Original subtitles

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