Narrator: NASA's MISSION
IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN. Man: THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T
KNOW THAN WE DO KNOW. THAT'S JUST THE NATURE
OF THE UNIVERSE. Narrator:
IN THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS, IT LAUNCHES ITS SCIENTISTS
INTO SPACE, ITS CRAFT BEYOND THE LIMITS
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. Williams: TAKING RISK IS PART
OF MAKING DISCOVERIES. SPACE EXPLORATION
IS LIKE LIGHTING A MATCH, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LURKS
IN THE SHADOWS. THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
OUT THERE. Narrator:
LIFE ON DISTANT PLANETS... Swain: I CANNOT UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S GOING ON. I DON'T SEE WHAT I'M EXPECTING. WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
WHERE'D THEY COME FROM? Narrator:
...STRANGE PHENOMENA IN SPACE... A DARK TRIANGULAR SHAPE?
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST STRANGE. IT WAS A NEAR THING
FOR MOST OF THE MISSIONS. Narrator: ...AND TERRIFYING
NEAR-EARTH ENCOUNTERS. THAT'S A BIG STORY
THAT IS GETTING NO ATTENTION. Narrator:
NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES... MAN: Okay, we're seeing
three or four objects. MAN #2: Yeah,
there are three objects. Narrator:
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS. [ BEEP ] THESE ARE NASA's
UNEXPLAINED FILES. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS A ROCKET LAUNCH
THAT ALMOST ENDS IN DISASTER... Orwoll: I CAN'T IMAGINE
WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE INSIDE THAT COMMAND MODULE. Narrator: ...LEADS TO AN
UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER IN SPACE... WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
NO ONE KNEW WHAT HAPPENED. Narrator: ...WHICH LEAVES
SOME SUSPECTING INTERVENTION FROM UNKNOWN FORCES. NASA IS BEING TOLD
"STAY AWAY FROM THE MOON." WE NEED A RATIONAL EXPLANATION
FOR THAT. Narrator:
MOMENTS AFTER APOLLO 12 LAUNCHES FROM THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
IN NOVEMBER 1969, THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENS. Orwoll:
WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF LAUNCH, THE SPACECRAFT IS STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING. Narrator:
LUNAR-MODULE PILOT ALAN BEAN IS UNAWARE OF THE STRIKE. Bean: ALL OF A SUDDEN,
MASTER ALARM COMES ON. I LOOK UP THERE AT THE DISPLAY THAT HAS ALL THE CAUTION
AND WARNING LIGHTS ON THERE -- THERE WAS MORE OF THEM ON THERE
THAN I'D EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. Narrator: BEAN STRUGGLES
TO DECIPHER THE INSTRUMENTS. THERE WAS NO PATTERN.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. Narrator: THEN,
IN A MILLION-TO-ONE SHOT... WITHIN 30 SECONDS,
THEY'RE STRUCK AGAIN. [ RADIO CHATTER ] Narrator: AS MISSION CONTROL FRANTICALLY ATTEMPTS
TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE, THE SATURN V ROCKET CONTINUES
ON ITS TRAJECTORY, SENDING THE THREE-MAN CREW
INTO THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE AT 6,000 MILES PER HOUR. THERE'S 7.5 MILLION POUNDS
OF THRUST GOING ON DOWN THERE. THAT'S THE BIGGEST,
MOST POWERFUL ENGINE EVER BUILT ON EARTH. Orwoll: YOU'VE GOT TO,
AT THAT MOMENT, SAY, "OKAY, I'M ON A ROCKET "THAT'S FILLED WITH LIQUID
HYDROGEN AND LIQUID OXYGEN "AND I'M ON MY WAY TO SPACE,
AND EVERYTHING'S DROPPED OFF. WHAT DO I DO NOW?" Narrator:
MISSION COMMANDER PETE CONRAD HAS JUST A FEW MINUTES TO DECIDE
IF THEY SHOULD ABORT THE LAUNCH. THE SPACECRAFT IS STILL FLYING
THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO, SO PETE CONRAD,
COOL AS A CUCUMBER, DOES NOT ENGAGE THE ABORT
FOR THE SPACECRAFT. Narrator:
THE CREW KEEPS CALM, AND THE SYSTEM
COMES BACK ONLINE. CAPCOM:
Apollo 12, Houston. The good word is,
you're go for TLI. CONRAD: Hoopee-doo.
We're ready. BUT TO SOME OBSERVERS,
THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT TWO LIGHTNING STRIKES
HAPPENING WITHIN 30 SECONDS. APOLLO 12 DEFIES COINCIDENCE. IT'S STRUCK BY LIGHTNING TWICE. LIGHTNING DOESN'T STRIKE TWICE. Narrator: AND DESPITE
A SUCCESSFUL MOON LANDING, WHEN COMMAND-MODULE PILOT
DICK GORDON UNDOCKS THE LUNAR MODULE, AUDIO TRANSMISSIONS SUGGEST THAT SOMETHING IS INTERFERING
WITH THE MISSION. WEIRD OBJECTS APPEAR
TO FLY PAST THE COMMAND MODULE. DICK SEES SOMETHING
OUT THE WINDOW, AND HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, AND HE'S JUST WONDERING
WHERE IT CAME FROM. WE'RE ON THE FAR SIDE OF
THE MOON, AND HE DOESN'T KNOW. Narrator: THE OBJECTS
ARE BRIGHTLY COLORED AND APPEAR TO ROTATE
AS THEY FLY PAST. NASA ASSUMES THE OBJECTS ARE
DEBRIS FROM THE LUNAR MODULE. THERE SHOULDN'T BE PIECES
COMING OFF, AND IF INSULATION COMES OFF,
THIS CAN BE A CLUE THAT MAYBE SOME PART OF
THE LUNAR MODULE WILL OVERHEAT, SO ANY KIND OF INFORMATION
LIKE THAT HAS TO BE REPORTED RIGHT AWAY. Narrator:
BUT WHEN NASA EXAMINES ON-BOARD PHOTOS
OF THE UNDOCKING PROCEDURE, NO INSULATION IS MISSING. HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE IT ISN'T A PART OF OUR SPACECRAFT
WE NEED, BUT APPARENTLY IT WASN'T. I DON'T KNOW. Narrator: THE DEBRIS EXPLANATION
DOESN'T SATISFY EVERYONE. IF THEY WERE NATURAL OBJECTS, THEY WOULDN'T BE
CHANGING COLORS. IF THEY WERE NATURAL OBJECTS, WHY WOULD THEY BE MOVING
IN SUCH STRANGE WAYS? I BELIEVE
WE'RE BEING WARNED OFF. "STAY AWAY AND DON'T COME BACK." Narrator: WHATEVER THE
ASTRONAUTS OF APOLLO 12 SAW, WE DO KNOW THAT EVERY ONE
OF HUMANITY'S VOYAGES INTO THE COSMOS CREATES DEBRIS, AND WE MAY NOT BE
THE ONLY TRAVELERS TO LEAVE EVIDENCE OF OUR TRAVELS
SCATTERED ACROSS SPACE. VESTA, THE BRIGHTEST ASTEROID
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM, HAS A MYSTERIOUS SCAR. THERE'S A GIANT, BLACK TRIANGLE THAT'S EMBEDDED
IN THE ROCKY ASTEROID ITSELF. I MEAN, A DARK TRIANGULAR SHAPE?
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST STRANGE. THERE ARE NO TRIANGLES, REALLY,
IN SPACE. THEY'RE ARTIFICIAL DESIGNS. COULD IT BE THAT'S A CRASHED UFO
ON THE ASTEROID VESTA? Narrator: 2011. IN THE ASTEROID BELT,
THE DAWN SPACECRAFT REACHES 4.5-BILLION-YEAR-OLD
VESTA. THE PROBE STARTS MAPPING
THE PLANET AND IMMEDIATELY DETECTS
SOMETHING STRANGE. ONE OF THE IMAGES THAT WE GET
BACK FROM VESTA IN 2011 WAS A CIRCULAR REGION
WITH A TRIANGLE STRUCTURE, AND THERE'S SOME SPECULATION THAT THIS COULD BE
A CRASHED CRAFT OF SOME SORT. Narrator: THE IMAGE IS EERILY
REMINISCENT OF BLACK TRIANGLES SPOTTED IN THE SKIES AND SPACE
ABOVE EARTH. Garvie: TIME AND TIME AGAIN,
WE HEAR ABOUT THE STORIES OF THESE LARGE, DARK TRIANGULAR
OBJECTS IN THE SKY. Birnes: WE'VE SEEN TRIANGLES,
CAPTURED TRIANGLES ON FILM RIGHT HERE ON PLANET EARTH -- IN BELGIUM, WHEN FLYING
TRIANGLES OUTRAN NATO F-16s, IN PHOENIX, WHEN GIANT TRIANGLES
FLEW OVERHEAD. Narrator:
THE DAWN PROBE'S DISCOVERY OF PRECIOUS METALS
BENEATH THE SURFACE OF VESTA SUGGESTS WHY SOMEONE
MIGHT VISIT THE ASTEROID. VESTA CONTAINS PRECIOUS METALS LIKE GOLD, PLATINUM,
AND IRIDIUM, AT LEVELS THAT ARE SEVERAL
ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE HIGHER THAN WE SEE ON THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH. Narrator: PLUNDERING ASTEROIDS
FOR PRECIOUS METALS MIGHT SOUND CRAZY, BUT MINING SPACE ROCKS COULD
ONE DAY BE COMMERCIALLY VIABLE. SOME PEOPLE ESTIMATE
THAT A SINGLE ASTEROID COULD BE WORTH $96 TRILLION. RIGHT? THAT'S THE GDP
OF THE ENTIRE WORLD. JUST THINK OF WHAT THAT DOES
TO YOUR STOCK PRICE IF YOU'RE A MINING COMPANY. IT IS WORTH THE EFFORT TO TAKE
THAT SHOT TO TRY TO GET THERE, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE THERE,
YOU'RE THERE FIRST, YOU BUILD THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO
IT REPEATEDLY, YOU'RE IN CHARGE. Narrator: INTERNET AND HOLLYWOOD
BILLIONAIRES ARE CURRENTLY PLANNING
TO MINE CLOSE-EARTH ASTEROIDS. BUT EXCAVATING ENORMOUS ROCKS
FLOATING IN SPACE WOULD PUSH THE LIMITS
OF OUR TECHNOLOGY. THERE ARE MANY, MANY CHALLENGES. I MEAN, FIRSTLY,
WE'VE GOT TO GET THERE. YOU KNOW, IT'S A LONG WAY AWAY. I MEAN, WE'VE ONLY GONE
TO THE MOON WITH MAN SO FAR. BUT SECONDLY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE THINGS
THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED -- THE WAY MACHINES WORK ON EARTH,
WITH AN ATMOSPHERE -- WOULD NOT NECESSARILY WORK
IN THE SAME WAY ON AN ASTEROID. DUST, FOR INSTANCE --
IT STICKS TO EVERYTHING. Narrator: PLANETARY SCIENTIST
RICHARD BINZEL DOESN'T ACCEPT
THE CRASH-SITE THEORY. I SEE A TOTALLY NATURAL
METEORITE IMPACT SITE. ON AN OBJECT LIKE VESTA
THAT'S BEEN PUMMELED BY IMPACTS, YOU GET A WIDE RANGE
OF BIZARRE SHAPES. IT'S COMPLETELY EXPECTED. Narrator: WHETHER OR NOT
THE MARKS ON VESTA ARE EVIDENCE
OF INTERSTELLAR MINING, THE APPEAL OF EXPLOITING PLANETS
LIKE VESTA IS UNDENIABLE. WHY NOT MINE SOMEBODY ELSE'S
SOLAR SYSTEM? THAT'S WHAT SOME
INTELLIGENT LIFE OUT
THERE'S GOT TO BE THINKING. Narrator:
AN ALIEN WORLD THAT APPEARS
TO MIRROR PLANET EARTH... THAT'S A BIG, BIG SURPRISE.
THAT'S THE "AHA" MOMENT. Narrator:
...AND LOST AUDIO RECORDINGS
FROM AN EARLY NASA MISSION REVEAL EVIDENCE
OF A CHILLING CLOSE ENCOUNTER. COLLINS: Flash, mark. YOUNG: What the heck are they? Narrator: IN THE EARLY YEARS
OF THE SPACE RACE... YOUNG: This is Gemini 10,
Houston. ...A MANNED ORBITER
SPOTS SOMETHING STRANGE. What the heck are they? YOU'RE IN A SPACECRAFT.
IT'S A LIFE-AND-DEATH SITUATION. AND THEN THIS HAPPENS. Narrator:
AS THE SPACE RACE INTENSIFIES, IS SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ATTEMPTING TO SABOTAGE
NASA's GEMINI 10 MISSION? 160 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH, AN ASTRONAUT STRUGGLES TO LOCK
ON TO A ROTATING ROCKET BOOSTER. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
You bum. COLLINS: 360 and holding. How fast are we closing? Okay. R-dot
is 4 feet per second. Where is it? Darn it!
I really missed this one. Narrator:
THIS IS THE GEMINI 10 ORBITER. IT NEEDS TO COMPLETE A DOCKING
PROCEDURE WITH A BOOSTER IN ORDER TO BLAST OFF
INTO A HIGHER ORBIT. No, no!
Holy mackerel! THE GEMINI PROGRAM
REALLY IS THAT PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS US TO LEARN "HOW DO
WE RENDEZVOUS TWO SPACECRAFT?" Okay, keep your pants on. WE NEED TO LEARN ALL THAT
BEFORE WE CAN GO TO THE MOON, 'CAUSE YOU DON'T GO
ON THE LONG TRIP WITHOUT LEARNING TO DRIVE FIRST. Docking conditions. Extension lights. Dock! [ CLANG ] Narrator: BUT DOCKING
WITH THE ROCKET BOOSTER IS THE LEAST
OF GEMINI'S PROBLEMS. THE ASTRONAUTS HAVE STRUGGLED WITH NEW AND UNRELIABLE
TECHNOLOGY FROM THE MOMENT THEY LAUNCHED. What's the matter? Reading out all kinds
of crazy numbers. Bean:
THE COMPUTER WASN'T VERY GOOD. THE THING I REMEMBER MOSTLY,
LOOKING BACK, IS WE JUST DIDN'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE DOING. Narrator:
UNABLE TO RELY ON THE COMPUTER, ASTRONAUTS MICHAEL COLLINS
AND JOHN YOUNG USE A SPACE SEXTANT
TO GET A FIX ON THEIR POSITION. Do you want me to try and use
the natural horizon, here? Whatever you want to. I can't
see a darn thing out here. WITHOUT KNOWING THEIR POSITION,
THEY CANNOT LOCATE THE BOOSTER. Gosh, I'm losing my mind.
Yaw right, will you? Here comes the sun.
Watch out! CONFINED INSIDE
GEMINI'S TINY COMMAND CAPSULE, THE ASTRONAUTS STRUGGLE
TO SEE WHAT'S OUTSIDE. IT'S A VERY SMALL WINDOW --
LET'S SAY ABOUT LIKE THIS -- AND IT'S GOT DEPTH TO IT IN ORDER TO BE PROTECTED
THERMALLY IN THE LIGHT, SO WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH IT, IT'S LIKE LOOKING THROUGH
A LITTLE, BITTY TUNNEL. YOU'VE GOT NO PERIPHERAL VISION, SO IF YOU WANT TO LOOK
OVER THERE, WHOEVER'S CONTROLLING
THE SPACECRAFT HAS GOT TO TURN, AND THEN YOU CAN LOOK
OVER THERE. Narrator: THEN, AS HE ATTEMPTS
TO GET A FIX ON THEIR POSITION, COLLINS SPOTS SOMETHING WEIRD. What the heck are they? Did you see that? HE LOOKS OUT AND SEES SOMETHING
HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND... COLLINS SPOTS SOMETHING AND
REALLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. ...AND HE WANTS JOHN
TO LOOK AT IT. MAYBE JOHN KNOWS
EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. Narrator:
MYSTERIOUSLY, THE NASA ARCHIVES MISPLACED THE ENCOUNTER'S
AUDIO RECORDING. BUT WE'VE SECURED THE TRANSCRIPT DOCUMENTING ONBOARD CHATTER
DURING THE MISSION. THE VOICES YOU CAN HEAR
ARE ACTORS. Look at those.
They're beautiful. John,
do you see what I see? Yes. What the heck is that? Is this tape recorder
still running? Yep. I don't know
what those are. DESPITE THE HIGH STRANGENESS AND THE EXTREME STRESS
THAT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN UNDER, THROWN INTO THIS
BIZARRE SITUATION, THEY REMAIN CALM. THE TRAINING KICKS IN,
AND THEY DOCUMENT IT THOROUGHLY. Okay. The time on it is 1:39,
and they are directly ahead. The one on top
is slightly to the left of the one
on the bottom. And about a degree below those
two, there is a flashing light. There. It went flash, mark,
flash, mark. Think we ought to report it
to the ground? Pope: THIS IS WHEN THINGS GET
REALLY STRANGE. THEY CALL MISSION CONTROL
AT HOUSTON TO TRY AND GET A BEARING
ON THESE OBJECTS. This is Gemini 10,
Houston. We have two bright objects
up here in our orbital path. If you can give us a bearing,
maybe we can track them down. Narrator: BUT THEN... They just disappeared. WHAT WERE THEY,
WHAT WERE THEY DOING, AND WHERE DID THEY GO? I guess they were satellites
of some kind. Narrator:
NASA ANALYST JIM OBERG AGREES WITH COLLINS' EXPLANATION
FOR THE SIGHTING. DURING THE GEMINI PROGRAM,
CREWS WOULD OFTEN REPORT SEEING OTHER SATELLITES THAT
DIDN'T SEEM TO BE IDENTIFIED. Narrator: BUT NOT EVERYONE BUYS
THE SATELLITE EXPLANATION. A SPACECRAFT FROM EARTH
IS A PRETTY NOTICEABLE THING. IT'S REALLY GOING TO GET
THEIR ATTENTION. Narrator: BUT JIM OBERG
HAS AN ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION FOR WHY THE OBJECTS
WERE FLASHING ON AND OFF. ONE OF THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WERE TOP-SECRET MILITARY
SATELLITES, LIKE CORONA. Man: CORONA BEGAN
UNDER UTMOST SECRECY. Narrator: CORONA --
A TOP-SECRET C.I.A. SPY PROGRAM THAT BEGAN SENDING
RECONNAISSANCE SATELLITES INTO ORBIT IN THE 1960s. ONE OF THE REASONS THE CORONA
PHOTOGRAPHS WERE SO GOOD WAS THAT THE FILM
WAS ACTUALLY RETURNED TO EARTH IN RECOVERABLE CAPSULES. THEY COULD BE DROPPED OFF,
FIRE A LITTLE ROCKET, PUSH THEM BACK
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. There. It went flash, mark,
flash, mark. Narrator: DID COLLINS AND YOUNG
WITNESS THE ROCKETS FIRING THESE CAPSULES
TOWARDS EARTH? OR IS THERE A MORE SINISTER
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THEY SAW? TO THIS DAY,
THE MYSTERY REMAINS UNEXPLAINED. AN UNLIKELY SERIES OF MISHAPS
ON NASA's FIRST SPACE STATION LEAVES SCIENTISTS STRUGGLING
FOR EXPLANATIONS. [ ALARM BLARES ] Birnes:
WERE WE BEING WARNED? "YOU CAN GO THIS FAR,
BUT YOU CAN'T GO ANY FURTHER." Narrator:
AND 60 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER
EARTH VERSION 2.0. IT'S SIMPLE, ISN'T IT?
IT'S JUST LIFE. Narrator:
MYSTIFYING READINGS FROM A PLANET
ORBITING A DISTANT STAR FORCE SCIENTISTS TO FACE
AN ASTONISHING POSSIBILITY... I CANNOT UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S GOING ON. I DON'T SEE WHAT I'M EXPECTING. Narrator:
...THAT EARTH IS NOT THE ONLY
BLUE PLANET IN THE COSMOS WITH SIGNS OF LIFE. YOU REALIZE YOU KNOW SOMETHING
ABOUT THE UNIVERSE THAT NOBODY ELSE
HAS EVER KNOWN BEFORE. WHY DOES THIS
HAVE TO BE SO COMPLICATED? IT'S SIMPLE, ISN'T IT?
IT'S JUST LIFE. Narrator: MAY 2007. THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE
PICKS OUT A PLANET 63 LIGHT-YEARS FROM EARTH. AT THESE COLOSSAL DISTANCES,
PLANETARY SCIENTIST MARK SWAIN STRUGGLES TO INVESTIGATE
THE STRANGE WORLD. IT IS 370 TRILLION MILES AWAY, AND IT'S REALLY CLOSE
TO A BRIGHT STAR. SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE
STARING AT A BRIGHT HEADLIGHT AND TRYING TO SEE
THE WORLD'S TINIEST FIREFLY FLITTING AROUND RIGHT BESIDE IT. Narrator:
BUT WHEN COLLEAGUES DISCOVER THAT THE DISTANT WORLD
HAS AN ATMOSPHERE, THE WEIRD PLANET BECOMES
SWAIN'S NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY. Swain:
NOW THAT WE'VE GOT THIS PUZZLE ABOUT WHAT'S
IN THE PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE
A MATHEMATICAL MODEL TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. Narrator: HE STUDIES
THE WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT COMING FROM THE PLANET'S STAR
IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCOVER THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
OF THE PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE. THIS IS OUR STAR,
AND THESE BOTTLES OF LIQUID ARE GONNA REPRESENT
OUR PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES. WHEN THE PLANET PASSES
IN FRONT OF THE STAR, WE CAN GET THE SPECTRUM
OF THE STARLIGHT, AND IN THAT SPECTRUM WILL BE HIDDEN
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE PLANET. Narrator: AN ATMOSPHERE'S
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION DETERMINES ITS SPECTRUM. BUT WHAT SWAIN DISCOVERS
MAKES NO SENSE. Swain: THERE WAS ANOTHER PART
OF THE SPECTRUM -- A DIFFERENT COLOR OF LIGHT -- WHERE THE PATTERNS WEREN'T
AT ALL LIKE WHAT WE EXPECTED. THE ONLY WAY
WE CAN RESOLVE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT WHAT MOLECULES
ARE MAKING THIS SPECTRUM IS TO PUT IN METHANE. Narrator:
THE PRESENCE OF METHANE FORCES SCIENTISTS TO QUESTION
HOW IT GOT THERE. METHANE'S A VERY EXCITING
MOLECULE TO FIND, BECAUSE, CERTAINLY ON EARTH,
IT HAS A BIOLOGICAL CONNECTION, AND THAT'S A BIG, BIG SURPRISE. IT'S THE "AHA" MOMENT. HERE WAS A PLANET
AROUND ANOTHER STAR, MANY LIGHT-YEARS FROM US, THAT ACTUALLY LOOKED VERY,
VERY SIMILAR IN COMPOSITION TO EARTH AND THE PLANETS
WITHIN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. Shostak: WE'VE GOT A LOT OF
METHANE IN THE ATMOSPHERE HERE, AND IT'S MOSTLY DUE
TO COWS AND PIGS, RIGHT? SO COULD THERE BE LIFE ON THIS
PLANET GOING AROUND THAT STAR? Narrator: BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
PRODUCE MOST OF EARTH'S METHANE, BUT GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY
CAN ALSO PRODUCE THE GAS. WHEN FURTHER ANALYSIS REVEALS THE COLOR OF THIS
APPARENTLY EARTH-LIKE PLANET, IT BEGINS TO LOOK LIKE
THE PRESENCE OF METHANE IS MORE THAN
A GEOLOGICAL ACCIDENT. IT HAS A BLUE SKY,
JUST LIKE OUR OWN SKY, DUE TO DUST
OR VERY HIGH CLOUDS -- LIKE THE CLOUDS IN OUR OWN
STRATOSPHERE HERE ON EARTH. PEOPLE GOT REALLY EXCITED, AND THEY STARTED
ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE, "BECAUSE IT'S BLUE,
IS IT LIKE EARTH?" Narrator: HOWEVER ASTONISHING
THE SIMILARITIES MAY BE BETWEEN THIS PLANET AND OUR OWN, THERE IS ONE MASSIVE,
CRITICAL DIFFERENCE. IT'S 30 TIMES CLOSER TO ITS STAR
THAN THE EARTH IS TO THE SUN. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES --
2,000 DEGREES. NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES --
2,000 DEGREES. ONE SIDE'S
ALWAYS FACING THE SUN. LOOK, WHEN IT'S 2,000 DEGREES, YOU DON'T GET A WHOLE LOT
OF COMPLEX CHEMISTRY. Narrator:
THE FEARSOME TEMPERATURES -- 14 TIMES HOTTER
THAN EARTH'S HOTTEST PLACES -- MAY RULE OUT THE EXISTENCE
OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. BUT UNKNOWN LIFE-FORMS COULD
POTENTIALLY WITHSTAND THE HEAT. ONE OF THE THINGS
TO DISTINGUISH HERE IS THIS -- WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A PLANET
WHERE THERE'S LIFE, WE KNOW WHAT WE LOOK LIKE,
WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED, SO WE'RE LOOKING
FOR PLANETS LIKE US. WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT LIFE
AS WE DON'T KNOW IT. SOME PEOPLE SAY, "OH, BUT LIFE CAN ONLY BE
CARBON-BASED LIFE LIKE US." WELL, WHO SAYS? I WOULD NOT BE AT ALL SURPRISED IF THE FIRST LIFE-FORMS
THAT WE FIND ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
FROM ANYTHING THAT WE'VE ANTICIPATED
AND PREDICTED BEFOREHAND. Narrator: CONFIRMED LIFE-FORMS
IN DISTANT SOLAR SYSTEMS REMAIN ELUSIVE. BUT EVEN THOUGH
WE HAVEN'T FOUND THEM, WHAT IF THEY'VE
ALREADY FOUND<i> US?</i> A SERIES OF DANGEROUS FAILURES
ON NASA's FIRST SPACE STATION LEAVES SCIENTISTS STRUGGLING
FOR AN EXPLANATION. SKYLAB WAS ONE
OF THE UNLUCKIEST MISSIONS. SO MANY THINGS WENT WRONG.
SO MANY EQUIPMENT FAILURES. IT WAS A NEAR THING
FOR MOST OF THE MISSION. Birnes:
WERE WE BEING WARNED? "YOU CAN GO THIS FAR,
BUT YOU CAN'T GO ANY FURTHER." Narrator: MAY 1973, AND SKYLAB,
NASA's FIRST SPACE STATION, IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. Friedman:
SOMETHING WENT WRONG. SKYLAB RAN INTO ACCIDENT
AFTER ACCIDENT. Narrator: DURING LAUNCH, ONE OF
SKYLAB'S HEAT SHIELDS RIPS OFF, QUICKLY FOLLOWED
BY ONE OF ITS SOLAR PANELS. IT DIDN'T HAVE THE ELECTRICAL
POWER IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE, AND IT WAS GETTING HOT. Narrator: WHEN ANOTHER
POWER PANEL FAILS TO ENGAGE... [ ALARM BLARING ] ...THE SPACE STATION
IS CRIPPLED. THE MISSION IS TURNING INTO
ONE OF NASA's BIGGEST FAILURES. IT WAS IN DANGER
OF BEING USELESS. Narrator: IN JUST 10 DAYS, NASA DESIGNS AND BUILDS AN UMBRELLA-LIKE
REPLACEMENT HEAT SHIELD. Man: AT STAKE WAS THE FUTURE
OF THE ENTIRE SKYLAB PROGRAM. MAN: Tallyho to Skylab! CONRAD:
Okay, we're docked. Narrator:
THE SHIELD WORKS, AND MISSION COMMANDER
CHARLES "PETE" CONRAD TURNS HIS ATTENTION
TO THE BROKEN SOLAR PANEL. CONRAD: The solar wing is gone,
completely off the bird. Solar wing one is in fact
partially deployed. It looks like the meteorite
shield has wrapped around it. THE REPAIR DEMANDS A DANGEROUS
THREE-HOUR SPACEWALK. MAN: It's up to you guys.
Just take your time. Okay, Houston,
we're out there. Bean: THEY'RE ON THE OUTSIDE
OF THIS BIG CYLINDER THAT WE'VE NEVER PLANNED
TO WALK ON IT AT ALL. SO, THEY PULL ON IT,
AND IT DIDN'T WORK, AND SO PETE SAID, "LET ME GO OUT HERE,
PUT MORE FORCE ON IT." AND FINALLY, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT COMES UP. Narrator:
THE SPACEWALK IS A SUCCESS. WITHIN HOURS, SKYLAB HAS POWER AND IS COOL ENOUGH
TO START ITS MISSION. [ MAN BREATHING HEAVILY ] THE CREW'S JOB
IS TO TEST HUMAN RESPONSES TO PROLONGED STAYS IN SPACE. THEY WILL ALSO SURVEY THE EARTH. Oberg:
SKYLAB HAD A EARTH-SPECIFIC,
HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING SYSTEM POINTED DOWN TOWARD THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH ALMOST CONSTANTLY. Narrator: BACK ON EARTH,
SCIENTISTS STRUGGLED TO EXPLAIN THE INCREDIBLE SERIES OF MISHAPS
THAT HIT SKYLAB... UNTIL A PHOTOGRAPH
FROM ITS SURVEY MISSION SEEMS TO OFFER A CLUE. THERE IS SOMETHING
THAT LOOKS LIKE A LONG CYLINDER WITH TWO SOLAR PANELS
AT EACH END. FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES,
IT LOOKS LIKE A SATELLITE. Narrator: ON A MISSION PLAGUED
BY UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS, THE PRESENCE OF THIS MYSTERIOUS
OBJECT AROUSES SUSPICION. IT WASN'T JUST AN OBJECT
THAT WAS THERE AND GONE SO YOU COULD CALL IT
SOME KIND OF ILLUSION. IT WAS THERE, IT WAS GONE,
AND IT CAME BACK. THAT COMING BACK
BESPEAKS SOMETHING INTELLIGENT ABOUT THE GUIDANCE
OF THAT OBJECT. Narrator:
SOME BEGIN TO WONDER IF THE SOVIETS
COULD BE RESPONSIBLE. IT'S AN ERA OF CHANGE BETWEEN
U.S. AND SOVIET RELATIONS, 'CAUSE THE U.S. WON
THE MOON RACE. SKYLAB IS ANOTHER PART
OF THIS U.S. TRIUMPH OVER THE FORMERLY INVINCIBLE
SOVIET PROGRAM. Narrator:
NASA ANALYSIS CONCLUDES THE OBJECT IS NOT
A SOVIET SPY SATELLITE. IT'S A BRAZILIAN JUNGLE
AIRSTRIP. I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE
WITH THE AIRSTRIP EXPLANATION. IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO COMPUTE, ESPECIALLY
IN THE BRAZILIAN JUNGLE. I MEAN, THAT'S HANDY. YOU CAN'T GO THERE REAL QUICK
TO CHECK IT OUT. AS ALWAYS,
WE HAVE THIS QUESTION ABOUT, "HOW VALID IS THE EXPLANATION?" Narrator: AIRSTRIP, SATELLITE,
OR SOMETHING ELSE, IT'S DIFFICULT
TO TOTALLY RULE OUT THE ANOMALY BEING IN SOME WAY
CONNECTED TO SKYLAB'S PROBLEMS. Friedman:
NASA CANNOT CONFRONT ANYTHING THAT INDICATES VISITATION. IT'S SIMPLY UNWILLING TO. NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHO MAKES
THE RULES, OBVIOUSLY. NOBODY'S PUBLISHED A LIST OF
NO-NOs FOR NASA TO TALK ABOUT. CERTAINLY THIS HAS BEEN ONE. Narrator: COMING UP, EVIDENCE OF
VIOLENCE ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE. Brin: OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING
POWERFUL HAD HAPPENED THAT BLEW PITS
OF THE MARTIAN CRUST OFF. Narrator: AND WHEN HUMANITY
STARTS LOOKING INTO DEEP SPACE, WHO OR WHAT IS WATCHING
THE WATCHERS? Birnes: IF YOU WERE AN
EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION, WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT OBJECT
COULD SEE? Narrator: A NASA PROBE
LANDS IN A MARTIAN CRATER FILLED WITH WEIRD SPHERES
OF STRANGELY COLORED ROCK. WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
WHERE'D THEY COME FROM? Treiman:
WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE? HOW DO YOU GET LITTLE BALLS
IN THIS ROCK? ARE THESE TRACES OF LIFE
THAT ONCE EXISTED ON MARS? Narrator: JANUARY 2004. NASA's MISSION TO MARS
IS ON THE LINE. SPACECRAFT IS READY
FOR EDL. THE ENTIRE
$800-MILLION OPERATION DEPENDS ON THE OPPORTUNITY ROVER
PROBE'S HIGH-RISK LANDING INSIDE EAGLE CRATER. CURRENT SPEED
IS FAST ENOUGH TO TRAVERSE THE UNITED STATES
IN LESS THAN 12 MINUTES. 3, 2, 1. PARACHUTE DEPLOYED. [ CHEERS ] WE'RE ON MARS,
EVERYBODY. WHEN OPPORTUNITY
STARTS TRANSMITTING, MISSION CONTROL'S ELATION
SOON TURNS TO SHOCK. Bell: WE'RE LOOKING AROUND,
WE'RE TAKING PICTURES, AND WE SEE THE GROUND COVERED --
LITERALLY COVERED -- WITH THESE LITTLE
SPHERICAL GRAINS, AND THIS IS REALLY BIZARRE. Narrator:
THE MARTIAN SURFACE IS COVERED IN SMALL SPHERICAL ROCKS. WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
WHERE'D THEY COME FROM? Treiman:
WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE? HOW DO YOU GET LITTLE BALLS
IN THIS ROCK? Narrator: SCIENTISTS GIVE
THE PUZZLING ROUND ROCKS AN EQUALLY PUZZLING NAME -- MARS BLUEBERRIES. MARS IS THE RED PLANET, RIGHT?
EVERYTHING'S RED. AND THESE ARE LESS RED, SO TO AN ASTRONOMER,
"LESS RED" MEANS BLUE. BLUEBERRY.
IT'S CUTE, YOU KNOW. IT'S FUN. WE GET RID OF MYSTERIES BY NAMING THEM SOMETHING
THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND. I THINK THEY'RE TOO QUICK
TO DO THAT. Narrator:
THE PRESENCE OF SPHERICAL ROCKS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT COLOR
FROM THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN RAISES THE QUESTION
OF HOW THEY GOT THERE. COULD THIS HAVE
AN ARTIFICIAL SOURCE? OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING POWERFUL
HAD HAPPENED THAT BLEW PITS
OF THE MARTIAN CRUST OFF. SOMETHING'S FUNNY
GOING ON THERE. Narrator: WHAT
AN ARTIFICIAL SOURCE COULD BE REMAINS PURE SPECULATION.. UNTIL THE RESULTS
OF AN EXPERIMENT TO TEST THE EFFECTS
OF METEORITE IMPACTS PROVIDES
AN EXCITING POSSIBILITY. WHEN SCIENTISTS FIRE
HIGH-VOLTAGE PLASMA CHARGES AT MARTIAN DUST, THE ENERGY BEAMS TRANSFORM THE
FRAGMENTS INTO PERFECT SPHERES. [ ZAPPING ] Bell:
I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE THAT PLASMA WEAPONRY
FIRED INTO THE GROUND ON MARS COULD CAUSE FEATURES LIKE THIS. ONE WOULD HAVE TO IMAGINE
THIS MASSIVE PLASMA WAR AMONG MARTIAN CIVILIZATIONS. Narrator: ANOTHER THEORY
FOR THE BLUEBERRIES' ORIGIN DISCOUNTS PLASMA WEAPONRY BUT SUPPORTS THE IDEA
OF LIFE ON THE RED PLANET. MARS "BLUEBERRIES"
MIGHT SEEM A LITTLE STRANGE. WE ALSO HAVE THEM HERE ON EARTH, CREATED IN THE PRESENCE
OF WATER. Treiman:
THOSE LITTLE SHAPES, THEY'RE CALLED CONCRETIONS
TO THE GEOLOGIST, AND THOSE FORM IN ROCK
AS WATER CIRCULATES THROUGH IT. WATER ON MARS IS VERY EXCITING, BECAUSE IT MEANS
THAT AT ONE POINT, MARS WAS PROBABLY HABITABLE. Treiman:
WE'VE GOT ACTIVE GROUNDWATER. THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED ON EARTH
FOR LIFE. PERHAPS THIS WAS AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE LIFE COULD HAVE THRIVED. Narrator:
IF THE MARTIAN BLUEBERRIES
INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF WATER, THE IMPLICATIONS
ARE ASTONISHING. THESE TINY SPHERES COULD PROVIDE
THE BEST EVIDENCE YET THAT MARS WAS THE PERFECT
BREEDING GROUND FOR ALIEN LIFE. COMING UP,
ASTRONAUT STORY MUSGRAVE STEPS INTO SPACE
TO REPAIR THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE, BUT SOMETHING IS OUT THERE
WITH HIM. ALL OF A SUDDEN -- BOOM! THERE'S AN OBJECT
THAT CAME FROM NOWHERE. Narrator:
370 MILES ABOVE EARTH, ASTRONAUT STORY MUSGRAVE TRIES
TO AVERT A MAJOR CATASTROPHE. THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE -- ONE OF THE MOST ADVENTUROUS,
HIGH-STAKES MISSIONS POSSIBLE. Narrator: BUT WHILE A NATION
HOLDS ITS BREATH... Friedman:
IF THE MISSION HAD FAILED, THE ASTRONOMICAL COMMUNITY
WOULD BE OUT. Narrator: ...A CLOSE ENCOUNTER
LEAVES MUSGRAVE REELING. ALL OF A SUDDEN -- BOOM! THERE'S AN OBJECT
THAT CAME FROM NOWHERE. THAT'S A VERY, VERY BIG STORY
THAT IS GETTING NO ATTENTION. Narrator: 1993. NASA's MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR
SPACE TELESCOPE, HUBBLE, IS MALFUNCTIONING. WHAT HAD HAPPENED
WAS THAT THE MIRROR WAS EVER SO SLIGHTLY OUT FROM WHAT
IT HAD BEEN DESIGNED FOR, AND THIS WAS JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE
THESE IMAGES ALMOST USELESS. Narrator:
HUBBLE IS THE LAUGHINGSTOCK
OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD. YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE DISAPPOINTMENT WHEN THE VERY FIRST IMAGES
THAT CAME BACK FROM THIS BILLION-DOLLAR MISSION
WERE SO FUZZY. SO, WITH THIS FANTASTICALLY
EXPENSIVE TELESCOPE IN JEOPARDY, NASA FELT THAT IT HAD TO MOUNT
AN URGENT MISSION TO TRY AND FIX THE TELESCOPE,
ACTUALLY IN ORBIT. Narrator:
ASTRONAUT STORY MUSGRAVE IS PART OF THE CREW TASKED WITH
THE AUDACIOUS REPAIR MISSION. I VIEW IT AS A PUBLIC MACHINE. I'M TAKING CARE
OF THE PUBLIC'S MACHINE, AND THE EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH. Narrator:
THE MISSION TO REPAIR HUBBLE'S FAULTY OPTICS
AND DAMAGED SOLAR ARRAYS WILL TAKE 11 DAYS AND REQUIRE FIVE SEPARATE,
HIGHLY DANGEROUS SPACEWALKS. IT'S A VACUUM, IT'S TEMPERATURE,
IT'S RADIATION, AND IT'S HYPERVELOCITY DEBRIS. THAT'S A DISASTER
VERY, VERY FAST. IT WAS
A VERY HIGH-STAKES MISSION, BUT FOR NASA, IT WAS A CRISIS. Narrator: THE CROWNING GLORY OF NASA's SPACE-OBSERVATORY
PROGRAM, HUBBLE, IS FLOATING USELESSLY IN ORBIT. MUSGRAVE AND THE CREW NEED TO
SALVAGE NOT JUST THE TELESCOPE, BUT NASA's REPUTATION
IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD. MY JOB WAS TO IDENTIFY EVERY POSSIBLE FAILURE
IT COULD GET INTO AND COME UP WITH TOOLS AND THE
PROCEDURES TO GET THAT JOB DONE. Narrator:
BUT NO AMOUNT OF PLANNING CAN PREPARE MUSGRAVE
FOR WHAT HAPPENS DURING A 6-1/2-HOUR SPACEWALK
ON DAY 5 OF THE MISSION. ALL OF A SUDDEN -- BOOM! THERE'S AN OBJECT
THAT CAME FROM NOWHERE. Narrator:
THE OBJECT APPEARS TO FLY
BY THE TELESCOPE AT HIGH SPEED. SECONDS LATER, ANOTHER,
ON A DIFFERENT TRAJECTORY -- AGAIN, CLOSE TO THE TELESCOPE
AND SHUTTLE CREW. WELL, IT JUST MOVED
FROM BEHIND THE SHADOW, AND IT MOVED INTO THE SUNLIGHT,
AND THERE IT IS. Narrator:
NO ONE COMMENTS ON THE OBJECTS. THE CREW COMPLETES
THEIR REPAIRS, AND HUBBLE EXCEEDS
ALL EXPECTATIONS. Friedman: WE WANTED TO KNOW
WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE. HERE WE FINALLY HAD
THE OPPORTUNITY. WE'VE GOT THIS
MAGNIFICENT TELESCOPE IN ORBIT. Reid: I'M STILL ASTOUNDED
BY WHAT HUBBLE CAN DO. EVEN WHEN YOU THINK
YOU KNOW A GALAXY, WHEN YOU KNOW A STAR CLUSTER,
HUBBLE TAKES A PICTURE OF IT, AND SUDDENLY
THERE ARE THINGS THERE THAT YOU JUST DIDN'T EXPECT
TO SEE. Narrator:
BUT ANALYSIS OF MISSION FOOTAGE LEADS SOME TO WONDER WHETHER
THIS ASTRONOMICAL BREAKTHROUGH HAD UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES. CONSIDER, HOW MUCH
WAS HUBBLE A GAME CHANGER? WE WERE SUDDENLY ABLE TO SEE
PARTS OF THE UNIVERSE THAT WERE ACTUALLY INVISIBLE
TO US. IF YOU WERE AN
EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION, WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT OBJECT
COULD SEE? Narrator:
NASA's JIM OBERG BELIEVES THE ANOMALY'S ORIGIN CAN BE
TRACED BACK TO HUBBLE ITSELF. Oberg:
YOU WATCH THE TWO OBJECTS. IF YOU TRACE THEM BACK,
THEY WILL CONVERGE AT A POINT WHICH HAPPENS TO BE RIGHT BEHIND
THE BASE OF THE NEW SOLAR ARRAY. ANY PIECE OF INSULATION,
ANY PIECE OF PACKING MATERIAL THAT'S SHAKING LOOSE
FROM THE BASE IS GONNA MOVE AWAY ON THE PATHS THAT ARE EXACTLY LIKE THE ONES
OF THESE TWO OBJECTS. I WILL LEAVE ROOM
FOR WHAT THEY SAW BEING DEBRIS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THERE ISN'T ROOM
FOR ANOTHER EXPLANATION. Narrator:
WITHOUT CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE, THE ORIGIN OF THESE STRANGE
OBJECTS REMAINS UNEXPLAINED, BUT MUSGRAVE BELIEVES ONE DAY WE'LL DISCOVER OTHER LIFE
SOMEWHERE IN THE COSMOS. Musgrave: LIFE IS POWERFUL.
IT ARISES AND IT HAPPENS. AND THERE'S<i> TRILLIONS</i> OF PLANETS
OUT THERE CONDUCIVE TO LIFE. SO WHAT DO YOU NEED? THE PROBABILITY?
IT'S A CERTAINTY. Narrator:
COMING UP, A SHOCKING DISCOVERY FORCES US TO RE-EXAMINE EVERYTHING WE THINK WE KNOW
ABOUT THE MOON. THIS WAS LIKE HERESY. YOU CAN'T THINK
ABOUT THE MOON BEING ALIVE. Narrator: A MYSTERIOUS GLOW
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE... I THINK EVERYONE BELIEVES
THAT CERNAN SAW SOMETHING, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT IS. Narrator:
...CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING WE
THINK WE KNOW ABOUT THE MOON. THIS WAS LIKE HERESY. YOU CAN'T THINK
ABOUT THE MOON BEING ALIVE. THERE'S A LIGHT, IT'S OVERHEAD,
IT SHOULDN'T BE THERE, AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT. Narrator: 18 MONTHS BEFORE THE
HISTORIC LAUNCH OF APOLLO 11, UNMANNED LANDER SURVEYOR 7
TOUCHES DOWN ON THE MOON. THE PICTURES IT SENDS BACK
BAFFLE SCIENTISTS. Birnes:
THE MOON IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD.
AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TOLD. THERE'S NOT TECTONIC ACTIVITY.
THERE'S NO SEISMIC ACTIVITY. AND YET
THERE'S AN UNEXPLAINED LIGHT OVER THE SURFACE OF THE MOON. WHEN SCIENTISTS SAW THIS BRIGHT OUTLINE OF LANDSCAPE
ON THE MOON, THEY WERE JUST DUMBFOUNDED. Delory: THERE'S ALL KINDS
OF LINES OF EVIDENCE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT? Narrator: EVERYTHING WE KNOW
ABOUT THIS DEAD ROCK TELLS US IT SHOULDN'T BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LIGHT. BUT WHEN PEOPLE
START ASKING QUESTIONS, THE SCIENTIFIC ESTABLISHMENT
CLOSES RANKS. THEY COULDN'T BELIEVE IT,
THEREFORE THEY DIDN'T STUDY IT. AND, IN FACT, PEOPLE WERE FIRED.
THERE WERE LOSSES OF JOBS. Narrator:
UNDETERRED, ROOKIE PLANETARY
SCIENTIST DR. PETER SCHULTZ BEGINS HIS OWN RESEARCH. Schultz:
I SAW SOMETHING AND REALIZED IF TRIED TO PUBLISH THAT,
I WOULD BE DEAD. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS
TO PUBLISH ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. IT WAS TERRIBLY CONTROVERSIAL,
COULD RUIN A CAREER. I COULDN'T TALK ABOUT IT.
I KEPT IT SECRET. Narrator: FOR YEARS,
THE MYSTERY REMAINS UNSOLVED. BUT WHEN APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUT
EUGENE CERNAN REPORTS SIMILAR PHENOMENA, THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
TAKES NOTICE. HE WAS IN THE APOLLO 17
COMMAND MODULE. HE WAS IN DARKNESS, AND HE WAS
LOOKING OUT AT THE HORIZON, AND BEFORE SUNLIGHT HIT
THE SPACECRAFT, THEY COULD SEE A GLOW
ON THE HORIZON AND THEN THESE
MUCH MORE BRIGHT STREAMERS. Narrator: CERNAN
AND THE OTHER APOLLO ASTRONAUTS WITNESSED
THESE STREAMERS OF LIGHT SHOOTING PAST THE APOLLO MODULE, MORE THAN 60 MILES
ABOVE THE LUNAR SURFACE. Schultz: ONE THING
YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF IS, "WAS THIS PURELY IMAGINATION?" BUT THEY DREW PICTURES. THEY DREW VERY DETAILED IMAGES
OF WHAT THEY SAW, AND SOME OF THEM
ACTUALLY KIND OF LOOKED LIKE WHAT SURVEYOR SAW. I THINK IT WAS VERY COMPELLING,
VERY CONVINCING, BUT IT STILL IS STRANGE,
JUST MYSTERIOUS. Narrator: IN THE FACE
OF SUCH COMPELLING TESTIMONY, NASA ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN WHAT COULD BE CAUSING
THESE INCREDIBLE LIGHTS. THE APOLLO 17 TESTIMONY WAS THAT THEY SAW
ALMOST LIKE SUNBEAMS COMING OFF THE HORIZON
BEFORE THE SUN ROSE. THAT MAKES NO SENSE. Narrator: ON EARTH,
ATMOSPHERIC REFRACTIONS ALLOW US TO SEE LIGHT
BEFORE SUNRISE. ON THE MOON,
WITH ALMOST NO ATMOSPHERE, THERE IS NOTHING
TO REFRACT THE LIGHT. IT MUST BE CAUSED BY SOMETHING SCATTERING THE LIGHT
THAT THE OBSERVER IS SEEING. Narrator: NASA SPECULATES
THAT THE GLOW COULD BE SUNLIGHT, SCATTERED BY DUST PARTICLES THAT HAVE SOMEHOW RISEN
OFF THE LUNAR SURFACE. PEOPLE CAME AROUND TO THE IDEA
THAT IT SHOULD BE DUST PRETTY QUICKLY, AND SO THE QUESTION BECAME, "WELL, WHAT'S CAUSING THE DUST
TO MOVE?" AND THAT'S WHERE
THE INTRIGUE IS. Narrator: ON A SEEMINGLY INERT
ROCK WITH ALMOST NO ATMOSPHERE, DUST SHOULD REMAIN FIRMLY
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE. SO WHAT IS VIOLENTLY PROPELLING
THE DUST UP INTO THE LUNAR SKY? SOMEHOW, YOU HAVE TO GET
THE DUST UP TO SOME ALTITUDE FOR IT TO SCATTER LIGHT, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT
PROCESSES THAT KICK UP DUST, AND THAT INCLUDES IMPACTS
FROM METEORITES. IT ALSO COULD ARISE
FROM ELECTRICAL EFFECTS. Schultz:
THE MOON IS COVERED WITH DUST --
THESE TINY LITTLE PARTICLES -- AND WHEN THE SUN HITS IT, IT KICKS OFF ELECTRONS, AND THAT
MAKES THE DUST POSITIVE-CHARGED. AND SO THE DUST ON THE MOON BEGINS TO BEHAVE
LIKE JUMPING BEANS, AND THEY JUST
SIMPLY JUMP AROUND, AND THAT'S WHAT SCATTERS
THE LIGHT. Narrator: IF PLUMES OF DUST ARE BEING PROPELLED
AWAY FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE, IT COULD HAVE
SERIOUS RAMIFICATIONS FOR FUTURE MOON MISSIONS. Schultz:
THE MOON DUST IS EXTREMELY FINE, AND IF IT'S BOUNCING AROUND AND YOU HAVE A SPACECRAFT
THAT'S GOING AROUND THE MOON FOR A VERY LONG TIME,
IT'S LIKE A BULLET. IT COULD SLAM INTO A WINDOW,
SLAM INTO A FUEL TANK. THERE ARE SOME DANGERS. Narrator:
LADEE, THE LUNAR ATMOSPHERE
AND DUST ENVIRONMENT EXPLORER, ALREADY IN ORBIT
AROUND THE MOON, COULD PROVIDE ANSWERS. I THINK WE WILL GET
TO THE BOTTOM. I THINK
WE WILL SOLVE IT. BUT WITH EVERY NASA MISSION,
WITH EVERY SPACE MISSION, THEY CREATE MORE QUESTIONS. YOUNG:
What the heck are they? Narrator: AS EACH NASA MISSION
REVEALS MORE ABOUT THE COSMOS, EACH NEW DISCOVERY
ALSO DEMONSTRATES HOW LITTLE WE KNOW -- UNFAMILIAR WORLDS... UNKNOWN OBJECTS... UNEXPLAINED ENCOUNTERS... AND STILL TOO MANY QUESTIONS
LEFT UNANSWERED.
