All language subtitles for NASAs.Unexplained.Files.S05E08.Saturns.Death.Star.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-BATMAN_track3_[eng]

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.

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
GONNA THROW AT US NEXT.

Narrator: A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR
SATELLITE VANISHES,

FUELING FEARS OF A SPACE WAR.

Maley: YOU'RE PROBABLY
FREAKING OUT.

THIS IS A VERY
SERIOUS SITUATION.

Narrator:
THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE DIES

IN AN UNEXPLAINED
AVIATION ACCIDENT.

Orwoll: IT HAD ALL THE HALLMARKS
OF A CONSPIRACY.

THE RUMORS FLY
LIKE CONFETTI.

Narrator:
AND A NASA PROBE ENCOUNTERS

A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
ORBITING SATURN.

YOU HAVE TO ASK,
"IS IT REALLY A MOON?

IS IT REALLY NATURAL?"

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

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

AN EXPERIMENTAL NASA
SPACECRAFT SUFFERS

A MALFUNCTION IN ORBIT.

Orwoll:
A DISASTER NOW, AND THE GEMINI
AND FUTURE APOLLO PROGRAMS

COULD BE DELAYED,
EVEN CANCELED.

Narrator:
THE LONE ASTRONAUT FACES

A DESPERATE STRUGGLE
FOR SURVIVAL.

Teitel: IF HE PULLS THIS OFF,
HE'S GOING TO MAKE HISTORY

IN MORE WAYS
THAN HE EVER EXPECTED.

♪♪

Narrator:
NASA ASTRONAUT GORDON COOPER
IS ALONE

IN HIS FAITH 7 CAPSULE,
ORBITING THE EARTH

AT AN ALTITUDE OF 165 MILES.

HIS MISSION -- TO MATCH
THE RUSSIAN RECORD

AND STAY ALIVE IN SPACE

FOR OVER 24 HOURS.

THE U.S. IS IN DANGER OF FALLING
BEHIND IN THE SPACE RACE,

BUT COOPER'S LONG FLIGHT

WILL KEEP NASA'S
MERCURY PROGRAM IN THE GAME.

THE FIRST 18 ORBITS
WENT FLAWLESSLY.

THERE WERE NO ISSUES,
NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.

Teitel: HE'S ORBITING THE EARTH

DOING ALL
OF HIS SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS.

HE TAKES HIS SCHEDULED
REST PERIOD.

HE EVEN EATS DINNER IN SPACE.

Orwoll: ON COOPER'S 19th ORBIT,
OUT OF A POTENTIAL OF 22,

COMES THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE.

[ ALARM BLARES ]

A WARNING LIGHT COMES
ON INDICATING

THAT THE SPACECRAFT
MAY BE SLOWING DOWN,

DROPPING OUT OF ORBIT.

Narrator:
THE WARNING LIGHT MYSTIFIES
ENGINEERS ON THE GROUND.

Gough:
THEY KNOW SOMETHING'S WRONG.

THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT.

Teitel: IN MISSION CONTROL,
THERE'S NO INDICATION

THAT FAITH 7 HAS
STARTED REENTRY EARLY,

BUT THEY FEAR THAT THIS MIGHT
BE AN INDICATION

OF SOMETHING DEEPER WRONG
WITH THE SPACECRAFT.

THEIR FEARS ARE REALIZED
ON COOPER'S NEXT PASS.

Narrator: MIDWAY THROUGH
COOPER'S 20th ORBIT,

HIS AUTOPILOT MALFUNCTIONS.

IT STARTED REENTRY
PREPARATIONS TOO SOON

AND IN THE WRONG ORDER.

Teitel:
IN THE MERCURY CONTROL CENTER,

THERE'S A FLURRY
OF ACTIVITY AS ENGINEERS

TRY TO WORK THE PROBLEM.

NORMALLY, THERE IS
A VERY STRICT SERIES

OF EVENTS THE SPACECRAFT

GOES THROUGH BEFORE
TRIGGERING RETROFIRE

TO BEGIN THAT FALL FROM ORBIT.

IF FAITH 7 IS STARTING
TO FALL FROM ORBIT,

IT MEANS THAT SOME OF THESE
ESSENTIAL EARLY

STEPS HAVE BEEN SKIPPED.

Narrator:
NASA ENGINEERS RUN FAITH 7'S
DATA THROUGH THEIR SIMULATORS.

BEFORE THEY CAN DIAGNOSE
THE ISSUE,

THE SITUATION
IN THE CAPSULE GETS WORSE.

[ ALARM BLARES ]

ON COOPER'S 21st ORBIT,

CRITICAL ELECTRICAL
COMPONENTS SHORT CIRCUIT.

TWO OF HIS THREE BATTERY
POWER SOURCES GO DOWN.

THE CAPSULE IS RUNNING
ON EMERGENCY POWER ONLY.

WHAT BEGINS AS A MINOR GLITCH
ESCALATES

INTO A MAJOR INCIDENT.

Narrator: COOPER REROUTES POWER
AWAY FROM HIS OWN OXYGEN

RECYCLING SYSTEM AND POWERS

DOWN THE CRAFT'S
REENTRY COOLING MECHANISM.

BUT COOPER'S GAMBLE
IS NOT ENOUGH

TO KEEP HIS AUTOPILOT RUNNING.

AS HE ENTERS HIS 22nd
AND FINAL ORBIT,

HIS AUTOMATIC REENTRY
SYSTEM FAILS COMPLETELY.

IT MEANS COOPER'S CAPSULE

IS HURTLING UNCONTROLLED
THROUGH SPACE.

NOW COOPER FACES
A CHALLENGE UNPRECEDENTED

IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE FLIGHT.

HIS ONLY HOPE FOR SURVIVAL
IS TO PERFORM A RISKY

MANUALLY CONTROLLED REENTRY.

Mueller:
THERE'S A LIMITED AMOUNT
OF PROPELLANT

ON THIS SPACECRAFT,

AND YOU GET ONE TRY
TO GET IT RIGHT.

AND IF YOU DROP IN TOO QUICKLY
AND TOO STEEPLY,

YOU BURN UP THE SPACESHIP.

Teitel:
IF HE COMES IN TOO SHALLOW,

HE BOUNCES OFF THE EARTH'S

ATMOSPHERE AND FLINGS
BACK OUT INTO SPACE,

NEVER TO RETURN.

Narrator:
MAINTAINING THE CORRECT ANGLE
FOR REENTRY IS CRITICAL.

COOPER LINES UP THE FRONT
OF HIS CAPSULE WITH THE HORIZON,

BUT HE NEEDS A SECOND
POINT OF REFERENCE

TO CORRECTLY TILT
THE REAR OF THE CRAFT.

Orwoll: IT SOUNDS CRAZY,
BUT COOPER WILL HAVE TO USE

A CENTURIES-OLD METHOD
TO NAVIGATE HOME --

THE STARS.

Narrator:
COOPER MANUALLY ADJUSTS
THE CRAFT'S THRUSTERS

TO KEEP LINES ENGRAVED
ON THE CAPSULE'S WINDOW

PERFECTLY ALIGNED
WITH THE CONSTELLATIONS.

Mueller:
HE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO GET
TO A 34-DEGREE PITCH ANGLE

IN ORDER TO ORIENT THE SPACESHIP
JUST RIGHT SO IT

WOULD REENTER THE ATMOSPHERE
AT THE RIGHT ANGLE.

Teitel: IF HE PULLS THIS OFF,
HE'S GOING TO MAKE HISTORY

IN MORE WAYS
THAN HE EVER EXPECTED.

Narrator:
BUT COOPER'S GAMBLE WITH HIS OWN
LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS

MEANS CONDITIONS IN HIS CAPSULE
ARE NOW CRITICAL.

THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE
THE SPACECRAFT RISES

TO OVER 100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

AND HIS OXYGEN SYSTEM
ISN'T RECYCLING PROPERLY.

CARBON DIOXIDE IS
STARTING TO BUILD UP,

AND THAT'S GOING TO KILL HIM.

Narrator: COOPER MUST STAY
CONSCIOUS LONG ENOUGH

TO TRIGGER HIS RETROBURNER
TO START REENTRY.

MISSION CONTROL
GIVES THE COUNTDOWN.

Man: FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE...

FIRE!

COOPER FIRES THE RETROROCKETS
EXACTLY ON TIME.

Narrator: 15 MINUTES LATER,

COOPER MANUALLY DEPLOYS
HIS CAPSULE'S PARACHUTE.

FAITH 7 SPLASHES DOWN
RIGHT ON TARGET.

HE'S AVERTED DISASTER AND,

WITH IT, SAVED
THE MERCURY PROGRAM.

HIS 22 ORBITS LASTING 32.4
HOURS IS AN AMERICAN RECORD.

Narrator: COOPER'S SUCCESS PAVES
THE WAY FOR THE GEMINI PROGRAM

AND THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT

THAT WILL ULTIMATELY
TAKE MANKIND TO THE MOON.

♪♪

COMING UP...

A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR
SATELLITE DISAPPEARS.

Porges: THE SATELLITE IS
WORKING GREAT.

IT'S SENDING BACK USEFUL DATA
AND THEN SUDDENLY...

SILENCE.

IT'S GONE.

Narrator:
AND A RUSSIAN PROBE PLUMMETS
UNCONTROLLED TOWARDS EARTH.

Oberg:
NOW THERE'S AN OUT-OF-CONTROL
RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT

SLIPPING INTO
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

AND NO ONE KNOWS
WHERE IT'S GOING TO LAND.

♪♪

Narrator:
A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR SATELLITE
VANISHES WITHOUT A TRACE.

Maley: YOU'VE GOT NO DATA,
NO INSIGHT.

THE SPACECRAFT IS
APPARENTLY NOT RESPONDING.

Narrator: THE INCIDENT FUELS
FEARS OF A SINISTER SPACE WAR.

Weeden:
IT'S INCREASINGLY THE CASE

THAT SPACE IS THE KEY
TO MILITARY POWER.

THE DEVELOPMENT
OF ANTI-SATELLITE TECHNOLOGIES

IS VERY MUCH A CONCERN
FOR THE UNITED STATES.

D'Antonio:
BUT THE QUESTION ARISES --
WHO WOULD WANT TO KILL

A SATELLITE THAT'S DOING
SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVORS?

♪♪

Narrator: 5:45 P.M.,

FEBRUARY 17, 2016 --

SOUTHERN JAPAN.

THE JAPANESE SPACE AGENCY'S
$273 MILLION HITOMI SATELLITE

BLASTS OFF FROM THE TANEGASHIMA
LAUNCH COMPLEX.

ONBOARD IS THE WORD'S MOST
SENSITIVE X-RAY TELESCOPE,

DESIGNED TO CAPTURE
INVISIBLE RAYS

EMITTED BY SUPERMASSIVE
BLACK HOLES.

BLACK HOLES ARE LITERALLY
AN ABSENCE OF LIGHT.

BY STUDYING X-RAY EMISSIONS
FROM THESE BLACK HOLE SOURCES,

IT GIVES YOU A DIFFERENT
VIEWPOINT INTO THE TRUE

MEANING OF WHAT SPACE
IS ALL ABOUT AND, HOPEFULLY,

A BIGGER INSIGHT INTO THE ORIGIN
OF THE UNIVERSE ITSELF.

Narrator: AFTER A MONTH
OF CAREFUL CALIBRATION,

ON MARCH 26th,

HITOMI STARTS
SENDING BACK DATA.

THEN, JUST 13 HOURS LATER,

SOMETHING GOES WRONG.

Porges: THE SATELLITE IS
WORKING GREAT.

IT'S SENDING BACK USEFUL DATA
AND THEN SUDDENLY...

SILENCE.

IT'S GONE.

Narrator: ON THE GROUND,
MISSION CONTROL STRUGGLE

TO RESTORE CONTACT
WITH THEIR SILENT CRAFT.

D'Antonio: THE JAPANESE
ARE IN SHOCK,

AND THEY'RE SCRAMBLING
TO FIND OUT WHAT THE HELL

IS GOING ON
WITH THEIR SATELLITE.

Maley: YOU'VE GOT NO TELEMETRY,
NO DATA.

YOU'RE PROBABLY FREAKING OUT.

THIS IS A VERY
SERIOUS SITUATION.

Narrator:
NASA JOINS THE JAPANESE
SPACE AGENCY'S INVESTIGATION.

BOTH AGENCIES TRAIN
THEIR EARTH-BASED

TELESCOPES TO HITOMI'S
ORBITAL PATH.

THEY FIND NOTHING.

Weeden: IT CAN BE REALLY HARD
TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT WENT WRONG WITH A SATELLITE
WHEN IT BREAKS.

SATELLITES ARE ORBITING PERHAPS

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES
AWAY FROM THE EARTH,

AND WHAT YOU'RE
REALLY TRYING TO DO

IS LONG-DISTANCE DETECTIVE WORK.

Narrator: THE SURGE GRABS
THE ATTENTION

OF FORMER NASA ENGINEER
PAUL MALEY.

I SAW THAT SOMETHING
HAD GONE WRONG, POSSIBLY,

WITH THE HITOMI SPACECRAFT.

SO I SAID, "WELL, GEE,
THAT'S INTERESTING.

I OUGHT TO TAKE A LOOK
AND SEE IF I CAN SEE ANYTHING."

I WAS ABLE TO COMPUTE
WHERE THE SATELLITE

ORBIT WAS GOING TO BE.

I DETERMINED THAT,
FOR MY LOCATION HERE IN ARIZONA,

WE WOULD HAVE A FAVORABLE PASS
THE FOLLOWING NIGHT.

GOT OUT MY TELESCOPE,

WAS ABLE TO GET MY VIDEO
EQUIPMENT ALL PREPARED.

I CAN SEE THE OBJECT MOVING
THROUGH THE FIELD OF VIEW,

FLASHING ROUGHLY
EVERY 5 SECONDS.

Narrator: MALEY HAS DISCOVERED
THE FIRST EVIDENCE

HITOMI HADN'T
VANISHED AFTER ALL,

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THE CRAFT.

IT'S BLINKING.
IT'S FLASHING.

ITS LIGHT IS ERRATIC.

THIS IS A SATELLITE IN DISTRESS.

Maley: AND THIS PROVIDED
A SIGNIFICANT CLUE

THAT SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENED

THAT CAUSED THIS OBJECT

TO COMPLETELY FRAGMENT
INTO AT LEAST

TWO LARGE PIECES
AND A NUMBER OF SMALL PIECES.

D'Antonio: IT'S NOW IN
10 DISTINCT PIECES.

IT PRETTY MUCH MEANS
THAT HITOMI HAS BITTEN THE DUST.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
FEAR THE WORST,

AN ATTACK BY A FOREIGN POWER.

MAYBE THIS WAS A VICTIM

OF A HUNTER-KILLER SATELLITE.

BUT THE QUESTION ARISES --

WHO WOULD WANT TO KILL

A SATELLITE THAT'S
DOING SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVORS?

WELL, MAYBE A COUNTRY THAT
JUST WANTS TO PROVE A POINT.

Weeden: IN RECENT YEARS,
CHINA HAS CERTAINLY

BECOME A COUNTRY OF INTEREST

BECAUSE CHINA IS DEVELOPING
ITS SPACE CAPABILITIES.

IT'S BECOMING MORE ASSERTIVE
IN ITS NATIONAL POWER.

AMERICA DEFINITELY DOES KEEP
A CLOSE EYE

ON WHAT CHINA IS DOING,

INCLUDING IN SPACE.

Narrator: EXPERTS INVESTIGATE
IF THE SATELLITE HAS

FALLEN VICTIM
TO A CHINESE CYBER ATTACK.

D'Antonio: MAYBE SOMEBODY
HACKED THE SATELLITE,

HACKED THE BEHAVIORS
OF THE SATELLITE,

CAUSING IT TO GO HAYWIRE.

IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME
CHINA HAS BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT

OVER HACKING A SATELLITE.

A 2011 REPORT
FROM CONGRESS CONCLUDED

THAT THERE WERE ATTEMPTS
BY HACKERS, LIKELY FROM CHINA,

TO TRY AND GAIN ACCESS
TO TWO U.S. SATELLITES.

ONE CYBER ATTACK BREACHED THE
U.S. NATIONAL WEATHER NETWORK,

COMPROMISING VITAL
SHIPPING NAVIGATION DATA.

IN A 2008 BREACH,

HACKERS CLAIMED
TO TAKE TEMPORARY

CONTROL OF A NASA SATELLITE.

Porges: MILITARY SATELLITES HAVE
SOME LEVEL OF DEFENSE

AGAINST HACKERS BUILT INTO THEM,

BUT SCIENTIFIC SATELLITES,
COMPARABLY, THEY'RE EASY PREY.

Narrator: SECURITY EXPERTS SCAN
HITOMI'S MISSION SOFTWARE

FOR THE TELLTALE TRACES
OF A CYBER INTRUSION.

NOBODY CAN FIND ANY
EVIDENCE OF A HACK.

NOTHING!

THEY'RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

JAPANESE AND AMERICAN
SPACE-AGENCY

TEAMS RUN A DEEP FORENSIC

ANALYSIS OF THEIR EVERY
COMMUNICATION WITH HITOMI.

THE SEARCH YIELDS
A BREAKTHROUGH.

THEY FIND A SINGLE
FAULTY COMMAND

TO THE SATELLITE'S STABILIZING
THRUSTER JETS.

USING THIS MODEL
OF A SATELLITE,

I CAN SHOW WHAT I THINK
HAPPENED TO HITOMI.

SATELLITES LIKE HITOMI
HAVE THRUSTERS THAT FIRE

AND HELP MOVE IT INTO POSITION.

NOW, IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT ONE OF THOSE THRUSTERS

DIDN'T WORK RIGHT

AND STARTED SPINNING
THE SATELLITE OUT OF CONTROL.

AND WHEN THE SATELLITE SPUN,

ITS SENSITIVE
SOLAR PANELS BROKE OFF,

AND IT LOSES POWER.

IT CAN NO LONGER
CONTROL ITSELF.

HITOMI, AS IT WAS SPINNING,

SHATTERED AND FELL APART.

IT JUST BECAME ANOTHER PIECE
OF SPACE JUNK, ITSELF.

Narrator: ON APRIL 28th,

THE JAPANESE ADMIT
THEIR PRICELESS

SATELLITE MOST
LIKELY BROKE APART

BECAUSE OF A SINGLE
PROGRAMMING ERROR.

THE HITOMI INCIDENT HIGHLIGHTS

THE VULNERABILITY
OF SATELLITES IN SPACE

AND THE DIFFICULTIES OF
STUDYING MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

IN THE DEPTHS OF OUR GALAXY.

Maley: IT DOES SET BACK
THE SCIENCE OF X-RAY ASTRONOMY

BY A CONSIDERABLE
PERIOD OF TIME.

THE QUESTION IS, IS HOW LONG IT
WILL TAKE TO REGENERATE,

REBUILD, RE-TEST TO LAUNCH
A NEW SPACECRAFT.

THAT'S NOT CLEAR.

Narrator: FOR NOW,

SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES
WILL KEEP THEIR SECRETS.

COMING UP...

THE SOVIET PREMIER SHUTS

DOWN INVESTIGATIONS
INTO THE DEATH

OF THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE.

RARELY HAS THE DEATH
OF SUCH A FIGURE BEEN

SHROUDED IN SO MUCH CONTROVERSY,

MYSTERY, AND CONSPIRACY.

Narrator: AND GEOLOGISTS
DISCOVER ALIEN DEPOSITS

THAT COULD SHED LIGHT
ON WHAT POWERED

THE EVOLUTION OF MANKIND.

THIS IS JUST LIKE SOMETHING
OUT OF "X-MEN."

THE EARTH GETS SPRAYED
WITH RADIATION,

AND LIFE MUTATES INTO STRANGER,

NEW, MORE POWERFUL FORMS.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE DIES

IN A FREAK AVIATION ACCIDENT.

HIS DEATH IS SURROUNDED
BY SUCH A MYSTERY.

IT HAD ALL THE HALLMARKS
OF A CONSPIRACY --

AN INEXPLICABLE DEATH,

A BACKSTORY OF FRICTION
WITH POWERFUL PEOPLE.

THE RUMORS FLY
LIKE CONFETTI.

Narrator: CAN NEW EVIDENCE SOLVE
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH

OF THE SOVIET UNION'S
GREATEST HERO?

♪♪

MARCH 27, 1968.

AT 10:00 A.M.,
A MIG-15 FIGHTER JET

TAKES TO THE SKIES ABOVE

THE TOWN OF KIRZHACH,
NEAR MOSCOW.

IT'S A ROUTINE
TRAINING FLIGHT.

WITHIN MINUTES, IT ENTERS

A TAILSPIN AND CRASHES
TO THE GROUND.

THE PILOT HAS NO TIME

TO DEPLOY HIS EJECTIVE SEAT.

♪♪

YURI GAGARIN, SOVIET HERO

AND FIRST MAN IN SPACE,

IS DEAD.

YURI GAGARIN WILL FOREVER,
FOREVER BE THE FIRST GUY

TO GO INTO SPACE, FOREVER.

Dr. Gerovitch:
WHEN GAGARIN IS KILLED,
IT'S A HUGE LOSS,

AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY
GOES INTO MOURNING.

Narrator: A DECLASSIFIED
SOVIET STATE REPORT CLAIMS

GAGARIN LOSES CONTROL
DURING AN EMERGENCY MANEUVER

TO AVOID AN UNIDENTIFIED
OBJECT IN THE SKY.

Dr. Gerovitch:
NOT BEING ABLE TO PERFORM
AN EVASIVE MANEUVER PROPERLY,

AS THE CAUSE OF GAGARIN'S DEATH,

WAS DEEPLY UNSATISFACTORY.

Orwoll: IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN GOOD
ENOUGH FOR MASS CONSUMPTION,

BUT THE EXPERTS
WEREN'T BUYING IT.

Narrator: THE DEATH OF SUCH
AN EXPERIENCED PILOT

RAISES DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

FOR THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES.

COMMUNIST LEADER BREZHNEV SHUTS
DOWN THE INVESTIGATIONS.

ITS CONCLUSIONS
ARE CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET.

IT HAD ALL THE HALLMARKS
OF A CONSPIRACY --

AN INEXPLICABLE DEATH,

A BACKSTORY OF FRICTION
WITH POWERFUL PEOPLE.

THE RUMORS FLY
LIKE CONFETTI.

Narrator:
CRITICS OF THE SOVIET REGIME

CLAIM GAGARIN'S DEATH
IS NO ACCIDENT.

12 MONTHS BEFORE
HIS FATAL CRASH,

GAGARIN CRITICIZES THE KREMLIN.

HE BLAMES THE UNTIMELY
DEATH OF HIS FRIEND

AND FELLOW COSMONAUT

VLADIMIR KOMAROV
ON POLITICAL PRESSURE.

Zak: IF WE CAN IMAGINE
THAT GAGARIN HAS TAKEN

SOME POLITICAL POSITION
ON KOMAROV'S DEATH,

HE MIGHT HAVE SOME ENEMIES
IN THE KREMLIN

OR SOMEWHERE ELSE HIGHER UP
IN THE GOVERNMENT.

Narrator:
KOMAROV'S SOYUZ 1 SPACECRAFT
WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT

IN THE SOVIET UNION'S
BOTCHED BID

TO REACH THE MOON
AHEAD OF NASA.

WHEN THE PARACHUTE
ON HIS ILL-PREPARED CRAFT

FAILED TO OPEN,

HE BECAME THE FIRST MAN TO DIE
ON A SPACE MISSION.

Oberg: THIS COSMONAUT WAS SENT
ON A MISSION

THAT WAS DESIGNED TO SATISFY

THE VANITY
OF THE KREMLIN LEADERS.

GAGARIN IS DEEPLY AFFECTED
BY KOMAROV'S DEATH.

Narrator: RUMORS OF A LINK
BETWEEN THE KREMLIN

AND GAGARIN'S DEATH PERSIST

FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY.

IN 2013, THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT

RELEASES FORMERLY
CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS.

AMONG THEM IS WITNESS TESTIMONY

FROM GAGARIN'S CLOSE FRIEND,

COSMONAUT ALEXEY LEONOV.

Orwoll:
LEONOV IS NO ORDINARY WITNESS.

HE WAS WORKING SIDE-BY-SIDE
WITH GAGARIN,

AND HE WAS ACTUALLY THERE.

Dr. Gerovitch: HE RECALLED THAT
SHORTLY BEFORE THE CRASH,

HE HEARD TWO LOUD NOISES.

THE SECOND OF THEM
WAS THE SOUND

OF THE CRASH OF GAGARIN'S PLANE,

BUT THE FIRST ONE WAS A SOUND
OF A SUPERSONIC JET

BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER.

Narrator: THE DECLASSIFIED
KREMLIN REPORT SUGGESTS

LEONOV HEARS THE LOUD BOOMS
15 TO 20 SECONDS APART,

BUT LEONOV LATER TESTIFIES
THE BOOMS COME WITHIN

JUST 2 SECONDS OF EACH OTHER.

THE UNIDENTIFIED SUPERSONIC JET

IS FLYING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE
TO GAGARIN'S MIG.

ACCORDING TO ALEXEY LEONOV,

A SUKHOI AIRCRAFT FLEW
RIGHT IN FRONT OF GAGARIN'S,

AND HE GOT CAUGHT UP
IN ITS JET WASH

AND LOST CONTROL
OF HIS AIRCRAFT AND CRASHED.

Narrator: AFTER MORE THAN
50 YEARS OF SILENCE,

LEONOV IS ALLOWED
TO GO PUBLIC WITH THE STORY

EXCEPT FOR ONE DETAIL --

THE SUPERSONIC JET PILOT'S NAME.

Dr. Gerovitch: THE DETAILS
OF THAT SUPERSONIC JET,

WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHO WAS
FLYING IT, ARE STILL A MYSTERY.

Narrator:
WHILE DEEP SECRETS REMAIN,

THERE ARE STILL
THOSE WHO BELIEVE

THE TYRANNICAL SOCIALIST
REGIME CONSPIRED

TO BRING ABOUT THE DEATH
OF A SOVIET HERO.

COMING UP...

A NASA PROBE DETECTS
A STRANGE VIBRATING SPHERE

IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

Aguilar: WITHOUT
AN IMMEDIATE EXPLANATION,

MIMAS MAY BE
THE REAL DEATH STAR.

Narrator: AND IN THE SKIES
ABOVE SOUTH AMERICA,

WITNESSES REPORT
AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVADER.

Friedman: THIS IS DANGEROUS.

THIS COULD BE BE
AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT.

♪♪

Narrator: A NASA PROBE
ENCOUNTERS

A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
ORBITING SATURN.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEATH STAR.
IT'S UNCANNY.

Narrator:
THE STRANGE SPHERE VIBRATES
AS IT TRAVELS THROUGH SPACE.

YOU HAVE TO ASK.
IS IT REALLY A MOON?

IS IT REALLY NATURAL?

Narrator: FEBRUARY 13, 2010.

NASA'S CASSINI PROBE

IS 7 YEARS INTO ITS MISSION

TO UNCOVER THE SECRETS
OF SATURN.

DURING A HIGH ORBIT,
31,000 MILES

ABOVE THE RING PLANET'S
OUTER ATMOSPHERE,

IT ENCOUNTERS A LITTLE-KNOWN
OBJECT NAMED MIMAS.

MIMAS IS AN ODD
LITTLE WORLD.

Major: LIKE MOST OF
SATURN'S MOONS,

MIMAS IS MADE MOSTLY
OF ROCK AND WATER ICE.

IT'S ONLY ABOUT 250 MILES
ACROSS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW,

LIKE DRIVING
FROM PHOENIX TO LAS VEGAS.

Aguilar: ONE FEATURE IMMEDIATELY
STANDS OUT.

A GIGANTIC CRATER

THAT MAKES IT LOOK
LIKE THE DEATH STAR

FROM "STAR WARS."

Narrator: WHEN THE CASSINI PROBE

MAKES A SECOND PASS
AROUND MIMAS IN 2014,

IT PICKS UP STRANGE READINGS.

THE TINY ROCK IS VIBRATING
AS IT TRAVELS THROUGH SPACE.

MIMAS ALSO HAS
A VERY WEIRD WOBBLE,

AND SCIENTISTS AREN'T
REALLY SURE WHY.

IT WOBBLES LIKE THIS
AS IT GOES THROUGH SPACE.

MOONS DON'T DO THAT.

WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE
EXPLANATION,

THERE ARE THOSE WHO
WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT

MIMIS MAY BE
THEREAL DEATH STAR.

Narrator:
CASSINI MISSION RESEARCHERS
LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION

INTO THE STRANGE PHENOMENON.

Tajeddine: OUR FIRST INSTINCT
WAS TO LOOK

AT THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE
FEATURE ON THE SURFACE,

WHICH IS HERSCHEL CRATER.

THE CRATER IS SO BIG COMPARED

TO THE SIZE OF THE MOON

THAT IF WE HAD
A SIMILAR CRATER ON EARTH,

IT WOULD BE THE SIZE
OF AUSTRALIA.

IT'S ALMOST A MIRACLE
THAT THIS MOON STAYED TOGETHER.

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
SMASHED APART BY THIS OBJECT

THAT CREATED THE CRATER.

Narrator:
RESEARCHERS STILL DON'T KNOW

HOW MIMAS SURVIVED
THE HERSCHEL IMPACT.

BUT RADWAN TAJEDDINE
DEVELOPS A THEORY

THAT WHATEVER HIT MIMAS
COMPACTED ITS ROCK SO MUCH,

THE ENTIRE MOON IS UNBALANCED,

PRODUCING WHAT SCIENTISTS
CALL A MASS ANOMALY.

USUALLY, IMPACTS CREATE
MASS ANOMALIES

BENEATH THE SURFACE.

SUCH A BIG IMPACT
SHOULD HAVE CREATED

A VERY LARGE MASS ANOMALY

THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN THE WOBBLE.

Bell: WHEN YOU CHANGE THE WAY
THE MASS IS DISTRIBUTED

AROUND A MOON LIKE THAT,

YOU CAN CHANGE THE WAY
THAT IT SPINS.

Narrator: TAJEDDINE
RUNS COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

TO MODEL THE HERSCHEL IMPACT.

HE COMPARES THE MODEL'S DATA

TO THE VIBRATION
OBSERVED ON MIMAS,

BUT THE MATH
DOESN'T ADD UP.

AFTER TESTING, WE NOTICED
THAT THE MASS ANOMALY

IS NOT BIG ENOUGH
TO EXPLAIN THIS WOBBLE.

ITS WOBBLE IS
TWO TIMES BIGGER

THAN WE EXPECT
FROM MODELS.

Narrator: RESEARCHERS SUGGEST
SOMETHING ELSE

HIDDEN DEEP BELOW THE SURFACE

OF MIMAS COULD ACCOUNT
FOR THE UNNATURAL VIBRATION.

SCIENTISTS TURN TO ANOTHER

OF SATURN'S MOONS
FOR CLUES, ENCELADUS.

ENCELADUS IS ONE OF
THE MOST AMAZING BODIES

IN THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: ENCELADUS ALSO HAS
A PUZZLING WOBBLE.

IN 2015, SCIENTISTS
DISCOVER THE CAUSE --

A MASSIVE SUBTERRANEAN OCEAN.

Seager: IT HAS GEYSERS,

DOZENS AND DOZENS OF GEYSERS
SPEWING OUT WATER,

AND SO WE KNOW
THAT ENCELADUS HAS A WATER

OCEAN BENEATH ITS SURFACE.

Major: HAVING THIS LIQUID
IN THERE KIND OF GIVES IT

A SLOSHING-AROUND ACTION
THAT CREATES A WOBBLE.

THIS MAKES SENSE
ON ENCELADUS.

MAYBE THE SAME THING
IS HAPPENING ON MIMAS.

Aguilar:
IF THERE WAS A SUBSURFACE
OCEAN 15 TO 18 MILES

UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF MIMAS,

IT COULD ACCOUNT
FOR THIS MOTION.

Narrator: ALMOST A BILLION MILES
FROM THE WARMTH OF THE SUN,

MIMAS IS MADE MOSTLY OF ICE

WITH ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT
OF ROCK.

IF THE HIDDEN OCEAN THEORY
IS CORRECT,

MIMAS IS FAR STRANGER
THAN ANYONE IMAGINED.

IN ORDER TO HAVE A LIQUID WATER
OCEAN THAT FAR FROM THE SUN,

YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME SORT OF
AN INTERNAL HEAT SOURCE.

Seager: IT'S ABOUT
THE HEAT SOURCE.

IF WE CAN IDENTIFY
A HEAT SOURCE,

WE CAN HAVE A SUBSURFACE OCEAN.

Narrator: EXAMINATION
OF THE MOON'S SURFACE

REVEALS NO TRACE OF ACTIVITY

THAT COULD PRODUCE ENOUGH HEAT
TO MELT THE ICE ON MIMAS.

Tajeddine: IF MIMAS WAS HEATING,

YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE SOME
GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY ON SURFACE.

Major: BUT MIMAS DOESN'T SEEM
TO HAVE AN ACTIVE SURFACE

THAT'S BEEN SHAPED
BY TECTONIC ACTIVITY.

FROM WHAT WE CAN SEE,

MIMAS IS A COLD,
FROZEN, DEAD WORLD.

Narrator:
BUT SOMETHING ABOUT MIMAS

DOESN'T FIT THE OCEAN THEORY --

ITS ORBIT.

OVER TIME, MOONS WITH SUBSURFACE

OCEANS TEND TO FALL
IN A SPHERICAL ORBIT.

MIMAS TRAVELS IN AN ELLIPSE.

IF MIMAS DID HAVE A LIQUID-WATER
OCEAN, THEN GRADUALLY,

ITS ORBIT WOULD SETTLE INTO
A MORE REGULAR, CIRCULAR PATH,

AND THAT'S NOT
WHAT'S HAPPENED.

SO WE'RE KIND OF BACK
AT SQUARE ONE.

Aguilar:
A MOON THAT IS SPHERICAL

WITHOUT A SUBSURFACE OCEAN

THAT HAS AN ELLIPTICAL
ORBIT AROUND THE PLANET,

AND IT WOBBLES?

THAT'S JUST WEIRD.

Narrator: FOR NOW, SCIENTISTS

ARE STILL UNABLE TO EXPLAIN

THE BEHAVIOR OF SATURN'S
MYSTERIOUS SATELLITE.

COMING UP...

A PLUTONIUM-PACKED
PROBE HURTLES

TOWARDS EARTH
AT 16,000 MILES AN HOUR.

Oberg:
NOW THERE'S AN OUT-OF-CONTROL
RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT,

AND NO ONE KNOWS
WHERE IT'S GOING TO LAND.

♪♪

Narrator:
A RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT PLUMMETS
OUT OF CONTROL TOWARDS EARTH.

IT CARRIES RADIOACTIVE
PLUTONIUM.

Orwoll:
THE RUSSIANS ARE KEEPING QUIET.

THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO

BUT WAIT UNTIL IT FALLS
FROM THE SKY.

Narrator: ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE WORLD,

MULTIPLE WITNESSES REPORT
AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL INVADER.

HUNDREDS OF REPORTS
ALL SAYING THE SAME THING --

A HUGE FIREBALL THUNDERING

THROUGH THE SKIES
OVER THE ANDES.

WHAT DID ALL THOSE PEOPLE
IN SOUTH AMERICA SEE?

Narrator: NOVEMBER 16, 1996.

BAIKONUR COSMODROME.

THE MARS 96 SPACECRAFT
PREPARES FOR LAUNCH.

IT'S THE MOST AMBITIOUS MISSION

SINCE THE COLLAPSE
OF THE SOVIET UNION.

THE UNMANNED MODULE IS LOADED

WITH EQUIPMENT
THAT PROMISES

TO UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES
OF THE RED PLANET.

Friedman: IT HAD ON IT
VERY LARGE ORBITER,

A LANDER WITH A SMALL ROVER,

AND THEN IT HAD PENETRATORS

THAT WOULD DO UNDERSURFACE
SAMPLING ON MARS.

Ferreira:
IF RUSSIA SUCCESSFULLY LANDS
THE PROBE ON MARS,

IT COULD REVEAL NEW DETAILS

ABOUT MARS'

FASCINATING HISTORY
AND FUTURE HABITABILITY.

Narrator: AT 11:49 P.M.,

THE MARS 96 FOUR-STAGE
PROTON ROCKET

BLASTS OFF

CARRYING ITS STATE-OF-THE-ART

CARGO
TOWARDS THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.

Zak: THE USUAL THREE STAGES
OF THE PROTON ROCKET,

WHICH LAUNCH THE VEHICLE,
WORKED FLAWLESSLY.

THEY DELIVERED THE SPACECRAFT
INTO THE INITIAL PARKING ORBIT.

IN FACT, SOME OF THE SCIENTISTS
ALREADY WERE SO HAPPY

THEY EVEN STARTED CELEBRATING.

Narrator:
BUT WITHIN A FEW HOURS,

ENGINEERS AT MISSION CONTROL

NOTICE DISTURBING DATA
COMING FROM THE CRAFT.

ABOUT 6:00 IN THE MORNING,
WE WOKE UP,

AND THE FIRST THING
AS I LEFT MY ROOM,

I SAW ONE OF
MY RUSSIAN COLLEAGUES

WITH A VERY LONG FACE.

AND I KNEW, "UH-OH.

SOMETHING REALLY BAD'S
GOING ON HERE."

Narrator:
THE MISSION DATA INDICATES

THE FOURTH-STAGE ROCKET
HAS MISFIRED.

THE CRAFT IS NOW TUMBLING
FROM THE EDGE OF SPACE,

40 MILES ABOVE THE GROUND.

Oberg:
NOW THERE'S AN OUT-OF-CONTROL
RUSSIAN SPACECRAFT

SLIPPING INTO
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

AND NO ONE KNOWS
WHERE IT'S GOING TO LAND.

Narrator:
THE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR
TITANIUM PROBE WAS DESIGNED

TO SURVIVE A JOURNEY
THROUGH THE MARTIAN

ATMOSPHERE AND A HARD IMPACT
ON THE ROCKY MARTIAN SOIL.

EXPERTS BELIEVE THIS MEANS

THE CRAFT COULD SLAM
INTO OUR PLANET

AT MORE THAN
16,000 MILES AN HOUR.

Friedman:
OF COURSE YOU'RE WORRIED
ABOUT THE CHANCES

OF IT HITTING A POPULATED AREA.

Narrator: AND THIS IS
NO ORDINARY MISSILE.

THE BATTERIES FUELING
THE PROBE'S SENSORS

ARE POWERED BY PLUTONIUM,

ONE OF THE MOST
DEADLY RADIOACTIVE

SUBSTANCES KNOWN TO MAN.

THESE ARE SMALL
CANISTERS OF PLUTONIUM,

ABOUT THE SIZE
OF YOUR THUMB,

BUT THEY CONTAIN ENOUGH
PLUTONIUM DUST

TO BE EXTREMELY
TERRIFYING IF SPREAD.

Narrator:
MISSION CONTROL TECHNICIANS

RUN COMPUTER SIMULATIONS
TO ESTIMATE

WHERE THE DEADLY
RUSSIAN PROBE WILL HIT.

10,000 MILES FROM
THE RUSSIAN LAUNCH SITE,

WITNESSES IN SOUTH AMERICA
GET A POSSIBLE SIGHTING.

Oberg: OBSERVERS IN CHILE
UP AND DOWN THE PACIFIC COAST

OBSERVED A VERY BRIGHT FIREBALL

COMING IN ALMOST
HORIZONTALLY OFF THE PACIFIC

AND HEADING INLAND.

Ferreira:
COULD THE RUSSIAN PROBE
BE THE SAME FIREBALL

THAT WAS SPOTTED
OVER THE ANDES?

Narrator: BUT RUSSIAN OFFICIALS
DENY RESPONSIBILITY

FOR THE SOUTH AMERICAN FIREBALL.

Oberg: THERE DOESN'T SEEM
TO BE ANY CONNECTION

BETWEEN THIS HORIZONTAL FIREBALL
AND THE RUSSIAN PROBE

BECAUSE ACCORDING TO MOSCOW,
THEIR PROBE IS STILL IN ORBIT.

Narrator: THE RUSSIANS TRACE
THEIR MALFUNCTIONING CRAFT

THROUGH THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE,

BUT THE PROBE WILL
SOON BE OUT OF RANGE

OF MOSCOW'S
TRACKING CAPABILITIES.

Orwoll:
U.S. SPACE COMMAND MONITORS
ROCKET ACTIVITY WORLDWIDE.

IF ANYONE CAN TRACK
THE MARS 96 PROBE, IT'S THEM.

SO THE FIRST THING THEY DO

IS MAKE ALL THE PREDICTIONS
THEY CAN,

AND THEY SEE THAT THEY HAVE
A BIG CHUNK OF OBJECT

THAT SEEMS TO BE
HEADED FOR AUSTRALIA.

Narrator: THE NEWS TRIGGERS
WORLDWIDE PANIC.

IT GOES RIGHT UP
THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

AND GETS A LOT OF ATTENTION.

THIS IS DANGEROUS.

THIS COULD BE
AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT.

THIS COULD BE DANGER
TO A POPULATION.

LET'S TELL THE
AUSTRALIANS ABOUT IT.

Narrator: WITHIN HOURS,
UPDATED TRACKING DATA

OFFERS A GLIMMER OF HOPE.

SIMULATIONS PREDICT
THE RADIOACTIVE RUSSIAN PROBE

WILL OVERSHOOT AUSTRALIA
AND SPLASH DOWN

IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN.

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
BREATHES A SIGH OF RELIEF.

Oberg: ACCORDING TO EXPERTS
IN WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW,

THE MATTER IS CLOSED,
END OF STORY.

BUT IF THE MARS 96 PROBE
DID END UP IN THE OCEAN,

THEN WHAT WAS THAT FIREBALL

THAT SO MANY PEOPLE
SAW OVER THE ANDES?

Narrator: THE TERRIFYING
TRUE FATE OF THE PROBE

REMAINS HIDDEN FOR WEEKS.

THE DATA THAT PREDICTED
IT WOULD HARMLESSLY

OVERSHOOT LAND WAS WRONG.

Friedman:
IT WAS A GREAT EMBARRASSMENT

BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT
TRACKING THE SPACECRAFT

AT ALL ON THIS REENTRY COURSE.

THEY WERE TRACKING
A NORMAL PIECE OF ROCKET DEBRIS

THAT HAD SEPARATED
FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: SPACE COMMAND TRACKED
A HARMLESS ROCKET BOOSTER

INSTEAD OF THE
PLUTONIUM-PACKED PROBE.

Ferreira: U.S. SPACE COMMAND
ADMITS THEIR ERROR

AND ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT THE FIREBALL OVER CHILE

WAS LIKELY THE MARS 96 PROBE.

Narrator:
THE FATE OF THE RADIOACTIVE
MATERIAL IS STILL UNKNOWN.

NOBODY OBSERVED THE LANDING,
SO WE DON'T KNOW.

Oberg: SO THE SCARY PART
IS THAT THIS PLUTONIUM

IS STILL PROBABLY
LYING SOMEWHERE

IN THE ANDES MOUNTAINS.

THE SHOCKING FACT
IS THAT NO ONE, APPARENTLY,

HAS TRIED TO FIND THEM

OR EVEN WARN
THE LOCAL POPULATION

TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THEM.

TO THIS DAY,

THE WHEREABOUTS OF MARS 96

AND THE PLUTONIUM CANISTERS
REMAINS A MYSTERY.

Narrator: COMING UP...

SCIENTISTS STUDYING
DISTANT SUPERNOVA

DEVELOP A THEORY FOR WHAT'S
POWERING LIFE ON EARTH.

Major:
IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE COSMIC

EVENTS COULD HAVE
HELP SET THE STAGE

FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION.

♪♪

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER DEPOSITS
OF AN ALIEN SUBSTANCE

BURIED 2 MILES
BENEATH THE PACIFIC OCEAN FLOOR.

SO WHAT ON EARTH IS IT DOING
BURIED BENEATH THE SEABED?

Narrator: THE WEIRD METAL EMITS
DEADLY RADIATION

THAT MIGHT HAVE CHANGED
THE COURSE OF LIFE ON EARTH.

Oluseyi: THIS IS JUST LIKE
SOMETHING OUT OF "X-MEN."

THE EARTH GETS SPRAYED
WITH RADIATION,

AND LIFE MUTATES INTO STRANGER,

NEW, MORE POWERFUL FORMS.

♪♪

Narrator: 3,000 MILES
SOUTH OF HAWAII,

SCIENTISTS DRILL DEEP INTO
THE FLOOR OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

THE BEDROCK, UNDISTURBED
FOR 13 MILLION YEARS,

OFFERS A WINDOW
INTO EARTH'S DISTANT PAST.

IN MAY, 1999,

A TEAM OF GERMAN RESEARCHERS
EXAMINE THESE SAMPLES,

AND THEY DISCOVER
TRACES OF A METAL

THAT CANNOT FORM ON EARTH.

Oluseyi:
THIS DRILLING PROGRAM DISCOVERED
SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED,

A DEPOSIT OF A VERY RARE FORM
OF RADIOACTIVE IRON.

IT'S WHAT WE CALL IRON-60.

Major: IRON-60 IS A MILLION,
BILLION TIMES LESS ABUNDANT

THAN THE TYPICAL IRON
FOUND HERE ON EARTH.

Oluseyi: SO HOW DO WE GET
A DEPOSIT

OF IRON-60 12,000 FEET BELOW
THE OCEAN'S SURFACE?

Narrator:
THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION

IS THAT THE METAL IS A LEFTOVER

FROM THE CREATION
OF OUR PLANET.

Bell:
SO ONE IDEA, ONE HYPOTHESIS,

IS THAT THIS IRON-60

IS JUST FUNDAMENTALLY
PART OF THE EARTH.

IT WAS INCORPORATED
INTO OUR PLANET

WITH THE ORIGIN
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: BUT THE WEIRD
METAL'S RADIATION

READINGS SEEM TO INDICATE
IT'S NOT OLD ENOUGH TO BE

FROM WHEN THE EARTH WAS CREATED.

Oluseyi:
THIS RADIOACTIVE ELEMENT,
LIKE ALL OTHERS,

HAS WHAT WE CALL A HALF-LIFE,

AND A HALF-LIFE FOR IRON-60

IS ABOUT 2 1/2
MILLION YEARS.

Narrator:
EVERY 2.6 MILLION YEARS,

HALF OF THE ORIGINAL
IRON-60 DECAYS,

FORMING OTHER ELEMENTS.

EARTH FORMED MORE THAN
4 BILLION YEARS AGO.

Bell: SO IF EARTH HAD BEEN BORN
WITH SOME OF THAT MATERIAL,

IT'S LONG GONE,
LONG DECAYED AWAY

INTO OTHER ELEMENTS.

Oluseyi: THIS LEAVES US
WITH A MYSTERY, THEN.

IF THE IRON-60
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HERE

FROM THE FORMATION OF EARTH

AND IRON-60 IS ESSENTIALLY
AN ALIEN ISOTOPE,

THEN IT MUST HAVE A DIFFERENT
EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS
CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THE WEIRD METAL COMES
FROM BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,

BLASTED TO EARTH
BY THE EXPLOSION

OF A DYING STAR, A SUPERNOVA.

SUPERNOVA IS WHEN A MASSIVE
STAR COLLAPSES IN ON ITSELF.

ENORMOUS
TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES

CAN CREATE A WHOLE VARIETY

OF HEAVY ELEMENTS
IN THE PERIODIC TABLE,

AND THEN THAT STAR EXPLODES
IN AN ENORMOUS EXPLOSION

THAT SENDS ALL OF THAT
MATERIAL OUT INTO THE COSMOS.

Narrator: ANY CELESTIAL BODY
WITHIN THE SUPERNOVA'S RANGE

WOULD BE SPRAYED
WITH COSMIC SHRAPNEL

CONTAINING IRON-60.

Genge: IF THAT SUPERNOVA DEBRIS
EXPANDS ACROSS OUR PLANET

THEN THOSE TINY
LITTLE DUST GRAINS

CONTAINING IRON-60

CAN FALL THROUGH OUR ATMOSPHERE

AND END UP DEPOSITED
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

Narrator: IN 2016,
NEW RESEARCH ANALYZING

OVER 120 OCEAN SEDIMENT SAMPLES

REVEALS THE SUPERNOVA
DEBRIS EVENT

WAS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.

OUR PLANET HAS SUFFERED
MULTIPLE BOMBARDMENTS

FROM DYING STARS.

SCIENTISTS FIND THAT THERE WERE
TWO MAJOR SUPERNOVA BLASTS,

ONE ABOUT 2 TO 3 MILLION
YEARS AGO

AND THE OTHER ABOUT 6
TO 9 MILLION YEARS AGO.

Major: BOTH OF THESE EVENTS
SHOWERED EARTH

WITH THIS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.

Narrator:
THE DISCOVERY OF EARTH'S
REGULAR RADIOACTIVE BOMBARDMENTS

COULD HELP EXPLAIN A MYSTERY

THAT'S BAFFLED
SCIENTISTS FOR DECADES.

FOSSIL RECORDS SHOW PERIODS

WHERE EVOLUTION GOES
INTO OVERDRIVE.

SCIENTISTS PIECING TOGETHER
THE SUPERNOVA DATA DEVELOP

A THEORY FOR WHAT'S POWERING

THESE EXTRAORDINARY
EVOLUTIONARY SURGES.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE TIMING
OF THE SUPERNOVA

EXPLOSION MATCHES UP

WITH THE TIMING OF LARGE

CLIMATE SHIFTS
IN EARTH'S CLIMATE,

IN FACT, ICE AGES.

Major: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THERE
WAS A DIRECT CONNECTION

BETWEEN SUPERNOVAS
AND THE ICE AGES?

Narrator: SUPERNOVA DEBRIS
ENTERS THE EARTH'S

ATMOSPHERE AS COSMIC DUST.

HIGH IN THE MESOSPHERE,

GLOWING CLOUDS FORM
AROUND THESE PARTICLES.

Seager:
MATERIAL FROM THE SUPERNOVA
COULD ENTER OUR ATMOSPHERE

AND SEED CLOUDS,
CLOUDS THAT ARE REFLECTIVE

AND HENCE,
WOULD MAKE EARTH COOLER.

Narrator: THE CHANGING CLIMATE
FAVORS SPECIES

WHICH ADAPT, AND SUPERNOVA

RADIATION POWERS THE ADAPTATION.

Genge: SUPERNOVA
RADIATION ARRIVING ON EARTH

COULD AFFECT
BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION.

WE KNOW THAT RADIATION
PRODUCES MUTATION.

Narrator: BUT COULD THE EFFECTS
OF THESE SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS

BE EVEN MORE PROFOUND?

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE COSMIC

EVENTS COULD HAVE HELPED SET
THE STAGE FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION.

Narrator: THE IRON-60 FOUND
ON EARTH COINCIDES

WITH TWO CRITICAL MILESTONES
IN HUMAN EVOLUTION --

FROM WHEN OUR ANCESTORS SPLIT

FROM CHIMPANZEE ANCESTORS

AND FROM WHEN EARLY HUMANS,

CALLED AUSTRALOPITHECINES,
EMERGED.

SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
RADIOACTIVE SUPERNOVA SHRAPNEL

MAY HAVE TRIGGERED
THE GENETIC MUTATIONS

THAT POWERED
THE EVOLUTION OF MANKIND.

Oluseyi: THIS IS JUST LIKE
SOMETHING OUT OF "X-MEN."

THE EARTH GETS SPRAYED
WITH RADIATION,

AND LIFE MUTATES INTO STRANGER,

NEW, MORE POWERFUL FORMS.

Narrator: SO FAR,
THE COSMIC RADIATION

THEORY OF EVOLUTION
REMAINS SPECULATION,

BUT IT OFFERS
A TANTALIZING GLIMPSE

OF HOW MANKIND
COULD BE CONNECTED

TO A WIDER UNIVERSE.