Original subtitles

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.