1 00:00:04,963 --> 00:00:07,423 NARRATOR: Space ships over Los Angeles... 2 00:00:09,385 --> 00:00:13,012 Body snatchers controlling our minds... 3 00:00:13,013 --> 00:00:15,431 E.T.'s making contact. 4 00:00:15,432 --> 00:00:18,434 These and other alien-based scenarios 5 00:00:18,435 --> 00:00:21,270 have been the plot lines of countless 6 00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:24,607 science-fiction movies and television shows. 7 00:00:24,608 --> 00:00:27,860 But what if extraterrestrial beings 8 00:00:27,861 --> 00:00:30,405 came to Earth tomorrow? 9 00:00:30,406 --> 00:00:32,448 Would they signal the birth 10 00:00:32,449 --> 00:00:35,451 of a new age of peace and prosperity, 11 00:00:35,452 --> 00:00:37,662 or trigger a war of the worlds? 12 00:00:39,456 --> 00:00:42,083 NICK POPE: The day that it's announced we're not alone 13 00:00:42,084 --> 00:00:44,502 is the day that this planet changes forever. 14 00:00:44,503 --> 00:00:47,463 BILL BIRNES: The very structures of government 15 00:00:47,464 --> 00:00:51,467 and the very structures of religion will crumble. 16 00:00:51,468 --> 00:00:53,803 SARA SEAGER: Everybody wants to meet an alien. 17 00:00:53,804 --> 00:00:55,471 But we have to start small. 18 00:00:55,472 --> 00:00:58,015 We have to learn how to walk before we can run. 19 00:00:58,016 --> 00:01:01,060 NARRATOR: Millions of people around the world 20 00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:03,479 believe we have been visited in the past 21 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,606 by extraterrestrial beings. 22 00:01:05,607 --> 00:01:08,484 What if it were true? 23 00:01:08,485 --> 00:01:12,488 Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? 24 00:01:12,489 --> 00:01:17,535 And if so, what might happen when they return? 25 00:01:47,566 --> 00:01:50,526 NARRATOR: Throughout human history, 26 00:01:50,527 --> 00:01:55,323 man has gazed up at the stars in awe and with wonder. 27 00:01:55,324 --> 00:01:59,535 Our ancient ancestors charted their movements, 28 00:01:59,536 --> 00:02:02,580 identified constellations 29 00:02:02,581 --> 00:02:06,584 and marked time by creating celestial-based calendars. 30 00:02:08,545 --> 00:02:13,216 The stars also became the source of countless myths and legends. 31 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:16,552 Many of these describe visitors 32 00:02:16,553 --> 00:02:20,598 coming down to Earth from somewhere out there. 33 00:02:20,599 --> 00:02:23,976 Others speak of entire civilizations 34 00:02:23,977 --> 00:02:26,562 existing out in the cosmos. 35 00:02:26,563 --> 00:02:30,358 MICHAEL CREMO: The ancient Sanskrit writings of India 36 00:02:30,359 --> 00:02:32,109 tell us, for example, 37 00:02:32,110 --> 00:02:37,156 there are 400,000 humanlike species 38 00:02:37,157 --> 00:02:41,202 scattered throughout the cosmos 39 00:02:41,203 --> 00:02:44,413 in different planets, different solar systems, 40 00:02:44,414 --> 00:02:46,624 even different dimensions. 41 00:02:46,625 --> 00:02:49,919 NARRATOR: But where are these alien beings? 44 00:02:57,010 --> 00:03:00,263 If so, will they ever come back? 45 00:03:00,264 --> 00:03:03,474 Today, scientists around the world 46 00:03:03,475 --> 00:03:06,435 have stopped waiting around and are taking steps 47 00:03:06,436 --> 00:03:09,146 to find intelligent extraterrestrial life. 48 00:03:09,147 --> 00:03:13,609 Will technology finally be able to prove 49 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:17,613 what our ancient ancestors believed thousands of years ago? 50 00:03:19,950 --> 00:03:24,620 In 1960, astronomer and physicist Frank Drake 51 00:03:24,621 --> 00:03:28,457 set up an unusual telescope in the hills of West Virginia. 52 00:03:30,502 --> 00:03:32,670 The strange device was made 53 00:03:32,671 --> 00:03:35,631 from surplus World War II radar equipment. 54 00:03:37,593 --> 00:03:40,636 But rather than containing a traditional optical lens, 55 00:03:40,637 --> 00:03:43,472 it housed a directional radio antenna. 56 00:03:43,473 --> 00:03:45,975 PAUL DAVIES: A few simple calculations showed 57 00:03:45,976 --> 00:03:48,644 that radio telescopes have the power to transmit 58 00:03:48,645 --> 00:03:51,397 and receive across literally interstellar distances. 59 00:03:51,398 --> 00:03:52,648 We're talking many light-years. 60 00:03:52,649 --> 00:03:56,652 So Frank Drake turned a radio telescope 61 00:03:56,653 --> 00:03:59,196 on a couple of nearby stars and tuned in 62 00:03:59,197 --> 00:04:02,199 to see if he could pick up a message from the aliens. 63 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,620 So this was a sort of crazy thing to do. 64 00:04:05,621 --> 00:04:09,415 NARRATOR: Drake failed to pick up any sounds that day, 65 00:04:09,416 --> 00:04:13,669 but the science of radio astronomy was born. 66 00:04:13,670 --> 00:04:16,839 If we couldn't see aliens in space, 67 00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:19,258 maybe we could hear them. 68 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:25,723 MICHAEL DENNIN: The things we've focused on in the past 69 00:04:25,724 --> 00:04:27,683 for searching for extraterrestrial life 70 00:04:27,684 --> 00:04:30,102 is really passively trying to discover signals 71 00:04:30,103 --> 00:04:32,438 on the basis that if they were technologically advanced, 72 00:04:32,439 --> 00:04:35,107 they would have some form of electricity like we do, 73 00:04:35,108 --> 00:04:37,360 and all electricity generates radiation. 74 00:04:37,361 --> 00:04:39,904 And it sends out the signals, and hopefully we detect it. 75 00:04:39,905 --> 00:04:44,700 NARRATOR: In 1961, Frank Drake and a group of astronomers, 76 00:04:44,701 --> 00:04:46,702 physicists and biologists 77 00:04:46,703 --> 00:04:50,373 formed a privately funded organization called SETI: 78 00:04:50,374 --> 00:04:53,542 the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. 79 00:04:55,087 --> 00:04:58,547 Their goal was to focus massive radio telescopes 80 00:04:58,548 --> 00:05:01,175 towards space and listen. 81 00:05:01,176 --> 00:05:03,719 Drake estimated the probability 82 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,722 that intelligent life existed out in the universe 83 00:05:06,723 --> 00:05:11,143 in a formula that became known as the Drake equation. 84 00:05:11,144 --> 00:05:13,145 SEAGER: The Drake equation is like a bridge 85 00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:15,856 between scientists and non-scientists, 86 00:05:15,857 --> 00:05:17,733 because it explains what you would want to know 87 00:05:17,734 --> 00:05:20,987 to give a number about how common alien life could be. 88 00:05:20,988 --> 00:05:23,197 JENNIFER HELDMANN: There are multiple factors 89 00:05:23,198 --> 00:05:24,740 within the Drake equation. 90 00:05:24,741 --> 00:05:27,118 Like the fraction of stars that could have planets; 91 00:05:27,119 --> 00:05:29,745 and the fraction of those planets that could be habitable; 92 00:05:29,746 --> 00:05:32,164 and the fraction of those that might have liquid water; 93 00:05:32,165 --> 00:05:34,542 and how many could have evolved intelligent life? 94 00:05:34,543 --> 00:05:36,752 And then one important factor 95 00:05:36,753 --> 00:05:39,088 is the lifetime of those civilizations, 96 00:05:39,089 --> 00:05:41,215 and that is a big unknown. 97 00:05:41,216 --> 00:05:43,592 We only know of one-- that's ourselves. 98 00:05:43,593 --> 00:05:45,928 And how long are we going to be around? 99 00:05:45,929 --> 00:05:47,763 That's to be determined. 100 00:05:49,141 --> 00:05:52,518 NARRATOR: Using his equation, Drake estimated 101 00:05:52,519 --> 00:05:55,771 that over 100 million advanced civilizations 102 00:05:55,772 --> 00:05:59,316 could exist in just the Milky Way galaxy. 103 00:05:59,317 --> 00:06:01,193 BIRNES: SETI presupposes 104 00:06:01,194 --> 00:06:04,196 that if you’ve got an alien civilization 105 00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:07,783 capable of traveling that's developed electronics, 106 00:06:07,784 --> 00:06:09,535 they have a fingerprint. 107 00:06:09,536 --> 00:06:12,788 That fingerprint is a repetitive signal. 108 00:06:12,789 --> 00:06:15,374 A repetitive signal will tell them 109 00:06:15,375 --> 00:06:19,003 that it's not just noise, junk frequencies out there, 110 00:06:19,004 --> 00:06:21,756 but a real attempt at communicating, 111 00:06:21,757 --> 00:06:25,468 maybe not with us, but with each other. 112 00:06:26,803 --> 00:06:29,805 NARRATOR: On August 15, 1977, 113 00:06:29,806 --> 00:06:32,558 astronomer Dr. Jerry Ehman 114 00:06:32,559 --> 00:06:36,145 was working on a SETI project at Ohio State University 115 00:06:36,146 --> 00:06:38,814 when he recorded an intermittent signal 116 00:06:38,815 --> 00:06:43,819 coming from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. 117 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:48,365 The signal lasted 72 seconds before being lost. 118 00:06:48,366 --> 00:06:52,828 Ehman believed that it was of extraterrestrial origin. 119 00:06:52,829 --> 00:06:56,290 But despite repeated searches 120 00:06:56,291 --> 00:06:58,292 and increasingly larger telescopes, 121 00:06:58,293 --> 00:07:01,212 the signal has never again been detected. 122 00:07:03,590 --> 00:07:08,052 But what if SETI intercepts a transmission from another world? 123 00:07:08,053 --> 00:07:10,096 What would happen next? 124 00:07:10,097 --> 00:07:13,849 According to SETI's Post-Detection Protocols, 125 00:07:13,850 --> 00:07:17,394 once an extraterrestrial radio signal is confirmed, 126 00:07:17,395 --> 00:07:20,189 news of the event should be kept secret 127 00:07:20,190 --> 00:07:22,858 until the authorities have been notified. 128 00:07:22,859 --> 00:07:24,860 The government will then decide 129 00:07:24,861 --> 00:07:27,863 whether or not to try and make contact. 130 00:07:27,864 --> 00:07:29,907 DAVIES: I think all bets are off. 131 00:07:29,908 --> 00:07:31,867 Because here's this message. 132 00:07:31,868 --> 00:07:34,286 It could contain enormously important information 133 00:07:34,287 --> 00:07:37,289 that would transform our society and maybe destabilize it. 134 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:40,000 What is it going to mean for the future of our civilization? 135 00:07:40,001 --> 00:07:42,753 These are momentous questions. 136 00:07:44,881 --> 00:07:47,299 NARRATOR: Today, SETI continues to scan 137 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:49,426 the vicinities of nearby stars 138 00:07:49,427 --> 00:07:51,345 for artificially produced signals 139 00:07:51,346 --> 00:07:55,057 using several of the world's largest telescopes. 140 00:07:55,058 --> 00:07:57,059 In the next several years, 141 00:07:57,060 --> 00:07:59,145 when it becomes fully operational, 142 00:07:59,146 --> 00:08:02,314 SETI's new Allen Telescope Array 143 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:03,899 will allow for the reconnaissance 144 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,235 of up to a million stars. 145 00:08:06,236 --> 00:08:08,946 SEAGER: SETI has to search a huge, huge area. 146 00:08:08,947 --> 00:08:10,781 They'll tell you that now, 147 00:08:10,782 --> 00:08:12,908 they have searched the equivalent of, like, 148 00:08:12,909 --> 00:08:15,452 a glass of water compared to the entire ocean on Earth. 149 00:08:15,453 --> 00:08:16,912 They have a long way to go. 150 00:08:18,498 --> 00:08:20,374 NARRATOR: While SETI listens passively 151 00:08:20,375 --> 00:08:22,710 to signals from outer space, 152 00:08:22,711 --> 00:08:26,922 NASA has attempted to contact alien life directly, 153 00:08:26,923 --> 00:08:29,717 through messages sent aboard its space probes. 154 00:08:29,718 --> 00:08:31,177 DENNIN: It's a long shot, 155 00:08:31,178 --> 00:08:33,762 but there's no reason, in my mind, 156 00:08:33,763 --> 00:08:35,472 not to expect that life evolved elsewhere. 157 00:08:37,142 --> 00:08:41,103 What's harder to predict, or try and understand, 158 00:08:41,104 --> 00:08:43,981 is how likely is it that it happened close enough 159 00:08:43,982 --> 00:08:47,693 that there'd be someone we could actually communicate with. 160 00:08:49,321 --> 00:08:54,700 NARRATOR: In 1972, NASA agreed to attach small plaques 161 00:08:54,701 --> 00:08:58,120 onto the outside of its twin Pioneer space probes, 162 00:08:58,121 --> 00:09:00,539 the first human-built objects 163 00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:03,334 destined to leave our solar system. 164 00:09:03,335 --> 00:09:06,420 NASA contacted Cornell University professor, 165 00:09:06,421 --> 00:09:09,924 Dr. Carl Sagan, to craft the message. 166 00:09:09,925 --> 00:09:12,635 DENNIN: Carl Sagan was one of the most active astronomers 167 00:09:12,636 --> 00:09:16,722 in the search for life outside our planet. 168 00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:19,725 He was a very prominent scientist, 169 00:09:19,726 --> 00:09:22,978 he was an excellent astronomer, and he really did a lot 170 00:09:22,979 --> 00:09:26,398 to help us understand how we might contact other life 171 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:28,317 or detect life elsewhere in the universe. 172 00:09:30,195 --> 00:09:33,781 NARRATOR: Sagan, along with SETI founder Frank Drake, 173 00:09:33,782 --> 00:09:36,951 designed a gold-anodized aluminum plaque, 174 00:09:36,952 --> 00:09:39,578 measuring roughly six by nine inches, 175 00:09:39,579 --> 00:09:42,998 that contained a collection of symbolic images 176 00:09:42,999 --> 00:09:45,000 representing humans and Earth. 177 00:09:45,001 --> 00:09:47,002 ALBERT HARRISON: The man and the woman were nude, 178 00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:50,005 and the gentleman was holding one arm up like this 179 00:09:50,006 --> 00:09:51,465 in what was intended to be 180 00:09:51,466 --> 00:09:53,592 a sign of, uh... a sign of greeting. 181 00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:56,262 NARRATOR: A schematic design of the solar system 182 00:09:56,263 --> 00:09:59,056 was also shown, with the planned trajectory 183 00:09:59,057 --> 00:10:02,017 of the Pioneer spacecraft marked on it, 184 00:10:02,018 --> 00:10:06,814 and a diagram of 14 pulsar stars around the sun 185 00:10:06,815 --> 00:10:09,858 made a chart that might help someone work out 186 00:10:09,859 --> 00:10:11,902 where the craft originated. 187 00:10:11,903 --> 00:10:14,280 DENNIN: We tried to give them an idea of where we're located-- 188 00:10:14,281 --> 00:10:16,156 and that's an interesting problem, is to figure out 189 00:10:16,157 --> 00:10:18,409 how you would tell someone where you're located in space, 190 00:10:18,410 --> 00:10:20,452 'cause you don't know where they're going to find it. 191 00:10:20,453 --> 00:10:23,247 And it was all in a very stylistic design, 192 00:10:23,248 --> 00:10:25,249 but in an attempt to hopefully communicate 193 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:27,167 at least some of these ideas. 194 00:10:28,795 --> 00:10:32,381 NARRATOR: Five years later, in 1977, 195 00:10:32,382 --> 00:10:34,925 Dr. Sagan got a second chance 196 00:10:34,926 --> 00:10:37,052 at designing an interstellar message 197 00:10:37,053 --> 00:10:39,805 when NASA agreed to attach another one 198 00:10:39,806 --> 00:10:42,224 to the Voyager space probes. 199 00:10:42,225 --> 00:10:45,477 This time, Sagan created a record album 200 00:10:45,478 --> 00:10:47,813 made of gold-plated copper, 201 00:10:47,814 --> 00:10:50,190 along with a series of basic instructions 202 00:10:50,191 --> 00:10:52,443 in how to make it work. 203 00:10:52,444 --> 00:10:55,279 Sagan estimated that the metallic disc 204 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,199 could survive in space for at least a billion years. 205 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,952 DENNIN: One of the challenges with technology 206 00:11:01,953 --> 00:11:05,080 is trying to figure out one that can do what you want-- 207 00:11:05,081 --> 00:11:07,124 so here you want to encode audio, 208 00:11:07,125 --> 00:11:09,251 and even some video images, 209 00:11:09,252 --> 00:11:11,295 but do it in a way that almost any other 210 00:11:11,296 --> 00:11:13,547 technologically advanced society could figure out. 211 00:11:13,548 --> 00:11:16,091 And the advantage of a record player is, 212 00:11:16,092 --> 00:11:18,093 it's both mechanical and electrical. 213 00:11:18,094 --> 00:11:19,928 The grooves are obvious. 214 00:11:19,929 --> 00:11:22,139 And so, they actually put on the cover 215 00:11:22,140 --> 00:11:24,975 instructions on how to play it. 216 00:11:24,976 --> 00:11:29,104 NARRATOR: The recording included a wide variety of sounds-- 217 00:11:29,105 --> 00:11:32,149 a babys cry... 218 00:11:32,150 --> 00:11:33,984 wind... 219 00:11:33,985 --> 00:11:37,112 surf and rain, animal noises, 220 00:11:37,113 --> 00:11:40,115 as well as classical and cultural music 221 00:11:40,116 --> 00:11:41,950 from around the world. 222 00:11:41,951 --> 00:11:44,870 One interesting song selection 223 00:11:44,871 --> 00:11:49,500 was Chuck Berry's rock and roll hit, "Johnny B. Goode." 224 00:11:49,501 --> 00:11:51,752 DENNIN: Music is a good choice 225 00:11:51,753 --> 00:11:54,129 'cause almost anything vibrates and makes sound. 226 00:11:54,130 --> 00:11:57,466 So I would have bet that almost any culture would develop music. 227 00:11:57,467 --> 00:12:01,261 I believe it's Bach who gets the most time on the record. 228 00:12:01,262 --> 00:12:03,305 I don't know why they picked that, to be honest, 229 00:12:03,306 --> 00:12:05,349 but he is one of the more mathematical composers, 230 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:07,184 and that might have been one of the reasons, 231 00:12:07,185 --> 00:12:09,812 because math is a more universal language. 232 00:12:09,813 --> 00:12:13,982 NARRATOR: Sagan also included a wide array of photographs 233 00:12:13,983 --> 00:12:16,193 of well-known man-made structures 234 00:12:16,194 --> 00:12:20,322 and greetings in 55 different languages. 235 00:12:20,323 --> 00:12:22,366 GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: I think the most important one 236 00:12:22,367 --> 00:12:24,785 is the Sumerian language. 237 00:12:24,786 --> 00:12:29,164 Now, why would they include Sumerian on that record? 238 00:12:29,165 --> 00:12:32,209 Well, according to the ancient alien theory, 239 00:12:32,210 --> 00:12:35,504 ancient Sumeria is the first place 240 00:12:35,505 --> 00:12:40,134 where we made contact with an extraterrestrial entity. 241 00:12:43,054 --> 00:12:44,513 DENNIN: At this point, 242 00:12:44,514 --> 00:12:45,973 we obviously haven't learned anything yet 243 00:12:45,974 --> 00:12:47,307 about extraterrestrial life, 244 00:12:47,308 --> 00:12:49,184 because we haven't been contacted back. 245 00:12:49,185 --> 00:12:52,062 But I think, for our own purposes, 246 00:12:52,063 --> 00:12:55,023 any time you try and go and figure out 247 00:12:55,024 --> 00:12:56,650 how you want to communicate something, 248 00:12:56,651 --> 00:12:58,861 it pushes your boundaries and understanding 249 00:12:58,862 --> 00:13:00,195 of communication itself. 250 00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:03,574 SEAGER: We all want to find aliens. 251 00:13:03,575 --> 00:13:05,200 Whether it's the planetary scientists 252 00:13:05,201 --> 00:13:08,537 looking for signs of life on another distant planet. 253 00:13:08,538 --> 00:13:10,873 Whether it's the ancient alien proponents 254 00:13:10,874 --> 00:13:12,458 who want to find signs of life 255 00:13:12,459 --> 00:13:14,334 of aliens who visited in the past. 256 00:13:14,335 --> 00:13:17,588 And whether it's people today who want to have experiences 257 00:13:17,589 --> 00:13:21,091 with UFOs and aliens that have visited them recently. 258 00:13:21,092 --> 00:13:23,218 All of us are trying to do the same thing. 259 00:13:23,219 --> 00:13:24,845 NARRATOR: While the search 260 00:13:24,846 --> 00:13:27,556 for extraterrestrial beings continues, 261 00:13:27,557 --> 00:13:29,766 a new space-based telescope 262 00:13:29,767 --> 00:13:33,020 is hunting for planets that may contain life. 263 00:13:33,021 --> 00:13:36,231 Are there other Earths out there? 264 00:13:36,232 --> 00:13:39,610 And if so, how will we find them? 265 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:43,238 MAN: Ignition. 266 00:13:43,239 --> 00:13:46,617 Lift off. Lift off... 267 00:13:46,618 --> 00:13:49,244 NARRATOR: On March 6, 2009, 268 00:13:49,245 --> 00:13:52,581 NASA launched a Delta II rocket into space. 269 00:13:52,582 --> 00:13:56,460 On board was a new telescope named in honor 270 00:13:56,461 --> 00:13:59,671 of German astronomer, Johannes Kepler. 271 00:13:59,672 --> 00:14:03,383 The space-based telescope was designed specifically 272 00:14:03,384 --> 00:14:06,637 to discover the existence of earthlike planets 273 00:14:06,638 --> 00:14:10,682 located outside our own solar system. 274 00:14:10,683 --> 00:14:14,269 The Kepler search is focused on a specific section 275 00:14:14,270 --> 00:14:19,274 of the Milky Way known as Orion's Spur. 276 00:14:19,275 --> 00:14:22,027 Kepler's job is to answer the question, 277 00:14:22,028 --> 00:14:23,904 how common are other Earths? 278 00:14:25,740 --> 00:14:28,742 And to do this, Kepler is looking at one part of the sky 279 00:14:28,743 --> 00:14:30,285 for three and a half years. 280 00:14:30,286 --> 00:14:32,287 Imagine, like, keeping your eyes open 281 00:14:32,288 --> 00:14:34,873 and staring at just one part of the sky. 282 00:14:37,544 --> 00:14:39,836 HELDMANN: And what they're doing is they're looking at stars. 283 00:14:39,837 --> 00:14:42,297 And then, as a planet goes around that star, 284 00:14:42,298 --> 00:14:44,925 when the planet gets in front of the star, the starlight dims, 285 00:14:44,926 --> 00:14:46,510 just a little bit, from our vantage point, 286 00:14:46,511 --> 00:14:48,303 because it's being blocked by the planet. 287 00:14:48,304 --> 00:14:51,348 And so, you look for that dimming of those stars. 288 00:14:51,349 --> 00:14:54,893 And then that's how you're able to detect these planets. 289 00:14:58,356 --> 00:15:00,691 NARRATOR: So far, the Kepler telescope 290 00:15:00,692 --> 00:15:03,318 has confirmed the existence of five planets 291 00:15:03,319 --> 00:15:05,445 outside our own solar system. 292 00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:07,906 NASA officials expect to find 293 00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:10,450 several hundred more exoplanets like these 294 00:15:10,451 --> 00:15:12,452 before their mission is completed. 295 00:15:14,455 --> 00:15:16,331 Once a planet has been located, 296 00:15:16,332 --> 00:15:20,544 scientists must then determine if it might contain water. 297 00:15:24,215 --> 00:15:26,091 HELDMANN: We know from Earth 298 00:15:26,092 --> 00:15:29,344 that all life on Earth requires liquid water. 299 00:15:29,345 --> 00:15:30,554 (croaking) 300 00:15:33,099 --> 00:15:35,100 So that is the approach that we've been taking 301 00:15:35,101 --> 00:15:36,977 for looking for life elsewhere in the universe-- 302 00:15:36,978 --> 00:15:39,104 follow the water. 303 00:15:39,105 --> 00:15:42,357 And so, that is the step one. 304 00:15:43,359 --> 00:15:45,152 (crackling) 305 00:15:45,153 --> 00:15:46,903 (bubbling) 306 00:15:46,904 --> 00:15:49,781 DAVIES: On Earth, wherever we find liquid water, we find life. 307 00:15:49,782 --> 00:15:51,116 And it's true. 308 00:15:51,117 --> 00:15:53,201 Life on Earth can exist 309 00:15:53,202 --> 00:15:54,953 under an extraordinary range of conditions. 310 00:15:57,206 --> 00:15:59,124 There are extreme organisms 311 00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:01,710 that live in the scalding effluent 312 00:16:01,711 --> 00:16:04,963 coming out of the Earth's crust deep beneath the ocean. 313 00:16:04,964 --> 00:16:07,549 There are other remarkable organisms 314 00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:09,760 living in the waste pools of nuclear reactors 315 00:16:09,761 --> 00:16:12,596 of extreme radiation environments and so on. 316 00:16:12,597 --> 00:16:15,390 But the one thing that seems to be absolutely necessary 317 00:16:15,391 --> 00:16:17,392 for life as we know it is liquid water. 318 00:16:20,396 --> 00:16:21,813 NARRATOR: To determine if a planet 319 00:16:21,814 --> 00:16:24,399 contains water and possibly life, 320 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,818 scientists use special telescopes 321 00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:28,779 to analyze its atmosphere. 322 00:16:31,741 --> 00:16:33,950 SEAGER: We look at the light coming from the planet. 323 00:16:33,951 --> 00:16:36,411 And we split that light up, like a rainbow. 324 00:16:37,997 --> 00:16:40,040 Now, if you look at a rainbow in the sky, 325 00:16:40,041 --> 00:16:41,416 and you look really, really carefully, 326 00:16:41,417 --> 00:16:43,043 you will see some dark lines. 327 00:16:43,044 --> 00:16:45,295 You'll see some colors missing from the rainbow. 328 00:16:45,296 --> 00:16:47,422 And those colors are missing 329 00:16:47,423 --> 00:16:50,092 because of absorption by gases in Earth's atmosphere. 330 00:16:50,093 --> 00:16:54,012 So effectively, we're getting a rainbow from another planet, 331 00:16:54,013 --> 00:16:55,597 and we're looking for dark lines 332 00:16:55,598 --> 00:16:58,225 that tell us what kind of gases are in the atmosphere. 333 00:16:58,226 --> 00:17:02,896 NARRATOR: To better understand how life affects its atmosphere, 334 00:17:02,897 --> 00:17:06,400 NASA scientists study microbial mats 335 00:17:06,401 --> 00:17:09,569 at California's Moss Landing Wildlife Area. 336 00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:11,446 BRAD BEBOUT: Microbial mats are important to NASA 337 00:17:11,447 --> 00:17:13,281 for a whole bunch of reasons. 338 00:17:13,282 --> 00:17:14,616 The organisms that are in microbial mats 339 00:17:14,617 --> 00:17:16,326 have been on Earth just about longer 340 00:17:16,327 --> 00:17:17,869 than any other kind of organism. 341 00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:19,454 They make a number of things 342 00:17:19,455 --> 00:17:21,456 which we call biomarkers, which are important 343 00:17:21,457 --> 00:17:23,333 in our search for life on other planets. 344 00:17:23,334 --> 00:17:26,461 So, there are textural biomarkers, 345 00:17:26,462 --> 00:17:28,880 so when you pull up a piece of microbial mat 346 00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:32,134 and look at the surface-- what does that look like? 347 00:17:32,135 --> 00:17:34,469 One of the things that we're doing with these microbial mats 348 00:17:34,470 --> 00:17:36,680 is we're measuring the fluxes of methane. 349 00:17:36,681 --> 00:17:40,142 Methane is a gas that's produced by certain kinds of organisms 350 00:17:40,143 --> 00:17:42,936 that use the organic matter that's in these mats. 351 00:17:42,937 --> 00:17:45,480 And when that methane goes into our atmosphere, 352 00:17:45,481 --> 00:17:47,149 it can be detected by other missions, 353 00:17:47,150 --> 00:17:48,859 such as Terrestrial Planet Finder, 354 00:17:48,860 --> 00:17:52,154 is one of NASA's concept missions for looking for gases 355 00:17:52,155 --> 00:17:54,656 that are produced by life on exoplanets. 356 00:17:56,492 --> 00:17:58,160 DENNIN: We can look for the signature 357 00:17:58,161 --> 00:18:01,121 of oxygen or water on a planet, and at least that 358 00:18:01,122 --> 00:18:03,707 would give us an idea of life-forms like ourselves-- 359 00:18:03,708 --> 00:18:05,500 ones that are carbon-based, 360 00:18:05,501 --> 00:18:09,254 and use oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles. 361 00:18:09,255 --> 00:18:12,340 Our atmosphere is not stable without living organisms. 362 00:18:12,341 --> 00:18:14,509 It would have evaporated away by now. 363 00:18:14,510 --> 00:18:16,678 And so, if you're looking out in space, 364 00:18:16,679 --> 00:18:18,889 and you detect around a star 365 00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:22,934 a signature of the chemicals that we know exist for life, 366 00:18:22,935 --> 00:18:26,146 that's very strong evidence that life is there. 367 00:18:26,147 --> 00:18:28,523 Now, it doesn't help you know if it's intelligent life, 368 00:18:28,524 --> 00:18:30,525 but it does give you an evidence for life. 369 00:18:32,403 --> 00:18:35,530 NARRATOR: With a universe literally full of possibilities, 370 00:18:35,531 --> 00:18:38,074 planet hunters focus their search 371 00:18:38,075 --> 00:18:41,536 on an area they call a Goldilocks Zone. 372 00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:44,164 SEAGER: The Goldilocks Zone for planets 373 00:18:44,165 --> 00:18:48,418 is the place where a planet is not too hot, not too cold, 374 00:18:48,419 --> 00:18:51,129 but just the right temperature for life. 375 00:18:51,130 --> 00:18:55,550 Right now, we know of no planets like Earth in a Goldilocks Zone. 376 00:18:55,551 --> 00:18:57,511 One planet comes close. 377 00:18:57,512 --> 00:19:00,555 It's called Gliese 581 d. 378 00:19:00,556 --> 00:19:02,557 But we're not entirely sure if that planet 379 00:19:02,558 --> 00:19:05,143 is really in the Goldilocks Zone or not. 380 00:19:06,896 --> 00:19:08,563 DAVIES: In recent years, it's been recognized 381 00:19:08,564 --> 00:19:10,899 that there's more than one Goldilocks Zone. 382 00:19:10,900 --> 00:19:15,695 For example, there could be life inside icy planetesimals-- 383 00:19:15,696 --> 00:19:17,948 these, like, small planets or large moons. 384 00:19:17,949 --> 00:19:22,702 The moon of Jupiter, Europa, is a very good example. 385 00:19:22,703 --> 00:19:26,331 Europa is liquid beneath an ice cap. 386 00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:29,417 It's liquid underneath because of tidal heating 387 00:19:29,418 --> 00:19:31,378 and friction going on inside the planet. 388 00:19:31,379 --> 00:19:33,171 So it could be that there is life-- 389 00:19:33,172 --> 00:19:35,006 microbial, probably, only-- 390 00:19:35,007 --> 00:19:38,260 deep down under the ice on Europa. 391 00:19:40,596 --> 00:19:42,764 HELDMANN: It's a very challenging question-- 392 00:19:42,765 --> 00:19:46,434 if there is life elsewhere in our solar system. 393 00:19:46,435 --> 00:19:49,229 You have so many components that have to come together. 394 00:19:49,230 --> 00:19:51,064 We have to have an understanding of the science. 395 00:19:51,065 --> 00:19:53,066 We have to ask the right questions. 396 00:19:54,610 --> 00:19:56,653 I wish I had a tricorder that I could just go 397 00:19:56,654 --> 00:19:58,446 and, like, point, and it would say "life" 398 00:19:58,447 --> 00:20:00,824 or "no life," right? But we don't have that. 399 00:20:00,825 --> 00:20:03,451 So, we have to be smart, and we have to be clever, 400 00:20:03,452 --> 00:20:04,744 and we have to develop instruments 401 00:20:04,745 --> 00:20:06,037 that can actually address the questions 402 00:20:06,038 --> 00:20:07,581 we're trying to answer. 403 00:20:08,833 --> 00:20:10,625 SEAGER: It's inevitable. 404 00:20:10,626 --> 00:20:13,044 There are so many planets out there, it's inevitable 405 00:20:13,045 --> 00:20:15,630 that we'll find one in the Goldilocks Zone any day. 406 00:20:17,633 --> 00:20:19,509 NARRATOR: But while the Kepler telescope 407 00:20:19,510 --> 00:20:23,013 has only just begun scanning the horizon, 408 00:20:23,014 --> 00:20:25,640 NASA is already planning the next step 409 00:20:25,641 --> 00:20:28,852 in its search for extraterrestrial life: 410 00:20:28,853 --> 00:20:33,106 the 2014 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. 411 00:20:35,401 --> 00:20:36,818 People always ask me, 412 00:20:36,819 --> 00:20:39,654 "Do you expect to find an Earth in your lifetime?" 413 00:20:39,655 --> 00:20:41,698 And I say, "Yes, absolutely." 414 00:20:43,242 --> 00:20:44,784 DAVIES: When I was a student, 415 00:20:44,785 --> 00:20:47,621 there was almost nobody prepared to argue that way. 416 00:20:47,622 --> 00:20:50,081 The feeling back in the '60s and '70s 417 00:20:50,082 --> 00:20:52,667 was that even if there were other earthlike planets, 418 00:20:52,668 --> 00:20:55,128 life is such an improbable freak event 419 00:20:55,129 --> 00:20:57,255 that it would never ever happen anywhere else. 420 00:20:57,256 --> 00:20:59,549 Now the prevailing view is, 421 00:20:59,550 --> 00:21:03,428 yes, the universe is teeming with life. 422 00:21:03,429 --> 00:21:05,096 Everybody wants to meet an alien. 423 00:21:05,097 --> 00:21:06,681 But we have to start small. 424 00:21:06,682 --> 00:21:08,892 We have to learn how to walk before we can run. 425 00:21:08,893 --> 00:21:11,686 GEORGE NOORY: The fascinating thing for me 426 00:21:11,687 --> 00:21:14,689 is that we're only four and a half billion years old 427 00:21:14,690 --> 00:21:18,902 in a universe that's close to 14 billion years old. 428 00:21:18,903 --> 00:21:22,697 What would happen with some of these earthlike planets 429 00:21:22,698 --> 00:21:27,160 that had a five or ten billion-year head start on us? 430 00:21:27,161 --> 00:21:28,954 Gosh, you can only imagine. 431 00:21:28,955 --> 00:21:30,956 NARRATOR: But what if humans 432 00:21:30,957 --> 00:21:33,041 are not the only intelligent creatures 433 00:21:33,042 --> 00:21:35,460 searching for life in the universe? 434 00:21:35,461 --> 00:21:37,963 What if there are beings on other planets 435 00:21:37,964 --> 00:21:40,382 conducting a search of their own? 436 00:21:40,383 --> 00:21:42,717 And what if, in their search, 437 00:21:42,718 --> 00:21:45,762 they find us before we find them? 438 00:21:45,763 --> 00:21:49,182 Some believe they already have. 439 00:21:52,728 --> 00:21:54,980 On October 30, 1938, 440 00:21:54,981 --> 00:21:58,483 radio listeners across the United States 441 00:21:58,484 --> 00:22:01,611 sat stunned as a series of news bulletins 442 00:22:01,612 --> 00:22:04,906 described Martians invading Earth. 443 00:22:04,907 --> 00:22:07,742 MAN (over radio): Martian cylinders are falling 444 00:22:07,743 --> 00:22:09,369 all over the country. 445 00:22:09,370 --> 00:22:11,204 This is the end now. 446 00:22:11,205 --> 00:22:14,749 NARRATOR: While the broadcast sounded real, 447 00:22:14,750 --> 00:22:16,751 it was a fictional production, 448 00:22:16,752 --> 00:22:19,754 directed and narrated by Orson Welles. 449 00:22:19,755 --> 00:22:22,757 Incredibly, many of those listening 450 00:22:22,758 --> 00:22:26,177 believed it to be true, and panicked. 451 00:22:27,763 --> 00:22:30,306 Newspaper reports described families 452 00:22:30,307 --> 00:22:32,642 fleeing their homes for the mountains, 453 00:22:32,643 --> 00:22:35,103 while others armed themselves with weapons 454 00:22:35,104 --> 00:22:39,774 and prepared to fight off the alien invaders. 455 00:22:39,775 --> 00:22:42,777 It was just presented, maybe, with a brief introduction 456 00:22:42,778 --> 00:22:45,363 saying it was not really happening. 457 00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:48,783 But from then on, it was played as if it was really happening. 458 00:22:48,784 --> 00:22:50,785 Well, most people who heard that 459 00:22:50,786 --> 00:22:52,954 thought that it was really happening. 460 00:22:52,955 --> 00:22:55,832 HARRISON: People became upset. 461 00:22:55,833 --> 00:22:58,626 Some of those literally headed for the hills. 462 00:22:58,627 --> 00:23:00,795 They drove places to try to, uh, 463 00:23:00,796 --> 00:23:03,798 pick up other people, family and friends. 464 00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:05,800 They reported to the army for duty. 465 00:23:05,801 --> 00:23:09,763 NARRATOR: The response to this fictional alien attack 466 00:23:09,764 --> 00:23:13,933 resulted in many people preparing for the worst. 467 00:23:13,934 --> 00:23:17,145 But if the public's reaction to a radio dramatization 468 00:23:17,146 --> 00:23:20,940 resulted in a nationwide wave of terror, 469 00:23:20,941 --> 00:23:24,486 what would happen if they really came? 470 00:23:27,198 --> 00:23:29,407 Los Angeles, California. 471 00:23:31,619 --> 00:23:36,831 In the early months of 1942, the city was on edge. 472 00:23:38,834 --> 00:23:41,836 The recent surprise attack on Pearl Harbor 473 00:23:41,837 --> 00:23:45,048 had propelled America into World War II, 474 00:23:45,049 --> 00:23:47,967 and the threat of a Japanese invasion, 475 00:23:47,968 --> 00:23:53,098 by sea or by air, kept the military on full alert. 476 00:23:55,726 --> 00:23:59,729 CHRIS PITTMAN: Pearl Harbor was a very recent memory for people. 477 00:23:59,730 --> 00:24:01,314 People were in high alert. 478 00:24:01,315 --> 00:24:03,858 There was a great deal of suspicion. 479 00:24:03,859 --> 00:24:06,402 Japanese-Americans were being put in internment camps. 480 00:24:06,403 --> 00:24:10,532 There were German U-boats in the Atlantic, 481 00:24:10,533 --> 00:24:12,867 Japanese submarines in the Pacific, 482 00:24:12,868 --> 00:24:15,036 and people were very fearful. 483 00:24:20,042 --> 00:24:23,044 NARRATOR: In a well-organized defense operation, 484 00:24:23,045 --> 00:24:25,130 air-raid wardens and the coast guard 485 00:24:25,131 --> 00:24:29,342 were monitoring the Pacific shoreline as never before. 486 00:24:30,886 --> 00:24:32,887 ALBERT METZ: The war had started. 487 00:24:32,888 --> 00:24:37,767 I was a 13-year-old kid, and... 488 00:24:37,768 --> 00:24:42,897 this one night, which was February 1942, 489 00:24:42,898 --> 00:24:48,862 the sirens started wailing in the middle of the night. 490 00:24:48,863 --> 00:24:50,530 Blackout. 491 00:24:50,531 --> 00:24:52,031 (sirens wailing) 492 00:24:52,032 --> 00:24:55,910 And we'd had several blackouts before this. 493 00:24:55,911 --> 00:24:58,288 NARRATOR: On February 25, 494 00:24:58,289 --> 00:25:02,750 between the hours of 3:12 and 4:15 a.m., 495 00:25:02,751 --> 00:25:06,796 the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade in Los Angeles 496 00:25:06,797 --> 00:25:10,175 fired off a barrage of antiaircraft shells 497 00:25:10,176 --> 00:25:12,927 at an unidentified flying object. 498 00:25:13,929 --> 00:25:15,930 NEWSMAN: Watchers on the rooftop 499 00:25:15,931 --> 00:25:17,932 of the Columbia Broadcasting Building 500 00:25:17,933 --> 00:25:19,934 in the heart of Hollywood 501 00:25:19,935 --> 00:25:22,687 could plainly see the flashes of guns and searchlights 502 00:25:22,688 --> 00:25:24,606 sweeping the skies in a wide arc 503 00:25:24,607 --> 00:25:27,567 along the coastal area. 504 00:25:27,568 --> 00:25:30,778 C. SCOTT LITTLETON: I think what woke me up initially 505 00:25:30,779 --> 00:25:34,616 was the sound of antiaircraft guns. 506 00:25:34,617 --> 00:25:37,952 I jumped out of bed, and my parents were up. 507 00:25:37,953 --> 00:25:40,705 My father was an air-raid warden. 508 00:25:40,706 --> 00:25:43,833 He figured, this has to be the real thing. 509 00:25:46,837 --> 00:25:48,838 DOROTHY MATICH: My mother was telling my brother and I, 510 00:25:48,839 --> 00:25:50,423 "Get under the bed! Get under the bed! 511 00:25:50,424 --> 00:25:51,966 Stay there!" 512 00:25:51,967 --> 00:25:53,968 And, of course, we got out and we peeked. 513 00:25:55,721 --> 00:25:57,805 There was all this firing. 514 00:25:57,806 --> 00:25:59,974 It was almost like a Fourth of July. 515 00:26:01,727 --> 00:26:05,605 METZ: I started hearing a lot of loud explosions. 516 00:26:07,107 --> 00:26:10,235 My brother and I looked out the bedroom window, 517 00:26:10,236 --> 00:26:15,990 saw searchlights twisting and turning in the sky. 518 00:26:21,413 --> 00:26:24,040 NARRATOR: But what was the strange UFO 519 00:26:24,041 --> 00:26:26,793 that the searchlights were focused on? 520 00:26:26,794 --> 00:26:28,836 Where had it come from? 521 00:26:28,837 --> 00:26:30,797 Japan? 522 00:26:30,798 --> 00:26:34,968 Or somewhere from out of this world? 523 00:26:34,969 --> 00:26:37,595 Could this incredible photograph, 524 00:26:37,596 --> 00:26:40,598 published the next morning in the Los Angeles Times, 525 00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:42,350 provide the proof? 526 00:26:42,351 --> 00:26:44,686 Could ancient astronaut theorists 527 00:26:44,687 --> 00:26:47,397 have been right all along? 528 00:26:47,398 --> 00:26:50,483 It was practically overhead-- and I mean overhead. 529 00:26:50,484 --> 00:26:53,236 NARRATOR: Retired anthropology professor, 530 00:26:53,237 --> 00:26:56,489 C. Scott Littleton, was nine years old 531 00:26:56,490 --> 00:26:59,033 and growing up in Hermosa Beach 532 00:26:59,034 --> 00:27:01,035 when he spotted the strange object 533 00:27:01,036 --> 00:27:04,038 hovering right over his house. 534 00:27:04,039 --> 00:27:09,043 LITTLETON: We saw what my mother always called a "silver bug." 535 00:27:09,044 --> 00:27:14,882 I'd characterize it today as a lozenge, a long oval. 536 00:27:14,883 --> 00:27:17,844 It was something I'll never ever forget. 537 00:27:17,845 --> 00:27:20,930 It was caught in searchlight beams, 538 00:27:20,931 --> 00:27:25,059 and antiaircraft shells were exploding all around it. 539 00:27:28,897 --> 00:27:32,066 It gradually went like this, 540 00:27:32,067 --> 00:27:37,113 and then began to lose altitude a little bit 541 00:27:37,114 --> 00:27:43,077 as it moved over what had to have been Redondo Beach. 542 00:27:43,078 --> 00:27:47,081 We lost track of it, but the banging continued. 543 00:27:48,834 --> 00:27:52,462 And very quickly afterward, I saw-- we all saw-- 544 00:27:52,463 --> 00:27:54,422 a flight of planes 545 00:27:54,423 --> 00:27:58,343 following the track of the object going overhead, 546 00:27:58,344 --> 00:28:01,095 anywhere from three to five interceptors, 547 00:28:01,096 --> 00:28:04,349 clearly piston-driven U.S. planes. 548 00:28:04,350 --> 00:28:08,728 No one has ever admitted that those planes were in the sky. 549 00:28:10,773 --> 00:28:12,899 Our first thought immediately 550 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:15,109 was a Japanese observation plane. 551 00:28:15,110 --> 00:28:19,989 Later, the Japanese records definitively prove 552 00:28:19,990 --> 00:28:23,576 there were no Japanese planes over Southern California 553 00:28:23,577 --> 00:28:26,120 that night, or indeed ever. 554 00:28:26,121 --> 00:28:29,082 NARRATOR: After ruling out the possibility 555 00:28:29,083 --> 00:28:33,002 that a Japanese plane had invaded American airspace, 556 00:28:33,003 --> 00:28:35,505 Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox 557 00:28:35,506 --> 00:28:38,966 attributed the incident to "war nerves." 558 00:28:41,303 --> 00:28:44,138 But Secretary of War Henry Stimson 559 00:28:44,139 --> 00:28:46,891 quickly refuted this explanation, 560 00:28:46,892 --> 00:28:50,019 defensively declaring that an actual aircraft 561 00:28:50,020 --> 00:28:52,772 had been the target of the assault. 562 00:28:52,773 --> 00:28:57,568 To this day, no one seems to know just what-- or who-- 563 00:28:57,569 --> 00:29:01,280 was hovering over Los Angeles that night. 564 00:29:06,286 --> 00:29:08,996 Some claimed that the Los Angeles air raid 565 00:29:08,997 --> 00:29:12,208 was nothing more than an elaborate training exercise, 566 00:29:12,209 --> 00:29:14,752 a show put on by the military 567 00:29:14,753 --> 00:29:18,589 to keep citizens on the ready in case of a real attack. 568 00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:22,802 Others alleged that the unidentified flying object 569 00:29:22,803 --> 00:29:26,055 was, in fact, a barrage balloon 570 00:29:26,056 --> 00:29:28,182 that had broken loose from its tether. 571 00:29:28,183 --> 00:29:32,186 But even that explanation doesn't seem credible 572 00:29:32,187 --> 00:29:35,731 to those who witnessed the actual event. 573 00:29:35,732 --> 00:29:38,025 One place where there were barrage balloons 574 00:29:38,026 --> 00:29:40,361 that were anchored above the aircraft plants 575 00:29:40,362 --> 00:29:43,406 in El Segundo, Douglas North American. 576 00:29:43,407 --> 00:29:46,200 It would have to have slipped its tether, 577 00:29:46,201 --> 00:29:49,203 floated north up to the Santa Monica Mountains, 578 00:29:49,204 --> 00:29:51,038 and then back down this way. 579 00:29:51,039 --> 00:29:53,207 Barrage balloons don't maneuver like that. 580 00:29:55,210 --> 00:29:57,545 NARRATOR: Regardless of the controversy, 581 00:29:57,546 --> 00:29:59,422 one fact is undisputed: 582 00:29:59,423 --> 00:30:03,092 an estimated 14,000 shells 583 00:30:03,093 --> 00:30:05,344 were fired at the strange object, 584 00:30:05,345 --> 00:30:09,765 and shrapnel rained from the sky for over an hour. 585 00:30:11,393 --> 00:30:14,228 But what were the guns aimed at? 586 00:30:14,229 --> 00:30:16,647 Would the army really have put 587 00:30:16,648 --> 00:30:19,817 civilian lives in danger for a drill? 588 00:30:19,818 --> 00:30:21,986 TOM HORSFALL: Major panic. 589 00:30:21,987 --> 00:30:25,198 Six people got killed, uh, due to car accidents 590 00:30:25,199 --> 00:30:28,075 and hit by falling shrapnel. 591 00:30:28,076 --> 00:30:31,287 LITTLETON: A friend of mine said he witnessed a piece of shrapnel 592 00:30:31,288 --> 00:30:34,207 go through his neighbor's garage roof. 593 00:30:34,208 --> 00:30:37,668 So, oh, yeah, there was some damage from falling shrapnel. 594 00:30:39,213 --> 00:30:41,214 MATICH: The next morning, 595 00:30:41,215 --> 00:30:42,590 there was something in our backyard 596 00:30:42,591 --> 00:30:44,258 my mother told me to go roll up-- 597 00:30:44,259 --> 00:30:46,135 it was, like, a tarp or something. 598 00:30:46,136 --> 00:30:49,889 And when I bent down-- or kneeled down-- in the grass, 599 00:30:49,890 --> 00:30:53,601 I cut my knee, and I have my piece of shrapnel. 600 00:30:53,602 --> 00:30:55,603 I've kept it all these years. 601 00:30:55,604 --> 00:30:59,440 There's my shrapnel, and it's very sharp. 602 00:31:03,237 --> 00:31:05,488 LITTLETON: By a process of elimination, 603 00:31:05,489 --> 00:31:09,617 the most efficient-- and I say this as a scholar-- 604 00:31:09,618 --> 00:31:12,286 the most efficient explanation 605 00:31:12,287 --> 00:31:16,332 is that it was what we would call today a UFO-- 606 00:31:16,333 --> 00:31:19,335 something not of this world, 607 00:31:19,336 --> 00:31:22,880 something that belonged to another technology. 608 00:31:22,881 --> 00:31:25,299 If that’s true, then this event 609 00:31:25,300 --> 00:31:29,345 was one of the largest mass UFO sightings in history. 610 00:31:29,346 --> 00:31:32,306 Over a million people saw it. 611 00:31:36,311 --> 00:31:38,312 NARRATOR: But whether it was a UFO or not, 612 00:31:38,313 --> 00:31:40,898 the memories remain vivid for those 613 00:31:40,899 --> 00:31:43,943 who saw something in the sky that night. 614 00:31:43,944 --> 00:31:47,738 So vivid, in fact, that many of them gather each year 615 00:31:47,739 --> 00:31:51,325 at Fort MacArthur, in San Pedro, California, 616 00:31:51,326 --> 00:31:55,079 to reenact this mysterious event. 617 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:57,331 HORSFALL: The city went crazy. 618 00:31:57,332 --> 00:31:58,874 They thought it was 619 00:31:58,875 --> 00:32:00,960 we were being attacked by Japanese planes. 620 00:32:00,961 --> 00:32:03,754 Some theories said weather balloon. 621 00:32:03,755 --> 00:32:05,339 Others said, you know, 622 00:32:05,340 --> 00:32:07,550 "Oh, I saw a plane, I know I saw a plane," 623 00:32:07,551 --> 00:32:09,343 and others say, "Nope, no such plane." 624 00:32:09,344 --> 00:32:12,388 MATICH: Back then, it was a scary thing. I think to this day 625 00:32:12,389 --> 00:32:14,348 they don't know what they were firing at-- 626 00:32:14,349 --> 00:32:18,728 if it was a weather balloon or flying saucers. 627 00:32:18,729 --> 00:32:20,354 NARRATOR: But for those who believe 628 00:32:20,355 --> 00:32:22,523 they saw an alien craft that night, 629 00:32:22,524 --> 00:32:25,943 one important question remains: 630 00:32:25,944 --> 00:32:28,362 What happened to it? 631 00:32:30,365 --> 00:32:35,328 LITTLETON: The rumor is that it finally crashed in the water 632 00:32:35,329 --> 00:32:38,539 and was recovered by navy divers. 633 00:32:38,540 --> 00:32:42,376 So maybe it was wounded, and it crashed, 634 00:32:42,377 --> 00:32:47,506 and this might explain why the military 635 00:32:47,507 --> 00:32:51,594 was so quick to react to Roswell five years later. 636 00:32:51,595 --> 00:32:55,723 Because they may already have had at least some inkling 637 00:32:55,724 --> 00:32:58,392 of what they would find there. 638 00:32:58,393 --> 00:33:02,396 NARRATOR: Was Earth really visited by an alien spacecraft 639 00:33:02,397 --> 00:33:06,609 on the morning of February 25, 1942? 640 00:33:06,610 --> 00:33:09,403 And could the global threats 641 00:33:09,404 --> 00:33:13,032 posed by World War II have provided a trigger? 642 00:33:14,951 --> 00:33:19,413 Perhaps the idea is not as far-fetched as some would think. 643 00:33:19,414 --> 00:33:23,000 Is it possible that alien spacecraft 644 00:33:23,001 --> 00:33:26,545 could have been mistaken for enemy fighter planes 645 00:33:26,546 --> 00:33:30,216 in Adolf Hitler's Germany? 646 00:33:31,426 --> 00:33:34,428 NARRATOR: In his 1993 book, 647 00:33:34,429 --> 00:33:37,431 The Gods of Eden, author William Bramley 648 00:33:37,432 --> 00:33:41,435 theorized that extraterrestrials played a part 649 00:33:41,436 --> 00:33:45,439 in nearly every catastrophe in human history, 650 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:49,443 and have even used war as a means to control the growth 651 00:33:49,444 --> 00:33:51,445 of the human population. 652 00:33:54,449 --> 00:33:58,452 But while many are skeptical about Bramley's claims, 653 00:33:58,453 --> 00:34:01,038 there is one thing on which they agree. 654 00:34:02,457 --> 00:34:05,459 That the number of reported UFO sightings 655 00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:08,462 always increases during wartime. 656 00:34:08,463 --> 00:34:10,464 BIRNES: In times of war, 657 00:34:10,465 --> 00:34:14,468 when vast civilizations are in conflict, 658 00:34:14,469 --> 00:34:17,263 and in conflict so terrible 659 00:34:17,264 --> 00:34:19,265 that it seems as though the civilizations 660 00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:20,641 will wipe themselves out, 661 00:34:20,642 --> 00:34:25,062 suddenly, out of nowhere, UFOs appear. 662 00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:28,482 NARRATOR: While skeptics and military historians 663 00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:30,651 attribute these alleged sightings 664 00:34:30,652 --> 00:34:34,697 to war nerves or stress, those who believe in UFOs 665 00:34:34,698 --> 00:34:38,909 find the number of instances hard to dismiss. 666 00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:47,251 When World War II broke out in September of 1939, 667 00:34:47,252 --> 00:34:50,504 there were numerous reports of unidentified flying objects 668 00:34:50,505 --> 00:34:52,631 spotted over Hitler's Germany. 669 00:34:54,384 --> 00:34:58,053 Although the term, UFO, had not yet been coined, 670 00:34:58,054 --> 00:35:01,182 the Allies believed the bogeys, as they were then known, 671 00:35:01,183 --> 00:35:04,518 were new fighter planes being developed by the Nazis. 672 00:35:07,355 --> 00:35:10,524 But the first combat bomber jets, 673 00:35:10,525 --> 00:35:13,360 the German Messerschmitt ME-262, 674 00:35:13,361 --> 00:35:18,532 weren't deployed by the German Air Force until 1943. 675 00:35:20,202 --> 00:35:22,745 PITTMAN: It certainly doesn't escape notice 676 00:35:22,746 --> 00:35:26,499 just how advanced the Nazi propulsion systems 677 00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:28,959 and their aeronautics technology really was. 678 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:34,173 They had the first operational jet fighter to see combat. 679 00:35:35,675 --> 00:35:39,553 They were building and test-flying aircraft 680 00:35:39,554 --> 00:35:41,555 that look incredibly similar 681 00:35:41,556 --> 00:35:44,558 to UFOs that are reported even today. 682 00:35:46,561 --> 00:35:49,772 They had greatly advanced rocket technology. 683 00:35:49,773 --> 00:35:54,401 There have long been rumors about Nazi projects 684 00:35:54,402 --> 00:35:58,572 to build aircraft using UFO technology. 685 00:36:00,617 --> 00:36:02,618 BIRNES: At the end of the 19th century, 686 00:36:02,619 --> 00:36:04,829 there was Aleister Crowley, 687 00:36:04,830 --> 00:36:09,583 H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula, 688 00:36:09,584 --> 00:36:12,920 and Jules Verne, who wrote From Earth to the Moon. 689 00:36:12,921 --> 00:36:15,214 They were in a society called the Golden Dawn. 690 00:36:15,215 --> 00:36:19,426 In that society, they actually believed in the existence, 691 00:36:19,427 --> 00:36:23,472 not only of UFOs, but extraterrestrials. 692 00:36:23,473 --> 00:36:27,226 That culture influenced Hitler 693 00:36:27,227 --> 00:36:30,855 in the late 1920s, early into the 1930s. 694 00:36:30,856 --> 00:36:35,067 In looking for the origins of the Aryan race, 695 00:36:35,068 --> 00:36:38,946 they went all the way to India and the Vedic texts, 696 00:36:38,947 --> 00:36:41,574 which talk about UFOs. 697 00:36:41,575 --> 00:36:45,619 So Hitler, in his own way, was a UFO believer, 698 00:36:45,620 --> 00:36:49,582 and sought to develop his own version of a UFO, 699 00:36:49,583 --> 00:36:51,166 based on the Vedic texts, 700 00:36:51,167 --> 00:36:53,627 to have a dramatic wunderwaffen-- 701 00:36:53,628 --> 00:36:55,796 a wonderweapon-- that would end the war. 702 00:36:57,632 --> 00:36:59,967 NARRATOR: Although the Nazis never developed 703 00:36:59,968 --> 00:37:02,261 this so-called wonder weapon, 704 00:37:02,262 --> 00:37:04,763 reports of strange flying machines 705 00:37:04,764 --> 00:37:08,642 in German airspace continued throughout the war. 706 00:37:08,643 --> 00:37:13,647 But just what was it that the Allied pilots were reporting? 707 00:37:13,648 --> 00:37:16,108 BIRNES: In the 1940s, 708 00:37:16,109 --> 00:37:18,819 as waves of American bombers 709 00:37:18,820 --> 00:37:22,531 were literally obliterating German cities-- 710 00:37:22,532 --> 00:37:25,117 Dresden, 711 00:37:25,118 --> 00:37:27,411 Hamburg, 712 00:37:27,412 --> 00:37:29,663 Berlin-- 713 00:37:29,664 --> 00:37:32,041 in these raids, American fighter pilots 714 00:37:32,042 --> 00:37:35,127 saw these balls of light coming at their planes. 715 00:37:35,128 --> 00:37:36,670 They didn't know what they were. 716 00:37:36,671 --> 00:37:40,090 They thought they were German secret weapons at first. 717 00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:43,302 So they called them Foo Fighters. 718 00:37:43,303 --> 00:37:46,472 The word, feu, in French is fire, 719 00:37:46,473 --> 00:37:49,016 and these were balls of fire coming out. 720 00:37:49,017 --> 00:37:53,312 So, instead of Feu Fighters, they were Foo Fighters. 721 00:37:53,313 --> 00:37:55,522 PITTMAN: They were seen in large numbers 722 00:37:55,523 --> 00:37:57,691 over Germany and over Western Europe, 723 00:37:57,692 --> 00:38:00,235 where they were described variously as structured craft, 724 00:38:00,236 --> 00:38:01,695 or simply balls of light. 725 00:38:01,696 --> 00:38:04,907 NOORY: It was so important at the time 726 00:38:04,908 --> 00:38:07,660 that the military began to notice it, 727 00:38:07,661 --> 00:38:09,703 and they began to investigate these things. 728 00:38:09,704 --> 00:38:11,705 There were hundreds of cases. 729 00:38:11,706 --> 00:38:14,541 None seemed to be very harmful to planes. 730 00:38:14,542 --> 00:38:18,253 But they were all over the place. 731 00:38:18,254 --> 00:38:21,715 NARRATOR: Curiously, when the Foo Fighters appeared, 732 00:38:21,716 --> 00:38:26,053 Allied aircraft would sometimes experience mechanical failure. 733 00:38:26,054 --> 00:38:28,722 And perhaps most mystifying of all 734 00:38:28,723 --> 00:38:33,143 was that some pilots reported flying right through the UFOs, 735 00:38:33,144 --> 00:38:36,730 as if they had no mass. 736 00:38:38,942 --> 00:38:43,153 It was never discovered what the Foo Fighters were 737 00:38:43,154 --> 00:38:46,740 or where they came from, but the theory 738 00:38:46,741 --> 00:38:49,743 that they were some sort of German secret weapon 739 00:38:49,744 --> 00:38:53,122 was widely accepted among Allied pilots at the time. 740 00:38:53,123 --> 00:38:57,001 But could the Third Reich have possessed technology 741 00:38:57,002 --> 00:39:00,754 more advanced than even our most modern aircraft? 742 00:39:00,755 --> 00:39:03,757 Some believe what the Nazis had developed 743 00:39:03,758 --> 00:39:06,093 was an advanced mechanism that scientists 744 00:39:06,094 --> 00:39:09,096 are still working on today-- mercury-powered 745 00:39:09,097 --> 00:39:12,766 antigravity technology. 746 00:39:12,767 --> 00:39:17,563 This involves mercury being in a closed system. 747 00:39:18,940 --> 00:39:21,108 Like a glass bulb. 748 00:39:21,109 --> 00:39:25,779 Once that mercury becomes spinning in a gyroscopic manner 749 00:39:25,780 --> 00:39:29,783 within a closed system, that creates a lift. 750 00:39:29,784 --> 00:39:31,660 It's electrified lift. 751 00:39:31,661 --> 00:39:34,663 It's also a very bright light. 752 00:39:34,664 --> 00:39:38,792 And, in fact, many UFOs are described as exactly that. 753 00:39:38,793 --> 00:39:41,045 Towards the end of World War II, 754 00:39:41,046 --> 00:39:46,425 the Germans started producing massive amounts of mercury. 755 00:39:46,426 --> 00:39:49,553 And, in fact, a number of the U-boats 756 00:39:49,554 --> 00:39:51,055 that were later sunk-- 757 00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:53,807 one was sunk near Singapore, another in Norway-- 758 00:39:53,808 --> 00:39:55,809 only a few years ago, they actually found it, 759 00:39:55,810 --> 00:39:59,063 and its entire cargo was mercury. 760 00:39:59,064 --> 00:40:00,814 What the few historians 761 00:40:00,815 --> 00:40:03,025 have actually written about Foo Fighters, 762 00:40:03,026 --> 00:40:05,819 which is still apparently a secret today, 763 00:40:05,820 --> 00:40:09,823 is that they were a kind of mercury plasma ball. 764 00:40:09,824 --> 00:40:12,826 And the purpose of the Foo Fighters 765 00:40:12,827 --> 00:40:19,249 was to make a highly pulsed magnetic charge 766 00:40:19,250 --> 00:40:22,669 and field around the bombers, 767 00:40:22,670 --> 00:40:26,840 which would then cut out the engines and interfere 768 00:40:26,841 --> 00:40:30,677 with the electrical systems in the planes. 769 00:40:32,097 --> 00:40:33,847 NARRATOR: Could Foo Fighters 770 00:40:33,848 --> 00:40:37,434 really have been based on extraterrestrial technology? 771 00:40:37,435 --> 00:40:42,064 If so, where did the Germans get it? 772 00:40:42,065 --> 00:40:47,319 UFO theorists point to the discovery of a flying saucer 773 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,863 that allegedly crashed in the Black Forest, 774 00:40:49,864 --> 00:40:53,742 near Freiburg, Germany, in 1936. 775 00:40:53,743 --> 00:40:58,247 Some believe German scientists repaired the craft 776 00:40:58,248 --> 00:41:01,750 to test its energy and propulsion systems, 777 00:41:01,751 --> 00:41:05,337 and through reverse engineering, were able to replicate 778 00:41:05,338 --> 00:41:08,757 some of these so-called alien technologies. 779 00:41:08,758 --> 00:41:10,884 L.A. MARZULLI: Did the Nazis take this craft, 780 00:41:10,885 --> 00:41:13,929 and was there some sort of a pact that happened there? 781 00:41:13,930 --> 00:41:16,890 Did the Nazis... did they retrieve bodies? 782 00:41:16,891 --> 00:41:19,893 It's hard to pin down how much they had. 783 00:41:19,894 --> 00:41:21,687 Was there contact? 784 00:41:21,688 --> 00:41:23,772 NOORY: There's always been that theory-- 785 00:41:23,773 --> 00:41:25,899 that they had a captured craft, 786 00:41:25,900 --> 00:41:28,318 and that they were reverse engineering it. 787 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:29,903 It's very possible. 788 00:41:29,904 --> 00:41:32,030 They were truly way more advanced 789 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,867 than any culture at the time. 790 00:41:36,035 --> 00:41:37,911 Thank God for the American know-how, 791 00:41:37,912 --> 00:41:39,496 because we were combating them 792 00:41:39,497 --> 00:41:42,791 with our own kind of knowledge and technology, as well. 793 00:41:42,792 --> 00:41:44,793 BOB FRISBEE: After World War II, 794 00:41:44,794 --> 00:41:48,589 there was an exercise mounted by the Americans 795 00:41:48,590 --> 00:41:50,757 called Operation Paperclip. 796 00:41:51,926 --> 00:41:54,094 The Allies had been confronted 797 00:41:54,095 --> 00:41:57,723 with all this amazing technology from Germany. 798 00:41:57,724 --> 00:42:00,767 The jet engines, airplanes, 799 00:42:00,768 --> 00:42:05,105 the rocket engine airplanes, all these amazing devices. 800 00:42:05,106 --> 00:42:07,983 To give you an example of some of the material 801 00:42:07,984 --> 00:42:11,153 that was collected by Operation Paperclip, 802 00:42:11,154 --> 00:42:15,365 right at the end of the war, Von Braun and his team 803 00:42:15,366 --> 00:42:18,744 had begun designing multistage rockets 804 00:42:18,745 --> 00:42:21,955 capable of reaching the United States. 805 00:42:21,956 --> 00:42:25,709 They also had plans for a space station, 806 00:42:25,710 --> 00:42:28,962 the classic circular sci-fi space station, 807 00:42:28,963 --> 00:42:32,424 and on this, they had a huge sunlight collector, 808 00:42:32,425 --> 00:42:35,761 a mirror that was designed to focus sunlight 809 00:42:35,762 --> 00:42:38,430 down on the Earth as a kind of death ray. 810 00:42:40,141 --> 00:42:44,019 There were all these wild ideas coming out of that team 811 00:42:44,020 --> 00:42:47,397 that turned it into a very valuable coup 812 00:42:47,398 --> 00:42:49,149 for the United States. 813 00:42:49,150 --> 00:42:51,985 Ultimately, it was Von Braun 814 00:42:51,986 --> 00:42:55,656 who built the Saturn Five rocket 815 00:42:55,657 --> 00:42:58,659 that took people to the moon. 816 00:43:03,998 --> 00:43:07,376 NARRATOR: The story of the World War II Foo Fighters, 817 00:43:07,377 --> 00:43:10,337 much like that of the Battle of Los Angeles, 818 00:43:10,338 --> 00:43:12,130 has been largely forgotten 819 00:43:12,131 --> 00:43:15,550 or dismissed by traditional historians. 820 00:43:15,551 --> 00:43:20,013 But an event that happened just two years after the war 821 00:43:20,014 --> 00:43:22,766 had even the skeptics wondering. 822 00:43:22,767 --> 00:43:26,645 What if aliens really did exist? 823 00:43:26,646 --> 00:43:31,608 And could one of their craft have crashed to Earth? 824 00:43:38,032 --> 00:43:42,035 Mainstream archeologists have long rejected the notion 825 00:43:42,036 --> 00:43:45,247 that extraterrestrial beings had a hand in creating 826 00:43:45,248 --> 00:43:49,167 the pyramids of Egypt. 827 00:43:49,168 --> 00:43:53,171 Theologians and religious scholars refute the idea 828 00:43:53,172 --> 00:43:56,466 that stories of the Bible or the Mahabharata 829 00:43:56,467 --> 00:44:00,178 could be describing alien encounters. 830 00:44:00,179 --> 00:44:02,389 And governments throughout history 831 00:44:02,390 --> 00:44:05,100 have officially denied reports that the Earth 832 00:44:05,101 --> 00:44:09,062 has been visited by flying saucers. 833 00:44:09,063 --> 00:44:13,275 But on July 8, 1947, a UFO sighting 834 00:44:13,276 --> 00:44:16,069 was reported that even the United States Government 835 00:44:16,070 --> 00:44:17,821 had trouble denying. 836 00:44:17,822 --> 00:44:20,073 Why? Because this time, 837 00:44:20,074 --> 00:44:23,618 the report was issued by the U.S. Army. 838 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:28,081 I'm walking on the Foster Ranch 839 00:44:28,082 --> 00:44:31,084 between Corona and Roswell, New Mexico, 840 00:44:31,085 --> 00:44:33,045 not far from what is called 841 00:44:33,046 --> 00:44:35,505 the debris field right over that hill. 842 00:44:35,506 --> 00:44:37,090 And that debris field 843 00:44:37,091 --> 00:44:42,512 refers to headlines back in July of 1947 844 00:44:42,513 --> 00:44:47,768 about a disc-- one of those mysterious UFOs-- 845 00:44:47,769 --> 00:44:50,729 actually crashing right out here. 846 00:44:50,730 --> 00:44:52,856 (thunder crashing) 847 00:44:52,857 --> 00:44:56,777 NARRATOR: One night in early July, 1947, 848 00:44:56,778 --> 00:45:00,113 a major thunderstorm rolled across New Mexico. 849 00:45:02,241 --> 00:45:03,992 The next morning, 850 00:45:03,993 --> 00:45:07,329 rancher Mac Brazel went out to check on the damage. 851 00:45:07,330 --> 00:45:09,289 JULIE SHUSTER: Mac Brazel went out to make sure 852 00:45:09,290 --> 00:45:11,124 everything was where it was supposed to be. 853 00:45:11,125 --> 00:45:14,878 And he came across this really extensive area of debris, 854 00:45:14,879 --> 00:45:16,797 stuff he had never seen before. 855 00:45:16,798 --> 00:45:19,758 He brought it to the local sheriff's office. 856 00:45:19,759 --> 00:45:24,262 In 1947, Roswell was home to Roswell ArmyAir Field. 857 00:45:24,263 --> 00:45:27,724 The sheriff called the base, 858 00:45:27,725 --> 00:45:30,143 the base sent Major Jesse Marcel, 859 00:45:30,144 --> 00:45:33,021 and at that point, it basically became a military site, 860 00:45:33,022 --> 00:45:36,024 as they gathered up every bit of debris they could find. 861 00:45:36,025 --> 00:45:37,692 NARRATOR: In their initial report, 862 00:45:37,693 --> 00:45:41,113 Army officials made a vague claim of having started 863 00:45:41,114 --> 00:45:45,534 the recovery of the debris "sometime last week." 864 00:45:45,535 --> 00:45:49,538 But why didn't the Army report their findings right away? 865 00:45:49,539 --> 00:45:53,291 And why were they so ambiguous about the timeline? 866 00:45:53,292 --> 00:45:58,338 One of the biggest things we have is the newspaper 867 00:45:58,339 --> 00:46:02,592 of July 8, 1947, where Colonel Blanchard issued a order 868 00:46:02,593 --> 00:46:04,219 to Lieutenant Walter Haught, 869 00:46:04,220 --> 00:46:07,180 who was a public information officer, saying basically, 870 00:46:07,181 --> 00:46:09,182 "We have in our possession a flying saucer; 871 00:46:09,183 --> 00:46:12,227 it's being taken to Fort Worth, to higher headquarters." 872 00:46:12,228 --> 00:46:15,856 Roswell was a real turning point for UFOlogy. 873 00:46:15,857 --> 00:46:19,192 I think that was because the military, 874 00:46:19,193 --> 00:46:20,944 for the first time, admitted 875 00:46:20,945 --> 00:46:23,363 that they had a crashed disc. 876 00:46:23,364 --> 00:46:25,782 And because it was admitted at the time, 877 00:46:25,783 --> 00:46:28,785 of course, it caused a sensation. 878 00:46:28,786 --> 00:46:31,955 SHUSTER: But then, July 9, General Ramey issued 879 00:46:31,956 --> 00:46:36,209 a press release saying, no, it was a weather balloon. 880 00:46:36,210 --> 00:46:39,004 And that started the best-documented 881 00:46:39,005 --> 00:46:41,047 UFO cover-up ever. 882 00:46:43,092 --> 00:46:45,260 NARRATOR: Army officials referred to the debris 883 00:46:45,261 --> 00:46:48,430 as being part of a flying disc. 884 00:46:48,431 --> 00:46:51,641 Internal memos even referenced the crash site 885 00:46:51,642 --> 00:46:53,602 as having victims. 886 00:46:53,603 --> 00:46:57,230 So, why, less than 24 hours later, 887 00:46:57,231 --> 00:47:00,233 did they suddenly decide that what they had retrieved 888 00:47:00,234 --> 00:47:03,904 was nothing more than a weather balloon? 889 00:47:03,905 --> 00:47:08,450 Although Blanchard and Ramey stuck by the revised story, 890 00:47:08,451 --> 00:47:11,077 Lieutenant Haught stood by the contents 891 00:47:11,078 --> 00:47:14,289 of his initial report his entire life. 892 00:47:14,290 --> 00:47:18,126 And those who believe him think modern technology 893 00:47:18,127 --> 00:47:21,588 may have recently provided the irrefutable evidence 894 00:47:21,589 --> 00:47:24,299 they have been looking for. 895 00:47:24,300 --> 00:47:29,262 SHUSTER: When Major Marcel took the debris to Fort Worth, 896 00:47:29,263 --> 00:47:32,140 and General Ramey spread it out to give this press conference 897 00:47:32,141 --> 00:47:35,018 that it was a weather balloon, there was a picture taken, 898 00:47:35,019 --> 00:47:38,063 and in his hand is a piece of paper. 899 00:47:38,064 --> 00:47:40,023 It's a very little piece of paper. 900 00:47:40,024 --> 00:47:42,275 I mean, and this has been blown up. 901 00:47:42,276 --> 00:47:44,277 And it is a memo. 902 00:47:44,278 --> 00:47:46,488 There is a leading researcher in the field 903 00:47:46,489 --> 00:47:50,283 who is pulling the words out of this. 904 00:47:50,284 --> 00:47:54,079 And they include things like "team at Fort Worth," 905 00:47:54,080 --> 00:47:58,291 "forwarded victims of the wreck," "pod or pan." 906 00:47:58,292 --> 00:48:00,961 And so, every year that the technology improves, 907 00:48:00,962 --> 00:48:03,630 General Ramey may be the one to solve it. 908 00:48:05,633 --> 00:48:09,427 MOULTON HOWE: Bob Wood, a researcher in UFOs, 909 00:48:09,428 --> 00:48:13,640 had received leaked documents in 1996, 910 00:48:13,641 --> 00:48:16,851 and shared them with me and a few others. 911 00:48:16,852 --> 00:48:21,565 This document called the Interplanetary Phenomena Unit, 912 00:48:21,566 --> 00:48:27,487 with a War Department stamp dated July 22, 1947. 913 00:48:29,323 --> 00:48:32,909 The most disturbing aspect of this investigation 914 00:48:32,910 --> 00:48:35,328 was that there were other bodies found 915 00:48:35,329 --> 00:48:38,915 not far from landing zone one, the Mac Brazel site 916 00:48:38,916 --> 00:48:43,086 between Corona and Roswell that looked as if they had been 917 00:48:43,087 --> 00:48:46,965 dissected as you would a frog. 918 00:48:46,966 --> 00:48:51,303 It does not define, were those bodies human? 919 00:48:51,304 --> 00:48:54,222 Were those bodies nonhuman? 920 00:48:54,223 --> 00:48:58,560 But suddenly, for me, this electric jolt 921 00:48:58,561 --> 00:49:01,813 that came into holding that document 922 00:49:01,814 --> 00:49:07,319 and reading at the end of the '90s what would explain finally 923 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:09,613 that our government knew 924 00:49:09,614 --> 00:49:13,366 that extraterrestrial biological entities 925 00:49:13,367 --> 00:49:16,244 from somewhere else in the cosmos 926 00:49:16,245 --> 00:49:20,248 was interacting with our planet for a very long time. 927 00:49:23,502 --> 00:49:26,004 NARRATOR: Five years after Roswell, 928 00:49:26,005 --> 00:49:29,132 the United States Air Force coined the term 929 00:49:29,133 --> 00:49:33,511 Unidentified Flying Object or UFO. 930 00:49:33,512 --> 00:49:37,849 In the decades since, thousands of UFOs have been reported... 931 00:49:37,850 --> 00:49:40,518 -MAN: Whoa. -...photographed and videotaped 932 00:49:40,519 --> 00:49:42,145 all over the world. 933 00:49:42,146 --> 00:49:45,357 MAN: Oh, my God. 934 00:49:45,358 --> 00:49:48,401 Perhaps one of the biggest, most revolutionary 935 00:49:48,402 --> 00:49:50,987 pieces of technology to change 936 00:49:50,988 --> 00:49:53,823 our view of UFOs and flying saucers 937 00:49:53,824 --> 00:49:55,784 is the video cam. 938 00:49:55,785 --> 00:49:57,619 MAN: Whoa, I'm getting a series of lights right there. 939 00:49:57,620 --> 00:49:59,287 I got it, I got it, I got it. 940 00:49:59,288 --> 00:50:01,039 BIRNES: You only have to look at what happened 941 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,959 in Phoenix, Arizona, in March of 1997, 942 00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:08,838 when these huge flying boomerangs went 943 00:50:08,839 --> 00:50:11,424 right across Phoenix, right through the whole valley, 944 00:50:11,425 --> 00:50:14,386 heading south to the Mexico border. 945 00:50:14,387 --> 00:50:16,012 These were all caught on cameras. 946 00:50:16,013 --> 00:50:19,015 Network news caught these; local news caught these. 947 00:50:19,016 --> 00:50:22,018 You saw these on CNN; you saw these on Larry King. 948 00:50:22,019 --> 00:50:24,104 MAN: Oh, there it is, over to the left. -MAN 2: Wow. 949 00:50:24,105 --> 00:50:25,980 BIRNES: And yes, people called them flares-- 950 00:50:25,981 --> 00:50:27,649 of course they did. 951 00:50:27,650 --> 00:50:30,402 But, the fact is, when you see something 952 00:50:30,403 --> 00:50:31,778 with your own eyes... 953 00:50:31,779 --> 00:50:33,446 MAN: Look, dude. Pat, you got it? 954 00:50:33,447 --> 00:50:35,031 MAN 2: I see it. 955 00:50:35,032 --> 00:50:36,991 BIRNES: ...even if it's on a video camera, 956 00:50:36,992 --> 00:50:39,452 suddenly your perspective changes. 957 00:50:39,453 --> 00:50:41,496 MAN: And that middle one is moving quick. 958 00:50:41,497 --> 00:50:44,249 It's only the beginning, you guys. 959 00:50:44,250 --> 00:50:47,836 So, now, according to recent polls-- 960 00:50:47,837 --> 00:50:50,338 Gallup polls and Roper polls-- 961 00:50:50,339 --> 00:50:55,468 well over 50% of Americans believe 962 00:50:55,469 --> 00:50:57,804 that flying saucers exist, 963 00:50:57,805 --> 00:51:02,225 and close to 50% believe that the government knows 964 00:51:02,226 --> 00:51:03,685 that flying saucers exist, 965 00:51:03,686 --> 00:51:06,730 and that the government is hiding that fact. 966 00:51:08,733 --> 00:51:12,944 NARRATOR: But why so many UFO sightings after Roswell? 967 00:51:12,945 --> 00:51:14,863 Is it a coincidence? 968 00:51:14,864 --> 00:51:18,700 Or is the world's growing belief in aliens providing cover 969 00:51:18,701 --> 00:51:22,328 for those who might previously have been too afraid of ridicule 970 00:51:22,329 --> 00:51:24,164 to come forward? 971 00:51:24,165 --> 00:51:27,375 Perhaps there is another reason. 972 00:51:27,376 --> 00:51:29,711 Perhaps there are more sightings 973 00:51:29,712 --> 00:51:33,298 because there is a genuine increase in alien visitations... 974 00:51:35,342 --> 00:51:38,511 ...ever since the dawn of the Space Age. 975 00:51:38,512 --> 00:51:40,472 BRAMLEY: There had been plenty of stories 976 00:51:40,473 --> 00:51:43,308 of UFOs and aliens 977 00:51:43,309 --> 00:51:45,310 prior to that-- a lot of sightings. 978 00:51:45,311 --> 00:51:48,521 They weren't as widely reported somewhat also because 979 00:51:48,522 --> 00:51:51,399 World War II had been going on, prior to that. 980 00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:54,486 But because now we had a crash 981 00:51:54,487 --> 00:51:57,489 and there was more room in the newspaper, so to speak, 982 00:51:57,490 --> 00:52:00,658 I think that really helped the subject take off. 983 00:52:02,536 --> 00:52:04,537 NARRATOR: If, as some suggest, 984 00:52:04,538 --> 00:52:08,333 aliens from other worlds truly are among us 985 00:52:08,334 --> 00:52:10,960 and have done their best to keep themselves hidden 986 00:52:10,961 --> 00:52:13,213 for thousands of years, 987 00:52:13,214 --> 00:52:17,509 will they ever reveal their presence? 988 00:52:17,510 --> 00:52:21,221 More importantly, what happens if they do? 989 00:52:21,222 --> 00:52:25,225 And what if it is already happening? 990 00:52:29,563 --> 00:52:34,108 NARRATOR: In March, 2010, a mysterious pulsating light 991 00:52:34,109 --> 00:52:38,571 floated over Cleveland, Ohio, for 1 1 consecutive nights. 992 00:52:38,572 --> 00:52:42,450 MAN: We're having a sighting right now over the lake. 993 00:52:42,451 --> 00:52:44,828 I'm going to say 270 degrees south. 994 00:52:44,829 --> 00:52:47,539 There are, uh, two objects. 995 00:52:47,540 --> 00:52:49,207 One is coming up from the left. 996 00:52:49,208 --> 00:52:51,584 These are extremely close to each other. 997 00:52:51,585 --> 00:52:54,587 There's absolutely no way these are planes. 998 00:52:54,588 --> 00:52:57,131 Right now, uh, what's happening is the initial object 999 00:52:57,132 --> 00:52:59,592 that came out-- it's sitting there, it's hovering, 1000 00:52:59,593 --> 00:53:01,177 it's getting extremely bright. 1001 00:53:01,178 --> 00:53:02,971 It's illuminating different colors. 1002 00:53:02,972 --> 00:53:05,807 And the second object appeared from, I'm going to say, 1003 00:53:05,808 --> 00:53:07,600 the top left of it. 1004 00:53:07,601 --> 00:53:11,187 And now it looks like it's moving around it. 1005 00:53:11,188 --> 00:53:12,605 Wow! 1006 00:53:12,606 --> 00:53:15,608 They completely just switched spots. 1007 00:53:15,609 --> 00:53:17,819 Oh, my God, this is beautiful. 1008 00:53:17,820 --> 00:53:20,864 It knows we're watching. It knows we're watching. 1009 00:53:20,865 --> 00:53:23,074 NARRATOR: The Cleveland sighting is 1010 00:53:23,075 --> 00:53:25,577 one of thousands reported each year. 1011 00:53:25,578 --> 00:53:28,621 And while many are proved to be false alarms, 1012 00:53:28,622 --> 00:53:31,040 others are not so easily discredited. 1013 00:53:31,041 --> 00:53:32,625 -MAN: Right below it. -MAN 2: Right below it. 1014 00:53:32,626 --> 00:53:35,295 A big bright white flash just occurred. 1015 00:53:35,296 --> 00:53:39,591 NARRATOR: In 1991, Britain's Ministry of Defence 1016 00:53:39,592 --> 00:53:42,802 assigned author and journalist Nick Pope to track 1017 00:53:42,803 --> 00:53:44,637 the hundreds of sightings reported 1018 00:53:44,638 --> 00:53:47,765 over England, Scotland and Wales every year. 1019 00:53:47,766 --> 00:53:51,644 NICK POPE: The Ministry of Defence has been 1020 00:53:51,645 --> 00:53:55,690 looking at the UFO issue since the 1950s. 1021 00:53:55,691 --> 00:53:59,652 And the whole reason for looking at these UFO sightings 1022 00:53:59,653 --> 00:54:03,072 is not necessarily because the department corporately believes 1023 00:54:03,073 --> 00:54:04,824 in extraterrestrial visitation. 1024 00:54:04,825 --> 00:54:07,535 It's more to do with keeping a watchful eye 1025 00:54:07,536 --> 00:54:10,788 on any unusual activity in British airspace. 1026 00:54:10,789 --> 00:54:12,707 Clearly if there's something there that's a little bit 1027 00:54:12,708 --> 00:54:14,918 out of the ordinary, we want to know about it. 1028 00:54:19,673 --> 00:54:24,469 My beliefs when I was given this job were, I think, 1029 00:54:24,470 --> 00:54:26,679 what on earth have I let myself in for here? 1030 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:31,017 I had no particular knowledge or interest in the UFO phenomenon. 1031 00:54:31,018 --> 00:54:34,687 Certainly no belief in anything unusual. 1032 00:54:34,688 --> 00:54:37,523 But the more I looked back through the archive 1033 00:54:37,524 --> 00:54:40,652 of old files, and the more I began to investigate the ones 1034 00:54:40,653 --> 00:54:43,488 that were being reported to me on a daily basis, 1035 00:54:43,489 --> 00:54:47,533 I began to change my mind, and realized that some of these 1036 00:54:47,534 --> 00:54:51,579 UFO sightings couldn't be explained in conventional terms. 1037 00:54:51,580 --> 00:54:53,539 MAN: It's definitely moving. 1038 00:54:53,540 --> 00:54:57,085 NARRATOR: Many of the most intriguing cases Pope researched 1039 00:54:57,086 --> 00:55:00,713 involved eyewitness reports from pilots, police 1040 00:55:00,714 --> 00:55:04,676 and military officers, while others featured 1041 00:55:04,677 --> 00:55:09,722 classified radar, video or photographic evidence. 1042 00:55:13,727 --> 00:55:16,771 NICK POPE: One case that was a particular turning point for me 1043 00:55:16,772 --> 00:55:19,607 was the so-called Cosford Incident. 1044 00:55:19,608 --> 00:55:23,736 Now, Cosford is a military base in the United Kingdom. 1045 00:55:23,737 --> 00:55:27,699 And on the particular night in question, 1046 00:55:27,700 --> 00:55:32,203 which was 30th of March, 1993, there was a wave of sightings 1047 00:55:32,204 --> 00:55:34,747 over a period of about six hours. 1048 00:55:34,748 --> 00:55:37,500 And there were many police and military witnesses. 1049 00:55:37,501 --> 00:55:41,087 And two Air Force bases, Cosford and Shawbury, 1050 00:55:41,088 --> 00:55:45,758 were directly overflown by a vast triangular shaped craft. 1051 00:55:49,138 --> 00:55:51,973 Now, the meteorological officer at one of these bases 1052 00:55:51,974 --> 00:55:55,768 described this to me as the size of a jumbo jet 1053 00:55:55,769 --> 00:55:58,604 hovering, or moving very, very slowly, 1054 00:55:58,605 --> 00:56:02,775 and then accelerating away to the horizon at incredible speed. 1055 00:56:02,776 --> 00:56:05,778 He said many times faster than a military jet. 1056 00:56:07,781 --> 00:56:09,782 And this was a man with eight years experience 1057 00:56:09,783 --> 00:56:12,410 in the air force. 1058 00:56:12,411 --> 00:56:16,372 This sighting was thoroughly investigated not only by 1059 00:56:16,373 --> 00:56:20,793 private UFO investigators, but also by the British Government, 1060 00:56:20,794 --> 00:56:23,254 who were unable to explain all of the sightings 1061 00:56:23,255 --> 00:56:25,423 reported during this incident. 1062 00:56:27,134 --> 00:56:29,927 NARRATOR: Another intriguing British UFO sighting 1063 00:56:29,928 --> 00:56:32,847 took place in December 1980. 1064 00:56:32,848 --> 00:56:36,809 U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Suffolk, England, 1065 00:56:36,810 --> 00:56:40,188 reported seeing a brilliantly illuminated spaceship 1066 00:56:40,189 --> 00:56:44,192 that landed in Rendlesham Forest on two consecutive nights. 1067 00:56:55,079 --> 00:56:57,622 POPE: What made this case particularly unusual 1068 00:56:57,623 --> 00:57:02,001 is that this was not vague lights in the sky. 1069 00:57:02,002 --> 00:57:05,838 This was a landed metallic craft that some of the witnesses 1070 00:57:05,839 --> 00:57:07,840 claimed they got, uh, so close to, 1071 00:57:07,841 --> 00:57:09,467 they could actually touch the side of it. 1072 00:57:09,468 --> 00:57:14,847 One witness saw strange symbols on the hull, 1073 00:57:14,848 --> 00:57:17,391 which he likened to Egyptian hieroglyphs. 1074 00:57:17,392 --> 00:57:19,727 He made a sketch of this in his police notebook 1075 00:57:19,728 --> 00:57:21,979 and took some photos, though he was subsequently told 1076 00:57:21,980 --> 00:57:23,272 they didn't come out. 1077 00:57:23,273 --> 00:57:27,401 The Ministry of Defence looked at this, 1078 00:57:27,402 --> 00:57:30,655 and the Defence intelligence staff 1079 00:57:30,656 --> 00:57:33,825 assessed radiation readings that had been taken 1080 00:57:33,826 --> 00:57:35,868 at the landing site as being 1081 00:57:35,869 --> 00:57:38,037 "significantly higher than background." 1082 00:57:38,038 --> 00:57:41,457 And that's a direct quote from the government's own assessment. 1083 00:57:41,458 --> 00:57:43,126 PITTMAN: The British Government 1084 00:57:43,127 --> 00:57:46,045 generated a massive file of information 1085 00:57:46,046 --> 00:57:48,339 about this sighting report. 1086 00:57:48,340 --> 00:57:52,552 But at this date, it's very unlikely that the actual truth 1087 00:57:52,553 --> 00:57:55,346 about the sighting will ever be known. 1088 00:57:59,643 --> 00:58:03,020 NARRATOR: But in spite of the compelling eyewitness testimony, 1089 00:58:03,021 --> 00:58:08,359 the Ministry of Defence soon declared the case closed. 1090 00:58:08,360 --> 00:58:12,864 22 years later, when the government declassified files 1091 00:58:12,865 --> 00:58:17,535 on the Rendlesham incident, the evidence was inconclusive. 1092 00:58:17,536 --> 00:58:20,037 But what stood out was the credibility of 1093 00:58:20,038 --> 00:58:24,041 the main witnesses, who were trained military personnel. 1094 00:58:24,042 --> 00:58:26,252 BIRNES: Obviously, as a UFO hunter, 1095 00:58:26,253 --> 00:58:29,881 I've met a lot of people who've encountered UFOs. 1096 00:58:29,882 --> 00:58:32,925 Just flying on a plane, for example. 1097 00:58:32,926 --> 00:58:34,594 You're on a plane, 1098 00:58:34,595 --> 00:58:36,888 and suddenly the pilot comes out of the cockpit-- 1099 00:58:36,889 --> 00:58:39,348 and this has happened on five separate occasions. 1100 00:58:39,349 --> 00:58:40,933 And he'll say to me, 1101 00:58:40,934 --> 00:58:44,896 "I saw a UFO over Phoenix; I saw a UFO over Texas; 1102 00:58:44,897 --> 00:58:46,939 half my crew saw a UFO." 1103 00:58:46,940 --> 00:58:49,525 And you'll say to the pilot, "Well, well, do you report it?" 1104 00:58:49,526 --> 00:58:53,196 And they say, "When the flight controller says at the airport, 1105 00:58:53,197 --> 00:58:55,072 "'Do you want to report a UFO sighting,' 1106 00:58:55,073 --> 00:58:59,160 and then bursts out laughing, what you say is, 'No."' 1107 00:58:59,161 --> 00:59:02,955 There are UFO sightings every single day. 1108 00:59:02,956 --> 00:59:08,169 Real people with real sightings of real UFOs. 1109 00:59:08,170 --> 00:59:12,506 It is very prevalent as more and more people talk about it. 1110 00:59:12,507 --> 00:59:15,593 Something is going on. 1111 00:59:15,594 --> 00:59:19,138 In terms of the government response to all this, 1112 00:59:19,139 --> 00:59:20,932 certainly in Britain, 1113 00:59:20,933 --> 00:59:25,436 the Ministry of Defence policy for many years has been 1114 00:59:25,437 --> 00:59:28,314 to try and downplay this subject. 1115 00:59:28,315 --> 00:59:30,983 Not really in any great sinister attempt 1116 00:59:30,984 --> 00:59:34,403 to cover up the truth about UFOs, whatever that might be, 1117 00:59:34,404 --> 00:59:35,780 but more out of embarrassment. 1118 00:59:35,781 --> 00:59:37,740 There are things in our airspace, 1119 00:59:37,741 --> 00:59:39,867 we don't know what they are, and that's not a good place 1120 00:59:39,868 --> 00:59:41,994 for the government and the military to be. 1121 00:59:41,995 --> 00:59:46,582 NARRATOR: On December 1, 2009, the British Ministry of Defence 1122 00:59:46,583 --> 00:59:50,169 quietly terminated its UFO project, 1123 00:59:50,170 --> 00:59:53,965 citing that there had been no credible evidence that UFOs 1124 00:59:53,966 --> 00:59:57,009 posed a potential threat to the United Kingdom. 1125 00:59:57,010 --> 00:59:59,762 (bell tolling) 1126 00:59:59,763 --> 01:00:03,766 There are a number of aspects of this decision 1127 01:00:03,767 --> 01:00:06,018 that were particularly controversial. 1128 01:00:06,019 --> 01:00:09,772 Firstly, UFO sightings are at a ten-year high 1129 01:00:09,773 --> 01:00:11,065 in the United Kingdom. 1130 01:00:11,066 --> 01:00:14,277 So it seemed the most inopportune moment 1131 01:00:14,278 --> 01:00:16,988 to pull the plug on 50 years of research and investigation 1132 01:00:16,989 --> 01:00:18,656 into the UFO mystery. 1133 01:00:18,657 --> 01:00:23,077 The other point that made this particularly controversial 1134 01:00:23,078 --> 01:00:26,289 was the way in which the decision was announced. 1135 01:00:26,290 --> 01:00:31,043 There was no proactive statement issued on this. 1136 01:00:31,044 --> 01:00:34,463 It simply said: The department will not respond 1137 01:00:34,464 --> 01:00:36,841 to any inquiries on this subject 1138 01:00:36,842 --> 01:00:39,176 and will no longer investigate sightings. 1139 01:00:43,015 --> 01:00:45,725 NARRATOR: One hurdle confronting those in favor of 1140 01:00:45,726 --> 01:00:48,311 fully disclosing classified information related to UFOs 1141 01:00:48,312 --> 01:00:53,065 is the fact that most mainstream scientists believe 1142 01:00:53,066 --> 01:00:55,609 that the study of alien phenomena 1143 01:00:55,610 --> 01:00:59,071 is little more than just fringe science. 1144 01:00:59,072 --> 01:01:03,075 It is this fear of dismissal or ridicule 1145 01:01:03,076 --> 01:01:06,746 that keeps many scientists hidden in the shadows. 1146 01:01:06,747 --> 01:01:08,331 TED PETERS: Our best scientists, 1147 01:01:08,332 --> 01:01:11,083 who communicate with one another around the world, 1148 01:01:11,084 --> 01:01:16,130 have rules of protocol, which include-- 1149 01:01:16,131 --> 01:01:19,216 they cannot appear to be religious... (laughs) 1150 01:01:19,217 --> 01:01:22,970 ...they cannot believe in flying saucers, 1151 01:01:22,971 --> 01:01:24,513 and they certainly shouldn't hang around with 1152 01:01:24,514 --> 01:01:29,435 anybody who believes in flying saucers. 1153 01:01:29,436 --> 01:01:32,355 HARRISON: But it's all done, you might say, behind closed doors, 1154 01:01:32,356 --> 01:01:36,359 because nobody really wants to, uh, draw attention to it. 1155 01:01:36,360 --> 01:01:39,111 You know that, uh, they understand, you know, 1156 01:01:39,112 --> 01:01:40,529 that there's a penalty associated 1157 01:01:40,530 --> 01:01:42,448 with this kind of research. 1158 01:01:42,449 --> 01:01:46,118 And so consequently, it's done, it's done "invisibly." 1159 01:01:46,119 --> 01:01:50,456 ROBERT BAUVAL: To be blockaded and stopped by worries 1160 01:01:50,457 --> 01:01:53,084 about peer reviews and so forth, to me, is wrong. 1161 01:01:53,085 --> 01:01:56,128 We can speculate whether there is life outside this planet. 1162 01:01:56,129 --> 01:01:59,382 We can speculate whether there has been a contact 1163 01:01:59,383 --> 01:02:02,093 with, with other civilizations. Why not? 1164 01:02:02,094 --> 01:02:06,347 NARRATOR: But as more scientists openly embrace the probability 1165 01:02:06,348 --> 01:02:08,891 that there is intelligent life existing 1166 01:02:08,892 --> 01:02:11,102 elsewhere in the universe, 1167 01:02:11,103 --> 01:02:14,146 will the belief that alien beings are visiting us 1168 01:02:14,147 --> 01:02:16,941 also become more accepted? 1169 01:02:20,153 --> 01:02:24,490 What might be the reaction today if extraterrestrials were to 1170 01:02:24,491 --> 01:02:30,037 actually arrive on Earth and make themselves known to us? 1171 01:02:30,038 --> 01:02:35,167 Countless science fiction books and films tend to portray aliens 1172 01:02:35,168 --> 01:02:39,171 coming either to warn us or destroy us. 1173 01:02:39,172 --> 01:02:41,966 BIRNES: Since the 1960s, people have been thinking about: 1174 01:02:41,967 --> 01:02:43,968 Well, what do we do? 1175 01:02:43,969 --> 01:02:48,180 Do we have a Day The Earth Stood Still scenario if aliens come? 1176 01:02:48,181 --> 01:02:51,016 Do they warn us that our planet's facing disaster? 1177 01:02:51,017 --> 01:02:53,060 Do they attack us, 1178 01:02:53,061 --> 01:02:56,188 the way the Martians did in War of the Worlds? 1179 01:02:56,189 --> 01:03:00,568 Well, the answer is more complicated than it seems. 1180 01:03:00,569 --> 01:03:02,445 It's not just somebody landing and saying, 1181 01:03:02,446 --> 01:03:04,447 "Take me to your leader." 1182 01:03:10,162 --> 01:03:11,787 TSOUKALOS: The general consensus today 1183 01:03:11,788 --> 01:03:14,206 is that if extraterrestrials were to show up tomorrow, 1184 01:03:14,207 --> 01:03:18,461 they'd be hostile, and they would want to enslave us 1185 01:03:18,462 --> 01:03:21,213 and-and battle us and-and destroy us 1186 01:03:21,214 --> 01:03:22,965 and all this crazy stuff. 1187 01:03:22,966 --> 01:03:26,552 In my opinion, that won't be the case, 1188 01:03:26,553 --> 01:03:30,347 because any civilization that's mastered to travel 1189 01:03:30,348 --> 01:03:34,226 interstellar space would be benevolent 1190 01:03:34,227 --> 01:03:38,230 to a lesser advanced society, technologically speaking. 1191 01:03:40,233 --> 01:03:44,236 DAVIES: A simple statistic shows that if we make contact 1192 01:03:44,237 --> 01:03:46,238 with extraterrestrial civilization, 1193 01:03:46,239 --> 01:03:48,240 we are the new kids on the block. 1194 01:03:48,241 --> 01:03:51,494 We're the ones who are at the back of the queue 1195 01:03:51,495 --> 01:03:53,621 when it comes to intelligence. 1196 01:03:53,622 --> 01:03:55,998 So, uh, they'll be teaching us stuff. 1197 01:03:55,999 --> 01:03:58,209 We won't have a great deal to teach them. 1198 01:04:00,253 --> 01:04:01,712 JEFF PECKMAN: There are a wide range of benefits 1199 01:04:01,713 --> 01:04:05,132 that can be derived from accepting that we have neighbors 1200 01:04:05,133 --> 01:04:06,926 in the galaxy that are visiting us. 1201 01:04:06,927 --> 01:04:08,677 There are reports of medical treatments 1202 01:04:08,678 --> 01:04:11,013 that have been performed for the benefit 1203 01:04:11,014 --> 01:04:13,265 of several people who have had contact. 1204 01:04:13,266 --> 01:04:15,267 There are advanced energy technologies. 1205 01:04:15,268 --> 01:04:17,061 Reports are that some of these have been 1206 01:04:17,062 --> 01:04:21,023 reverse-engineered already and are used in military craft. 1207 01:04:21,024 --> 01:04:24,944 There are communications technologies. 1208 01:04:24,945 --> 01:04:27,863 So, really, any area of life that we have could be 1209 01:04:27,864 --> 01:04:31,742 beneficially impacted by acknowledging that there are 1210 01:04:31,743 --> 01:04:35,287 these other people out there, that they have information, 1211 01:04:35,288 --> 01:04:38,415 knowledge that they can share with us that would benefit us. 1212 01:04:38,416 --> 01:04:41,544 HARRISON: It's going to depend how the discovery comes about. 1213 01:04:41,545 --> 01:04:44,296 If, in fact, it's a distant radio broadcast, 1214 01:04:44,297 --> 01:04:46,298 we might expect one thing. 1215 01:04:46,299 --> 01:04:50,427 If, in fact, there's, uh, some type of visitation that fits in 1216 01:04:50,428 --> 01:04:53,722 with beliefs about UFOs, that might be something else. 1217 01:04:53,723 --> 01:04:57,560 But, on the whole, I think people are much more prepared 1218 01:04:57,561 --> 01:05:01,105 for, uh, shall we say "contact"? 1219 01:05:04,067 --> 01:05:07,319 NARRATOR: Many who believe contact with extraterrestrials 1220 01:05:07,320 --> 01:05:09,530 is inevitable suggest governments 1221 01:05:09,531 --> 01:05:11,282 need to prepare themselves. 1222 01:05:11,283 --> 01:05:15,661 It's a field of study known as exopolitics. 1223 01:05:15,662 --> 01:05:19,373 Exopolitics poses the question: What should our response be 1224 01:05:19,374 --> 01:05:22,334 to that situation at a societal level? 1225 01:05:22,335 --> 01:05:25,337 Not necessarily at a governmental level, 1226 01:05:25,338 --> 01:05:28,799 but actually individuals-- how can we reach out 1227 01:05:28,800 --> 01:05:30,676 with a hand of friendship? 1228 01:05:30,677 --> 01:05:32,344 STEVEN GREER: Exopolitics has really been 1229 01:05:32,345 --> 01:05:35,723 a grassroots movement of people concerned about this issue 1230 01:05:35,724 --> 01:05:38,350 and want disclosure on the UFO subject, 1231 01:05:38,351 --> 01:05:41,353 and also want to help organize people locally 1232 01:05:41,354 --> 01:05:43,897 to get the information out to their governments 1233 01:05:43,898 --> 01:05:45,399 and make this big change happen. 1234 01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:49,361 NARRATOR: But if we reach out in friendship, 1235 01:05:49,362 --> 01:05:53,907 what guarantee do we have that it will be returned in kind? 1236 01:05:55,910 --> 01:05:59,955 Many scientists, including famed theoretical physicist 1237 01:05:59,956 --> 01:06:04,376 Stephen Hawking, believe alien beings could pose a threat 1238 01:06:04,377 --> 01:06:09,381 and suggest we do everything possible to prevent contact. 1239 01:06:09,382 --> 01:06:12,926 BIRNES: If extraterrestrials, or aliens, were aggressive, 1240 01:06:12,927 --> 01:06:14,928 were warlike, and they came here, 1241 01:06:14,929 --> 01:06:18,265 is it a case where resistance is futile? 1242 01:06:18,266 --> 01:06:20,851 How do you wipe out life on planet Earth? 1243 01:06:20,852 --> 01:06:23,187 That's easy-- a plague. 1244 01:06:23,188 --> 01:06:26,774 Simple-- no UFOs, 1245 01:06:26,775 --> 01:06:30,361 no zorching beams from the sky, no explosions, 1246 01:06:30,362 --> 01:06:33,405 no Empire State Building collapsing, none of that. 1247 01:06:33,406 --> 01:06:34,615 We can do that. 1248 01:06:34,616 --> 01:06:36,241 Why can't aliens do that? 1249 01:06:38,286 --> 01:06:42,289 TSOUKALOS: To think that we would be able to come up with 1250 01:06:42,290 --> 01:06:45,626 some type of a defense mechanism or have defenses 1251 01:06:45,627 --> 01:06:50,047 against interstellar traveling society is ludicrous. 1252 01:06:52,092 --> 01:06:55,094 NARRATOR: Whether they came as friend or foe, 1253 01:06:55,095 --> 01:06:59,473 if extraterrestrials did land somewhere in the United States, 1254 01:06:59,474 --> 01:07:02,851 it's possible the aliens would be greeted by government 1255 01:07:02,852 --> 01:07:06,438 or military personnel wearing Hazmat suits 1256 01:07:06,439 --> 01:07:10,275 and testing for harmful pathogens and radiation. 1257 01:07:12,237 --> 01:07:15,614 Many conspiracy theorists suspect 1258 01:07:15,615 --> 01:07:20,452 the government's next step would be to cover up the visitation. 1259 01:07:20,453 --> 01:07:23,831 They cite as evidence a reputed sighting that took place 1260 01:07:23,832 --> 01:07:27,501 over Washington, D.C. in 1952. 1261 01:07:27,502 --> 01:07:30,587 BIRNES: In full view of the entire world, 1262 01:07:30,588 --> 01:07:35,509 a squadron, a formation of UFOs buzzed Washington 1263 01:07:35,510 --> 01:07:39,471 and fought our own F-93 jet fighters. 1264 01:07:39,472 --> 01:07:44,143 General Samford willingly and deliberately-- 1265 01:07:44,144 --> 01:07:45,728 maybe on instructions from Harry Truman, 1266 01:07:45,729 --> 01:07:49,481 who was president-- lied to the American people. 1267 01:07:49,482 --> 01:07:51,275 We have received and analyzed 1268 01:07:51,276 --> 01:07:53,527 between one and two thousand reports. 1269 01:07:53,528 --> 01:07:58,073 Of this great mass of reports, we have been able, adequately, 1270 01:07:58,074 --> 01:08:01,034 to explain the great bulk of them. 1271 01:08:01,035 --> 01:08:03,495 BIRNES: His own Captain Ruppelt, 1272 01:08:03,496 --> 01:08:08,542 in his own book on flying saucers, says Samford was lying. 1273 01:08:08,543 --> 01:08:13,172 We have the letter from the Air Force to Dean Condon 1274 01:08:13,173 --> 01:08:15,299 saying "Deep-six UFOs." 1275 01:08:15,300 --> 01:08:18,719 So, have UFOs come to planet Earth in full view, 1276 01:08:18,720 --> 01:08:21,513 have manifested themselves, have shown themselves? 1277 01:08:21,514 --> 01:08:22,723 Yes. 1278 01:08:22,724 --> 01:08:25,100 Did we see it? Yes. 1279 01:08:25,101 --> 01:08:27,770 Was there a protocol for handling it? 1280 01:08:27,771 --> 01:08:31,899 Yes. That protocol was called "deny." 1281 01:08:31,900 --> 01:08:35,944 NARRATOR: But if an alien visitation proved undeniable, 1282 01:08:35,945 --> 01:08:37,529 who might be chosen 1283 01:08:37,530 --> 01:08:41,742 to then speak to those inside the spacecraft? 1284 01:08:41,743 --> 01:08:46,663 Who could best represent all the nations and interests of Earth? 1285 01:08:46,664 --> 01:08:48,415 SEAGER: If aliens do land on Earth, 1286 01:08:48,416 --> 01:08:51,543 I think we should send our best world leaders 1287 01:08:51,544 --> 01:08:53,796 who are the most open-minded and reasonable, 1288 01:08:53,797 --> 01:08:56,131 but who also have the ability 1289 01:08:56,132 --> 01:08:59,301 to defend themselves against those aliens. 1290 01:08:59,302 --> 01:09:01,553 BIRNES: In my opinion, 1291 01:09:01,554 --> 01:09:04,097 that's one of the reasons we have a United Nations. 1292 01:09:04,098 --> 01:09:07,559 Yes, it prevents wars and delivers food. 1293 01:09:07,560 --> 01:09:09,895 But on the other hand, just imagine 1294 01:09:09,896 --> 01:09:14,233 the Security Council itself convening to deal with aliens-- 1295 01:09:14,234 --> 01:09:17,194 an image on a big screen at the United Nations. 1296 01:09:17,195 --> 01:09:20,697 The answer is: I think it all happened back in the 1940s, 1297 01:09:20,698 --> 01:09:24,326 and that was one of the reasons that Roosevelt 1298 01:09:24,327 --> 01:09:26,537 and Eleanor Roosevelt pushed so hard 1299 01:09:26,538 --> 01:09:29,581 for the formation of a United Nations 1300 01:09:29,582 --> 01:09:31,834 to replace the League of Nations. 1301 01:09:31,835 --> 01:09:34,336 Somebody had to confront the aliens. 1302 01:09:34,337 --> 01:09:39,591 LEVINSON: The notion that our leaders-- elected or otherwise-- 1303 01:09:39,592 --> 01:09:41,051 should speak on our behalf, 1304 01:09:41,052 --> 01:09:43,804 I don't necessarily think that makes sense. 1305 01:09:43,805 --> 01:09:47,599 There are a lot of people who might have better ideas 1306 01:09:47,600 --> 01:09:50,269 than the people who are in government. 1307 01:09:50,270 --> 01:09:55,023 I'd like to see a profoundly democratic-- with a small D-- 1308 01:09:55,024 --> 01:09:59,611 unauthoritarian interaction with aliens. 1309 01:09:59,612 --> 01:10:03,365 NARRATOR: Currently, there are no known official protocols 1310 01:10:03,366 --> 01:10:05,993 in place for an alien visitation. 1311 01:10:05,994 --> 01:10:08,954 But there are those who think that contact 1312 01:10:08,955 --> 01:10:11,832 with extraterrestrials is imminent, 1313 01:10:11,833 --> 01:10:15,043 and that our world leaders must plan for the event now. 1314 01:10:15,044 --> 01:10:16,795 PECKMAN: We're not alone in the universe. 1315 01:10:16,796 --> 01:10:20,632 We have friends and relatives out there in the galaxies. 1316 01:10:23,511 --> 01:10:27,472 And we need to take on this task, one way or the other, 1317 01:10:27,473 --> 01:10:30,392 of just getting the job done and getting to the point 1318 01:10:30,393 --> 01:10:33,270 where we're considering the practical details of 1319 01:10:33,271 --> 01:10:36,064 interacting with these friends and neighbors out there. 1320 01:10:36,065 --> 01:10:40,277 GREER: Who is responsible for that relationship? 1321 01:10:40,278 --> 01:10:42,195 Well, the State Department isn't. 1322 01:10:42,196 --> 01:10:43,655 The United Nations isn't. 1323 01:10:43,656 --> 01:10:45,490 And I think this is a very big problem. 1324 01:10:45,491 --> 01:10:48,660 So, well, there needs to be a diplomatic effort 1325 01:10:48,661 --> 01:10:50,704 to make contact with these interstellar civilizations 1326 01:10:50,705 --> 01:10:52,414 in such a way 1327 01:10:52,415 --> 01:10:57,127 that it puts wiser people in charge of that. 1328 01:10:57,128 --> 01:10:58,670 POPE: Even if you don't 1329 01:10:58,671 --> 01:11:00,672 corporately believe in extraterrestrials, 1330 01:11:00,673 --> 01:11:04,676 if you think the possibility of alien visitation 1331 01:11:04,677 --> 01:11:06,261 is vanishingly small, 1332 01:11:06,262 --> 01:11:09,806 the consequences if it does happen are immense. 1333 01:11:09,807 --> 01:11:11,683 And, therefore, it's prudent to have 1334 01:11:11,684 --> 01:11:13,685 something in place to deal with it. 1335 01:11:13,686 --> 01:11:15,687 DENNIN: Personally, I think it would be very, very exciting. 1336 01:11:15,688 --> 01:11:18,065 I mean, it would be just like the first time, you know, 1337 01:11:18,066 --> 01:11:19,691 the explorers came, um, 1338 01:11:19,692 --> 01:11:21,693 from Europe to the Americas and discovered 1339 01:11:21,694 --> 01:11:23,487 a whole new culture, and they had to interact. 1340 01:11:23,488 --> 01:11:24,905 Hopefully, it won't work out as some of 1341 01:11:24,906 --> 01:11:26,365 the bad things that occurred then; 1342 01:11:26,366 --> 01:11:28,241 it would be a more positive experience. 1343 01:11:28,242 --> 01:11:30,160 And maybe we've learned from that and we can go forward. 1344 01:11:30,161 --> 01:11:32,496 NARRATOR: What would happen after 1345 01:11:32,497 --> 01:11:34,289 any potential extraterrestrial contact 1346 01:11:34,290 --> 01:11:37,709 is open to much speculation. 1347 01:11:37,710 --> 01:11:40,295 But most people concede one thing: 1348 01:11:40,296 --> 01:11:44,049 The world as we know it would change dramatically. 1349 01:11:45,301 --> 01:11:46,718 GREER: The result would be 1350 01:11:46,719 --> 01:11:50,347 that the fundamentalist orthodox belief systems 1351 01:11:50,348 --> 01:11:54,101 of every organized religion on Earth would collapse. 1352 01:11:54,102 --> 01:11:57,604 Meaning that it would really bring into question 1353 01:11:57,605 --> 01:12:01,984 the origins of the human race, uh, the Genesis stories 1354 01:12:01,985 --> 01:12:03,777 and a whole lot of other issues. 1355 01:12:03,778 --> 01:12:06,780 BIRNES: The very structures of government 1356 01:12:06,781 --> 01:12:11,618 and the very structures of religion will crumble. 1357 01:12:13,162 --> 01:12:15,330 NARRATOR: But in 2008, 1358 01:12:15,331 --> 01:12:20,752 a stunning announcement was made from a very surprising source. 1359 01:12:20,753 --> 01:12:25,382 Proof to some that miracles, like aliens, 1360 01:12:25,383 --> 01:12:27,759 do indeed exist. 1361 01:12:31,806 --> 01:12:34,766 NARRATOR: The Vatican, Rome. 1362 01:12:34,767 --> 01:12:37,769 This walled enclave has been the center of power 1363 01:12:37,770 --> 01:12:40,981 for the Catholic Church since the fifth century. 1364 01:12:40,982 --> 01:12:44,776 It's not only the Pope's residence, 1365 01:12:44,777 --> 01:12:48,780 but a place of homage for one billion Catholics, 1366 01:12:48,781 --> 01:12:51,116 and represents nearly 2,000 years 1367 01:12:51,117 --> 01:12:54,786 of Christian teaching and tradition. 1368 01:12:54,787 --> 01:12:59,624 But, in 2008, the Vatican made an announcement 1369 01:12:59,625 --> 01:13:03,628 that some say might threaten its own existence. 1370 01:13:08,843 --> 01:13:12,345 The chief astronomer of the Vatican Observatory, 1371 01:13:12,346 --> 01:13:16,558 Father Gabriel Funes, acknowledged the possibility 1372 01:13:16,559 --> 01:13:20,479 alien life exists on other planets. 1373 01:13:20,480 --> 01:13:24,357 They basically said that belief in planetary life 1374 01:13:24,358 --> 01:13:28,445 outside of Earth does not negate one's belief in God. 1375 01:13:28,446 --> 01:13:31,364 Now, 500 years ago, if the Vatican would have said that, 1376 01:13:31,365 --> 01:13:33,241 they would've burned everybody on the stake. 1377 01:13:36,287 --> 01:13:38,288 WILLIAM FULCO: The present Pope, Benedict, of course, 1378 01:13:38,289 --> 01:13:39,831 has a very scientific bent. 1379 01:13:39,832 --> 01:13:42,167 And he respects intellectual life 1380 01:13:42,168 --> 01:13:44,836 in-in a way that is-is quite extraordinary. 1381 01:13:44,837 --> 01:13:47,839 He seemed quite open to entertain the idea: 1382 01:13:47,840 --> 01:13:49,674 What if there is life on other planets? 1383 01:13:49,675 --> 01:13:51,843 It's certainly an interesting question for a Christian. 1384 01:13:51,844 --> 01:13:54,846 To approach it scientifically, it challenges your belief 1385 01:13:54,847 --> 01:13:57,849 of how much of this you attribute to God. 1386 01:14:03,689 --> 01:14:08,527 NARRATOR: Many wondered about the Church's motives and timing. 1387 01:14:08,528 --> 01:14:11,863 Why, after centuries of belief 1388 01:14:11,864 --> 01:14:16,493 in man as God's supreme creation and the only intelligent life 1389 01:14:16,494 --> 01:14:20,705 in the universe, did the Vatican make an announcement 1390 01:14:20,706 --> 01:14:23,875 that could turn Christianity on its head? 1391 01:14:23,876 --> 01:14:27,295 Did they know something the rest of us did not? 1392 01:14:29,298 --> 01:14:31,007 TSOUKALOS: This is something 1393 01:14:31,008 --> 01:14:36,221 that is completely new in the history of the Church 1394 01:14:36,222 --> 01:14:40,100 that the extraterrestrial question 1395 01:14:40,101 --> 01:14:45,897 is not only addressed, but at the same time, it's okay. 1396 01:14:45,898 --> 01:14:50,902 I mean, that is a major change in opinion. 1397 01:14:50,903 --> 01:14:55,448 A major change in the status quo. 1398 01:14:55,449 --> 01:14:59,035 And I ask: Why? 1399 01:14:59,036 --> 01:15:01,705 Would it have huge ramifications? 1400 01:15:01,706 --> 01:15:02,914 Of course. 1401 01:15:02,915 --> 01:15:04,457 Does it change anything? 1402 01:15:04,458 --> 01:15:05,917 Of course. 1403 01:15:05,918 --> 01:15:09,296 But at the same time, would that change religion 1404 01:15:09,297 --> 01:15:11,464 or belief in God? 1405 01:15:11,465 --> 01:15:12,924 Not really. 1406 01:15:12,925 --> 01:15:14,342 Some people say, well, 1407 01:15:14,343 --> 01:15:16,803 the Catholic Church must know something. 1408 01:15:16,804 --> 01:15:19,598 Uh, maybe they're trying to get ahead of the game here. 1409 01:15:22,727 --> 01:15:26,188 On the other hand, it may just be that they're being 1410 01:15:26,189 --> 01:15:30,192 very clever and simply trying to cover all the bases, 1411 01:15:30,193 --> 01:15:33,945 in case there is some great announcement 1412 01:15:33,946 --> 01:15:36,281 or discovery about alien life. 1413 01:15:36,282 --> 01:15:38,325 Because, make no mistake about it, 1414 01:15:38,326 --> 01:15:42,954 if it is announced that alien life has been discovered, 1415 01:15:42,955 --> 01:15:47,500 people are going to look to their religious leaders for 1416 01:15:47,501 --> 01:15:51,963 some sort of guidance about this, whether it's Christians, 1417 01:15:51,964 --> 01:15:56,593 Jews, Muslims, Hindus. 1418 01:15:56,594 --> 01:15:59,971 CHRIS CORBALLY: If extraterrestrial life was found, 1419 01:15:59,972 --> 01:16:04,976 then the Church would react presumably as it does 1420 01:16:04,977 --> 01:16:08,438 with any data-- see what there is. 1421 01:16:11,108 --> 01:16:13,610 I don't think there would be any conflict 1422 01:16:13,611 --> 01:16:16,988 in the way that we look on our humanity. 1423 01:16:16,989 --> 01:16:20,158 What we would find is that God creates 1424 01:16:20,159 --> 01:16:23,995 intelligent life in a variety of ways. 1425 01:16:23,996 --> 01:16:27,207 And I think what we would learn from that is, 1426 01:16:27,208 --> 01:16:31,002 we can't restrict God to any one mode 1427 01:16:31,003 --> 01:16:33,546 of making intelligent life. 1428 01:16:33,547 --> 01:16:37,008 NARRATOR: The idea that intelligent life exists 1429 01:16:37,009 --> 01:16:40,011 elsewhere in the universe has been debated by 1430 01:16:40,012 --> 01:16:45,267 religious leaders, historians and scientists. 1431 01:16:45,268 --> 01:16:48,853 But not everyone agrees how its proof would affect 1432 01:16:48,854 --> 01:16:53,024 human spirituality or the many religious institutions. 1433 01:16:53,025 --> 01:16:55,193 PETERS: What would happen to our interpretation 1434 01:16:55,194 --> 01:16:58,154 of the Book of Genesis? 1435 01:16:58,155 --> 01:17:01,241 Well, the Book of Genesis looks at the universe 1436 01:17:01,242 --> 01:17:03,034 from the point of view of Earth. 1437 01:17:03,035 --> 01:17:06,663 We look at the sun, we look at the moon, we look at the stars. 1438 01:17:06,664 --> 01:17:10,625 So, to realize that the Earth is just 1439 01:17:10,626 --> 01:17:15,714 one small, pale-blue dot in this immense universe, 1440 01:17:15,715 --> 01:17:19,718 I think it would only expand our interpretation of Genesis. 1441 01:17:19,719 --> 01:17:22,053 I don't think it would, uh, change it 1442 01:17:22,054 --> 01:17:23,847 in any fundamental way. 1443 01:17:23,848 --> 01:17:26,683 FULCO: It's an interesting question for Christianity 1444 01:17:26,684 --> 01:17:29,728 in general, since Christianity would teach that salvation 1445 01:17:29,729 --> 01:17:33,231 comes through Jesus, who was apparently an earthling. 1446 01:17:33,232 --> 01:17:36,318 Um, what do you do if there are people on Mars? 1447 01:17:36,319 --> 01:17:38,069 Are they saved? 1448 01:17:38,070 --> 01:17:42,073 According to our viewpoint, um, I don't know. 1449 01:17:42,074 --> 01:17:44,826 DAVIES: Christians have always had this problem 1450 01:17:44,827 --> 01:17:48,121 that if there are aliens out there, are they not to be saved? 1451 01:17:48,122 --> 01:17:50,081 It's not a problem for Jews. 1452 01:17:50,082 --> 01:17:52,834 Certainly not a problem for Buddhists or Hindus. 1453 01:17:52,835 --> 01:17:54,919 But Christians are in a particular fix. 1454 01:17:54,920 --> 01:17:57,130 For a very simple reason that Christianity alone 1455 01:17:57,131 --> 01:18:00,133 among the world's religions has an incarnation. 1456 01:18:00,134 --> 01:18:03,845 What they mean by that is that God became incarnate 1457 01:18:03,846 --> 01:18:08,099 in the form of Jesus Christ, in order to be the savior. 1458 01:18:10,102 --> 01:18:12,103 When you talk to Christians, they sort of say, 1459 01:18:12,104 --> 01:18:14,439 "Oh, well, there isn't a problem really because, you know, 1460 01:18:14,440 --> 01:18:17,567 "we've accommodated Galileo, we've accommodated Darwin. 1461 01:18:17,568 --> 01:18:19,694 Why can't we accommodate E.T.?" 1462 01:18:19,695 --> 01:18:21,363 Well, I think there's a big difference. 1463 01:18:23,449 --> 01:18:26,284 PAUL LEVINSON: I think science and religion have more in common 1464 01:18:26,285 --> 01:18:31,081 than perhaps the popular perception suggests. 1465 01:18:32,958 --> 01:18:35,126 On one hand, we have science, 1466 01:18:35,127 --> 01:18:37,879 which deals with reason and fact. 1467 01:18:37,880 --> 01:18:39,923 On the other hand, we have religion, 1468 01:18:39,924 --> 01:18:43,134 which deals with faith. 1469 01:18:43,135 --> 01:18:46,346 Science is an evolving proposition, 1470 01:18:46,347 --> 01:18:50,809 and what we know today will almost certainly be reformed 1471 01:18:50,810 --> 01:18:54,270 and maybe even replaced at some point in the future. 1472 01:18:54,271 --> 01:18:58,149 So, to think that science somehow provides the truth 1473 01:18:58,150 --> 01:19:01,111 in contrast to religion, I think is a mistake. 1474 01:19:01,112 --> 01:19:04,989 NARRATOR: While scientists and religious leaders 1475 01:19:04,990 --> 01:19:08,993 may still ponder the notion of aliens visiting Earth, 1476 01:19:08,994 --> 01:19:13,164 ancient astronaut theorists claim that the evidence exists 1477 01:19:13,165 --> 01:19:16,167 in plain sight around the world. 1478 01:19:16,168 --> 01:19:19,963 But if this theory was accepted, would we have to change 1479 01:19:19,964 --> 01:19:24,050 our beliefs about our knowledge, our history 1480 01:19:24,051 --> 01:19:27,554 and the very beginnings of human civilization? 1481 01:19:36,188 --> 01:19:38,189 For thousands of years, 1482 01:19:38,190 --> 01:19:41,443 humans have recorded events that seem to suggest 1483 01:19:41,444 --> 01:19:47,323 other-worldly beings came down from the skies to visit Earth. 1484 01:19:47,324 --> 01:19:51,578 These ancient visitations represent the foundations 1485 01:19:51,579 --> 01:19:54,539 of those who believe Earth was visited in the past 1486 01:19:54,540 --> 01:19:57,876 by advanced beings from other planets. 1487 01:19:57,877 --> 01:20:00,879 These sightings are also said to explain 1488 01:20:00,880 --> 01:20:04,048 many mysteries surrounding our past. 1489 01:20:04,049 --> 01:20:06,968 ERICH V. DANIKEN: The most important was religion. 1490 01:20:06,969 --> 01:20:10,555 The gods have descended to our ancestors' time. 1491 01:20:10,556 --> 01:20:13,558 Now it enters into the holy books, into mythology. 1492 01:20:13,559 --> 01:20:17,604 Now, later, people try-- reason the people try 1493 01:20:17,605 --> 01:20:20,356 to understand this, they make out religions of it. 1494 01:20:20,357 --> 01:20:22,650 But the core is 1495 01:20:22,651 --> 01:20:24,611 extraterrestrials have come here. 1496 01:20:24,612 --> 01:20:27,238 That was the beginning of all the big religions. 1497 01:20:29,617 --> 01:20:33,119 There are two main components why we are 1498 01:20:33,120 --> 01:20:35,705 who we are today as a species. 1499 01:20:35,706 --> 01:20:40,418 One, someone tampered with our genetic makeup, 1500 01:20:40,419 --> 01:20:44,214 and two, technology. 1501 01:20:44,215 --> 01:20:49,260 Because all of a sudden, we were doing and building things 1502 01:20:49,261 --> 01:20:53,598 that we would still have difficulties recreating today. 1503 01:20:56,435 --> 01:20:59,270 And the ancient texts are very clear 1504 01:20:59,271 --> 01:21:03,149 that many of our achievements in the past 1505 01:21:03,150 --> 01:21:06,486 happened due to a direct intervention 1506 01:21:06,487 --> 01:21:10,949 of extraterrestrials that arrived from the skies. 1507 01:21:12,868 --> 01:21:16,829 NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists also cite as evidence 1508 01:21:16,830 --> 01:21:18,748 the amazing similarities between 1509 01:21:18,749 --> 01:21:22,502 isolated cultures all over the planet. 1510 01:21:22,503 --> 01:21:25,713 Why did different civilizations build immense 1511 01:21:25,714 --> 01:21:29,425 megalithic structures to honor otherworldly beings? 1512 01:21:29,426 --> 01:21:32,762 Why do so many ancient texts 1513 01:21:32,763 --> 01:21:37,767 seem to reference men flying in the sky? 1514 01:21:37,768 --> 01:21:42,063 And why do the ancient Egyptians, Hopi Indians 1515 01:21:42,064 --> 01:21:44,482 and the Dogon tribe of North Africa 1516 01:21:44,483 --> 01:21:47,652 all believe their ancestors came from 1517 01:21:47,653 --> 01:21:50,989 what we know as the constellation Sirius? 1518 01:21:50,990 --> 01:21:52,991 TSOUKALOS: If the extraterrestrials wanted 1519 01:21:52,992 --> 01:21:57,328 to leave behind a message of where they came from, 1520 01:21:57,329 --> 01:22:00,873 then it would serve them very well 1521 01:22:00,874 --> 01:22:05,336 to build those structures with a reference 1522 01:22:05,337 --> 01:22:08,006 to their location of origin. 1523 01:22:08,007 --> 01:22:12,218 So, if we have connections to the Sirius star system, 1524 01:22:12,219 --> 01:22:16,347 well, it would lend us to believe that here we have 1525 01:22:16,348 --> 01:22:19,350 a reference of where they might come from. 1526 01:22:22,896 --> 01:22:25,356 NARRATOR: The question of extraterrestrial life 1527 01:22:25,357 --> 01:22:28,735 is as old as civilization itself. 1528 01:22:28,736 --> 01:22:33,364 Ancient astronaut theorists, as well as many noted scientists, 1529 01:22:33,365 --> 01:22:37,910 point to the immense size of the universe and concede 1530 01:22:37,911 --> 01:22:43,374 that other beings must exist somewhere else besides Earth. 1531 01:22:43,375 --> 01:22:46,252 But the question remains: 1532 01:22:46,253 --> 01:22:49,547 Did aliens visit us in the past? 1533 01:22:49,548 --> 01:22:51,716 And is it happening again? 1534 01:22:53,761 --> 01:22:56,638 The way we look at history is very fragile. 1535 01:22:56,639 --> 01:22:59,140 Any discovery, which is made somewhere, 1536 01:22:59,141 --> 01:23:01,392 can change the way we look upon history. 1537 01:23:01,393 --> 01:23:06,397 I think if we were to identify that an alien presence 1538 01:23:06,398 --> 01:23:09,192 has been here on Earth in the past, 1539 01:23:09,193 --> 01:23:12,153 I think there are two very important questions. 1540 01:23:12,154 --> 01:23:16,032 Did E.T. just come by and visit, and then disappear? 1541 01:23:16,033 --> 01:23:20,161 Or did actually E.T. come, stay and contribute to civilization? 1542 01:23:22,164 --> 01:23:24,374 I think the second one is far more important, 1543 01:23:24,375 --> 01:23:26,250 because it shows us far more. 1544 01:23:26,251 --> 01:23:30,088 It actually rewrites mankind's identity rather than 1545 01:23:30,089 --> 01:23:33,257 just whether or not, you know, some extraterrestrial being 1546 01:23:33,258 --> 01:23:35,051 came here on a holiday and then left 1547 01:23:35,052 --> 01:23:37,220 without really leaving something behind. 1548 01:23:37,221 --> 01:23:41,015 TSOUKALOS: In all of the ancient texts, 1549 01:23:41,016 --> 01:23:45,269 there is one thing that is very clear, 1550 01:23:45,270 --> 01:23:50,108 and that is that these gods one day will return. 1551 01:23:52,986 --> 01:23:55,905 NARRATOR: But short of an alien spacecraft 1552 01:23:55,906 --> 01:23:58,032 landing on the White House lawn, 1553 01:23:58,033 --> 01:24:03,496 ancient astronaut theorists know there will always be skeptics. 1554 01:24:03,497 --> 01:24:05,248 PECKMAN: People are always looking for 1555 01:24:05,249 --> 01:24:07,458 an ultimate proof of the existence of 1556 01:24:07,459 --> 01:24:09,460 extraterrestrial intelligent beings. 1557 01:24:09,461 --> 01:24:14,424 But I think a more useful and honest question is: 1558 01:24:14,425 --> 01:24:19,470 How much and what kind of evidence would be enough for you 1559 01:24:19,471 --> 01:24:21,681 to believe that they're out there, 1560 01:24:21,682 --> 01:24:23,349 that they have been visiting us? 1561 01:24:23,350 --> 01:24:26,644 GRAHAM HANCOCK: I believe, through the experiences 1562 01:24:26,645 --> 01:24:29,439 that shamans have been documenting and reporting 1563 01:24:29,440 --> 01:24:33,359 for tens of thousands of years, that, uh, we are in contact 1564 01:24:33,360 --> 01:24:36,863 with entities and beings that are not of this Earth. 1565 01:24:36,864 --> 01:24:40,158 But precisely what those entities and beings are 1566 01:24:40,159 --> 01:24:42,493 remains to be established. 1567 01:24:42,494 --> 01:24:45,705 PITTMAN: There is evidence that indicates 1568 01:24:45,706 --> 01:24:48,499 that it's possible that humans were visited 1569 01:24:48,500 --> 01:24:50,626 by extraterrestrials in the distant past. 1570 01:24:50,627 --> 01:24:55,757 And if we are too quick to discard that possibility, 1571 01:24:55,758 --> 01:24:57,717 then we might be shutting ourselves out from something 1572 01:24:57,718 --> 01:24:59,969 that might be really fascinating and might take us 1573 01:24:59,970 --> 01:25:02,513 to a, to a next level that we can't even imagine. 1574 01:25:05,517 --> 01:25:07,477 DAVID CHILDRESS: It's very possible that 1575 01:25:07,478 --> 01:25:11,397 those extraterrestrials who've allegedly been coming here 1576 01:25:11,398 --> 01:25:14,484 for thousands of years, I mean, they are us. 1577 01:25:14,485 --> 01:25:15,902 They look like us. 1578 01:25:15,903 --> 01:25:19,906 And, in fact, that's part again of the Bible, 1579 01:25:19,907 --> 01:25:22,533 in that the God 1580 01:25:22,534 --> 01:25:25,995 or the gods created us in their image. 1581 01:25:25,996 --> 01:25:30,917 I mean, we are to be like them. 1582 01:25:30,918 --> 01:25:32,543 We are to look like them. 1583 01:25:32,544 --> 01:25:36,547 We are to have the technology they have. 1584 01:25:36,548 --> 01:25:39,550 We're to go into space, just like they did. 1585 01:25:42,513 --> 01:25:45,014 I think there is life, simple life, bacterial life, 1586 01:25:45,015 --> 01:25:46,891 microbial life on other planets. 1587 01:25:46,892 --> 01:25:48,684 I think we're going to find that. 1588 01:25:48,685 --> 01:25:50,561 And who knows? 1589 01:25:50,562 --> 01:25:53,564 Maybe one day we'll find some other planet 1590 01:25:53,565 --> 01:25:57,527 that's capable of sustaining life that has evolved people 1591 01:25:57,528 --> 01:26:00,446 over a long period of time that are also looking up 1592 01:26:00,447 --> 01:26:02,949 at the stars, wondering: Is there anybody else out there? 1593 01:26:02,950 --> 01:26:04,534 Are we the only ones? 1594 01:26:04,535 --> 01:26:07,995 TSOUKALOS: We are a species of explorers. 1595 01:26:07,996 --> 01:26:11,582 So, ultimately, we will come across 1596 01:26:11,583 --> 01:26:15,586 some other type of intelligence. 1597 01:26:15,587 --> 01:26:17,588 And when that happens, 1598 01:26:17,589 --> 01:26:21,634 if that society, technologically speaking, 1599 01:26:21,635 --> 01:26:26,013 is primitive, we'll become ancient astronauts 1600 01:26:26,014 --> 01:26:27,598 with that culture. 1601 01:26:29,601 --> 01:26:32,603 HANCOCK: Human history has become too much a matter 1602 01:26:32,604 --> 01:26:36,607 of dogma, uh, taught by professionals 1603 01:26:36,608 --> 01:26:40,820 in ivory towers, as though it's all fact. 1604 01:26:40,821 --> 01:26:43,489 Actually, much of human history is up for grabs. 1605 01:26:43,490 --> 01:26:45,283 The further back you go, 1606 01:26:45,284 --> 01:26:47,952 the more that the history that's taught in the schools 1607 01:26:47,953 --> 01:26:50,663 and universities begins to look like some kind of fairy story. 1608 01:26:52,749 --> 01:26:56,210 BAUVAL: We have logic, we have intuition, we have our senses. 1609 01:26:56,211 --> 01:26:57,628 And to limit ourselves 1610 01:26:57,629 --> 01:26:59,630 through the scientific route is a mistake. 1611 01:26:59,631 --> 01:27:02,466 We can send people on the moon, 1612 01:27:02,467 --> 01:27:07,680 we can plan journeys to Mars, we can make cell phones. 1613 01:27:07,681 --> 01:27:11,225 But we haven't explained the fundamental questions 1614 01:27:11,226 --> 01:27:12,685 that we should be dealing with. 1615 01:27:12,686 --> 01:27:15,646 Where do we come from? 1616 01:27:15,647 --> 01:27:18,190 What are we supposed to do here? 1617 01:27:18,191 --> 01:27:19,901 And where are we going? 1618 01:27:19,902 --> 01:27:23,696 We really have not come with the answers, and we know no better 1619 01:27:23,697 --> 01:27:26,449 than the ancients that we're trying to explain. 1620 01:27:26,450 --> 01:27:30,661 TSOUKALOS: Exploring the ancient astronaut theory is 1621 01:27:30,662 --> 01:27:35,666 the ultimate quest to find out: Where did we come from? 1622 01:27:35,667 --> 01:27:37,877 How did it all begin? 1623 01:27:37,878 --> 01:27:41,881 And most importantly, who are we? 1624 01:27:41,882 --> 01:27:44,675 And the ancient astronaut theory 1625 01:27:44,676 --> 01:27:49,680 has the capability of answering all those questions.