Narrator: EYES IN THE SKY,
WATCHING US FROM SPACE. HUNDREDS OF SATELLITES
SHOWING US THE WORLD LIKE WE'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE, CAPTURING IMAGES WHICH ARE
BREATHTAKING BUT BIZARRE, OBJECTS AND PHENOMENA
WHICH DEFY EXPLANATION. WHAT IS THAT? Narrator: IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE GOBI DESERT, A PERPLEXING MILE-WIDE
RECTANGULAR GRID OF JAGGED LINES. THERE'S NO WAY
THESE FEATURES ARE NATURAL. Narrator:
A WEIRD PATTERN IN THE CLOUDS THAT SOME LINK
TO THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. BEING UNDERNEATH
ONE OF THOSE CAN BE A PRETTY BAD EXPERIENCE ON LAND AND IF YOU'RE IN A BOAT,
IT COULD BE A WHOLE LOT WORSE. Narrator:
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A HUGE IRON DOOR
IN THE ANTARCTIC -- EVIDENCE OF A SECRET NAZI BASE? THE GERMANS DEFINITELY
HAD THE KNOW-HOW TO BUILD AND CONSTRUCT
IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS. Narrator:
AND COULD SATELLITES LEAD US TO
A LOST CITY OF FABULOUS WEALTH, THE ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS? IF WE HAVE FOUND IT,
THIS IS A HUGE DISCOVERY. Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA
SEEN FROM SPACE. WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY? --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS IN 1972, THE CREW OF APOLLO 17 TAKE
A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EARTH AS THEY TRAVEL TOWARDS THE MOON. THEY CALL IT "THE BLUE MARBLE." Miller:
IT REALLY JUST FLOORED EVERYONE AND JUST GAVE THE SENSE
OF WE'RE ALL CONNECTED. Narrator:
40 YEARS LATER, SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY
HAS ADVANCED SO MUCH IT PRODUCES THIS IMAGE -- "THE BLACK MARBLE." AT NIGHT NOW,
WITH "THE BLACK MARBLE," WE'RE SEEING SO MUCH MORE. THE THINGS THAT STAND OUT TO YOU
RIGHT AWAY ARE THE CITIES. Kourounis:
THE EARTH AT NIGHT, FROM SPACE, IS LIKE A BRILLIANT LIGHT SHOW. EVERYWHERE
THAT THERE'S HUMAN CIVILIZATION, THERE'S GONNA BE LIGHT. Narrator: IN 2012,
THE SUOMI NPP SATELLITE PASSES OVER THE VAST, EMPTY WILDERNESS OF THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA OUTBACK
AT NIGHT. IT CAPTURES ON CAMERA
A SERIES OF LIGHTS THAT CAN'T BE FULLY EXPLAINED. THERE'S LIGHTS THERE WHERE
YOU KNOW THERE SHOULDN'T BE. IT DEMANDS YOUR ATTENTION. THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON
THERE THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Narrator: WESTERN AUSTRALIA
IS VAST AND EMPTY. IT'S ABOUT A MILLION
SQUARE MILES. THAT'S 1 1/2 ALASKAS, AND YET IT HAS THE SAME
POPULATION AS BROOKLYN. SO IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT THERE ARE SO MANY LIGHTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE'S MORE LIGHT HERE THAN IN
THE BIGGEST CITIES ON THE COAST. THERE ARE NO CITIES OUT THERE,
SO WHAT COULD THOSE BE? Narrator:
A CLUE COULD BE IN THE WAY
THE IMAGE WAS PRODUCED. THIS IS NOT A SINGLE PHOTO, BUT A COMPOSITE
OF MULTIPLE IMAGES. Agass:
THE COMPOSITE IMAGE WAS TAKEN OVER 9 DAYS IN APRIL
AND 12 DAYS IN OCTOBER 2012. SO THE AREAS OF LIGHT THAT WE SEE IN THE IMAGINE
MAY NOT HAVE ALL BEEN PRESENT ON THE SAME NIGHT. Narrator: COULD THIS BE
A SERIES OF FOREST FIRES, WHICH THE SATELLITE COMPUTER
HAS GATHERED TOGETHER INTO ONE IMAGE? Kourounis: AUSTRALIA IS
ROUTINELY PLAGUED BY DROUGHT, AND FOREST FIRES
ACCOMPANY THAT QUITE REGULARLY. Narrator: BUT SOME ANALYSTS
THINK THIS IS UNLIKELY. THE LIGHT IS SIMPLY TOO BRIGHT, AND THE AREA COVERED,
TOO BIG TO BE FOREST FIRES. THESE ARE HUGE. IF THESE ARE FOREST FIRES,
THEY MUST BE MASSIVE. THE FIRE'S ON A SCALE THAT WE'RE NOT USED TO SEEING
ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. Narrator:
BUT IF THEY'RE NOT FOREST FIRES,
WHAT COULD THEY BE? FOLLOWING A HUNCH, SCIENTISTS
COMPARE THE SATELLITE IMAGE WITH ANOTHER, TAKEN AT NIGHT
OVER NORTH DAKOTA. THIS SPARSELY POPULATED STATE
ONLY SHOWS UP ON NIGHTTIME SATELLITE IMAGES
AS A PATCH OF DARKNESS. AND YET, ONE SATELLITE IMAGE
TAKEN IN 2012 REVEALS A CLUSTER OF LIGHTS. IT LOOKS LIKE CHICAGO MOVED
TO NORTH DAKOTA. THE NIGHT-LIGHTS ARE, YOU KNOW,
THAT BRIGHT THERE. Narrator:
ANALYSTS ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN IT AS SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THE OIL FRACKING INDUSTRY. Evans:
IT'S BIG BUSINESS. THEY'VE GONE AT IT
LIKE NO OTHER TIME IN HISTORY. IT'S LIKE A GOLD RUSH RIGHT NOW. IN ORDER TO GET THE OIL OUT, YOU HAVE TO PUT EXPLOSIVES
DOWN THERE. AND YOU FRACK IT BY ESSENTIALLY
BLOWING UP THE RESERVOIR AND ALLOWING THE OIL TO ESCAPE. Narrator: OIL FRACKING PRODUCES
A BY-PRODUCT -- NATURAL GAS. IT'S HARD TO CAPTURE IT
AND STORE IT, SO, INSTEAD, IT'S BURNT OFF --
A PROCESS CALLED FLARING. ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA, IN THE NIGHT SKY,
ARE FLARED WELLS. Narrator:
FRACKING DOES TAKE PLACE
IN AUSTRALIA, BUT MOST OF AUSTRALIA'S
FRACKING SITES ARE CONCENTRATED ON THE EASTERN
SIDE OF THE COUNTRY, OVER 1,000 MILES FROM LIGHTS
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE. SO IT CAN'T BE FRACKING. SCIENTISTS CONSIDER
ANOTHER EXCITING POSSIBILITY. COULD THE IMAGE BE EVIDENCE
OF SOMETHING NEVER CAUGHT ON SATELLITE CAMERA
BEFORE -- BALL LIGHTNING? Kourounis:
BALL LIGHTNING HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST BIZARRE
PHENOMENA ON THE PLANET. SO FEW PEOPLE HAVE WITNESSED IT THAT SCIENCE IS ONLY JUST
BARELY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PHENOMENA EXISTS. SOME BALL LIGHTNING
JUST DISAPPEARS. OTHER BALL LIGHTNING
WILL LITERALLY EXPLODE. WE FOUND SOME HISTORICAL EVENTS, WHERE THINGS LIKE CHIMNEYS HAVE LITERALLY EXPLODED
INTO A MASS OF BRICKS WHEN A BALL OF LIGHTNING
WENT INTO THE CHIMNEY AND THEN IGNITED. Narrator:
BUT LIGHTNING RESEARCHERS
DON'T BUY THIS THEORY. Kourounis: IF THIS PHENOMENON
IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA REALLY IS BALL LIGHTNING, THEN IT WOULD HAVE
TO BE BALL LIGHTNING ON A SCALE
THAT IS UNCOMPREHENDIBLE. Narrator: SO WHAT<i> CAN</i> BE MADE
OF THE REMARKABLE LIGHTS CAPTURED ON SATELLITE CAMERAS
OVER AUSTRALIA? ABORIGINAL FRANCIS FIREBRACE
THINKS HE MIGHT KNOW -- A PHENOMENON HE FIRST
WITNESSED AS A CHILD. I CAN REMEMBER
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS DRIVING ALONG WITH MY FATHER, I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND I SAID, "DAD,
THAT MIN MIN LIGHT THERE. SEE THAT LIGHT?" AND HE USED TO SAY,
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, BOY." BUT IT WOULD FOLLOW US. Narrator: FOR CENTURIES,
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES HAVE TOLD STORIES OF BRIGHT,
HOVERING LIGHTS IN AUSTRALIA. THEY'RE KNOWN AS MIN MIN LIGHTS. THIS LIGHT WOULD APPEAR FROM -- IT SEEMS FROM OUT OF NOWHERE. I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT, BUT IT WAS A SHIMMERING BALL
OF FIRE-LIKE SUBSTANCE. IT WOULD DANCE THROUGH THE TREES
TO A TIMED RHYTHM, IT SEEMED. IT WOULD HOVER THERE AND
SHIMMER, AND THEN -- WHEW! -- IT WAS GONE. Narrator:
THERE HAVE BEEN THOUSANDS
OF REPORTS OF MIN MIN LIGHTS. EYEWITNESSES DESCRIBED SEEING
GLOWING ORBS IN THE SKY. THERE ARE MANY THEORIES
ABOUT THE MIN MIN LIGHTS BUT NONE HAVE BEEN
SCIENTIFICALLY VERIFIED. WHATEVER THEY WERE, THE EXTRAORDINARY LIGHTS
CAPTURED BY SATELLITE HAVE NOW GONE. A SATELLITE PASSING OVER
THE FROZEN ANTARCTIC WILDERNESS PHOTOGRAPHS SOMETHING STRANGE. Gough: I'M LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE
AND I'M THINKING, "IT LOOKS LIKE A DOOR, A BIG, STEEL DOOR INTO THE EARTH
IN THE ANTARCTIC." Narrator:
COULD THIS IMAGE BE A CLUE TO NAZI ACTIVITIES
PRIOR TO WORLD WAR II? Summerhayes:
THE GERMANS WENT TO ANTARCTICA TO DO A RECONNAISSANCE
TO BUILD A BASE. Narrator:
IS THIS THE ENTRANCE OF A SECRET
UNDERGROUND FACILITY? YOU REALLY COULD NOT FIND
A BETTER PLACE TO HIDE THAN ANTARCTICA. IT IS AT THE END OF THE EARTH. NO ONE IS GONNA CHASE YOU THERE. Narrator: A SATELLITE FLYING
OVER THE ANTARCTIC WILDERNESS CAPTURES WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE MOUTH OF A CAVE OR SOME SORT
OF ENTRANCE INTO THE GROUND. Gough: I'M LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE
AND I'M THINKING, "IT LOOKS LIKE A DOOR, A BIG, STEEL DOOR INTO THE EARTH
IN THE ANTARCTIC." Narrator:
THERE HAVE BEEN DOZENS OF BASES ESTABLISHED IN THE ANTARCTIC
WHICH HAVE SINCE BEEN ABANDONED. IS THIS ONE OF WHICH THERE IS
NO OFFICIAL RECORD? Summerhayes: THE GERMANS HAD
THREE EXPEDITIONS TO ANTARCTICA. THE THIRD ONE IS THE ONE
IN 1938-39 WHICH WAS RUN UNDER THE AEGIS
OF HERMANN GORING. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SPOT
ON THE ANTARCTIC COAST WHERE THEY COULD BUILD
THEIR OWN BASE. Narrator:
NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE WHY THE
NAZIS WANTED AN ANTARCTIC BASE. AND, IF THEY BUILT ONE,
THERE'S NO RECORD OF IT. YOU REALLY COULD NOT FIND
A BETTER PLACE TO HIDE THAN ANTARCTICA. IT IS AT THE END OF EARTH. NO ONE IS GONNA CHASE YOU THERE. Narrator:
BUILDING A BASE IN THE ANTARCTIC POSES HUGE
LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES. Pavelec: WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT THE ANTARCTIC HERE, THE LEAST HOSPITABLE
AND LEAST ACCESSIBLE PLACE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET. Narrator:
ANYONE BUILDING A BASE COULD CERTAINLY
HAVE WORKED UNOBSERVED. THE ANTARCTIC IS 5.5 MILLION
SQUARE MILES OF BARREN,
UNINHABITED NOTHINGNESS. BUT THE CONDITIONS ARE BRUTAL -- GROUND TEMPERATURES
OF MINUS 30 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ICY WINDS OF UP TO
200 MILES PER HOUR. ANALYSTS SCRUTINIZE
THE SATELLITE IMAGE. BY COUNTING THE PIXELS, THEY CALCULATE
THAT THE FISSURE IN THE CENTER IS 120 FEET ACROSS. COULD THIS STRANGE,
GRAY OBJECT BE NATURAL? COLIN SUMMERHAYES
IS A POLAR RESEARCH SPECIALIST. THAT SEEMS FAR TOO LARGE
TO BE A MAN-MADE OBJECT. IT'S PROBABLY SOME NATURAL
FEATURE OF THE SURROUNDINGS. Narrator: BUT WHAT? GEOLOGISTS COMPARE THE IMAGE
WITH EXAMPLES OF ICE CREVASSES, BUT THIS SEEMS DIFFERENT. THIS LOOKS MORE LIKE
A GIGANTIC CAVE ENTRANCE. BUT IT'S THE OBJECT
AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE THAT SUGGESTS SOMETHING
MAN-MADE. TO SOME, IT LOOKS MECHANICAL, LIKE SOME CURVED,
GRAY METAL DOOR. AND AROUND THE RIM, HUGE RIVETS. BUT IF IT IS MAN-MADE,
HOW DID IT GET HERE? Fretwell:
ANTARCTICA IS THE ONLY PLACE
WITH NO INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. HUMANS ARE AN ALIEN SPECIES
ON THIS CONTINENT. Narrator:
THE OBJECT IS BIG. IF THIS IS ENGINEERED, IT'S ENGINEERING
ON AN IMPRESSIVE SCALE. CONSTRUCTING THIS WOULD TAKE
INDUSTRIAL KNOW-HOW AND SOME POWERFUL MOTIVATION. WHO WOULD HAVE THE LOGISTICS
OR THE REASONING TO PUT A HOLE THIS FAR
INTO THIS EXTREME ENVIRONMENT? Narrator: AT THE START
OF THE 20th CENTURY, A NUMBER OF LEADING WORLD POWERS WERE MAKING EXPLORATORY
EXPEDITIONS TO THE ANTARCTIC -- THE BRITISH, THE JAPANESE
AND THE GERMANS. Summerhayes: THE GERMANS HAD
THREE EXPEDITIONS TO ANTARCTICA. THE THIRD ONE IS THE ONE
IN 1938-39 WHICH WAS RUN UNDER THE AEGIS
OF HERMANN GORING. Narrator:
GORING, WHO FOUNDED THE GESTAPO, WAS SECOND ONLY TO HITLER
IN THE NAZI HIERARCHY. FOR HIM TO PERSONALLY OVERSEE
AN EXPEDITION TO THE ANTARCTIC, IT MUST BE CONSIDERED
OF GREAT STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE. Summerhayes:
THE GERMANS WENT TO ANTARCTICA
IN 1938-39 TO DO A RECONNAISSANCE
TO BUILD A BASE. Narrator: THE GERMANS
WERE NOT THE ONLY WORLD POWER WITH A STRATEGIC INTEREST
IN THE ANTARCTIC, BUT THEY WERE ONE OF THE FEW WITH THE ABILITY
TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Pavelec: THE GERMANS DEFINITELY
HAD THE KNOW-HOW TO BUILD AND CONSTRUCT
IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS, LIKE UNDERGROUND AND IN MINES. Narrator:
HISTORY DOES NOT RECORD IF THE NAZIS BUILT THEIR BASE. IT'S USUALLY ASSUMED
THEY WERE TOO PREOCCUPIED FIGHTING ON THE EASTERN
AND WESTERN FRONTS. BUT AT THE END OF THE WAR, SOMETHING CURIOUS
OCCURRED IN ARGENTINA, A STAGING POST FOR EXPEDITIONS
TO THE ANTARCTIC. IT WAS A GREAT SURPRISE WHEN TWO U-BOATS
TURNED UP IN ARGENTINA IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WAR. IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY,
ONE U-BOAT ARRIVED, AND THEN,
IN THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST, ANOTHER U-BOAT ARRIVED. Narrator: WERE THESE U-BOATS
DELIVERING SUPPLIES OR TRANSPORTING PEOPLE
TO A SECRET NAZI ANTARCTIC BASE? IT SEEMS TOO INCREDIBLE
TO BE TRUE, AND YET,
SHORTLY AFTER THE WAR ENDED, THE U.S. MILITARY TURNED
ITS ATTENTION TO THE REGION. [ AIR HORN HONKS ] IN 1946, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SENT A LARGE MILITARY TASK FORCE
TO THE ANTARCTIC. THE OPERATION INCLUDED
TWO ICEBREAKERS, A SUBMARINE, AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
TWO DESTROYERS, MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT,
AND 5,000 TROOPS. IT WAS CALLED
OPERATION HIGHJUMP. Summerhayes:
ONE OF THE IDEAS ABOUT THE AMERICAN
HIGHJUMP EXPEDITION WAS THAT IT HAD BEEN
SENT TO ANTARCTICA TO DEAL WITH THIS GERMAN MENACE, A SUPPOSED GERMAN FORTRESS
IN ANTARCTICA. Narrator: BUT THAT WAS NOT
THE OFFICIAL PURPOSE. Pope:
THE OFFICIAL EXPLANATION IS THIS
WAS JUST MILITARY EXERCISES. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
GOING HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD TO PLAY A FEW WAR GAMES
IN THE SNOW DOESN'T QUITE ADD UP TO ME. IF AMERICA REALLY WANTED JUST TO
DO SOME COLD-WEATHER TRAINING, THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES THEY
COULD GO MUCH CLOSER TO HOME -- ALASKA, CANADA. WHY GO TO THE SOUTH POLE? Narrator:
MOST HISTORIANS THINK THE IDEA OF A SECRET NAZI ICE STATION
IS TOO FARFETCHED. Summerhayes:
IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THE GERMANS
WERE ABLE TO BUILD A BASE THERE, A HUGE BASE
THAT WOULD CONTAIN HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. YOU JUST HAVE TO IMAGINE
THE HUGE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE. Narrator:
AND YET, THERE IS NO DENYING
GORING'S ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION OR THE EXPLICIT DESIRE
OF THE NAZIS TO ESTABLISH AN ANTARCTIC BASE OR THE APPEARANCE IN ARGENTINA
AFTER THE WAR OF TWO U-BOATS. THIS SATELLITE IMAGE
MAY BE A TRICK OF THE LIGHT OR A STRANGE ROCK FORMATION, BUT IT MAY BE SOMETHING MORE. Fretwell:
UNTIL YOU GET ON THE GROUND, YOU CAN NEVER BE
ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN. Narrator:
THE SPACE SHUTTLE<i> ENDEAVOUR</i> TAKES AN IMAGE
OF THE AMERICAN MIDWEST THAT STUNS GEOLOGISTS. Rampino: THERE ARE THESE
EIGHT CIRCULAR SCARS THAT STRETCH FROM ILLINOIS
TO KANSAS. Narrator:
LIKE A STRAIGHT LINE OF CRATERS
FROM EIGHT METEOR IMPACTS. IT WOULD BE, LIKE,
A HIROSHIMA-LEVEL BOMB HITTING
IN EACH OF THESE EIGHT SITES. Narrator:
FEBRUARY 2000. THE SPACE SHUTTLE<i> ENDEAVOUR</i>
EMBARKS UPON AN 11-DAY MISSION TO CREATE A DETAILED 3D PICTURE
OF THE EARTH. PASSING HIGH
OVER WESTERN MISSOURI, IT CAPTURES VALLEYS,
RIVERS, AND CREEKS. BUT THE SHUTTLE'S RADAR
REVEALS SOMETHING ELSE -- A VAST, CIRCULAR CRATER
IN THE EARTH. BUT INTRIGUINGLY,
THIS JUST ONE OF EIGHT CRATERS STRETCHING 450 MILES
FROM THE EAST TO WEST, FORMING A STRAIGHT LINE THAT SEEMS TO RUN
ALONG THE 38th PARALLEL. WHAT ARE THESE CRATERS,
AND WHY ARE THEY IN A LINE? GEOLOGIST KEVIN EVANS IS INVESTIGATING THE LARGEST
OF THE CRATERS REVEALED BY
THE SHUTTLE<i> ENDEAVOUR,</i> KNOWN AS WEAUBLEAU. Evans: WEAUBLEAU'S STRUCTURE
IS 12 MILES ACROSS. THAT'S THE OUTER PART
OF THE RING. THE INNER RING IS ABOUT
3 1/2 TO 4 MILES ACROSS, SO IT'S AN UNUSUAL
SORT OF FEATURE. Narrator: AS A GEOLOGIST,
EVANS HAS EXAMINED MANY CRATERS. BUT THIS ONE IS UNLIKE ANYTHING
HE HAS SEEN BEFORE. IT'S SURROUNDED BY WHAT
LOOKED LIKE BIZARRE EGGS. SO THESE ARE WEAUBLEAU EGGS. THEY CAN GET SMALLER
THAN THE SIZE OF AN ACORN BUT THEY CAN GET
AS BIG AS A BASKETBALL. Narrator:
THESE STONE EGGS HAVE BEEN
FOUND NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH. Dixon:
SO THERE ARE MYSTERIOUS HOLES. AROUND THEM ARE THESE WEIRD,
EGG-LIKE OBJECTS. SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
OUT OF A SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIE. Narrator:
COULD THE EGGS BE EXPLAINED
BY THE STRANGE LINE OF CRATERS? ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES
OF A HUGE CRATER IS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. THERE ARE 169 VOLCANOES
IN THE U.S., BUT MOST ARE FOUND ON THE
GEOLOGICALLY VOLATILE WEST COAST AND ALASKA. THAT WOULD MAKE
THIS LINE OF CRATERS THE MOST EASTERLY VOLCANOES
IN NORTH AMERICA. BUT WHY ARE THEY IN A LINE?
ARE THEY LINKED? ARE THESE CALDERAS OR CRATERS
PART OF SOME TERRIFYING COMPLEX OF VOLCANOES
RUNNING ACROSS THE U.S.? SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS
VOLCANOES ARE THOSE THAT ERUPT
SO MUCH MAGMA THAT THE CONE ACTUALLY
COLLAPSES INTO THE GROUND AND YOU'RE LEFT WITH JUST
A LARGE HOLE, OR CALDERA. Narrator: SUPER ERUPTIONS
FROM SUCH CRATERS CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST
DESTRUCTIVE FORCES ON THE PLANET. A SUPER ERUPTION WOULD BE
THE ULTIMATE GEOLOGIC HAZARD. A SUPER ERUPTION WOULDN'T JUST
HAVE<i> LOCAL</i> IMPACTS. IT WOULD HAVE<i> GLOBAL</i> IMPACTS. Narrator: THE IDEA THAT EIGHT
GIANT VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS CAUSED THIS 450-MILE-LONG CHAIN
OF CRATERS SEEMS A LOGICAL THEORY UNTIL EVANS DISCOVERS SOMETHING
AT THE WEAUBLEAU CRATER. SHOCKED QUARTZ.
BOOM. THERE IT WAS. IT'S LIKE,
"NO, IS THAT REALLY WHAT IT IS?" Narrator: SHOCKED QUARTZ
WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN NEVADA IN THE 1960s IN CRATERS PRODUCED
BY NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS. IT'S NOT THE PRODUCT
OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY BUT FROM IMMENSELY VIOLENT
EVENTS, SUCH AS HUMANS LETTING OFF
A MASSIVE NUCLEAR BOMB OR A HUGE METEOR IMPACT... SOMETHING CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN
ABOUT SEVEN SECONDS TO COME ALL THE WAY THROUGH
THE ATMOSPHERE... ...STRIKE THE EARTH 20 TIMES
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET. WHEN THAT METEORITE HIT,
IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED TSUNAMIS. IT WOULD HAVE SHAKEN THE GROUND
IN THIS AREA. AND SO, WHAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY
IS THE REMAINS OF THAT IMPACT. Narrator:
THE METEORITE STRIKE THEORY COULD EXPLAIN
THE CRATER AT WEAUBLEAU AND MAYBE THE BIZARRE EGGS. THIS IS ONE
THAT'S BEEN BROKEN OPEN. THIS IS THE YOLK. IT'S SILT STONE. WHEN THIS METEORITE IMPACT
OCCURRED, IT BLASTED ALL SORTS OF ROCKS
OUT OF HERE. AND ONE OF THE ROCKS THAT IT HIT
WAS A SILT STONE ROCK BODY. IT WAS DEEP INSIDE
OF THE IMPACT. AND WHEN IT GOT BLASTED OUT
AS EJECTA, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN RED-HOT. Narrator:
RED-HOT FRAGMENTS OF SILT STONE WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN
INTO THE AIR AND COOLED SLOWLY OVER TIME. MICROSCOPIC QUARTZ CRYSTALS BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE
AROUND THAT SILT STONE CLASS, AND IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, YEAR AFTER YEAR,
PERHAPS EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THIS ACCUMULATED A GROWTH,
AND IT GREW RIGHT IN THE ROCK. Narrator:
THE SHOCKED QUARTZ AND THE EGGS
POINT TO A METEOR STRIKE, BUT WHY ARE THERE EIGHT CRATERS
ALL IN A LINE? TO HAVE A SET
OF CIRCULAR STRUCTURES ACROSS THE MIDDLE
OF THE UNITED STATES IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOTHING
ALL THAT REMARKABLE. BUT WHAT ARE THE CHANCES
YOU'D PUT EVERYTHING IN A LINE? YOU CAN DO THAT CALCULATION, AND IT TURNS OUT
IT'S LITERALLY ABOUT 1 IN A 2.5 BILLION CHANCE. Narrator:
ONE CLUE TO HOW THIS HAPPENED
CAN BE FOUND IN SPACE. IN 1994,
GENE SHOEMAKER, THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED
SHOCKED QUARTZ, ALSO SIGHTING A COMET
HURDLING TOWARDS JUPITER AT OVER 100,000 MILES PER HOUR. Durda:
JUPITER'S GRAVITY TORE APART, JUST RIPPED TO SHREDS,
COMET SHOEMAKER-LEVY 9, MAKING THIS SET OF IMPACTS
ALL AT ABOUT ONE LATITUDE. AND THAT GAVE US THAT
SORT OF "AHA!" MOMENT, THAT CLUE, THAT UNDERSTANDING OF A NEW PROCESS
WE HADN'T THOUGHT OF BEFORE. THE SAME WAY A MACHINE GUN
WILL LEAVE A LINE OF HOLES IN A WALL... [ MACHINE GUN FIRE ] ...THESE COMETS
WERE LEAVING A LINE OF IMPACT SCARS ON THE EARTH. IT WOULD BE LIKE
A HIROSHIMA-LEVEL BOMB HITTING AT EACH
OF THESE EIGHT SITES. Narrator:
AND ALARMINGLY, IT'S A CATASTROPHE
THAT'S DUE AGAIN. EVERY 30 MILLION YEARS,
THERE'S A PULSE OF IMPACTS, PROBABLY COMETS
HITTING THE EARTH. AND THE LAST OF THESE PULSES WAS ABOUT
30 OR SO MILLION YEARS AGO. SO, YOU MIGHT SAY, ACCORDING
TO THAT KIND OF TIME SCALE, THE TIME HAS COME
FOR ANOTHER IMPACT PERIOD. Narrator:
RADAR REVEALS STRANGE MARKINGS
HIDDEN BENEATH ARABIA. THIS THING IS LIKE A MIRAGE
COMING OUT OF THE DESERT. Narrator: COULD THESE MARKS
LEAD TO A LOST, ANCIENT CITY, THE LEGENDARY
ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS? IF WE'VE ACTUALLY
FOUND IT FROM SPACE, WELL, THEN,
THAT'S QUITE A THING. Narrator:
APRIL 13th, 1994. SPACE SHUTTLE<i> CHALLENGER</i>
IS PASSING OVER SOUTHERN OMAN ON THE ARABIAN PENINSULA. IT'S CARRYING STATE-OF-THE-ART
RADAR TECHNOLOGY. IT SCANS OMAN'S
SO-CALLED EMPTY QUARTER. AT 250,000 SQUARE MILES, IT'S THE LARGEST, CONTINUOUS
STRETCH OF SAND ON EARTH. Huston: THE EMPTY QUARTER
IS EMPTY FOR A REASON, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S JUST
NOT MUCH THERE, LET ALONE WATER OR THE ABILITY
TO CROSS IT WITH ANY CONFIDENCE. Narrator: THE RADAR IDENTIFIES
A SERIES OF TRACKS, INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. THESE PATHS JUST APPEAR, AND THEY ARE CLEAR
THAT THEY WERE THERE IN HISTORY AND THEY'RE NOT THERE NOW. Narrator:
THE TRACKS ARE 100 MILES
FROM THE NEAREST CITY. ANALYSTS CONCLUDE
THAT THEY MUST BE ANCIENT, BUT WHY ARE THEY HERE? TRACKS, ROADS IN THE DESERT.
THEY MUST BE LEADING SOMEWHERE. CLEARLY IS A LOCATION
OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE AND THE PLACE
WHERE NUMEROUS PATHS CAME TOGETHER IN THE OLD DAYS. Narrator:
THE EXPERTS ARE EXCITED. ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
THERE WAS ONCE A FABULOUSLY WEALTHY CITY
HERE. IT WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUNDED
BY THE GRANDSON OF NOAH. THE CITY WAS NAMED "UBAR." IT HAS BEEN CALLED
"THE ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS." GENERATIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING IN VAIN
FOR A WHILE. IF WE'VE ACTUALLY
FOUND IT FROM SPACE, WELL, THEN,
THAT'S QUITE A THING. Huston: EVEN T.E. LAWRENCE,
THE FAMOUS LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, WAS TOLD OF IT
AND HAD AS ONE OF HIS GOALS TO GO BACK AND FIND IT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY DIED
BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO DO THAT. Narrator:
THE QURAN DESCRIBES UBAR AS A CITY
OF LOFTY PILLARS OR TOWERS, THE LIKE OF WHICH
HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN. IN THE "ARABIAN NIGHTS," IT'S
DESCRIBED AS PARADISE ON EARTH. THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, UBAR WAS A RICH TRADING CENTER
OF THE ARAB WORLD. MERCHANTS CAME TO UBAR
WITH GREAT CARAVANS OF CAMELS, WEIGHED DOWN WITH SILKS
AND SPICES, PRECIOUS STONES, AROMATIC PERFUMES,
AND OTHER EXOTIC ARABIAN GOODS, INCLUDING THE MOST
PRIZED COMMODITY OF ALL -- FRANKINCENSE. FRANKINCENSE WAS AS VALUABLE
AS GOLD IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. Huston: THE WEALTH OF UBAR
WAS ATTRIBUTABLE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY TO ONE THING, AND THAT WAS FRANKINCENSE. Narrator:
FRANKINCENSE WAS PRODUCED FROM THE RESIN
OF THE RARE BOSWELLIA TREE, HARDENED BY THE SUN
INTO A VALUABLE CRYSTAL. IT WAS THESE PERFUMED CRYSTALS
THAT MADE UBAR SO RICH. IF A SATELLITE HAS DISCOVERED THE OLD FRANKINCENSE
TRADE ROUTE, IT COULD LEAD ARCHAEOLOGISTS
TO THE LOST CITY OF THE SANDS. FOLLOWING THE SEPARATE
ANCIENT TRACKS, THEY SEEM TO CONVERGE,
LIKE AN ARROW, TO ONE POINT. AND AT THIS VERY SPOT
ARE THE RUINS OF A FORT. ARE THESE PART
OF THE RUINS OF UBAR? GEOLOGISTS
STUMBLED ON THESE RUINS IN 1948, BUT THEY ATTACHED NO PARTICULAR
SIGNIFICANCE TO THEM AND DIDN'T EXPLORE THEM
IN ANY DEPTH. IF A CITY OF LOFTY PILLARS
DID EXIST HERE, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT NOTHING
REMAINS BUT THE RUINS OF A SOLITARY FORT? [ PEOPLE SCREAMING ] QURAN TELLS US THAT ALLAH
DECIMATED THE CITY BECAUSE OF ITS WICKEDNESS. IN THE QURAN, IT SAYS THAT UBAR
WAS CONSUMED IN THE SAND. Narrator: A VENGEFUL GOD
SMITING AN ENTIRE CITY, THE DESERT SWALLOWING PARADISE. IT SOUNDS LIKE A FABLE... ...BUT EXPERTS THINK IT MAY
BE A FABLE WITH A BASIS IN FACT. DR. BRITTANY BRAND BELIEVES
THE REAL CITY OF UBAR COULD HAVE BEEN SWALLOWED
BY A GIANT DESERT SINKHOLE. IF YOU HAVE A CITY THAT IS BUILT
ON TOP OF AN UNDERGROUND CAVE AND THAT CITY IS DRAWING WATER
OUT OF THE GROUNDS, THEN IT'S PERFECTLY PLAUSIBLE THAT PART OF THAT CAVE
CAN COLLAPSE TO FORM A SINKHOLE. SINKHOLES CAN HAPPEN
CATASTROPHICALLY WHERE THE GROUND SIMPLY
JUST COLLAPSES IN ON ITSELF WITH NO WARNING. Narrator:
SO COULD THERE BE A HUGE HOLE
BENEATH THE DESERT, HIDDEN BY THOUSANDS
OF YEARS OF SHIFTING SANDS? IF SO, UBAR COULD BE THERE,
WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED. EXCITED BY THE BREAKTHROUGH
RADAR IMAGE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS MOVE IN
AND EXCAVATE HUNDREDS OF TONS OF SAND
FROM THE SITE, AND THEY DISCOVER SOMETHING. Huston: THEY FOUND POTTERY. THEY FOUND OTHER EVIDENCE
OF WHAT IS CERTAINLY A CITY. Narrator:
AND A SECOND DISCOVERY PROVIDES A CLUE
TO THE IDENTITY OF THE CITY. ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND
EIGHT TOWERS, WHICH MATCHES
WHAT THE QURAN SAYS. Narrator:
A CITY OF LOFTY PILLARS. THAT'S PRETTY SPECIFIC
AND A GOOD INDICATOR THAT THIS IS THE REAL SITE. Narrator:
MORE RECENT IMAGES SHOW THE EXTENT OF THE SITE
UNCOVERED BY EXCAVATION. THEY ALSO APPEAR TO SUPPORT
THE SINKHOLE THEORY. THE OUTLINE OF A VAST HOLE
IN THE SAND IS CLEARLY VISIBLE. BENEATH THE GROUND,
SINKHOLES CAN BE MUCH BIGGER THAN THEIR SURFACE SIZE
SUGGESTS, HUNDREDS OF TIMES BIGGER. THE HIDDEN RUINS
OF THIS CITY COULD BE VAST, A FABULOUSLY RICH CITY
SWALLOWED BY THE EARTH. Gough: WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF THE TANDEM
OF THE SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY WITH THE ON-SITE INVESTIGATION REVEALING THAT UBAR
WAS BUILT OVER A SINKHOLE. Narrator: SOME SCHOLARS DISPUTE
THIS IS UBAR. IF THIS WAS A GREAT CITY, WHERE ARE THE SKELETAL REMAINS
OF HUMANS? THE SINKHOLE IS TOO DANGEROUS
TO PROPERLY EXCAVATE. ONLY MINING EQUIPMENT
COULD REVEAL WHAT'S DOWN THERE. UNTIL THEN,
NO ONE CAN SAY FOR SURE WHETHER THE FABLED
ATLANTIS OF THE SANDS REALLY HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED
FROM SPACE. A SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS
A BIZARRE PATTERN OF HEXAGONS OVER THE BAHAMAS. Miller: WHAT IS THAT? AND YOU GO AND TRY TO ANSWER
THAT QUESTION THAT NO ONE'S REALLY
BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN BEFORE. Narrator:
COULD THESE STRANGE CLOUDS SOLVE ONE OF THE WORLD'S
GREAT RIDDLES? Cerveny: THIS MAY PROVIDE
SOME VITAL CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING THAT LONG-TERM
BERMUDA TRIANGLE MYSTERY. Narrator:
FEBRUARY 2002. NASA'S TERRAMOTO SATELLITE IS ORBITING 450 MILES ABOVE
THE NORTH ATLANTIC. 150 MILES
OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA, OVER THE BAHAMAS, THE SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS
COASTAL CLOUDS WHEN IT CAPTURES SOMETHING
METEOROLOGISTS FIND STRANGE. WHEN THEY ANALYZE THE IMAGE, THEY SPOT A SERIES
OF HEXAGON-SHAPED CLOUDS. Cerveny:
THE SATELLITE IMAGERY
IS REALLY BIZARRE, WITH THE HEXAGONAL SHAPES
OF THE CLOUD FORMATIONS. YOU DON'T TYPICALLY
SEE STRAIGHT EDGES WITH CLOUDS. MOST OF THE TIME, CLOUDS ARE
RANDOM IN THEIR DISTRIBUTION. Narrator:
THE HEXAGONS RANGE IN SIZE
FROM 20 TO 55 MILES ACROSS. CLOUDS LIKE THIS WOULD BE
INTRIGUING ANYWHERE, BUT THE LOCATION
OF THESE MAKES THEM FASCINATING. THIS IS THE WESTERN TIP
OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. THIS NOTORIOUS AREA
OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC, BETWEEN BERMUDA, FLORIDA,
AND PUERTO RICO IS THE SCENE OF MANY
REPORTED DISAPPEARANCES OF AIRCRAFT, SHIPS, AND PEOPLE. IN 1918, THE S.S.<i> CYCLOPS</i> AND OVER 300 CREW MEMBERS
VANISHED. IN 1921, THE<i> CARROLL A. DEERING</i>
RAN AGROUND WITH NO SAILORS LEFT ON BOARD. IN 1945, 5 U.S. TORPEDO BOMBERS
FLYING OVER THE AREA DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE. THEY BECAME KNOWN
AS "THE LOST SQUADRON." SCIENTISTS HAVE SPENT YEARS
TRYING IN VAIN TO EXPLAIN THESE BIZARRE EVENTS, BUT NOW WE HAVE SATELLITES. THIS TYPE OF SATELLITE IMAGE
MAY PROVIDE SOME VITAL CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING THAT LONG-TERM
BERMUDA TRIANGLE MYSTERY. Narrator:
SO, HOW ARE THESE STRANGE,
HEXAGONAL CLOUDS CONNECTED WITH THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF SHIPS AND PLANES? THE ANSWER LIES 4,500 MILES AWAY IN ANOTHER SATELLITE IMAGE TAKEN
OVER THE TURBULENT NORTH SEA, OFF THE COAST
OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. MORE HEXAGONS, SPREADING
OVER 35,000 SQUARE MILES, ROUGHLY THE SIZE OF IRELAND. THIS IMAGE WAS CAPTURED
BY THE SATELLITE ENVISAT. ENVISAT CARRIES RADAR EQUIPMENT THAT CAN SEE THROUGH CLOUD
TO WHAT'S HAPPENING BELOW. Cerveny:
WITH TODAY'S RADAR, WE CAN ACTUALLY DETECT THINGS
THAT, PREVIOUS TO THAT, WE SIMPLY COULDN'T HAVE SEEN. Narrator:
A RADAR IMAGE TAKEN
AT THE SAME TIME REVEALS SEA-LEVEL WINDS
OF ALMOST 100 MILES AN HOUR. THAT'S THE TOP
OF THE BEAUFORT SCALE, POWERFUL ENOUGH TO GENERATE
WAVES OVER 45 FEET HIGH. I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE IN A BOAT
UNDERNEATH SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Narrator:
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE POWERFUL WINDS RECORDED
BY RADAR IN THE NORTH SEA ALSO EXIST BELOW THE HEXAGONAL
CLOUDS OVER THE BAHAMAS. AND METEOROLOGIST RANDY CERVENY
THINKS THEY'RE CONNECTED TO A TERRIFYING
ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON. THESE TYPES OF HEXAGONAL SHAPES
OVER THE OCEAN ARE, IN ESSENCE, AIR BOMBS. THEY'RE FORMED
BY WHAT ARE CALLED MICROBURSTS, AND THEY'RE BLASTS OF AIR THAT COME DOWN
OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOUD AND THEN HIT THE OCEAN AND THEN CREATE WAVES THAT CAN SOMETIMES BE MASSIVE
IN SIZE AS THEY START TO INTERACT
WITH EACH OTHER. Narrator:
THE BLAST FROM AN AIR BOMB,
OR MICROBURST, SPREADS OUTWARDS AT SPEEDS
OF UP TO 170 MILES PER HOUR, MORE THAN SUFFICIENT
TO TEAR DOWN TREES ON LAND OR FLIP SHIPS ON WATER. Cerveny: I CAN TELL YOU
THAT BEING UNDERNEATH ONE OF THOSE MICROBURSTS CAN BE A PRETTY BAD EXPERIENCE
ON LAND. AND IF YOU'RE IN A BOAT,
IT CAN BE A WHOLE LOT WORSE. Narrator:
MICROBURSTS, OR AIR BOMBS, HAVE BEEN LINKED
WITH GIANT ROGUE WAVES, TERRIFYING WALLS OF WATER THAT SEEM TO APPEAR
OUT OF NOWHERE. CRUSE SHIP PASSENGER
RONALD CLARK EXPERIENCED THEM FIRSTHAND. WE'RE CRUISING ALONG,
JUST LIKE IN "TITANIC." EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. WE HEARD A LOUD CRASH,
LIKE A BOOM. THE SHIP WAS HIT
BY A ROGUE WAVE, A 70-FOOT WAVE,
AND IT WAS TERRIFYING. I'M THINKING,
LIKE, A MISSILE HIT THE BOAT. Narrator:
CLARK LIVED TO TELL THE TALE. OTHERS WEREN'T SO LUCKY. WHAT'S MORE,
SEVERAL AIRCRAFT DISASTERS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED
TO THESE TERRIFYING AIR BOMBS. EVEN A LARGE PLANE CAUGHT
IN THEIR POWERFUL DOWNDRAFT CAN LOSE CONTROL. IN 1982,
PAN AM FLIGHT 759 WENT DOWN WITH A LOSS OF 153 LIVES. THE OFFICIAL REPORT
BLAMED AN AIR BOMB. IF PROFESSOR CERVENY IS RIGHT
AND THESE STRANGE HEXAGONS ARE THE SIGNATURE
OF DEADLY AIR BOMBS, THEN THIS SATELLITE IMAGE
COULD PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHIPS,
LIKE THE S.S.<i> CYCLOPS.</i> IT COULD EXPLAIN
HOW THE LOST SQUADRON OF '45 WAS KNOCKED OUT OF THE SKY. IT COULD SOLVE THE RIDDLE
OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. NOW, SATELLITE ANALYSTS
ARE SCANNING THE TRIANGLE FOR FURTHER SIGNS
OF THESE WEIRD CLOUDS. Cerveny: WE CAN TRIGGER AN ALARM
THAT WILL TELL THE FORECASTER THAT, SAY, A MICROBURST
HAS BEEN CREATED. IT'S NO EXAGGERATION
TO SAY THAT SATELLITES ARE ACTUALLY LIFESAVERS. Narrator:
A SATELLITE CAPTURES A BAFFLING GRID ETCHED
INTO THE GOBI DESERT IN CHINA. THERE'S NO WAY
THESE FEATURES ARE NATURAL. Narrator:
BUT IF NOT NATURAL, WHO PUT THESE LINES
ONTO THE LANDSCAPE AND WHY? IT'S CLEAR THAT THE CHINESE
ARE PRETENDING IT'S NOT THERE. SO, YOU HAVE TO THINK,
"SOMETHING'S GOING ON." Narrator: APRIL 4th, 2009. SATELLITE QUICKBIRD FLIES HIGH OVER THE GOBI DESERT
IN NORTHERN CHINA, ALMOST 1 MILLION SQUARE MILES
OF SAND AND ROCK, AND IT CAPTURES
SOMETHING WEIRD -- A STRANGE PATTERN
ETCHED INTO THE DESERT. Hill: THERE'S NO WAY
THESE FEATURES ARE NATURAL. THESE PATTERNS
ARE IN A VERY REMOTE AREA. THEY INVOLVED A LOT OF MATERIAL
TO CREATE THEM, SO THEY MUST HAVE BEEN PUT THERE FOR SOME SORT OF
IMPORTANT PURPOSE. Narrator:
THESE STRAIGHT LINES AND UNNATURAL GEOMETRIC SHAPES
ARE BAFFLING. EXPERTS CLOSELY ANALYZE
THE SATELLITE IMAGE. THE GRID IS BIG. IT'S A MILE LONG
AND A HALF A MILE ACROSS. THE WHITE LINES THAT CONTRAST
SHARPLY WITH BLACK DESERT ROCK ARE AS WIDE
AS MULTI-LANE FREEWAYS. IT'S CLEARLY MAN-MADE. IT'S BEEN CLEARLY
WELL THOUGHT OUT. MAYBE EVEN CITY WALLS
OR SORT OF A STREET LAYOUT. Narrator:
COULD THESE BE THE RUINS OF SOME ANCIENT,
LONG-FORGOTTEN CITY? 800 YEARS AGO, THIS PLACE WAS RULED
BY THE GREAT MONGOL WARRIOR EMPEROR GENGHIS KHAN. THE SILK ROAD
RAN ACROSS THIS TERRITORY. BUT HISTORIANS
CAN FIND NO MENTION IN ANCIENT MONGOLIAN TEXTS
TO A CITY HERE NOR IS THERE ANY REFERENCE
WHICH COULD EXPLAIN THE LARGE COMPLEX STRUCTURE
CAPTURED BY SATELLITE CAMERAS. SOME FOLKS
THINK THAT MAYBE DESERT WINDS HAD REVEALED THE WALLS
OF AN ANCIENT CITY, BUT IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK
ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL. Narrator:
BUT IF THIS ISN'T AN ANCIENT
STRUCTURE AND IT<i> IS</i> MAN-MADE, IT MUST HAVE A PURPOSE. THESE ARE HIGHLY REFLECTIVE
SURFACES. IT'S WHITE PAINT, MAYBE, OR CEMENT THAT'S BEEN LAID DOWN. Narrator:
WAS THIS GRID ACTUALLY DESIGNED
TO BE SEEN FROM SPACE? Hill: WHEN YOU LAUNCH A CAMERA
INTO SPACE, USUALLY WANT TO LOOK AT TARGETS
ON THE GROUND THAT YOU KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE SO YOU CAN VERIFY
HOW YOUR CAMERA'S PERFORMING. AND SO, YOU BUILD KNOWN TARGETS
ON THE GROUND TO LOOK AT. Narrator: IT'S WELL KNOWN
IN INTELLIGENCE CIRCLES THAT CHINA HAS LAUNCHED ADVANCED
SPY SATELLITES IN RECENT YEARS. IS THIS SYMBOL BEING USED TO
CALIBRATE THEIR EYES IN THE SKY? Pope: I DON'T BUY THE SATELLITE
CALIBRATION THEORY. THAT'S OLD TECHNOLOGY. THAT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED WAY
OF DOING IT. I THINK THE CHINESE
HAVE MOVED WAY BEYOND THAT. I THINK
WHATEVER THESE THINGS ARE, THEY'VE GOT ANOTHER PURPOSE. Narrator:
THERE IS A MORE WORRYING THEORY, THAT THIS ISN'T A TARGET
FOR CALIBRATION. IT'S A TARGET
FOR SOMETHING ELSE, THAT THIS GRID IN THE DESERT REPRESENTS A KEY
STRATEGIC LOCATION SOMEWHERE ELSE ON EARTH. Hansen: THEY ARE A TARGET
FOR SOME WEAPON, SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE SHOOTING. Narrator: THE STRANGE GRID
IS LESS THAN 300 MILES FROM THE CITY OF JIUQUAN, WHERE CHINA'S SPACE PROGRAM
IS BASED, A PROGRAM CONTROLLED
BY THE CHINESE MILITARY. IF ONE COUNTRY WEAPONIZES SPACE, IT'S A HUGE
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE FOR THEM AND A MASSIVE CONCERN
FOR EVERYBODY ELSE. THE MILITARY ADVANTAGE
OF GETTING A WEAPON IN SPACE THAT CAN ATTACK THE GROUND IS
YOU WILL HAVE THE HIGH GROUND. AND IF YOU CAN SHOOT AT IT,
SO MUCH THE BETTER. Narrator: IS CHINA DEVELOPING
ITS OWN VERSION OF THE "STAR WARS"
SPACE WEAPON PROGRAM? OUR SECURITY IS BASED ON BEING
PREPARED TO MEET ALL THREATS. REAGAN'S "STAR WARS" INITIATIVE WAS AN ATTEMPT
AT SHOOTING AT A MISSILE FROM A SATELLITE
WITH A LASER OR A PARTICLE BEAM, OR SOME OTHER EXOTIC WEAPON. Narrator: SO, WHAT ARE CHINA'S
MILITARY LEADERS DOING WITH THEIR SPACE PORT? IF THEY ARE CONDUCTING RESEARCH
INTO SPACE WEAPONS, COULD THE BIZARRE GRID,
LESS THAN 300 MILES AWAY, BE PART OF THE PROGRAM? Pope: SOME PEOPLE SAY
THAT THESE ARE CITY GRIDS. WELL, IF THIS IS A CITY GRID,
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND A MATCH AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT CITY
THE CHINESE ARE INTERESTED IN. Narrator:
ANALYSTS COMPARE THE PATTERN
WITH THE LAYOUTS OF VARIOUS WORLD CITIES. THERE ARE SIMILARITIES
IN THE DESERT LINES AND CIRCLES WITH URBAN ROADS,
INTERSECTIONS, AND PLAZAS... BUT NOTHING CONCLUSIVE. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES,
MEANWHILE, ARE SAYING NOTHING. Capps:
IT'S CLEAR THAT THE CHINESE
ARE PRETENDING IT'S NOT THERE. SO, YOU HAVE TO THINK,
"SOMETHING'S GOING ON."
