Narrator: NASA's MISSION IS TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN.
THERE'S MORE THAT WE DON'T KNOW THAN WE DO KNOW.
THAT'S JUST THE NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE.
Narrator: SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS,
IT LAUNCHES SCIENTISTS INTO SPACE
AND CRAFT BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
Duke: TAKING RISKS 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 OTHER PLANETS,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA IN DEEP SPACE,
AND DANGER CLOSE TO HOME...
[ EXPLOSION ]
...NASA's MISSIONS HAVE UNCOVERED
DISTURBING ANOMALIES...
MAN: Okay, we're seeing three or four objects.
MAN #2: Yeah, there are three objects.
...THAT CONTINUE TO PERPLEX OUR FINEST SCIENTIFIC MINDS.
THESE ARE "NASA's UNEXPLAINED FILES."
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
230 MILES ABOVE EARTH,
AN ASTRONAUT SEES SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
IT'S CLEARLY NOT A NATURAL PHENOMENON.
HE SAID, "I SAW SOME REALLY WEIRD STUFF
DOWN THERE FLYING PAST."
AT THIS POINT IN THE MISSION, THIS IS KIND OF A SHOCK.
YOU'RE VERY AWARE, HYPER-AWARE, WHEN YOU'RE DOING A SPACE WALK
'CAUSE YOU ARE IN A PRETTY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
Narrator: IT'S CHIAO'S FOURTH AND FINAL TRIP INTO ORBIT.
Dr. Chiao: IT'S EXCITING ON MANY LEVELS AND ALSO STRESSFUL, TOO,
BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO MESS UP YOUR LAST ONE, RIGHT?
THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL REMEMBER YOU FOR.
Narrator: COSMONAUT SALIZHAN SHARIPOV WORKS ALONGSIDE CHIAO.
BOTH MEN'S LIVES DEPEND ON AN INCH-WIDE TETHER
THAT KEEPS THEM FROM DRIFTING OFF INTO SPACE.
Dr. Chiao: IF TETHERS BECOME UNDONE,
THEN YOU'RE JUST GONNA FLOAT AWAY FROM THE STATION
AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH CURTAINS.
Narrator: ORBITING EARTH AT MORE THAN 17,000 MILES PER HOUR,
CHIAO WAS COMPLETELY UNPREPARED FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
SUDDENLY, I LOOK UP AND I SEE THESE FIVE LIGHTS.
AND THEY SEEM TO FLY BY.
AND HE REPORTS,
"WOW, I'VE JUST HAD ECHELON FORMATION OF FIVE LIGHTS."
AND THEY'RE FOUR IN A LINE.
BUT ONE OF THEM IS SLIGHTLY OFF-SET FROM THE OTHERS.
MY HEART JUST KIND OF LEAPS UP INTO MY THROAT.
AND THEY KIND OF GO FLYING BY, YOU KNOW, BY THE STATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THESE LIGHTS?
Narrator: CHIAO IMMEDIATELY CALLS MISSION CONTROL.
NASA ENGINEER JAMES OBERG OBSERVED THE SPACE WALK.
Oberg: WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING STRANGE IN SPACE,
THE POSSIBILITY ALWAYS IS THAT IT CAN BITE YOU.
YOUR LIFE MIGHT BE ON THE LINE.
I CALLED TO SALIZHAN, MY CREW MATE.
I SAID, "SALIZHAN, DO YOU SEE THOSE LIGHTS?
DO YOU SEE THEM FLYING BY?"
Narrator: BUT THE RUSSIAN IS FACING AWAY FROM THE LIGHTS
AND SEES NOTHING.
EVEN THE SPACE STATION'S ONBOARD CAMERAS MISS THE ACTION.
BUT THE INCIDENT DOES TRIGGER THE CURIOSITY
OF FORMER NASA ENGINEER, JAMES SMITH.
HE DIGS OUT SATELLITE IMAGES
FROM AROUND THE TIME OF CHIAO'S ENCOUNTER.
AND SURE ENOUGH, HE FINDS A PICTURE
THAT SHOWS FOUR OR FIVE LIGHTS IN A ROW
IN THE AREA THAT CHIAO HAD FLOWN OVER A FEW HOURS EARLIER.
Narrator: THE IMAGE CONFIRMS CHIAO'S STORY.
SO, WHAT DID HE ACTUALLY SEE?
SMITH BEGINS TO SEARCH THROUGH RECORDS OF SATELLITE PATHS
AND EVEN OF MILITARY AIR FORCE EXERCISES.
BUT HE FINDS NOTHING.
SMITH THEN TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO GROUND-BASED ACTIVITIES.
IN THE WATERS OFF SOUTH AMERICA,
COMMERCIAL FISHING FLEETS USE HUGE ARRAYS OF LIGHTS
TO FISH AT NIGHT.
SMITH WONDERS WHETHER THESE WERE THE LIGHTS SEEN BY CHIAO.
THEY CATCH CUTTLEFISH AND OTHER KINDS OF SQUID
BY ATTRACTING THEM THROUGH IMMENSELY BRIGHT LIGHTS
THEY HANG OUT OVER THE WATER.
THEY ARE VISIBLE FROM OUTER SPACE.
AND SO, THEY WERE DEPLOYED IN A LINE UP THE COAST,
AND THAT'S WHY -- AND IT WAS THE ROTATION OF THE EARTH
THAT MADE IT APPEAR THAT THEY WERE FLYING.
Narrator: CHIAO ACCEPTS SMITH'S THEORY,
BUT HE ALSO DOESN'T DISMISS THE POSSIBILITY
OF FUTURE CONTACT WITH ALIEN LIFE FORMS.
I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE'S OTHER LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.
BUT WHAT I DOUBT IS,
I DON'T THINK WE'VE FOUND EACH OTHER YET.
Narrator: HOW FAR INTO SPACE WILL MANKIND TRAVEL
BEFORE ENCOUNTERING ALIEN LIFE?
NEW DISCOVERIES SUGGEST
EXTRATERRESTRIALS MAY BE CLOSER THAN WE THINK.
LESS THAN HALF A BILLION MILES FROM EARTH,
COULD CREATURES BE LIVING ON AN ICY WORLD
SCARRED RED BY MYSTERIOUS, BLOODY LINES?
HABITATS ON EUROPA COULD BE THE SAME
AS HABITATS WE SEE ON EARTH.
SMALL MOONS SEEM TO BE WHERE IT'S AT.
WOMAN: Bulk was released. We got all of our verification for that.
Narrator: 1995.
MAN: Galileo is on its way to another world.
Fly safe.
Narrator: THE GALILEO PROBE EXPLORES JUPITER.
BUT THE GAS GIANT IS NOT NASA's SOLE TARGET.
GALILEO IS ALSO INVESTIGATING THE PLANET'S MOONS,
ESPECIALLY THE ONE CALLED EUROPA.
BLOOD-RED VEINS CRISSCROSS THE MOON'S ICY SURFACE.
SOME BEAR AN UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE TO FREEWAYS ON EARTH.
OTHERS ARE CHILLINGLY SIMILAR
TO THE MARTIAN RED WEED CHOKING EARTH
IN H.G. WELLS' "WAR OF THE WORLDS."
SCIENTISTS ATTEMPTING TO EXPLAIN THE BLOOD-COLORED STRIPES
REMAIN UNSURE.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT ON EUROPA.
Narrator: 2001.
NASA SCIENTIST BRAD DALTON TAKES A SHOT
AT EUROPA'S RED-LINE RIDDLE.
Dr. Dalton: THEY HAVE THIS STRANGE REDDISH TINT
THAT LOOKS LIKE OF LIKE RUST,
BUT ALSO IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE SOME KIND OF SLIME.
IT OCCURRED TO ME, CERTAINLY,
WE'VE SEEN ALL KINDS OF FORMS OF LIFE
THAT HAVE THAT REDDISH-BROWN PIGMENTATION
HERE ON EARTH.
SO WHY COULDN'T SOME MICROBES OUT THERE
BE PROVIDING THIS COLORATION?
Narrator: DALTON MEASURES INFRARED CHEMICAL SIGNATURES
FROM EUROPA'S LUNAR LESIONS
AND COMPARES THEM WITH SAMPLES OF LIFE LIVING IN GEYSERS
AT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
[ BEEPING ]
A POSITIVE RESULT WOULD SUGGEST
WE'VE FOUND LIFE ON ANOTHER WORLD.
WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, THE INFRARED PART,
WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT FROM THE GALILEO SPACECRAFT,
MATCHED UP ALMOST PERFECTLY.
THE FEATURES WE SAW ON EUROPA COULD BE EXPLAINED BY LIFE.
IT WAS ALMOST SCARY HOW WELL IT MATCHED.
Narrator: BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH DALTON'S ANALYSIS.
Dr. Reid: THE FACT THAT THE STREAKS ARE RED MEANS
THAT THEY'VE GOT A PARTICULAR KIND OF CHEMICAL IN THEM.
AND THE SPECULATION IS THAT IT'S PROBABLY SULFUR
THAT'S CONTRIBUTING TO THE REDNESS OF THOSE STREAKS.
Narrator: TO PROVE DALTON RIGHT,
NASA MUST FIND THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE
IN THE MOON'S SLIMY CRACKS.
THEY ARE ALREADY LOOKING FOR THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL --
LIQUID WATER.
Dr. Reid: IF YOU FIND WATER,
THAT'S KIND OF THE FIRST STEP IN SAYING,
"WELL, THERE'S A CHANCE THAT THERE COULD BE LIFE HERE."
Narrator: INCREDIBLY, NASA's DATA FROM TWO DECADES OF OBSERVATION
SUGGEST THAT A HUGE WATER OCEAN
FLOWS BENEATH THE MOON'S ICY CRUST.
Dr. Reid: I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO FIND LIQUID WATER
ON AN ICY SATELLITE OF JUPITER.
Dr. Dalton: THAT OCEAN OF LIQUID WATER
IS MORE LIQUID WATER THAN THERE IS ON THE EARTH.
Narrator: IN 2013, MORE EVIDENCE EMERGES
WHEN NASA's HUBBLE TELESCOPE SPOTS WATER
GUSHING OUT OF EUROPA'S GEYSERS.
THAT WATER'S BEEN SITTING THERE FOR 4 BILLION YEARS.
COULD IT HAVE COOKED UP SOME LIFE?
YES, IT COULD HAVE.
Narrator: THE CONDITIONS ON EUROPA COULD NEVER SUPPORT HUMAN LIFE.
BUT NASA's CHRIS McKAY DOESN'T NEED TO TRAVEL FAR
TO FIND CREATURES THAT MIGHT THRIVE THERE.
EXTREMOPHILES LIVE
IN SOME OF EARTH'S MOST INTENSE ENVIRONMENTS.
EXTREMOPHILES ARE ORGANISMS THAT LIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS
THAT WE HUMANS WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE IN,
THAT WE WOULD FIND EXTREME.
Narrator: EXTREMOPHILES CAN EVEN AFFECT THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
THEY TURN SALT GREEN.
AND LIKE CRACKS ON EUROPA, CREATE BLOODY RED SCARS.
Dr. McKay: SO, LIFE ON EUROPA COULD, INDEED,
LOOK LIKE WHAT WE SEE IN THESE PLACES ON EARTH.
Narrator: IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE
FOR LIFE TO EXIST ON EUROPA'S SURFACE.
BUT THE MOON'S OCEANS ARE A BETTER PLACE FOR LIFE TO THRIVE.
Dr. Shostak: ONCE YOU'RE IN THAT OCEAN, IT'S DARK.
EVERY DAY, IT'S JUST PITCH BLACK.
NO PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND,
THERE ARE LIKELY TO BE WHAT ARE CALLED DEEP SEA VENTS.
THEY'RE JUST SORT OF CRACKS IN THE BOTTOMS OF THE OCEAN
WHERE A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT COMES OUT.
AND IT TURNS OUT, THERE ARE LIFE FORMS
THAT LIVE OFF THAT HEAT, THAT CHEMISTRY,
HERE ON EARTH, VERY SIMILAR
TO THE KIND OF LIFE THAT COULD EXIST
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEANS OF EUROPA.
THERE'S ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT THAT WE CAN DO BY LOOKING.
AND I THINK THE NEXT STEP IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE
SENDING SOMETHING TO GO THERE,
DIG AROUND DOWN THROUGH THE CRUST
AND GO INTO THE WATER ITSELF.
Narrator: COMING UP...
NASA SPOTS A DEATH STAR SIPHONING OFF THE SUN.
Dr. Cambier: SO, OUR ONLY HOPE, IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
Narrator: UNINVITED GUESTS CRASH THE APOLLO 16 PARTY.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
Narrator: AND A MYSTERIOUS DARK SHAPE
APPROACHES THE SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
I SAID, "HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW."
Narrator: 240,000 MILES FROM HOME,
TWO OFF-ROADING ASTRONAUTS
EXPAND THE FRONTIERS OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.
MAN: Hey, John.
This is perfect -- with the...
And the Rover and you and stone mountain.
THE EVIDENCE THEY BRING BACK LEADS TO A MYSTERY
THAT SPANS MORE THAN THREE DECADES.
THIS IS A SAUCER-SHAPED OBJECT WITH A DOME ON TOP.
Duke: ANYONE THAT TELLS ME THAT THEY CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
Narrator: APRIL 21, 1972.
36-YEAR-OLD ASTRONAUT CHARLES DUKE
IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE YOUNGEST MAN
TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.
AND I LOOK UP AT THIS ENORMOUS SATURN ROCKET.
AND IT'S FULLY FUELED, AND IT'S AN EERIE FEELING
BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ALIVE.
Narrator: THE MISSION -- TO BRING BACK ROCKS
FROM PREVIOUSLY UNEXPLORED LUNAR TERRITORY.
WHAT DUKE DOESN'T KNOW IS THAT HE'S ABOUT TO BRING BACK
MORE THAN JUST GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES.
MAN: Pretty fast. Contact. Stop.
Narrator: TOGETHER WITH MISSION COMMANDER JOHN YOUNG,
DUKE TOUCHES DOWN IN THE MOON'S SOUTHEAST QUADRANT.
Orwoll: THE MISSIONS HAVE REALLY SHIFTED OVER
TO A SIGNIFICANT SCIENTIFIC EMPHASIS HERE.
WE'RE REALLY OPERATING NOW WITH THE LUNAR ROVER,
WE'RE EXTENDING FURTHER OUT.
As you come around there,
there's a rock in the near field on this rim
That has some white on the top of it.
We'd like you to pick it up as a grab sample.
This one right here?
That's it. You got it right there.
Narrator: THREE DAYS LATER,
WITH 200 POUNDS OF MOON ROCKS SAFELY STOWED,
IT'S TIME FOR HOME.
What a ride. What a ride.
DUKE GUIDES THE LUNAR MODULE TO THE RENDEZVOUS
WITH THE COMMAND MODULE FLOATING IN LUNAR ORBIT.
BEFORE SETTING OFF FOR EARTH, THEY RETRIEVE FILM CANISTERS
FROM CAMERAS OUTSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT.
A TEXTBOOK SPLASHDOWN
APPEARS TO MARK THE END OF A PERFECT MISSION.
BUT WHEN THE FILM IS PROCESSED,
THE IMAGES SUGGEST APOLLO 16 MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALONE.
THERE'S SOMETHING IN ONE OF THE IMAGES.
WHAT IS IT?
THAT'S THE QUESTION EVERYBODY'S ASKING.
Pope: THE ONLY THING EVERYONE AGREES ON
IS THIS IS JUST ABOUT AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET
TO THE KIND OF FLYING SAUCER
THAT YOU SEE IN A HOLLYWOOD SCI-FI MOVIE.
Narrator: BUT WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS REVIEW THE FOOTAGE,
THEY DON'T BUY THE UFO EXPLANATION.
Duke: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE TAKEN THAT
AND HAD THERE BEEN AN ACTUAL OBJECT OUT THERE
NOT TO HAVE SEEN IT.
I'M LOOKING AT WHAT THE CAMERA'S SEEING,
AND I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE SEEN
AN OBJECT THAT WAS REAL THAT WAS THAT BIG.
Narrator: NASA's JIM OBERG CONCLUDES
THAT THIS SEEMINGLY SOLID OBJECT
MUST BE A PHOTO OF EARTH AS SEEN FROM THE MOON.
THE TROUBLE IS, THE EARTH IS IN THE WRONG PLACE.
Oberg: SOME UFO BUFF CHECKED OUT THE MOON'S POSITION
AND FOUND OUT IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN THE EARTH,
THAT THAT IDENTIFICATION WAS WRONG AND I HAD BEEN MISTAKEN.
Narrator: THE MYSTERY REMAINS UNSOLVED FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES.
UNTIL 2004, WHEN ADVANCES IN IMAGE ANALYSIS
RESURRECT NASA's INVESTIGATION.
32 YEARS AFTER THIS SIGHTING, NASA BOOSTS THE IMAGE RESOLUTION
AND COMBINES SEVERAL DIFFERENT FRAMES.
Narrator: THE NEW TECHNIQUES
REVEAL SOMETHING UNSEEN IN PREVIOUS IMAGES --
A STRUT THAT APPEARS TO CONNECT THE FLYING SAUCER
TO THE COMMAND MODULE.
AFTER THREE DECADES OF SPECULATION,
THE SIGHTING CAN BE EXPLAINED.
Pope: THE OBJECT, IN REALITY,
WAS THE COMMAND MODULE SPACE WALK FLOODLIGHT.
Orwoll: JUST THE SAME AS ANY WORK SITE HERE IN AMERICA,
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE OPERATING AT NIGHT,
YOU'RE GONNA NEED FLOODLIGHTS.
SO, THEY NEEDED A FLOODLIGHT
TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
Narrator: THE 30-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN PUT TO REST.
THIS FLYING SAUCER, AT LEAST, TURNS OUT TO BE A FANTASY.
[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]
STILL TO COME...
AN ANCIENT METEORITE BRINGS WORM-LIKE ENTITIES TO EARTH.
Pope: THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV
AND SAYS, "IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
Narrator: AND A MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL VIOLATES RUSSIAN AIR SPACE.
SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT.
IT SEEMED TO HIT IT.
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
Narrator: ERUPTING FROM THE EASTERN SKY,
A FIREBALL STREAKS ACROSS RUSSIAN AIR SPACE
AND APPEARS TO BLOW APART.
SOMETHING IS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE OBJECT.
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
Narrator: DID THE COLD WAR JUST RE-IGNITE?
[ SCREAMING ]
FRIDAY MORNING IN CHELYABINSK,
AN INDUSTRIAL CITY IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA.
COMMUTERS, SCHOOLCHILDREN, OFFICE WORKERS,
SETTLE IN FOR THE DAY AHEAD.
9:20 A.M.
A STRANGE, BLINDING LIGHT CASTS A SHADOW ACROSS THE CITY,
BRINGING PEOPLE OUT ONTO THE STREETS.
THE LIGHT SUDDENLY DISAPPEARS.
LOOKING TO THE SKY,
ASTONISHED RESIDENTS FILM A VAST VAPOR TRAIL OVERHEAD.
MINUTES LATER...
[ EXPLOSION ]
[ SCREAMING ]
[ CAR ALARM BLARES ]
...AN EXPLOSION ROCKS THE CITY.
SCIENTISTS RECORD A BLAST 25 TIMES LARGER THAN NAGASAKI.
WINDOWS SHATTER AND PEOPLE FLY OFF THEIR FEET.
THE CITY'S SHATTERED RESIDENTS
TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS AERIAL BOMBARDMENT.
RUMORS OF A HOSTILE ACT AGAINST RUSSIA FLOOD THE INTERNET.
POLITICIAN VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY EVEN ACCUSES THE U.S.
OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE STRIKE ON THE CITY.
IN MOSCOW,
NASA SCIENTIST SLAVA TURYSHEV SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS.
THERE ARE MANY CONFLICTING REPORTS.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ANXIETY
WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A SINGLE EVENT
OR MAYBE THERE WILL BE OTHER EVENTS.
Narrator: WHILE NASA RUSHES TO DISCOVER THE CAUSE OF THE CATACLYSM,
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.
THE DAYS THAT FOLLOW THIS SENSATIONAL EVENT,
WORD BEGINS TO SPREAD.
MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON.
THERE ARE NEWS FEEDS THAT SEEM TO INDICATE
THAT AS THIS THING IS ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE
AS A GLOWING FIREBALL,
THAT SOMETHING IS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE OBJECT --
POSSIBLY STOPPING IT, POSSIBLY BREAKING IT UP.
PEOPLE ARE SAYING, "YEAH, SOMETHING CAME TOWARDS IT
AND SEEMED TO HIT IT."
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED IT TO EXPLODE.
Narrator: IMAGES OF THE FIREBALL'S STRANGE COLLISION
CAPTURE THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION.
BUT WHEN NASA STUDIES THE ENTIRE EVENT,
BUILDING A MOMENT-BY-MOMENT TIMELINE
FROM DOZENS OF DIFFERENT CAMERAS,
THEY SEE A DIFFERENT PHENOMENON.
THE PEOPLE OF CHELYABINSK
WITNESSES A METEOR DISINTEGRATING
AS IT SMASHED THROUGH EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
Binzel: AS THIS OBJECT COMES THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE,
PIECES ARE BREAKING APART.
YOU SEE STUFF FLYING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
IT'S VERY EASY TO GET A PERCEPTION
OF SOMETHING VERY ODD.
AFTER ALL, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY RARE EVENT.
Narrator: THE FIREBALL'S INTERCEPTOR
IS REALLY A FRAGMENT OF THE METEOR
KEEPING PACE WITH THE FIREBALL.
BUT NASA's EXPLANATION
DOESN'T SATISFY THE CITIZENS OF CHELYABINSK,
WHO ARE LEFT WITH A DEVASTATED CITY.
WHILE SEARCHING FOR AN IMPACT CRATER
THAT MATCHES THE EXPLOSIVE SHOCKWAVE,
THEY FIND NOTHING BIGGER THAN A SWIMMING POOL.
THE IDEA THAT WHATEVER CREATED THE TINY IMPACTS
COULD ALSO TOPPLE A CITY SEEMS LAUGHABLE.
BUT ACCORDING TO PROFESSOR LAURENCE GARVIE,
AN EXPERT IN METEORITES, THE DESTRUCTION IN CHELYABINSK
COULD BE EXPLAINED
BY THE PHYSICS OF A LARGE, FAST-MOVING OBJECT
STREAKING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING, FIRST, WITH THE CHELYABINSK METEOR
IS ITS VISUAL EFFECT.
IT'S COMING IN. IT'S BREAKING UP.
WE'RE NOT HEARING ANYTHING
'CAUSE THE LIGHT IS TRAVELING TO US ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.
WE CAN SEE IT IMMEDIATELY.
BUT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT IT,
WE'RE UNAWARE THAT TRAVELING TOWARDS US AT THE SPEED OF SOUND
IS THE SHOCKWAVE.
AND IT'S ALMOST LIKE A FIST PUNCHING A WINDOW REALLY HARD...
[ CRASH ]
...BUT PUNCHING EVERY SINGLE WINDOW IN THE TOWN
AT THE SAME TIME.
Narrator: THE ENERGY RELEASED
AS THE SUPERSONIC ROCK DISINTEGRATED ABOVE THE CITY
EXPLAINS THE DESTRUCTIVE SHOCKWAVE.
BUT THE DEVASTATION COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE.
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE SHIELDED CHELYABINSK
AGAINST THE METEORITE'S FULL POTENTIAL.
NASA CALCULATIONS SUGGEST
THAT OUR NATURAL DEFENSES ONLY WORKED
BECAUSE THE METEOR WAS MADE OF RELATIVELY SOFT ROCK.
HAD THE 60-FOOT-WIDE METEOR BEEN MADE OF METAL INSTEAD,
IT COULD HAVE RELEASED THE ENERGY OF 60 NAGASAKIS.
Garvie: HERE IN ARIZONA,
WE HAVE THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
WHAT LOOKS LIKE A 45-METER HILL HERE IS ACTUALLY THE EDGE,
THE RIM OF THIS SPECTACULAR CRATER.
THIS GIVES YOU SOME SENSE
OF WHAT A LARGE METEOR IMPACT WOULD DO.
Narrator: THERE ARE MORE THAN 80,000 METALLIC ASTEROIDS
FLOATING NEAR US IN SPACE.
SOME OF THEM MAY EVEN BE HEADING OUR WAY RIGHT NOW.
[ CRASH ]
NEXT..."STAR WARS" COMES TO A SUN NEAR YOU.
Dr. Cambier: SO OUR ONLY HOPE, IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
Narrator: SOMETHING HAS INVADED THE SPACE CLOSE TO THE SUN.
IT LOOKED LIKE SPACESHIPS.
Dr. Hoeksema: WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS 10 TIMES BIGGER THAN THE EARTH.
IMAGINE THE RESOURCES NEEDED
TO BUILD A SPACESHIP LARGER THAN A PLANET.
Narrator: IN MARCH 2012, ASTRONOMERS MONITORING IMAGES
FROM A SOLAR TELESCOPE IN EARTH'S ORBIT
SEE SOMETHING OMINOUS
JUST TO THE WEST OF THE SUN'S SOUTH POLE.
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?
IT'S DARTH VADER'S BIG VEHICLE, OF COURSE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEATH STAR FROM "STAR WARS."
Dr. Cambier: OUR ONLY HOPE, IT'S NOT A DEATH STAR.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.
Narrator: PLANET-SIZED TENDRILS APPEAR TO CONNECT THE GLOBE OF DARKNESS
TO THE SUN'S SURFACE.
THIS CONNECTION FUELS SPECULATION
THAT THE SINISTER SPHERE'S PRESENCE NEAR OUR STAR
IS NO COINCIDENCE.
WHY WOULD ANYBODY VISIT THE SUN?
WELL, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD PLACE TO REFUEL.
Narrator: THE SUN BURNS HYDROGEN, THE PERFECT FUEL FOR A STARSHIP.
COULD SPACESHIPS BE REFUELING
BY GETTING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO STARS
AND SAPPING UP THAT ENERGY
AND THAT'S WHAT'S FUELING THEM THROUGH SPACE?
THAT IMAGE CERTAINLY RAISES THAT POSSIBILITY.
Dr. Hoeksema: THE SUN PUTS OUT MORE POWER IN A SECOND
THAN HUMANITY HAS USED IN ALL OF HISTORY.
Narrator: BUT THE 3-MILLION-DEGREE TEMPERATURES
IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE
WOULD DESTROY ANY HUMAN TECHNOLOGY.
Dr. Birnes: WE CAN'T USE THE SUN FOR A SPACECRAFT.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN SOME VERY ADVANCED ALIEN RACE CAN'T.
IT WOULD REQUIRE SOME MASSIVE ENGINEERING ADVANCES.
YOU DON'T WANT THE SPACECRAFT TO VAPORIZE.
IT'S NOT INSANE TO THINK THERE IS AN UNOBTANIUM
THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO BUILD A DEATH STAR
THAT CAN ROLL RIGHT INTO A STAR TO REFUEL.
ALL IT IS, IS A MATTER OF BEING ABLE TO HANDLE THE HEAT.
Narrator: ONCE THE DEATH STAR'S FUEL TANK IS FILLED,
THE COLOSSAL NOZZLE DETACHES AND THE CRAFT ZOOMS OFF
TO WREAK MAYHEM ELSEWHERE IN THE GALAXY.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE IDEA -- TOO INCREDIBLE FOR NASA,
WHO COME UP WITH THEIR OWN EXPLANATION
FOR THE BLACK ORB
INVOLVING EQUALLY ASTONISHING NON-ALIEN PHENOMENA.
Dr. Hoeksema: WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROMINENCE IN THE MAGNETIC BUBBLE.
IT'S THE MAGNETIC BUBBLE THAT LOOKS LIKE A BIG DEATH STAR.
Narrator: THE TENDRILS ARE PROMINENCES, CLOUDS OF HYDROGEN
CLINGING TO THE EDGE OF THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE.
THE DEATH STAR ITSELF IS A SOLAR MAGNETIC BUBBLE
THE SIZE OF JUPITER, FULL OF SUPER-HOT PLASMA.
THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE BALL IN PLACE IS A MAGNETIC FIELD,
WHICH CAN SHIFT AT ANY MOMENT.
EVENTUALLY, THEY ERUPT,
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE END,
THIS ERUPTION OFF INTO SPACE.
SO, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T SEE IT HERE ON EARTH,
THERE ARE THESE HUGE EXPLOSIONS GOING ON IN THE SUN
ALL THE TIME.
Narrator: EVEN IF THE NASA FOOTAGE HASN'T CAPTURED
A PLANET-DESTROYING DEATH STAR,
OUR SUN IS STILL A VERY REAL THREAT
TO CIVILIZATION ON EARTH.
THE ERUPTION SEEN HERE IS A CORONAL MASS EJECTION.
IT RELEASES 1,000 TIMES MORE ENERGY
THAN THE DEATH STAR BUBBLE.
IF WE TAKE A HIT FROM ONE OF THESE,
IT CAN WREAK HAVOC ON EARTH.
THESE THINGS CAN KNOCK OUT SATELLITES.
ELECTRONICS WON'T FUNCTION.
Dr. Hoeksema: IT HAS EFFECTS ON COMMUNICATIONS,
IT HAS EFFECTS ON THE POWER GRIDS AND POWER DISTRIBUTION.
Narrator: EVEN WORSE, WILD VARIATIONS IN SOLAR ACTIVITY
CAN PUSH THE EARTH INTO PROLONGED ICE AGES
OR COVER THE PLANET WITH SWELTERING JUNGLES
AND BURNING DESERTS.
Friedman: THE SUN, IT'S THE BIG GUY ON THE BLOCK.
AND WE HAVE, IN THE PAST, IGNORED IT AT OUR PERIL.
Narrator: UP NEXT...
TELEPATHY IN SPACE.
Pope: HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH.
Narrator: AND A VISITOR FROM ANOTHER WORLD.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
Narrator: ASTRONAUTS OFTEN SEE THINGS THEIR INSTRUMENTS DON'T PICK UP.
SUDDENLY, THERE SEEMS TO BE,
LIKE, AN EXPLOSION IN MY RIGHT EYE.
THEN THEY LOOK LIKE A STREAK.
SHEW!
PSHEW!
Narrator: THE PHENOMENON PROMPTS A SERIES OF SECRET EXPERIMENTS.
COULD THE EXPLANATION BE OUT OF THIS WORLD?
THEY ARE COMMUNICATING TELEPATHICALLY
WITH THE ASTRONAUTS.
[ BEEPING ]
Narrator: IN 1969, THE FIRST MEN ON THE MOON
RETURNED TO A HEROES' WELCOME.
DURING THE DEBRIEF, BUZZ ALDRIN RISKS BEING GROUNDED
WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT FLASHES OF LIGHT
INSIDE THE SPACE CRAFT'S CABIN.
FOUR MONTHS LATER, DURING THE APOLLO 12 MISSION,
ALAN BEAN EXPERIENCES A DIFFERENT, STRANGE ENCOUNTER.
Bean: THE FIRST TIME I SAW THEM,
I WAS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE MOON
AND I WAS LOOKING DOWN AT A CRATER,
AND I SAW A FLASH.
AND I THOUGHT, "DID I REALLY SEE A FLASH?
THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON DOWN THERE."
Narrator: STRANGE LIGHTS BECOME A REGULAR FEATURE
OF THE APOLLO MISSION LOGS.
BIZARRELY, THEY APPEAR MORE OFTEN
ON THE WAY TO THE MOON THAN ON THE WAY BACK.
IT'S LIKE FOURTH OF JULY. THEY STREAK.
THEY'RE FIREWORKS.
Narrator: SOMETHING IS HAPPENING TO NASA's ASTRONAUTS.
WITH NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE,
ASTRONAUTS CAN ONLY SPECULATE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.
LUNAR MODULE PILOT ED MITCHELL BELIEVES THAT OUTER SPACE
MAY BE THE PERFECT MEDIUM FOR TELEPATHY.
WITHOUT NASA's KNOWLEDGE, HE CONDUCTS HIS OWN EXPERIMENT.
EDGAR MITCHELL DECIDES TO CONDUCT SOME ESP EXPERIMENTS.
IN SPACE, HE SEES WHETHER HE CAN SEND TELEPATHIC MESSAGES
BACK TO FRIENDS ON EARTH AND VICE VERSA.
Narrator: BUT MITCHELL'S EFFORTS LEAD NOWHERE.
THESE FLASHES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH TELEPATHY.
NASA EVENTUALLY DECIDES TO DIRECTLY INVESTIGATE THE LIGHTS.
A SERIES OF ASTRONAUTS WEAR SPECIAL GOGGLES
THAT RECORD PARTICLES
NORMALLY INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE
AND REPORT WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE A FLASH.
WE PUT ON NIGHT GOGGLES, AND THEN WE SAT THERE.
AND THEN MAYBE EVERY MINUTE OR LESS,
ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'D BE MAYBE A BURST.
WE DESCRIBED IT.
SHEW!
THEY ARE GOING BY AT AN OUTRAGEOUS SPEED.
PSHEW!
GOLLY.
Narrator: THE GOGGLES RECORD THE FLASHES
EXACTLY AS THE ASTRONAUTS DESCRIBE THEM.
SO WHAT ARE THEY?
NASA's OFFICIAL EXPLANATION IS THAT THE LIGHTS ARE COSMIC RAYS,
HIGH-ENERGY PARTICLES RIPPING THROUGH SPACE
NEAR THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
BOMBARDING THE ASTRONAUTS AND THEIR CRAFT.
BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN.
EVEN NOW, NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN WHY ASTRONAUTS
SEE MORE STRANGE LIGHTS WHILE MOVING AWAY FROM EARTH.
FOR NOW, IT REMAINS A COSMIC MYSTERY.
WITH MILLIONS OF GALAXIES AND BILLIONS OF STARS,
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, ALIEN LIFE MUST EXIST.
BUT WHAT IF EXTRATERRESTRIALS ARE ALREADY HERE?
MARTIAN HORDES INVADE THE EARTH...
[ SCREAMING ]
...BRINGING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
[ SCREAMING ]
"WAR OF THE WORLDS" MADE US RE-THINK
OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
IT HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY STARTED TO THINK, "WE MIGHT NOT BE ALONE."
Narrator: WE HAVE LONG BEEN FASCINATED
WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.
ONCE WE START DISCOVERING LIFE IN PLACES LIKE MARS,
THAT MEANS THAT INHOSPITABLE PLANETS CAN ACTUALLY HOST LIFE.
AND THAT REALLY OPENS UP THE UNIVERSE TO US.
Man: INVADERS FROM MARS.
Narrator: DOES NASA HAVE EVIDENCE
THAT INVADERS FROM MARS HAVE ALREADY LANDED ON PLANET EARTH?
GEE WHIZ!
ANTARCTICA.
MINUS 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
A HARDENED TEAM TREK ACROSS THE FROZEN WASTELAND,
SEARCHING FOR INTRUDERS FROM OUTER SPACE.
THE U.S. RUNS EXPEDITIONS EVERY YEAR DOWN TO ANTARCTICA
TO LOOK FOR METEORITES.
MOSTLY BLACK ROCKS SITTING ON EITHER THE WHITE SNOW
OR THE BLUE ICE.
Narrator: IN THE ALLAN HILLS,
EXPEDITION MEMBER SCOTT SANFORD IS DRAWN
TO ONE VERY STRANGE LUMP OF ROCK.
THEY FIND THIS POTATO-SHAPED ROCK, AND IT WAS GREEN.
Narrator: THE TEAM HAVE NEVER SEEN A ROCK LIKE THIS BEFORE.
THEY TAG IT, BAG IT, AND SEND IT TO NASA FOR ANALYSIS.
THE METEORITE IS LOGGED AS 84001.
Dr. Treiman: 84 FOR THE YEAR
AND 01 BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST ONE THEY OPENED UP
OUT OF THE PACKAGE TO LOOK AT.
Garvie: THIS METEORITE IS LIKE A LITTLE BOOK.
YOU KNOW, YOU OPEN IT UP AND WE, AS SCIENTISTS,
ARE READING THAT BOOK BY LOOKING AT THE CHEMISTRY
AND THE STRUCTURE AND THE ISOTOPES
AND UNDERSTANDING ITS EARLY HISTORY.
Narrator: THE ROCK IS OLD -- VERY OLD --
AND IT LOOKS DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S NOT OF THIS WORLD.
WHAT THEY HAVE IN FRONT OF THEM
IS AN ANCIENT PIECE OF MARTIAN ROCK,
A TIME CAPSULE FROM ANOTHER PLANET.
THE METEORITE, ALLAN HILLS 84001,
IS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING AS ONE OF THE OLDEST METEORITES
THAT WE'VE EVER UNCOVERED FROM MARS,
DATING BACK TO A PERIOD ON MARS WHEN THERE WAS WATER.
Narrator: 16 MILLION YEARS AGO,
A MASSIVE METEORITE SMASHES INTO ANCIENT MARS.
Garvie: IF WE HAVE A LARGE ENOUGH IMPACT ON MARS,
THE IMPACT ITSELF WILL EJECT MATERIAL
FROM THE SURFACE OF MARS BACK OUT INTO SPACE.
Narrator: PLANETARY DEBRIS SPIRALS INTO SPACE
AND CRASH LANDS ON EARTH.
NOW THIS FIVE-POUND CHUNK OF ROCK
HAS BECOME A WINDOW INTO A TIME
WHEN MARS HAD OCEANS JUST LIKE EARTH.
BUT ASTONISHINGLY, NASA HALTS THEIR STUDY,
LOCKING THE ROCK AWAY.
ITS SECRETS REMAIN HIDDEN...
UNTIL NINE YEARS LATER
WHEN ANOTHER RESEARCH TEAM DECIDES TO REVISIT IT.
Garvie: SO, HERE'S A ROCK THAT'S BEEN SITTING THERE,
LYING PRETTY MUCH UN-STUDIED FOR A DECADE.
AND SUDDENLY PEOPLE REALIZE
THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS STONE.
Narrator: BELIEVING THAT ITS COMPOSITION
MIGHT HELP EXPLAIN HOW MARS FORMED,
THE TEAM SPLITS THE ROCK OPEN.
THEY FIND SOMETHING TRULY ASTONISHING.
CONCEALED IN THE ROCK IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE FOSSILIZED REMAINS OF A WEIRD, WORM-LIKE CREATURE,
EVIDENCE OF AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
THAT TRAVELED FROM MARS TO EARTH.
Garvie: THIS IS THE FIRST CREDIBLE EVIDENCE
OF POSSIBLE LIFE FROM SPACE.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN SPECULATING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS.
BUT HERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET
THAT LOOKS LIKE IT HAD LIFE IN IT.
THIS IS IT, THE REAL THING.
[ CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING ]
IT'S FRONT-PAGE NEWS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THE PRESIDENT GOES ON LIVE TV AND SAYS,
"IT MAY NOT JUST BE US."
IF THIS DISCOVERY IS CONFIRMED, IT WILL SURELY BE
ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING INSIGHTS
INTO OUR UNIVERSE THAT SCIENCE HAS EVER UNCOVERED.
ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE AS FAR-REACHING AND AWE-INSPIRING
AS CAN BE IMAGINED.
Narrator: BUT DEFINITIVE PROOF THAT THIS IS AN ALIEN LIFE FORM
REMAINS ELUSIVE.
WHEN THE ANALYSIS OF THE MARS METEORITE WAS FIRST DONE,
IT GOT A LOT OF CRITICISM FROM PEOPLE SAYING,
"WELL, IT'S BEEN ON EARTH FOR A LONG TIME,
"LAYING IN ANTARCTICA.
THIS COULD ALL BE CONTAMINATION."
ACTUALLY, THERE IS A WAY TO TEST THAT.
IT'S POSSIBLE NOWADAYS
TO TAKE A LITTLE BITTY SLICE OF THAT ROCK OUT
AND LOOK AT OUR LITTLE BUG IN CROSS-SECTION.
BUT THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR ME, AT LEAST,
THAT THERE'S A WAY TO TEST THIS IDEA,
THAT THE BUGS ARE BIOLOGICAL OR WHETHER THEY'RE ARTIFACTS,
AND IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE.
SO, I DON'T KNOW WHY. I DON'T KNOW WHY.
I DO NOT KNOW.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Narrator: SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO DEBATE
IF 84001 CONTAINS FOSSILIZED LIFE FORMS FROM MARS.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER SPACE ROCKS OUT THERE.
AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY MIGHT CONTAIN?
NEXT...
COLUMBIA ASTRONAUTS SEE A FAMILIAR BLACK SHAPE.
WE HAVE SOMETHING RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
Narrator: IT'S BEEN SEEN AND REPORTED COUNTLESS TIMES
IN DIFFERENT PLACES BY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
HANGING, HOVERING IN THE SKY, A BIZARRE BLACK TRIANGLE.
PEOPLE ARE SEEING TRIANGULAR AIRCRAFT OR VEHICLES
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYWHERE NOWADAYS.
Woman: WHAT THE [BLEEP] IS THAT?
Woman #2: HAVE YOU GOT IT ON THERE?
YEAH.
THERE'S BEEN OVER 10,000 SIGHTINGS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
Narrator: CAN ALL THESE SIGHTINGS BE DISMISSED
AS SECRET STEALTH PLANES SPYING IN THE SKY?
OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE?
Man: IT'S A WEIRD-LOOKING THING.
WE BELIEVE THAT UFOs ARE FROM OUTER SPACE.
Narrator: THE BLACK TRIANGLE HAD ONLY BEEN SEEN FROM EARTH
UNTIL 1986 WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED.
JANUARY 12, 1986.
MAN: Minus 10. Go for engine start.
Narrator: LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA.
MAN: We have ignition. We have lift off.
Narrator: IT'S HOOT GIBSON'S FIRST MISSION AS SHUTTLE COMMANDER.
Gibson: AS THE COMMANDER,
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE QUITE A BIT OF ADRENALINE RUNNING.
YOU CAN'T BE MORE THAN THREE DEGREES OFF
OR THE VEHICLE WILL BE DESTROYED.
Narrator: BUT THINGS QUICKLY GO WRONG.
WE WERE CHASING MALFUNCTIONS ALL THE WAY TO ORBIT.
MAN: Roger. We copy.
Narrator: NUMEROUS SYSTEMS FAIL WHILE HOOT FIGHTS HARD
TO GET HIS CREW SAFELY INTO SPACE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE ENGINES SHUT DOWN AND YOU'RE WEIGHTLESS.
EVERYTHING'S FLOATING.
Narrator: IN SPACE IN ONE PIECE.
BUT THEN HE SEES SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
I SAID, "HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING OUT THE WINDOW."
IT'S JUST RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
IT WAS A TRIANGULAR OBJECT THAT WE SAW.
IT WAS FAIRLY THIN,
ALMOST LIKE A WEDGE OF PIE OR A WEDGE OF PIZZA.
WE TALKED TO MISSION CONTROL ABOUT IT
BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HELP US
WITH THINGS THAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, YOU'RE REENTERING RIGHT NOW.
Narrator: THE IMAGES HIT THE PUBLIC EYE.
THE BLACK TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
NASA's JIM OBERG DOESN'T BUY THE IDEA
OF SECRET MILITARY STEALTH AIRCRAFT.
THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE FLOWN NEAR A SPACE SHUTTLE
WITHOUT THE PEOPLE AT MISSION CONTROL KNOWING THAT
IS NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED.
THERE'S NO VALUE TO IT TO THE MILITARY OR TO NASA
AND THERE'S A LOT OF HAZARDS TO IT.
SO, I THINK THAT IDEA IS ONE THAT, AFTER CONSIDERATION,
CAN PRETTY EASILY BE ELIMINATED.
Narrator: BUT IT'S SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE OBJECT
AND THE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BLACK TRIANGLES
THAT MAKE IT SO INTRIGUING.
HOOT REMAINS CAUTIOUS.
FOR ONE THING, IT IS OFTEN DIFFICULT
TO JUDGE SCALE AND DISTANCE IN THE EMPTINESS OF SPACE.
THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE PHOTO THAT WAS TOOK
IS THAT THIS COULD BE A VERY LARGE OBJECT VERY FAR AWAY
OR IT COULD BE A SMALL OBJECT VERY CLOSE.
Narrator: FOR 27 YEARS, THE SIGHTING REMAINS A DEEP MYSTERY.
THEN IN 2013, NASA RELEASES A HIGHER DEFINITION IMAGE
OF THE TRIANGLE IN SPACE.
WITH SHARPENED CONTOURS,
NASA AND HOOT BELIEVE THEY CAN FINALLY IDENTIFY THE OBJECT.
IT WAS A SMALL PIECE OF BLACK TILE THAT CAME OFF OF COLUMBIA.
Narrator: IT MAY BE A SMALL TILE,
BUT TO ANYONE ON BOARD A SHUTTLE,
SEEING A PIECE OF FLOATING INSULATION
IS JUST AS ALARMING AS ANY ALIEN ENCOUNTER.
IN 2003, DAMAGE TO THE SHUTTLE'S INSULATION
LED TO COLUMBIA'S DESTRUCTION DURING REENTRY.
TRAGICALLY, COLUMBIA'S CREW OF SEVEN
DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BREACH IN THE SHIP'S PROTECTIVE SKIN.
Oberg: NOBODY SAW IT.
THEY WERE LOOKING AT OTHER THINGS AND UN-WARNED.
THE ASTRONAUTS AND MISSION CONTROL DID NOT KNOW
THAT THE SHUTTLE HAD BEEN LETHALLY DAMAGED,
AND THE CREW WAS LOST DURING REENTRY.
Narrator: WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT,
THE SINISTER BLACK TRIANGLE SEEN IN 1986
MAY HAVE BEEN AN EARLY WARNING SIGN
FOR THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.
NASA's CONTINUING MISSION TO EXPLORE SPACE
HAS FORCED US TO LOOK AT OUR OWN UNIVERSE WITH NEW EYES --
ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS, ALIEN OBJECTS,
FORCES BEYOND OUR COMPREHENSION.
WE CONTINUE TO UNCOVER MYSTERIES
LURKING IN THE DARKEST RECESSES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
MANY REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.