All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S05E06.CIAs.Secret.Revenge.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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

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.

WE HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT'S OUT THERE.

Hey, what is that?

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS
LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES
THAN DISCOVERIES.

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

♪♪

Narrator: THE C.I.A. GOES TO WAR

WITH SOVIET INTELLIGENCE
FOR NASA SECRETS.

IF THEY'RE GOING
TO STEAL SOMETHING,

MAKE SURE IT'S COUNTERFEIT.

AN ALARM SPARKS FEAR

ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.

IF THIS WAS COMING
FROM A NATURAL SOURCE,

THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BECAUSE
THEY KEEP TRACK OF THESE THINGS.

AND A LOST SUPER-WEAPON
THREATENS NASA'S ARCTIC BASE.

WHAT'S GOING ON
BENEATH THE ICE?

IS THERE A MISSING
NUCLEAR BOMB?

Narrator: THESE ARE...

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ MAN SPEAKING RUSSIAN ]

Narrator:
THE SOVIET UNION UNVEILS

ITS VERY OWN SPACE SHUTTLE
IN A FANFARE OF PUBLICITY.

THE OVERWHELMING IMPRESSION
IS IT'S A CARBON COPY

OF THE AMERICAN SHUTTLE.

THEY USED TO CALL IT
DESIGN CONVERGENCE.

WE CALLED IT THEFT.

Narrator:
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REVEAL

THE C.I.A.'s SECRET PLAN
FOR REVENGE.

IF THEY'RE GOING
TO STEAL SOMETHING,

MAKE SURE IT'S COUNTERFEIT.

Narrator:
7 A.M., APRIL 12, 1981,

A NEW ERA OF SPACE
FLIGHT DAWNS...

Man: AND LIFT-OFF.

Narrator: ...AS SPACE SHUTTLE
"COLUMBIA" BLASTS OFF

FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.

FOR 7 YEARS,

THE SOVIET UNION OBSERVES
THE SHUTTLE PERFORM

MISSION AFTER
GROUNDBREAKING MISSION.

[ TIRES SCREECH ]

THE RUSSIANS ARE FACED
WITH A DECISION.

DO THEY COMPETE?

DO THEY BUILD
A SHUTTLE-TYPE VEHICLE?

Narrator:
ON NOVEMBER 15, 1988,

A REUSABLE RUSSIAN ORBITER,
THE BURAN,

COMPLETES ITS MAIDEN
UNMANNED FLIGHT

OF 3 HOURS AND 36 MINUTES.

[ RADIO CHATTER ]

IT STRIKES PEOPLE
HOW AMAZINGLY SIMILAR

TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE "BURAN" IS.

THE SOVIETS SAY
THAT THE RESEMBLANCE

BETWEEN THE TWO SHUTTLES

IS JUST A NATURAL
CONVERGENCE OF DESIGNS,

BUT NOBODY BELIEVES THAT.

Narrator:
AFTER THE TRIUMPHANT TOUCHDOWN,

THE SOVIET SHUTTLE
IS NOT SEEN AGAIN.

SOMETHING HAS GONE VERY WRONG.

THE SOVIETS HAVE STRUGGLED
TO BUILD A WORKING COPY

OF THE AMERICAN SPACE SHUTTLE,

AND IN THE END,
WHEN THEY HAD IT,

IT WAS TOTALLY USELESS.

Narrator:
THE FATE OF THE BURAN REMAINS

A MYSTERY UNTIL THE 1990s,

WHEN DECLASSIFIED K.G.B. PAPERS
REVEAL

ONE OF THE STRANGEST SPY STORIES
OF THE 20th CENTURY.

THE STORY STARTS IN 1976.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

SOVIET PREMIER BREZHNEV ORDERED
HIS DEFENSE MINISTRY

TO BUILD ITS OWN
REUSABLE SPACEPLANE.

BURAN BECOMES THE SYMMETRICAL
RESPONSE OF THE SOVIET UNION

TO THE AMERICAN SPACE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM.

Narrator: BUT THE SOVIETS
FACED MAJOR OBSTACLES.

ECONOMICALLY, RUSSIA IS NOT ABLE

TO COMPETE WITH NASA'S
SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.

THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY
AND R & D TO DEVELOP

THEIR OWN SPACECRAFT SERIES.

Narrator: BUT BREZHNEV DEMANDED
HIS SPACEPLANE

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

THE KREMLIN AUTHORIZES
ITS AGENCIES

TO BEGIN PUTTING
SPACE-SHUTTLE TECHNOLOGY

AT THE TOP
OF THEIR SHOPPING LIST

OF WHAT TECHNOLOGIES
THEY NEED TO ACQUIRE.

Narrator: THE MISSION TURNED OUT
TO BE ONE OF THE SIMPLEST

IN KGB HISTORY.

TO SHARE INFORMATION
WITH ALLIES,

U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

DID NOT CLASSIFY
THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM TOP SECRET.

SPACE SHUTTLE PLANS
WERE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

IN U.S. GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.

THE SOVIETS MANAGED TO ACQUIRE

A STAGGERING AMOUNT
OF DOCUMENTS.

WIND-TUNNEL TESTS,
BOOSTER ROCKETS,

HEAT-RESISTANT TILES,
COMPUTER SYSTEMS,

IT'S ALL AVAILABLE,
AND THE SOVIETS GET IT ALL.

ON ONE OCCASION,

THEY EVEN WALKED
INTO A GOVERNMENT

PRINTING OFFICE
IN WASHINGTON D.C.,

ORDERED UP SOME BLUEPRINTS
AND WALKED OUT WITH THEM.

I MEAN, NASA'S BASICALLY DONE
THEIR R & D WORK

FOR THEM FOR FREE.

Narrator: U.S. INTELLIGENCE
AGENCIES REALIZE THEIR BLUNDER.

THEN, TOWARD THE END OF 1980,

A SOVIET TURNCOAT
OFFERED THE C.I.A.

THE CHANCE TO GET EVEN.

VLADIMIR VETROV,
A HIGH-RANKING K.G.B. OFFICER,

IS RECRUITED BY AMERICA'S
N.A.T.O. ALLIES TO BLOW THE LID

ON SOVIET CLANDESTINE
OPERATIONS.

VETROV PROVIDES A HUGE AMOUNT
OF INFORMATION,

AND IN AMONGST THAT IS DETAILS
OF THE SHUTTLE ESPIONAGE PLAN.

NOW, AT FIRST,
THE C.I.A. ARE HORRIFIED.

THEY REALIZE THAT SOVIETS

HAVE BEEN STEALING
ALL OF THIS DESIGN.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

THEY PLOT REVENGE.

Narrator:
THE C.I.A. ALLOWED THE RUSSIANS

CONTINUED ACCESS
TO SHUTTLE BLUEPRINTS,

BUT THERE WAS A CATCH.

IF THEY'RE GOING
TO STEAL SOMETHING,

MAKE SURE IT'S COUNTERFEIT.

THE C.I.A. TURNS DISASTER
INTO TRIUMPH

AND DECIDES TO CONTROL
WHAT THE SOVIETS

ARE ALLOWED TO STEAL

SO THAT THEY'RE MISDESIGNING
THEIR OWN SPACECRAFT.

Narrator:
IT IS UNKNOWN WHAT ROLE, IF ANY,

NASA PLAYED
IN THE DECEPTION.

IT'S GOT TO BE PLAUSIBLE.

IT'S GOT TO FOOL
THE RUSSIAN SPACE SCIENTISTS.

TO DO THAT, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE

SPACE SCIENTISTS HERE
HELP FABRICATE IT.

Narrator:
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS SUGGEST

THE C.I.A.'s PLAN
WORKED LIKE A DREAM.

UNAWARE THAT THEY'RE
BEING DUPED,

THE SOVIETS CONTINUE
TO INTEGRATE FLAWED

AND FRAUDULENT PLANS
INTO THEIR NEW SPACE SHUTTLE.

Narrator: WHEN THE "BURAN" MAKES
ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT IN 1988,

THE TRIUMPHANT TOUCHDOWN
CONCEALS CRITICAL FAILURES.

THE INTENSE HEAT OF RE-ENTRY
HAS EATEN AWAY

AT THE VEHICLE'S NOSE
AND UNDERSIDE.

THE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE
BAFFLES SOVIET ENGINEERS.

THEY BELIEVE THAT THE BURAN'S
HEAT PROTECTION

WAS THE SAME AS THE SHUTTLE'S.

THE "BURAN" USES GLUE BETWEEN
ITS HEAT-RESISTANT TILES.

NOW, THAT'S A TECHNIQUE
THAT NASA REJECTED

AFTER MULTIPLE FAILURES.

BY THE TIME THIS THING
COMES BACK,

THE HEAT-RESISTANT TILES
ARE COMPLETELY COOKED.

IT'S USELESS.

IT WAS SO BADLY SCORCHED,
THEY DIDN'T DARE FLY IT AGAIN.

Narrator: THE U.S. SHUTTLE
BECOMES NASA'S WORKHORSE,

ENABLING CONSTRUCTION
OF MODERN MARVELS

LIKE THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

AND THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION,

BUT HISTORY COULD HAVE
TURNED OUT VERY DIFFERENTLY.

IF THE SOVIETS HAD NEVER BEEN
FOUND OUT AND HAD DEVELOPED

A VERY SUCCESSFUL
SPACE SHUTTLE OF THEIR OWN,

WE MIGHT HAVE HAD A WHOLE OTHER
SECOND SPACE RACE ON OUR HANDS.

Narrator: COMING UP,
DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

REVEAL A COLD WAR CALAMITY
THREATENING A NASA ARCTIC BASE.

THESE WEAPONS HAVE TO BE
RECOVERED AND QUICK.

THIS IS AMERICA'S
NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY.

AND A LEGENDARY ASTRONOMER
FINDS A PLANET

THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

EITHER THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG
WITH NEWTON'S LAWS,

OR THERE'S SOME FORCE
THAT'S ACTING ON MERCURY.

♪♪

Narrator: A NUCLEAR BOMBER
CRASHES NEAR A NASA ARCTIC BASE.

[ ROARING ]

[ EXPLOSION ]

IT WAS CARRYING
FOUR HYDROGEN BOMBS.

THESE WEAPONS HAVE TO BE
RECOVERED AND QUICK.

THIS IS
AMERICA'S NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY.

Narrator: DECLASSIFIED
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

REVEAL THAT ONE
OF THE NUKES HAS DISAPPEARED.

WHAT'S GOING ON
BENEATH THE ICE?

IS THERE A MISSING
NUCLEAR BOMB?

Narrator: THULE AIR BASE
IN NORTHWEST GREENLAND

IS THE CENTER OF NASA'S
ARCTIC RESEARCH PROGRAM.

MOST PEOPLE DON'T
REALIZE THAT NASA

DOESN'T JUST WORK IN SPACE.

IT WORKS IN MANY PLACES
ON THE EARTH

AND, IN PARTICULAR,
THE POLAR REGIONS IN ANTARCTICA

BUT ALSO, IN THE ARCTIC.

Narrator:
THE SCIENTISTS BASED HERE

STUDY ICE FLOWS AND CONDUCT
CLIMATE RESEARCH,

BUT THE PRISTINE SNOWS
HIDE A DARKER COLD WAR PAST

WHEN THE BASE WAS THE PROPERTY
OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE.

DECADES BEFORE,
THIS WAS THE LOCATION

WHERE SECRET NUCLEAR MISSIONS
WERE LAUNCHED.

THIS IS THE LOCATION WHERE

AMERICA'S TOP-SECRET
CHROME DOME FLIGHTS TOOK PLACE.

UNDER OPERATION CHROME DOME,
NUCLEAR-ARMS B-52s

PATROLLED THE SKIES
ABOVE GREENLAND,

FROM WHERE THE U.S. COULD DETECT
AN APPROACHING RUSSIAN WARHEAD.

THEY CARRIED NUCLEAR WEAPONS
THAT COULD BE UTILIZED

FOR A RETALIATORY STRIKE

AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION
IN A TIME OF WAR.

Narrator:
ON JANUARY 21, 1968,

A U.S. AIR FORCE CREW FLIES

A B-52 BOMBER
CARRYING FOUR HYDROGEN BOMBS.

[ ENGINE ROARING ]

DISASTER STRIKES.[ ALARM BEEPING ]

A FIRE BREAKS OUT ON BOARD.

IT'S THE WORST KIND OF DISASTER

YOU CAN HAVE ON A PLANE
CARRYING NUCLEAR WARHEADS.

[ ALARM BEEPING ]

THE COCKPIT'S FILLING
WITH SMOKE.

THE AIR CREW ARE DESPERATELY
TRYING TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE,

BUT IT'S NOT WORKING.

[ BEEPING CONTINUES ]

Narrator: THE FIRE ENGULFS

THE LARGE SECTIONS
OF THE FUSELAGE.

WITHIN MINUTES, THE PLANE
LOSES ELECTRICAL POWER.

THE PILOT REALIZES
HE HAS TO EJECT.

[ WHOOSH ]

THE CREW BAIL OUT.

TRAGICALLY, ONE IS KILLED.

THE AIRCRAFT PLUMMETS
TOWARDS THE OCEAN.

Narrator: THE BOMBER, STILL
CARRYING ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL,

CRASHES INTO THE ICE 7 MILES
FROM THULE AIR BASE.

THE CONVENTIONAL EXPLOSIONS
IN THE BOMBS DETONATE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THIS EXPLOSION SCATTERS DEBRIS,

INCLUDING RADIOACTIVE DEBRIS
FROM THE BOMBS,

ALL ACROSS THE ICE.

THIS IS RATHER LIKE
A DIRTY BOMB EXPLOSION.

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL IS SPREAD
OVER A VAST AREA.

Narrator: 3 SQUARE MILES
OF ARCTIC TUNDRA

ARE CONTAMINATED
WITH RADIOACTIVE WRECKAGE.

BURNING AVIATION FUEL MELTS
THE THICK SEA ICE,

CAUSING PARTS
OF THE NUCLEAR PAYLOAD

TO SINK TO THE OCEAN FLOOR.

THERE'S A BIG PROBLEM HERE.

GREENLAND IS A SELF-GOVERNING
TERRITORY OF DENMARK,

AND DENMARK HAS, ESSENTIALLY,
A NUCLEAR-FREE-ZONE POLICY,

SO THESE B-52 NUCLEAR MISSIONS

ARE REALLY IN
CONTRADICTION OF THAT.

IF ALL THIS COMES OUT,
THERE WILL BE A SCANDAL.

Narrator: THE AMERICAN
AND DANISH GOVERNMENTS

UNITE TO LAUNCH
A CLEAN-UP OPERATION,

CODENAMED PROJECT CRESTED ICE.

THIS IS THE EARLY DAYS
OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY, STILL,

AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF NATIONS

HAVE THIS CAPABILITY,

SO A CLEAR PRIORITY
IS TO SECURE THESE WEAPONS

BEFORE ANYONE ELSE
GETS THEIR HANDS ON THEM.

700 U.S. SERVICEMEN
AND DANISH CIVILIANS

PAINSTAKINGLY COMB OVER
500 MILLION GALLONS OF ICE

IN SUBZERO TEMPERATURES
AS PART OF THE CLEAN-UP EFFORT.

THE AIRCRAFT CRASHES
IN JANUARY 1968.

IT'S SEPTEMBER WHEN
STRATEGIC AIR

COMMAND ANNOUNCE THAT

THE CLEAN-UP OPERATION
HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION REPORT,

THE CLEAN-UP TEAM RECOVERS 99%
OF THE CONTAMINATED WRECKAGE,

INCLUDING ALL FOUR OF
THE NUCLEAR WARHEADS.

BUT IN 2000,
A DANISH NEWSPAPER PUBLISHES

DECLASSIFIED PENTAGON DOCUMENTS,

WHICH REVEAL
A VERY DIFFERENT STORY.

THE DECLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
SUGGEST THE DEBRIS CAN

ONLY ACCOUNT FOR THREE
OUT OF FOUR OF THE BOMBS.

IT SEEMS THAT
THE NUCLEAR COMPONENT OF ONE

OF THE FOUR HYDROGEN BOMBS

WAS NEVER RECOVERED AT ALL.

THE STORY
THAT THESE DOCUMENTS TELL

WAS THAT THE NUCLEAR COMPONENT
FELL THROUGH THE ICE,

AND THE ICE
THEN REFROZE ABOVE IT,

AND THE BOMB WAS ENTOMBED.

COULD IT BE THAT,
DOWN THERE IN THE OCEAN,

THERE'S A NUKE?

Narrator:
THE MISSING NUCLEAR COMPONENT

BELONGED TO A HYDROGEN BOMB

80 TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN THE HIROSHIMA BOMB

AND DESIGNED TO EXPLODE
WITH A POWER

OF OVER 1 MILLION TONS OF TNT.

NUCLEAR FALLOUT WOULD BE LETHAL

TO ANYONE UNPROTECTED IN
A THOUSAND-SQUARE-MILE AREA.

ACCORDING TO THE REPORT,
3 MONTHS AFTER THE B-52 CRASH,

THE U.S. NAVY DISPATCHES
A SUBMARINE

TO SEARCH THE ARCTIC SEABED

FOR THE MISSING
NUCLEAR COMPONENT.

THE TRUE NATURE
OF THE SUB'S MISSION

WAS HIDDEN FROM
DANISH OFFICIALS.

AFTER JUST 3 WEEKS,
NAVY COMMANDERS

SECRETLY CALL OFF THE SEARCH.

A SERIES
OF TECHNICAL MALFUNCTIONS

COMBINED WITH BAD WEATHER MEAN
THAT THIS TOP-SECRET MISSION

SOON HAS TO BE ABANDONED.

DESPITE EVERY BEST EFFORT,

THIS WARHEAD IS NOT FOUND.

Narrator:
TODAY, THE COLD WAR HAS THAWED,

BUT IT SEEMS A DEADLY RELIC
MAY STILL LIE HIDDEN

BENEATH THE ICE
NEAR AN ARCTIC OUTPOST.

IF THERE IS ANY NUCLEAR MATERIAL

THAT SOMEHOW GOT SCATTERED
IN THE AREA

AND WAS NEVER RECOVERED,

THAT'S ACTUALLY A SOURCE
OF CONCERN

NOT JUST FOR THE SCIENTISTS

BUT FOR THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVE IN GREENLAND

AND, FOR THAT MATTER,
FOR ANYBODY LIVING ON EARTH.

Narrator: COMING UP, SCIENTISTS
INVESTIGATE THE ANCIENT MYSTERY

OF THE DESTRUCTION
OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH.

SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE,

AND THAT SOMETHING
WAS REALLY DRAMATIC.

Narrator:
AND AN APOLLO 8 PHOTOGRAPH

SHOWS SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WE'D BEEN AROUND THE MOON.

HOW DID WE MISS
SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

♪♪

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS
INVESTIGATE A BIBLICAL MYSTERY.

THE STORY HOLDS THAT FIRE
AND BRIMSTONE RAINED DOWN

FROM THE HEAVENS
TO DESTROY THESE TWO CITIES.

SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE,

AND THAT SOMETHING
WAS REALLY DRAMATIC.

Narrator: DOES AN ANCIENT TABLET
HOLD THE SECRET

TO THE DESTRUCTION
OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH?

Narrator: THE STORY
OF THE FIERY APOCALYPSE

THAT BROUGHT DESTRUCTION
TO THE TWIN CITIES

OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH APPEARS
IN THE BIBLE'S BOOK OF GENESIS.

GOD WAS ANGRY WITH THE PEOPLE
OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH

BECAUSE THEY WERE
BEING SO IMMORAL.

SO GOD RAINS DOWN FIRE
AND BRIMSTONE FROM THE HEAVENS

TO DESTROY THESE CITIES.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

IN THE BIBLE, THE DEVASTATION

IS PUNISHMENT
FOR MANKIND'S SINS.

BUT COULD THE STORY OF SLAUGHTER
BE MORE THAN JUST A FABLE?

THE QUESTION IS, IS IT 100%
JUST A MYTHOLOGICAL FABLE,

OR COULD IT POSSIBLY
BE BASED IN FACT?

IN 1975,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS INVESTIGATE

TO BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENTS

NEAR THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER
OF THE DEAD SEA.

THE DISCOVERIES PROVIDE
THE FIRST TANGIBLE EVIDENCE

SODOM AND GOMORRAH
COULD BE REAL PLACES,

BUT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE OFFERS FEW CLUES

TO WHAT DESTROYED THEM.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE EVENTS
IN THE STORY,

THERE ARE SCIENTIFIC PHENOMENA

THAT COULD EXPLAIN A LOT
OF WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator: IN 1997,

NASA PLANETARY SCIENTISTS
PUT FORWARD A THEORY

THAT A MASSIVE
COSMIC BOMBARDMENT

DEVASTATED THE CITIES.

COULD IT BE THAT THESE
TWO CITIES WERE DESTROYED

BY SOMETHING RAINING DOWN
FROM THE HEAVENS?

DESCRIPTIONS
OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

AND FIRE RAINING FROM THE SKY
ON TOP OF TERRIFIED OBSERVERS --

THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD
JUST BE AN ASTEROID OR A COMET

BREAKING UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE
AS IT HITS THE EARTH.

Narrator: THE NASA TEAM SUGGESTS
4,000 YEARS AGO,

A CATACLYSMIC STORM OF ASTEROIDS
DESTROYED SODOM AND GOMORRAH.

WE KNOW THE EARTH
IS REGULARLY HIT

BY A BIG FIELD OF ASTEROIDS
ABOUT EVERY 2,500 YEARS,

AND THIS ACTUALLY LINES UP
WITH THE POTENTIAL DESTRUCTION

BY ASTEROIDS OF THESE
TWO ANCIENT CITIES.

IT WOULD BE LIKE
A MASSIVE EXPLOSION.

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO ESCAPE.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING
THAT YOU COULD HIDE FROM.

IT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE KILLER.

BUT DEAD SEA ARCHAEOLOGISTS
FIND NO EVIDENCE

OF IMPACT CRATERS

OR METEORIC DEBRIS
AT THE SETTLEMENTS.

A NEW THEORY EMERGES
WHEN, IN DECEMBER 2008,

TWO BRITISH SCIENTISTS DECIPHER

THE INSCRIPTIONS
ON AN ANCIENT TABLET

BURIED IN THE DESERTS OF IRAQ
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THEY REALIZE IT'S EFFECTIVELY
A MAP OF THE NIGHT SKY

WITH THE LOCATIONS OF PLANETS

AND THAT IT ALSO MIGHT BE
DEPICTING AN ASTEROID

ABOUT TO STRIKE THE EARTH.

ALAN BOND WAS ON THE TEAM.

THERE'S A LINE AND A PIECE
OF TEXT WHICH SAYS,

"A LARGE OBJECT
PASSED SWIFTLY BY,"

AND THAT IS QUITE AMBIGUOUS.

Narrator: ALAN BOND AND HIS
COLLEAGUE, MARK HEMPSELL,

DEVELOP A COMPUTER PROGRAM

TO RECONSTRUCT THE NIGHT SKY
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

THEY CALCULATE THE OBJECT

MUST BE AN ASTEROID
AROUND A MILE WIDE.

THEY RUN A COMPUTER SIMULATION
TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE THIS POTENTIAL ASTEROID
WOULD HAVE IMPACTED THE EARTH.

THE ANSWER IS AUSTRIA.

Narrator: AUSTRIA IS OVER
1,500 MILES AWAY

FROM ANY POSSIBLE SITES
FOR SODOM AND GOMORRAH,

BUT THE RESEARCHERS
COME UP WITH A THEORY

FOR HOW AN ASTEROID
COULD CAUSE DEVASTATION

SO FAR FROM THE IMPACT.

WHEN YOU HAVE AN IMPACT
OF THIS SCALE,

IT CREATES A BACKFIRE,

WHICH IS SIMILAR
TO THE MUSHROOM CLOUD

OF AN ATOMIC BOMB.

WE ARE LOOKING AT SOMETHING

WHICH IS BIGGER THAN
ANY NUCLEAR EXPLOSION

THAT HAS EVER BEEN PRODUCED
BY THE HUMAN RACE.

Narrator:
THIS VAST CLOUD OF TOXIC ASH

AND TOXIC DEBRIS ARCHES

OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN
FOR 1,700 MILES,

RE-ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE
OVER THE DEAD SEA.

UNDERNEATH THIS PLUME,

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN
MASSIVE DESTRUCTION.

THERE IS INDICATIONS
THAT NORTHERN EGYPT

LOST HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

ANYTHING ON THE GROUND,
INCLUDING HUMAN BEINGS,

WOULD HAVE BURST
INTO FLAME STRAIGHTAWAY.

THIS PICTURE
OF FIERY ANNIHILATION

NEATLY FITS
THE BIBLICAL DESCRIPTION

OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH'S
DESTRUCTION,

BUT WHEN SCIENTISTS SEARCH
FOR AN IMPACT CRATER

AT THE PROJECTED IMPACT ZONE
AT KOFELS, AUSTRIA,

THEY FIND TRACES OF A LANDSLIDE.

THE REASON
YOU HAVE A LANDSLIDE

RATHER THAN A TRADITIONAL CRATER
IS THAT IT CLIPPED A MOUNTAIN

AND HAS EXPLODED AND EXPANDED
DOWN THE VALLEY

WHERE KOFELS IS NOW,

AND THE OVERPRESSURE CAUSED
THE MOUNTAIN TO CRUMBLE.

Narrator: THOUGH THE PRESENCE
OF A LANDSLIDE

COULD SUPPORT
THE ASTEROID THEORY,

ATTEMPTS TO FIND CORROBORATING
EVIDENCE PROVED UNSUCCESSFUL.

IF THAT WAS REALLY THE CASE,

THE EFFECTS WOULD BE
FELT THROUGHOUT EUROPE

AND PROBABLY SEEN
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AS WELL,

FROM MATERIAL THAT'S
EJECTED UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

WE WOULD EXPECT THERE
TO BE CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE,

POTENTIALLY TSUNAMIS
FROM THE IMPACT.

BUT WHERE IS THIS EVIDENCE?

Narrator: UNTIL SCIENTISTS CAN
UNEARTH MORE EVIDENCE,

THE CAUSE OF THE BIBLICAL
APOCALYPSE REMAINS A MYSTERY.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THE METEORITE
IMPACT THEORY IS WRONG.

THERE ARE A LOT
OF UNKNOWNS HERE.

MAYBE, WE JUST HAVEN'T FOUND
THE RIGHT IMPACT SITE YET.

THIS IS ANCIENT HISTORY
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT,

SO ALTHOUGH IT'S
A WELL-KNOWN STORY,

WE MAY NEVER
REALLY KNOW THE TRUTH.

♪♪

Narrator:
COMING UP, AN ALARM SPREADS FEAR

ABOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THEY HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

[ ALARM BLARING ]TOXIC GAS LEAK, AN ONBOARD FIRE,

A DROP IN AIR PRESSURE --

ANY ONE OF THESE
COULD BE FATAL.

♪♪

♪♪

[ ALARM BLARING ]

Narrator: AN ALARM SOUNDS ABOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

[ BLARING CONTINUES ]

WHEN AN ALARM GOES OFF
IN A SPACECRAFT,

YOU PAY ATTENTION.

IT COULD BE LIFE OR DEATH.

Narrator: IT SIGNALS
DANGEROUS LEVELS OF RADIATION.

IF THIS WAS COMING
FROM A NATURAL SOURCE,

THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BECAUSE
THEY KEEP TRACK OF THESE THINGS.

WHATEVER IT WAS, IT WAS BIG,
AND IT WAS SUDDEN.

Narrator: APRIL 14, 2016,

249 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH,

THE 47th CREW OF
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

IS 44 DAYS
INTO THEIR MISSION TO STUDY

THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS
OF MICROGRAVITY

ON THE HUMAN BODY.

THE STATION'S EMERGENCY ALARM
SHATTERS THE QUIET.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

IT'S A LOUD, BLARING ALARM,

AND YOU REALIZE IT CAN BE
A VERY SERIOUS EVENT,

THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO SPRING
INTO ACTION VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator:
BUT THE ALARM GIVES NO GUIDANCE

ABOUT WHAT'S GONE WRONG.

THEY HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

TOXIC GAS LEAK,
AN ONBOARD FIRE,

A DROP IN AIR PRESSURE --

ANY ONE OF THESE
COULD BE FATAL.

THE ASTRONAUTS RUSH
TO DIAGNOSE THE FAULT,

BUT ONE OF THE MAIN COMPUTERS
IS REGISTERING A MALFUNCTION.

[ WHOOSH ]

AT GERMANY'S
I.S.S. CONTROL CENTER,

THE MALFUNCTION TRIGGERS
AN ALARM,

AND ENGINEERS LOSE CONTACT
WITH THE SPACE-STATION COMPUTER.

THERE'S SOMETHING
WIPING OUT DATA,

BLOCKING COMMUNICATIONS.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

Narrator: THE EVENTS BEAR
THE HALLMARKS

OF A CATASTROPHIC BURST
OF RADIATION.

CONTROL-CENTER ENGINEERS
SUSPECT SOLAR ACTIVITY

MAY BE RESPONSIBLE,

BUT ASTRONOMERS ARE NOT
EXPECTING SOLAR FLARES

ANYWHERE NEAR BIG ENOUGH
TO TRIGGER A COMPUTER WIPEOUT

ON THIS SCALE.

YOU'VE GOT TO ASK.

IF ENOUGH RADIATION
HAS GOTTEN THROUGH

TO DESTROY
THE DATA-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM,

WHAT HAS IT DONE
TO THE ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD?

HUMANS ARE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE
TO RADIATION,

SO SAFE IS NOT SOMETHING
YOU ARE IN SPACE.

Narrator:
THE INCIDENT AROUSES FEARS.

SOMEONE OR SOMETHING

IS DELIBERATELY
TARGETING RADIATION

TOWARDS THE SPACE STATION.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

A NUCLEAR DETONATION GENERATES
AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE.

PUT SIMPLY, THIS E.M.P. CAN FRY
ALL SORTS OF CIRCUITRY

AND OTHER EQUIPMENT.

A BLITZ OF RADIATION
POWERFUL ENOUGH

TO KNOCK OUT YOUR DATA SYSTEM
IS GOING TO MAKE YOU

FEEL LIKE YOU'RE UNDER ATTACK.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOCK OUT
A SPACECRAFT

IN ONE SIMPLE BLOW,

RADIATION IS A CLEAN
AND SIMPLE WAY TO DO IT.

Narrator: THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
IS THE SPACE STATION

HAS BEEN BLASTED
BY A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

NONE OF THE MAJOR POWERS
HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO TEST

ANY NUCLEAR DEVICE IN SPACE
FOR MANY YEARS.

THAT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE

THE CAPABILITY TODAY.

SUSPICION
FALLS ON A ROGUE STATE.

U.S. INTELLIGENCE FEARS
NORTH KOREA

IS DEVELOPING
SPACE-WEAPON CAPABILITIES.

ANALYSTS CONSIDER
THE TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY

THE NORTH KOREANS

HAVE LAUNCHED
A NUKE AT THE I.S.S.

ARE THE NORTH KOREANS DEVELOPING

OR HAVE THEY DEVELOPED
AN E.M.P. WEAPON

THAT COULD WIPE OUT
MANNED SPACECRAFT?

THE NORTH KOREAN
NUCLEAR TESTING PROGRAM

IS SHROUDED IN SECRECY.

WE HAVE NO IDEA
HOW BIG THEIR TESTING IS.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ANALYZE
SATELLITE AND RADAR DATA

BUT FIND NO EVIDENCE

OF A NORTH KOREAN
MISSILE LAUNCH.

THE MYSTERY AROUSES FEARS.

THE SOURCE OF RADIATION

MAY NOT BE COMING FROM
WITHIN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

SHORTLY BEFORE THE INCIDENT,

ASTRONOMERS OBSERVE
A SUPERNOVA,

THE EXPLOSIVE DEATH OF A STAR.

[ EXPLOSION ]

WHEN A MASSIVE STAR DIES
IN A SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION,

IT'LL SPREAD RADIATION
THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY,

AND HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS

FROM A SUPERNOVA CAN CREATE

THE TYPE OF DAMAGE
THAT THE I.S.S. SUFFERED.

KNOW THAT THEY'RE INCREDIBLY
ENERGETIC EVENTS,

AND THEY RADIATE ENERGY
OUT INCREDIBLE LEVELS,

SO POTENTIALLY, IT COULD BE
A DEVASTATING PROCESS.

Narrator:
BUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN

THE SUPERNOVA AND THE I.S.S.
MAKES IT AN UNLIKELY CAUSE.

THE SUPERNOVA WAS
2,000 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

THOSE SUBATOMIC PARTICLES,
THEY'RE GOING TO BE DIFFUSED

BY THE TIME THEY HIT THE I.S.S.

YOU WOULD NOT HAVE
ENOUGH ENERGY

OR ENOUGH PARTICLES

TO CAUSE THE TYPE
OF DAMAGE THAT WE SEE.

Narrator:
DATA FROM SOLAR TELESCOPES

REVEAL THE REAL CULPRIT
IS CLOSER TO HOME.

THE SUN HAS ALL SORTS
OF ACTIVITY ON ITS SURFACE

THAT'S CAUSED
BY MAGNETIC FIELDS,

AND SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY
IS INCREDIBLY ENERGETIC.

YOU THINK ABOUT THE SIZE
OF A NUCLEAR BOMB.

THE SUN IS THE SIZE
OF A BILLION NUCLEAR BOMBS,

AND IT'S GOING OFF CONTINUOUSLY.

THERE ARE
CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS.

THERE ARE SOLAR FLARES.

THERE ARE JETS THAT FLY OUT,

AND THESE EVENTS
ALL SEND OUT SOLAR PROTONS.

Narrator: A SERIES
OF SOLAR-FLARE EXPLOSIONS

ON THE SUN
ARE DETECTED JUST HOURS

BEFORE THE I.S.S.
RADIATION ALARM SOUNDS.

THE EARTH IS NEARLY A HUNDRED
MILLION MILES AWAY FROM THE SUN,

BUT IT ONLY TAKES 8 MINUTES
FOR THOSE CHARGED PARTICLES

TO TRAVEL THAT DISTANCE.

Narrator: A MASSIVE BURST
OF RADIOACTIVE SOLAR PROTONS

IS ON A COLLISION COURSE
WITH THE I.S.S.

HERE ON THE GROUND, WE HAVE
AN IONOSPHERE PROTECTING US,

BUT 250 MILES UP IN SPACE,

THE ASTRONAUTS DON'T HAVE THAT.

DURING MY I.S.S. MISSION,
WE ACTUALLY DID HAVE

A SIGNIFICANT SOLAR EVENT

WHERE A LOT MORE
RADIATION WAS RELEASED,

AND SO WE WERE TOLD
DURING THESE PARTS,

THESE DIFFERENT TIMES
IN THE ORBIT,

WE WERE TO RETREAT

TO THE "MORE HEAVILY SHIELDED
PARTS OF THE STATION."

Narrator: THE EFFECTS OF THIS
GIGANTIC RADIATION EVENT

ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION ASTRONAUTS ARE UNKNOWN,

BUT MANY VIEW RADIATION
EXPOSURE AS PART OF THE JOB.

THE ALARM TELLS ME WE'RE GETTING
A HEAVY DOSE OF RADIATION.

I JUST SAY, "DARN, I WISH
THAT WASN'T HAPPENING,

BUT I'LL JUST GO ABOUT MY WORK."

Narrator: COMING UP,
AN ANOMALY IN THE ORBIT

OF A DISTANT PLANET INSPIRES

A NEW WAY OF SEEING
THE UNIVERSE.

WE ONCE LIVED
IN NEWTON'S UNIVERSE.

WE KNOW NOW, FOR A CERTAINTY,

THAT IT'S EINSTEIN'S COSMOS
THAT WE INHABIT.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: A LEGENDARY ASTRONOMER
FINDS SOMETHING WRONG

WITH MERCURY'S ORBIT.

IT DEFIES
THE ACCEPTED LAWS OF PHYSICS.

THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE
THAT WE CAN'T SEE,

BUT IT'S POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO SHIFT AN ENTIRE PLANET.

THERE'S NO ORDINARY EXPLANATION.

IT'S REWRITING
THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Narrator: MAY 8, 1845, FRANCE,

AT THE WORLD-FAMOUS
PARIS OBSERVATORY,

ASTRONOMER URBAIN LE VERRIER

USES
HIS STATE-OF-THE-ART TELESCOPE

TO CONDUCT OBSERVATIONS
OF MERCURY'S ORBIT.

HE'S TIMING IT
WITH HIS CHRONOMETER.

THAT'S AN ASTRONOMER'S CLOCK.

HE'S LOOKING FOR MERCURY
TO COME AROUND THE SUN.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO NEWTON'S
LAWS OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION,

MERCURY SHOULD OBEY
A STRICT SCHEDULE.

HE WAITS, AND HE WAITS,

AND MERCURY'S NOT THERE.

MERCURY DOES NOT SHOW UP
WHEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO.

IT'S NOT MOVING ACCORDING
TO THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

WHAT MUST SEEM LIKE
AN ETERNITY TO HIM,

16 SECONDS PASS,

AND FINALLY, THERE MERCURY IS.

EITHER THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG
WITH NEWTON'S LAWS,

OR THERE'S SOME FORCE
THAT'S ACTING ON MERCURY.

IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
LE VERRIER

HAS INVESTIGATED
A PROBLEM LIKE THIS.

64 YEARS EARLIER,

THE PLANET URANUS SHOWED
A SIMILAR ORBITAL ANOMALY.

THE SOLUTION TO THAT MYSTERY

WAS A PREVIOUSLY UNDISCOVERED
PLANET, NEPTUNE,

WHOSE GRAVITY WAS
PULLING URANUS OUT OF WHACK.

IT WAS THE GREAT
ROMANTIC TRIUMPH

OF 19th-CENTURY SCIENCE,

TO CONJURE UP A HEAVENLY BODY

JUST BY THOUGHT
AND MATHEMATICS,

AND IT MADE LE VERRIER FAMOUS

THROUGHOUT
THE ENTIRE LEARNED WORLD.

LE VERRIER WONDERS
IF, THIS TIME,

SOMETHING SIMILAR IS GOING ON
WITH MERCURY'S ORBIT.

FOR HIM, THERE'S REALLY
ONLY ONE EXPLANATION.

THERE MUST BE ANOTHER PLANET

THAT'S PULLING ON MERCURY
AND CHANGING ITS ORBIT.

THIS TIME, HE NAMES
HIS PLANET VULCAN,

THE ROMAN GOD OF FIRE.

IF THERE WERE A PLANET VULCAN
INSIDE THE ORBIT OF MERCURY,

IT WOULD, OF COURSE,
BE A HELLISH PLACE,

HOT AND VOLCANIC

AND, YOU KNOW,
KIND OF ROUGH TO LIVE IN.

[ WHOOSH ]

Narrator: BUT WHATEVER
LE VERRIER'S MATH PREDICTS,

NEITHER HE NOR ANY OTHER
ASTRONOMER AT THE TIME

CAN FIND THE HIDDEN WORLD.

THE PROBLEM IS
VULCAN DOESN'T EXIST.

WHATEVER IS CAUSING MERCURY'S
STRANGE ORBITAL BEHAVIOR,

IT'S CLEARLY NOT THE PULL OF
ANOTHER PLANET NEARBY.

Narrator: LE VERRIER CONSIDERS
AN ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITY,

A MASSIVE SWARM OF ASTEROIDS
TUGGING AT MERCURY.

ONE ASTEROID BY ITSELF
CAN'T EXERT ENOUGH FORCE

ON THE PLANET MERCURY.

A GROUP OF ASTEROIDS MIGHT
HAVE ENOUGH MASS TO EXERT

AS MUCH FORCE AS A PLANET.

Narrator: BUT MOST ASTEROIDS
ARE INVISIBLE TO ASTRONOMERS

USING 19th-CENTURY TELESCOPES,

SO THE THEORY REMAINS UNPROVEN
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY

UNTIL, IN 2008, NASA'S STEREO
SPACECRAFT GOES SEARCHING.

200 SPACE ROCKS ARE RECORDED

COMING WITHIN
28 MILLION MILES OF THE SUN,

BUT THEY'RE ALL TOO SMALL

TO HAVE ANY EFFECT
ON MERCURY'S ORBIT.

THERE WERE NO BODIES DISCOVERED

THAT WERE LARGER
THAN 3 MILES IN DIAMETER,

SO CLEARLY, IT'S NOT ASTEROIDS
INSIDE MERCURY'S ORBIT, EITHER.

Narrator: THE ANSWER
TO THE MYSTERY COMES DECADES

AFTER LE VERRIER'S DEATH,

FROM THE MOST FAMOUS SCIENTIST
OF ALL TIME.

IN 1915, A SCIENTIST
CHALLENGES NEWTONIAN PHYSICS.

HIS NAME IS ALBERT EINSTEIN.

HE COMES UP WITH A NEW IDEA.

WHAT HE SHOWED IS THAT GRAVITY

IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN HUMANS
PREVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD.

WE THOUGHT THAT GRAVITY
WAS A FORCE

LIKE ALL THE OTHER FORCES,

SO YOU HAVE THE EARTH OVER HERE,
SAY, AND THE SUN OVER THERE,

AND EACH BODY, THROUGH
SOME INVISIBLE FORCE,

PULLS ON THE OTHER.

Narrator: EINSTEIN PROPOSES
THAT SPACE AND TIME

ARE BONDED TOGETHER

TO FORM THE FABRIC
OF THE UNIVERSE,

AND PLANETS MOVE NOT BECAUSE
THEY PULL ON EACH OTHER

BUT BECAUSE THEY FALL INTO DENTS
IN THE SPACE-TIME FABRIC

CREATED BY THEIR OWN MASS.

THINK ABOUT A BIG RUBBER SHEET.

IF YOU PLACE A HEAVY BALL
ON THE BIG RUBBER SHEET,

IT BENDS THE SHEET DOWNWARDS.

IF YOU THEN THROW ANOTHER BALL
ACROSS THAT SHEET,

THEN THAT BALL IS SLOWLY GOING
TO GET PULLED TOWARDS

THAT CENTRAL POINT,

PRODUCING WHAT WE FEEL
AS GRAVITY.

EINSTEIN CALLS HIS RADICAL
NEW THEORY OF GRAVITY

GENERAL RELATIVITY.

IN 1915, THIS NEW THEORY
IS NOT MET WITH APPLAUSE.

IT'S MET WITH SCRUTINY.

PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IT.

Narrator: SOLVING MERCURY'S
ORBITAL ANOMALY

BECOMES THE FIRST MAJOR
TEST CASE

FOR EINSTEIN'S
NEW GRAVITY EQUATIONS.

EINSTEIN STARTS PUTTING
IN THE NUMBERS FOR MERCURY

AND CALCULATES
WHAT THE ORBIT SHOULD BE,

AND THEN, HE LOOKS AT THE DATA
FROM THE ASTRONOMERS,

AND HE LOOKS AT HIS NUMBER,

AND EINSTEIN IS THRILLED.

MERCURY BEHAVED AS EINSTEIN
SAID IT SHOULD

AND NOT
AS NEWTON HAD PREDICTED.

HE SAID, IN A LETTER
TO A FRIEND, SHORTLY AFTER THIS,

THAT HE FELT PALPITATIONS
IN HIS CHEST.

HIS HEART LEAPT IN HIS BODY.

IT WAS THAT MOVING A MOMENT,
THAT POWERFUL A MOMENT.

Narrator: EINSTEIN PROVED THAT
MERCURY'S ORBITAL ANOMALY CAME

FROM TRAVELING
ALONG A PATH THROUGH SPACE,

BENT OUT OF SHAPE BY
THE SHEER MASS OF THE SUN.

ONE TINY DELAY IN THE MOVEMENT
OF A DISTANT PLANET

PROVIDED THE INSPIRATION

FOR A NEW WAY
OF SEEING THE UNIVERSE.

WE ONCE LIVED
IN NEWTON'S UNIVERSE.

LE VERRIER LIVED
IN NEWTON'S UNIVERSE.

WE DON'T.

WE KNOW NOW,
FOR A CERTAINTY,

THAT IT'S EINSTEIN'S COSMOS
THAT WE INHABIT.

Narrator:
COMING UP, AN UNNATURAL SHAPE

IN AN APOLLO PHOTOGRAPH

SPARKS FEARS OF STRANGE ACTIVITY
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A STAR DESTROYER
FROM THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES.

♪♪

Narrator:
A SHOCKING IMAGE EMERGES

OF A MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURE
ON THE MOON.

BOOM, CLEAR AS DAY,
THIS APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

WE'D BEEN AROUND THE MOON.

HOW DID WE MISS
SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

Narrator: DECEMBER 21, 1968,

ASTRONAUTS JIM LOVELL,
FRANK BORMAN,

AND BILL ANDERS EMBARK

UPON A HISTORIC
NASA MOON MISSION.

APOLLO 8 WAS
AN AUDACIOUS MISSION.

IT WAS A HAIL-MARY PASS BY NASA

TO SEND THREE ASTRONAUTS
TO THE MOON,

ORBIT IT AND THEN,
BRING THEM SAFELY HOME.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS RECORD
THEIR 6-DAY MISSION

WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART
HASSELBLAD CAMERAS,

SO THE WORLD CAN WITNESS

STUNNING VIEWS
OF OUR PLANET FROM SPACE.

THEY'RE BREATHTAKING
IN THEIR BEAUTY.

THESE ARE VIEWS THAT
NO ONE HAS EVER WITNESSED.

Narrator: IN MAY 2016,
AN AMATEUR SPACE ENTHUSIAST

EXAMINES THE ONLINE ARCHIVES.

ONE PHOTOGRAPH
IMMEDIATELY STANDS OUT

BECAUSE IT REVEALS
A SHOCKING ANOMALY.

IT'S A BLACK-AND-WHITE
PHOTO OF THE MOON,

AND THERE'S A PIE
OR A WEDGE-SHAPED OBJECT

THAT APPEARS
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THERE'S NOTHING OUT
OF THE ORDINARY

IN ANY OF THE PREVIOUS IMAGES
ON THE REEL.

THEN, BOOM, CLEAR AS DAY,

THIS APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

WE'VE BEEN AROUND THE MOON.

HOW DID WE MISS
SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST
MARK D'ANTONIO INVESTIGATES.

IN THIS IMAGE, WE SEE
A VERY STRANGE OBJECT,

WHICH APPEARS TO BE
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

IF I ZOOM IN ON THIS,
WE CAN SEE IT MORE CLEARLY.

IT HAS A TRIANGULAR SHAPE TO IT.

THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT?

Narrator:
ONE LOGICAL EXPLANATION LIES

WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL
PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM.

SPACE IS
A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,

AND VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN
ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

THIS DEEP IN SPACE.

THERE WAS REAL CONCERN

ABOUT WHAT THE RADIATION
OF SPACE

WOULD DO TO THE EQUIPMENT.

YOU KNOW, FILM IS
LIGHT EXPOSURE, ESSENTIALLY,

AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE
RADIATION BOMBARDING IT,

IT'S ANOTHER ENERGY SOURCE,

AND IT CAN DAMAGE THE FILM.[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

Narrator: BUT RADIATION CAUSES
A FOG EFFECT,

AND ANALYSTS DOUBT
SIMPLE RADIATION

COULD ACCOUNT
FOR THIS KIND OF ANOMALY.

IF THIS WERE RADIATION FOG,

THEN THIS WHOLE IMAGE
WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS.

IT'D HAVE A GENERIC,
HOMOGENEOUS FOGGING,

BUT WE DON'T SEE THAT HERE,

SO RADIATION FOGGING
CAN'T BE THE ANSWER.

Narrator:
A CLUE TO THE MYSTERY COULD COME

FROM THE PROVIDENCE
OF THE IMAGE.

WHAT'S REALLY STRANGE
IS THAT THIS

IS THE VERY LAST PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN ON THE MISSION.

SO IN THE IMAGE, WE ACTUALLY
SEE THIS SQUARE OBJECT HERE,

WHICH CONTINUES DOWN
AND SEEMS TO STOP HERE.

WHAT THIS MAY BE IS RESIDUE
FROM A PIECE OF TAPE

THAT WAS PUT ON
THE FILM NEGATIVE.

WHEN THEY TORE OFF THE TAPE
ON THE NEGATIVE,

MAYBE IT TORE A HOLE IN IT

OR LEFT BEHIND TRACES
OF ADHESIVE RESIDUE.

Narrator: THE TEAR ON THE FINAL
FRAME OF FILM LIKELY APPEARED

WHEN NASA WAS PROCESSING
THE PRECIOUS IMAGES.

THIS FILM WAS RUNNING
THROUGH A MACHINE,

BEING PRINTED RAPIDLY
TO MAKE MANY PRINTS.

BECAUSE THIS IS END
OF THE ROLL OF THE FILM,

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE,
THAT HAPPENS.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE,
UNFORTUNATELY,

IS AN ACCIDENT COMMITTED

AGAINST A PRICELESS ARTIFACT
FROM AMERICAN HISTORY.

MANKIND TO THE MOON
IS ONE THING,

BUT PREVENTING
A HUMAN ERROR IS ANOTHER.

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