[ TRAIN WHISTLE BLARES ] Narrator: THE SUN RISES, JUST AS IT HAS
FOR 4 BILLION YEARS, WITH ONE DIFFERENCE -- WE ARE<i> NOT</i> ALONE. THREE MONTHS AGO, EARTH PICKED UP
A RADIO TRANSMISSION FROM AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL
CIVILIZATION. WHEN THE SIGNAL CAME
ON OCTOBER 12th... ...ITS UNLIKELY RECIPIENT
QUICKLY SPREAD THE NEWS. SOME HAVE EMBRACED THE IDEA
THAT WE'RE NOT THE ONLY TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
SPECIES, WHILE OTHERS ARE CONSUMED
WITH DREAD AND PARANOIA. THEY ARE BELIEFS
WITH NO BASIS...UNTIL NOW. THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE
OFFERED A GLIMPSE OF AN INTELLIGENCE RADICALLY
MORE ADVANCED THAN OUR OWN. IT CAME WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD PROPEL OUR SCIENCE
FORWARD BY CENTURIES. AND IT CONTAINED A COSMIC
SYMPHONY OF EERIE TONES, PERHAPS THE SOUNDS OF
THE E.T.s' HOME STAR SYSTEM SOMEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE. NOW, ALMOST THREE MONTHS LATER,
ANOTHER MESSAGE. Female:<i>
HELLO, CHILDREN OF EARTH.</i> "WE COME. "GOOD NIGHT,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. GOODBYE." Tarter: BY THE TIME THEY HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY TO COME HERE, THEY HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY
TO DO ANYTHING. Sagan: ALIENS COULD COME AND DO
ALL THESE TERRIBLE THINGS. BUT THEY COULD COME
AND BE BENEVOLENT. [ KEYBOARD CLACKING ] LIKE, THE THINGS
THAT THEY COULD TEACH US THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO US AND CHANGE OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN FOR THE BETTER. Tyson: OUR BIGGEST FEAR IS
THAT THEY'LL ENSLAVE US. WE THINK THIS BECAUSE WE'VE
ALREADY BEHAVED THAT WAY. SO, ANY SUGGESTION THAT AN ALIEN
WILL TREAT US HOSTILELY IS NOT INSIGHT INTO THE TRUE
BEHAVIOR OF THE ALIEN. IT IS A MIRROR REVEALING THE TRUE BEHAVIOR
OF HUMANS OURSELVES. Narrator: WHILE THE PEOPLE OF
EARTH BRACE FOR THE UNKNOWN, SCIENTISTS TRAIN THEIR MOST
POWERFUL TELESCOPES INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM, TRYING TO SEE WHOEVER --
OR WHATEVER -- SENT THE MESSAGE. BUT THERE'S A BLIND SPOT
IN OUR TECHNOLOGY. OUR MOST SENSITIVE
OPTICAL SCOPES ARE DESIGNED TO SEE THE BLAZING LIGHTS
OF STARS IN DEEP SPACE. IF A STARSHIP IS COMING
INTO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN SEE
IT BY IS REFLECTED SUNLIGHT. IT'S GONNA BE MUCH MORE DIM. AND SECONDLY, THE REFLECTED SUNLIGHT
IS GONNA LOOK LIKE SUNLIGHT REFLECTED OFF A LOT OF
OTHER THINGS, LIKE ASTEROIDS. Narrator: FOR WEEKS, THE SOURCE OF THE MESSAGE
ELUDES US, BUT HUMANS HAVE ANOTHER TOOL, THE SAME ONE THAT PICKED UP
THE SIGNAL IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE ARE ABOUT A DOZEN
BIG RADIO TELESCOPES ON EARTH THAT CAN TRANSMIT
THESE NARROW, COHERENT BEAMS THAT ARE VERY, VERY POWERFUL,
THAT CAN SCAN AN OBJECT. Narrator: ASTRONOMERS USE
THIS TECHNIQUE LIKE RADAR. BY BOUNCING MICROWAVES
OFF OF TARGETS AND ANALYZING THE ECHOES, THEY'VE MAPPED THE SURFACE
OF OBJECTS, LIKE THE MOON
AND NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS. BUT NOW, AS THE DATA STREAMS IN, THEY SPOT SOMETHING BIGGER,
STRANGER, AND POSSIBLY FAR MORE DANGEROUS
THAN ANY ASTEROID. IT'S ALMOST A BILLION MILES
AWAY, NEAR SATURN, AND IT'S 1,000 MILES WIDE. THAT'S WIDER THAN TEXAS. WHAT IS IT? AND HOW IN THE UNIVERSE
DID IT GET HERE? Tyson:
IF AN ALIEN HAD OUR TECHNOLOGY AND THEY WANTED TO TRAVEL
BETWEEN THE STARS, IT WOULD TAKE THEM 70,000 YEARS. WE'RE STILL USING CHEMICAL
ROCKETS, FOR GOODNESS SAKE. I BET WE'RE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO SPACEFARING CULTURES
ACROSS THE GALAXY. Narrator:
ALL HUMAN SPACECRAFTS ARE LAUNCHED WITH ROCKETS THAT USE SOLID, LIQUID,
OR GAS CHEMICAL PROPELLANTS, BUT CHEMICAL ROCKETS
NEED TOO MUCH FUEL TO GET UP TO A VELOCITY
THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO TRAVEL BETWEEN THE STARS. AS SCIENTISTS STUDY THE RADAR
IMAGES OF THE ALIEN CRAFT, THEY DISCOVER
SOMETHING ASTOUNDING. THE SHAPE AND DENSITY
OF THE TARGET ALL POINT TO ONE CONCLUSION -- WHATEVER IT IS, IT HAS A SAIL. Sagan: SOLAR SAILS ARE
A VERY EXCITING TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY
TRYING TO TEST NOW. AND THE THEORY IS THAT MUCH
THE WAY YOU CAN USE A SAIL TO CAPTURE THE WIND ON EARTH
TO MOVE YOUR BOAT AROUND, YOU CAN RIDE THE LIGHT AND USE IT TO TRANSPORT
ENORMOUS DISTANCES. Narrator: ON EARTH, SOLAR SAILS HAVE BEEN A DREAM
OF SPACE FLIGHT FOR OVER A CENTURY, BUT ONLY RECENTLY UNFURLED
INTO REALITY. IN 2011, NASA's NanoSail-D SPACECRAFT BECAME THE FIRST SOLAR SAIL
TO CIRCLE OUR PLANET. TODAY, IN TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA, A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS
HAVE BEEN TAPPED BY NASA TO CREATE THE LARGEST SOLAR SAIL
EVER LAUNCHED FROM EARTH. A SOLAR SAIL IS A CRAFT THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF
SOLAR-RADIATION PRESSURE. WHILE PHOTONS DON'T HAVE MASS,
THEY HAVE MOMENTUM. SO, WHEN A PHOTON
STRIKES THIS MATERIAL, IT BOUNCES OFF AND IT CREATES
A SMALL AMOUNT OF PRESSURE. THE THRUST THAT THEY CREATE WILL
THEN PROPEL THE CRAFT FORWARD. SOLAR SAILS CAN CREATE
PROPULSION FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER
AND EVER AND EVER, AS LONG AS THE SUN KEEPS SHINING
ON THEM. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY FUEL. FREE ENERGY, IF YOU WILL. Narrator:
THE LIGHTER THE SAILS ARE, THE MORE PAYLOAD THEY CAN HAUL. Barnes:
THE MATERIAL THAT WE'RE USING IS VERY, VERY, VERY LIGHTWEIGHT. ROUGHLY ON THE ORDER OF 20 TIMES
THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR. Narrator: THE MIRACLE MATERIAL
THEY USE IS CALLED KAPTON, A GOSSAMER FILM SPRAYED
WITH A REFLECTIVE COATING JUST ATOMS THICK. Barnes: KAPTON HAS A WONDERFUL
TRACK RECORD IN SPACE OF BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE
IN HIGH-RADIATION ENVIRONMENTS AND IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE
ENVIRONMENTS. Narrator:
WHEN IT'S CONSTRUCTED, THE AREA OF THIS SAIL
WILL BE BIGGER THAN 15,000 SQUARE FEET -- 1/3 OF A FOOTBALL FIELD. Sagan: IT'S TECHNOLOGY
THAT WE CAN IMAGINE, AND IF WE CAN IMAGINE IT, THEN SOMETHING OUT THERE
MAY WELL ALREADY HAVE IT AND KNOW IT
LIKE THE BACK OF THEIR...HAND. Narrator: THE SAIL ITSELF
IS BLOCKING OUR VIEW OF WHATEVER SPACECRAFT
IT PROPELS, BUT RESEARCHERS KNOW
THIS MUCH -- IT'S SAILING TOWARD US
AND THE SUN, WHICH MEANS IT'S FLYING AGAINST
THE WIND OF SOLAR PHOTONS. THE ALIEN SHIP MAY NOT BE
RELYING ON SUNLIGHT ALONE TO INFLATE THE SAIL. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S
INTERESTING ABOUT SOLAR SAILING IS IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE
TO BE RIDING STARLIGHT. YOU COULD ALSO, THEORETICALLY,
HAVE YOUR OWN LASERS AND LET THAT LIGHT POWER
WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. THE STARS ARE USEFUL IN TERMS
OF THESE BIG BEACONS AND GOING FROM PLACE TO PLACE, BUT YOU WANT TO USE YOUR LASER TO KIND OF MANEUVER AROUND AND MAKE MORE ACROBATIC, DYNAMIC
CHOICES ALONG YOUR WAY. Narrator: HIGH-ENERGY LASERS
CONCENTRATE LIGHT WAVES IN ULTRA-POWERFUL BEAMS. BUT A LASER THAT CAN PUSH
A SOLAR SAIL THE SIZE OF TEXAS WOULD NEED TO BE AS STRONG
AS THE SUN. IN OTHER WORDS, THESE BEINGS HAVE ACCESS
TO AN ENERGY SUPPLY BEYOND ANYTHING WE KNOW. Brin: NOW, THERE ARE SOME
POSSIBILITIES THERE. YOU MIGHT BE TAPPING
INTO THE ENERGY OF THE UNIVERSE'S
BACKGROUND VACUUM, IN WHICH CASE THE SHIP WOULD
SUCK IN THIS ENERGY FROM SPACE. MAYBE DARK ENERGY. SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT MIGHT BE
THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE. Narrator: THE LATEST REVELATIONS
HAVE SCIENTISTS REELING. BUT RIGHT NOW,
THERE'S SOMETHING MORE PRESSING. WHEN RADAR HITS A TARGET
THAT IS GETTING CLOSER, THE FREQUENCY
OF THE RETURN SIGNAL WILL BE GREATER THAN THE ONE
THAT WAS TRANSMITTED. BY ANALYZING THE DATA, SCIENTISTS CALCULATE THESE
BEINGS ARE BARRELING TOWARDS US AT OVER 380,000 MILES AN HOUR -- OVER TWICE AS FAST
AS OUR FASTEST SPACECRAFTS. THEY'LL GET HERE
IN THREE MONTHS. THE COUNTDOWN... HAS BEGUN. Narrator: AN ALIEN SHIP
IS RACING TOWARDS EARTH AT AN ASTONISHING
380,000 MILES AN HOUR. SCIENTISTS SUSPECT A LASER --
OR MULTIPLE LASERS -- ARE HELPING IT
TO SPEED TOWARD US. AND EVERY DAY, THE SHIP GETS
9 MILLION MILES CLOSER. AT THIS RATE, OUR ALIEN VISITORS
WILL ENTER EARTH'S ORBIT IN JUST THREE MONTHS. THE CLOCK HAS BEGUN TO TICK. WHAT DOES IT WANT?
IS IT HERE TO HELP US? IS IT HERE TO DESTROY US?
WE DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT. ALL BETS ARE OFF. Brin: EVERY SCENARIO
WOULD BE CHEWED OVER, FROM GETTING OUR DEFENSES READY TO GETTING READY
FOR A QUARANTINE. Scalzi:
YOU'RE GONNA SEE A RUN ON GUNS. YOU'RE GONNA SEE A RUN ON GOLD, BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN BARTER. YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A REVIVAL
IN THE BOMB SHELTER. YOU WILL SEE PEOPLE LOOKING
INTO SURVIVALIST STUFF MUCH MORE SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE THE ALIENS
COULD BE FRIENDLY, BUT JUST IN CASE THEY'RE NOT,
WE NEED TO BE READY. SOME PEOPLE WOULD LOOK AT IT AS
THE BEST MOMENT IN THEIR LIVES, AND OTHERS,
AS THE BEGINNING OF THE END. Narrator:
THE NEWS IS COMING TOO FAST
FOR MOST PEOPLE TO PROCESS. Woman:<i>
ASTRONOMERS TODAY REPORT</i> <i> THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED
THE ORIGIN OF THE EXTRA...</i> Narrator:
ON JANUARY 28th, ASTRONOMERS MAKE
A NEW ANNOUNCEMENT. THE STAR SYSTEM THESE BEINGS
COME FROM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED THROUGH AN ANALYSIS
OF THE STRANGE SOUNDS INCLUDED IN
THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE... ...THE SOUNDS OF TWO STARS -- A WHITE DWARF AND A PULSAR. IF YOU COULD
ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE THE SPECIFIC PATTERNS
OF YOUR PARTICULAR HOME STAR, THAT WOULD BE A WAY OF TELLING
ASTRONOMERS ON ANOTHER WORLD, SUCH AS EARTH,
WHERE YOU COME FROM. Narrator:
WHAT ASTRONOMERS HAVE DISCOVERED IS THAT THE SOUNDS
IN THE TRANSMISSION MATCH THE EMISSION RATE
OF A PAIR OF COLLAPSED STARS ORBITING ONE ANOTHER
IN THE CONSTELLATION SCORPIUS, 5,600 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH. LOCKED IN
A GRAVITATIONAL EMBRACE, A WHITE DWARF IS ORBITING
PULSAR PSR B1620. ASTRONOMERS HAVE CONFIRMED
THERE'S A PLANET ORBITING THEM. Scalzi: IN 2003, HUBBLE FOUND A PLANETARY SYSTEM THAT IS ORBITING AROUND A PULSAR
AND A WHITE DWARF. SO IT'S A BINARY SYSTEM,
AND IT HAS PLANETS IN IT. NATURE LOVES TO MAKE SYSTEMS
OUT OF SMALL PLANETS, AND WE BELIEVE THAT
PLANETARY FORMATION ITSELF IS UBIQUITOUS AND ACCOMPANIES
THE FORMATION OF STARS. Narrator: BUT IF, INDEED,
THIS IS THE ALIENS' HOME, IT'S 30 MILLION-MILLION-MILLION
MILES AWAY, OR 125 BILLION TRIPS
TO THE MOON. AT THEIR CURRENT SPEED
OF 380,000 MILES PER HOUR, THAT TRIP WOULD'VE TAKEN THEM
9 MILLION YEARS. SOLAR SAILS CONTINUE TO
ACCELERATE FOREVER AND EVER. AS LONG AS THE PHOTONS
ARE HITTING IT, IT WILL CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. BUT THEIR ACCELERATION
IS VERY LOW. IT'S GONNA BE IN THE TERMS OF
MILLIMETERS PER SECOND SQUARED. THAT'S AKIN TO OUR GRAVITY
ON EARTH. Narrator:
EVEN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT, THE TRIP WOULD'VE TAKEN MORE
THAN 5 1/2 THOUSAND YEARS. EITHER THEY'VE BEEN RIDING
THAT SAIL SINCE THE STONE AGE... OR THEY KNOW A FASTER WAY
TO CROSS THE UNIVERSE. THERE ARE SOME WAYS TO CHEAT
EINSTEIN THAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE, BECAUSE THE PHYSICS EQUATIONS
HINT...WORMHOLES. Narrator:
A WORMHOLE IS A TUNNEL THROUGH
THE FABRIC OF SPACE AND TIME, A THEORETICAL PORTAL THAT COULD LINK DISTANT REACHES
OF THE COSMOS TO ONE ANOTHER. Vakoch: ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL
THEORY OF RELATIVITY, SPACE IS WARPED. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS,
IF THIS IS SPACE, IF I'M HERE
AND I WANT TO TRAVEL OVER HERE, IF THESE ARE 1,000
LIGHT-YEARS APART, THAT WOULD TAKE
MAYBE A MILLION YEARS. IT'S NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE. BUT IF I CREATE A WORMHOLE, WHAT THAT LETS ME DO
IS ACTUALLY CURVE SPACE, BRING THE POINTS TOGETHER,
AND ARRIVE INSTANTANEOUSLY. Narrator:
WE MAY NOT KNOW EXACTLY HOW
THE ALIEN SHIP GOT HERE, BUT WE DO HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHY
THEY MAY HAVE COME. IT LIES IN THE STAR SYSTEM
THEY LEFT BEHIND. Scalzi: SO, WHITE STARS AND
PULSARS, THEY'RE DEAD STARS. THEY'RE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER
A STAR EXPLODES, GOES SUPERNOVA. WHAT'S COMING OUT OF THAT PULSAR
ARE THINGS LIKE X-RAYS, OR EVEN GAMMA RAYS. IT'S JUST
THESE HIGH-ENERGY BEAMS OVER AND OVER AND OVER
AND OVER AGAIN. SO, THE PLANETS
IN THOSE SYSTEMS, THEY'RE GONNA GET FRIED. IT'S GOING TO BE
A ROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD. Narrator: DID THESE BEINGS LEAVE
BEHIND A BRUTAL STAR SYSTEM FOR SOMETHING BETTER? Sagan: I THINK IT'S EASY TO
IMAGINE AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION THAT JUST WANTS TO RELOCATE. COULD BE BECAUSE THEY'VE SPOILED
THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENT OR THEY'VE GOTTEN
ON SOMEONE'S BAD SIDE AND HAVE TO GET OUT OF DODGE. OR MAYBE THEY'RE MIGRATORY
BY NATURE. Narrator: BUT HOW DO YOU GO
ABOUT MOVING A CIVILIZATION ACROSS THE GALAXY? WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
A LONG TRIP BETWEEN STARS, ONE WAY IS A VERY BIG SHIP -- AT LEAST THE SIZE
OF A BIG SKYSCRAPER, WITH HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS
OF INDIVIDUALS. THIS IS A GENERATION SHIP,
ALSO CALLED AN INTERSTELLAR ARK. Brin:
THIS HAS BEEN PORTRAYED IN A LOT OF GREAT
SCIENCE-FICTION NOVELS -- VAST, ROTATING SPACE COLONIES, WHERE YOU TAKE ALONG YOUR
CATTLE, YOUR SHEEP, YOUR GOATS. YOU TAKE ALONG
EVERYTHING YOU NEED. Narrator:
SPACE COLONIES<i> WERE</i> THE STUFF
OF SCIENCE-FICTION -- THAT IS, UNTIL WE GOT
OUR FIRST GLIMPSE OF THEIR SHIP. A JAPANESE PROBE ON
AN EXPEDITION NEAR JUPITER HAS CAUGHT THE FIRST IMAGES OF THE PAYLOAD
BEHIND THE SOLAR SAIL. INITIAL ESTIMATES CALCULATE
THAT IT'S BIGGER THAN NEW YORK, CHICAGO,
AND LOS ANGELES COMBINED. AN ENTIRE POPULATION
MIGHT BE ON ITS WAY. Narrator:
A MONSTROUS ALIEN SHIP SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION
MILES AWAY IS CAREENING TOWARD EARTH AT NEARLY 400,000
MILES PER HOUR. IF THE ALIENS ARE ABOUT
THE SAME SIZE AS HUMANS, THERE COULD BE MILLIONS
OF THEM ON BOARD. EVEN THOUGH THE STARSHIP
IS ENORMOUS, WE CAN'T YET KNOW
HOW MANY VISITORS IT BRINGS OR WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE... OR EVEN IF THEY'RE AWAKE. IF YOU'RE GOING FOR
LONG, LONG PERIODS IN SPACE, THEN YOU NEED A WAY
TO SURVIVE THAT... LIKE CRYONIC STORAGE, WHERE YOU GO
ON THIS LONG JOURNEY AND YOU'RE SLEEPING
FOR MOST OF IT, AND THEN THEY THAW YOU,
AND THERE YOU ARE, READY TO GO. IT IS WHAT'S CALLED
A SLEEPER SHIP. YOU GO INTO SUSPENDED ANIMATION. WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PUT
PEOPLE INTO SUSPENDED ANIMATION, BUT SQUIRRELS DO IT
ALL THE TIME. Narrator: HERE ON EARTH,
HUNDREDS OF SPECIES -- INSECTS, MAMMALS,
AND AMPHIBIANS -- HIBERNATE, LOWERING THEIR HEART RATE,
METABOLISM, AND BODY TEMPERATURES FOR MONTHS
ON END TO SURVIVE HARSH TIMES. COULD ALIEN BEINGS HAVE EVOLVED SIMILAR BIOLOGICAL
SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR CROSSING THE GREAT SEAS
OF SPACE? Tarter:
LIFE IS SO AMAZING, AND WHAT WE NOW UNDERSTAND
AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL IS THAT EVOLUTION
HAS SUITED ORGANISMS TO MANY, MANY, MANY
DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS. Narrator:
LIFE HERE ON EARTH CAN BE FOUND IN THE MOST TOXIC
AND IRRADIATED ENVIRONMENTS. BIZARRE CREATURES,
CALLED EXTREMOPHILES, BLOSSOM IN THE HELL
OF VOLCANIC VENTS, IN POOLS OF GEOTHERMAL ACID, BARREN DESERTS,
AND DEEP BELOW THE ARCTIC ICE. LIFE CAN FILL EVERY CORNER
OF THE PLANET. YOU'LL HAVE DUST CLOUDS
OF BACTERIA SOME 30 MILES
UP ABOVE THE EARTH, IN THE TOP OF THE ATMOSPHERE. WE'RE ESTIMATING IN THE MILLIONS
OF SPECIES FOR BACTERIA. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THERE MAY BE OTHER TYPES
OF LIFE-FORMS THAT WE HAVEN'T YET EVEN
BEGUN TO IMAGINE. Narrator: DAVID CROWLEY
IS A MICROBIOLOGIST AT U.C. RIVERSIDE
STUDYING THE LIFE THAT EVOLVED INSIDE THE CHOKING ASPHALT SEEPS OF LOS ANGELES'
LA BREA TAR PITS. IN ABOUT THIS MUCH SOIL, YOU WILL FIND SOMEWHERE AROUND
10 MILLION BACTERIA, AT LEAST 300 OR 400
DIFFERENT SPECIES, POSSIBLY MANY, MANY MORE. Narrator: CROWLEY AND HIS TEAM
USE LIQUID NITROGEN TO HELP EVICT THE BACTERIA
FROM ITS ULTRA-TOXIC HOME SO THEY CAN ANALYZE ITS DNA. Crowley: THIS IS MINUS-196
DEGREES CENTIGRADE. IF YOU WERE ON TITAN, IT WOULD BE AT ABOUT
THIS TEMPERATURE. Narrator:
OVER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THIS BACTERIA ATE UP ANCIENT
LEAVES AND DINOSAUR BONES AND TURNED THEM INTO OIL... UNTIL IT RAN OUT OF FOOD. NEW BACTERIA MOVED IN, EVOLVING POWERFUL ENZYMES TO DIGEST THAT SAME
NOXIOUS RESIDUE. THE UNCANNY BIOLOGY
OF EXTREMOPHILES SUGGESTS THAT OUR UNIVERSE
IS TEEMING WITH LIFE. BECAUSE IF CREATURES THRIVE
IN A PLACE LIKE THIS, THEY COULD BE ANYWHERE... PERHAPS EVEN ON
A FARAWAY PLANETARY SYSTEM SCORCHED BY THE RADIATION
OF TWO DEAD STARS. SO, WHAT WOULD A HIGHLY EVOLVED, INTELLIGENT CREATURE
FROM SUCH A PLANET LOOK LIKE? WILL E.T. LOOK LIKE US?
I DOUBT IT. IF YOU LOOK AT MOST OF
THE INHABITANTS OF EARTH, THEY HAVE SIX LEGS --
THEY'RE KNOWN AS BUGS -- AND THEY WORK JUST FINE. Narrator: CREATURES FROM
A RADIATION-RICH ENVIRONMENT COULD'VE EVOLVED
THICK EXOSKELETONS NOT UNLIKE MANY BUGS. BUT INTERMITTENT BURSTS
OF GAMMA RAYS COULD'VE CAUSED WILD MUTATIONS
AMONG THEM, A BIODIVERSITY
UNLIKE ANYTHING ON EARTH. Tyson:
YOU WANT DIVERSITY? GIVE ME A LIFE-FORM
THAT HAS NO DNA AT ALL. PULL LIFE
FROM SOME OTHER PLANET. SHOW ME<i> THAT</i> LIFE. NOW YOU'RE TALKING BIODIVERSITY. Narrator: OR THESE BEINGS
COULD'VE DEVELOPED BEYOND BIOLOGY ALTOGETHER. WE ASSUME
THAT E.T. IS GONNA HAVE THE KIND OF INTELLIGENCE
WE HAVE, WITH A BRAIN AND A NERVOUS
SYSTEM AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WE ASSUME ALL THAT. BUT IT COULD VERY WELL BE THAT ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN
LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE, YOU RATHER QUICKLY INVENT
YOUR SUCCESSOR. YOU INVENT THINKING MACHINES. Sagan:
SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT WE ARE ALREADY ON THE PATH
TO MERGING WITH MACHINES, THAT WE'RE
INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT UPON OUR COMPUTERS
AND OUR TECHNOLOGY, AND WE'RE INTERACTING WITH IT
IN NEWER AND DEEPER WAYS. THEORETICALLY, WITHIN THE NEXT
COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS, YOU COULD TAKE EVERYTHING
THAT EXISTS IN YOUR BRAIN, PUT IT ONTO A DIGITAL STORAGE
PLACE IN A COMPUTER, AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS
TO YOUR BODY, YOU JUST DOWNLOAD THAT
INFORMATION FROM THE COMPUTER INTO A NEW BODY, AND THAT'S YOU. Narrator: E.T. MAY HAVE SURVIVED
ITS OWN TECHNOLOGY BY BECOMING IT. THEY MIGHT ALSO BE DESPERATE
FOR A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME OR A NEW PLACE TO REFUEL. Brin: THIS WHOLE "THEY NEED TO
INVADE US TO FIND A NEW HOME," WELL, IT MAKES FOR
GREAT STORIES, BUT WHY NOW? WHY WASN'T THE EARTH COLONIZED DURING THE 2 BILLION YEARS
WHEN IT WAS PRIME REAL ESTATE AND ONLY HAD SLIME MOLDS
AND MUSHROOMS TO DEFEND IT? ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN FIND HERE
PHYSICALLY ON THIS PLANET, THEY COULD FIND
MUCH CLOSER TO HOME. IT WOULD SAVE THEM
THE SHIPPING COSTS. Sagan:
YOU LIKE OUR DIAMONDS? THERE'S A PLANET
MADE OF DIAMOND. THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES.
THERE'S NO REASON TO COME<i> HERE.</i> [ CHIMING ] [ CLOCK TICKING ] Narrator: WHETHER EARTH'S
RESOURCES ARE UNIQUE OR NOT, THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WE'VE GOT, AND SUDDENLY WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT
MORE PROTECTIVE OVER THEM. IF YOU THOUGHT
ELECTION YEARS WERE BAD, WAIT UNTIL ALIENS ARE COMING. ARE YOU FOR THE ALIENS? ARE YOU AGAINST THE ALIENS? DO THE ALIENS MEAN WE NEED
TO BUILD UP OUR MILITARY, OR DOES IT MEAN WE NEED TO BUILD
UP OUR SCIENCE FUNDING? IF THE ALIENS COME
IN AN ELECTION YEAR, IT'S GOING TO BE THE CRAZIEST
ELECTION YEAR IN THE UNIVERSE. Narrator:
WILL OUR SPECIES BE ABLE TO
UNITE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST? WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH. ANOTHER MESSAGE HAS ARRIVED. [ BEEPING ] Narrator:
WITH EVERY PASSING MINUTE, THE ALIEN STARSHIP GETS CLOSER. IN THE MEANTIME, SCIENTISTS ARE WRESTLING
WITH THE LATEST TRANSMISSION. IT'S THE THIRD MESSAGE
EARTH HAS RECEIVED, ONLY THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT
THAN ALL THE REST. THE SIGNAL ARRIVES THROUGH
TV RECEIVERS AROUND THE GLOBE... ...ONLY ALL ANYONE CAN SEE
IS STATIC. Vakoch: IT'S POSSIBLE
TO COMMUNICATE WITH VHF. WE'RE NOT GOING TO PICK UP
VHF SIGNALS FROM THE ALLEN TELESCOPE ARRAY, BUT THEY'RE THE KIND OF SIGNALS
THAT COULD BE PICKED UP BY F.M. RADIO RECEIVERS,
TELEVISION RECEIVERS. THEY PROPAGATE THROUGH
THE ATMOSPHERE VERY NICELY. Narrator:
AFTER WEEKS OF ANALYSIS, RESEARCHERS FIGURE OUT WHY
THE MESSAGE LOOKS LIKE STATIC. IT'S ACTUALLY
TWO INTERLACED VIDEOS. WHEN THEY PRY THE IMAGES APART, THEY SEE THAT WITHIN EACH FRAME
OF STATIC ARE PICTURES -- HUNDREDS OF THEM. THE PICTURES LOOK LIKE PLANS
FOR A MACHINE, BUT SCIENTISTS ARE UNSURE
WHAT KIND OF MACHINE, UNTIL THEY FIND A CLUE. EMBEDDED WITHIN THE MESSAGE ARE VALUES
THAT RESEARCHERS RECOGNIZE BELONG TO A FAMILIAR EQUATION -- THE RATE AT WHICH
THE UNIVERSE IS EXPANDING. IT'S THE SAME EQUATION WE'VE GIVEN FOR THE MYSTERIOUS
FORCE CALLED DARK ENERGY. DARK ENERGY IS
A LARGELY UNKNOWN MYSTERY, AND YET IT'S 74% OF THE MASS
OF THE UNIVERSE, WHICH IS CRAZY. IF YOU THINK OF THE UNIVERSE
AS A BALLOON, YOU CAN THINK OF THE DARK ENERGY
AS THE AIR, OR THE HELIUM, INSIDE IT
THAT CAUSES IT TO EXPAND. TALKING ABOUT THE FORCE THAT
POWERS THE UNIVERSE ITSELF. Narrator: SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THE MACHINE MAY BE A DETECTIVE THAT WOULD GIVE US THE ABILITY TO PINPOINT AND STUDY
THIS ENIGMATIC FORCE. AND IF WE CAN STUDY DARK ENERGY, WE MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO TAP IT, JUST AS THE ALIENS
MAY BE TAPPING IT TO POWER THE LASERS
PROPELLING THEIR SPACESHIP BETWEEN GALAXIES. WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TRAVEL
TO THE STARS. ONE OF THE LIMITING FACTORS
THAT WE HAVE IS SIMPLY ENERGY, PROPELLANT, GETTING OURSELVES
FROM ONE PLACE TO THE OTHER AND NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT
RUNNING OUT OF GAS. AND IF THERE WAS A WAY THAT JUST TAKING THE AMBIENT
ENERGY OF THE UNIVERSE, FOCUSING IT, AND RUNNING IT
THROUGH OUR STARSHIPS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US, BECAUSE THAT ENERGY
IS EVERYWHERE. DARK ENERGY IS SO BEYOND THE TERRESTRIAL FUEL SOURCES
WE HAVE. IF WE WERE ABLE TO DETECT IT AND HARNESS IT
IN A MEANINGFUL WAY, WE WOULD THINK ABOUT ENERGY
TOTALLY DIFFERENTLY. NONE OF THE STUFF WE USE NOW
WOULD MATTER. Narrator: DARK ENERGY
WOULD LAUNCH AN ERA OF UNPRECEDENTED CHANGE
FOR HUMANITY, WHETHER WE'RE READY FOR IT
OR NOT. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A LOT
TO SUGGEST IN OUR HISTORY THAT IF WE SPLIT THE SECRET
OF DARK ENERGY THAT WE WOULD USE IT RESPONSIBLY
AND NOT FOR OUR OWN RUIN. MAYBE IT'S A HORRIBLY
SINISTER ATTEMPT TO MAKE US BLOW OURSELVES UP
WITH IT. Narrator: THE SOPHISTICATION OF
THESE BEINGS IS AWE-INSPIRING, EVEN FRIGHTENING. WE CAN ONLY BEGIN
TO GRASP THEIR TECHNOLOGY, LET ALONE THEIR STRATEGY. INDEED, IF THEY CAN
HARNESS DARK ENERGY, WE CANNOT IGNORE THE POSSIBILITY
THEY COULD USE IT AGAINST US. RESISTANCE WOULD BE FUTILE. Sagan: TRY TO THINK
OF CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS FROM A COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS AGO,
WITH MUSKETS AND EARLY RIFLES, TRYING TO, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
TAKE OUT THE ARMIES OF TODAY. THEY'D HAVE AN ENORMOUSLY
DIFFICULT TIME, AND THAT'S JUST A 200-YEAR EDGE. NOW TRY TO THINK ABOUT
LIKE 1,000 OR 10,000 OR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF YEARS. Tyson: I'VE SEEN
THESE HOLLYWOOD MOVIES WHERE ALIENS COME
FROM ANOTHER PLANET, AND THEY'RE ZAPPING THINGS, AND HERE THERE ARE, LIKE, POLICE
SHOOTING WITH THEIR HANDGUN. BULLETS DON'T BEAT A GUN
THAT ZAPS YOU. Narrator: ALL THIS ASSUMES THESE
EXTRATERRESTRIALS ARE LIKE US. THEY FIGHT. BUT SOME SAY THEY CAN'T BE
AS VIOLENT AS WE ARE, OR THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BECOME
SO ADVANCED. COULD THEY HAVE EVOLVED
BEYOND WAR? Drake:
THEY HAVE TO DEVELOP BEYOND WAR, BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY OF WAR
CAN REACH A STAGE WHERE IT CAN DESTROY
THE CIVILIZATION. THE IMAGE OF THE ATOM BOMB,
IT REALLY CHASTENED US, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN HUMAN HISTORY, WE HAD NEW WEAPONS AND DECIDED
NOT TO USE THEM. MAYBE WAR IS
AN UNTHINKABLE CONCEPT, NOT BECAUSE THEY TRANSCENDED IT, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER
A THOUGHT TO BEGIN WITH. TO ASK WHETHER ANOTHER SPECIES
HAS SOMEHOW TRANSCENDED WAR IMPLIES THAT THEY HAVE
THE SAME WEAKNESSES THAT WE HAD ALL ALONG, AND I'M NOT PREPARED TO DRAG
THEM DOWN INTO THAT SEWER. REALLY?! Narrator: ON EARTH,
CORE BELIEF SYSTEMS ARE ROCKED. WHILE SOME AWAIT THE COMING
OF E.T. WITH A MESSIANIC ZEAL, OTHERS FEAR ALIEN DOGMA. Sagan:
THE MORE RELIGIOUS YOU ARE, YOU WOULD SEE ALL THESE
DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES. IS THIS, YOU KNOW,
HEAVEN-SENT OR INFERNAL? MANY RELIGIONS ARE ALREADY
VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE NOTION OF
EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE. THE QUESTION IS, WILL THE VISITING ALIENS
HAVE RELIGION, AND MIGHT IT CONFLICT
WITH OUR OWN DOGMAS? WITHOUT ANY DOUBT,
SOME HUMANS -- ESPECIALLY CALIFORNIANS -- WILL ADOPT WHATEVER IT IS
THEY BELIEVE. Narrator: ON COASTS AND
COUNTRIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, MOST PEOPLE AREN'T LEAVING. THEY'RE NOT HIDING
OR STOCKING UP. INSTEAD, THEY'RE GEARING UP FOR THE BIGGEST OPEN-HOUSE PARTY IN THE HISTORY
OF THE HUMAN RACE. BECAUSE THE ONE THING
THAT'S PROPELLED EVERY SINGLE SIGNIFICANT
HUMAN DISCOVERY SO FAR STILL CANNOT BE STOPPED -- OUR INSATIABLE CURIOSITY. Narrator:
JUST 90 MILLION MILES AWAY, THE ENORMOUS STARSHIP
HAS STARTED TO SLOW, AS THOUGH IT WERE NOW COASTING
TO A STOP. IN TWO WEEKS, THE PEOPLE OF EARTH
WILL HAVE A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH BEINGS FROM ANOTHER WORLD. WHAT SECRETS MIGHT THEY KNOW? WHAT DOORS MIGHT THEY OPEN? Drake: THERE HAVE BEEN
MANY PROPOSALS THAT, IN FACT, THERE IS
AN ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA. THE IDEA WAS THAT THERE COULD BE
THIS REPOSITORY OF KNOWLEDGE WHERE ALL THE CIVILIZATIONS
OF THE GALAXY MIGHT STORE THEIR INFORMATION. Jenkins:
YOU COULD ASK THE ORACLE --
NOT THE ORACLE AT DELPHI, BUT THE ORACLE OF
THIS INTERGALACTIC CLUB -- HOW LIFE AROSE ON THEIR PLANETS. WHERE DID THEY COME FROM
AND WHERE ARE THEY GOING AND WHETHER WE HAVE
A GOOD CHANCE OF MAKING IT? WE CALL IT THE ARCHAEOLOGY
OF THE FUTURE. SO WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE FUTURE
OF OUR CIVILIZATION AND LEARN HOW THEY SURVIVED
THEIR DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE CRUCIAL FOR US. IF I HAD ONE QUESTION
I WOULD ASK -- HOW MANY SENSES DO THEY POSSESS AND WHAT DO THEY DO TO BRING
PLEASURE TO THOSE SENSES? THINK.
WE HAVE A SENSE OF SIGHT. WE CREATE ART. WE HAVE A SENSE OF HEARING. GREAT MUSIC IS COMPOSED. OUR URGE TO SERVE
THESE FIVE SENSES IS THE FOUNDATION
OF OUR CULTURE. Narrator:
THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE COULD BE ARRIVING
ON OUR DOORSTEP. NO MORE WAITING TO SEND
AND RECEIVE MESSAGES ACROSS THE LIGHT-YEARS OF SPACE. Tyson: IF I'M SENDING
A SIGNAL ACROSS THE GALAXY AND I'M WAITING FOR IT
TO RETURN, THE RETURN TRIP ACROSS
THE GALAXY IS 200,000 YEARS -- 100,000 ACROSS, 100,000 BACK. Shostak: SUPPOSE EVERY E-MAIL,
EVERY TWEET, THAT YOU MADE TOOK 300 YEARS TO
GET TO THE NEAREST OTHER PERSON AND IT TOOK 100,000 YEARS TO GET TO THE FARTHEST PERSON
IN YOUR GALAXY. YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD REALLY
SLOW THINGS DOWN. Narrator: ON EARTH, TIME IS
MOVING IN ITS RELATIVE WAY. AS OUR DATE WITH DESTINY
HURTLES CLOSER, THINGS SEEM TO GO
IN SLOW MOTION. BUT CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT HAS BEEN AROUND
FOR OVER 5,000 YEARS. THESE ALIENS MAY HAVE BEEN
TRAVELING FOR 50,000 YEARS. WHAT'S A FEW MORE DAYS? OUT IN THE DESERT
OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, THERE'S A GROUP
THAT'S TRYING TO CHANGE OUR VERY PERCEPTION OF TIME IN ORDER TO SEE OURSELVES
AS PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER. DEEP INSIDE A MOUNTAIN
IN VAN HORN, TEXAS, A GROUP CALLED
THE LONG NOW FOUNDATION IS CONSTRUCTING WHAT THEY CALL
THE 10,000-YEAR CLOCK. THE CLOCK WILL BE 200 FEET TALL, AND ITS HAND WILL TICK
ONCE A YEAR, THE CENTURY HAND ADVANCING
ONCE EVERY HUNDRED YEARS. AND EVERY DAY FOR 10,000 YEARS, ITS CHIME WILL RING
IN A UNIQUE SEQUENCE. LONG NOW'S STATED GOAL
IS TO USHER IN A NEW WAY FOR HUMANS TO PERCEIVE TIME BEYOND THE NONSTOP SPIN CYCLE
OF EVERYDAY LIFE SO THAT WE CAN BE
A LONG-LIVING SPECIES AND SO OUR WORLD CAN SURVIVE US. Tarter:
I CAN IMAGINE SHARING IDEAS OVER LONG DISTANCES
IN TIME AND SPACE. WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE
OF IT ALREADY. WE READ THE ANCIENT GREEKS
AND ROMANS. THAT INFORMATION HAS TRANSFERRED
FORWARD IN TIME. [ TRAIN WHISTLE BLARES ] Narrator: BUT RIGHT NOW,
TIME IS A DWINDLING COMMODITY. Scalzi: 30 AND ABOVE, YOU'RE
GONNA HAVE A MIDLIFE CRISIS. THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME PEOPLE
WHO ARE GONNA SAY, "YOU KNOW,
THE ALIENS ARE COMING. "I DON'T WANT TO BE MARRIED
TO THIS PERSON WHEN THE ALIENS ARRIVE," AND SO YOU'LL SEE RELATIONSHIPS
BREAK UP. YOU'RE GONNA TAKE
THOSE CREDIT CARDS AND YOU'RE GONNA MAX THEM OUT. TELESCOPE MANUFACTURERS
ARE GONNA BE INCREDIBLY HAPPY. Narrator: AROUND THE WORLD, AIRPORTS AND TRAIN STATIONS
ARE SWARMED. HIGHWAYS BECOME PARKING LOTS. MANY OF US GO INTO PANIC MODE, STOCKING UP AND TRIGGERING
A WORLDWIDE RUN ON BASIC GOODS. NO, NO! NO! LET GO! NO! BUT AS WE SEE NEW SIDES
OF OURSELVES COMING OUT IN UNEXPECTED WAYS, WE ALSO FIND OURSELVES GRASPING
ONTO WHAT WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH, WHAT MAKES US FEEL SAFE. Tarter:
WE ARE ALL EARTHLINGS. WE ARE ALL THE SAME. THE PROBLEMS
THAT WE HAVE TO SOLVE IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT
LONG TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE ARE GLOBAL PROBLEMS. Narrator:
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, WE'VE WONDERED WHETHER
WE'RE ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE. NOW THE ANSWER HAS COME CALLING. WHAT COMES NEXT
IS ANYONE'S GUESS. Narrator: AMONGST THE VASTNESS
OF THE COSMOS, SOMETHING INCREDIBLE
HAS HAPPENED. TWO CIVILIZATIONS SEPARATED
BY TRILLIONS OF MILES HAVE FOUND ONE ANOTHER. EVER SINCE SCIENTISTS
FIRST SPOTTED THE SHIP OUT AMONGST THE PLANETS
OF THE OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM, THE WORLD HAS BEEN WATCHING
AND WAITING. NOW THE SHIP
IS PASSING THE MOON. IT'S NEARING OUR ORBIT. ON EARTH,
THE STREETS ARE DEAD QUIET. Scalzi:
AS THE ALIENS COME CLOSER -- THEY'RE WEEKS AWAY,
THEY'RE HOURS AWAY -- THINGS START GETTING STRANGE. IT'S WAITING FOR A WAVE.
THE WAVE IS COMING. YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE HORIZON, GETTING CLOSER, GETTING CLOSER. YOU CAN'T RUN FROM IT.
HERE IT COMES. HERE IT IS. ASK MOST PEOPLE THIS,
THE RESPONSE IS GOING TO BE, "WELL, I'M GONNA SPEND TIME
WITH MY FAMILY," BUT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE
WHO ARE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, "I WANT TO FIND SOMEONE
TO KISS," "I WANT TO TRAVEL
TO THE PLACES THAT I'VE NEVER
TRAVELED BEFORE," "THESE ARE MY LAST HOURS." Narrator:
ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE, THE GREAT SHIP YAWNS,
AND OUT COME ITS EMISSARIES. AT THIS POINT,
ALL WE HUMANS KNOW IS THAT WE HAVE AS MUCH REASON
TO BE TERRIFIED AS WE HAVE TO BE EXHILARATED. Tyson: IT'D BE A BIG MYSTERY
HOW YOU GREET THEM. HOW DO WE GREET EACH OTHER?
WE, LIKE, EXTEND OUR HAND. THIS COULD BE THE GREATEST
EXPRESSION OF RUDENESS EVER. IT MIGHT BE THE LAST GESTURE
YOU EVER MAKE. Shostak: IT'S SORT OF LIKE,
YOU KNOW, THE INDIANS STANDING AROUND ON THE ISLANDS
OF THE CARIBBEAN WHEN CHRIS COLUMBUS
SAILED INTO VIEW AND, YOU KNOW, ARGUING AMONGST
THEMSELVES, "WELL, WHAT SHOULD WE SAY
TO THESE GUYS?" REALLY, IT DIDN'T MATTER
WHAT THEY SAID. IT WAS THE ENCOUNTER
THAT WAS IMPORTANT. [ ENGINE SHUTS OFF ] HI, GRANDPA. [ EXHALES SHARPLY ] DIDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU. [ LAUGHS ] Narrator: AMONG ALL THE POSSIBLE
MOTIVES FOR THIS ENCOUNTER -- INVASION, THEFT, DESPERATION -- PERHAPS THE ANSWER ISN'T
AS EXOTIC AS WE MIGHT THINK. Sagan: WHAT WE SEE IS
A HUMAN DESIRE TO REACH OUT AND TO UNDERSTAND
AND TO BE UNDERSTOOD, AND MAYBE IT'S NOT HUMAN --
MAYBE IT'S UNIVERSAL. Jenkins: ARE THERE OTHER WORLDS
OUT THERE? IS THERE LIFE OUT THERE? WE BUILD THE MACHINES, WE GO AS FAR AS WE HAVE TO
IN ORDER TO ANSWER THESE VERY DEEP QUESTIONS
THAT HAVE BEEN PUZZLING US FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, BUT I HAVE A FEELING THAT IF
THERE ARE OTHER CIVILIZATIONS THAT ARE AS ADVANCED AS OURS, THEN THEY WOULD BE
PURSUING THE ANSWERS TO THE SELFSAME QUESTIONS,
AS WELL. Narrator: THERE ARE A UNIVERSE
OF QUESTIONS. NONE CAN BE ANSWERED YET... BUT SOON... ...IF WE'RE LUCKY. ♪ SHOT PAST THE FROZEN MOON ♪ ♪ ITS SOLSTICE
MUST BE COMING SOON ♪ ♪ GRAB A TORCH
TO LIGHT YOUR MIND ♪ ♪ ENCOMPASSING
WHAT'S LEFT BEHIND ♪ ♪ SILENCE DEAFENS YOUR BRAIN ♪ ♪ PASS THE DROPS IN
THROUGH THE DRAIN ♪
