Original subtitles

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

Shira 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: THE CURIOSITY ROVER PHOTOGRAPHS

A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A CRASHED SPACECRAFT ON MARS.

Narrator: STRANGE, COCOON-LIKE OBJECTS APPEAR ON EARTH

AFTER ANOTHER-WORLDLY LIGHT DISPLAY IN THE SKY.

Major: THERE'S A REAL PRESSURE TO FIND OUT

WHAT THESE SPHERES ARE AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

Narrator: AND SCIENTISTS DETECT A MYSTERIOUS HEAT SOURCE

IN THE CLOUDS OF JUPITER.

MEASURING THE TEMPERATURES IN JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE,

SCIENTISTS ARE FINDING SOMETHING'S WRONG.

Narrator: THESE ARE NASA'S UNEXPLAINED FILES.

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

Man: APOLLO 11, THIS IS HOUSTON.

Narrator: APOLLO 11 SUFFERS A CRITICAL SYSTEMS FAILURE

ON THE FINAL DESCENT TO THE LUNAR SURFACE.

SUDDENLY, INSIDE THE CAPSULE, AN ALARM GOES OFF.

OH, MY GOD. WE GOT A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

Narrator: THE COMPUTER REPORTS AN ERROR CODE

NO ONE IN MISSION CONTROL RECOGNIZES.

1202, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Orwall: THE MOST IMPORTANT MISSION

IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION

IS MERE SECONDS AWAY FROM DISASTER.

WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START. LET'S PLAY IT COOL.

Narrator: NASA IS ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY.

HOUSTON, WE'RE GO FOR UNDOCKING.

Narrator: NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN

BEGIN THEIR POWERED DESCENT

TO THE MOON SURFACE IN THE LUNAR MODULE.

Jurek: THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING,

600 MILLION PEOPLE COLLECTIVELY HOLDING THEIR BREATH.

YOU GUYS ARE DOMINATING

ALL THE NEWS BACK HERE ON EARTH.

Narrator: THE JOURNEY IS JUST 10 MILES,

BUT IT'S THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE ENTIRE 8-DAY MISSION.

APOLLO 11, HOUSTON.

Narrator: CHARLES DUKE IS THE ASTRONAUT ON THE GROUND

RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATING WITH THE MODULE.

Duke: YOUR GUIDANCE IS CONVERGED.

YOU'RE LOOKING GOOD.

THE ACTIVATION OF THE LUNAR MODULE WENT ACCORDING TO PLAN,

RIGHT ON SCHEDULE.

WE HAD THEM TARGETED INTO THE MARE TRANQUILLITATIS.

Narrator: FOUR MINUTES IN,

A HARSH NOISE INTERRUPTS THE DESCENT.

[ ALARM BEEPING ]

SUDDENLY, INSIDE THE CAPSULE, AN ALARM GOES OFF.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS DON'T RECOGNIZE THE ALARM CODE.

Astronaut: 1202.

1202, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

1202.

NEIL ARMSTRONG DOESN'T KNOW. BUZZ ALDRIN DOESN'T KNOW.

THAT'S BAD.

AN ALARM ON A SPACECRAFT IS GOING TO BE SCARY.

[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]

BUT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS,

THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Linenger: YOU HOPE THAT IT'S NOT A SYSTEM FAILING

THAT IS GOING TO CAUSE YOU TO ABORT THE MISSION

OR TO LOSE YOUR LIFE.

Narrator: ON THE GROUND, CONFUSION SPREADS.

Oberg: THE FIRST RESPONSE FROM EVERYBODY WAS,

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT AND HOW DANGEROUS IS THAT?"

Eyles: THERE'S A PERIOD OF ABOUT 15 SECONDS

WHEN YOU CAN ALMOST CALL IT STUNNED SILENCE.

Narrator: ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN NEED TO ACT,

BUT A WRONG MOVE COULD BE DISASTROUS.

I THINK THE FIRST THOUGHT IS, "FREEZE."

Linenger: IF I TURN THE WRONG THRUSTER OFF, FOR EXAMPLE,

I CAN BE IN EVEN BIGGER TROUBLE AND UNRECOVERABLE.

ARMSTRONG GETS IMPATIENT AT ONE POINT.

Armstrong: GIVE US THE READING ON THE 1202 PROGRAM ALARM.

THERE'S DEFINITELY AN EDGE IN HIS VOICE.

Narrator: 20 SECONDS AFTER THE ALARM SOUNDS,

THE LUNAR MODULE IS JUST 6,000 FEET ABOVE THE MOON SURFACE.

Oberg: THERE'S NO TIME FOR LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS.

HOW SERIOUS IS IT? IS THE CREW IN DANGER?

IS THE MISSION IN DANGER?

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL HAS JUST SECONDS TO DECIDE

IF THEY MUST ABORT THE LANDING.

YOU KNOW, ALL THE HOPES AND EXPECTATION OF THE WORLD

ARE REALLY ON YOUR SHOULDERS.

Orwall: ONE OF THE POSSIBILITIES THEY CONSIDERED

WAS A PROPELLANT LEAK.

THAT'S AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION

WHEN YOU'RE THAT CLOSE TO LANDING ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

Narrator: NASA CHECKS ALL OTHER INSTRUMENTS,

BUT NONE REGISTER A LEAK.

THE ALARM HAS TO BE COMING FROM SOMETHING ELSE.

SOME AT MISSION CONTROL BEGIN TO FEAR THE WORST --

SABOTAGE.

SABOTAGE SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING

OUT OF A HUMPHREY BOGART MOVIE,

BUT AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IN THE COLD WAR HISTORY,

THERE ARE SOVIET SPIES OPERATING IN THE U.S.

Narrator: WHILE THERE IS EVIDENCE OF SOVIET ATTEMPTS

TO GAIN ACCESS TO NASA'S SECRETS,

THE APOLLO PROGRAM IS A HARD TARGET FOR SPIES.

IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE THAT A SOVIET SPY

COULD INFILTRATE NASA,

BUT ACCESS TO THE ACTUAL APOLLO SPACECRAFT

IS HIGHLY RESTRICTED,

AND SABOTAGE WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO PULL OFF.

Narrator: 3,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE,

THE LUNAR MODULE IS 3 MINUTES FROM IMPACT.

ALDRIN'S COMPUTER CUTS OUT.

Aldrin: HOUSTON, WE GOT DATA DROPOUT.

AND THE ALARM GOES OFF AGAIN.

Orwall: THEY'RE MINUTES AWAY FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE,

AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

THIS IS VERY, VERY CLOSE TO CATASTROPHE.

Worden: THE FEELING AMONGST THE ASTRONAUT CORPS

WAS THAT THERE WAS A BIG CHANCE THAT THEY MIGHT NOT MAKE IT.

Narrator: AS CONCERN GROWS AT MISSION CONTROL,

THEY GET A CALL FROM A TECH GUY ON THE MISSION SUPPORT TEAM.

JACK GARMAN HAD SUPERVISED THE DESIGN

AND TESTING OF THE APOLLO GUIDANCE COMPUTER.

JACK GARMAN IS WORKING IN ONE OF THE BACK ROOMS

THAT SUPPORT MISSION CONTROL,

AND HE'S GOT A SHEET ON HIS DESK

THAT HE HAD CREATED THAT HAD THE ERROR CODES

THAT HAD COME UP DURING TRAINING.

Narrator: GARMAN RECOGNIZES THE 1202 ERROR.

IT SHOWED UP A FEW DAYS EARLIER IN HIS GROUND BASE SIMULATOR.

Orwall: THE 1202 ALARM HAPPENED

BECAUSE THEY WERE SENDING OVER 12,000 SIGNALS PER SECOND.

THE COMPUTER, ESSENTIALLY, GOT OVERLOADED.

Narrator: IF THE LUNAR MODULE COMPUTER IS OVERLOADED,

IT COULD SHUT DOWN TOTALLY.

ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN WOULD PLUMMET TO THEIR DEATHS.

THEY WORKED OUT THE PROBLEM,

BUT THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS FIXING IT.

Narrator: BUT GARMAN CALCULATES THE COMPUTER WILL ONLY REBOOT

IF IT'S CONSISTENTLY OVERLOADING.

SO FAR, THE ALARM HAS TRIPPED JUST TWICE.

Orwall: JACK GARMAN PASSES THE INFORMATION

TO THE GUIDANCE OFFICER,

THAT, AS LONG AS THE ALARM IS INTERMITTENT,

THEY CAN CONTINUE TO LAND.

Narrator: FLIGHT GUIDANCE OFFICER STEVE BALES

HAS TO MAKE THE CRITICAL CALL --

CONTINUE WITH THE LANDING OR ABORT.

Bales: WE'RE GO ON THAT ALARM.

GO ON A 1202 ALARM WAS ADVICE FROM MISSION CONTROL THAT,

"YOU CAN IGNORE THAT ALARM. WE'RE WATCHING IT.

WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK.

YOU KEEP FLYING."

Duke: THAT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL DECISIONS

MADE IN THE ENTIRE PROGRAM,

WAS THAT THEY SAID, "OKAY."

Narrator: BUT THE ASTRONAUTS' RELIEF IS SHORT-LIVED.

AS THE LANDING MODULE NEARS THE LUNAR SURFACE,

THE ALARM SOUNDS AGAIN AND THEN AGAIN.

Duke: THE TENSION IN MISSION CONTROL WAS MEASURABLE.

IT WAS DEAD SILENCE.

I HEARD ENGINES STOP...

Armstrong: OKAY. ENGINES STOPPED.

...AND IT WAS A PREGNANT PAUSE,

AND THEN NEIL COMES BACK,

"HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE."

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.

"THE EAGLE HAS LANDED." YOU KNOW, YEAH!

I MEAN, THE WORLD WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN.

Duke: WELL, I WAS SO EXCITED,

I COULD NOT PRONOUNCE TRANQUILITY.

IT CAME OUT TWANG.

ROCKET, TWANG -- TRANQUILITY.

WE COPY YOU ON THE GROUND.

YOU GOT A BUNCH OF GUYS ABOUT TO TURN BLUE.

WE'RE BREATHING AGAIN. THANKS A LOT.

Eyles: THAT SORT OF WAS VERY CLOSE TO HOME

BECAUSE WE HAD SORT OF BEEN HOLDING OUR BREATH

FOR THE LAST 10 MINUTES OR SO.

Narrator: NASA'S MISSION WAS ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND,

MADE POSSIBLE BY THE QUICK THINKING OF JACK GARMAN.

THAT COMPUTER FAULT COULD HAVE NOT ONLY COST

THREE ASTRONAUTS THEIR LIVES,

BUT IT ALSO COULD HAVE ENDED THE APOLLO LUNAR PROGRAM.

Narrator: COMING UP, A CIA SATELLITE EXPOSES EVIDENCE

OF A DISASTER AT A RUSSIAN ROCKET TEST FACILITY.

Jurek: A HEAVILY CHARRED LAUNCH PAD WITH BLACKENED DEBRIS

THROWN IN ALL DIRECTIONS,

IT'S NOTHING SHORT OF A CATASTROPHE.

Narrator: AND A NASA ROVER DISCOVERS A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT

ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

Shostak: NOW WE'VE FOUND SOME REAL EVIDENCE

FOR ALIEN PRESENCE.

Narrator: NASA'S MARS ROVER CAPTURES

AN IMAGE OF A SHADOWY SHAPE

ON THE RED PLANET'S SURFACE.

YOU LOOK AT THIS THING, AND YOU DO A DOUBLE TAKE.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A CRASHED SPACECRAFT ON MARS.

Narrator: THE PHOTOGRAPH CAUSES AN ONLINE FRENZY OF EXCITEMENT.

NOW WE'VE FOUND SOME REAL EVIDENCE

FOR ALIEN PRESENCE.

Narrator: DAY 64 OF CURIOSITY ROVER'S EXPLORATION OF MARS.

Bell: CURIOSITY ROVER IS LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE

THAT MARS WAS ONCE HABITABLE.

AND, TO DO THAT, WE HAVE ALL THESE

AMAZING SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS ON THE ROVER,

INCLUDING THESE INCREDIBLE COLOR CAMERAS.

Narrator: CURIOSITY SEARCHES THE 96-MILE-WIDE GALE CRATER

FOR SIGNS OF THE WATER

THAT ONCE FLOWED ACROSS THE RED PLANET.

AMONG THE ROCKS,

ONE OF CURIOSITY'S 17 ONBOARD CAMERAS CAPTURES

AN IMAGE OF SOMETHING STRANGE.

THE SHOT GRABS THE ATTENTION OF UFO HUNTERS.

Lee: THAT IMAGE GOES UP ON THE WEB,

AND THERE'S INSTANT FURY ABOUT WHAT IT COULD POSSIBLY BE.

Narrator: ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO EXAMINES

THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THE IMAGE LOOKS RELATIVELY NORMAL.

A BUNCH OF ROCKS, WE SEE THIS ALL THE TIME ON MARS.

HOWEVER, DOWN HERE IS A FAIRLY STRANGE OBJECT.

WHAT COULD IT BE?

Narrator: IN THE COURSE OF EXPLORING MARS,

A NUMBER OF CRAFT HAVE LANDED ON THE PLANET.

NASA ANALYSTS CONSIDER THE THEORY THE UNEXPLAINED OBJECT

COULD BE THE REMAINS

OF A RIVAL SPACE AGENCY'S DOOMED PROBE.

RUSSIA HAS LAUNCHED A TOTAL OF 19 CRAFT TOWARDS MARS.

ONLY FIVE HAVE REACHED THE PLANET.

BUT SIMPLE MATH RULES OUT THE IDEA

THE MYSTERIOUS OBJECT IS A SOVIET LANDER.

ALL OF THE SOVIET MARS SERIES OF LANDERS FROM THE '70s,

ALL OF WHICH FAILED ON DESCENT,

ALL OF THOSE CAN BE ACCOUNTED FOR.

Narrator: THE SOVIETS AREN'T THE ONLY SPACE AGENCY

TO SEND SPACECRAFT TO MARS.

MAYBE IT'S THE REMAINS OF ONE OF OUR OWN SPACECRAFT

THAT CRASH-LANDED ON THE RED PLANET.

THE QUESTION IS, WHICH ONE?

THERE'S ONLY ONE LANDER WHOSE EXACT LANDING LOCATION

IS NOT KNOWN AT ALL, AND THAT'S THE BEAGLE 2.

Narrator: THE BEAGLE 2,

A COMPACT EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY LANDER

ONLY 3 FEET WIDE,

BEGAN ITS DESCENT THROUGH THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

ON CHRISTMAS EVE 2003.

BEAGLE 2 ENTERED THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

TO GO LOOK FOR LIFE AT THE SURFACE OF MARS.

BUT THEN CONTACT WITH IT WAS LOST.

Narrator: SOME SUGGEST THE BEAGLE 2 MIGHT BE

THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT IN CURIOSITY'S IMAGE.

ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO COMPARES

EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY PHOTOGRAPHS

OF BEAGLE 2 WITH CURIOSITY'S IMAGE.

D'Antonio: THIS IS FLAT ON TOP.

SO IS THIS. IT'S ROUND ON THE BOTTOM.

THIS APPEARS TO BE ROUND ON THE BOTTOM.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

THIS IS THE WRONG SHAPE.

THIS IS A LONGER CURVE.

THIS IS A SHORTER CURVE.

THIS CAN'T BE THAT.

Narrator: IN SPITE OF THE INCONSISTENCIES,

THE BEAGLE 2 THEORY CONTINUES TO PROVOKE DEBATE.

THEN, IN DECEMBER 2014,

NASA RECEIVES CRUCIAL NEW DATA

FROM ITS AMBITIOUS MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER.

NASA'S MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HAS A CAMERA CALLED

A HIRISE THAT TAKES PICTURES WITH A FOOTPRINT

THAT'S COMPARABLE IN SIZE TO THAT BEAGLE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: THE MRO SPOTS AN UNUSUAL GLINT OF LIGHT

FROM THE ISIDIS PLANITIA BASIN,

LIGHT THAT COULD BE REFLECTED

BY THE METALLIC SURFACE OF A LOST CRAFT.

UPON CLOSE INSPECTION,

IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT'S THE BEAGLE 2 LANDER.

Narrator: NASA'S MRO CONFIRMS BEAGLE 2 RESTS

JUST 2 MILES FROM ITS INTENDED TOUCHDOWN,

BUT IT'S 2,000 MILES AWAY

FROM THE MYSTERY OBJECT DISCOVERED BY CURIOSITY.

THE BEAGLE HAS LANDED BUT NOT ANYWHERE

NEAR WHERE CURIOSITY IS SCOURING THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: NASA'S MRO SOLVES THE MYSTERY

BEHIND THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BEAGLE 2,

BUT THE SOLUTION SHEDS NO LIGHT ON THE GREATER MYSTERY --

THE STRANGE OBJECT DISCOVERED BY THE CURIOSITY ROVER.

COMING UP, WHEN A MURDER CASE GOES COLD,

DETECTIVES TURN TO NASA FOR HELP.

Shira Teitel: IF ANYONE IS GOING TO HAVE

THE CUTTING-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT SOFTWARE,

IT'S GOING TO BE NASA.

Narrator: AND A NASA PROBE DETECTS SOMETHING PRODUCING HEAT

IN THE CLOUDS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM'S LARGEST WORLD.

WHAT STRANGE POWER SOURCE COULD BE AT PLAY ON JUPITER?

Narrator: PENNSYLVANIA, 1989.

A GRIZZLY MURDER GOES UNSOLVED FOR MONTHS.

Sacavage: THE DIFFICULTY IN THE CASE WAS THIS --

THIS WAS NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOMICIDE CASE.

Narrator: WITH A KILLER ON THE LOOSE,

DETECTIVES TURN TO NASA FOR HELP.

THE WHOLE CASE HANGS ON NASA TECHNOLOGY.

CAN THEIR TECHNIQUES HELP BRING A KILLER TO JUSTICE?

Narrator: A JOGGER MAKES A GRUESOME DISCOVERY --

THE DECAYING BODY OF A YOUNG WOMAN.

THE DISTURBING FIND OFFERS

A FRESH LEAD IN AN EXISTING CASE.

WHAT HAD BEEN A MISSING PERSON'S INVESTIGATION

FOR THE PREVIOUS 21 DAYS

IMMEDIATELY BECAME A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: AN AUTOPSY REVEALS THE VICTIM,

19-YEAR-OLD LORI AUKER,

WAS KILLED IN A FRENZIED KNIFE ATTACK.

Sacavage: THERE WERE ABOUT 17 STAB WOUNDS.

AT LEAST SEVEN OF THEM WERE IN THE AREAS OF THE BODY

WHERE THERE WERE VITAL ORGANS.

Narrator: DETECTIVES INFORM DISTRICT ATTORNEY

ROBERT SACAVAGE OF THEIR PRIME SUSPECT,

LORI'S ESTRANGED HUSBAND, ROBERT AUKER.

THEY DISCOVER AUKER BOUGHT

A $10,000 LIFE-INSURANCE POLICY ON HIS WIFE,

AND THEY UNEARTH AUKER'S HISTORY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

Sacavage: WE SPOKE TO THE RELATIVES, FRIENDS,

AND THE INFORMATION WAS TOTALLY CONSISTENT,

THAT HE WAS CONTROLLING,

AND SHE WAS LIVING IN STARK FEAR OF HIM.

Narrator: BUT THE EVIDENCE AGAINST AUKER IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL.

THERE WAS NO CONFESSION. THERE WAS NO MURDER WEAPON.

Narrator: SACAVAGE AND HIS DETECTIVES

TRACE LORI'S LAST MOVEMENTS.

THEY DISCOVER THERE'S AN ATM AT THE MALL WHERE SHE WORKED.

IT HAS SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS.

THEY WEREN'T A CONTINUOUS VIDEO.

WHAT THEY HAD WAS A STILL PHOTO THAT WAS TAKEN EVERY 10 SECONDS.

Narrator: THE CAMERA POINTS DIRECTLY INTO THE PARKING LOT.

WE CAN SEE LORI AUKER'S CAR PARKED.

10 SECONDS LATER, LORI IS OUT OF HER CAR,

MOVING TOWARD THE BANK.

10 SECONDS AFTER THAT, THERE'S A CAR APPEARS,

AND THIS CAR CUTS HER OFF AND SORT OF STOPPED HER.

AND WE SEE LORI IS LEANING OVER INTO A CAR

WITH THE DOOR OPENED.

10 SECONDS LATER, SHE'S NOWHERE.

SO THAT WAS AN ABDUCTION SCENE.

Narrator: SACAVAGE BELIEVES THESE IMAGES

CAPTURE LORI'S KILLER AND HIS CAR ON FILM.

A TIP-OFF REVEALS THAT,

AT THE TIME OF THE DISAPPEARANCE,

THE PRIME SUSPECT WAS DRIVING AN '84 CHEVY CELEBRITY.

IF SACAVAGE CAN CONNECT THE VEHICLE TO AUKER,

HE WILL HAVE CONCRETE EVIDENCE

HIS SUSPECT CROSSED PATHS

WITH THE VICTIM THE DAY SHE WAS KILLED.

BUT, IN 1989,

IMAGE ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGY

IS IN ITS INFANCY.

NEITHER THE STATE POLICE NOR THE FBI CAN HELP.

SO SACAVAGE TURNS TO AN ORGANIZATION

WITH THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY --

NASA.

I WAS READY TO USE WHATEVER WAS AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE CASE.

IF ANYONE IS GOING TO HAVE THE CUTTING-EDGE

PHOTOGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT SOFTWARE, IT'S GOING TO BE NASA.

Narrator: SACAVAGE TRAVELS

TO NASA'S BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE ORGANIZATION

AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.

IT WAS PART OF RONALD REAGAN'S STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE,

YOU KNOW, HIS "STAR WARS" PROGRAM.

MET WITH SCIENTISTS DOWN THERE

WHO HAD EXPERTISE IN DIGITAL IMAGING.

Narrator: THE LORI AUKER MURDER CASE

IS THE FIRST TIME NASA'S IMAGE ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUE

IS USED OUTSIDE OF ROCKET ANALYSIS OR MISSILE DEFENSE.

THE NASA SCIENTISTS GET TO WORK,

AND THEY DIVIDE THE IMAGE UP

INTO THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PIXELS.

EACH PIXEL IS CONVERTED INTO A NUMBER.

THAT NUMBER REPRESENTS A BRIGHTNESS

FROM PURE WHITE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE DARKEST BLACK.

THEY THEN USE SPECIAL SOFTWARE ALGORITHMS

IN ORDER TO APPLY DIFFERENT SETTINGS

TO EACH OF THOSE PIXELS.

THE IMAGES CAN BE ENHANCED, USING THOSE NUMERIC VALUES,

TO WORK NOISE OUT OF THE PHOTOGRAPH,

ULTIMATELY CLEANING IT UP AND BRINGING OUT MORE DETAIL.

GRADUALLY, THE GRAININESS, THE BLURRINESS DISAPPEARS,

AND SHARPER IMAGES EMERGE.

Narrator: NASA'S ADVANCED SOFTWARE

MAKES THE IMAGES CLEAR ENOUGH

FOR EXPERTS TO IDENTIFY THE VEHICLE.

THEN THEY GAVE IT TO GENERAL MOTORS,

AND ENGINEERS THERE HELP THE POLICE IDENTIFY

THE MODEL OF CAR.

NOT ONLY WERE THEY RIGHT,

THAT IT WAS A CHEVROLET CELEBRITY,

BUT THEY NARROW IT DOWN TO JUST TWO YEARS,

1983 AND 1984.

THIS IS IT.

THIS IS THE PIECE OF EVIDENCE THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

Narrator: THE EVIDENCE PLAYS A VITAL PART

IN CONVICTING ROBERT AUKER OF THE ABDUCTION

AND FIRST-DEGREE MURDER

OF HIS ESTRANGED WIFE, LORI.

IN PRESENTING EVIDENCE, YOU CAN READ A JURY.

YOU CAN SEE AN IMPACT.

WHEN THEY HAD THE ABILITY

TO SEE THAT CAR, THAT WAS OVERWHELMING,

AND THAT WAS CRUCIAL TO THE OUTCOME OF THE CASE.

Narrator: ROBERT AUKER IS SENTENCED TO DEATH,

LATER COMMUTED TO LIFE BEHIND BARS.

Pope: IT'S AMAZING TO THINK THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY,

DESIGNED AS PART OF NASA'S SPACE PROGRAM,

HAS HELPED SOLVE A MURDER.

Narrator: NASA'S CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES

SECURED JUSTICE FOR LORI AUKER,

BUT THEY ALSO LAY THE FOUNDATION

FOR A FORENSICS REVOLUTION.

NASA TECHNOLOGY LIKE THIS IS ROUTINELY USED IN OTHER CASES.

IT CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE.

Narrator: COMING UP, AN EXPLOSION ON A SOVIET LAUNCH PAD

LEAVES A SCENE OF HORROR.

Mueller: YOU SEE FLAMES ON THE LAUNCH PAD.

THAT'S AN IMMEDIATE DANGER

TO THE ENTIRE LAUNCH VEHICLE AND TO THE CREW.

Narrator: AND TERROR GRIPS RURAL SPAIN

AS SINISTER DARK SPHERES APPEAR FROM NOWHERE.

Pope: WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

IS THERE SOMETHING INSIDE THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS?

Narrator: A CIA SPY SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS

A HORRIFYING SCENE AT A SOVIET ROCKET LAUNCH FACILITY.

Ferreira: THE EXPLOSION CREATED A BLAZE SO MASSIVE,

IT TOOK 20 HOURS TO EXTINGUISH.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT SOVIET LAUNCH PAD?

AS USUAL, THERE'S COMPLETE SILENCE FROM THE KREMLIN.

Narrator: A CIA SPY SATELLITE PASSES OVER KAZAKHSTAN.

FROM AN ALTITUDE OF 90 MILES,

IT TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE TYURATAM LAUNCH FACILITY.

THIS CLOSELY GUARDED BASE IS THE TEST SITE

FOR THE SOVIET UNION'S MOST ADVANCED MISSILES

AND ROCKETS.

Ferreira: IT'S COLD-WAR-ERA SOVIET RUSSIA.

THE RUSSIANS GO TO EXTREME MEASURES

TO KEEP THEIR LAUNCHES AS SECRETIVE AS POSSIBLE

IN CASE OF EMBARRASSMENTS OR FAILURES.

Narrator: AT THE CIA'S LANGLEY HEADQUARTERS,

ANALYSTS STUDY THE SATELLITE IMAGES.

THE SHOTS REVEAL A ROCKET PRIMED FOR LAUNCH.

THE ROCKET COULD CARRY NUCLEAR WEAPONS,

BUT IT COULD ALSO BE A HARMLESS TEST FLIGHT,

EVEN A SPACE MISSION.

A SINGLE SET OF IMAGES

DOESN'T YIELD ENOUGH DATA FOR CIA ANALYSTS

TO BE CERTAIN.

ONE FRUSTRATION FOR THE AMERICANS

IS THAT THE SATELLITE WILL BE OUT OF POSITION

IN ORBIT DURING THE ACTUAL LAUNCH DATE,

SO IT'LL MISS THE ROCKET TAKING OFF.

Narrator: THE CIA HAS TO WAIT TWO DAYS

FOR THE SATELLITE TO COME INTO RANGE AGAIN.

Ferreira: WHEN THE SATELLITE RETURNS,

THE CIA EXPECTS TO SEE AN EMPTY LAUNCH PAD,

EVIDENCE OF A SUCCESSFUL SOVIET MISSION,

BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY FIND AT ALL.

Narrator: THE SPY SATELLITE'S IMAGE

CAPTURES EVIDENCE OF A DISASTER.

Jurek: A HEAVILY CHARRED LAUNCH PAD WITH BLACKENED DEBRIS

THROWN IN ALL DIRECTIONS,

IT'S NOTHING SHORT OF A CATASTROPHE.

Nichols: WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT SOVIET LAUNCH PAD?

AS USUAL, THERE'S COMPLETE SILENCE FROM THE KREMLIN.

Narrator: FOR TWO DECADES, THE TERRIFYING EVENTS

AT TYURATAM REMAIN UNKNOWN IN THE WEST.

THE TRUTH DOESN'T EMERGE UNTIL AFTER THE END OF THE COLD WAR,

BUT, WHEN IT DOES, IT LEAVES NASA STUNNED.

Narrator: DOCUMENTS DECLASSIFIED UNDER GLASNOST REVEAL THAT,

ON SEPTEMBER 26, 1983,

THE ROCKET ON THE LAUNCH PAD WAS A MANNED T-10 CAPSULE,

RIDING A POWERFUL SOYUZ BOOSTER.

COSMONAUTS VLADIMIR TITOV AND GENNADI STREKALOV ARE THE CREW.

THE LAUNCH SEQUENCE COMMENCES AT 9:00 A.M.

Zak: THEY TAKE SEATS INSIDE

OF THE SOYUZ CAPSULE ON THE LAUNCH PAD.

ALL THE PREPARATIONS AND CALM-DOWN

FOR THE LIFTOFF OF THE ROCKET WITH THE SOYUZ SPACECRAFT

ARE GOING ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE.

Narrator: BUT AT T MINUS 90 SECONDS,

OBSERVERS IN MISSION CONTROL NOTICE SOMETHING DISTURBING.

Zak: LAUNCH CONTROLLERS, FROM THEIR BUNKERS,

OBSERVING THE LAUNCH PAD,

SUDDENLY SEE THE FLAMES SHOOTING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ROCKET.

THIS IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS SITUATION

BECAUSE YOU SEE FLAMES ON THE LAUNCH PAD.

THAT'S AN IMMEDIATE DANGER

TO THE ENTIRE LAUNCH VEHICLE AND TO THE CREW.

Zak: FIRST, THERE WAS A SMALL FIRE

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ROCKET,

BUT IT VERY QUICKLY SPREAD.

SO, EVENTUALLY,

THE ENTIRE ROCKET BECAME A TICKING BOMB.

Narrator: THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THE FIRE WILL SPREAD

TO IGNITE THE 300 TONS OF ROCKET FUEL

BENEATH THE COSMONAUTS' LAUNCH VEHICLE.

ISOLATED IN THEIR CAPSULE,

TITOV AND STREKALOV ARE UNAWARE OF THE DANGER.

FIRST, THEY FELT VIBRATION INSIDE THE SPACECRAFT,

AND THEY FIRST ATTRIBUTED TO THE STRONG WINDS.

BUT THEN THEY FELT ANOTHER WAVE OF VIBRATION,

WHICH IS, OF COURSE, WHEN THE FIRE WAS SPREADING,

AND THE ROCKET WAS ABOUT TO EXPLODE.

Narrator: THEIR ONLY CHANCE OF SURVIVAL

IS TO FIRE THE EMERGENCY LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM.

THE COSMONAUTS ARE PERCHED AT THE TOP

OF THIS ENORMOUSLY LARGE LAUNCH VEHICLE,

AND THAT UPPER STAGE HAS ITS OWN THRUSTERS.

AND THEY'RE USING THOSE THRUSTERS ON THAT STAGE

AS A LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM.

Narrator: THE COSMONAUTS TRIGGER THE ESCAPE MECHANISM,

BUT THE FIRE HAS BURNT THROUGH THE CONTROL CABLE.

THEIR LAST HOPE IS REMOTE ACTIVATION

OF THE SAME SYSTEM.

BUT THAT CAN ONLY BE TRIGGERED BY GROUND CONTROL.

EMERGENCY ESCAPE SYSTEM IS NOT VERY EASY

AND SIMPLE MECHANISM.

THIS REQUIRES TWO LAUNCH PERSONNEL

IN A BUILDING LOCATED 20 MILES

FROM THE LAUNCH PAD TO PRESS TWO BUTTONS

WITHIN 5 SECONDS OF EACH OTHER.

ONLY AFTER BEING TOLD TO DO SO

WITH A CODE WORD FROM SOMEBODY ELSE

THAT'S AT THE LAUNCH SITE.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS

TO DO IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

TO SEE THOSE FLAMES GROWING,

TO KNOW THAT AN EXPLOSION IS IMMINENT,

YOU MUST JUST FEEL LIKE YOU COULDN'T GO FAST ENOUGH.

Narrator: FLAMES ENGULF THE LAUNCH PAD,

OBSCURING THE COSMONAUTS' SPACECRAFT...

...UNTIL THEIR CAPSULE EMERGES FROM THE FIREBALL.

IT GETS THEM OUT OF THE WAY

BUT ONLY WITH TWO SECONDS TO SPARE.

IT'S JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES.

THEY ESCAPE AND THEN BOOM.

Narrator: TITOV AND STREKALOV'S CAPSULE

TOUCHES DOWN A MILE FROM THE TYURATAM LAUNCH SITE.

THEIR MISSION HAS FAILED BEFORE IT HAS EVEN BEGUN.

BUT, AGAINST ALL ODDS, THEY'RE ALIVE.

Jurek: BOTH CELEBRATE THEIR NARROW ESCAPE

LIKE A SECOND BIRTHDAY,

NEVER FORGETTING JUST HOW CLOSE THEY CAME

TO MEETING THEIR MAKER.

Narrator: THE ONLY EVIDENCE

VISIBLE TO THE CIA'S SPY SATELLITE

IS THE CHARRED TYURATAM LAUNCH PAD.

THESE COSMONAUTS HAVE JUST PULLED OFF

ONE OF THE NARROWEST ESCAPES IN SPACE EXPLORATION HISTORY.

Narrator: IN 2001, TITOV AND STREKALOV ATTEND

A PRIVATE CEREMONY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS,

TO THANK THE MAN WHO SAVED THEIR LIVES,

NASA'S MAXIME FAGET,

DESIGNER OF THE MERCURY LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM,

BECAUSE THE MECHANISM IN THEIR SOYUZ

WAS A CARBON COPY OF HIS NASA DESIGN.

TODAY, SUCH TECHNOLOGICAL ESPIONAGE

IS A RELIC OF THE COLD WAR.

NASA ASTRONAUTS ROUTINELY FLY

IN SOVIET SPACECRAFT,

MADE SAFER BY SHARED TECHNOLOGY.

COMING UP, MYSTERIOUS DARK SPHERES

SEND SHOCK WAVES THROUGH AN ISOLATED RURAL COMMUNITY.

Pope: THEY'RE THINKING, "IS THIS NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL?

IS THERE A DANGER HERE TO THE POPULATION?"

Narrator: MYSTERIOUS COCOONS APPEAR FROM NOWHERE

IN THE COUNTRYSIDE NEAR A REMOTE SPANISH VILLAGE.

THEY LOOK TRULY ALIEN.

Narrator: THE OBJECTS SPARK PANIC

AND AN INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION.

Pope: WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

IS THERE SOMETHING INSIDE THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS?

Narrator: SOUTHERN SPAIN,

OUTSIDE THE SMALL TOWN OF MULA,

LOCALS REPORT STRANGE SOUNDS

AND FIERY OBJECTS IN THE NIGHT SKY.

THE FOLLOWING DAY, VILLAGERS DISCOVER A MYSTERIOUS,

COCOON-LIKE SPHERE IN A FIELD.

IT'S A LARGE BLACK BALL.

IT'S COATED WITH SORT OF, LIKE, BLACK, ALMOST FIBROUS WEBBING.

LOOKS ALMOST LIKE A WEIRD TIGHTLY WOUND BALL

OF METALLIC TWINE.

NOBODY HAS ANY IDEA WHAT IT COULD BE.

Narrator: THERE ARE NO UNUSUAL MARKS OR TRACKS,

NO CLUES AS TO HOW THE OBJECT GOT THERE.

THE VILLAGERS ARE PERPLEXED BY THIS THING.

WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: THREE DAYS LATER,

A FARMER DISCOVERS A SECOND COCOON IN A FIELD.

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, A HUNTING PARTY FINDS A THIRD.

Pope: EVERYONE'S IN A SENSE OF PANIC.

PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING ANSWERS.

Major: THERE'S A REAL PRESSURE TO FIND OUT

WHAT THESE SPHERES ARE AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

Narrator: LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE NO IDEA

WHAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH.

SPAIN'S NATIONAL POLICE FORCE

DEPLOYS THE BOMB SQUAD TO INVESTIGATE.

THEY INVESTIGATE, ACTUALLY, IN HAZMAT SUITS.

THEY'RE THINKING "IS THERE A DANGER HERE

TO THE POPULATION?"

Narrator: THE APPEARANCE OF THE COCOONS

SOON AFTER THE LIGHTS AND SOUNDS IN THE NIGHT SKY

INSPIRES A STARTLING THEORY FOR THEIR ORIGIN.

IT'S PROPOSED THAT THIS COULD

HAVE SOME KIND OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN.

COULD THESE BALLS BE FALLEN SPACE JUNK?

Narrator: 20,000 PIECES OF SPACE JUNK,

LARGER THAN A SOFTBALL, ORBIT OUR PLANET.

BUT EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE

MAKES THE THEORY SEEM UNLIKELY.

Pope: THESE SPHERES DON'T APPEAR TO BE

IN ANY IMPACT CRATERS OF ANY SORT.

NOW, THAT'S WHAT YOU'D EXPECT

IF SOMETHING HAD COME HURTLING OUT OF THE SKIES.

Narrator: RECENT EVENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD RAISE

ANOTHER MORE DISTURBING POSSIBILITY

FOR THE DARK SPHERES' ORIGIN.

AT THAT TIME, NATO WERE DOING EXERCISES IN THE LOCAL AREA.

Pope: THIS RAISES THE QUESTION,

COULD THESE SPHERES BE LEFT OVER FROM MILITARY TRAINING?

Narrator: AUTHORITIES EXAMINE THE MULA COCOONS

FOR TRACES OF EXPLOSIVES.

THE PROBLEM IS, THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES FIND NO EVIDENCE

OF ANY EXPLOSIVE COMPONENT TO THESE SPHERES.

SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON HERE.

Narrator: WHEN EXPERTS EXAMINE THE BALLS CLOSELY,

THEY DISCOVER THEY ARE HOLLOW AND WEIGH JUST 40 POUNDS.

THE DISCOVERY LENDS CREDENCE TO THE SPACE DEBRIS THEORY,

DESPITE THE LACK OF AN IMPACT CRATER.

Cartwright: SOMETHING OF ABOUT 40 POUNDS IN WEIGHT

THAT HAS ORIGINATED FROM AN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH

MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY LEAVE ANY SORT OF CRATER.

Narrator: FOR CLUES

TO WHAT THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL OBJECTS COULD BE,

SPANISH INVESTIGATORS TURN TO STRATCOM,

THE UNITED STATES STRATEGIC COMMAND.

BUT THEIR SPACE DEBRIS TRACKING SYSTEMS

ARE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY POSSIBLE SOURCE

FOR THE MYSTERY SPHERES.

Genge: THE PROBLEM IS THAT STRATCOM HAVE NO RECORD

OF A RE-ENTRY OVER SPAIN AT THIS TIME.

WHATEVER THESE SPACE BALLS ARE,

THEY'VE SLIPPED THROUGH THE NET.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY ATTRACTS THE ATTENTION

OF AMATEUR INVESTIGATORS FROM SATOBS,

AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF ASTRONOMERS.

Pope: THEY THINK THEY HAVE AN ANSWER.

THEY SAY THESE THINGS LOOK LIKE PARTS

FROM A CENTAUR ROCKET,

SPECIFICALLY PRESSURE VESSEL TANKS.

Narrator: THESE PRESSURE TANKS, CALLED COPVS,

ATTACH TO THE BASE OF THE CENTAUR STAGE

OF AN ATLAS V ROCKET.

Mueller: COPV IS A COMPOSITE OVERWRAPPED PRESSURE VESSEL,

WHICH JUST MEANS IT'S A FUEL TANK

MADE OF LIGHTWEIGHT COMPOSITE MATERIALS.

Narrator: WHEN A ROCKET REACHES EARTH ORBIT,

THE CENTAUR STAGE RELEASES

AND BURNS UP ON RE-ENTRY.

THE THEORY IS,

IS THAT THOSE ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO RE-ENTER

THE ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT BURNING UP,

WHICH IS POSSIBLE IF THEY ENTER IN THE RIGHT WAY.

Narrator: COPVS COME IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES,

BUT SOME MEASURE 26 INCHES ACROSS AND,

WHEN EMPTY, WEIGH AROUND 40 POUNDS.

THEY'RE THE EXACT SAME DIAMETER AS THE SPHERES FOUND IN SPAIN.

THAT CAN'T BE A COINCIDENCE.

Mueller: IN THIS CASE,

WHAT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED ARE TWO BAD THINGS.

ONE, THOSE OBJECTS WEREN'T TRACKED.

AND TWO, THEY RE-ENTERED THE ATMOSPHERE

WITHOUT BURNING UP AND POSED A DANGER

TO THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND.

Genge: WE KNOW WHAT THE BALLS ARE,

BUT WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WEREN'T DETECTED.

Pope: WHY ISN'T IT ON THE SPACE-TRACK WEBSITE?

WHY IS IT THAT STRATEGIC COMMAND

DON'T HAVE A RECORD OF THIS?

Narrator: THIS TIME, IT WAS SPAIN.

THE THREAT FROM SPACE IS REAL,

AND WE WILL NOT SEE IT COMING.

IF STRATCOM'S MISSED A MASSIVE PIECE OF SPACE DEBRIS,

COULD MORE SPACE BALLS RE-ENTER THE ATMOSPHERE UNDETECTED?

IF SO, THE DANGERS THEY PRESENT TO US ARE REAL AND SEVERE.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO FALL FROM THE SKY AND WHEN.

Narrator: COMING UP, 400 MILLION MILES FROM THE SUN,

AN UNKNOWN POWER SOURCE IS GENERATING TEMPERATURES

HOT ENOUGH TO MELT METAL.

Aguilar: MEASURING THE TEMPERATURES

IN JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE,

SCIENTISTS ARE FINDING SOMETHING'S WRONG.

Narrator: A NASA PROBE

RECORDS TEMPERATURE READINGS OF 1,300 DEGREES

FROM THE CLOUDS OF JUPITER.

IT'S 400 MILLION MILES AWAY FROM THE WARMTH OF THE SUN.

SO HOW CAN IT BE SO HOT?

Narrator: THE DATA DEFIES SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION.

WHAT STRANGE POWER SOURCE COULD BE AT PLAY ON JUPITER?

Narrator: 365 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

NASA'S VOYAGER SPACECRAFT HURTLES

TOWARD A MASSIVE MYSTERIOUS WORLD.

JUPITER IS THE LARGEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

BUT IT'S NOT A PLANET LIKE EARTH THAT YOU COULD WALK ON.

IT'S A GAS GIANT.

Genge: THAT GAS IS CONSTANTLY IN MOTION.

IT'S A VERY TURBULENT ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: VOYAGER DEPLOYS ITS INFRARED SENSORS

TO COLLECT TEMPERATURE DATA

FROM THE SWIRLING MASS OF JUPITER'S CLOUDS.

WE EXPECT TO SEE TEMPERATURES AROUND 200 KELVIN,

WHICH IS MINUS-100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IT'S PRETTY COLD.

Narrator: BUT VOYAGER'S DATA REVEALS A SHOCKING ANOMALY.

Stallard: THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE OF JUPITER

IS MUCH HOTTER THAN IT SHOULD BE.

IN FACT, WHAT WE FIND IS IT'S 1,300 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THAT'S RIDICULOUSLY HOT AND HARD TO EXPLAIN.

WHAT STRANGE POWER SOURCE COULD BE AT PLAY ON JUPITER?

Narrator: ONE THEORY NASA SCIENTISTS CONSIDER

IS THE HEAT COULD BE COMING FROM JUPITER'S EXPLOSIVE CORE.

Aguilar: IT DOESN'T JUST BURN.

IT EXPLODES LIKE CONTINUOUS ATOMIC BOMBS,

AND IT RADIATES ENERGY OUT.

Genge: COULD THE HEAT IN JUPITER'S CORE BE POWERING

THESE REALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES IN ITS ATMOSPHERE?

BECAUSE JUPITER'S CORE IS HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS

CONDUCT AN ASTONISHING EXPERIMENT TO INVESTIGATE.

IN DECEMBER 1995,

THE GALILEO PROBE PLUMMETS TO ITS DOOM

THROUGH THE LAYERS OF JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

BEFORE IT IMPLODES,

THE SPACECRAFT SENDS BACK VITAL DATA.

BUT THE FINDINGS ONLY DEEPEN THE MYSTERY.

Stallard: THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE IS MUCH COOLER.

IT'S NOT HOT.

THERE'S NO OBVIOUS SIGNATURE OF HEATING.

SO IT'S NOT JUST, LIKE, A BIG UPWELLING OF HEAT FROM BELOW.

Narrator: WHEREVER THE MYSTERIOUS HEAT IS COMING FROM,

IT'S NOT THE PLANET'S CORE.

HOW DO YOU GET WARM STUFF TO JUMP OVER A COLD AREA

AND THEN HEAT UP AN AREA ABOVE?

THERE'S REALLY NO WAY TO REALLY DO THAT.

Narrator: THERE IS ANOTHER WAY

JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE COULD BE GENERATING HEAT.

CHARGED PARTICLES FROM THE SUN

CONSTANTLY STRIKE JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD,

RELEASING ENERGY IN DAZZLING DISPLAYS CALLED AURORAE.

THESE AURORAS PRODUCE 1 MILLION WATTS OF POWER.

THAT'S 1,000 TIMES MORE POWERFUL

THAN THE EARTH'S AURORAS.

SO COULD THE INTENSE HEAT PRODUCED BY THE AURORAS

AT THE POLES OF JUPITER BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE HIGH TEMPERATURES WE SEE IN THE ATMOSPHERE?

Narrator: THE THEORY SEEMS TO FIT

UNTIL SCIENTISTS EXAMINE HUBBLE IMAGES

OF JUPITER'S ATMOSPHERE.

THE INFRARED PICTURES SHOW THE HEAT

FROM JUPITER'S AURORAE

GETS NO FURTHER THAN THE PLANET'S POLES.

SOMETHING IS HOLDING THE HEAT IN PLACE.

THE PROBLEM WITH JUPITER IS THAT IT HAS A REALLY FAST SPIN,

AND, WITH THAT, HEAT CAN'T PROPAGATE DOWN,

WHICH EFFECTIVELY MEANS IT JUST GETS CAPTURED AT THE POLES.

Baines: WE CAN EXPLAIN WHY THE POLES OF JUPITER ARE HOT,

BUT IT TURNS OUT ALL OF JUPITER IS HOT.

SO WE HAVE A BIG CONUNDRUM HERE.

Stallard: IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING.

EVERY TIME WE THINK WE'VE COME UP WITH AN ANSWER,

IT DISAPPEARS AGAIN.

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 2016, SCIENTISTS WORKING

WITH HAWAII'S MAUNA KEA OBSERVATORY

RELEASE NEW FINDINGS

THAT COULD OFFER A CLUE TO THE MYSTERY.

THEIR TEMPERATURE DATA COMES

FROM THE GAS GIANT'S NOTORIOUS RED SPOT.

NOW, JUPITER'S RED SPOT IS AN EXTREMELY INTENSE,

VERY LARGE STORM,

AS BIG AS THE DIAMETER OF THE EARTH.

COULD JUPITER'S GIANT RED SPOT

BE BLASTING THE ATMOSPHERE WITH HEAT?

Narrator: ASTRONOMER TOM STALLARD

IS ON THE RESEARCH TEAM.

WE SAW A SPIKE IN THE RADIATION OF LIGHT

FROM THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

USING OUR SPECTRAL ANALYSIS,

WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW THAT THAT WAS BRIGHTER

BECAUSE IT WAS MUCH HOTTER AND INCREDIBLY HOT.

IT'S HUNDREDS OF DEGREES HOTTER

THAN THE REST OF THE PLANET.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS PROPOSE THE STORMS WITHIN THE RED SPOT

COULD BE SENDING OUT SOUND WAVES,

WHICH TRANSPORT ENERGY THROUGH THE CLOUDS.

WHEN THE WAVES HIT THE THIN UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

THEY RELEASE THEIR ENERGY AS HEAT.

SCIENTISTS HAVE RECORDED SIMILAR ACOUSTIC WAVES

RELEASING SOME HEAT INTO THE CLOUDS

OVER THE ANDES IN SOUTH AMERICA.

WHETHER THIS ACOUSTIC WAVE EFFECT

COULD GENERATE ENOUGH HEAT TO BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE MASSIVE JUPITER ANOMALY IS UNKNOWN.

Baines: WE HAVE SEVERAL PRETTY NICE THEORIES,

BUT ALL OF THEM HAVE PROBLEMS.

SCIENTISTS NEED MORE DATA BEFORE WE CAN REALLY FIGURE OUT

WHAT'S GOING ON JUPITER.

Narrator: FOR NOW, THE NATURE OF THE MYSTERIOUS HEAT SOURCE

ON JUPITER REMAINS UNCERTAIN.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS