FLAME WAS OUT.

Narrator: IT'S THE WORST FIRE
TO EVER HAPPEN IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

THE CREW MANAGES
TO FILM THE AFTERMATH.

BUT KEY INFORMATION ABOUT
THE BLAZE IS WITHHELD FROM NASA.

ALL COMMUNICATION
IS VIA MISSION CONTROL, MOSCOW.

THERE WAS
NO DIRECT COMMUNICATION

TO ANYONE DOWN AT NASA.

SO WE HAD
TO INDIRECTLY KIND OF HINT

AT THE SERIOUSNESS
OF WHAT'S GOIN' ON.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN
SPACE AGENCY TELLS NASA

THE FIRE WAS A MINOR INCIDENT,

LASTING JUST 90 SECONDS.

Zak: ON THE RUSSIAN SIDE,
THERE IS A TENDENCY

TO MAKE THIS ACCIDENT SOUND

AND LOOK NOT AS DANGEROUS
AND TERRIBLE

AS IT REALLY IS.

Narrator: THE FOLLOWING DAY,

THE RUSSIAN VERSION
OF EVENTS BEGINS TO UNRAVEL.

WHEN TONY SANG,

THE U.S. OPERATIONS LEADER
IN MOSCOW, ARRIVES AT WORK,

HE IS KEPT IN THE DARK
FOR A WHILE.

IT'S NOT UNTIL HE OVERHEARS
A CONVERSATION IN RUSSIAN

THAT HE REALIZES THE FULL EXTENT
OF THE PROBLEM

AND THE FIRE THAT HAS OCCURRED.

Narrator:
TO GET THE TRUTH TO EARTH,

LINENGER HAS TO ASK
A DEPARTING COSMONAUT

TO SMUGGLE A LETTER TO HIS WIFE.

WE HAD VALERY
TAKE ONE OF MY NOTES

AND STUFF IT IN A SPACE SUIT,

AND KIND OF TOLD HER
THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE FIRE.

AND IT DESCRIBES
THE ENTIRE SITUATION,

INCLUDING THE FACT
THAT THE FIRE LASTS 14 MINUTES.

NOT THE SECONDS
THAT THE RUSSIANS CLAIM.

Narrator: SINCE 1995, NASA HAS
INVESTED $400 MILLION IN MIR.

WHEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HEARS
ABOUT THE RUSSIAN COVER-UP,

THEY DEMAND A FULL INQUIRY
INTO SAFETY LEVELS

ONBOARD THE SPACE STATION.

NASA APPOINTS
SPECIAL AGENT JOE GUTHEINZ

TO LEAD THE INVESTIGATION.

CONGRESS WANTS ANSWERS.

THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY
INVOLVED IN THE MIR.

AND THERE'S RISK
THAT MAY BE UNACCEPTABLE.

Narrator:
GUTHEINZ UNCOVERS EVIDENCE

OF SEVERAL PREVIOUS
SAFETY BREACHES ON MIR.

THE RUSSIANS WERE NOT
BEING HONEST WITH US.

THEY WEREN'T TELLING US
ABOUT PRIOR FIRES.

NASA DIDN'T KNOW
THAT THERE WAS

A FIRE ON OCTOBER 15, 1994,

INVOLVING THE SAME ISSUE.

Narrator:
NASA's FINANCIAL STAKE IN MIR

MEANS IT STORES COPIES
OF ALL MISSION SAFETY BRIEFINGS

AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

BUT WHEN GUTHEINZ TRIES
TO ACCESS THIS EVIDENCE,

HE IS TOLD
IT IS NO LONGER THERE.

ON MARCH 14th, IT WAS DETERMINED

THAT 37 TAPES WERE MISSING.

THESE TAPES
WERE A NO-HOLDS-BACK ACCOUNT

ABOUT THE DISHONESTY
OF THE RUSSIANS,

THE DANGERS OF THE FIRE.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

Narrator:
WITH KEY EVIDENCE MISSING,

GUTHEINZ HAS TO FIND ANOTHER WAY
TO GET TO THE TRUTH.

Gutheinz: WHAT I NEED TO DO
IS TALK TO THE INDIVIDUALS

AND FIND OUT WHAT WAS SAID.

I WAS ABLE
TO RECONSTRUCT THE TAPES --

THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH

ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS
THE MIR ACTUALLY WAS.

Narrator: THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY

HAS BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY COVERING
UP SAFETY ISSUES ON MIR.

Gutheinz:
THIS WAS THEIR CASH COW.

THE RUSSIANS KNEW THAT,

IF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC KNEW
HOW DANGEROUS THE MIR WAS,

THEY COULD NOT ENDORSE OUR
CONTINUED PRESENCE ON THE MIR.

Narrator: THE INQUIRY
FOLLOWING THE FIRE

TRACES THE INCIDENT
TO A FAULTY OXYGEN CANISTER.

Ferreira:
A COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION

REVEALS THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED
BY A PIECE OF LATEX GLOVE

CAUGHT IN THE OXYGEN CANISTER.

HOW IT GOT THERE, NOBODY KNOWS.

Narrator:
THE CREW ONLY LIVED

BECAUSE OF QUICK,
DECISIVE ACTION BY LINENGER

AND HIS RUSSIAN CREWMATES.

IT'S A MATTER OF SPLIT SECONDS,
LIFE AND DEATH.

YOU MAKE A WRONG DECISION,

THAT CAN GET YOU FURTHER DOWN

A SPIRAL
YOU DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN.

Narrator: AMERICA'S
PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSSIA

SURVIVED THE INCIDENT.

AND MIR WENT ON
TO LAY THE FOUNDATIONS

FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.

BUT SOME SAY DISTRUST
STILL LINGERS

BETWEEN THE FORMER
COLD WAR ENEMIES.

I THINK IT IS A MIRACLE
THAT THE CREW SURVIVED.

BUT IT'S AN EVEN BIGGER MIRACLE

THAT THE SPACE STATION
DID NOT HAVE TO BE ABANDONED.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER

A STRANGE NEW WORLD
CLOSE TO EARTH.

THE SUN WOULD NEVER RISE.

IT WOULD NEVER SET.

HERE IS WHERE
ALL THE ACTION WOULD BE.

IN GALACTIC TERMS, THIS PLANET
IS VIRTUALLY ON OUR DOORSTEP.

Narrator: NASA DISCOVERS THREE
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS

TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE TO EARTH.

Oluseyi: WE'VE
DISCOVERED POTENTIALLY
HABITABLE WORLDS BEFORE,

BUT NEVER ONE THIS CLOSE.

IN GALACTIC TERMS, THIS PLANET
IS VIRTUALLY ON OUR DOORSTEP.

Narrator: BUT IF THERE IS LIFE
ON THESE WORLDS,

IT WILL TAKE STRANGE,
HORRIFYING FORMS.

THE ORGANISMS WOULD BE
HIGHLY ADAPTIVE.

THEY'D BE ABLE TO SEE
INFRARED SIGNATURES,

ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE HUNTERS.

Narrator: THE HARPS TELESCOPE
AT LA SILLA, CHILE,

SEARCHES THE COSMOS FOR
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS.

ON DECEMBER 16, 2015,
ASTRONOMERS

NOTICE AN UNUSUAL PATTERN
IN THE LIGHT COMING FROM A STAR

IN THE OPHIUCHUS CONSTELLATION.

JUST LIKE EVERY ITEM
IN A GROCERY STORE

HAS A BAR CODE
THAT UNIQUELY IDENTIFIES IT,

STARS HAVE A BAR CODE
IN THEIR LIGHT.

THIS BAR CODE CAN ALLOW US
TO DISCOVER UNSEEN OBJECTS.

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS SUSPECT
THAT THE HARPS TELESCOPE

HAS DISCOVERED A NEW WORLD.

TO VERIFY THE DISCOVERY,

THEY MEASURE
TINY MOVEMENTS OF THE STAR,

KNOWN AS THE DOPPLER SHIFT.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MEASURING
THE DOPPLER SHIFT OF A STAR,

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
REALLY IS A PLANET

PULLING ON THE STAR
AS IT ORBITS,

AND THE STAR MOVES
BACK AND FORTH.

BIGGER THE PLANET, THE MORE
THAT STAR IS GOING TO MOVE.

Narrator: THE MEASUREMENTS
REVEAL SOMETHING INTRIGUING.

THE STAR'S DOPPLER SHIFT
SHOWS IT IS BEING PULLED,

NOT BY ONE PLANET,
BUT BY THREE.

Aguilar: FINDING ONE
PLANET ORBITING A DISTANT
STAR IS REMARKABLE.

BUT FINDING THREE?

THAT'S TRULY ASTOUNDING,

BECAUSE NOW YOUR CHANCES
OF FINDING LIFE

ARE THREE TIMES GREATER
THAN THEY WERE BEFORE.

Narrator: EXCITEMENT BUILDS
WHEN THE TEAM DISCOVERS

THAT ONE OF THE PLANETS
IS THE RIGHT DISTANCE

FROM THE STAR TO SUPPORT LIFE.

THEY NAME IT WOLF 1061C.

Ballard: IT TURNS OUT
THAT ONE OF THESE PLANETS

IS IN THE HABITABLE ZONE,
THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE.

AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES
THIS PARTICULAR DISCOVERY

SO EXCITING, FROM THE PROSPECT
OF FINDING LIFE.

Narrator: THE WORLD
BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF A PLANET CAPABLE
OF SUPPORTING LIFE.

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE
ABOUT IT --

IT DOESN'T SPIN.

Oluseyi: THAT MEANS
THAT ONE SIDE OF THE PLANET

WILL GET REALLY HOT --

THE SIDE THAT'S FACING THE STAR.

AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET
WILL BE REALLY COLD.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

YOU'D HAVE VERY STRONG WINDS
THAT ARE BLOWING

FROM THE HOTTER
TO THE COOLER SIDE.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

Aguilar:
THERE WOULD BE TORNADOES.

THERE WOULD BE WINDSTORMS
WHIPPING AROUND.

AND IT WOULD BE VERY VIOLENT.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

Narrator: THE STAR HAS
A MASSIVE GRAVITATIONAL FORCE,

WHICH HAS STOPPED
THE PLANET FROM SPINNING.

SCIENTISTS CALL THE PHENOMENON
TIDAL LOCKING.

Aguilar:
TO BE TIDALLY LOCKED,

ONE SIDE OF THE PLANET
ALWAYS FACES THE STAR,

AND ONE SIDE ALWAYS FACES
AWAY INTO DEEP OUTER SPACE.

SAME SITUATION WITH THE MOON
FACING THE EARTH.

Narrator: THE PLANET'S
LIGHT SIDE IS TOO HOT

FOR EVEN THE TOUGHEST
LIFE-FORMS TO SURVIVE.

THE DARK SIDE
IS IMPOSSIBLY COLD.

BUT THERE IS ONE SLIM AREA

OF THIS WORLD
WHERE LIFE IS POSSIBLE.

SCIENTISTS CALL IT
THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Oluseyi: IT'S LIKE ALWAYS BEING
AT DAWN OR ALWAYS BEING AT DUSK.

SO THERE MIGHT BE TEMPERATURES

THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR LIFE.

THIS TWILIGHT ZONE AREA,
THE SKY WOULD BE A PEACHY COLOR.

THE SUN WOULD NEVER RISE.
IT WOULD NEVER SET.

AND YET HERE IS WHERE
ALL THE ACTION WOULD BE.

YOU COULD IMAGINE THAT LIFE
WOULD EVOLVE IN THIS POSITION

OF PERMANENT SUNRISE
AND PERMANENT SUNSET.

Narrator: LIFE IN THE TWILIGHT
ZONE WOULD HAVE TO ADAPT

TO STRANGE CONDITIONS.

[ CREATURE ROARING ]

Aguilar: CREATURES HERE WOULD
ROAM INTO THE DAYLIGHT SIDE.

THEY WOULD ROAM
INTO THE NIGHT SIDE.

SO THEY WOULD BE
ADAPTED FOR BOTH.

INTO THE NIGHT SIDE,
THEY'D PROBABLY BE ABLE

TO PROTECT THEMSELVES
FROM THE COLD.

THEY'D BE ABLE TO SEE

INFRARED SIGNATURES
OF CREATURES.

AS THESE CREATURES
MOVED BACK AND FORTH,

THEY WOULD MEET
VIOLENT WEATHER PATTERNS

AS STORMS RIPPED THROUGH
THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

BUT THIS WOULD BE THE AREA

THAT WE WOULD LAND A PROBE FIRST

IF WE WERE GOING
TO LOOK FOR LIFE.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

Narrator:
THE PLANET'S POWERFUL GRAVITY

COULD HAVE A DRAMATIC EFFECT
ON LIVING CREATURES.

Oluseyi: WOLF 1061C
IS MORE THAN FOUR TIMES

MORE MASSIVE THAN THE EARTH.

THAT MEANS THAT THE GRAVITY
IS GONNA BE TWICE AS STRONG.

IF THERE ARE CREATURES
THAT CAN WALK AROUND,

THEY PROBABLY ARE VERY SHORT

AND HAVE BIG, FAT LEGS TO MOVE
AROUND UNDER THAT HIGH GRAVITY.

Narrator:
THE TWILIGHT WORLD IS ONLY ONE

OF MANY
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS

SO FAR DISCOVERED
BY NASA TELESCOPES.

BUT THERE IS ONE THING THAT
MAKES THIS PLANET STAND OUT --

THE WOLF STAR SYSTEM
IS ONE OF THE CLOSEST TO EARTH.

WE'VE DISCOVERED OTHER
POTENTIALLY HABITABLE
PLANETS BEFORE,

BUT THIS ONE'S REALLY CLOSE.

IT'S PRACTICALLY
IN OUR BACKYARD.

IT'S JUST UNDER
14 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

TREMENDOUSLY EXCITING TO KNOW
THAT, NOT TOO FAR AWAY,

THERE IS A PLANET
THAT COULD HAVE LIFE ON IT.

Narrator:
THE TWILIGHT ZONE IS REAL.

AND IT'S WAITING FOR US.

Oluseyi: I DON'T KNOW
HOW LONG IT'S GONNA TAKE.

BUT I CAN JUST ABOUT
GUARANTEE YOU THAT, SOMEDAY,

A MISSION FROM EARTH
WILL LAND ON 1061C.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
BIZARRE LIGHTS WITNESSED

BY THOUSANDS
IN THE SKIES ABOVE CHINA.

THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT
NATURALLY OCCURRING.

IS THERE MORE GOING ON
THAN WHAT WE WERE BEING TOLD?

THE CHINESE ARE SECRETIVE,
AND THAT ALONE IS SIGNIFICANT.

Man: HEY!

Narrator: STRANGE LIGHTS
APPEAR IN THE SKIES ABOVE CHINA.

WAS THERE MORE HERE GOING ON
THAN WHAT WE WERE BEING TOLD?

Narrator:
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OFFICIALS

INVESTIGATE
THE MYSTERY SIGHTING.

NEWS OUTLETS
ARE REPORTING EVIDENCE

OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY.

Pope: THIS STRANGE SPIRAL
WAS LIKE A LIVING THING.

Narrator: SOUTHERN CHINA.

WITNESSES SEE
STRANGE SHAPES AND COLORS

IN THE SICHUAN PROVINCE SKIES.

HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS,
POSSIBLY EVEN MILLIONS

OF POTENTIAL WITNESSES
SAW THIS THING --

A STRANGE SHAPE

MOVING IN A VERY WEIRD,
BIZARRE WAY IN THE SKY.

THIS STRANGE SPIRAL
WAS LIKE A LIVING THING.

THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT
NATURALLY OCCURRING.

IT WASN'T JUST CLOUDS.
IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE.

AND NO ONE REALLY KNEW
WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Narrator: WHEN IMAGES OF THE
BIZARRE EVENT ARE POSTED ONLINE,

THEY IMMEDIATELY GO VIRAL.

THE INTERNET WAS BUZZING
WITH EXCITEMENT ABOUT THIS.

IS THIS UFOs?

Narrator: SOME CHINESE
NEWS OUTLETS REPORT THE INCIDENT

AS POSSIBLE EVIDENCE
OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY.

Pope: THE SORTS OF MEDIA OUTLETS
COMING OUT WITH THESE STORIES,

IT'S NOT THE CHINESE EQUIVALENT

OF THE WEEKLY WORLD NEWS
OR THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

THESE ARE
REPUTABLE MEDIA OUTLETS.

Oberg: IN CHINA,
BELIEF IN ALIEN VISITORS

IS PRACTICALLY MAINSTREAM.

FAR MORE LIKELY
THAT THE CHINESE STORIES

OF UFOs ARE A SMOKE SCREEN

DESIGNED TO COVER
THE REAL TRUTH HERE.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE
TO MOUNTING SPECULATION,

CHINESE OFFICIALS CLAIM
THE BIZARRE SHAPES

ARE THE AFTEREFFECTS
OF A ROCKET LAUNCH

FOR A WEATHER SATELLITE.

THE CHINESE SPACE AGENCY
RELEASES A STATEMENT

SAYING THAT THE ROCKET LAUNCH

WAS JUST PART OF A ROUTINE
UPPER-ATMOSPHERIC MISSION.

JUST GONNA SAMPLE THINGS
LIKE COSMIC RADIATION,

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHTS.

NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

Narrator:
U.S. MILITARY OFFICIALS

TRACK AND ANALYZE LAUNCH DATA.

WHAT THEY DISCOVER ALARMS THEM.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SAID

THIS PARTICULAR LAUNCH
WENT 20,000 MILES

OR PERHAPS EVEN HIGHER.

TO MANY OF US,
THAT SEEMED UNUSUAL.

THAT WAS NOT THE KIND OF THING

YOU WOULD EXPECT FOR THIS TYPE
OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT.

Narrator: A CONVENTIONAL
WEATHER-SATELLITE LAUNCH REACHES

A MAXIMUM ALTITUDE
OF APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES.

THE CHINESE LAUNCH
GOES 40 TIMES HIGHER.

IF IT'S NOT
A SCIENTIFIC ROCKET LAUNCH,

THEN WHAT CAN IT BE?

Narrator: MILITARY
AND SPACE ANALYST BRIAN WEEDEN

INVESTIGATES THE INCIDENT.

MY FIRST LINE OF INQUIRY
WAS TO LOOK

FOR SATELLITE IMAGERY
OF THE LAUNCH SITE.

AND TO MY SURPRISE,
I FOUND NOT A TYPICAL ROCKET

THAT WAS USED
TO LAUNCH SATELLITES,

BUT, INSTEAD, I FOUND A MILITARY
VEHICLE KNOWN AS A TEL.

IT'S A TRANSPORTER
ERECTOR LAUNCHER.

FINDING A TEL
AT A SPACE-LAUNCH FACILITY,

TO ME, WAS A REALLY
SURPRISING EVENT

BECAUSE IT CLEARLY SIGNALED
A MILITARY INVOLVEMENT.

WHAT'S POTENTIALLY
MORE WORRISOME

IS, THAT ABILITY IS MOBILE.

Narrator: WEEDEN'S DISCOVERY
OF A MOBILE WEAPONS LAUNCHER

CONFIRMS THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S
WORST FEARS.

Oberg: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE ANNOUNCED ITS ANALYSIS

OF THIS LAUNCH

AS BEING INCONSISTENT
WITH A SCIENCE MISSION.

IT LOOKS TO THEM
LIKE IT WAS A TEST

OF AN ANTISATELLITE WEAPON.

Narrator:
IF CHINA HAS DEVELOPED

EFFECTIVE MOBILE
ANTI-SPACE WEAPONRY,

IT COULD ALTER
THE GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER.

Pope:
THEY ESSENTIALLY SAY CHINA

IS GETTING READY
TO FIGHT A SPACE WAR.

THEY LOOK AT
THE MISSION PROFILE.

THEY LOOK AT THE TRAJECTORY.

AND THEY SAY THIS IS YET
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE CHINESE

DEVELOPING
AND TESTING THE CAPABILITY

TO SHOOT DOWN SATELLITES.

QUESTIONS ARE ASKED
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.

THIS IS RAISED
IN THE U.S. SENATE.

Narrator:
OBSERVERS WORRY THE 2013 LAUNCH

REPRESENTS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD

IN CHINA'S
ANTISATELLITE CAPABILITY.

IT TURNS OUT THAT IT GOES UP
TO A HEIGHT OF 18,000 MILES.

NOW, THAT'S EXACTLY
WHERE THE CROWN JEWELS

OF AMERICA'S
SATELLITE CAPABILITY LIE.

Narrator:
AMERICA'S MOST ADVANCED MILITARY

AND INTELLIGENCE SATELLITES

ARE NOW WITHIN THE RANGE
OF CHINA'S SPACE WEAPON.

Weeden:
IT'S INCREASINGLY THE CASE

THAT SPACE IS THE KEY
TO MILITARY POWER.

THE NEXT WORLD WAR MAY WELL
BEGIN IN OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

HAS A LONE ASTRONOMER
SOLVED ONE

OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES
IN SPACE SCIENCE?

Aguilar: NOBODY REALLY WANTS
TO SAY, "HEY.

THIS IS A SIGNAL
FROM OUTER SPACE."

THAT'S WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE.

♪♪

Narrator:
A MYSTERIOUS RADIO SIGNAL

FROM A DISTANT CONSTELLATION

DEFIES EXPLANATION
FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS.

ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT IT
REALLY WAS A SIGNAL

FROM DEEP SPACE COMING
FROM SOME OTHER SOCIETY.

IT LOOKED AS IF IT WAS
BEING DELIBERATELY SENT.

Narrator: A LONE SCIENTIST'S
CHANCE ENCOUNTER

INSPIRES A THEORY WHICH MAY
FINALLY SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

AND IF IT'S TRUE, IT WOULD BE
THE DISCOVERY OF A LIFETIME.

Narrator:
AUGUST 15, 1977.

AT 11:16 P.M.,

AN ASTRONOMER
AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

DETECTS A STRANGE SIGNAL

COMING FROM THE CONSTELLATION
OF SAGITTARIUS.

WELL, ONE DAY, IN 1977,

THERE WAS SOMETHING
SO INTERESTING

THAT HE WROTE "WOW" NEXT TO IT.

THE "WOW!" SIGNAL,
AS IT'S NOW CALLED,

IS CONSIDERED TO BE ONE

OF THE BEST POTENTIAL
RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

FROM AN ALIEN LIFE-FORM.

Narrator: THE SIGNAL
IS ON THE PRECISE FREQUENCY

SCIENTISTS PREDICT
EXTRATERRESTRIALS

COULD USE FOR COMMUNICATION.

IT'S CALLED THE HYDROGEN LINE.

THIS FREQUENCY,
1,420 MEGAHERTZ,

THE HYDROGEN LINE, COMES FROM
WHEN YOU'VE ZAPPED HYDROGEN,

YOU'VE GIVEN IT ENERGY.

AND THIS IS THE FREQUENCY
IT SCREAMS AT.

Narrator:
HYDROGEN ACCOUNTS FOR 73%

OF ALL THE MATTER
IN THE UNIVERSE.

SCIENTISTS CAN ENERGIZE HYDROGEN
ATOMS TO MAKE THEM MOVE.

AND WHEN THEY MOVE,
THEY GIVE OFF A FREQUENCY

THAT CAN TRAVEL VAST DISTANCES
THROUGH SPACE.

THE SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THAT ALIEN RACES

MIGHT USE
THIS PARTICULAR FREQUENCY

BECAUSE IT'S ONE
OF THE MOST ABUNDANT EMITTERS

OF RADIO WAVES IN THE UNIVERSE.

SO IF ANYBODY WAS LOOKING,

THEY MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE SIGNALS

EXACTLY ON THE HYDROGEN LINE.

Narrator: FOR YEARS,
ASTRONOMERS HAVE SEARCHED

FOR A REPEAT
OF THE "WOW!" SIGNAL.

BUT THEY'VE ONLY HEARD SILENCE.

THEY WENT BACK THE NEXT NIGHT
AND LISTENED -- NOTHING.

NEXT MONTH -- NOTHING.

YEARS LATER -- NOTHING.

[ BEEPING ]

THAT DOESN'T MEAN
IT WASN'T E.T. NECESSARILY.

IT COULD BE THAT THEY JUST
SENT US ONE SIGNAL

AND THEN WENT AWAY.

Narrator:
FOR FOUR DECADES,

THE ORIGIN OF THE MYSTERY SIGNAL
HAS DIVIDED OPINION.

IN JULY 2015,
ASTRONOMER ANTONIO PARIS

IS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK

WHEN A REVELATION HITS HIM.

Paris: SO, I'M DRIVING ALONG,
LOOKING AT A TRUCK OVERPASSING.

AND I THINK OF A TRUCK
AS AN OBJECT IN SPACE.

AND I SAY TO MYSELF,

"I'LL PROBABLY NEVER
SEE THAT TRUCK AGAIN."

AND THAT'S SORT OF LIKE
THE "WOW!" SIGNAL IS.

Narrator:
MOST SCIENTISTS BELIEVED

THE MYSTERY SIGNAL'S
DISAPPEARANCE WAS PROOF

THAT IT HAD BEEN A RANDOM EVENT.

THE TRUCK MOVING OVER
THE HIGHWAY LEADS PARIS

TO A DIFFERENT THEORY.

THE SIGNAL DIDN'T DISAPPEAR.

IT MOVED.

[ BEEPING ]

[ RADIO STATIC ]

Genge: IT MAY BE THE SIGNAL
WASN'T FROM THE DEPTHS OF SPACE,

BUT FROM SOMETHING
MUCH CLOSER TO US

THAT JUST PASSED IN FRONT
OF THE TELESCOPE,

MADE ITS NOISE,
AND THEN MOVED AWAY.

Shostak: AND THAT WOULD EXPLAIN
WHY YOU SEE IT ONCE,

AND YOU DON'T SEE IT AGAIN,
'CAUSE, YOU KNOW,

IT JUST PASSED
ACROSS YOUR FIELD OF VIEW.

Narrator: PARIS' THEORY EXPLAINS
THE SIGNAL'S DISAPPEARANCE,

BUT NOT WHY IT WAS BROADCASTING

ON SUCH A COSMICALLY
SIGNIFICANT WAVELENGTH.

THIS IS A VERY SMALL FREQUENCY,
AND IT'S PROTECTED.

SO HERE ON EARTH,
WE CANNOT USE THAT FREQUENCY.

SO WE HAVE TO DEDUCE
THAT THE SOURCE

HAS TO BE
EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN NATURE.

Narrator:
WHATEVER'S PRODUCING THIS SIGNAL

MUST EITHER HAVE
DELIBERATELY CHOSEN

THIS PARTICULAR WAVELENGTH

OR BE PRODUCING
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HYDROGEN.

SOME SUGGEST
THAT THE MYSTERY SOURCE

COULD SIMPLY BE A COMET.

COMETS HAVE A LOT
OF HYDROGEN GAS.

WHEN EXCITED BY SUNLIGHT,

THEY RADIATE ENERGY

IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAVELENGTH

AS THAT RADIO TELESCOPE
WAS MONITORING.

Narrator: PARIS SEARCHES
NASA COMET DATABASES FROM 1977.

WHEN HE DOES, HE DISCOVERS
TWO POSSIBLE SUSPECTS

FOR THE MYSTERY SIGNAL.

I REVISITED WHAT I CALL
THE CRIME SCENE.

AND I FOUND TWO COMETS THAT WERE
IN THE VERY SAME AREA,

SAME DATE, SAME TIME

THAT THE "WOW!" SIGNAL
WAS DETECTED.

Narrator: PARIS' THEORY
SEEMS LIKE A SMOKING GUN.

BUT THE DATA SUGGESTS
WHATEVER PRODUCED

THE "WOW!" SIGNAL
WAS NO ORDINARY COMET.

Ferreira: THE COMET THEORY
FIT SOME OF THE FACTS.

BUT WHAT ARE THE ODDS
THAT A COMET COULD PRODUCE

A RADIO SIGNAL OF THAT STRENGTH?

NORMALLY, THE HYDROGEN CLOUD

AROUND A COMET NUCLEUS
IS VERY FAINT.

SO THERE'S NO NATURAL WAY
TO HAVE THIS MUCH HYDROGEN

UNLESS SOMEHOW THERE WAS
SOME UNUSUAL ACTIVITY

AT THE SURFACE OF THE COMET.

Narrator:
WHAT ACTIVITY COULD CAUSE

A SPIKE IN THE HYDROGEN
AROUND A COMET?

SOME SPECULATE IT COULD BE
DUE TO MINING THE COMET'S CORE.

WHEN WE TAKE TO SPACE
AND BEGIN INDUSTRIALIZING SPACE

AND MINING COMETS,

THAT'S THE KIND OF SIGNAL
THAT WE MIGHT EXPECT TO EMIT.

Aguilar: COMETS ARE REALLY
A VALUABLE RESOURCE

FOR NATURAL MATERIALS.

ANY ALIEN CIVILIZATION
WOULD WANT TO EXPLOIT THEM

AS THEY MOVED FARTHER
INTO OUTER SPACE.

Narrator:
NASA AND PRIVATE CORPORATIONS

ARE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING
THE TECHNOLOGY TO LAND ON

AND MINE COMETS
FOR THEIR RESOURCES.

Aguilar:
THE IDEA OF LANDING ON A COMET

AND MINING IT
IS NOT INCONCEIVABLE.

THE ROSETTA MISSION
JUST LANDED ON A COMET.

AND WE KNOW WE HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY

AND THE CAPABILITIES TO DO THIS.

Narrator: TO DATE,
SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONOMERS

HAVE OBSERVED
MORE THAN 3,000 COMETS.

NOT ONE HAS EMITTED ANYTHING
CLOSE TO THE "WOW!" SIGNAL.

IF IT'S NOT A COMET,
WE'RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

WHAT WAS THE CAUSE
OF THE "WOW!" SIGNAL?

Aguilar: NOBODY REALLY
WANTS TO SAY, "HEY.

THIS IS A SIGNAL
FROM OUTER SPACE."

BUT ODDLY ENOUGH,
THAT'S WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE.

Narrator:
STILL TO COME,

A MYSTERIOUS SPACE SUIT LEADS

TO EVIDENCE OF A SECRET
SPY STATION IN SPACE.

SPIES IN ORBIT
WHERE THEY CAN'T BE TOUCHED.

SO, WHAT IS THIS --
A JAMES BOND SPACE SUIT?

♪♪

Narrator: A NASA SPECIAL AGENT
DISCOVERS A SECRET ROOM

AT THE CAPE CANAVERAL
LAUNCH COMPLEX.

EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM
IS DESTROYED

EXCEPT FOR TWO BLUE SPACE SUITS
THAT ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION.

Narrator:
THE DISCOVERY LEADS TO EVIDENCE

OF A SECRET PENTAGON PROGRAM
TO PUT SPIES IN SPACE.

SPIES IN ORBIT
WHERE THEY CAN'T BE TOUCHED.

IT SOUNDS LIKE
A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY.

BUT IT'S REAL.

Narrator: DECEMBER 2004.

NASA SPECIAL AGENT DAN OAKLAND

AND SECURITY MANAGER
HENRY BUTLER

EXPLORE A REMOTE CORNER
OF A LAUNCH COMPLEX

AT CAPE CANAVERAL.

YOU MIGHT THINK
THAT A NASA LAUNCH FACILITY

IS PERFECTLY ORGANIZED
WITH EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE.

BUT THERE ARE MILES
AND MILES OF CORRIDORS.

YOU COULD LOSE AN ARMY
INSIDE THERE.

NOBODY KNOWS WHAT GOES ON
BEHIND THOSE CLOSED DOORS.

Narrator: DOWN ONE CORRIDOR,

THEY DISCOVER
AN UNKNOWN LOCKED ROOM.

A LOCKED ROOM
THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT

IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE

OF NASA's MOST IMPORTANT
LAUNCH COMPLEXES --

THAT'S KIND OF STRANGE.

Narrator:
THE LOCK IS SO OLD THAT OAKLAND

AND BUTLER HAVE TO USE
A MASTER KEY TO OPEN IT.

Nichols: THEY FINALLY FIND
A WAY INTO THIS ROOM.

AND IT'S EMPTY, DARK.
RATS, DUST.

BUT THERE IS ONE BOX.

AND IT CONTAINS TWO
PRISTINE-CONDITION SPACE SUITS.

Narrator: THE SUITS' DESIGN
IS SIMILAR TO THOSE WORN

BY ASTRONAUTS DURING THE 1960s.

BUT KEY DETAILS DIFFER.

THEY'RE BLUE,
WHICH WAS NOT ACTUALLY USED

IN THE U.S. SPACE PROGRAM.

Orwoll:
THEY'RE NOT FROM MERCURY.

THEY'RE NOT FROM GEMINI.

AND THEY'RE DEFINITELY NOT
FROM APOLLO.

Narrator:
THE SUITS' NUMBERING

ALSO DOES NOT MATCH
WITH ANY KNOWN NASA PROGRAM.

THESE SPACE SUITS
ONLY HAVE TWO CODES

ON THEM -- 007 AND 008.

SO, WHAT IS THIS --
A JAMES BOND SPACE SUIT?

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY
COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF INTELLIGENCE JOURNALIST
JAMES BAMFORD.

HE SUSPECTS THE SUITS
ARE EVIDENCE

OF A SECRET SPACE MISSION.

SUIT 008 GIVES HIM
A POTENTIAL LEAD.

ONE OF THEM HAD A NUMBER 008

ON THE CHEST,
ALONG WITH THE NAME "LAWYER."

Narrator: BAMFORD DISCOVERS THAT
LAWYER IS RICHARD E. LAWYER.

BUT HE IS NOT AN ASTRONAUT.

HE'S ACTUALLY
AN AIR FORCE PILOT.

WHAT'S AN AIR FORCE PILOT
DOING HAVING A BLUE SPACE SUIT

IN A SECRET ROOM
THAT NOBODY KNOWS EXISTS?

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: PENTAGON DOCUMENTS
REVEAL TO BAMFORD

THE TRUE PURPOSE OF
LAWYER'S MYSTERIOUS BLUE SUIT.

Teitel: BAMFORD FINDS
THAT RICHARD E. LAWYER

WAS ONE OF 17 AIR FORCE PILOTS
EARMARKED TO FLY IN SPACE

UNDER THE SECRET
U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE PROGRAM.

Narrator:
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THE FIRST MILITARY SPACE PROGRAM

WAS A SATELLITE PROJECT
CODE-NAMED CORONA.

DESIGNED TO SUPERCEDE
U-2 SPY PLANES,

THE CLASSIFIED PROGRAM
USED 144 SATELLITES TO SPY

ON AMERICA'S ENEMIES.

Friedman: CORONA PROGRAM IS RUN
BY THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES --

NSA, CIA.

OVER 100 OF THEM WERE LAUNCHED.

AND THE FIRST ONE GOT MORE DATA
ON SOVIET MILITARY INSTALLATIONS

THAN ALL THE U-2 FLIGHTS
THAT PRECEDED IT.

Narrator:
DESPITE SOME INITIAL SUCCESSES,

CORONA'S LIMITED
CAMERA TECHNOLOGY

MEANS IT IS ULTIMATELY
VIEWED AS A FAILURE.

Teitel: THE RESOLUTION
OF THESE IMAGES WEREN'T GREAT.

AND, ALSO, THE FILM HAD TO BE
RECOVERED FROM ORBIT REMOTELY.

BUT IF YOU MISSED RECOVERING IT
DURING ITS RE-ENTRY,

IT WAS LOST.

Nichols:
SO, THE AIR FORCE THINKS

THAT WHAT IT REALLY NEEDS TO DO
IS TO PUT SOME PEOPLE UP THERE

TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT.

Narrator:
BAMFORD BELIEVES THE SUITS

WERE USED IN A PROGRAM
AIMED AT REPLACING CORONA

CALLED THE MANNED
ORBITING LABORATORY, OR MAL.

LIKE SOMETHING FROM THE
JAMES BOND FILM "MOONRAKER,"

MAL WAS AN ORBITING CRAFT

WHICH WOULD DEPLOY
SPIES IN SPACE.

IT WAS THE NEXT STEP,
HAVING LIVE SPIES IN ORBIT

WHERE THEY CAN'T BE TOUCHED

TAKING THE BEST
POSSIBLE PHOTOGRAPHS.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

IT SOUNDS LIKE
A CRAZY CONSPIRACY THEORY.

BUT IT'S REAL.

Narrator: SPIES ON BOARD
THE $3 BILLION WATCHTOWER

WOULD INTERCEPT
SOVIET SATELLITES

AND TAKE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES
OF ENEMY INSTALLATIONS.

Orwoll:
THE MAL HOUSED A CAMERA SYSTEM

THAT WAS ACTUALLY
BIGGER THAN A CAR

AND HAD BETTER RESOLUTION

THAN ANY SATELLITE CAMERA SYSTEM

THAT WAS OUT THERE
AT THAT TIME.

Narrator:
ON NOVEMBER 3, 1966,

NASA LAUNCHES A PROTOTYPE
UNMANNED SPY STATION

ON BEHALF OF THE AIR FORCE.

AFTER ONE TEST, THE MAL PROGRAM

IS SHUT DOWN AS ADVANCES

IN SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY
MAKE SPACE SPIES REDUNDANT.

AS THE MAL PROGRAM
IS BEING SHUT DOWN,

I THINK A DEAL
WAS MADE IN WASHINGTON

THAT SOME OF THE TEST PILOTS
WOULD COME TO NASA.

Narrator: AMONGST THE PILOTS
WHO RETURN TO NASA,

ONE NAME STANDS OUT --
RICHARD H. TRULEY.

MOST OF THEM WENT OVER
TO THE PEACEFUL SPACE PROGRAM,

TO NASA.

MR. TRULEY BECAME THE NASA
CHIEF DOG, IF YOU WILL.

Narrator:
IN 1989, THE FORMER SPACE SPY

BECOMES THE EIGHTH
ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA.

THE IDENTITY
OF THE ORIGINAL WEARER

OF SUIT 007 REMAINS UNKNOWN.

Nichols: AS IT TURNS OUT,
THIS MYSTERY SPACE SUIT

WITH THE CODE NUMBER 007

REALLY WAS MADE FOR A SPY.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,

APOLLO ASTRONAUTS BRING BACK

WHAT COULD BE EVIDENCE OF LIFE
FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WE HAVE MULTIPLE SAMPLES

FROM SEPARATE LOCATIONS
ON DIFFERENT MISSIONS.

THESE ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS
FOR LIFE ON EARTH.

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS FIND
PRECURSORS OF LIFE ON THE MOON.

Schultz:
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

THESE ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS
FOR LIFE ON EARTH.

Narrator:
A SHOCKING THEORY CLAIMS

OUR PLANET HAS BEEN
SPREADING LIFE

THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE
FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.

THIS KIND OF A DISCOVERY CHANGES

WHAT IS POSSIBLE
FOR LIFE-FORMS.

Narrator: FROM 1969 TO 1972...Man: OKAY.

...NASA LANDS 12 ASTRONAUTS
ON THE MOON.

YOU KNOW WHY WE SEND PEOPLE
TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

IT'S TO COLLECT ROCKS.

THAT IS THEIR BIGGEST
AND MOST IMPORTANT TASK.

-THIS ONE RIGHT HERE?
-THAT'S IT.

WE GOT IT RIGHT THERE.

Schultz:
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT WE'RE BRINGING BACK
MATERIAL FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

Narrator: IN TOTAL,
THE SIX APOLLO MISSIONS

COLLECT MORE THAN 2,000 SAMPLES
OF MOON ROCK.

IN THESE SAMPLES,

NASA DISCOVERS
SOMETHING THAT STUNS

THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD --
AMINO ACIDS.

THESE AMINO ACIDS
ARE REALLY SPECIAL.

THIS IS HOW LIFE STARTED.

THESE ARE
SPECIAL ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.

Narrator:
AMINO ACIDS ARE COMPOUNDS

WHICH FORM THE PROTEINS
NEEDED FOR LIFE TO EXIST.

THEIR PRESENCE ON THE MOON
BAFFLES OBSERVERS.

Orwoll:
WE HAVE MULTIPLE SAMPLES

FROM SEPARATE LOCATIONS
ON DIFFERENT MISSIONS

ALL CONTAINING AMINO ACIDS
THAT SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT.

Man: WE GOT THE SOIL.
NOW WE NEED TO SAMPLE THE ROCK.

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE WAS
SOMEHOW LIFE ON THE MOON?

Narrator:
THE ONLY EXPLANATION

IS THAT SOMETHING
IS PRODUCING THEM.

ON THE EARTH, VIRTUALLY
ALL THE AMINO ACIDS

THAT WE SEE
ARE FORMED BY BIOLOGY.

PLANTS TAKING CARBON AND WATER
PRODUCE AMINO ACIDS.

ANIMALS CAN PRODUCE AMINO ACID.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN

THE PRESENCE OF THE PROTEINS.

ONE OBVIOUS POSSIBILITY
IS CONTAMINATION

FROM HUMAN CONTACT.

WHEN THEY FOUND AMINO ACIDS
IN LUNAR SOIL,

I'M SURE THE FIRST QUESTION
THEY ASKED IS,

CAN WE RULE OUT CONTAMINATION?

Genge:
DID THEY GET THERE NATURALLY?

OR ARE THEY CONTAMINANTS

THAT WERE BROUGHT THERE
BY THE SPACE MISSION?

Narrator:
NASA SCIENTISTS AND ASTRONOMERS

AGREE -- CONTAMINATION
IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE
WE DID NOT TAKE

ANY CONTAMINATION TO THE MOON.

SPACECRAFT WERE ALL ASSEMBLED
IN A CLEAN ROOM.

THEY'RE KEPT
IN A CLEAN CONDITION.

ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE,
ABSOLUTELY CLEAN.

Narrator:
BACK ON EARTH, THE MOON ROCKS

ARE METICULOUSLY ISOLATED
FROM ANY CONTAMINATING SOURCE.

Bean: WHEN WE CAME BACK
FROM THE MOON,

OUR ROCKS HAD
TO GO INTO QUARANTINE

BECAUSE WE COULDN'T TAKE
A CHANCE

OF BRINGING BACK ANY BACTERIA

IF THERE HAD BEEN
LIFE-FORMS ON THE MOON.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS
INVESTIGATE OTHER SOURCES

FOR THE ORGANIC MOLECULES.

THE APOLLO LANDER
MAY HAVE CREATED THE PROTEINS

BY BLASTING MOON ROCK
WITH ITS ROCKET EXHAUST.

TO MAKE AMINO ACIDS,
YOU NEED HEAT,

SOME SORT OF ENERGY SOURCE.

SO ONE THEORY THAT WAS PROPOSED

WAS THAT MAYBE THE LUNAR
MODULE'S DESCENT ENGINES

PROVIDED THAT HEAT SOURCE
ON THE SURFACE.

MAYBE THE LUNAR MODULE,

WITH THE GASES
RELEASED AS IT LANDS,

IT HAS ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
IN THEM.

MAYBE THEY SOMEHOW RECOMBINED.

Narrator: BUT THE LOCATIONS
OF THE AMINO ACID DEPOSITS

DON'T FIT
THE ROCKET EXHAUST THEORY.

IF THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING,

YOU'D EXPECT THE LARGEST
CONCENTRATION OF AMINO ACIDS

TO BE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT
TO THE LUNAR LANDING SITES.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE FOUND.

THE LUNAR MODULE'S
DESCENT ENGINES

CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE.

Narrator: IN OCTOBER 2015,

NASA REANALYZES SEVEN
OF THE ORIGINAL APOLLO SAMPLES.

THE RESEARCH SUGGESTS
THAT THE AMINO ACIDS

MAY WELL HAVE BEEN
CARRIED FROM THE EARTH

DURING THE APOLLO MISSIONS.

MAN: Okay.
We're movin' forward, Joe.

ROGER.

BUT A REMARKABLE THEORY
CLAIMS THAT,

WHILE THE CONTAMINATION
CAME FROM EARTH,

MANKIND WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE.

ONE WAY THAT THE MATERIAL

COULD GET NATURALLY
FROM THE EARTH

TO THE MOON IS THROUGH IMPACTS.

WE KNOW THAT,
65 MILLION YEARS AGO,

THE EARTH WAS HIT
BY PROBABLY AN ASTEROID.

AND THE DEBRIS THROWN UP
FROM THAT MASSIVE IMPACT

WOULD HAVE DEPOSITED MATERIAL
ONTO THE MOON.

Narrator: THE K-T EVENT,

THE GIANT ASTEROID
THAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS,

THREW MILLIONS OF TONS

OF ORGANIC MATERIAL
INTO EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

SOME OF IT TRAVELED
TO THE MOON AND BEYOND.

Worden:
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY

THAT SOMETHING
COULD HIT THE EARTH.

AND IT WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH

THAT IT ACTUALLY
THREW STUFF BACK.

WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO GO
TO ANTARCTICA ALL THE TIME

TO FIND METEORS
THAT COME FROM MARS.

SO WE KNOW THAT THAT IS
A PHENOMENA THAT IS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: WHILE COSMIC RADIATION
BREAKS DOWN

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE,

THEY CAN SURVIVE
WHEN PROTECTED INSIDE CHUNKS

OF ROCK OR METEORITES.

McKay:
THERE'S A BIGGER STORY HERE.

METEORITES
DELIVER ORGANIC MATERIAL

TO ALL THE WORLDS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

AMINO ACIDS
SHOULD BE EVERYWHERE.

NATURE PRODUCES THEM NATURALLY
AND DISTRIBUTES THEM FREELY.

Narrator: IF THAT'S TRUE,
IT MEANS THE BUILDING BLOCKS

OF LIFE
CAN FLOAT FREELY BETWEEN WORLDS.

WHERE IT MIGHT GO

AND WHAT FORM IT MIGHT TAKE
ARE INFINITE.