Original subtitles

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

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

Teitel: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

IS A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY OUT THERE.

Narrator: IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE,

ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Lee: WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S OUT THERE.

THERE MIGHT BE DANGERS LURKING IN THE DARKNESS.

WE RUN ACROSS MORE MYSTERIES THAN DISCOVERIES.

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

Narrator: AN APOLLO ASTRONAUT DISCOVERS SOMETHING ASTONISHING

ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

THAT MEANS THERE COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE ON THE MOON.

Narrator: A NASA SCIENTIST INVESTIGATES A DEADLY PHENOMENON

THAT THREATENS MILLIONS OF LIVES.

THERE ARE COUNTLESS DEAD BODIES STREWN ABOUT.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

Narrator: AND A RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT

MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS ON THE WAY TO MARS.

EVERYBODY IS PANICKING.

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS POINT FINGERS

AT THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: THESE ARE NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES.

A LANDMARK NASA MISSION ENDS IN DISASTER.

BAM --

THE HATCH BLOWS OFF,

AND HIS SPACECRAFT STARTS FILLING WITH WATER.

HIS CRAFT IS SINKING TO THE SEA FLOOR,

AND IT'S GONNA DRAG HIM WITH IT.

Narrator: THE INCIDENT THREATENS TO DESTROY

THE REPUTATION OF AN AMERICAN HERO.

THE MEDIA ABSOLUTELY CRUCIFIED HIM.

HE'S GONE FROM NATIONAL HERO TO SERIOUS LIABILITY.

Narrator: MAY 1, 1999.

A TEAM OF SALVAGE EXPERTS EXPLORE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

AT A DEPTH OF ALMOST 3 MILES.

EMERGING FROM THE DARKNESS --

A RUSTING SPACECRAFT,

PARTIALLY BURIED IN THE SEA BED.

IT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR.

THE ASTONISHING DISCOVERY SHEDS NEW LIGHT

ON ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES OF SPACE FLIGHT.

THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS SPACECRAFT.

THIS IS A TREASURE.

Narrator: THE STORY BEGINS IN 1961.

AT 7:20 A.M. ON JULY 21,

THE MERCURY-REDSTONE 4 ROCKET

BLASTS OFF FROM CAPE CANAVERAL.

FIVE MINUTES LATER, EX-AIR FORCE PILOT GUS GRISSOM

BECOMES THE THIRD HUMAN TO REACH SPACE.

GRISSOM'S CAPSULE, NICKNAMED LIBERTY BELL 7,

REACHES AN ALTITUDE OF 118 MILES.

AFTER JUST 5 MINUTES IN SPACE,

GRISSOM HAS TO BEGIN THE JOURNEY HOME.

THE SUBORBITAL FLIGHT ONLY LASTS 15 MINUTES,

AND HE SPLASHES DOWN PERFECTLY ON POINT

AT THE END OF THE MISSION.

Narrator: YET WITHIN MINUTES,

LIBERTY BELL 7 SUFFERS A DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION.

BAM --

THE HATCH BLOWS OFF,

AND THE SPACECRAFT STARTS FILLING WITH WATER.

Narrator: THE HATCH OPENS BEFORE RESCUE HELICOPTERS

CAN REACH THE DOWNED SPACECRAFT.

SEAWATER SURGES INTO THE STEEL CAPSULE.

HIS CRAFT IS SINKING TO THE SEAFLOOR,

AND IT'S GONNA DRAG HIM WITH IT.

GRISSOM HAS NO CHOICE

BUT TO ABANDON LIBERTY BELL 7.

HIS TROUBLES DON'T END

WHEN HE LEAVES THE CAPSULE.

THE PROBLEM IS, IN HIS HASTE

TO GET OUT OF THE SINKING SPACECRAFT,

HE LEFT HIS OXYGEN PORT OPEN ON HIS SUIT,

AND NOW THAT'S FILLING UP WITH WATER.

THE SEAS WERE JUST ROUGH ENOUGH

THAT WATER SPILLING OVER HIM WAS GOING IN HIS SUIT.

Narrator: GRISSOM'S LEAKING SPACESUIT BEGINS TO DRAG HIM UNDER.

HE WAVES FRANTICALLY TO THE APPROACHING RESCUE CHOPPER,

BUT THE PILOT MISINTERPRETS HIS SIGNALS.

Orwoll: THE HELICOPTER PILOT

THINKS THAT HE'S TELLING HIM

TO SAVE THE SPACECRAFT WHEN, ACTUALLY,

HE'S TRYING TO TELL THE AIRCRAFT THAT HE'S DROWNING,

AS HIS SPACESUIT FILLS WITH WATER.

THE RECOVERY PILOT ATTEMPTS TO LIFT LIBERTY BELL

OUT OF THE OCEAN,

BUT THE WEIGHT OF THE FLOODED CAPSULE

DRAGS THE CHOPPER DOWN

TOWARDS THE WAVES.

THAT SPACECRAFT WAS JUST WAY TOO HEAVY FOR THEM,

AND THEY HAD TO RELEASE IT.

IN THE MEANTIME,

THEY'VE LEFT GUS OUT SWIMMING AROUND

OR TRYING TO STAY AFLOAT ON HIS OWN.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUT IS NOW DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO DROWNING.

HE CAN'T SWIM WITH THAT SUIT FULL OF WATER,

AND HE'S STARTING TO GET WATER IN HIS LUNGS.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REALIZED THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT

UNTIL THEY FINALLY LOST THE SPACECRAFT.

AND THEN THEY LOOKED AT GUS AND SAID, "OH, MY.

WE BETTER GET HIM QUICK."

Narrator: AT 7:45 A.M., THE RESCUE TEAM FINALLY

DRAGS GRISSOM FROM THE OCEAN.

ANOTHER 30 SECONDS, AND HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN GONE.

Narrator: MERCURY PROGRAM ENGINEERS

LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION

INTO THE DISASTER.

THE CRITICAL QUESTION IS,

WHO OR WHAT CAUSED THE HATCH TO BLOW?

Narrator: SUSPICION FALLS ON GRISSOM HIMSELF.

MANY SUGGEST THAT UNDER PRESSURE,

GRISSOM PANICKED AND BLEW THE HATCH HIMSELF.

Wordon: THE MEDIA GOT A HOLD OF THAT,

AND THEY ABSOLUTELY CRUCIFIED HIM

BECAUSE THEY SAID HE'D MADE A MISTAKE.

GRISSOM, WITH THE BACKING OF HIS NASA COLLEAGUES,

STRENUOUSLY DENIES ACCUSATIONS

THAT HE DETONATED THE EXPLOSIVE HATCH.

THE PROBLEM IS LIBERTY BELL 7

IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ATLANTIC,

AND THAT'S THE ONLY EVIDENCE THEY HAVE.

Narrator: IN OCTOBER 1962,

GRISSOM'S FELLOW MERCURY ASTRONAUT, WALLY SCHIRRA,

STEPS IN TO HELP HIS FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE.

AT THE END OF HIS MERCURY ATLAS 8 FLIGHT,

SCHIRRA DELIBERATELY ACTIVATES THE EXPLOSIVE HATCH.

HE WALKS AWAY FROM THAT

WITH MASSIVE BRUISES ON HIS ARMS.

IT'S CLEAR PROOF THAT,

HAD GRISSOM DETONATED THE HATCH HIMSELF,

HE WOULD ALSO HAVE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

ON HIS BODY TO PROVE IT.

SCHIRRA'S ACTIONS APPEAR TO CLEAR GRISSOM,

BUT THE PRESENT PUBLIC REMAIN UNCONVINCED.

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY TROUBLING

TO GUS AND HIS COLLEAGUES.

THAT WAS A DIFFICULT TIME, I THINK, FOR NASA.

Narrator: FOUR YEARS LATER,

THE MYSTERY TAKES A TRAGIC TURN.

IN JANUARY 1966,

NASA SELECTS GUS GRISSOM AS COMMAND PILOT

FOR THE FIRST APOLLO MISSION.

BUT DURING A LAUNCH REHEARSAL,

A FIRE BREAKS OUT WHILE GRISSOM AND HIS TWO CREWMATES

ARE SEALED INSIDE THE COMMAND MODULE.

WITHIN SECONDS,

AN INFERNO ENGULFS THE SPACECRAFT,

AND THE THREE ASTRONAUTS SUFFER HORRIFIC DEATHS.

IN A BITTER TWIST OF FATE,

INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THAT A BADLY-DESIGNED HATCH

PREVENTED RESCUERS FROM REACHING THE TRAPPED ASTRONAUTS.

THE WAY THE HATCH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN APOLLO

WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THEY MADE

BECAUSE THAT COST US THREE GUYS ON A PAD AT THE CAPE.

Narrator: GRISSOM'S TRAGIC DEATH

REDUCES THE MYSTERY OF LIBERTY BELL'S HATCH

TO A FORGOTTEN FOOTNOTE OF SPACE HISTORY.

BUT IN 1999, THE MYSTERY RESURFACES

WHEN THE SALVAGE TEAM LOCATES LIBERTY BELL 7

AND PULLS IT FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR.

ANALYSIS OF THE HATCH REVEALS EVIDENCE

TO FINALLY VINDICATE GRISSOM

ALMOST FOUR DECADES AFTER HIS FATEFUL FLIGHT.

THEY FOUND THAT THE TITANIUM STRIP

THAT HOLDS THE HATCH IN PLACE

WAS WARPED SIGNIFICANTLY.

AND THAT INDICATES THAT THE HATCH

MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED WHEN IT LANDED

AND STRUCK THE OCEAN.

IT SHOWS THAT HE DIDN'T PANIC UNDER PRESSURE,

THAT HE DID THE RIGHT THING.

Narrator: TODAY, GUS GRISSOM IS REMEMBERED AS A TRUE HERO,

A MAN WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE

IN THE QUEST TO PUT MANKIND ON THE MOON.

WHICH ASTRONAUT IN THE PROGRAM

WAS THE FIRST ONE TO FLY GEMINI?

GUS GRISSOM.

WHICH ASTRONAUT IN THE PROGRAM

WAS THE FIRST ONE SCHEDULED TO FLY IN APOLLO?

IT WAS GUS GRISSOM.

HE WAS THE BEST ONE IN THE BUSINESS.

Narrator: COMING UP...

A NASA SCIENTIST INVESTIGATES THE STRANGE PHENOMENON

RESPONSIBLE FOR A SERIES OF MASS DEATHS.

THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF PANIC.

WHATEVER KILLED THESE PEOPLE

CREPT UP AND SURPRISED THEM.

Narrator: AND THE KREMLIN ACCUSES FOREIGN POWERS

OF SABOTAGING A MISSION TO MARS.

SEVERAL TECHNICIANS IN THIS RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

WERE THREATENED TO BE IMPRISONED.

♪♪

Narrator: A NASA SCIENTIST INVESTIGATES A SERIES

OF MYSTERIOUS MASS DEATHS.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF PANIC.

WHATEVER KILLED THESE PEOPLE

CREPT UP AND SURPRISED THEM.

Narrator: HE DISCOVERS EVIDENCE OF A DEADLY PHENOMENON

THAT THREATENS MILLIONS OF LIVES.

Guarino: WILL THIS AVERT A CATASTROPHE?

ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

Narrator: AUGUST 21, 1986, CAMEROON --

A FARMER RETURNING TO HIS HOME ON THE SHORES OF LAKE NYOS

MAKES A GRIM DISCOVERY.

Guarino: HE ENTERS THE VILLAGE,

AND HE CAN TELL IMMEDIATELY,

SOMETHING IS VERY, VERY WRONG.

THE ENTIRE VILLAGE IS SILENT.

IT'S LIKE A SCENE FROM A HORROR MOVIE.

THERE ARE COUNTLESS DEAD BODIES STREWN ABOUT.

Narrator: WHEN GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATORS

ARRIVE ON THE SCENE,

THEY FIND HUNDREDS OF DEAD BODIES

AND JUST SIX SURVIVORS.

ALL TOLD, ONCE COUNTED,

THE DEATH TOLL REACHES 1,800.

Narrator: MEDICAL TEAMS DISCOVER THAT MANY OF THE VICTIMS

HAVE STRANGE BURN MARKS ON THEIR SKIN.

THE CORPSES OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS

ALSO LITTER THE COUNTRYSIDE.

PEOPLE ARE ASKING,

"IS THIS AN ACT OF TERRORISTS?

IS THIS BIOLOGICAL WARFARE?"

Narrator: THE CHILLING INCIDENT BECOMES KNOWN

AS THE LAKE NYOS DISASTER.

THE PRESSURE IS ON FOR INVESTIGATORS

TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING ANSWERS.

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

♪♪

Narrator: EX-NASA VOLCANOLOGIST

AND INTERNATIONAL DISASTER EXPERT HARALDUR SIGURDSSON

HAS A THEORY.

TWO YEARS EARLIER,

HE INVESTIGATED A SIMILAR INCIDENT

NEAR LAKE MONOUN, JUST 16 MILES TO THE SOUTH.

I VISITED THE SITE WHERE THE FATALITIES HAD BEEN FOUND,

37 PEOPLE LYING ALONG THE ROAD.

AND ON THE WAY TO THE MARKET, THEY MET THIS FATE.

Narrator: JUST LIKE THE LAKE NYOS INCIDENT,

MANY OF THE DEAD DISPLAYED

STRANGE BURN MARKS ON THEIR SKIN.

THE FIRST STEP IN SIGURDSSON'S INVESTIGATION

WAS TO TAKE SAMPLES OF THE LAKE FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

WHEN I WAS HAULING THE BOTTLE UP,

I SAW THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS VOLUME OF GAS

STREAMING OUT OF THE BOTTLE.

Narrator: HIS ANALYSIS OF THE WATER

FROM LAKE MONOUN REVEALED SOMETHING DISTURBING.

I LEANED OVER, AND I SMELLED THE GAS,

AND IT WAS ODORLESS, ODOR FREE.

I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY PURE CARBON DIOXIDE.

Narrator: IN HIGH CONCENTRATIONS,

CARBON DIOXIDE IS AN INVISIBLE KILLER,

STARVING THE BODY OF OXYGEN

AND SUFFOCATING VICTIMS WITHIN MINUTES.

I DECIDED TO GET OFF THE LAKE RIGHT AWAY

BECAUSE I HAD REALIZED

THAT THE LAKE MIGHT BE SATURATED IN CO2.

Narrator: SIGURDSSON THEORIZED THE BED OF LAKE MONOUN

WAS LOADED WITH CARBON DIOXIDE.

SOMETHING, POSSIBLY A SEISMIC EVENT,

DISTURBED THE LAKE BED,

RELEASING A CLOUD OF THE TOXIC GAS,

WHICH SUFFOCATED THE VILLAGERS.

BUT AT THE TIME,

THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY

REJECTED HIS RADICAL THEORY.

THEY FOUND THAT THIS WAS SUCH AN OUTRAGEOUS IDEA.

IT SHOULDN'T BE PUBLISHED.

Narrator: THE LAKE NYOS DEATHS 2 YEARS LATER,

FORCE INVESTIGATORS

TO RECONSIDER SIGURDSSON'S WORK.

THEY INVITE HIM BACK TO CAMEROON

TO HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

SIGURDSSON SEARCHES THE SHORES OF THE CRATER LAKE

AND SOON DISCOVERS EVIDENCE

TO SUPPORT HIS CO2 THEORY.

THERE WAS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE LANDSLIDE

THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE THERE FROM THE BANK OF THE CRATER.

Narrator: SIGURDSSON AND HIS FELLOW SCIENTISTS

SUSPECT THAT THIS LANDSLIDE TRIGGERED AN EXPLOSIVE RELEASE

OF 300,000 TONS OF LETHAL CARBON DIOXIDE

TRAPPED IN THE LAKE BED.

IT'S JUST LIKE OPENING THE CAN OF SODA.

YOU SHAKE IT UP, RELEASE THE PRESSURE,

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THAT CO2

WILL COME OUT OF THE WATER,

JUST LIKE OUT OF YOUR SODA CAN.

Narrator: THE MASSIVE CLOUD OF CO2

SWEPT THROUGH LOCAL VILLAGES

AT OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR,

KILLING ALMOST EVERY ANIMAL AND HUMAN IN ITS PATH.

Aguilar: AS THIS DEADLY INVISIBLE CLOUD

SPREAD THROUGH THE VILLAGE,

NOBODY WOULD HAVE SEEN IT.

NOBODY WOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WAS THERE.

Narrator: SIGURDSSON'S THEORY ALSO EXPLAINS THE BURN MARKS

ON THE VICTIMS' BODIES.

WHEN YOU RELEASE A TREMENDOUS VOLUME OF GAS

FROM A HIGH PRESSURE TO A LOW PRESSURE,

BASICALLY THE RESULT IS REFRIGERATION.

YOU GET A VERY COLD CLOUD OF GAS.

SO THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS

THAT ALL THESE LESIONS WERE, IN FACT, FROSTBITE.

FROSTBITE IN AFRICA, AMAZING.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS FEAR THAT THE KILLER LAKE PHENOMENON

COULD SOON STRIKE AGAIN.

NASA'S EARTH-IMAGING SATELLITES

PLAY A KEY ROLE IN EFFORTS

TO PREVENT FUTURE CATASTROPHES.

Aguilar: NASA'S MODUS INSTRUMENTS

ATTACHED TO THE TERRA AND AQUA SATELLITES

ARE GIVING US UNIQUE INSIGHTS

INTO THE MECHANISMS THAT CAN CAUSE DISASTERS,

LIKE WE'VE JUST SEEN.

Narrator: IN 2016,

MODUS DATA REVEALS SOMETHING ALARMING

IN THE WATERS OF LAKE KIVU

IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Guarino: THE CLEAR BLUE WATER OF THE LAKE

IS TURNING A MILKY WHITE.

IT'S ALMOST SINISTER.

COULD THERE BE ANOTHER EVENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN?

Narrator: SCIENTISTS CALCULATE THAT THE LAKE HOLDS

500 MILLION TONS OF CO2,

800 TIMES MORE THAN LAKE NYOS.

KIVU WAS POTENTIALLY THE PERFECT STORM.

ITS DENSE POPULATION MEANS THAT MILLIONS OF LIVES

COULD BE AT RISK.

EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY OTHER KILLER LAKES ARE ONGOING.

IT LEADS TO A GRIM QUESTION,

WHERE AND WHEN MIGHT THIS HAPPEN AGAIN?

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE LAST HUMANS TO WALK ON THE MOON

DISCOVER SOMETHING STRANGE ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

YOU CAN HEAR IN HIS VOICE

HOW EXCITED THIS FIND IS MAKING HIM.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER AS FAR AS MOON COLONIZATION

IS CONCERNED.

♪♪

Narrator: ASTRONAUTS ON THE FINAL APOLLO MISSION

MAKE A BIZARRE DISCOVERY ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

Narrator: THE WEIRD SUBSTANCE RAISES A POSSIBILITY

THAT WAS ONCE UNTHINKABLE.

THERE MIGHT STILL BE SOME KIND OF ANCIENT LIFE

BURIED DEEP WITHIN THE MOON'S SOIL.

Narrator: DECEMBER 11, 1972 --

APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUTS

HARRISON SCHMITT AND EUGENE CERNAN

BEGIN THEIR 3-DAY EXPLORATION

OF THE LUNAR SURFACE.

WE KNEW THAT THE APOLLO PROGRAM WAS ENDING,

AND WE'D KNOWN THAT FOR SOME TIME

AND THAT WE WOULD BE THE LAST MISSION.

YOU CAN'T LET THAT DISTRACT YOU.

Narrator: ON DECEMBER 12,

CERNAN AND SCHMITT EXPLORE

A FEATURE CALLED SHORTY CRATER

IN THE TAURUS-LITTROW LUNAR VALLEY.

WHAT THEY DISCOVER SHOCKS THEM.

IT'S ORANGE SOIL -- REAL ORANGE SOIL.

AND YOU CAN HEAR IN HIS VOICE

HOW EXCITED THIS FIND IS MAKING HIM.

Narrator: THE ASTRONAUTS COLLECT

AS MUCH ORANGE DIRT AS POSSIBLE

BEFORE THEY RUN OUT OF OXYGEN.

SCHMITT'S DISCOVERY BAFFLES SCIENTISTS.

SOME SUGGEST A POSSIBLE CLUE TO ITS ORIGIN

COULD COME FROM HERE, ON EARTH.

ON THE EARTH, THERE'S LOTS OF REDDISH SOILS

IN PLACES WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF RAIN,

AND THE WATER IS INTERACTING WITH THE ORIGINAL ROCK.

THAT PRODUCES THESE REDDISH IRON-OXIDE SOILS.

Narrator: IF OXIDATION HAS TURNED THE DIRT ORANGE,

IT HAS ASTONISHING IMPLICATIONS.

OXIDATION REQUIRES THE PRESENCE OF WATER.

ON EARTH, WE KNOW THAT ALL LIFEFORMS NEED WATER.

SO THAT MEANS THERE COULD HAVE BEEN LIFE ON THE MOON.

Narrator: WHEN SCHMITT RETURNS TO EARTH,

NASA SCIENTISTS SUBJECT

THE ORANGE SOIL TO CHEMICAL ANALYSIS.

THEY FIND NO EVIDENCE OF WATER.

INSTEAD, THE DISCOVER THE DIRT WAS CREATED

BY ANCIENT LUNAR LAVA FLOWS.

Schmitt: IT TURNED OUT TO BE VOLCANIC DEBRIS

THAT HAD BEEN ERUPTED ABOUT 3 1/2 BILLION YEARS AGO.

♪♪

Narrator: THE MYSTERY APPEARS TO BE SOLVED,

BUT IN 2011,

NASA RE-EXAMINED SAMPLES OF SCHMITT'S ORANGE DIRT

USING ADVANCED MOLECULAR ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY.

WHAT THEY DISCOVER IS ASTONISHING.

Schultz: WATER HIDDEN INSIDE --

THIS IS RADICAL.

THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY OF TRACES OF WATER

IN THE VOLCANIC DEBRIS

DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS THE ACCEPTED SCIENTIFIC THEORY

ABOUT HOW THE MOON WAS FORMED.

ONE OF THE MAJOR IDEAS OF WHAT FORMED THE MOON IS,

THAT THERE'S A GIANT MARS-SIZED IMPACT

ON THE EARTH.

BASICALLY, IT RIPPED THE EARTH APART.

Narrator: THE THEORY, KNOWN AS BIG SPLASH,

SUGGESTS THAT WHEN THE OBJECT SMASHED IN TO THE EARTH,

IT THREW DEBRIS OUT INTO SPACE.

THIS DEBRIS THEN MERGED OVER 100 YEARS

TO FORM THE MOON.

BUT IT WAS SUCH A BIG EVENT, IT WAS SUCH A COLLISION,

IT SHOULD HAVE MELTED AND VAPORIZED SO MUCH MATERIAL.

HOW COULD YOU HAVE ANY WATER PRESERVED?

AND YET, THERE IT IS.

Narrator: IF THE MOON HAS SUBTERRANEAN WATER DEPOSITS,

IT MIGHT MEAN LIFE EXISTED THERE IN THE PAST.

AND IT COULD ENABLE MANKIND

TO LIVE THERE IN THE FUTURE.

THE COLONIZATION OF THE MOON

HAS BEEN ON THE CARDS FOR A LONG TIME,

AND THE SINGLE OBJECTION

WAS A LACK OF WATER.

Narrator: NASA'S LUNAR FLASHLIGHT MISSION

IS ONE OF SEVERAL AIMED

AT INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY

OF MINING WATER FROM THE MOON.

THE SPACE AGENCY HOPES TO USE THE WATER

TO CREATE BREATHABLE AIR,

GROW FOOD, AND MAKE ROCKET FUEL.

Wickramasinghe: IF WATER EXISTS,

EVEN IN THE FORM OF HYDRATED MINERALS,

THEN IT IS POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD EXTRACT THIS WATER.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER AS FAR AS MOON COLONIZATION

IS CONCERNED.

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS HOPE TO ESTABLISH A LUNAR BASE

AS EARLY AS 2022,

AND IT COULD BE THANKS TO A STRANGE DISCOVERY MADE

BY THE LAST HUMANS TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

AS WE APPROACHED LIFTOFF

FROM THE VALLEY OF TAURUS-LITTROW

ON APOLLO 17,

I DON'T THINK WE IMAGINED THAT IT WOULD BE OVER 50 YEARS

BEFORE SOMEBODY WENT BACK.

Narrator: COMING UP...

A MISSION TO MARS SUFFERS

A CATASTROPHIC MALFUNCTION.

THE SPACECRAFT IS LOSING ALTITUDE

SEVERAL KILOMETERS PER DAY.

WHEN THE SPACECRAFT BREAKS DOWN COMMUNICATIONS

AT THE VERY CRITICAL MOMENT OF THE MISSION,

THIS IS A VERY BAD SIGN.

♪♪

Narrator: DISASTER STRIKES A RUSSIAN MISSION TO MARS.

EVERYBODY IS PANICKING.

THEY CAN'T BELIEVE IT. WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO IT?

A SPACE PROBE JUST DOESN'T DISAPPEAR.

Narrator: THE INCIDENT FUELS TENSION

BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS ARE STARTING

TO POINT FINGERS AT THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: SINCE 1960, THE RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

HAS LAUNCHED 18 MISSIONS TO MARS.

ALMOST ALL HAVE ENDED IN FAILURE.

IT GOT SO BAD THAT PEOPLE BEGAN TO SUSPECT

OR AT LEAST JOKE ABOUT,

A RUSSIAN CURSE FOR MARS MISSIONS.

Narrator: IN 2011,

THE RUSSIANS PREPARE TO LAUNCH THE FOBOS-GRUNT PROBE,

WHICH COULD OFFER A SHOT AT REDEMPTION.

♪♪

THE CRAFT'S MISSION IS

TO LAND ON AND INVESTIGATE

MARS' LARGEST MOON.

THIS WAS TO BE A PIONEERING MISSION

TO RETRIEVE SAMPLES FROM THE MARTIAN MOON, PHOBOS,

BACK TO EARTH FOR STUDY.

Narrator: AT 12:16 A.M. ON NOVEMBER 9,

FOBOS-GRUNT BLASTS OFF

FROM THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME IN KAZAKHSTAN.

BUT JUST 2 1/2 HOURS INTO ITS FLIGHT,

THE CRAFT MYSTERIOUSLY MALFUNCTIONS.

SUDDENLY, SPACECRAFT BREAKS DOWN

COMMUNICATIONS WITH GROUND CONTROL.

THIS IS A VERY BAD SIGN.

Narrator: GROUND CONTROLLERS STRUGGLE TO REESTABLISH CONTACT

WITH THE STRICKEN SPACECRAFT.

TRAJECTORY DATA REVEALS IT IS SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL

IN LOWER ORBIT.

THE ROCKET BOOSTER THAT'S SUPPOSED

TO PUSH IT ONTO MARS WILL NOT IGNITE.

AND MEANWHILE, THE SPACECRAFT

IS LOSING ALTITUDE, SEVERAL KILOMETERS PER DAY.

THEY REALIZED THAT IT WILL

ENTER THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE AND DISINTEGRATE.

AND THE ONLY QUESTION THAT REMAINS IS, WHERE?

Narrator: AT 9:45 P.M. ON JANUARY 15, 2012,

FOBOS-GRUNT BURNS UP

AS IT REENTERS THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

MINUTES LATER, DEBRIS RAINS DOWN

CLOSE TO SOUTH AMERICA.

THIS IS REALLY A DISASTER FOR THE RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM.

SO MUCH WAS RIDING ON THIS MISSION.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY,

ROSCOSMOS, LAUNCHES AN INVESTIGATION

INTO THE MISSION'S CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.

ITS GENERAL DIRECTOR, VLADIMIR POPOVKIN,

ISSUES A DRAMATIC STATEMENT.

POPOVKIN ESSENTIALLY ASSERTS THAT IT'S AMERICANS,

SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE OF FOBOS-GRUNT.

THE ACCUSATION COMES AT A TIME

OF INCREASING TENSIONS BETWEEN THE SUPERPOWERS.

A FORMER COMMANDER

OF RUSSIA'S BALLISTIC MISSILE WARNING SYSTEM

OPENLY ACCUSES ONE SPECIFIC AMERICAN FACILITY.

HAARP --

A SECRETIVE MILITARY RESEARCH SITE IN ALASKA

THAT USES RADIO WAVES

TO CONDUCT ATMOSPHERIC EXPERIMENTS.

THIS IS A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO MONITOR AND EXPLORE

THE EARTH'S IONOSPHERE --

THE CHARGED LAYER OF THE EARTH'S UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: THE PENTAGON DENIES

THAT IT USED HAARP'S RADIO PULSES

TO ATTACK FOBOS-GRUNT.

SCIENTISTS ALSO DOUBT THE ALASKA FACILITY

TARGETED THE ORBITING PROBE.

THE PROBLEM WITH BLAMING HAARP

IS HAARP ISN'T NEARLY POWERFUL ENOUGH

TO AFFECT THE FOBOS-GRUNT SPACECRAFT,

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S IN ORBIT.

Narrator: THE CLAIMS OF SABOTAGE

THREATEN TO SEVERELY DAMAGE RELATIONS

BETWEEN RUSSIA AND AMERICA.

BUT ON JANUARY 31st,

VLADIMIR POPOVKIN BACKTRACKS

AND ISSUES A STATEMENT

CLAIMING THE CAUSE OF THE STRANGE MALFUNCTION

COMES FROM OUTER SPACE.

COSMIC RAY PARTICLES ARE ALWAYS PASSING THROUGH SPACECRAFT.

AND IF THEY HIT CERTAIN CIRCUITS

AND CERTAIN CIRCUIT ELEMENTS,

THEY CAN SEND BLIPS, THOSE LITTLE SIGNALS DOWN

THE WIRE AT THE WRONG TIME.

Narrator: COSMIC RAYS ARE KNOWN

TO HAVE DISABLED SPACECRAFT IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

BUT FOBOS-GRUNT'S LOW ALTITUDE

MEANS IT WAS PROBABLY OUT OF RANGE

OF THIS RADIOACTIVE ATTACK.

FOBOS-GRUNT IS NOWHERE NEAR THE RADIATION BELT OF THE EARTH.

IT'S FAR BELOW.

THERE'S NO WAY FOBOS-GRUNT

COULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY A COSMIC RAY.

Narrator: IN THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY,

SOURCES WITHIN ROSCOSMOS

LEAK INFORMATION FROM THE AGENCY'S INVESTIGATION

INTO THE DOOMED FLIGHT.

THEY CLAIM THAT, SOON AFTER LAUNCH,

THE PROBE'S FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS CRASHED.

SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE ONBOARD COMPUTER.

IT GOT CONFUSED.

IT HALTED THE ROCKET BURN,

AND IT JUST BASICALLY SHUT ITSELF DOWN,

WAITING FOR HELP FROM EARTH.

BUT HELP FROM EARTH NEVER CAME.

Narrator: THE REVELATIONS EMBARRASSED THE KREMLIN

AND EXPOSED SERIOUS FLAWS

WITHIN THE RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE PREPARATION FOR THE FLIGHT

HAD BEEN RUSHED BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE

POLITICAL PRESSURE ON THE PROGRAM

FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

THE PRESSURE ON THE TECHNICIANS ARE SO HIGH

THAT SEVERAL TECHNICIANS

IN THIS RUSSIAN SPACE PROGRAM

WERE THREATENED TO BE IMPRISONED.

Narrator: DESPITE THE DAMNING REPORT,

IN OCTOBER 2013,

THE RUSSIANS ANNOUNCE THEY INTEND

TO SEND ANOTHER PROBE TO FOBOS

IN THE NEXT DECADE.

THE MISSION REPRESENTS ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE OPPORTUNITY

FOR THE SUPERPOWER TO BREAK ITS MARTIAN JINX.

WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE RUSSIAN MARS CURSE

DOESN'T COME BACK TO HAUNT THEM AGAIN NEXT TIME.

Narrator: COMING UP...

A STRANGE AERIAL PHENOMENON

FUELS PANIC IN LOS ANGELES.

THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS.

THEY'RE ASKING, "ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?"

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS

RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

♪♪

Narrator: A MYSTERY SIGHTING IN THE SKIES

TERRIFIES LOS ANGELES.

COULD IT BE A FOREIGN POWER?

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

Narrator: THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

CAUSES CONTROVERSY.

ARE WE BEING LIED TO?

IS THE CONTRAIL JUST A COVER STORY?

Narrator: NOVEMBER 8, 2010, LOS ANGELES --

THOUSANDS OF WITNESSES

SEE A BRIGHT PLUME ARCH HIGH INTO THE SKY

ABOVE THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

Pope: PEOPLE SEE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING

COMING UP OUT OF THE OCEAN

AND FLYING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: THE DISTURBING SIGHT CAUSES PANIC ACROSS THE CITY.

Pope: PEOPLE ARE STUNNED.

THEY SEE THIS THING, THEY PANIC.

I MEAN, A MISSILE LAUNCH OFF THE COAST OF LOS ANGELES?

THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS.

THEY'RE ASKING, "WHAT'S GOING ON?

ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?"

Narrator: THE SIGHTING TRIGGERS FEARS

OF A FAILED WEAPONS TEST.

Guarino: COULD IT BE THAT THE MILITARY HAS LAUNCHED

AN INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE

FROM A SUBMARINE OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA?

Narrator: A STARTLINGLY SIMILAR INCIDENT

OCCURS FIVE YEARS LATER, IN NOVEMBER 2015,

WHEN AN UNANNOUNCED TEST LAUNCH

SHOCKED THE RESIDENTS OF POINT MUGU,

JUST 50 MILES FROM DOWNTOWN L.A.

THIS TIME, IT EMERGES

THAT THE US NAVY WERE RESPONSIBLE.

THEY LAUNCHED A TRIDENT MISSILE,

BUT THEY DID IT IN SECRET

SO AS TO ESCAPE THE PRYING EYES

OF THE RUSSIANS AND THE CHINESE.

WHEN THE MILITARY TESTS NEW EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY,

IT LIKES TO KEEP THESE THINGS UNDER WRAPS.

Narrator: THE CONTRAIL IN THE SKIES OVER L.A.

DOES BEAR SOME OF THE HALLMARKS OF A MISSILE LAUNCH,

BUT INQUIRIES AT THE PENTAGON

YIELD NOTHING.

Pope: THEN THEY HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE.

AND INCREDIBLY, THEY TURN AROUND AND SAY,

"WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS."

WELL, THAT'S PRETTY WORRYING

IF THE PENTAGON DON'T HAVE A CLUE

WHAT'S GOING ON JUST OFF THE COAST OF THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: THE PENTAGON'S DENIAL ROUSES SUSPICIONS OF A COVER-UP,

PERHAPS OF A POTENTIALLY DEADLY ACCIDENT

INVOLVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

SOUNDS FAR-FETCHED,

ACCIDENTALLY FIRING OF AN I.C.B.M.,

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS BEFORE.

Narrator: IN 1980,

A NUCLEAR-ARMED TITAN II MISSILE

LAUNCHED ACCIDENTALLY FROM LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE

IN ARKANSAS.

SOMETHING PIERCES THE FUEL TANK OF THE ROCKET.

THE FUEL TANK EXPLODES,

AND IT SENDS THE MISSILE HIGH INTO THE SKY.

Narrator: THE PLUTONIUM WARHEAD DOESN'T IGNITE,

BUT THE INCIDENT IS A HARROWING BRUSH

WITH NUCLEAR DEVASTATION ON U.S. SOIL.

THE MILITARY PUTS IN RESTRICTIONS,

ENSURING THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS

SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

Narrator: WITH THE U.S. MILITARY DENYING ALL RESPONSIBILITY,

SUSPICION FALLS ON AMERICA'S ENEMIES.

COULD IT BE A FOREIGN POWER?

IS SOMEBODY TESTING WEAPONS RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP?

THE NORTH KOREANS HAVE CONDUCTED MULTIPLE NUCLEAR WEAPONS

AND LONG-RANGE MISSILE TESTS

IN THE FACE OF INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION.

Narrator: RECENT INTELLIGENCE REPORTS

SHOW NORTH KOREA IS DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO LAUNCH

AN INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE

FROM A SUBMARINE.

IN AUGUST 2016, THE NORTH KOREANS

LAUNCH A ROCKET THAT COULD BE USED AS AN I.C.B.M.

IT TRAVELS 600 MILES AND SPLASHES DOWN

IN THE SEA OF JAPAN.

BUT AT THE TIME OF THE MYSTERY LAUNCH IN 2010,

NORTH KOREA DID NOT YET HAVE A SUBMARINE LAUNCH CAPABILITY.

IMAGE ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO

SEARCHES THE FOOTAGE FOR CLUES.

THESE IMAGES ARE PART OF A SEQUENCE OF IMAGES.

SO WE CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE DATA ASSOCIATED

WITH EACH IMAGE IN THAT SEQUENCE.

AT 6:20:35, THIS IS WHERE THE OBJECT IS IN THE SKY.

MOVING AHEAD NOW TO 6:21:34,

THE OBJECT WENT FROM HERE

TO HERE IN 60 SECONDS.

THAT'S WAY TOO SLOW TO BE A MISSILE.

Guarino: ICBMS MOVE AT 18,000 MILES AN HOUR.

WHATEVER'S CAUSING THIS,

IT'S NOT MOVING AT NEARLY THAT SPEED.

Narrator: WHEN MILITARY ANALYSTS DRAW A BLANK,

NASA GETS INVOLVED.

THE FOOTAGE ATTRACTS THE ATTENTION

OF TWO NASA CONTRAIL EXPERTS,

AND THEY TAKE A VERY DETAILED LOOK.

Narrator: METEOROLOGISTS

AT NASA'S LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER

ANALYZE WEATHER IMAGERY

FROM A GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITE.

Pope: WHILE THEY'RE DOING THIS,

THEY NOTICE A PERSISTENT CONTRAIL.

AND IT BECOMES CLEAR TO THEM,

THIS COULD BE THE EXPLANATION.

IT COULD JUST BE CONTRAILS LEFT BEHIND

FROM A AVERAGE COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE.

Narrator: WHAT LOOKS LIKE A VERTICAL CONTRAIL

MAY SIMPLY BE A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS AN ILLUSION CAUSED

BY THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH.

THE CONTRAIL LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING UP.

BUT THE PLANE IS COMING RIGHT TOWARD US,

AND IT'S ARCHING AROUND THE CURVE OF THE EARTH.

SO CONTRAILS DOWN HERE

ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE THEY'RE GOING UP.

Pope: FAR FROM ACTUALLY BEING SOMETHING

WHICH ORIGINATED IN THE OCEAN

AND WENT UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE,

THIS THING WAS ACTUALLY HORIZONTAL.

Narrator: THE JET EXPLANATION ABSOLVES THE U.S. MILITARY

OF ANY BLAME

AND CONFIRMS THAT, FOR NOW,

THE WEST COAST IS OUT OF RANGE

OF NORTH KOREA'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

COMING UP...

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER A BIZARRE OBJECT

IN THE OUTER REACHES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS OBJECT IS VERY UNUSUAL.

IT MIGHT REMAIN A MYSTERY FOREVER.

♪♪

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER

AN UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY TRAVELING THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

SO WE HAVE A VERY BIZARRE OBJECT HERE

THAT WE REALLY CAN'T EXPLAIN.

THE MYSTERY OBJECT'S MOVEMENTS

BAFFLE OBSERVERS.

McMillan: ALL THE MAJOR PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

ORBIT IN THE SAME PLANE

AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

BUT THIS OBJECT GOES BACKWARDS.

Narrator: MAY 31, 2011, ARIZONA --

ASTRONOMERS AT THE MOUNT LEMMON OBSERVATORY

SPOT SOMETHING STRANGE MOVING PAST THE MOST DISTANT PLANET

FROM OUR SUN.

ASTRONOMERS HAVE NOW FOUND THIS VERY BIZARRE OBJECT

OUT THERE IN THE FAR REACHES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

OUT JUST BEYOND NEPTUNE.

Narrator: THE WEIRD OBJECT IS OVER 120 MILES WIDE,

AND IT'S MOVING IN A WAY

THAT APPEARS TO DEFY THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

ALL THE MAJOR PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

ORBIT AROUND THE SUN IN THE SAME PLANE

AND IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

BUT THIS OBJECT, ITS ORBIT IS HIGHLY INCLINED,

AND IT GOES BACKWARDS.

THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL.

Shostak: IT'S NOT FOLLOWING THE CROWD.

IT'S LIKE FINDING A WOODEN HORSE, YOU KNOW,

A QUARTER OF A MILE AWAY FROM THE CAROUSEL.

Narrator: ASTRONOMERS NAME THE OBJECT "NIKU,"

MEANING REBELLIOUS IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.

NIKU'S BEHAVIOR FLIES IN THE FACE

OF ALMOST EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT ORBITING OBJECTS.

Narrator: NIKU'S MOVEMENTS AREN'T JUST HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

THEY APPEAR TO GO AGAINST EVERYTHING WE KNOW

ABOUT HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM WAS FORMED.

OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING

OF HOW SOLAR SYSTEMS TYPICALLY FORM

IS THAT YOU START WITH A CLOUD OF MATERIAL AROUND A STAR,

AND AS THAT MATERIAL IS SPINNING,

IT WILL FLATTEN INTO A DISK,

AND THEN FROM THAT DISK, YOU GET PLANETS

AND OTHER SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS.

ANGULAR MOMENTUM TELLS US THAT ALL OF THESE OBJECTS

SHOULD BE ORBITING IN THE SAME DIRECTION.

THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: SOME SUGGEST THAT NIKU'S WEIRD MOTION

IS SIMPLY THE RESULT OF A COLLISION

WITH ANOTHER OBJECT IN SPACE.

IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT NIKU'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR

IS THE RESULT OF A GIANT WHACK.

IT JUST GOT HIT BY ANOTHER OBJECT,

AND THAT KICKED IT OUT OF THE PARK.

Narrator: BUT TO MANY SCIENTISTS,

THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

McMillan: IT WOULD TAKE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ENERGY

TO CHANGE THAT ORBIT TO GO IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.

YOU TRY TO GET THAT MUCH ENERGY OUT OF A COLLISION,

YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA BREAK THE PLANET INTO PIECES.

Narrator: SOME ASTRONOMERS HAVE A MORE RADICAL THEORY

FOR NIKU'S STRANGE BEHAVIOR.

THEY SUGGEST THAT IT IS BEING INFLUENCED

BY AN INVISIBLE GIANT WORLD CALLED PLANET NINE.

PLANET NINE IS THOUGHT TO BE A PLANET

IN THE VERY OUTER REACHES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

AND ITS ORBIT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 15,000 YEARS

TO GO AROUND OUR SUN.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS SPECULATE

THAT PLANET NINE IS 10 TIMES BIGGER THAN EARTH.

THIS SUPER-EARTH'S MASSIVE GRAVITATIONAL PULL

COULD AFFECT THE ORBITS OF OTHER OBJECTS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

WE KNOW THAT PLANETS CAN CHANGE THE ORBITS OF THINGS.

WE USE THAT ALL THE TIME FOR OUR SPACECRAFT.

WE SEND THEM BY JUPITER, AND SUDDENLY,

INSTEAD OF GOING THIS WAY, THEY'RE GOING THAT WAY.

SO THAT COULD BE AN EXPLANATION.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT IF PLANET NINE EXISTS,

IT ORBITS UP TO 100 BILLION MILES AWAY FROM NIKU.

THIS MEANS NIKU IS BEYOND

THE UNSEEN PLANET'S GRAVITATIONAL REACH.

THE PROBLEM WITH APPLYING PLANET NINE TO NIKU

IS THAT IT'S JUST SO FAR AWAY,

AND IT'S IN A VERY DIFFERENT ORBIT.

Narrator: PLANET NINE, IT SEEMS,

CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR NIKU'S ODD ORBITAL MOTION.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE THEORY IS THAT THE OBJECT HAS TRAVELED HERE

FROM THE DARKNESS BEYOND THE LIGHT OF OUR SUN.

♪♪

NOW, ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION IS

THAT MAYBE NIKU DOESN'T BELONG

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AT ALL,

THAT REALLY, IT'S HERE BY MISTAKE,

AND MAYBE IT'S A WANDERING PLANET

OR A WANDERING OBJECT FROM A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: THEORETICALLY, OUR SUN'S GRAVITATIONAL PULL

THEN CAPTURED THIS SPACE INVADER

AND FIXED ITS ORBITAL MOTION.

IF YOU CAPTURE A PLANET,

THEN THAT'S GOING TO COME IN FROM ANY RANDOM ANGLE,

WHICH MEANS THAT IT CAN HAVE ANY RANDOM ORBIT,

AND NIKU'S ORBIT IS VERY RANDOM.

Narrator: THIS SUGGESTS OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS HOME

TO NUMEROUS VISITORS FROM DISTANT STAR SYSTEMS.

IN OUR OWN GALAXY, PROBABLY, THERE ARE BILLIONS OF OBJECTS

THAT HAVE BEEN CAPTURED IN ONE STAR SYSTEM

BEING FLUNG FROM A DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: FOR NOW, THIS IS JUST A THEORY.

UNTIL MANKIND SENDS A PROBE TO NIKU,

THE EXACT ORIGIN OF THIS WEIRD OBJECT FROM DEEP SPACE

WILL REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

NIKU IS A MYSTERY TODAY, AND TO BE HONEST,

IT MIGHT REMAIN A MYSTERY FOREVER.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS