Original subtitles

♪♪

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.

Man: 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.

Narrator: A CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT...

THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION, THE SHAPE OF THIS THING --

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

Orwoll: THE FBI, THE ARMY,

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE

STARTS COMMUNICATING IN AN ALIEN LANGUAGE...

WHY IS IT SENDING THESE STRANGE MESSAGES?

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

Narrator: AND ASTRONOMERS FIND EVIDENCE OF AN INVISIBLE PLANET.

Aguilar: THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: THESE ARE...

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

A WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS A SECRET RECORDING

OF A DYING COSMONAUT'S LAST WORDS.

KOMAROV IS SCREAMING AND YELLING AT MISSION CONTROL.

[ SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN ]

THE ENTIRE SOYUZMISSION IS A FAILURE.

Narrator: DID THE KREMLIN

KNOWINGLY SEND A SOVIET HERO TO HIS DEATH?

Oberg: THIS COSMONAUT WAS SENT ON A MISSION

TO SATISFY THE VANITY OF THE KREMLIN LEADERS.

IF YOU LAUNCH WHEN YOU'RE NOT READY,

YOU JUST SENTENCED THAT COSMONAUT TO DEATH.

[ INDISTINCT SPEECH OVER RADIO ]

Narrator: A WEBSITE RELEASES AUDIO RECORDINGS

CLAIMING TO CAPTURE THE TERRIBLE FINAL MOMENTS

OF COSMONAUT VLADIMIR KOMAROV.

Oberg: THERE ARE RECORDINGS ON THE INTERNET

THAT CLAIM TO BE KOMAROV CRASHING TO EARTH,

CRYING OUT IN TERROR,

SPEAKING BEFORE THIS CRASH TO HIS WIFE --

HIS TEARFUL WIFE.

VERY DRAMATIC STORY.

Narrator: SOME OBSERVERS CLAIM THE TAPES ARE EVIDENCE

OF THE SOVIET UNION CALLOUSLY SACRIFICING A COSMONAUT'S LIFE

FOR POLITICAL GAIN.

THE OFFICIAL SOVIET RECORD CLAIMS KOMAROV'S DEATH

WAS AN UNAVOIDABLE ACCIDENT.

BUT WHICH VERSION OF THE EVENTS IS TRUE?

THE STORY BEGINS IN 1967

IN THE MIDST OF THE COLD WAR.

AGAINST A BACKDROP OF INCREASING MILITARY TENSION,

THE SOVIET UNION AND AMERICA ARE LOCKED IN A RACE

TO PUT A MAN ONTO ANOTHER WORLD.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLES IN THE COLD WAR

IS THE SPACE RACE.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE SPACE RACE

IS GETTING TO THE MOON FIRST.

Narrator: THE SOVIET'S HOPES OF BEATING THE AMERICANS

REST ON A COMPLEX DOCKING TEST OF THEIR NEW SOYUZ 1SPACECRAFT.

THE COSMONAUT CHOSEN FOR THIS DANGEROUS MISSION

IS VLADIMIR KOMAROV.

THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL LUNAR LANDING

IS TO BE ABLE TO GET THE MEN INTO A MODULE

AND GET THEM OFF THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,

HOOK UP WITH A ROCKET ORBITING THE MOON,

AND TAKE THEM ALL HOME.

THIS IS WHAT KOMAROV IS SUPPOSED TO TEST

WITH THIS FIRST SOYUZFLIGHT.

Narrator: IN THE RUN-UP TO THE LAUNCH,

SOVIET ENGINEERS REPORT OVER 200 FAULTS

WITH THE SPACECRAFT.

KOMAROV IS ALSO AWARE

THAT EVERY PRE-MISSION TEST FLIGHT ENDED IN DISASTER.

KOMAROV KNOWS THAT THIS MISSION IS INTENSELY RISKY

BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS FAILURES OF THE PROTOTYPES.

HE KNOWS WHAT KIND OF DANGER HE'S GOING TO BE IN.

Narrator: NEVERTHELESS, ON APRIL 23rd, AT 6:35 A.M.,

KOMAROV BLASTS OFF

FROM THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME IN KAZAKHSTAN.

HIS MODULE SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATES

FROM THE LAUNCH VEHICLE

AND ENTERS AN ORBIT OVER 120 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

BUT JUST MINUTES INTO THE MISSION,

KOMAROV'S CAPSULE STARTS TO MALFUNCTION.

HE GETS UP INTO SPACE ON THE SOYUZ 1.

AND HIS SPACECRAFT IMMEDIATELY BEGINS

BREAKING DOWN PIECE BY PIECE BY PIECE.

FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF THE SOLAR PANELS

ONBOARD THE SPACECRAFT DOESN'T DEPLOY.

Narrator: LOSING A SOLAR PANEL DESTABILIZES THE SOYUZ.

KOMAROV HAS TO FIGHT TO CONTROL THE CRITICALLY-DAMAGED CRAFT.

THE MODULE IS OUT OF BALANCE. IT CAN'T ORBIT PROPERLY.

HE TRIES ALL KINDS OF THINGS

TO GET THE SHIP BACK IN ITS PROPER FUNCTIONING.

AND NOTHING WORKS.

Narrator: KOMAROV IS RACING AT ALMOST 18,000 MILES PER HOUR

IN A CRAFT THAT'S SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL.

Nichols: KOMAROV ONLY HAS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ORBITS

BEFORE HE RUNS OUT OF POWER.

AND THEY HAVE TO GET HIM DOWN QUICKLY.

Narrator: DURING THE FIRST RE-ENTRY ATTEMPTS,

THE AUTOMATIC-STEERING SYSTEMS FAIL.

BY THE TIME THE CAPSULE

EVENTUALLY RE-ENTERS THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

IT HAS ONLY MINUTES OF POWER LEFT.

KOMAROV'S CAPSULE HITS THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE AT 5 MILES A SECOND.

BUT THE AIR DRAG SLOWS HIM DOWN

TO ONLY SEVERAL-HUNDRED FEET PER SECOND.

THAT'S WHEN THE PARACHUTES ARE SUPPOSEDTO COME OUT.

[ RUMBLING ]

AND ON HIS FLIGHT, THEY DIDN'T.

HIS DRAG CHUTE DOESN'T DEPLOY PROPERLY.

HIS MAIN CHUTE ONLY PARTIALLY DEPLOYS.

HIS BACKUP CHUTE GETS TANGLED WITH THE MODULE ITSELF.

Narrator: THE CRIPPLED SOYUZCAPSULE

IS NOW HURTLING TOWARDS THE GROUND

WITH NO MEANS OF SLOWING DOWN.

AND AT THIS POINT, SOYUZ,

INSTEAD OF BEING A SPACECRAFT HEADING FOR A SOFT LANDING,

IS A MISSILE HURTLING TOWARD THE GROUND.

KOMAROV AND THE SHIP HIT THE GROUND,

KILLING HIM INSTANTLY.

Narrator: ON APRIL 26th,

SOVIET OFFICIALS GIVE KOMAROV A STATE FUNERAL.

HE HAD A FUNERAL THAT WAS ATTENDED BY ALL COSMONAUTS

AND TELEVISED.

HE WAS MADE A HERO.

Narrator: BUT RUMORS SOON SURFACE

THAT THE KREMLIN WAS NOT TELLING THE PUBLIC

THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT VLADIMIR KOMAROV'S MISSION.

THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL RUMOR

IS THAT KOMAROV KNEW HIS MISSION WAS DOOMED

EVEN BEFORE HE TOOK OFF.

THERE ARE WIDESPREAD STORIES IN RUSSIA

THAT KOMAROV WENT ON THE MISSION

EVEN KNOWING THE SHIP WAS GONNA CRASH.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Narrator: IN 1972, A STORY EMERGES

THAT SEEMS TO CONFIRM THE RUMOR.

AN NSA WHISTLEBLOWER REVEALS THE EXISTENCE

OF SECRET AUDIO RECORDED CLOSE TO THE RUSSIAN BORDER

BY A LISTENING POST IN TURKEY.

[ SHOUTING IN RUSSIAN ]

Narrator: THE TAPES ALLEGEDLY CAPTURED

KOMAROV'S FINAL MOMENTS,

WITH THE DYING COSMONAUT DENOUNCING THE KREMLIN

AND CURSING THE PEOPLE WHO SENT HIM INTO SPACE.

KOMAROV IS SCREAMING AND YELLING AT MISSION CONTROL.

HE'S VERY UPSET WITH THE SOVIET UNION IN GENERAL.

Narrator: ARE THESE REALLY KOMAROV'S DYING WORDS?

RUSSIAN HISTORIAN SLAVA GEROVITCH

HAS SEVERE DOUBTS.

[ MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN ]

IT'S TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE OUT THE WORDS.

IT'S NOT CLEAR IF IT'S A SPACE MISSION OR NOT.

DEFINITELY, THERE IS NO WAY OF TELLING

IF IT'S KOMAROV OR NOT.

I DIDN'T HEAR ANY SPACE TERM

OR ANY WORDS THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT THAT WAS KOMAROV'S MISSION.

THESE ARE DEFINITELY NOT KOMAROV'S LAST WORDS.

Narrator: THE WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE

SUGGESTS THAT THE RECORDING, AT LEAST, IS A HOAX.

BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS --

WHY WOULD KOMAROV UNDERTAKE A MISSION HE KNEW WOULD FAIL?

KOMAROV KNOWS THE RISKS.

THE PROBLEM IS HIS BACKUP IS YURI GAGARIN,

THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE,

WHO IS NOT JUST A SOVIET NATIONAL TREASURE AND A HERO,

BUT HE'S ALSO KOMAROV'S FRIEND.

AND HE DOESN'T WANT GAGARIN

IN WHAT HE KNOWS IS PROBABLY A DEATH TRAP.

Narrator: KOMAROV TOOK ON THE MISSION

RATHER THAN RISK THE LIFE OF A FRIEND.

TODAY, THE COSMONAUT IS REMEMBERED AS A TRUE HERO

WHOSE LIFE WAS SACRIFICED BY A HEARTLESS REGIME.

KOMAROV WENT TO HIS DEATH

BECAUSE SOME OFFICIAL WAS AFRAID TO DISPLEASE BREZHNEV.

Warden: IF YOU LAUNCH WHEN YOU'RE NOT READY,

YOU JUST SENTENCED THAT COSMONAUT TO DEATH.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP, AN IMPOSTER INFILTRATES MISSION CONTROL.

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

Narrator: AND A POLICE OFFICER

SEES SOMETHING IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT HE CAN'T EXPLAIN.

THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION, THE SHAPE OF THIS THING --

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

[ WARBLING ]

Narrator: A NASA CRAFT CARRIES A MESSAGE TO EXTRATERRESTRIALS

INTO DEEP SPACE.

THE VOYAGERIS SORT OF THIS INTERGALACTIC HELLO SIGN.

IT'S US TELLING THE UNIVERSE THAT WE'RE HERE.

Narrator: SUDDENLY, THE PROBE BEGINS COMMUNICATING

IN A STRANGE LANGUAGE.

Brin: THE INFORMATION BECAME GARBLED.

SOMETHING HAD INTERFERED WITH THE COMPUTER'S BOARD.

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

Narrator: NASA's GROUNDBREAKING VOYAGER 2PROBE

IS MORE THAN THREE DECADES

INTO ITS EPIC JOURNEY TOWARDS DEEP SPACE.

THE CRAFT IS ABOUT TO LEAVE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

AND ENTER THE UNKNOWN.

VOYAGER 2WAS A PIONEER

GOING WHERE NO SPACECRAFT HAD EVER GONE BEFORE.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE ON THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS THING IS COMPLETELY ALONE.

Narrator: ON APRIL 22, 2010,

JUST AS THE CRAFT PREPARES

TO CROSS THE BOUNDARY INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE,

IT MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS.

IT GETS TO ABOUT 10 BILLION MILES AWAY FROM THE EARTH.

AND, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT'S SENDING DOWN DATA

IN A LANGUAGE THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND.

YOU MIGHT EVEN CALL IT AN ALIEN LANGUAGE.

Narrator: SOMEONE -- OR SOMETHING --

HAS ALTERED VOYAGER 2'S COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.

[ RAPID BEEPING ]

NASA IMMEDIATELY EXECUTES

AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN OF THE PROBE.

Birnes: NASA GIVES IT A SAFE-MODE SIGNAL.

"SHUT DOWN EVERYTHING, PRESERVE YOUR BATTERY.

LET'S TRY AND FIGURE OUT

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE PROBLEM

THAT'S CAUSING YOU NOT TO COMMUNICATE."

Narrator: TRAJECTORY DATA

CONFIRMS NOTHING HAS KNOCKED THE PROBE OFF COURSE.

AND THE TEAM FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF EXTERIOR DAMAGE.

CHECKING THE SYSTEMS WITH ANOTHER DOWNLINK THAT THEY HAVE,

THEY CAN TELL NOTHING ELSE IS WRONG ON THE SPACECRAFT.

IT'S JUST THIS ONE SYSTEM.

IF THE CRAFT ITSELF IS IN GOOD WORKING ORDER,

WHY IS IT SENDING THESE STRANGE MESSAGES?

THIS IS VERY PECULIAR.

Narrator: WITH VOYAGERALMOST NINE BILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

IT TAKES NASA 26 HOURS TO SEND AND RECEIVE DIAGNOSTIC DATA.

WHEN THE RESULTS ARE FINALLY PROCESSED,

THE MYSTERY ONLY DEEPENS.

Birnes: THEY JUST SUDDENLY REALIZE, "WAIT A MINUTE."

IN THE COMPLEX BINARY CODES

THAT COMMAND THE COMPUTER SYSTEM ON VOYAGER 2,

A SINGLE DIGIT HAS BEEN FLIPPED FROM ONE TO A ZERO.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE SOMEBODY REPROGRAMMED THE PROBE.

Narrator: THE FLIPPING OF ONE BIT OF DATA

COULD SUGGEST THAT AN UNKNOWN PARTY

HAS INTENTIONALLY INTERFERED

WITH VOYAGER'S ONBOARD COMPUTERS.

ONE TRICK THAT HACKERS LIKE TO USE IS BIT FLIPPING,

'CAUSE BIT FLIPPING CAN ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN A COMPUTER

AND CAN CORRUPT DATA.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER

WHETHER THE POSSIBLE HACK COULD'VE ORIGINATED FROM EARTH.

BUT THE DISTANCES INVOLVED MAKE THIS HIGHLY UNLIKELY.

YOU HAVE TO SEND SIGNALS THROUGH THE DEEP-SPACE NETWORK

TO FAR AWAY SPACE PROBES USING BIG ANTENNA.

I DON'T THINK MOST HACKERS HAVE THOSE.

Narrator: THE INCIDENT RAISES AN ASTONISHING POSSIBILITY.

COULD THE BIT FLIPPING BE A RESPONSE

TO A MESSAGE VOYAGERIS CARRYING INTO DEEP SPACE?

THE VOYAGERSPACE PROBE CARRIED MESSAGES ABOARD

DESIGNED TO BE INTERPRETED

BY ANY ALIEN LIFE-FORMS THEY MIGHT ENCOUNTER.

Narrator: WHEN VOYAGERWAS LAUNCHED,

IT CARRIED A RECORD OF IMAGES AND SOUNDS FROM EARTH.

SCIENTISTS HOPE THAT, ONE DAY,

ANOTHER CIVILIZATION MIGHT PICK UP THE MESSAGES

AND MAKE CONTACT WITH MANKIND.

THE VOYAGERIS SORT OF THIS INTERGALACTIC HELLO SIGN.

IT'S US TELLING THE UNIVERSE THAT WE'RE HERE.

Narrator: SOME SPECULATE

THAT IF THE MESSAGES HAVE BEEN READ BY AN ADVANCED RACE,

BIT FLIPPING WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY

OF COMMUNICATING WITH EARTH.

DID SOMEONE DECIDE, "WOW. I'M GONNA RESPOND."

BUT THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH,

SO THEIR MESSAGE IS A COMPUTER MESSAGE.

IS THAT FIRST CONTACT?

Narrator: IF THIS IS A CODED MESSAGE,

INVESTIGATORS HAVE YET TO DECIPHER IT.

AFTER THREE WEEKS OF BIZARRE SIGNALS,

ENGINEERS MANAGED TO REMOTELY RESET VOYAGER'SCOMPUTERS.

THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BIT FLIPPING

REMAINS UNKNOWN.

COMING UP, DID AN IMPOSTER SABOTAGE A NASA MISSION?

Gutheinz: THERE'S A ROGUE SATELLITE IN NEAR-EARTH ORBIT.

AND THAT'S REALLY BAD NEWS.

Baker: WHEN YOU'VE GOT AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THIS,

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS,

"IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON HERE

FROM AN ESPIONAGE PERSPECTIVE?"

-BOOST FOR IGNITION. -LIFT OFF OF DISCOVERY.

Narrator: AN IMPOSTER INFILTRATES NASA's MISSION CONTROL.

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS HE, AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT QUICKLY.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER HE HAS STOLEN

CLASSIFIED SCHEMATICS FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SYSTEMS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES.

THEY MIGHT ALSO DELIVER A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

♪♪

Narrator: TEXAS -- MAY, 30, 1998.

NASA SPECIAL AGENT JOE GUTHEINZ

IS ON THE TRAIL OF A HIGH-PRIORITY SUSPECT.

WE'RE CHASING THIS GUY ALL OVER TOWN

TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE HE'S AT.

FINALLY, WE TRACK HIM

TO A TRAILER IN GALVESTON COUNTY.

Narrator: INSIDE THE MAN'S HIDEOUT,

THEY FIND A LOADED WEAPON.

UNDER QUESTIONING, HE CONFESSES TO BEING A TRAINED KILLER.

Gutheinz: HE TELLS ME HE'S A C.I.A. ASSASSIN

WITH FIVE CONFIRMED KILLS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.

Narrator: AS GUTHEINZ INTERROGATES THE SUSPECT,

HE UNCOVERS AN INCREDIBLE TALE OF DECEPTION

THAT SHAKES NASA TO THE CORE.

Gutheinz: STARTING TO DRAW A PICTURE OF THIS INDIVIDUAL

THAT'S ALARMING.

SO THE QUESTION IS, WHO IS HE?

Narrator: THE STORY BEGINS TWO WEEKS EARLIER,

WHEN THE MAN PRESENTS NASA IDENTIFICATION PAPERS

TO SECURITY AT PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION.

HE CLAIMS TO BE JERRY WHITTREDGE,

AN ELITE NAVAL PILOT AND TRAINEE ASTRONAUT.

Gutheinz: I RECEIVE A CALL FROM THE PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION.

THERE'S A MAN CLAIMING TO BE

AN ASTRONAUT S1 AND TOP GUN TROPHY WINNER.

AND THEY SAID, "BY THE WAY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECORD

OF THIS MAN BEING AN ASTRONAUT HERE."

AND THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN S1.

Narrator: WHITTREDGE IS USING FALSE NASA PAPERS

TO GAIN ACCESS TO A SECURE MILITARY INSTALLATION.

GUTHEINZ IMMEDIATELY CONDUCTS BACKGROUND CHECKS.

Gutheinz: OUR CONTACT, THE MILITARY --

THE MILITARY HAS NEVER HEARD OF JERRY ALLEN WHITTREDGE.

OUR CHECK WITH OUR ASTRONAUT OFFICE

AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER --

NASA AND JSC HAVE NEVER HEARD OF JERRY ALLEN WHITTREDGE.

[ BEEP ]

Narrator: GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS

THAT WHITTREDGE IS A QUALIFIED PILOT

WITH A BACKGROUND IN ENGINEERING --

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE HE USED TO GAIN THE TRUST

OF KEY NASA PERSONNEL.

HE COULD TALK ABOUT PROPULSION SYSTEMS,

AND HE COULD TALK ABOUT AVIATION AND AERODYNAMICS.

AND HE WAS VERY BELIEVABLE.

Narrator: THEN NASA TELLS GUTHEINZ

THAT WHITTREDGE HAS PREVIOUSLY GAINED ACCESS

TO ONE OF THE SPACE AGENCY'S MOST SECURE SITES.

IN NOVEMBER 1997,

THE IMPOSTER USED FALSE I.D. TO ENTER MISSION CONTROL

AT THE REDSTONE ARSENAL IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.

I KNOW THAT NOBODY GETS INVITED

INTO MISSION CONTROL DURING A MISSION,

BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY THE MOST SECURE FACILITY IN NASA.

AND WE HAVE A GUY SITTING AT A CONSOLE

DURING A SPACE MISSION.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL GIVES WHITTREDGE ACCESS

TO HIGHLY-RESTRICTED NASA AND MILITARY DATA.

WHEN YOU'VE GOT AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE THIS

WHO'S GAINED ACCESS TO SECURE AREAS,

YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS,

"IS THERE SOMETHING GOING ON HERE

FROM AN ESPIONAGE PERSPECTIVE?"

Narrator: WHAT GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS NEXT

SEEMS TO CONFIRM HIS WORST FEARS.

Gutheinz: HE'S SEATED AT A CONSOLE DURING A MISSION

AND COMMUNICATES WITH THE ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE.

WHITTREDGE: No, we do have it, per video downlink.

Narrator: ON NOVEMBER 21, 1997,

THE VERY DAY WHITTREDGE INFILTRATES THE CONTROL ROOM,

A SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION GOES DISASTROUSLY WRONG.

THE CREW OF STS-87 LOSES CONTROL

OF A 3,000-POUND SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE CALLED SPARTAN.

Gutheinz: THEY TRIED TO DEPLOY THE SPARTAN,

BUT SOMETHING WENT WRONG.

AND IT STARTED TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL.

THERE'S A ROGUE SATELLITE IN NEAR-EARTH ORBIT,

AND THAT'S REALLY BAD NEWS.

MAN: Yeah, thanks, Scott. Hit "refresh."

Narrator: ONLY A DARING RESCUE MISSION BY THE CREW OF STS-87

AVERTS DISASTER.

THE INCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN A COINCIDENCE.

BUT THEN GUTHEINZ DISCOVERS THAT THE SAME SUSPECT

HAS STOLEN HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED SCHEMATICS

FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROPULSION SYSTEM.

THE SHUTTLE SCHEMATIC'S PROPULSION SYSTEM

IS ON A NEED-TO-KNOW BASIS.

Teitel: WHEN WHITTREDGE OBTAINS

SCHEMATICS FOR THE SPACE SHUTTLE,

INVESTIGATORS BECOME CONVINCED THAT HE COULD BE A SPY.

Narrator: CLASSIFIED NASA TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS

COMMANDS A HIGH PRICE IN THE INTERNATIONAL BLACK MARKET.

THERE ARE OTHER GOVERNMENTS AROUND THIS WORLD --

FROM NORTH KOREA TO CHINA TO RUSSIA --

THAT SEE WHAT WE HAVE, AND THEY WANT IT.

Narrator: WHITTREDGE IS IN POSSESSION OF PLANS

WITH DEVASTATING MILITARY APPLICATIONS.

WELL, THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT HE'S A TERRORIST.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SYSTEMS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PURPOSES --

PROPULSION SYSTEMS, GUIDANCE SYSTEMS.

SURE, THEY MIGHT GET US INTO OUTER SPACE,

BUT THEY MIGHT ALSO DELIVER A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

Narrator: FEARING THE WORST,

ON MAY 30, 1998, GUTHEINZ DECIDES TO ACT.

WHEN I SEE SOMEBODY THAT PRESENTS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER,

IT'S TIME TO PUT THE CUFFS ON AND BRING HIM IN.

Narrator: GUTHEINZ INTERROGATES WHITTREDGE

TO ASSESS HIS THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

THERE ARE THREE POSSIBILITIES WITH JERRY WHITTREDGE --

HE'S A TERRORIST, HE'S A SPY, HE'S A NUT.

THREE OPTIONS, DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THEM.

Narrator: UNDER PRESSURE,

WHITTREDGE MAKES A SERIES OF INCREASINGLY BIZARRE

AND IRRATIONAL STATEMENTS.

HE CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN A CELLMATE

OF SENATOR JOHN McCAIN IN THE VIETNAM WAR

AND THAT HIS ATTORNEY IS BILL CLINTON.

Gutheinz: I THINK I HAVE A VERY GOOD FEELING

FOR WHO JERRY WHITTREDGE IS.

AND JERRY WHITTREDGE IS A WANNABE

THAT HAS A GOOD STORY TO TELL.

Narrator: AFTER LENGTHY INTERROGATION,

WHITTREDGE IS RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE.

BUT WHILE SOME WITHIN NASA DISMISS HIM AS DELUSIONAL,

OTHERS ARE LESS SURE.

Gutheinz: I WILL TELL YOU THAT

ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT I TALKED TO HIGH UP IN THE CHAIN SAID,

"WHY NOT PRETEND TO HAVE THE ISSUES IN CASE YOU GET CAUGHT?"

Narrator: COMING UP,

A STRANGE CRAFT BUZZES A NEW MEXICO POLICEMAN.

Birnes: FLAME SHOOTS OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

Narrator: A NEW MEXICO COP SEES SOMETHING THAT DEFIES EXPLANATION.

SUDDENLY, FLAME SHOOTS OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

Pope: THIS IS LIKE NOTHING HE'S EVER SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

Narrator: AS PANIC SPREADS, THE MILITARY INVESTIGATES.

THE FBI, THE ARMY, THE AIR FORCE --

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

[ SIREN WAILS ]

Narrator: APRIL 24, 1964 -- NEW MEXICO.

SERGEANT LONNIE ZAMORA PURSUES A VEHICLE

ALONG HIGHWAY 85 NEAR THE TOWN OF SOCORRO.

LONNIE ZAMORA IS AN EXPERIENCED ON-DUTY POLICE OFFICER

ENGAGED IN A HIGH-SPEED CHASE, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,

HIS ATTENTION IS CAUGHT BY A FLAME IN THE SKY.

[ SIREN CONTINUES ]

Narrator: THINKING HE MAY HAVE WITNESSED A CAR ACCIDENT,

ZAMORA BREAKS OFF HIS CHASE TO INVESTIGATE.

HE SOON REALIZED THIS WAS NO CAR.

THE OBJECT HE WAS LOOKING AT

WAS ESSENTIALLY WHITE AND FEATURELESS,

OVAL IN SHAPE, BUT ON LEGS OF SOME SORT.

[ WARBLING ]

Birnes: SUDDENLY, IN THE DISTANCE,

FLAME SHOOTS OUT FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OBJECT,

AND IT TAKES OFF.

THIS IS LIKE NOTHING HE'S EVER SEEN BEFORE --

THE SPEED, THE ACCELERATION, THE SHAPE OF THIS THING.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

Narrator: ZAMORA FILES A REPORT OF THE EVENT.

IT BECOMES KNOWN AS THE "SOCORRO INCIDENT."

THERE'S MASSIVE PUBLIC INTEREST IN UFOs AT THE TIME.

WHAT MAKES THIS CASE

PARTICULARLY INTERESTING AND DIFFERENT

IS THE FACT THAT, FIRSTLY,

THIS IS NOT SOME VAGUE LIGHT IN THE SKY.

THIS IS A STRUCTURED, LANDED CRAFT.

Narrator: AS WORD OF THE INCIDENT

SPREADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

JOURNALISTS FLOCK TO NEW MEXICO.

THIS IS DAVID BRINKLEY IN THE RADAR ROOM.

THIS SIGHTING SOON BECOMES BIG NEWS.

THE MEDIA DESCEND ON THIS TOWN.

THERE ARE HEADLINES ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.

THE AMAZING STORY OF THE FLYING SAUCER.

THEY SAW SOMETHING STRANGE AND UNUSUAL.

IT WAS NOT AN AIRPLANE,

AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IT WAS.

Man: THE PHENOMENON IS REAL.

Narrator: THE INFLUX OF UFO TOURISTS IN SOCORRO

LEADS SOME TO CONCLUDE THAT ZAMORA INVENTED THE STORY.

I THINK IT WAS A HOAX. I THINK HE MADE IT UP.

THE MAYOR HAD, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS,

ADVANCED THE IDEA

THAT HE NEEDED SOMETHING TO CREATE TOURISM IN THE AREA.

Narrator: BUT OTHERS DISAGREE,

POINTING TO ZAMORA'S IMPECCABLE RECORD AS A COP.

I'VE HEARD THE STORY.

BUT I'VE FOUND NO EVIDENCE THAT THAT IS THE CASE.

THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION THAT LONNIE ZAMORA

IS AN UPSTANDING CITIZEN OF THE COMMUNITY

WITH AN OUTSTANDING REPUTATION.

Narrator: IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE SIGHTING,

REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE U.S. MILITARY

AND SEVERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INTERVIEW SERGEANT ZAMORA.

THE FBI, THE ARMY, THE AIR FORCE --

EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

THE REASON THEY'RE INTERESTED IS THIS PART OF THE U.S.

IS HOME TO SO MANY OF AMERICA'S MOST SECRETIVE

AND IMPORTANT MILITARY AND SCIENTIFIC FACILITIES.

Narrator: ZAMORA SAW THE CRAFT JUST A FEW MILES

FROM THE WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE --

HOME TO THE U.S.'s CLASSIFIED WEAPONS-DELIVERY SYSTEMS.

ONE RADICAL THEORY IS THAT THE POLICEMAN WITNESSED

THE CRASH LANDING OF AN ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH BALLOON

CALLED PROJECT SKYHOOK.

AT THE TIME, PROJECT SKYHOOK WAS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED.

BUT TODAY, ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN DECLASSIFIED.

AND THEY INDICATE THAT THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON

ON THE DAY OF THE SOCORRO INCIDENT.

Narrator: THE SKYHOOK PROGRAM IS UNLIKELY TO ACCOUNT

FOR WHAT ZAMORA SAW.

BUT ANOTHER CLASSIFIED PROJECT AT WHITE SANDS

PROVIDES A MORE PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION.

30 YEARS LATER, TWO FORMER MILITARY OFFICERS REVEAL

THAT AT WHITE SANDS IN 1964,

THERE WERE EXPERIMENTS GOING ON WITH THE LUNAR SURVEYOR.

MAN: Now firing...

Narrator: IN PREPARATION FOR THE APOLLO MISSIONS,

NASA's LUNAR SURVEYORS

GATHERED DATA ABOUT THE LUNAR MOON'S SURFACE.

PRE-MISSION TESTING TOOK PLACE IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT.

Pope: THESE SURVEY PROBES, WHEN THEY WERE TESTED ON EARTH,

WERE DEPLOYED BY HELICOPTER.

AND THIS IS ALMOST EXACTLY CONSISTENT

WITH LONNIE ZAMORA SAW.

Narrator: DID ZAMORA SEE A NASA PROBE?

WHILE SOME OF THE FACTS FIT,

MANY INVESTIGATORS POINT TO DISCREPANCIES IN THE THEORY.

HELICOPTERS ARE LOUD...

[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]

...AND HE WOULD'VE HEARD THAT.

HE WOULD'VE SEEN THE HELICOPTER.

LONNIE ZAMORA REPORTED THIS OBJECT

AS BEING ABOUT 30 FEET TO 40 FEET LONG.

THE LUNAR SURVEYOR, HOWEVER, IS ONLY ABOUT 14 FEET LONG.

SO THAT'S NOT IT.

Narrator: MORE THAN 50 YEARS

AFTER THE STRANGE EVENT IN NEW MEXICO,

THE SOCORRO INCIDENT REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THE FACT IS THERE IS NO EXPLANATION

THAT EXPLAINS THIS CASE,

LIKE IT OR NOT.

Narrator: COMING UP, SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE

ONE OF THE BIBLE'S MOST FAMOUS MIRACLES...

COULD IT BE A NATURAL PHENOMENON

THAT'S APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

Narrator: ...AND ASTRONOMERS DETECT AN INVISIBLE PLANET

IN DEEP SPACE.

MAYBE THIS PLANET HAS INTELLIGENT BEINGS ON IT

WHO HAVE DECIDED TO CLOAK THEMSELVES.

Narrator: A MIRACULOUS NEW TESTAMENT EVENT

CHANGES HISTORY.

THE BIBLE TELLS US

THAT SAUL SEES A BLINDING LIGHT IN THE SKY.

HE BELIEVES HE'S BEING SPOKEN TO BY GOD.

Narrator: CAN SCIENCE REALLY EXPLAIN

ONE OF THE BIBLE'S GREATEST MIRACLES?

COULD IT BE A NATURAL PHENOMENON

THAT'S APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

Narrator: 35 A.D. -- SYRIA.

SAUL OF TARSUS, A RELIGIOUS SCHOLAR,

IS HUNTING DOWN CHRISTIANS

TO HAND OVER TO HIS ROMAN MASTERS.

SAUL WAS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE BIBLICAL PATRIARCHS.

FOR A START, HE'S A ROMAN CITIZEN AND A JEW.

HIS JOB IS TO ROUND UP CHRISTIANS.

Narrator: AS SAUL MAKES HIS WAY TO THE CAPITAL, DAMASCUS...

[ WIND HOWLING ]

...A DAZZLING LIGHT APPEARS IN THE SKY.

HE'S SUDDENLY BLINDED BY BRIGHT LIGHT.

HE'S KNOCKED ONTO HIS BACK.

HE HEARS THE VOICE, "SAUL! SAUL! WHY DID YOU PERSECUTE ME?"

AND HE BELIEVES HE'S BEING SPOKEN TO BY GOD.

Narrator: FOR THREE DAYS, SAUL IS COMPLETELY BLIND.

WHEN HE REGAINS HIS VISION,

HE MAKES A VOW THAT WILL CHANGE HISTORY.

HE DEVOTES HIMSELF TO CHRISTIANITY

FROM THAT POINT FORWARD.

Narrator: TODAY, SAUL IS REVERED AROUND THE WORLD

AS SAINT PAUL,

FOUNDER OF THE MODERN CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

THE CONVERSION OF SAUL

IS ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT TURNING POINTS

IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

Narrator: FOR MILLENNIA,

THE EVENT ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS

HAS BEEN SEEN AS A MIRACLE.

BUT NOW, SOME SCIENTISTS CLAIM

THAT IT COULD HAVE A NATURAL EXPLANATION.

THE BIBLE TELLS US

THAT SAUL SEES A BLINDING LIGHT IN THE SKY.

NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN MATCH THAT DESCRIPTION.

Narrator: ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT SAUL WITNESSED

AN UNEXPECTEDLY POWERFUL LIGHTNING STORM.

CERTAINLY, IF A BOLT OF LIGHTNING LANDS CLOSE TO YOU,

IT COULD KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET,

IT COULD BLIND YOU EXACTLY LIKE SAUL DESCRIBES.

LIGHTNING IS FIVE TIMES HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

IT CREATES AN INCREDIBLE FLASH OF LIGHT

THAT COULD CREATE TEMPORARY BLINDNESS

PLUS, IT EXPANDS THE ATMOSPHERE

AND CREATES THIS LARGE BOOMING SOUND.

Narrator: DESPITE BEING A DESERT COUNTRY,

SYRIA DOES EXPERIENCE FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS.

AND THE FAMILIARITY MEANS

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT SAUL MISTOOK THE THUNDERBOLT FOR GOD.

SAUL WOULD'VE KNOWN WHAT LIGHTNING WAS LIKE,

SO IT REALLY FAILS THE TEST.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING

THAT COULD APPEAR TO BE UNUSUAL AND MIRACULOUS.

Narrator: PERHAPS SAUL WITNESSED ANOTHER, MUCH RARER ATMOSPHERIC EVENT.

COULD IT BE A NATURAL PHENOMENON THAT'S JUST RARE,

SO THE PEOPLE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT,

SO IT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT BY GOD?

Narrator: NASA ASTROPHYSICIST DAVID HATHAWAY

EXAMINES THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THE SUN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SAUL'S DIVINE CONVERSION.

THE SUN DOES PRODUCE FLARES FREQUENTLY.

THEY'RE HUGE EXPLOSIONS

THAT BLAST A BILLION TONS OF MATTER OFF THE SUN

AND THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THAT MATERIAL, IT GOES THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT PRODUCES THE AURORA.

IT PRODUCES THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.

Narrator: SOME SCHOLARS HAVE LINKED OTHER BIBLICAL VERSES

TO SOLAR FLARES.

THE BOOK OF ISAIAH TELLS OF THE LIGHT OF THE SUN

THAT WILL BE SEVEN TIMES BRIGHTER,

LIKE THE LIGHT OF SEVEN DAYS.

BUT TODAY, THE VISUAL EFFECTS OF SOLAR ACTIVITY

ARE WELL KNOWN.

AND THEY DON'T MATCH SAUL'S ACCOUNT

IN THE BOOK OF ACTS.

AN ELECTROMAGNETIC STORM IS VERY UNLIKELY.

IT WOULD HAVE A MUCH DIFFERENT IMPACT

THAN JUST A QUICK FLASH OF LIGHT.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS -- SPECTACULAR AT NIGHT,

BUT ABSOLUTELY INVISIBLE DURING THE DAY.

SO I CANNOT IMAGINE ANYTHING THAT THE SUN DOES

THAT WOULD PRODUCE SOMETHING SO BRIGHT LIKE THIS

TO BLIND A PERSON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.

Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THAT METEOR ACTIVITY COULD PROVIDE A BETTER EXPLANATION

FOR WHAT SAUL SAW.

THERE WAS A METEOR THAT STRUCK THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

IN CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA.

IT CAUSED AMAZINGLY BRIGHT LIGHTS.

Narrator: METEORS OF THIS SIZE CAN APPEAR 30 TIMES BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN,

AND THEY CAN TRIGGER A RANGE OF PHENOMENA

WHICH FIT WITH KEY ELEMENTS OF SAUL'S ACCOUNT.

THESE FIREBALLS CAN BE VERY BRIGHT --

MAYBE BRIGHT ENOUGH TO TEMPORARILY BLIND SAUL.

THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH SONIC BOOMS,

WITH SHOCKWAVES

THAT, IF THEY WERE LARGE ENOUGH, COULD KNOCK HIM OFF HIS FEET.

Narrator: WHEN METEORS TRAVEL THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE

AT OVER 10 MILES PER SECOND,

THEY CAN GENERATE AN ELECTRIC CHARGE.

THIS ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON COULD ACCOUNT

FOR THE VOICE THAT SAUL HEARD ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.

[ WARBLING ]

MOST INTERESTINGLY,

THEY HAVE AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE.

AND THAT CAN PRODUCE AN ELECTROPHONIC EFFECT --

A CRACKLING IN THE EARS.

SO, YOU ACTUALLY HEAR A NOISE INSIDE YOUR HEAD.

WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?

Narrator: EVEN TO A SCHOLAR,

THE APPEARANCE OF A BLINDING, BOOMING FIREBALL

WOULD BE SO UNUSUAL, IT WOULD SEEM MIRACULOUS.

SO, WE'RE USED TO SEEING PICTURES OF METEORITE FIREBALLS.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE CAPTURED ON PHONES, TELESCOPES.

BUT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO SEE ONE.

AND ONE OF THE MAGNITUDE THAT AFFECTED SAUL --

WELL, THOSE ARE INCREDIBLY RARE.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH SOME SCIENTISTS

ACCEPT THE METEOR THEORY,

MANY PEOPLE DOUBT THAT A NATURAL PHENOMENON

COULD BE BEHIND ONE OF THE BIBLE'S MOST CHERISHED MIRACLES.

Jeras: SOME COULD THEORIZE THAT IT WOULD BE A METEOR,

BUT THAT'S UNLIKELY.

WE TRY AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING AWAY SCIENTIFICALLY.

AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

[ RUMBLING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

AN INVISIBLE OBJECT IN DEEP SPACE BAFFLES ASTRONOMERS.

THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING OUT THERE.

BUT WHAT IT IS EXACTLY, WE DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: AN ASTRONOMER DETECTS EVIDENCE OF AN INVISIBLE PLANET

ORBITING A DISTANT STAR.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS PLANET,

BUT SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT.

Narrator: WHO -- OR WHAT --

COULD MAKE AN ENTIRE WORLD DISAPPEAR?

THERE'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

HOW ABOUT, WE DON'T SEE IT BECAUSE IT'S CLOAKED?

Narrator: ASTROPHYSICIST SARAH BALLARD

HUNTS FOR POTENTIALLY HABITABLE PLANETS

USING NASA's KEPLER TELESCOPE.

ON MAY 17, SHE DETECTS TELL-TALE DIPS

IN THE LIGHT COMING FROM A STAR IN THE LYRA CONSTELLATION,

650 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH.

Ballard: I'M LOOKING AT WHAT I KNOW IS A PLANET'S SIGNAL.

THE STAR LOOKS PERIODICALLY DIMMER

BECAUSE THERE'S A PLANET GOING IN FRONT OF IT.

Narrator: THE DATA INDICATES

THAT BALLARD HAS DISCOVERED A NEW WORLD.

THE PLANET IS NAMED KEPLER 19B.

BUT AS SHE ESTIMATES THE LENGTH OF THE PLANET'S ORBIT,

BALLARD DISCOVERS SOMETHING STRANGE.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS PLANET, KEPLER 19B,

BUT SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT ABOUT IT.

IT SEEMS TO BE SOMETIMES APPEARING FIVE MINUTES TOO EARLY

AND OTHER TIMES APPEARING FIVE MINUTES TOO LATE.

WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING

TO MAKE THE PLANET APPEAR EARLY AND LATE?

Narrator: SOMETHING IS INTERFERING

WITH THE ORBIT OF PLANET 19B.

ASTRONOMERS SPECULATE ON WHAT IT COULD BE.

Seager: THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND

IS THERE'S A MASSIVE PLANET

LURKING HIDDEN IN THAT SAME PLANETARY SYSTEM,

WHOSE GRAVITY IS CHANGING THE ORBIT OF KEPLER 19B.

Narrator: IF THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL OF A SECOND PLANET

IS THROWING THE ORBIT OF 19B OUT OF SYNC,

THEN ASTRONOMERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT.

BUT WHEN THEY LOOK FOR IT,

THEY FIND NOTHING BUT EMPTY SPACE.

BASED ON THE BEHAVIOR OF 19B,

WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ANOTHER PLANET IN A SYSTEM.

BUT WE CAN'T SEE THIS OTHER PLANET.

Narrator: ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT THE INVISIBLE PLANET

IS SIMPLY TOO SMALL TO BE DETECTED BY KEPLER.

BUT BALLARD THINKS THIS UNLIKELY.

Ballard: THAT CAN'T BE HAPPENING,

BECAUSE, IN ORDER TO PRODUCE THE TUGGING SIGNAL WE SAW,

THIS MYSTERIOUS PLANET WOULD HAVE TO BE

OF A CERTAIN SIZE.

AND WE WOULD HAVE SEEN IT.

Narrator: ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS

THAT THE PLANET IS SO FAR FROM THE STAR,

ITS ORBITAL PERIOD TAKES CENTURIES.

ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT IT HAS A VERY LONG ORBIT,

AND WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO SEE IT.

Narrator: BY USING THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

OF THE INVISIBLE PLANET ON PLANET 19B,

THE KEPLER TEAM ESTIMATES THE ORBITAL LENGTH

OF THE INVISIBLE PLANET.

WE NOW KNOW, BASED ON CALCULATIONS,

THAT THE UNSEEN PLANET

MUST HAVE AN ORBIT SHORTER THAN 160 DAYS.

AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PLANET IN THE DATA.

Narrator: RUNNING OUT OF OBVIOUS EXPLANATIONS,

SOME ASTRONOMERS CONSIDER THE EXTRAORDINARY.

COULD THE PLANET'S INVISIBILITY BE DELIBERATE?

Brin: HOW ABOUT THIS?

HOW ABOUT WE DON'T SEE IT BECAUSE IT'S CLOAKED,

BECAUSE THEY ARE USING A METHOD TO MASK ITS PRESENCE?

Oluseyi: THERE ARE SOME SCIENTISTS WHO SUGGEST

THAT MAYBE THIS PLANET HAS INTELLIGENT BEINGS ON IT

WHO HAVE DECIDED TO CLOAK THEMSELVES.

Narrator: THE IDEA OF CLOAKING AN ENTIRE PLANET

MIGHT SEEM LIKE SOMETHING FROM SCIENCE FICTION.

BUT IT'S A CONCEPT TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY MANY SCIENTISTS.

ONE WAY FOR A PLANET

TO MAKE ITSELF INVISIBLE TO OBSERVATIONS

IS TO BROADCAST LIGHT

THAT WOULD HIDE THE DIP IN THE STAR'S BRIGHTNESS

THAT ONE WOULD OTHERWISE SEE.

Narrator: ONE POSSIBILITY

IS TO SHINE A BANK OF HIGH-POWERED LASERS

OUT INTO SPACE.

BY DOING THAT, A CIVILIZATION

COULD CAMOUFLAGE THEMSELVES TO OBSERVERS,

WHO WOULD SEE NO DIP IN THE LIGHT

COMING FROM THEIR PARENT STAR.

WE HAVE STEALTH PLANES. WE HAVE STEALTH SHIPS.

HEY, WHY NOT A STEALTH PLANET?

Narrator: COULD AN ALIEN RACE

HAVE DEVELOPED ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

TO CLOAK THEIR PLANET FROM PRYING EYES?

IF TRUE, THE PLANET WOULD HAVE TO HAVE

EVOLVED, COMPLEX LIFE.

FOR THIS PLANET TO HAVE ANY TYPE OF CLOAKING DEVICE,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE IN HABITED.

AND AS FAR AS INHABITATION OF THIS WORLD,

IT DOESN'T LOOK TOO GOOD.

Brin: THIS PLANETARY SYSTEM DOESN'T HAVE ANY PLANETS

THAT WE KNOW OF IN THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE --

IN THE CONTINUOUSLY-HABITABLE ZONE.

Narrator: THE REALITY LEAVES SCIENTISTS SEARCHING

FOR OTHER EXPLANATIONS FOR THE INVISIBLE WORLD.

A FINAL POSSIBILITY IS THAT IT IS OCCUPYING

A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ORBITABLE PLANE TO 19B.

Aguilar: ONE OF THE THOUGHTS IS

THE REASON WHY WE CAN'T SEE THIS PLANET

IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE SAME PLANE

AS ALL THE OTHER PLANETS ORBIT.

IT'S EITHER HIGH ABOVE OR WAY BELOW.

AND SO CONSEQUENTLY, IT'S OUT OF OUR FIELD OF VIEW.

IF THE PLANET IS NOT LINED UP PROPERLY,

WE JUST WON'T SEE IT.

Narrator: TO DATE,

NO ONE HAS IDENTIFIED PLANET 19B's MYSTERY COMPANION.

ITS ORIGIN REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THERE'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY OUT THERE,

BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

♪♪