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.

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.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE DISCOVERS STRANGE MARKINGS ON MARS.

IT LOOKS, FOR ALL THE WORLD, LIKE MORSE CODE.

IS THIS SOME SORT OF MESSAGE?

A MESSAGE FROM WHO?

Narrator: A MYSTERY CRAFT TERRIFIES WITNESSES

ON TWO SEPARATE CONTINENTS.

IT'S LIKE "WAR OF THE WORLDS."

PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE UNDER ATTACK.

Angiola: THEY'RE SCARED TO DEATH. THEY HAD NO IDEA

WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Narrator: AND DOES A DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENT

SUGGEST A LINK BETWEEN SECRET UFO FILES

AND THE DEATH OF JFK?

THIS DOCUMENT IS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL.

IS THIS A MOTIVE?

IS THIS A SMOKING GUN?

Narrator: THESE ARE "NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES."

ASTRONAUTS SEE SOMETHING FLOATING PAST THE WINDOW

OF THE SKYLAB SPACE STATION.

Jurek: IT'S A SURPRISE.

AND SURPRISES ON SPACE STATIONS

ARE NOT GOOD NEWS.

Narrator: THE CREW RACED TO IDENTIFY THE BIZARRE PHENOMENON.

YOUR REACTION, AS AN ASTRONAUT, IS, "THIS COULD KILL ME."

Narrator: AUGUST 2ND, 1973,

NASA'S SKYLAB SPACE STATION

ORBITS 270 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

ASTRONAUTS ALAN BEAN, OWEN GARRIOTT

AND JACK LOUSMA CARRY THE RESPONSIBILITY

OF PERFORMING WHAT SHOULD BE A LANDMARK MISSION

IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION.

SKYLAB WAS NASA'S FIRST SPACE STATION

TO BE VISITED BY SUCCESSIVE CREWS OF ASTRONAUTS.

Narrator: THE CREW'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

IS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF PROLONGED SPACE TRAVEL

ON THE HUMAN BODY.

THE WHOLE IDEA WAS TO STUDY WHAT HAPPENS TO HUMANS

WHEN WE GET IN THIS ZERO GRAVITY FOR LONG PERIODS.

THEY HAD A REALLY NICE SETUP.

THEY COULD ACTUALLY RUN AROUND THE --

SORT OF THE PERIPHERY OF THE WHOLE MODULE.

Narrator: AT 6:37 A.M., GARRIOTT AND LOUSMA

ARE COMPLETING THEIR SCHEDULED TASKS

WHEN THEY NOTICE SOMETHING FLY PAST THE WINDOW.

GARRIOTT AND LOUSMA ARE UTTERLY AMAZED

TO SEE SNOWFLAKES DRIFTING PAST THE WINDOW

IN OUTER SPACE.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE A SNOWSTORM.

AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DESCRIBE IT.

Jurek: IT'S A SURPRISE.

AND SURPRISES ON SPACE STATIONS

ARE GENERALLY NOT GOOD NEWS.

Narrator: GARRIOTT AND LOUSMA ARE HIGHLY TRAINED SCIENTISTS.

WHAT THEY ARE SEEING APPEARS

TO DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Linenger: YOU'RE UP IN SPACE.

IT'S BASICALLY A VACUUM.

SO THERE ARE NO CLOUDS. THERE'S NO MOISTURE.

THERE'S NO ANYTHING OUT THERE.

THERE IS NO WEATHER IN SPACE.

Narrator: THE APPEARANCE OF THE FROZEN OBJECTS

ISN'T JUST PUZZLING.

IF THEY'RE SOLID, IT'S POTENTIALLY LETHAL.

YOU SEE SOMETHING FLOATING AROUND IN ORBIT.

YOUR OBVIOUS THOUGHT IS THAT IT'S SOME SORT OF SPACE DEBRIS.

Orwoll: IF THE LIGHT CATCHES IT JUST RIGHT,

SPACE DEBRIS CAN APPEAR VERY BRIGHT WHITE.

AND IT CAN KIND OF CLUMP TOGETHER OR STAY TOGETHER.

Narrator: SPACE DEBRIS TRAVELS AT SIX TIMES

THE SPEED OF A RIFLE BULLET.

A SINGLE SNOWFLAKE-SIZED PIECE

COULD PUNCH A HOLE THROUGH THE HULL OF THE SPACE STATION.

YOUR REACTION, AS AN ASTRONAUT, IS, "THIS COULD KILL ME."

Narrator: MOST SPACE DEBRIS IS CREATED BY SPACECRAFT

ORBITING AROUND 470 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH.

BUT SKYLAB ORBITS 200 MILES

LOWER THAN THIS CLOUD OF JUNK.

AT THIS ALTITUDE, IT'S POSSIBLE TO ENCOUNTER SPACE DEBRIS.

BUT IT'S REALLY UNLIKELY YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ENOUGH OF IT

FOR IT TO LOOK LIKE A BLIZZARD.

Narrator: THE CREW ASKS MISSION CONTROL

TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON SKYLAB

TO CHECK FOR DAMAGE.

THEY TRACE THE FAULT TO THE FUEL SYSTEM

OF THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT ATTACHED TO SKYLAB.

Oberg: WHAT MISSION CONTROL DISCOVERED PRETTY QUICKLY

WAS THAT THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING OUT

FROM ONE OF THE THRUSTER UNITS ON THEIR APOLLO SPACECRAFT,

THEIR TRANSPORT CRAFT,

THE ONE THEY NEEDED TO GET BACK TO EARTH SAFELY IN.

Narrator: TROUBLESHOOTING THE PROBLEM WITH IDENTICAL ENGINES

BACK ON EARTH REVEALS

THAT A CORROSIVE INGREDIENT

IN THE FUEL SUPPLY

HAS EATEN THROUGH ONE OF ITS FOUR THRUSTERS.

CORROSION ISN'T GOING TO BE JUST A ONE-OFF FIX.

CORROSION IS INSIDIOUS.

CORROSION SPREADS.

Narrator: THE CORROSIVE LEAK MEANS

THE APOLLO TRANSPORT MODULE

IS JETTISONING GALLONS

OF FUEL INTO SPACE EVERY MINUTE.

WHEN ANY FLUID LEAKS OUT INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE,

IT FLASH FREEZES INTO SNOWFLAKES.

IF THEY LOSE TOO MUCH FUEL,

THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTEMPT RE-ENTRY.

AND SKYLAB, IT BECOMES A COFFIN,

A $2.2 BILLION COFFIN.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE TO THE UNFOLDING CRISIS,

NASA ANNOUNCES ONE OF THE MOST AUDACIOUS PLANS

IN THE SPACE AGENCY'S HISTORY,

A DARING MISSION TO RESCUE THE THREE ASTRONAUTS.

NASA ISN'T GOING TO LEAVE THREE MEN

TO DIE IN ORBIT, NO WAY.

Narrator: NORMALLY, A SPACE MISSION

TAKES YEARS TO PLAN AND EXECUTE.

BUT NASA MAY ONLY HAVE A FEW DAYS

TO SAVE THE SKYLAB CREW.

YOU'VE GOT ALL THE DIFFICULTIES OF A NORMAL SPACE MISSION

PLUS YOU'RE TRYING TO DO IT IN A VERY SHORT TIME FRAME.

NASA PLANNERS NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO LAUNCH A VEHICLE IN TIME

BEFORE THE CREW HAS DIED OR STARVED.

Narrator: NASA ENGINEERS FORMULATE A PLAN

TO SEND TWO BACKUP PILOTS UP TO THE SPACE STATION

IN A MODIFIED APOLLO CRAFT.

THE RESCUE PLAN INVOLVED TAKING THE APOLLO

FOR THE NEXT VISIT TO THE SPACE STATION

BUT STRIPPING OUT EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

FOR A SPACE-STATION MISSION AND,

INSTEAD, PUTTING IN THREE EXTRA SEATS

FOR THE RESCUED CREW.

Narrator: THE PLAN PUTS NASA UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE.

IF THE SPACE AGENCY SENDS THE BACKUP PILOTS

INTO ORBIT ON A DANGEROUS RESCUE MISSION,

IT PUTS MORE LIVES IN DANGER.

Orwoll: THIS IS WORSE THAN A NIGHTMARE SCENARIO.

THEY'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.

AND THEY'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH IT FAST.

Narrator: JUST DAYS BEFORE THE RESCUE MISSION

IS SCHEDULED TO LAUNCH,

ENGINEERS LEARN THAT THE DEFECTIVE SKYLAB CAPSULE

MIGHT STILL BE ABLE TO BRING THE ASTRONAUTS HOME.

THEY DISCOVER A WAY TO RE-ENTER EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

UTILIZING A DIFFERENT SET OF THRUSTERS

ON THE COMMAND MODULE.

AT THAT POINT, THE NEED FOR THE RESCUE MISSION WENT AWAY.

Narrator: ON AUGUST 14TH, NASA ABORTS THE RESCUE MISSION.

MISSION CONTROL INSTRUCTS SKYLAB PILOT JACK LOUSMA

TO ATTEMPT A RISKY MANUAL RETURN TO EARTH USING

JUST TWO OF HIS FOUR THRUSTERS.

THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED IN SPACE TRAVEL.

IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE POSSIBLE.

BUT NASA HAS TO TRY.

Narrator: AT 10:07 A.M. ON SEPTEMBER 25TH,

THE THREE ASTRONAUTS DEPART THE SPACE STATION

IN THEIR WOUNDED CRAFT.

MISSION CONTROL CAN ONLY WAIT

AS THE CAPSULE SLAMS INTO EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

AT OVER 15,000 MILES PER HOUR.

THE EXTERIOR OF THE CRAFT

HEATS UP TO OVER 5,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

CREATING A LAYER OF PLASMA

THAT BLOCKS OUT ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO THE CREW.

15 MINUTES LATER,

THE MODULE SPLASHES DOWN OFF THE COAST OF MEXICO.

RESCUE TEAMS REACH THE CAPSULE

AND RECOVER THE ASTRONAUTS.

ALL UNHARMED BY THEIR ORDEAL.

AFTER A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO THE NEAR DISASTER,

ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO SKYLAB IN NOVEMBER 1973.

AND THE SPACE STATION

GOES ON TO LAY THE FOUNDATIONS

FOR FUTURE NASA MISSIONS.

THIS COULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF SKYLAB.

BUT THANKS TO SOME CALM, COOL, SMART THINKING,

IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS

IN NASA HISTORY.

Narrator: COMING UP, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

ON TWO CONTINENTS WITNESS STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE SKY.

THIS ISN'T A HALLUCINATION, AND IT'S NOT MASS HYSTERIA.

THIS THING IS REAL.

Narrator: AND HAS A NASA PROBE DISCOVERED A MESSAGE

ON THE MARTIAN LANDSCAPE?

A MESSAGE FROM WHO? AN INTELLIGENCE, POSSIBLY.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE DISCOVERS A BIZARRE PATTERN

ON THE SURFACE OF THE RED PLANET.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

IT'S REALLY CLEAR, DOTS AND DASHES.

IT LOOKS, FOR ALL THE WORLD, LIKE MORSE CODE.

Narrator: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE MARTIAN MARKINGS?

IS THIS SOME SORT OF MESSAGE?

A MESSAGE FROM WHO?

Narrator: FEBRUARY 6, 2016,

AS THE MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER PASSES

OVER AN UNCHARTED REGION NEAR THE PLANET'S NORTH POLE,

IT SPOTS A STRANGE PATTERN IN THE LANDSCAPE.

THE DISCOVERY STUNS ASTRONOMERS.

THIS PARTICULAR PATTERN HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S RARE TO SEE SUCH ORGANIZED PATTERNS IN LANDSCAPE IMAGES,

JUST VERY ODD, STRANGE PATTERNS.

Narrator: THE BIZARRE MARKINGS STRETCH

FOR SEVEN MILES ACROSS THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

FOR SOME ASTRONOMERS,

THEIR ARRANGEMENT IS EERILY FAMILIAR.

[ RHYTHMIC BEEPING ]

YOU HAVE THIS INCREDIBLE SUCCESSION OF DOTS

AND STRAIGHT LINES.

IT LOOKS LIKE MORSE CODE

DOWN THERE ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

Narrator: WHEN NASA PUBLISHES THE IMAGES, THEY GO VIRAL.

SOME OBSERVERS SPECULATE THAT IT COULD BE EVIDENCE

THAT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING HAS ETCHED A CODE

INTO THE MARTIAN DIRT.

SOME PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THESE PATTERNS AND SAYING,

"YOU KNOW, IT'S A MESSAGE."

A MESSAGE FROM WHO?

AN INTELLIGENCE, POSSIBLY.

Narrator: FOR DECADES, ASTRONOMERS HAVE BELIEVED

THAT THE BEST CHANCE OF FINDING MESSAGES

FROM EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

IS TO LISTEN FOR RADIO SIGNALS

SENT FROM DISTANT STAR SYSTEMS.

THE DISCOVERY OF THE MARS CIPHER RAISES

AN INTRIGUING POSSIBILITY.

MAYBE WE'RE -- WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT FORM OF MESSAGE.

UH, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH,

WE'LL FIND ONE DAY AT THE SURFACE OF A PLANET.

UH, MAYBE THIS IS IT.

MAYBE MARS HAS AN INTELLIGENT CIVILIZATION.

Narrator: IN THE FACE OF MOUNTING SPECULATION

ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE MARTIAN CODE,

NASA ATTEMPTS TO TRANSLATE IT.

THE RESULTS REVEAL THAT IF THIS IS CODE,

IT'S CERTAINLY NOT MORSE CODE.

THE DECODED MESSAGE FROM THIS ANCIENT ALIEN RACE

IN MORSE CODE READS,

AND I QUOTE, "NEE NED ZB 6TN."

"N-E-E, N-E-D, Z-B."

"N-E-E, N-E-D, Z-B,

6-T-N-N, C-E-C-C."

DOESN'T REALLY MAKE MUCH SENSE.

DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER.

DOES THAT SOUND LIKE AN INTELLIGENT MESSAGE TO YOU?

NOT TO ME.

Narrator: IF AN ADVANCED RACE ISN'T RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE WEIRD PATTERN, THEN WHAT IS?

A CLUE TO UNRAVELING THE ENIGMA

COULD COME FROM A GRAVITY MAP

OF MARS CREATED

BY NASA IN MARCH, 2016.

IT REVEALS A SERIES OF GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALIES

AROUND THE MARTIAN NORTH POLE,

CLOSE TO WHERE THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN.

THE POLAR CAP REGION IS KNOWN TO HAVE

GRAVITY ANOMALIES, PLACES

WHERE THE GRAVITY FIELD IS STRONGER.

AND WE'RE NOT 100 PERCENT SURE

WHAT THE CAUSE OF THESE GRAVITY ANOMALIES IS.

COULD THIS WEIRD GRAVITATIONAL VARIATION BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THIS STRANGE MORSE-CODE PATTERN?

Narrator: ON EARTH, GRAVITY ANOMALIES CAN CREATE BULGES

AND DIPS ON THE SURFACE OF THE OCEANS.

BUT ASTRONOMERS DOUBT THEY COULD ACCOUNT

FOR THE MYSTERIOUS PATTERN ON MARS.

Bell: I THINK THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE LIKELY

BECAUSE THESE ARE VERY SMALL FEATURES.

RIGHT? AND GRAVITY IS A VERY BIG THING.

AND IT AFFECTS MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS,

NOT INDIVIDUAL LITTLE FEATURES.

Narrator: CLOSER ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE REVEALS

ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATION.

IF WE ZOOM IN ON THESE LITTLE BY LITTLE,

NOW IT BECOMES CLEAR.

Narrator: EACH DASH HAS A DARKER LINE RUNNING ALONG THE MIDDLE OF IT.

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THEY ARE RIDGES.

D'Antonio: SEEING THIS REALLY HITS HOME THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY

A 3-D PEAK OBJECT STICKING UP OUT OF THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

THESE ARE DUNES.

Narrator: MARS IS COVERED IN VAST SAND DUNES,

MANY TWICE THE SIZE OF THE BIGGEST ON EARTH.

BUT IF THE LINES IN THE IMAGE ARE DUNES,

THEY'RE UNLIKE ANY NASA

HAS PREVIOUSLY DISCOVERED ON THE RED PLANET.

SCIENTISTS SUGGEST THE LOCAL GEOLOGY

COULD PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION.

NOW THIS AREA IS IN A -- AN IMPACT CRATER.

IT'S A BOWL. IT'S A HOLE IN THE GROUND.

Narrator: WHEN WINDS BLOW INTO THE CRATER,

THEY BOUNCE OFF THE WALLS,

DRAMATICALLY ALTERING THE SHAPE OF THE DUNES.

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS IN TWO DIRECTIONS, ALL OF A SUDDEN,

YOU WILL SEE THESE SIMPLE LITTLE CRESCENT SHAPED DUNES

STRETCHED INTO LONG, STRINGY DUNES.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: MOST SCIENTISTS AGREE.

THE LOCALIZED WIND CONDITIONS COULD ACCOUNT

FOR THE DASH-SHAPED DUNES IN THE IMAGE.

THE DOTS ARE HARDER TO EXPLAIN.

MARS EXPERT, PASCAL LEE,

SUGGESTS THEY COULD CONCEAL GIANT BALLS OF ICE.

I SUSPECT THAT BECAUSE THESE DUNES

ARE IN THE NORTH POLAR REGION OF MARS,

THEY CONTAIN ICE.

AND THE ICE IS MAKING THEM STRONGER

AGAINST THE ACTION OF WIND.

IT MAKES THEM CEMENTED, IN SOME SENSE.

Narrator: FOR NOW, THIS IS JUST A THEORY.

MARS' STRANGE TERRAIN AND WEATHER REMAIN

A MYSTERY TO US.

BUT UNDERSTANDING THEM IS A KEY STEP

TOWARDS ONE DAY SETTING FOOT ON THE RED PLANET.

IF NASA'S GOING TO SEND HUMANS TO LIVE AND WORK ON MARS,

WE NEED TO KNOW HOW WEATHER THERE WORKS.

THEY MAY LOOK LIKE PLACES ON EARTH,

BUT MARS IS STILL A VERY ALIEN WORLD.

Narrator: COMING UP, AN EXPLORER DISCOVERS AN ISOLATED TRIBE

USING WEAPONS FROM OUTER SPACE.

THERE'S A REAL MYSTERY HERE.

THEY'RE NOT TELLING ANYONE THEIR SECRET.

Narrator: AND AN EXPLOSIVE LETTER

FROM JFK ORDERS THE CIA

TO SHARE ITS CLASSIFIED UFO FILES.

THIS LETTER IS DATED 10 DAYS BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION.

IS THERE A CONNECTION?

[ GUNSHOTS ]

Narrator: A DECLASSIFIED MEMO FROM PRESIDENT KENNEDY DEMANDS

THAT THE CIA SHARE ITS UFO INTELLIGENCE WITH NASA.

Jurek: THIS LETTER IS DATED 10 DAYS BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION.

IS THERE A CONNECTION?

Narrator: COULD THE EXPLOSIVE LETTER HELP SOLVE

ONE OF THE MOST SHOCKING MURDERS IN HISTORY?

I MEAN, THIS DOCUMENT IS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL.

WERE KENNEDY'S PROBES WITH THE CIA ABOUT UFOS

CAUSE FOR ALARM OR EVEN, POSSIBLY, ASSASSINATION?

Narrator: NOVEMBER 22ND, 1963,

12:30 P.M.,

SHOTS RING OUT ACROSS DEALEY PLAZA IN DALLAS...

[ GUNSHOTS ]

...ENDING THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY

AND SENDING A NATION INTO MOURNING.

THE JFK ASSASSINATION IS ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL

AND POLARIZING CASES IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

IT'S A DECADES-OLD QUESTION.

WHO KILLED JFK AND WHY?

Reporter: THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS DEAD.

Narrator: OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS,

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS THEORIES

ABOUT KENNEDY'S DEATH.

DAVID MARWELL HEADED A REVIEW OF CLASSIFIED RECORDS

RELATING TO THE ASSASSINATION.

AFTER THE ASSASSINATION,

THERE WERE A NUMBER OF OFFICIAL INQUIRIES

THAT WERE CHARGED WITH DETERMINING

EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PRESIDENT.

Narrator: IN 1964, THE WARREN COMMISSION,

THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION

INTO KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION,

CONCLUDED THAT LEE HARVEY OSWALD

WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRESIDENT'S DEATH.

BUT MANY BELIEVE THERE ARE NUMEROUS INCONSISTENCIES

WITH THE LONE GUNMAN THEORY.

IT WAS A CRIME THAT WAS WITNESSED

BY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.

AND IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT THEIR OBSERVATIONS WOULD DIFFER.

MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT JFK HAD MADE POWERFUL ENEMIES,

EVEN THE CIA, AND THAT THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE

FOR HIS ASSASSINATION.FIRE!

Narrator: CONSPIRACY THEORIES LINKING THE CIA

TO KENNEDY'S DEATH ARE WELL DOCUMENTED.

BUT IN 2010,

A SENSATIONAL DECLASSIFIED GOVERNMENT MEMO EMERGED

THAT SOME THOUGHT PROVIDED NEW POSSIBLE MOTIVES

FOR THE AGENCY'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE ASSASSINATION:

A DOCUMENT WRITTEN BY JFK HIMSELF.

TEN DAYS BEFORE JFK WAS ASSASSINATED,

HE HAD DRAFTED A LETTER TO THE CIA REQUESTING

ALL UFO DOCUMENTS TO BE RELEASED TO HIM.

Narrator: IN THE LETTER, THE PRESIDENT ALSO ORDERS THE AGENCY

TO SHARE THEIR SECRET UFO FILES WITH NASA.

IT SAYS TO THE CIA,

"YOU WILL SHARE THIS INFORMATION ABOUT THESE UNKNOWNS,"

WHICH MEANS UFOS.

YOU SHARE THIS SO THAT NASA'S MISSION DIRECTORS

WILL BE ASSISTED IN UNDERTAKING

THEIR DEFENSIVE RESPONSIBILITIES.

Narrator: THE DATE OF THE LETTER IS INTRIGUING.

YOU'VE GOT TO WONDER IF THERE'S A CORRELATION

IN THE SHORT TIME PERIOD

BETWEEN THE LETTER BEING SENT AND THE ASSASSINATION.

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE ROSWELL INCIDENT,

WHERE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL CRAFT

ALLEGEDLY CRASHED IN NEW MEXICO,

THE CIA SET UP A COVERT GROUP

TO MONITOR UFO ACTIVITY IN THE US AND ABROAD.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS,

IT DOCUMENTED AND CATALOGED THOUSANDS OF SIGHTINGS.

Moss: ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY'RE BEING REQUESTED

TO GIVE OVER ALL THOSE DOCUMENTS TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY.

Pope: I MEAN, THIS DOCUMENT IS ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL

BECAUSE WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT

SHARING INFORMATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES,

THAT'S THE ONE THE THING THE CIA NEVER LIKED TO DO.

Moss: NOW WE HAVE TO ASK QUESTIONS.

WERE KENNEDY'S PROBES WITH THE CIA

ABOUT UFOS CAUSE FOR ALARM OR EVEN,

POSSIBLY, ASSASSINATION?

Narrator: THIS SUGGESTION IS UNCONVINCING.

BUT TO THE CIA, KENNEDY'S LETTER

MAY ALSO CONTAIN A SECOND, GREATER THREAT.

THIS DOCUMENT ALSO GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT

A PROGRAM OF COOPERATION

WITH THE SOVIET UNION IN SPACE.

IT ESSENTIALLY INSTRUCTS THE CIA

TO INITIATE A DATA-SHARING PROGRAM

WITH THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: THE REQUEST FOLLOWS A SPEECH

KENNEDY GAVE AT THE U.N.,

WHERE HE EVEN SUGGESTS THAT HE WILL COLLABORATE

WITH THE RUSSIANS ON THE BIGGEST PRIZE IN SPACE,

A MANNED MISSION TO THE MOON.

IN THE FIELD OF SPACE,

THERE IS ROOM FOR NEW COOPERATION.

KENNEDY WAS ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN STARTING UP

A JOINT PROGRAM BETWEEN THE SOVIETS

AND THE U.S. TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO TRY

AND GET TO THE LUNAR SURFACE.

I INCLUDE AMONG THESE POSSIBILITIES

A JOINT EXPEDITION TO THE MOON.

Narrator: SOME AUTHORS AND HISTORIANS

SUGGEST THAT THE CIA

WAS INFURIATED BY KENNEDY'S REPEATED ATTEMPTS

TO COOPERATE WITH AMERICA'S COLD WAR ENEMY.

THIS IS A PERIOD OF EXTREME TENSION

BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

THE THEORY WAS THAT HE WAS KILLED BY THE CIA,

WHO FEARED THAT HE WAS GOING SOFT

ON THE SOVIET THREAT.

Narrator: THE REVELATIONS IN THE 2010

JFK MEMO SPARK A MEDIA FRENZY.

THEY APPEAR TO PROVIDE CRUCIAL NEW EVIDENCE

FOR THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL MURDER INVESTIGATION

OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

IS THE LETTER A MOTIVE? IS THIS A SMOKING GUN?

SINCE THE LETTER WAS DISCOVERED,

SOME HAVE CLAIMED IT IS A FAKE.

IMAGE ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO ASSESSES IT'S AUTHENTICITY.

USUALLY, WE MIGHT EXPECT TO SEE TOP SECRET

DOWN AT THE BOTTOM IN A BIG, STENCILED OUTLINE OR A STAMP.

THE DIRECTOR'S NAME AND THE TOP HEADING

ARE NOT IN THE SAME PLACE

AS IN HIS OTHER LETTERS.

THERE ARE DISCREPANCIES. THAT'S TRUE.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S A FAKE.

Narrator: DAVID MARWELL QUESTIONS WHY ONLY ONE COPY OF THE LETTER

HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR INVESTIGATORS.

Marwell:THE DOCUMENT LOOKS LIKE A COPY.

IT LOOKS LIKE A CARBON COPY.

SO IT BEGS THE QUESTION WHERE THE ORIGINAL IS

AND ALSO WHY THE TOP HAS BEEN REDACTED.

DOCUMENTS DO NOT EXIST ON THEIR OWN.

Narrator: IN 2017, THE CIA

WILL RELEASE THOUSANDS OF CLASSIFIED FILES

RELATING TO JFK'S DEATH.

PERHAPS THEY CONTAIN THE ORIGINAL LETTER

AND WILL SHED MORE LIGHT

ONTO WHO WAS BEHIND THE ASSASSINATION.

UNTIL THEN, DEBATE WILL CONTINUE TO RAGE

ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT FATEFUL DAY

IN DALLAS IN NOVEMBER, 1963.

COMING UP, AN UNEXPLAINED CRAFT

CAUSES PANIC ON THE STREETS OF MOSCOW.

IT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING VERY LARGE

AND CHASING THEM.

Narrator: AND AN EXPLORER DISCOVERS A REMOTE TRIBE

USING WEAPONS THAT COME FROM SPACE.

THEY'RE NOT TELLING ANYONE THEIR SECRET.

Narrator: A STRANGE CRAFT CAUSES PANIC ON TWO SEPARATE CONTINENTS.

YOU HAVE MULTIPLE, CREDIBLE WITNESSES

ALL SAYING THEY SAW THE SAME THING.

IT'S LIKE "WAR OF THE WORLDS."

PEOPLE THINK THEY'RE UNDER ATTACK.

Narrator: A SECRET GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT PROVIDES A CLUE

TO THE MYSTERIOUS EVENTS.

A DECLASSIFIED STATE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENT EMERGES,

WHICH PUTS NASA AT THE HEART OF IT.

Narrator: JUNE 14TH, 1980:

AS MIDNIGHT APPROACHES,

WITNESSES IN CITIES ACROSS NORTHWEST RUSSIA REPORT

SEEING A STRANGE OBJECT LIGHT UP THE SKIES.

THERE'S A WAVE OF UFO SIGHTINGS THROUGHOUT RUSSIA.

PEOPLE REPORT A CRESCENT

WITH A REDDISH-ORANGE HUE TO IT.

THEY SAY IT LOOKS LIKE A HORSESHOE,

DIMMER IN THE MIDDLE AND BRIGHTER ON THE ENDS.

AND IT HAS A DISTINCT GLOW.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT HOUR,

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SEE THE UNEXPLAINED OBJECT.

THE SIGHTINGS SPREAD PANIC.

SOME PEOPLE APPARENTLY THINK THAT

THE UNITED STATES HAS LAUNCHED A FIRST-STRIKE NUCLEAR ATTACK.

SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S JUDGMENT DAY.

THEY WERE SCARED TO DEATH.

THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Narrator: WITNESSES DESCRIBE THE CRAFT

AS BEING AROUND 400 FEET WIDE,

TWICE THE SIZE OF A BOEING 747.

AND IT'S MOVING FAST.

IT APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING VERY LARGE AND VERY ODD.

SOME PEOPLE SAW THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY CHASING THEM.

IT'S LIKE "WAR OF THE WORLDS."

Narrator: SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT,

THE MYSTERY CRAFT VANISHES FROM THE SKIES.

BUT JUST AN HOUR LATER, IT SUDDENLY REAPPEARS.

ONLY THIS TIME, IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD.

THERE'S A WAVE OF SIMILAR SIGHTINGS

THROUGHOUT FIVE COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AMERICA.

AGAIN, VERY SIMILAR THINGS SEEN.

REPORTS OF THE SAME HORSESHOE-SHAPED UFO,

JUST AS DESCRIBED IN RUSSIA.

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S GLOBAL.

Narrator: IN CHILE, A PILOT REPORTS

THAT THE GLOWING OBJECT MAKES A HEAD-ON PASS

AT HIS AIRCRAFT BEFORE SUDDENLY DISAPPEARING.

MINUTES LATER, IT IS TRACKED

AT AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN ARGENTINA.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL REPORTS

SOMETHING BRIEFLY ON THE RADAR SCREEN

RAPIDLY CHANGING ITS ALTITUDE.

[ RADAR BEEPING ]

Narrator: AFTER A FLURRY OF SIGHTINGS ACROSS SIX COUNTRIES,

THE CRAFT VANISHES AGAIN.

THIS TIME, IT DOES NOT REAPPEAR.

FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES,

THE CASE REMAINED UNSOLVED.

THEN, IN 1997,

A DECLASSIFIED US GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT EMERGES

WHICH SUGGESTS NASA COULD BE BEHIND THE MYSTERY.

WHAT THIS DOCUMENT SHOWS

IS THAT AN ARGENTINE ENGINEER WORKING FOR NASA

TOLD HIS MOTHER THAT THE SPACE AGENCY

WAS ENGAGED ON ATMOSPHERIC EXPERIMENTS

THAT WOULD CAUSE STRANGE SHAPES IN THE SKY.

Narrator: THE EXPERIMENT INVOLVED USING SMALL SATELLITES

TO SHOOT CHARGED PARTICLES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

THE SPACE AGENCY HOPED

THAT BY TRACKING THESE PARTICLES,

IT WOULD HELP THEM BETTER UNDERSTAND

HOW SOLAR WINDS BEHAVE WHEN THEY HIT EARTH.

NASA CALLED IT PROJECT FIREWHEEL.

PROJECT FIREWHEEL SENDS THESE SMALL BATTERY-OPERATED

SPACECRAFT HIGH INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

WHERE THEY RELEASE THESE LITHIUM AND BARIUM BATTERIES

SO THAT THEY MAKE FIRE-WHEEL SHAPES IN THE SKY.

Narrator: THE SPEED AND TRAJECTORY

OF THE FIREWHEEL SATELLITE MATCHED

SOME OF THE WITNESSES' REPORTS FROM 1980.

BUT KEY DETAILS DIFFER.

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS THEORY

IS THAT NO FIREWHEEL TESTS HAD BEEN SCHEDULED

FOR THE NIGHT OF THE SIGHTINGS.

IN FACT, THE ONLY FIREWHEEL TESTS

IN THE AREA WERE IN FRENCH GUYANA.

AND THEY WERE TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE SIGHTINGS.

Angiola: THE DATES DON'T MATCH. THE GEOGRAPHY DOESN'T MATCH.

IT JUST DOESN'T ADD UP.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF EX-NASA ENGINEER JIM OBERG,

WHO LAUNCHES HIS OWN INVESTIGATION.

HE DISCOVERS THAT ON THE NIGHT THE OBJECT APPEARED IN RUSSIA,

AN EARLY-WARNING SATELLITE CALLED COSMOS 1188 LAUNCHED

FROM A SPACE PORT 500 MILES NORTH OF MOSCOW.

Oberg: THIS WAS A SPECIAL KIND OF SATELLITE.

IT WAS A SATELLITE DESIGNED

TO HOVER OVER THE NORTH POLE

AND RELAY COMMUNICATIONS

TO THE REST OF THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: SOVIET RECORDS REVEAL THAT IN ORDER

TO REACH ITS ORBITAL HEIGHT,

THE SATELLITE FIRED A FOURTH ROCKET STAGE

AS IT APPROACHED SOUTH AMERICA.

OBERG SUGGESTS THAT THIS VENTING OF GAS,

COMBINED WITH LOCAL LIGHT CONDITIONS,

COULD EXPLAIN THE SIGHTINGS IN THE SKIES THERE.

THE SUN WAS OVER THE WESTERN HORIZON.

THE GROUND WAS DARK.

THE CLOUD OF GAS WAS STILL IN SUNLIGHT,

STILL ILLUMINATED AND STILL VISIBLE

AND FREAKING OUT THOUSANDS

AND THOUSANDS OF WITNESSES ON THE GROUND.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN-SATELLITE THEORY IS ACCEPTED BY SOME.

BUT OTHERS SUGGEST THAT IT CANNOT ACCOUNT

FOR THE SIZE OF THE CRAFT SEEN IN RUSSIA

OR ITS BEHAVIOR IN THE SKIES OVER ARGENTINA.

IF YOU BELIEVE THE REPORTS FROM THAT DAY,

THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF THINGS THAT AREN'T EXPLAINED.

Narrator: COMING UP,

A MYSTERIOUS CRASH ON THE MOON.

SOMETHING APPEARS TO HAVE HIT THE SURFACE WITH SOME FORCE.

Genge: IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S SOMETHING ENGINEERED,

BUT ENGINEERED BY WHAT?

Narrator: A NASA PROBE SPOTS

AN UNUSUAL CRATER ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THE MOON IS LITERALLY SMOTHERED IN CRATERS.

BUT THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING HAS SMASHED INTO THE MOON.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER A STRANGE OBJECT SITTING INSIDE.

IT ACTUALLY ALMOST LOOKS ENGINEERED.

SO -- SO WHAT IS THIS?

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES, ASTRONOMERS HAVE WITNESSED

AND DOCUMENTED STRANGE PHENOMENA

AND OBJECTS IN THE SKIES ABOVE EARTH,

NOWHERE MORE SO THAN ON THE MOON.

Birnes: PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERING REPORTS

OF ANOMALOUS ACTIVITY ON THE MOON

STRETCHING BACK 400 YEARS.

IN FACT, NASA ACTUALLY HAS A REPORT CALLED

"LUNAR ANOMALIES"

WHICH TRACES 400 YEARS OF LUNAR OBSERVATIONS.

Narrator: THE 1968 NASA DOCUMENT LISTS

ALMOST 600 REPORTS

OF UNEXPLAINED EVENTS AND OBJECTS ON THE MOON.

SINCE THEN, SOME CONSPIRACY THEORISTS CLAIM

THAT NASA MISSIONS HAVE EVEN CAPTURED EVIDENCE

OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL CRAFT

AND STRUCTURES ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WE, YET, DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE SOLUTION IS

TO ALL THESE THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN.

Narrator: IN 2012, NASA'S LUNAR

RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER TAKES AN IMAGE

THAT OFFERS TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON THESE MYSTERIES.

ON FEBRUARY 12TH,

AS THE CRAFT SCANS AN ANCIENT VOLCANIC PLAIN

KNOWN AS THE SEA OF ISLANDS,

IT SPOTS AN UNUSUAL 130-FOOT-WIDE CRATER BELOW IT.

Schultz: I'VE STUDIED A LOT OF CRATERS ON THE MOON.

THIS IS DIFFERENT, THOUGH.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF YOUR REGULAR.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S AN OBJECT INSIDE.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING HAS SMASHED INTO THE MOON.

IT'S REALLY ODD.

Narrator: THE MOON IS COVERED WITH CRATERS,

THE RESULT OF A HEAVY BOMBARDMENT OF ROCKS FROM SPACE.

BUT WHATEVER LANDED HERE IS NO METEORITE.

Cartwright: WE'RE NOT SEEING THE TYPICAL ROUND SHAPE

OR THE RIM THAT WE NORMALLY FIND

WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO EXAMINE IMPACT CRATERS ON THE MOON.

Schultz: WHEN A METEORITE HITS,

THEY COME IN AT SUCH SPEEDS THAT THEY FRAGMENT COMPLETELY.

THERE'S NOTHING LEFT. THEY VAPORIZE.

Narrator: WHEN ASTRONOMERS ZOOM IN ON THE OBJECT IN THE CRATER,

WHAT THEY DISCOVER SHOCKS THEM.

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S STILL INTACT.

Genge: IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S SOMETHING ENGINEERED,

BUT ENGINEERED BY WHAT?

Narrator: MOST EXPERTS WHO STUDY THE IMAGE THINKS

THAT IT CONTAINS THE REMAINS OF A HUMAN SPACECRAFT.

Cartwright: A LIKELY SCENARIO FOR WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THIS IMAGE

COULD BE THAT IT IS A MAN-MADE OBJECT

THAT HAS CRASHED DOWN ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

Narrator: IF THIS IS EVIDENCE OF A HUMAN CRAFT,

THEN WHO CRASHED IT AND WHEN?

ONE POSSIBILITY IS A RUSSIAN PROBE

CALLED LUNA 9,

THE FIRST SPACECRAFT TO LAND ON ANOTHER WORLD.

LUNA 9 SENT BACK THE FIRST PICTURES

FROM THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

THAT WAS A MASSIVE MILESTONE,

A REAL COUP FOR SOVIET ENGINEERING.

Cartwright: SHORTLY AFTER LANDING, CONTACT WAS LOST.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE LUNA 9 PROBE ACTUALLY ENDED UP.

Narrator: THE NASA IMAGE WAS TAKEN CLOSE

TO LUNA 9'S LAST KNOWN LOCATION.

BUT THE SIZE OF THE CRATER SUGGESTS THIS CANNOT

BE THE RESTING PLACE OF THE DOOMED SOVIET CRAFT.

Genge: LUNA 9 WAS ACTUALLY REALLY SMALL,

AND THERE'S NO WAY IT COULD MAKE A HOLE THAT BIG.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR LARGER CANDIDATES

FOR THE CRASHED CRAFT.

ONE POSSIBLE SUSPECT IS THE RELIC

OF A WEIRD EXPERIMENT CARRIED OUT BY NASA

OVER FOUR DECADES AGO.

ON APRIL 19TH, 1972,

THE APOLLO 16 CREW DELIBERATELY CRASHED

THEIR S-IVB ROCKET BOOSTER INTO THE MOON.

WE HAD SEISMOGRAPHS ON THE LUNAR SURFACE

THAT WOULD HAVE PICKED UP THE IMPACT OF THE S-IVB.

Narrator: THE PLAN WAS TO MEASURE SHOCK WAVES

FROM THE IMPACT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT

THE MOON'S INTERNAL STRUCTURE.

Worden: IT WAS VERY VALUABLE TO THOSE WHO WERE TRYING TO DEVELOP,

FROM THE SEISMOGRAPH SIGNALS,

A PICTURE OF THE INTERNAL MASS OF THE MOON

AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE.

Narrator: THE 15-TON, 58-FOOT-LONG BOOSTER

HURTLED TOWARDS THE MOON'S SURFACE

AT OVER 500 MILES PER HOUR.

BUT JUST BEFORE IMPACT, NASA LOST CONTACT WITH IT.

THIS BOOSTER ROCKET HAS BEEN,

REALLY, A SUBJECT OF INTENSE SPECULATION.

AND -- AND WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS.

THE LENGTH OF THE OBJECT

IN THE IMAGE MATCHES THE APOLLO BOOSTER.

AND SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE HUGE CYLINDER

IS ONE OF THE FEW OBJECTS STRONG ENOUGH TO

WITHSTAND SUCH A VIOLENT IMPACT.

SOMETHING LIKE A ROCKET BOOSTER

CRASHING DOWN ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON

IS MORE LIKELY TO STAY INTACT

BECAUSE IT IS BUILT TO WITHSTAND

HIGH PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES.

THE IDEA THAT THIS COULD BE THE MISSING BOOSTER ROCKET

FROM APOLLO 16 IS VERY PLAUSIBLE.

IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

Narrator: IT APPEARS THAT AFTER HALF A CENTURY OF SEARCHING,

THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING APOLLO BOOSTER

MAY HAVE FINALLY BEEN SOLVED.

Jurek: WE NEED HIGHER-RESOLUTION IMAGES TO BE SURE.

BUT NASA IS PRETTY CONFIDENT

THEY FINALLY FOUND THEIR MISSING BOOSTER

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

Narrator: COMING UP,

A STRANGE DISCOVERY IN THE ARCTIC

200 YEARS AGO TRIGGERS A GALACTIC GOLD RUSH.

ALL THAT WEALTH IS JUST WAITING UP THERE FOR US.

ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GO AND GET IT.

Narrator: AN EXPLORER DISCOVERS A REMOTE ARCTIC TRIBE

USING TOOLS AND WEAPONS MADE FROM A STRANGE METAL.

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE BECAUSE

THERE'S NO MINING IN GREENLAND AT ALL?

THEY'RE REFUSING TO TALK.

THEY'RE NOT TELLING ANYONE THEIR SECRET.

Narrator: THE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY

COULD HELP MANKIND CONQUER OTHER WORLDS.

Bonin: IT IS A TRUE TURNING POINT IN HUMAN CIVILIZATION

BECAUSE THIS WILL BE THE BEGINNING

OF THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF THE FINAL FRONTIER.

Narrator: GREENLAND, 1818,

BRITISH NAVAL OFFICER CAPTAIN JOHN ROSS

AND HIS CREW BECOME THE FIRST EUROPEANS

TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE THULE PEOPLE,

A NOMADIC INUIT TRIBE.

AS ROSS EXPLORES THE THULES' ISOLATED SETTLEMENT,

HE DISCOVERS SOMETHING INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE INUIT SETTLEMENTS.

AND YET THEY'RE USING IRON TOOLS AND IRON WEAPONS.

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE BECAUSE

THERE'S NO IRON MINING IN GREENLAND AT ALL?

HOW COULD METAL REACH A 200-STRONG TRIBE OF INUIT

IN SUCH A REMOTE PART OF THE WORLD?

Narrator: GREENLAND HAS NO KNOWN IRON DEPOSITS.

AND THE TRIBE INSISTS THEY HAVE NEVER TRADED WITH OUTSIDERS.

Genge: THEY'RE NOT TRADING FOR THIS STUFF.

THE INUITS THERE ARE SO ISOLATED

THEY HAVE NO CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Narrator: A SECRET SOURCE IS PROVIDING THE ISOLATED ARCTIC TRIBE

WITH AN APPARENTLY UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF WEAPON-STRENGTH IRON.

WHEN ROSS PUSHES THEM TO REVEAL WHO OR WHAT IT IS,

THE TRIBE'S PEOPLE BECOME EVASIVE.

THEY'RE REFUSING TO TALK.

THEY'RE NOT TELLING ANYONE THEIR SECRET.

THERE'S A REAL MYSTERY HERE, TO HIM.

WHERE IS THIS MATERIAL COMING FROM?

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OF THE INUIT IRON

REMAINS UNSOLVED UNTIL U.S. EXPLORER ROBERT PEARY

VISITS THE AREA IN 1894,

ALMOST 70 YEARS LATER.

PEARY HIRED A LOCAL INUIT GUIDE IN ORDER

TO GET THE INUITS TO REVEAL THEIR SECRET.

JUST WHERE WAS THE IRON COMING FROM?

Narrator: THE INUITS GUIDE PEARY ACROSS HUNDREDS OF MILES

OF FROZEN WILDERNESS TOWARDS A REMOTE PENINSULA

IN THE FAR NORTHWEST OF GREENLAND.

WHEN THEY ARRIVE,

PEARY DISCOVERS SOMETHING ASTONISHING.

THE METAL THE WEAPONS ARE MADE FROM

COMES FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

IT'S THREE HUGE IRON METEORITES.

THE METAL IS FROM SPACE.

ONE'S CALLED THE WOMAN, THE DOG AND THE TENT.

THE LARGEST ONE, THE TENT, IS 30 TONS IN MASS.

Narrator: PEARY FINDS EVIDENCE THAT THE METEORITES

HAVE BEEN PROVIDING IRON

FOR GENERATIONS OF INUIT FAMILIES.

DESPITE THIS, HE RUTHLESSLY DECIDES

THEY PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY

FOR HIM TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK.

AFTER LOADING THEM ONTO HIS SHIP,

PEARY RETURNS TO NEW YORK

AND SELLS THEM FOR $40,000,

THE EQUIVALENT OF OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS TODAY.

THIS COULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST INSTANCE

WITH WHICH MONEY EXCHANGED HANDS

FOR A METEORITE OF THIS SIZE.

THIS REALLY OPENS THE DOOR TO SHOW OTHER PEOPLE

THAT METEORITES CAN MEAN BIG BUSINESS.

Narrator: TODAY, SOME METEORITES SWAP HANDS

FOR MORE THAN $250,000 PER OUNCE.

MANY ARE RICH IN RARE, VALUABLE METALS.

BUT WHILE PROSPECTORS USED TO SEARCH

FOR SPACE ROCKS HERE ON EARTH,

A GROWING NUMBER ARE PREPARING

TO HUNT FOR THEM IN SPACE.

THERE ARE NOW MULTIPLE COMPANIES

THAT ARE PUTTING TOGETHER PLANS

TO GO OUT AND MINE OR EXTRACT RESOURCES

FROM THINGS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: IN 2015, A LARGE NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID

WAS ESTIMATED TO CONTAIN UP

TO 5 TRILLION IN PRECIOUS METALS.

EVEN A RELATIVELY SMALL HOUSE-SIZE ASTEROID

CAN CONTAIN PREVIOUS METALS AND RAW MATERIALS

WORTH MILLIONS, IF NOT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

Narrator: MANKIND IS ON THE VERGE

OF A MULTI-TRILLION-DOLLAR GALACTIC GOLD RUSH.

AND IT ALL BEGAN WITH A CHANCE DISCOVERY IN GREENLAND

ALMOST 200 YEARS AGO.

WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO EXTRACT AND HARVEST RESOURCES FROM SPACE,

THIS WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF THE INDUSTRIALIZATION

OF THE FINAL FRONTIER.

ALL THAT WEALTH IS JUST WAITING UP THERE FOR US.

ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GO AND GET IT.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS