Original subtitles

Narrator: WHEN IS AN ASTEROID NOT AN ASTEROID?

WHEN IT'S A GIANT SPACESHIP.

IT'S SPINNING AS THOUGH IT'S CREATING ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

Narrator: HOW TO FIGHT INVADERS FROM OUTER SPACE...

THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT AGAINST SUCH HIGH TECH

WOULD BE LOW TECH.

SMALL POCKETS OF HUMANITY HAVING A GUERILLA WAR.

Narrator: ...AND SURVIVING THE END OF THE UNIVERSE.

THIS IS LIKE THE ULTIMATE DOOMSDAY PREPPING,

BUT YOU'RE GONNA NEED MORE THAN A FEW CANS OF BEANS

AND SOME GAS MASKS.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

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

♪♪

APRIL 2016.

NASA'S PIONEERING NEW HORIZONS PROBE REACHES THE KUIPER BELT --

A DARK, DISTANT REGION OF SPACE AT THE EDGE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

AS THE NEW HORIZONS PROBE MOVES BEYOND ITS FIRST TARGET, PLUTO,

ITS SENSORS CAPTURE A LARGE OBJECT

ON A MYSTERIOUS TRAJECTORY.

SCIENTISTS GIVE IT AN OMINOUS NAME -- ARAWN.

ARAWN IS NAMED AFTER THE CELTIC GOD OF DEATH,

WAR, TERROR, REVENGE.

NOT A PLEASANT PERSON, AS YOU CAN WELL IMAGINE.

Narrator: WHATEVER ARAWN IS, IT'S BEHAVING STRANGELY.

IT SEEMS ILLUMINATED, BUT THEN IT GOES DARK.

IT LIGHTS UP AND DARKENS IN A PRECISE RHYTHM.

SCIENTISTS REALIZE THAT THIS OBJECT IS ROTATING.

IF IT'S SPINNING ONCE EVERY FIVE AND A HALF HOURS,

THAT MEANS THE FRONT EDGE IS LIKE 50 MILES AN HOUR.

SO, THAT'S LIKE SOMETHING THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

COMPLETING A FULL SPIN IN ABOUT A QUARTER OF A DAY.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS EXPECT THE KUIPER BELT

TO BE FILLED WITH OBJECTS MADE OF ROCK AND ICE.

BUT ARAWN'S SPIN SUGGESTS IT IS MADE OF SOMETHING ELSE.

ARAWN IS SPINNING SO FAST

THAT THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE COULD ACTUALLY TEAR IT APART.

IS IT MADE OF SOMETHING STRONGER THAN ROCK AND ICE?

Narrator: NEW HORIZONS MOVES IN

SO ITS SENSORS CAN GET A CLOSER LOOK.

WHATEVER ARAWN IS, WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

BUT AT THE CRUCIAL MOMENT, THE PROBE CIRCUITS SUDDENLY,

INEXPLICABLE, GO DEAD.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, TRANSMISSION WAS CUT OFF.

THIS SUGGESTS THAT SOMEONE IS MONITORING OUR VERY PRESENCE.

Hadhazy: WHEN YOU'RE A MISSION OPERATOR,

IT'S REALLY ONE OF THE LAST THINGS THAT YOU'D WANT TO SEE.

YOU'RE VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE COULD BE SOMETHING

SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOUR SPACECRAFT,

AND IT'S JEOPARDIZING THE MISSION.

IT DOES BEG THE QUESTION IS SOMEONE

OR SOMETHING TRYING TO JAM NASA'S SIGNAL?

Narrator: BEFORE CONTACT IS LOST,

SCIENTISTS SEE THAT ARAWN IS SPINNING

IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH A LARGE SPACESHIP.

IT'S SPINNING AS FAST AS IT IS

AS THOUGH IT'S CREATING ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

Narrator: SPINNING CREATES AN ARTIFICIAL-GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT

WITHIN THE HOLLOW CENTER OF THE OBJECT.

LIKE AN INVERTED PLANET WITH THE SURFACE ON THE INSIDE

RATHER THAN THE OUTSIDE.

NASA RECOGNIZES THAT LONG-HAUL SPACE TRAVEL

WILL ONLY BE POSSIBLE

IF WE CAN SOMEHOW REPLICATE GRAVITY.

IT'S NOT ONLY GOOD TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY

BECAUSE OUR BODY'S USED TO GRAVITY,

BUT ALSO, IT'S JUST MUCH EASIER TO GET THINGS DONE

IF YOU'RE NOT FLOATING AROUND THE ROOM.

Narrator: ANALYSTS COMPARE THE MYSTERY OBJECT CALLED ARAWN

WITH NASA'S ATTEMPTS AT RE-CREATING GRAVITY IN SPACE.

THESE, TOO, WERE BASED ON THE CONCEPT OF A SPINNING SHIP.

ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS LOOKED AT CONCEPTS FOR ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

GIGANTIC STRUCTURES IN SPACE

SPINNING AROUND WHERE ON THE OUTER EDGES,

YOU HAD FORESTS, YOU HAD CITIES,

YOU HAD PLACES WHERE PEOPLE COULD LIVE.

Narrator: IN THE 1960s, NASA BEGINS GROUND-BASED EXPERIMENTS

ON ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY,

BUILDING A HUGE RESEARCH FACILITY AT LANGLEY.

ITS CENTERPIECE IS A SPACE-STATION-SCALE

SPINNING RIG DESIGNED FOR HUMAN GUINEA PIGS.

Orwoll: THEY WOULD SUSPEND A TEST SUBJECT SIDEWAYS,

SPIN THE WHEEL -- IT'S ABOUT 40 FOOT IN DIAMETER --

HAVE THEM STAND ON THE INNER PARTS THERE,

AND AS IT WENT NINE REVOLUTIONS A MINUTE,

IT WAS ABOUT HALF OF EARTH'S GRAVITY.

Hadhazy: THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE WEIRDEST EXPERIENCE.

IT'S LIKE A FAIRGROUND RIDE ON STEROIDS.

I WOULD NEVER GET ON THIS THING.

Narrator: NEITHER NASA NOR ANY OTHER SPACE AGENCY

IS ANYWHERE NEAR BUILDING A SPINNING SPACECRAFT

ON THE SCALE OF ARAWN.

WHAT'S MORE -- WHATEVER KIND OF CREATURE MIGHT BE INSIDE ARAWN,

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT THEY'RE ANYTHING LIKE US.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST DR. JANNA KAPLAN

FROM BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

HAS BEEN STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY ON HUMANS.

SO, THE ROOM IS STATIONARY.

WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO START SPINNING.

ALBERTO, YOU CAN START.

Alberto: OKAY, JANNA, WE ARE STARTING NOW.

GOING UP IN SPEED.

SO, THE ROOM WILL ACCELERATE TO 10 RPM,

WHICH IS ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION EVERY SIX SECONDS.

Narrator: KAPLAN'S WORK HAS HIGHLIGHTED

THE IMMENSE DIFFICULTIES

OF CREATING AND SURVIVING ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

EVEN WALKING IS HARD.

Kaplan: WHEN YOU MAKE A STEP,

YOUR LEG IS A SUBJECT TO CORIOLIS FORCE DEVIATION.

Narrator: THE CORIOLIS FORCE IS A BIZARRE EFFECT

THAT ONLY HAPPENS IN ROTATING ENVIRONMENTS.

IT CAUSES STRAIGHT-LINE MOTIONS TO BEND.

AND IT'S NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM

HUMANS WOULD FACE IN A SPINNING CRAFT.

Kaplan: WE EXPERIENCE MOTION SICKNESS.

THERE'S CONFUSION.

THE PERSON IS, FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES, DYSFUNCTIONAL.

I WOULD ESTIMATE WE MAYBE HAVE 10 MORE MINUTES.

I FEEL KIND OF A COLD SWEAT.

I CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION OF THE SYMPTOMS.

THE SWEAT IS NOW OVER MY WHOLE BODY.

Hadhazy: THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN HOW MUCH SPINNING

THE HUMAN BODY CAN TOLERATE.

YOU START SPINNING TOO FAST,

YOU'RE GONNA START BLOWING CHUNKS.

Narrator: IN SPACE, THAT CAN BE DISASTROUS.

IT'LL SPREAD AROUND AND CONTAMINATE THE AIR

THAT YOU BREATHE AND CAN CAUSE SHORT CIRCUITS

IN YOUR ELECTRONICS.

IT CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

Narrator: HUMANS ARE SOME WAY OFF

MASTERING ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

AND INDEED, ALTHOUGH ARAWN'S 50-MILE-AN-HOUR SURFACE SPIN

IS FAST ENOUGH TO CREATE GRAVITY,

IT'S NOT ENOUGH GRAVITY FOR HUMAN PASSENGERS.

IF ARAWN IS SOME KIND OF CRAFT,

IT'S MANNED BY BEINGS WHO ARE NOTHING LIKE US.

THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?

Hadhazy: IF ARAWN IS A SPACECRAFT,

WHY IS IT SPINNING SO SLOWLY?

IT COULD BE THAT WHAT IS LIVING ON IT IS NOT HUMAN-LIKE.

COULD IT BE THAT WHAT'S ON IT IS NOT A CREATURE

THAT NEEDS ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY THE WAY THAT WE DO?

♪♪

Narrator: ALIEN BEINGS ABLE TO OPERATE IN A GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT

AS LOW AS THIS WOULD LOOK VERY DIFFERENT TO US.

IT WILL BE A VERY DIFFERENT BODY.

MORE LIKE A BLOB WITH SOME TENTACLES.

Hadhazy: YOU COULD HAVE SOMETHING LIKE YOUR VITAL ORGANS,

THE BRAIN -- EVERYTHING'S KIND OF CENTRALLY LOCATED.

AND THEN JUST SQUID TENTACLES, ALMOST LIKE A SEA URCHIN.

Narrator: AND THERE'S GOOD REASON FOR THE ARAWNITES

TO SKULK IN THE KUIPER BELT, FAR FROM THE NEAREST PLANET.

Hadhazy: GIVEN THAT THERE ARE TRILLIONS OF OBJECTS

OUT THERE IN THE KUIPER BELT AND THEY'RE TOO FAR AWAY

AND TOO DARK FOR US TO REALLY SEE,

IF YOU WERE AN ALIEN THAT WANTED TO SET UP AN OBSERVATION POST

TO STUDY THESE FUNKY CREATURES CALLED HUMANS ON EARTH,

THAT'D BE A PRETTY GOOD PLACE TO SET IT UP.

Hovland: IF YOU'RE A ZERO-GRAVITY LIFE-FORM,

YOU WANT TO SKIRT VERY CAUTIOUSLY

AROUND THE PLANETARY ZONE.

SUDDENLY, PLACES LIKE EARTH BECOME A DANGER ZONE,

A VERITABLE BLACK HOLE.

Hadhazy: IF THEY TRIED TO WALK AROUND ON EARTH'S SURFACE,

THEY WOULD JUST GET MUSHED.

IT WOULD NOT BE A GOOD PLACE FOR THEM.

Narrator: AS THE NEW HORIZONS PROBE MOVES AWAY FROM ARAWN,

IT SPOOKILY FLICKERS BACK TO LIFE.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NEW HORIZONS COMPUTERS,

IT PREVENTED NASA FROM FINDING OUT THE TRUTH

ABOUT THE INTRIGUING SPINNING OBJECT.

THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF ARAWN REMAINS A MYSTERY.

Hadhazy: WE DON'T HAVE ANY NEW MISSIONS

PLANNED TO THE KUIPER BELT AT THIS TIME.

IT COULD BE THAT WE ARE IN THE DARK ON WHAT ARAWN IS

FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

♪♪

Narrator: AUGUST 30, 2018.

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

ORBITING 250 MILES ABOVE OUR PLANET

IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE FIRST CRIME SCENE IN SPACE.

ON BOARD, THERE'S AN INTERNATIONAL CREW OF SIX,

INCLUDING COMMANDER DREW FEUSTEL,

ONE OF NASA'S MOST EXPERIENCED ASTRONAUTS.

HE'S JOINED BY FELLOW AMERICANS RICHARD ARNOLD

AND SERENA AUñóN-CHANCELLOR.

AT THE START OF MISSION DAY 88,

FEUSTEL RECEIVES A CHILLING MESSAGE FROM MISSION CONTROL.

THE SPACE STATION HAS BEEN BREACHED.

THEY'RE SAYING THE PRESSURE IS DROPPING,

AND IT SHOULDN'T BE DROPPING.

WE HAVE A LEAK SOMEWHERE.

RAPID DECOMPRESSION IS SOMETHING WE'RE ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT,

THE INTEGRITY OF THE HULL.

THE ASSUMPTION IS ALWAYS THAT A HOLE CAN ONLY GET BIGGER

IF YOU GET A RAPID DECOMPRESSION.

THAT'S YOUR LIFE.

Narrator: PRESSURE LOSS WOULD MEAN THE LUNGS OF FEUSTEL

AND HIS CREW EXPAND AND TEAR UNTIL FINALLY,

JUST SECONDS LATER,

THEY DIE EITHER OF SUFFOCATION OR OF A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY TENSE SITUATION.

THE ASTRONAUTS KNOW THAT THEIR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE.

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE RUSSIANS CLAIM THE HOLE IS THE WORK OF A ROGUE ASTRONAUT.

IMAGINE ONE OF YOUR TEAM IS TRYING TO KILL THE CREW.

IT'S A TERRIFYING THOUGHT.

Narrator: AND WHEN ALIENS INVADE, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

IF YOU'RE PART OF THE SPACE FORCE,

YOU TRULY ARE HUMANITY'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.

Narrator: A HOLE HAS BEEN DRILLED

IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

THE CREW BEGINS A FRANTIC ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THE LEAK

IN THE 32,000-CUBIC-FOOT CRAFT.

STEP ONE, YOU GO SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND YOU CLOSE THE HATCH.

AND NOW YOU LOOK AT PRESSURE GAUGES ON EACH SIDE,

AND YOU SAY, "WELL, THIS ONE'S STEADY.

THIS ONE'S STILL SINKING."

THEN THEY GO INTO A DIFFERENT MODULE, CLOSE ANOTHER DOOR DOWN.

WHICH SIDE OF THE DOOR IS THE LEAK HAPPENING?

Narrator: FINALLY, THE CREW ISOLATES THE PROBLEM

TO THE RECENTLY ARRIVED SOYUZCAPSULE.

ARMED WITH A PINHOLE CAMERA, GERMAN ASTRONAUT

ALEXANDER GERST FRANTICALLY SEARCHES ITS WALLS.

WELL, IT'S LIKE FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK.

THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES IN THAT SPACE WHERE THAT LEAK COULD BE.

Zak: HE PEELS OUT THE LITTLE DECORATIVE COVER,

AND IMMEDIATELY,

THEY REALIZE THAT THAT'S THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM.

Narrator: BEHIND A PIECE OF FABRIC ON THE ALUMINUM WALL

OF SOYUZ,GERST FINDS A SMALL ROUND HOLE --

THE SOURCE OF THE HULL BREACH.

THE RUSSIAN CREW GOES TO WORK,

FIXING THE HOLE WITH RESIN AND TAPE.

BUT WHEN FEUSTEL SENDS IMAGES OF THE HOLE TO NASA,

THE AGENCY IS STUNNED.

THE HOLE IS ALMOST TOO REGULAR TO HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT,

WHICH MEANS IT'S MAN-MADE, AND THAT IS QUITE SHOCKING.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE A GUY TRYING TO DRILL

THAT CAN'T QUITE, YOU KNOW, LINE IT UP RIGHT,

SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH AND FINALLY, HE PUNCTURED IT.

Narrator: WHEN RUSSIA'S ROSCOSMOS SEE THE IMAGE

OF AN ALMOST PERFECTLY ROUND HOLE,

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS GO INTO FREE FALL.

Zak: SO, NUMBER OF OFFICIALS IN RUSSIA

IMPLIED THAT THE HOLE ON THE SOYUZ

WAS DRILLED DELIBERATELY.

Shira Teitel: FORMER COSMONAUT MAKSIM SURAYEV

WENT SO FAR AS TO SUGGEST

THAT THE HOLE WAS DELIBERATELY CREATED

BY A MENTALLY UNSTABLE CREW MEMBER.

Narrator: NASA STRENUOUSLY DEFENDS ITS CREW,

BUT FORMER AMERICAN ASTRONAUT JERRY LINENGER

CLAIMS A ROGUE SPACEMAN CANNOT BE DISCOUNTED.

I'LL TELL YOU FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE,

FIVE MONTHS ON A SPACE STATION THAT'S FAILING DAY AFTER DAY,

YOU HAVE TO ALMOST TALK TO YOURSELF

TO STAY ON THAT EVEN KEEL.

AND SO WHEN THEY'RE THINKING POTENTIALLY AN ASTRONAUT

INTENTIONALLY DRILLED A HOLE, I THINK IT'S WORTH LOOKING AT.

Narrator: DRILLS ARE STORED ON THE I.S.S.,

A POTENTIAL WEAPON

FOR AN UNSTABLE CREWMAN WITH MURDER IN MIND.

IT'S A HUGE PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE

TO BE IN A LITTLE CAN FOR MONTHS.

EVEN THE MOST STABLE PEOPLE

MAY BECOME IRRITATED AND ANGRY.

IMAGINE ONE OF YOUR TEAM IS TRYING TO KILL THE CREW.

IT'S A TERRIFYING THOUGHT.

Narrator: CLAUSTROPHOBIA AND ISOLATION

CAN COMBINE TO SMASH THE MIND

OF EVEN THE MOST LEVEL-HEADED ASTRONAUT.

SCIENTISTS ARE KEENLY AWARE OF THE DAMAGE

AN UNSTABLE CREW MEMBER COULD INFLICT,

BUT NASA INVESTIGATORS START TO TAKE APART

THE ROGUE ASTRONAUT THEORY.

THAT DRILLING OF THAT HOLE IS NOT GONNA BE VERY QUIET.

THE SENSORS ON THE STATION

ARE GONNA DETECT SOME VIBRATION FROM THE DRILLING.

IT'S JUST NOT CREDIBLE THAT THE HOLE WAS DRILLED IN ORBIT.

Narrator: WITH AN ASTRONAUT UNLIKELY TO BE THE CULPRIT,

INVESTIGATORS TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO SUSPECTS ON EARTH.

IF THE HOLE WAS DRILLED ON THE GROUND,

THAT BROADENS THE POSSIBILITIES OF WHO MIGHT WANT TO BE

SABOTAGING THE STATION AND WHO MIGHT BE AT FAULT.

Narrator: THERE'S NO WAY

ROSCOSMOS WOULD DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ITS OWN SPACECRAFT,

LEADING INVESTIGATORS TO ASK

WHETHER A CRIMINAL OR TERRORIST DRILLED THE HOLE

BEFORE SOYUZGOT TO THE LAUNCH PAD.

Zak: MAYBE SOMEBODY WANTED TO SABOTAGE THE SPACECRAFT

FOR SOME OTHER REASONS, WHICH CAN BE PLENTY OF.

WE CAN COME UP WITH ALL KINDS OF SCENARIOS.

THE QUESTIONS THAT COME INTO MY MIND IS,

"WELL, IF THIS WAS A MISTAKE, WHY DIDN'T THE OPERATOR STOP?

WHY DID THE OPERATOR CONTINUE TO DRILL

ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE HULL?"

IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME AND EFFORT

TO DRILL THROUGH ALL THAT ALUMINUM.

THE FACT THAT THERE IS ONE HOLE...

AND IT'S GREAT THAT THEY FIXED THAT ONE,

BUT THE BIGGER CONCERN WAS HOW DID THIS HAPPEN,

COULD THERE BE OTHER HOLES THAT ARE THERE NOW

OR THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Narrator: SOMEWHERE ON THE GROUND,

A SPACE SABOTEUR MIGHT REMAIN ON THE LOOSE.

IT'S A CHILLING PROSPECT, EVEN FOR THE BRAVEST ASTRONAUT.

Chiao: I WOULD BE A LITTLE CONCERNED

BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY DELIBERATELY DID THIS,

THEN I WOULD KIND OF WONDER,

"OKAY, WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE WRONG WITH MY SPACECRAFT?"

♪♪

Narrator: JUNE 18, 2018.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP STUNS THE WORLD

WITH A MOMENTOUS ANNOUNCEMENT.

I'M HEREBY DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

AND PENTAGON TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN THE PROCESS NECESSARY

TO ESTABLISH A SPACE FORCE

AS THE SIXTH BRANCH OF THE ARMED FORCES.

THIS IS INTENDED TO BE THE NEW BRANCH OF THE MILITARY

WITH AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL COMPONENT.

THE QUESTION IS WHO IS HE EXPECTING TO BE THE ENEMY?

WHAT KIND OF BATTLE ARE WE PREPARING FOR?

Narrator: PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NAME THE ENEMIES

AGAINST WHICH SPACE FORCE WAS SET UP TO DEFEND.

CERTAINLY, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE

OF POTENTIAL FUTURE AGGRESSORS ON EARTH.

♪♪

Szulgit: IN 2007, CHINA LAUNCHED A MISSILE

AT ONE OF THEIR OWN DEFUNCT SATELLITES,

DESTROYING IT AT OVER 500 MILES UP,

DEMONSTRATING A TREMENDOUS SHOW OF STRENGTH.

Gutheinz: THE PURPOSE WAS A MILITARY PURPOSE.

IT WAS THAT "WE'RE GONNA SEE IF WE CAN KNOCK

THIS SATELLITE OUT OF THE SKY, AND THEN WE KNOW

WE CAN DO THE SAME THING TO AN AMERICAN SATELLITE."

Narrator: THE NEW U.S. SPACE FORCE

IS A SIGNIFICANT ADDITION

TO AMERICA'S CURRENT SPACE-WAR CAPABILITIES.

AN ENTITY HAS EXISTED FOR QUITE A LONG TIME THAT HAS HAD,

IN A SENSE, DOMAIN OVER ISSUES RELATED TO SPACE,

OUTSIDE OF NASA'S ACTIVITY -- THE AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND.

[ ALARM BLARING ]

Narrator: AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND

HAS 30,000 PERSONNEL WORLDWIDE

AND CONTROL OVER SATELLITES, AIRCRAFT,

RADAR, ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEMS, AND ORBITAL LAUNCHERS.

BUT THE NEW SPACE FORCE WILL BE MUCH MORE.

NEW KINDS OF VEHICLES,

NEW KINDS OF WEAPONS FOR A NEW KIND OF WAR,

AND POSSIBLY A NEW KIND OF ENEMY.

SPACE FORCE IS COMING,

AND IT'S MOST LIKELY TO PROTECT US FROM THREATS FROM EARTH,

WITH THE WEAPONS POINTED BACKWARDS AT EARTH,

BUT IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THEY MIGHT NEED TO BE

POINTING OUTWARDS, AS WELL?

COULD THE PRESIDENT HAVE SOME KIND OF INFORMATION

THAT'S DRIVING THE URGENCY TO LAUNCH OUR DEFENSES

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE?

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP...

HOW TO MAKE AN ALIEN REGRET INVADING EARTH...

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEVELOP NEW CAPABILITIES,

'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, HUMANITY ONLY HAS A HANDFUL OF OPTIONS.

Narrator: ...AND A SPACE ROCK FROM THE GODS

FOUND IN A PHARAOH'S NECKLACE.

THE EGYPTIANS HAD A STRONG AFFINITY FOR OUTER SPACE.

WHAT POWERS DID THEY THINK THAT THIS GEM POSSESSED?

Narrator: SPACE FORCE.

ANALYSTS WANT TO KNOW WHY THE U.S. PRESIDENT

LAUNCHES A NEW SPACE BRANCH OF THE MILITARY.

SOME POINT TO A DIRE WARNING GIVEN BY GENIUS

ASTROPHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING TO THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD

JUST TWO YEARS BEFORE SPACE FORCE WAS FORMALLY ANNOUNCED.

HE WAS CONCERNED THAT ANY SPACEFARING ALIENS

MIGHT BE PREDATORY NOMADS

OR BENT ON CONQUERING WORLDS FOR RESOURCES.

Narrator: HE CAUTIONED THAT THE MESSAGES AND SIGNALS

WE HAVE SENT OUT INTO THE COSMOS OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS

AS WE SEARCHED FOR ALIEN LIFE COULD INVITE A LETHAL RESPONSE.

STEPHEN HAWKING WAS ACTUALLY VERY WORRIED ABOUT THIS.

HE FELT LIKE WE SHOULDN'T BE CASTING SIGNALS

OUT INTO THE DARKNESS

BECAUSE THERE MAY BE OTHER SPECIES OUT THERE

WHO WILL SEE OUR BEACON AND WIPE US OUT IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

Narrator: SPACE FORCE COULD BE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

IN THE EVENT OF AN ATTACK FROM SPACE.

WHAT IF WE WERE BEING INVADED FROM ANOTHER STAR SYSTEM?

WELL, WE WOULD AT LEAST HAVE A FOOTHOLD NOW IN SPACE.

WE COULD FIGHT THEM IN SPACE AND NOT ON OUR PLANET.

Narrator: AMERICA IS WELL PLACED

TO BUILD SPACE FORCE AN AWESOME ARSENAL.

LASER-ARMED SATELLITES COULD PROVIDE DEFENSE

WHILE THE ORBIT-CAPABLE X-37B

COULD EVOLVE INTO A DEADLY COMBAT SPACE FIGHTER.

BUT THERE IS NO GUARANTEE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL ATTACK

WOULD FOLLOW ANY RULES OF CONVENTIONAL WAR.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF WAYS TO INVADE A PLANET.

YOU COULD SEND SUPERBUGS

ON MICROMETEORITES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

YOU COULD JUST SEND GIANT ASTEROIDS AT THE PLANET.

BUT IF YOU WANTED THE PLANET FOR A REASON,

THEN YOU JUST WANTED TO EXTERMINATE THE PEOPLE THERE.

THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO SHOW UP WITH A GROUND FORCE

TO HOLD THE TERRITORY.

Narrator: IF TRUMP'S SPACE FORCE FAILS TO SAFEGUARD THE PLANET

AND ALIENS LAND,

IS THERE A BACKUP PLAN IN PLACE TO FIGHT THEM ON OUR OWN TURF?

IF THE PENTAGON HAS PLANS FOR SUCH A SCENARIO,

THEY REMAIN CLASSIFIED.

LET'S ASSUME IT'S SOME BIG MOTHER SHIP SHOWS UP

AND IT'S AN ALL-OUT ATTACK ON THE PLANET.

ANY CIVILIZATION THAT'S ABLE TO CROSS LIGHT-YEARS OF SPACE

IS GONNA BE SO FAR AHEAD OF US THAT IT WOULD BE LUDICROUS

TO THINK THAT WE COULD DEFEND AGAINST.

YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE LIKE A STONE-AGE TRIBE

GOING AGAINST AN F-35.

♪♪

Narrator: IF THE ARSENAL FAILS TO REPEL THE ALIENS

AND THEY MAKE IT TO EARTH,

EXPERTS WARN THAT HUMANITY WOULD HAVE LITTLE CHANCE

IN A CONVENTIONAL BATTLE

AGAINST THE TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED AGGRESSOR

FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

IF WE WERE INVADED BY ANY ALIENS WHO HAD ENOUGH TECHNOLOGY

TO CROSS THE GALAXY WITH THEIR FORCES,

I WOULD THINK THEY COULD TAKE OUT SPACE FORCE IN A MINUTE,

THEY COULD TAKE OUT ALL OF THE WORLD'S

INDUSTRIAL-MILITARY COMPLEXES.

Narrator: BUT ALL MAY NOT BE LOST.

CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY DOES NOT ALWAYS GUARANTEE VICTORY,

AS U.S. FORCES LEARNED IN VIETNAM

AND SOVIET FORCES DISCOVERED IN AFGHANISTAN.

♪♪

Szulgit: THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT AGAINST SUCH HIGH TECH

WOULD BE LOW TECH.

MAYBE IT WOULD TURN INTO SMALL POCKETS OF HUMANITY

HAVING A GUERILLA WAR.

Narrator: THE ABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS IN SMALL GROUPS

TO SURVIVE AND FIGHT BACK

COULD MAKE THEM THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE

AGAINST ANY PLANETARY INVASION.

Taylor: NOW, WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HOPE TO DO IS TO DIG IN

AND HAVE SOME OF US SURVIVE THE INITIAL ATTACK

AND THEN WHAT WE'D DO IS END UP FIGHTING AN ASYMMETRIC WAR

WHERE WE'RE THE INSURGENTS AND THE REBELS.

Narrator: AMERICA KEEPS ITS DEFENSE PLANS CLOSELY GUARDED,

BUT ONE THING THAT IS NOT A SECRET --

IN THE EVENT OF A CATASTROPHIC STRIKE,

WHAT REMAINS OF GOVERNMENT WOULD RELOCATE

TO THE RAVEN ROCK MOUNTAIN COMPLEX.

FROM THIS SUBTERRANEAN BASE, COMMANDERS WILL ATTEMPT

TO COORDINATE WHAT'S LEFT OF THE MILITARY, MILITIAS,

AND INDIVIDUALS AS THEY WAGE A RESISTANCE GUERILLA FIGHTBACK.

THE CONCEPT OF HUMANITY BEING INVADED

BY AN ADVANCED ALIEN RACE, IT'S TERRIFYING,

BUT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE COULD SURVIVE.

[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]

Narrator: THE MORE WE HUMANS VENTURE INTO SPACE,

THE MORE ATTENTION WE'RE LIKELY TO ATTRACT

FROM WHATEVER'S OUT THERE.

BUT SOME SAY IT'S A JOURNEY WE NEED TO MAKE.

WE WANT TO GO AND FIND WHAT'S OUT THERE

BEFORE IT COMES TO FIND US.

♪♪

Narrator: NOVEMBER 26, 1922 -- EGYPT.

THE ANCIENT CIVILIZATION OF THE PHARAOHS

IS BEING REDISCOVERED FROM BENEATH THE DESERT SANDS.

ITS TREASURES ARE SO MAGNIFICENT,

MANY ARE SPECULATING WHETHER ITS MONUMENTAL CONSTRUCTIONS

WERE THE WORK OF MEN OR OF GODS FROM THE STARS.

IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS,

THE FAMOUS ARCHEOLOGIST HOWARD CARTER

BREAKS THE SEAL TO A 3,200-YEAR-OLD ROYAL TOMB.

AS HE PASSES A CANDLE INSIDE, HE REALIZES THIS WILL BE

ONE OF THE GREATEST DISCOVERIES IN HISTORY.

SOMEONE SAYS TO HIM, "WHAT DO YOU SEE INSIDE?"

AND AS HE PEERS THROUGH INTO THE DARKNESS,

THE BEAM OF LIGHT FALLING UPON THE GLITTERING OBJECTS WITHIN,

HE SAYS, "WONDERFUL THINGS."

Zimmerman: THEY CAME TO FIND OVER 3,000 ARTIFACTS IN THERE,

MANY MADE OF SOLID GOLD.

INCREDIBLE CRAFTSMANSHIP.

IT HAD TO HAVE TAKEN HIS BREATH AWAY.

THESE WERE RICHES BEYOND BELIEF.

Narrator: BUT THE MOST INCREDIBLE OBJECT IN THE TOMB

IS IN A SECOND ROOM HIDDEN DEEP IN THE CHAMBER.

SO, IN THE TOMB, THERE IS A ROOM CALLED THE TREASURY.

AND WITHIN THIS ROOM,

CARTER DISCOVERED A BOX MADE OF EBONY AND IVORY.

AND INSIDE THIS BOX, THEY FOUND A NECKLACE

THAT HAD DIFFERENT SYMBOLS ON IT.

AND THEN IN THE CENTER OF THE NECKLACE,

THERE IS THIS BEAUTIFUL SCARAB.

Zimmerman: THIS SCARAB IS NOT MADE OF GOLD

LIKE SO MANY OF THE ARTIFACTS ARE.

IT'S MADE OF A VERY UNUSUAL YELLOW GEMSTONE,

SOMETHING THAT IS NOT READILY RECOGNIZABLE.

Wise: WAS IT MAN-MADE? WAS IT NATURAL?

DID IT HAVE SOME KIND OF OTHER ORIGIN

THAT SCIENTISTS AT THAT POINT COULDN'T IMAGINE?

THEY JUST DIDN'T KNOW.

Narrator: COMING UP...

ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVER THE MYSTERY JEWEL

THAT IS NOT OF THIS WORLD...

IT'S AS IF IT JUST FELL FROM THE HEAVENS.

Narrator: ...THEN HUMANITY PREPARES

FOR THE ULTIMATE SURVIVAL CHALLENGE.

HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY SURVIVE THE DAY WHEN EVERYTHING DIES?

WE CAN BECOME MASTERS OF SPACE AND TIME.

♪♪

Narrator: IN THE 3,200-YEAR-OLD TOMB OF KING TUT,

EGYPTOLOGISTS UNCOVER A JEWEL MADE OF A RARE COSMIC SUBSTANCE.

FOR THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, A GEMSTONE CARVED INTO THE SHAPE

OF A SCARAB IS A POWERFUL SYMBOL.

DESERT SCARABS ARE SACRED CREATURES,

AND THEY POSSESS AN INTIMATE CONNECTION

TO THE WORKINGS OF SPACE.

IN THE EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY,

THE SCARAB IS ASSOCIATED WITH RA, THE SUN GOD.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS BELIEVE RA

IS GUIDED ACROSS THE HEAVENS EACH DAY BY KHEPRI,

A GOD REPRESENTED AS A SCARAB.

WHEN SCIENTISTS ANALYZE THE SCARAB JEWEL,

THEY MAKE AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY

THAT CONNECTS IT TO THE CELESTIAL WORLD.

IT'S GLASS, BUT IT'S NO ORDINARY GLASS.

COBALT AND IRIDIUM WERE FOUND, WHICH ARE RARE TRACE ELEMENTS.

THEY'RE NOT FOUND VERY OFTEN ON EARTH.

THIS MYSTERIOUS OBJECT, WHICH THE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED

TO BE CONNECTED TO THIS CELESTIAL BEING,

ACTUALLY DOES COME FROM THE HEAVENS.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT PHARAOHS' OBSESSION WITH SPACE

COULD BE A CLUE TO THE JEWEL'S ORIGIN.

Brown: IN ADDITION TO BEING GREAT MATHEMATICIANS AND ENGINEERS,

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WERE ALSO GREAT ASTRONOMERS.

Narrator: THE EGYPTIANS ASSOCIATE THE CONSTELLATIONS

WITH THEIR GODS

AND IT IS SAID, BUILD THE GREATEST MONUMENTS ON EARTH

TO ALIGN WITH THE BELT OF ORION AND THE POLESTAR.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO COINCIDENCE

AS TO WHERE THE PYRAMIDS ARE PLACED,

HOW THEY ARE ORIENTED.

THESE ARE PRECISE CALCULATIONS

AND SOMEBODY HAD TO HAVE REMARKABLE KNOWLEDGE.

ONE HAS TO WONDER, HOW DID THEY COME ABOUT THIS KNOWLEDGE?

Narrator: THE EGYPTIANS BUILD STONE CIRCLES TO CHART THE STARS

AND MOST INCREDIBLY, ON A CEILING IN AN ANCIENT TEMPLE,

THEY CONSTRUCT THE MYSTERIOUS DENDERA ZODIAC,

AN ASTROLOGICAL DISC USED BY PRIESTS,

BUT FEATURING REMARKABLY ACCURATE

ASTRONOMICAL INFORMATION.

THE EGYPTIANS HAD A STRONG AFFINITY FOR OUTER SPACE.

SO WHAT POWERS DID THEY THINK THAT THIS GEM POSSESSED

AND WHY DID THEY THINK THAT IT POSSESSED THOSE POWERS?

Narrator: FOR YEARS, THE ORIGIN OF THE JEWEL REMAINS A MYSTERY.

BUT THEN, EXPLORERS MAKE A DISCOVERY.

GLASS FRAGMENTS MATCHING THE NECKLACE ARE FOUND

SCATTERED ACROSS AN AREA DEEP INSIDE THE LIBYAN DESERT,

SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES FROM KIND TUT'S TOMB.

IT'S FOUND OVER AN AREA ABOUT THE SIZE OF NEW YORK CITY.

SO SPREAD OVER A PRETTY CONSIDERABLE AREA.

THE GLASS HAS THE SAME BASIC COMPOSITION

AS THE SURROUNDING SANDSTONE IN SAND.

SO NOW, WE HAVE TO THINK OF A SCENARIO UNDER WHICH

WE COULD TAKE THE MATERIAL THAT'S OUT THERE AND FUSE IT.

WHAT DOES IT REQUIRE? IT REQUIRES HEAT.

Narrator: BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

THE LIBYAN DESERT IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST DESERTS ON EARTH

WITH MIDDAY TEMPERATURES SOARING TO 136 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

BUT TO MAKE THIS GEM WOULD REQUIRE 3,000 DEGREES OF HEAT,

A HEAT THAT SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

CAN ONLY HAVE COME FROM SPACE.

[ CAMEL GRUNTING ]

Zimmerman: THERE IS A THEORY

THAT THIS GLASS WAS FORMED BY A METEOR IMPACT,

THAT WHEN IT HIT THE EARTH,

IT SUPERHEATED THE SAND AND TURNED IT TO GLASS.

THIS RARE GLASS IS LITERALLY BORN

FROM THE MATERIALS OF SPACE.

Narrator: BUT AGAIN, THINGS DON'T ADD UP.

THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ANY METEOR STRIKE HERE.

Oluseyi: THE REGION WHERE THE GLASS IS FOUND

DOESN'T HAVE EVIDENCE OF A CRATER.

THE ONLY EVIDENCE IS THE EXISTENCE OF THIS GLASS.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PROCESS THAT LED TO IT BEING THERE?

Narrator: COMING UP...

A MONSTROUS SPACE INVADER BRINGS A COSMIC JEWEL

FIT FOR A PHARAOH...

WHATEVER THE TRUTH, THIS LITERALLY

WAS A GIFT FROM THE SKY.

...Narrator: AND ULTIMATE SPACE-PREPPERS

GEAR UP FOR THE BIG ONE.

THIS IS A TALL TASK, INDEED, BUT MAYBE IT'S POSSIBLE.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE ORIGIN

OF A MYSTERIOUS JEWEL FOUND IN A PHARAOH'S TOMB.

THERE'S A POSSIBLE CLUE, WHEN IN 2013,

A POWERFUL EXPLOSION LIGHTS UP THE SKIES

ABOVE CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA.

IT'S A METEOR.

BUT THERE'S NO IMPACT.

Oluseyi: NOT EVERY METEOR THAT COMES TO EARTH

AND ENTERS EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE ACTUALLY HITS THE GROUND.

A LOT OF THEM BLOW UP IN THE AIR.

AS THE METEOR TRAVELS THROUGH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

ON THE FRONT SIDE, THE PRESSURE IS REALLY HIGH,

ON THE BACK SIDE, THE PRESSURE IS REALLY LOW.

AND THIS PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL

CREATES HUGE FORCES ON THE METEOR

THAT CAN CAUSE IT TO JUST EXPLODE.

AND WE CALL THOSE AN AIRBURST.

Narrator: THE CHELYABINSK METEOR IS 66 FEET ACROSS.

NASA BELIEVES THAT A LARGER PIECE OF SPACE DEBRIS,

LIKE A COMET,

WOULD EXPLODE IN THE ATMOSPHERE WITH FAR GREATER POWER.

PERHAPS, JUST PERHAPS,

CREATING ENOUGH HEAT TO FUSE DESERT SANDS INTO TOUGH GLASS.

THERE IS NO DIRECT EVIDENCE OF A COMET EXPLODING OVER EGYPT,

AT LEAST, UNTIL 2013.

AND IT CAME IN THE FORM OF A LITTLE BLACK PEBBLE.

AND BY ANALYZING THAT PEBBLE AND ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION,

IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ORIGIN OF THE PEBBLE WAS WHAT?

A COMET.

Narrator: NASA SCIENTISTS BELIVE THE JEWEL AT THE CENTER

OF KING TUT'S NECKLACE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CREATED

BY ONE OF THE MOST TERRIFYING EVENTS IN HISTORY.

A COMET HUNDREDS OF FEET ACROSS EXPLODING

IN THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE SAHARA.

AN EVENT EERILY SIMILAR TO A DESCRIPTION RECORDED

IN AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SCROLL.

Wise: ONE OF THE PAPYRUS SCROLLS THAT ARCHEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND

SPEAKS OF A CIRCLE OF FIRE IN THE SKY,

AND THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE AN INTENSE,

ENERGETIC EXPLOSION COMING FROM OUTER SPACE.

Narrator: THIS TERRIFYING BLAST FROM SPACE

WOULD HAVE BEEN INVESTED

WITH GREAT RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE.

THE SCARAB GOD, KHEPRI, PUSHING THE GREAT SUN GOD,

RA, DOWN TO EARTH.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE EGYPTIANS CARVED THIS GLASS

INTO THE SHAPE OF A SCARAB

BECAUSE HAD ANY HUMANS BEEN AROUND

WHEN THIS AIRBURST OCCURRED,

IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE A SECOND SUN IN THE SKY.

SO, WAY TO GO, EGYPTIANS.

♪♪

Narrator: HUMAN INGENUITY HAS ENRICHED OUR LIVES

BEYOND THE WILDEST IMAGINATION OF OUR ANCESTORS.

THERE SEEMS LITTLE WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO

AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.

BUT COULD WE POSSIBLY SURVIVE THE END OF THE UNIVERSE?

SOME PEOPLE THINK WE CAN ESCAPE THE PLANET

IF THERE IS AN IMMINENT DOOM HERE.

SOME PEOPLE THINK WE CAN ESCAPE THE SOLAR SYSTEM

WHEN THE SUN CEASES TO EXIST.

SOME EVEN THINK WE CAN ESCAPE OUR GALAXY.

BUT ESCAPING THE UNIVERSE?

Narrator: BEFORE NASA SCIENTISTS

FORGE THEIR PLAN TO SAVE HUMANITY,

THEY MUST FIRST WORK OUT HOW THE UNIVERSE MIGHT END.

Kaku: WILL THE UNIVERSE END IN FIRE OR ICE?

WHICH IS IT?

WELL, SORRY TO SAY.

WE'RE NOT SURE.

Filippenko: RIGHT NOW, THE UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING.

THE SPACES BETWEEN THE GALAXIES ARE GETTING BIGGER.

THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE HAS TO DO

WITH WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS EXPANDING SITUATION?

IS THAT GONNA SLOW DOWN? IS IT GONNA SPEED UP?

Narrator: SOME SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THAT GRAVITY WILL ASSERT ITSELF

AND THE EPIC EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE WILL BEGIN TO REVERSE.

♪♪

LIKE A BALL THAT YOU THROW UP AND IT STARTS TO FALL DOWN,

THE UNIVERSE EXPANDS OUT AND THEN IT STARTS TO COLLAPSE

BACK IN FASTER AND FASTER AND FASTER.

Narrator: IT'S BEEN CALLED THE BIG CRUNCH,

AND FOR HUMANS, IT WOULD MEAN A CATACLYSMIC END.

OVER TIME, THE NIGHT SKY WOULD GET BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER

AS SPACE ITSELF CONTRACTED AND SHRANK

AND OBJECTS CAME CLOSER TOGETHER --

GALAXIES, EVENTUALLY STARS.

WE WOULD BE REDUCED TO A PRIMORDIAL ATOM.

Narrator: THE VAST EXPANSIVE CREATION

RELEASED IN THE BIG BANG REDUCED AGAIN TO NOTHING.

BUT WHAT IF THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN?

WHAT IF THE UNIVERSE JUST KEEPS EXPANDING?

Kaku: THE BEST DATA TODAY INDICATES THAT THE UNIVERSE

IS NOT ONLY EXPANDING, IT'S ACCELERATING.

IT'S CAREENING OUT OF CONTROL.

IF THIS GOES ON FOREVER, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BIG RIP.

ULTIMATELY, SPACE CAN EXPAND SO FAST

THAT THE GALAXIES GET RIPPED APART,

PLANETS, STARS GET RIPPED APART, YOUR ATOMS GET PULLED APART,

AND THEN SPACE ITSELF IS RIPPED APART.

♪♪

Narrator: HUMANS WOULD BE CONDEMNED

TO WATCHING POWERLESSLY FROM EARTH

AS THE STARS DISAPPEAR FROM THE SKY,

AND AS OUR OWN STAR, THE EARTH ITSELF,

AND ALL LIFE IS CONSUMED AND EXTINGUISHED IN UTTER DARKNESS.

BUT THE HUMAN SPECIES WON'T GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT.

AND SCIENTISTS ARE ALREADY SPECULATING

ABOUT THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE PLAN.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD EVADE THE DEATH OF EVERYTHING?

Narrator: ONE DAY, THE UNIVERSE WILL FACE ANNIHILATION.

AMAZINGLY, SCIENTISTS HAVE ALREADY DISCOVERED

A POSSIBLE EMERGENCY EXIT.

APRIL 2010 -- MATHEMATICAL PHYSICIST ROGER PENROSE

IS STUDYING THE COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION,

THE OLDEST LIGHT IN THE UNIVERSE.

THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION IS LIGHT

THAT'S LEFT OVER FROM THE VERY EARLIEST DAYS OF THE UNIVERSE,

AND IT'S BEEN TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE EVER SINCE.

Narrator: THE RADIATION IS LIKE A WINDOW TO THE DISTANT PAST,

ALLOWING PENROSE TO SEE HOW GALAXIES HAVE FORMED OVER TIME.

WE SEE A PICTURE OF THE UNIVERSE AS IT WAS

WHEN IT WAS ONLY 380,000 YEARS OLD,

COMPARED TO THE CURRENT 13 OR 14 BILLION YEARS.

Narrator: GAZING OUT ON THE DAWN OF OUR UNIVERSE,

PENROSE DISCOVERS SOMETHING STARTLING AND UNEXPECTED.

ROGER PENROSE THINKS HE SEES SWIRLS

IN THE MICROWAVE BACKGROUND THAT MIGHT BE,

IN A SENSE, THE SHADOW OF A UNIVERSE

THAT PRECEDED OUR BIG BANG.

Billings: IF THIS IDEA IS CORRECT,

IT SUGGESTS THAT THE UNIVERSE ITSELF

COULD BE CYCLIC IN NATURE.

Wise: IT'S LIKE THE UNIVERSE STARTS AGAIN.

WE RESET THE CLOCK.

WE'RE BACK TO THE BEGINNING, THE DAWN OF TIME.

Narrator: SOME ASTRONOMERS BELIEVE

WE MAY HAVE FOUND AN ESCAPE ROUTE.

HUMANITY CAN SURVIVE THE END OF OUR UNIVERSE

IF WE WORK OUT A WAY TO REJOIN THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT.

THIS IS LIKE THE ULTIMATE DOOMSDAY PREPPING,

BUT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED MORE THAN A FEW CANS OF BEANS

AND SOME GAS MASKS.

Narrator: THE END OF THE UNIVERSE MAY BE FAR IN OUR FUTURE,

BUT WE'RE STILL IN A RACE AGAINST TIME.

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT MANKIND MUST EVOLVE

TO WHAT PHYSICISTS CALL

A TYPE-III TECHNOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION

TO BUILD THE TECH NEEDED TO ESCAPE ANNIHILATION.

Kaku: THE TYPE-I CIVILIZATION IS PLANETARY.

THEY HARNESS PLANETARY ENERGY.

FOR EXAMPLE, THEY CAN PLAY WITH THE WEATHER.

THEY CAN PLAY WITH VOLCANOES.

THEY CONTROL PLANETARY ENERGY

LIKE BUCK ROGERS OR FLASH GORDON.

WE ARE MAYBE 100 YEARS FROM BECOMING TYPE I.

Narrator: NEXT, TO BECOME A TYPE-II CIVILIZATION,

MANKIND MUST VENTURE BEYOND OUR PLANET.

"STAR TREK" WOULD BE A TYPICAL TYPE-II CIVILIZATION,

CAPABLE OF HARNESSING THE POWER OF AN ENTIRE STAR SYSTEM.

Narrator: BUT TO ESCAPE THE END OF THE UNIVERSE,

WE MUST ADVANCE FURTHER STILL.

IF WE GROW EXPONENTIALLY AT ABOUT 3% PER YEAR

FOR A MILLION YEARS,

WE'LL BECOME TYPE III, LIKE "STAR WARS",

THE ABILITY TO HARNESS THE POWER OF A GALAXY.

Narrator: HUMANS WILL LOOK VERY DIFFERENT

IN A MILLION YEARS' TIME,

BUT WITH SUCH AWESOME POWER,

THEY MAY FINALLY BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THE END OF THE UNIVERSE.

THEY'LL USE TECHNOLOGY FAR BEYOND ANYTHING WE HAVE TODAY.

Kaku: OUR DESCENDANTS WILL HAVE TO BUILD A COSMIC OVEN,

WHICH WILL CREATE A BABY UNIVERSE,

AN INTER-DIMENSIONAL LIFEBOAT.

Narrator: PHYSICISTS THEORIZE THEY CAN GROW A BABY UNIVERSE

BY SUPERHEATING A SINGLE PARTICLE IN A GIANT OVEN,

SIMILAR TO THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER.

Kaku: HEATED UP TO TREMENDOUS TEMPERATURES --

10 TO THE 19 BILLION ELECTRON VOLTS --

AND THEN BUBBLES BEGIN TO FORM.

BABY BUBBLES, EACH ONE REPRESENTING A BABY UNIVERSE.

Narrator: RATHER THAN GROWING THE BABY UNIVERSE

IN OUR OWN UNIVERSE, SCIENTISTS WOULD BEND SPACE-TIME

TO CREATE A SEPARATE REGION OF SPACE FOR US

TO TRAVEL TO THROUGH A WORMHOLE.

IT WILL SORT OF BE LIKE THE NOAH'S ARK,

BUT INSTEAD OF ESCAPING THE FLOOD,

YOU'RE ESCAPING THE END OF THE UNIVERSE.

WE WILL BE SO ADVANCED THAT WE WILL BE ABLE

TO CONQUER THE POWERS OF SPACE AND TIME

TO CREATE OUR OWN PROGENY, ANOTHER UNIVERSE.

Narrator: AN ARTIFICIAL UNIVERSE,

DESIGNED AND BUILT BY THE MOST INGENIOUS HUMANS IN HISTORY,

MIGHT JUST BE THE PLACE TO STAY WHILE WE WAIT

FOR A NEW, NATURAL UNIVERSE TO BE BORN.

IF THIS ESCAPE OCCURS, WE CAN BE,

LIKE, SITTING THERE AND SEEING THE ENTIRE THING HAPPEN.

IT WILL BE QUITE POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL.

WE WOULD HAVE FRONT-ROW SEATS AT THE DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE

AND AT THE BIRTH OF A NEW UNIVERSE.

SO YOU'D REALLY KIND OF HAVE TWO SHOWS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE.

MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE TO BUILD A RESTAURANT.