Original subtitles

NICE!

IF WE WENT FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?

Narrator: EVEN THOUGH AMERICA CELEBRATES BEING THE FIRST

TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON...

Man: WE WOULD HAVE NEVER MET KENNEDY'S DEADLINE

OF REACHING THERE AND RETURNING BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

Narrator: ...CONSPIRACY THEORISTS ARGUE

THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD HAVE DONE IT.

IN '69, WE LANDED ON THE MOON.

NASA STANDS FOR "NEVER A STRAIGHT ANSWER."

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN HOLLYWOOD WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS?

AND THEY SAY THAT SCIENCE IS ON THEIR SIDE.

Man #2: Fire in the spacecraft.

Narrator: GROUND ZERO OF THE CONSPIRACY, THE APOLLO 1 FIRE.

WAS IT SET ON PURPOSE?

THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ADEQUATE EXPLANATION

FOR HOW THE FIRE STARTED.

OR PART OF A MASSIVE COVER-UP?

WAS THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF A SAFETY INSPECTOR

WHO TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS

PROOF THAT NASA WASN'T READY TO LAND ON THE MOON?

THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE HERE.

IS IT A COVER-UP OR NOT?

Bara: IT RAISES THE BIGGER CONSPIRACY QUESTION --

WAS NASA REALLY READY TO GO TO THE MOON?

Narrator: A FORMER FBI AGENT,

A CONSPIRACY THEORIST AND FORMER AEROSPACE CONSULTANT,

AND AN AMERICAN ASTRONAUT ARE INVESTIGATING.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪

Jenkins: WHEN CONSPIRACY THEORISTS CLAIM WE NEVER LANDED ON THE MOON,

A BIG PART OF THEIR ARGUMENT IS THAT WE JUST DIDN'T

HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, SO NASA FAKED IT.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE STARTING OUR INVESTIGATION,

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SPACE RACE.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1962.

JOHN F. KENNEDY MADE ONE OF THE MOST

FAMOUS SPEECHES OF HIS PRESIDENCY.

We choose to go to the Moon in this decade

and do the other things.

Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

THE SOVIETS HAD ALREADY LAUNCHED THE FIRST PERSON INTO SPACE.

THE SPACE RACE WAS ON. YEAH, AND WE WERE BEHIND.

Bara: KENNEDY GAVE HIS "WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON" SPEECH

AT RICE UNIVERSITY MORE THAN A YEAR

AFTER THE SOVIETS PUT THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE.

WE HAVE VOWED THAT WE SHALL NOT SEE IT GOVERNED

BY A HOSTILE FLAG OF CONQUEST.

HE WAS NEVER A PRESIDENT WHO ROMANTICIZED SPACE

AS THE GLORIOUS FINAL FRONTIER,

BUT HE WAS AN INTENSE COLD WARRIOR WHO WAS OBSESSED

WITH BESTING THE SOVIETS.

We shall not see space

filled with weapons of mass destruction,

but with instruments of knowledge.

Bara: NASA'S CHALLENGES ONLY BEGAN WITH JFK SETTING

AN AGGRESSIVE TIME LINE FOR A MOON LANDING.

THEY DID NOT END THERE.

FIGURING OUT HOW TO DESIGN AND BUILD A ROCKET POWERFUL ENOUGH

YET LIGHT ENOUGH TO SAFELY CARRY A PAYLOAD

THAT INCLUDED ASTRONAUTS ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON WAS JOB ONE.

THEN THEY NEED TO DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY

TO LAND ON THE LUNAR SURFACE SAFELY.

IT WAS A HUGE UNDERTAKING,

EVEN CALCULATING THE AMOUNT OF FUEL NECESSARY

TO LEAVE THE MOON, TRAVEL NEARLY A QUARTER OF A MILLION MILES

THROUGH THE SUPER BURN OF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE,

AND SOMEHOW, SPLASH DOWN SAFELY.

THEY HAD NONE OF THIS FIGURED OUT IN 1962.

♪

THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO IF NASA WANTED

TO GET A MAN ON THE MOON.

GUYS, I CAN TELL YOU THIS --

IN MY OPINION, AMERICA HAS NEVER DONE

A BIGGER TECHNOLOGICAL QUEST AS GOING TO THE MOON.

Melvin: OKAY. SO THE TIMING WAS VERY AMBITIOUS,

BUT EVENTUALLY, WE DID IT.

AND THAT'S WHY I'M SO PROUD

OF MY NASA BROTHERS AND SISTERS PULLING IT OFF.

Bara: I'M JUST NOT BUYING IT.

IN 1963, THE MOST POWERFUL SUPER COMPUTERS IN THE WORLD

TOOK UP ENTIRE ROOMS.

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN SUCH A QUANTUM LEAP IN TECHNOLOGY

TO MEET KENNEDY'S DEADLINE.

Man: Ignition.

Lift off.

Good lift off, 8.

LOOK, WE HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE SOVIETS,

BUT NASA WAS MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS.

YOU HAVE THE SIX MANNED MERCURY MISSIONS,

19 GEMINI LAUNCHES, AND THEN COMES THE APOLLO PROGRAM.

THE APOLLO PROGRAM WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING

THAT AEROSPACE ENGINEERS AT NASA HAD DONE BEFORE.

NOT ONLY WAS IT THEIR FIRST THREE-MAN MISSION,

BUT ITS MAIN GOAL WAS TO GET THEM TO LAND SAFELY ON THE MOON.

Man: 1965, then, is a year of training,

fabrication, assembly, and test for Project Apollo.

Melvin: AT ITS PEAK, NASA EMPLOYED CLOSE TO HALF A MILLION PEOPLE

FOR THE APOLLO PROGRAM,

AND REQUIRED THE HELP OF OVER 20,000 INDUSTRIAL FIRMS

AND UNIVERSITIES TO HELP WITH THE PROJECT.

Man: Ignition.

Lift off.

Jenkins: AMERICA WAS HOOKED ON THE SPACE PROGRAM,

AND THE APOLLO PROJECT SEEMED TOO BIG TO FAIL.

BUT THEN IN JANUARY 1967,

WEEKS BEFORE THE FIRST APOLLO MISSION, TRAGEDY STRIKES.

♪

Herlihy: Apollo astronauts Roger Chaffee, Edward White,

and Gus Grissom lose their lives

in a tragic flash fire aboard their grounded space capsule.

The entire three-man crew was engulfed by flames.

A blue-ribbon panel of space experts is investigating.

Jenkins: THE REVIEW-BOARD REPORT CLAIMS COOLANT LEAKED

ON LIVE FRAYED WIRES, CAUSING A FIRE IN THE CAPSULE.

Bara: IT'S ONE THING TO LOSE ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE,

BUT THIS WAS A TEST ON THE GROUND.

IT SEEMS AS THOUGH POLITICAL PRESSURE TO GET TO THE MOON

IN THE HEIGHT OF THE SPACE RACE

MIGHT HAVE LED NASA OFFICIALS TO OVERLOOK

SOME SAFETY CONCERNS IN FAVOR OF BEATING RUSSIA TO THE MOON.

THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS FROM THE ASTRONAUTS THEMSELVES.

THIS IS ACTUAL AUDIO OF GUS GRISSOM,

ONE OF THE THREE APOLLO 1 ASTRONAUTS,

DURING A TEST PRIOR TO THE FIRE.

♪

HOW CAN WE GET TO THE MOON IF WE CAN'T EVEN TALK

BETWEEN TWO BUILDINGS?

THE APOLLO 1 CAPSULE WAS A BRAND-NEW VEHICLE,

AND NOT A MODIFIED VERSION OF GEMINI.

IT HAD LOTS OF ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT, ASSEMBLY,

AND TESTING, AND IT'S BEEN DOCUMENTED.

GRISSOM WAS VERY VOCAL ABOUT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE SPACECRAFT

AND COMPLAINED A LOT TO THE HIGHER UPS

THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT READY.

AT ONE POINT, HE TOLD HIS WIFE

IF THERE'S EVER A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN THE PROGRAM,

IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE ME.

YEAH, THEY DEFINITELY HAD SOME COMMUNICATION ISSUES.

LOOK, IT WAS JUST GROWING PAINS AT NASA.

IT RAISES THE BIGGER CONSPIRACY QUESTION --

WAS NASA REALLY READY TO GO TO THE MOON?

NASA COULDN'T BEAT THE SOVIETS AND THEY JUST WEREN'T READY,

SO THEY HAD TO BUY SOME TIME AND FAKE THE MOON LANDING.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT, MANY OF THE ASTRONAUTS

WOULD NEVER HAVE GONE ALONG

WITH A PLAN TO FAKE THE MOON LANDING,

SO EXTREME CONSPIRACY THEORISTS WILL TELL YOU THAT

NASA SET THE FIRE ON PURPOSE IN AN EFFORT TO SILENCE THEM.

THESE CONSPIRACY PEOPLE REALLY ANNOY ME.

THEY ACCUSE NASA OF THIS MOON-LANDING HOAX.

IT'S OUTRAGEOUS, IT'S UNPATRIOTIC.

AS AN ASTRONAUT, THIS REALLY ANNOYS THE HELL OUT OF ME.

I THINK WE'RE MISSING THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE,

WHICH IS THE FIRE.

THERE'S NEVER BEEN AN ADEQUATE EXPLANATION

ON HOW THE FIRE STARTED.

AND I THINK THAT IS WHAT HAS PUSHED ALL THESE SUSPICIONS.

SO THAT'S WHERE WE START -- WE RECREATE THE FIRE

TO SEE IF THE OFFICIAL STORY HOLDS UP.

WE HAVE A TEAM IN PLACE TO TEST THE CONDITIONS

THAT MAY HAVE LED TO THAT FIRE.

LET'S DO IT.

Melvin: WE ARE HERE AT THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE,

TO MEET WITH INVESTIGATORS WHO SPECIALIZE

IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY

AT HIGH PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES.

Jenkins: WE WANT TO SEE IF WE CAN RECREATE THE APOLLO 1 FIRE,

AND IF NASA'S CLAIM THAT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT IS TRUE.

HEY, MIKE. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU.

-PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. -ME TOO.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS A REALLY SERIOUS THING.

AS AN ASTRONAUT MYSELF, WE ALWAYS SHUDDER WHEN WE THINK

ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE A FIRE IN A VEHICLE.

WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT

WHAT DID HAPPEN IN THE APOLLO 1 FIRE.

WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO IS

TO TEST THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE NASA INVESTIGATION

BY RECREATING THE CONDITIONS AND THE EVENTS

THAT THEY SUGGEST LED TO THE FIRE.

SO, WE HAVE A FLASK THAT REPLICATES THE CAPSULE.

WE ARE PUMPING PURE OXYGEN INTO THE FLASK.

WE'VE PRODUCED A REPLICATION OF THE COOLANT

THAT THEY USED IN THE SPACECRAFT AT THAT TIME.

IT'S A MIXTURE OF WATER AND ETHYLENE GLYCOL.

WE HAVE VELCRO, WHICH IS FLAMMABLE.

WE HAVE WIRES, WHICH HAVE BEEN INTENTIONALLY FRAYED.

THE WIRES ARE GONNA BE AT 28 VOLTS.

THEY'RE LIVE, LIKE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE CAPSULE.

AND WE'RE GONNA DRIP THIS SOLUTION ONTO OUR LIVE WIRES,

AND WE'RE GONNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

NOW WE'LL SEAL THE TOP.

THE TOP IS SEALED.

AND WE'LL DISPLACE THE AIR WITH THE OXYGEN.

JOE'S GONNA CONNECT THE WIRES TO THE POWER SOURCE.

Jenkins: THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

WE'LL HAVE OUR ANSWER WHEN THE COOLANT HITS THE LIVE WIRE.

All: OH.

Bara: IT WAS ALMOST THE PERFECT STORM.

WE WERE NOT ACTUALLY READY TO GO TO THE MOON.

Jenkins: WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE ASTRONAUTS COULDN'T ESCAPE.

TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR WOULD BE LIKE TRYING TO DEAD-LIFT A CAR.

GEEZ.

♪

♪

Melvin: WE ARE HERE AT THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE,

ATTEMPTING TO RECREATE THE CONDITIONS

THAT COULD HAVE LED TO THE APOLLO 1 FIRE.

Walter: SO JOE IS PUTTING A DROP OR TWO

OF THE COOLANT MIXTURE ONTO THE WIRES.

JOE IS GONNA CONNECT THE WIRES TO THE POWER SOURCE.

AND WE'RE READY TO GO.

Jenkins: NASA SAID THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY A COMBUSTIBLE COOLANT

THAT WAS DROPPING ON FRAYED WIRES

IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF PURE OXYGEN.

WE ARE NOW GETTING A CHANCE TO SEE WITH OUR OWN EYES

WHETHER IS ACTUALLY BELIEVABLE.

AND ON THIS METER HERE, THIS IS MEASURING THE CURRENT.

AND WHEN THE OXIDATION REACTION BEGINS,

THIS CURRENT WILL BEGIN TO GO UP.

Jenkins: IF WE SEE A SPARK OR FLAME AT THIS POINT,

IT MEANS NASA'S EXPLANATION OF THE FIRE IS LEGITIMATE.

Walter: AND TYPICALLY WE CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF BUBBLING

AND A LITTLE BIT OF -- AND THERE'S SOME SMOKE.

THERE'S SMOKE RIGHT NOW.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE CURRENT IS GOING UP.

LOTS OF SMOKE. -LOTS OF SMOKE.

OPE, I SAW A SPARK.

YEAH, THERE'S A SPARK, THERE'S SPARKS.

-THERE'S FLAME, YEAH. -THERE WE GO.

THERE WE GO. -WOW.

-AND IT'S BIG. -WHOA.

-OHH. -WOW.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE REACTION WITH THE OXYGEN.

WOW.

AND THAT'S JUST FROM THE VELCRO.

Walter: IT'S JUST THE VELCRO AND THE WIRES.

-A LITTLE TINY PIECE OF VELCRO. -A LITTLE TINY PIECE.

-IT WAS LIKE A TORCH. -AND IT'S CONTINUING.

Melvin: THIS IS IT.

SO, THAT BLACK SMOKE COMES FROM THE PLASTIC BURNING, RIGHT?

YEAH. THAT'S ALL THE RUBBER AND PLASTIC.

AND YOU SAW, ONCE THE VELCRO STARTED,

IT WENT UP VERY QUICKLY.

Bara: BY WITNESSING THE TEST MYSELF, I CAN SEE THAT THE APOLLO 1 FIRE

WAS PROBABLY AN ACCIDENT.

THE CAPSULE WAS FULL OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS,

ESPECIALLY FABRIC AND VELCRO.

THIS IS JUST BAD ENGINEERING.

IT WAS NOT SOME ATTEMPT BY NASA TO SILENCE THE ASTRONAUTS.

BUT IT DOES REINFORCE MY BELIEF THAT WE WERE NOT

ACTUALLY READY TO GO TO THE MOON IN 1967.

ALRIGHT.

OH, YEAH. YEAH, IT'S CHARRED.

LOOK AT THAT. BURNT TO A CRISP.

THERE WAS NEVER ANY DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS EXPERIMENT

WOULD CONFIRM NASA'S OFFICIAL REPORT.

BECAUSE OF THIS DISASTER, ENGINEERS TOOK WHAT THEY LEARNED

FROM THE FIRE AND REMOVED FABRICS

AND OTHER COMBUSTIBLES FROM FUTURE CAPSULE DESIGNS.

SEPARATELY, IT WAS ALL HARMLESS,

BUT COMBINED, UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS,

IT WAS BASICALLY A BOMB.

IT WAS ALMOST THE PERFECT STORM, RIGHT?

♪

Jenkins: THIS IS A PLAUSIBLE, YOU KNOW REASON WHY THE FIRE HAPPENED.

THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING WHICH WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT.

AND THEY HAD LOTS OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.

AND I THINK THINKING ABOUT A DRIPPING BIT OF COOLANT

ONTO A BARE WIRE WASN'T ONE OF THEM.

IT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE

THAT THESE PIONEERS HAD TO GIVE THEIR LIVES

SO THAT NASA COULD LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES.

NOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE FIRE COULD HAVE STARTED,

WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE ASTRONAUTS COULDN'T ESCAPE.

THE SECOND PART OF THE CONSPIRACY THEORY

SURROUNDING THE APOLLO 1 CAPSULE IS THE HATCH DESIGN.

SOME ARGUE THAT IN THE RUSH TO GET TO THE MOON,

KEY FEATURES WERE OVERLOOKED.

THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE APOLLO 1 FIRE CONCLUDED THAT

BECAUSE THE CAPSULE DOOR OPENED INWARDS,

COMBINED WITH EXTREME CABIN PRESSURE,

THAT THE CREW HAD NO CHANCE OF FORCING THE HATCH OPEN

AND ESCAPING.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS BELIEVE THAT NASA KNEW

ABOUT THESE DESIGN FLAWS,

BUT THEY WERE SO INTENT ON BEATING THE SOVIETS TO THE MOON

THAT THEY PUSHED AHEAD AND PUT THE APOLLO 1 CREW IN DANGER.

♪

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATION ]

♪

Jenkins: ART, HOW'S IT GOIN'?

SINCE THE ORIGINAL APOLLO 1 INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED

THAT THE CREW HAD NO CHANCE OF FORCING THE HATCH OPEN

AND ESCAPING, WE'VE GOT A BUILD TEAM READY TO SIMULATE

THE PRESSURE INSIDE THE CAPSULE.

ART WILINKSKI IS A MASTER SET FABRICATOR AND BUILDER.

I TURN TO HIM WHEN I NEED TO RECREATE EVIDENCE

IN MY INVESTIGATIONS.

HE'S GOING TO ATTEMPT TO SHOW US

SIMPLY WHY THE ASTRONAUTS COULDN'T OPEN THE HATCH

AND GET OUT OF THE BURNING CAPSULE.

CAN YOU KIND OF EXPLAIN THIS SIMPLE MECHANISM THAT YOU HAVE,

THAT WE CAN KIND OF TEST THE PRESSURE?

THE PRESSURE WAS PHENOMENAL, CONSIDERING THE PRESSURE

INSIDE THE CAPSULE CABIN PUSHING THE DOOR CLOSED

VERSUS THE AIR PRESSURE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAPSULE.

IT WAS JUST -- IT WAS MASSIVE.

THE NET PRESSURE ON THE DOOR WAS TWO POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH.

HOW MUCH PRESSURE IS THAT IN PRACTICAL TERMS?

GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE DOOR, THAT ADDS UP TO WELL OVER

A TON OF FORCE HOLDING THE DOOR CLOSED.

TRYING TO OPEN IT UP WOULD BE LIKE TRYING TO DEAD-LIFT A CAR.

GEEZ. IT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE.

I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING REALLY SIMPLE

TO ILLUSTRATE THE POINT, RIGHT?

SO, EVERYBODY'S GOT A DOOR IN THEIR HOUSE.

I MADE IT SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT EVEN JUST 1,000 POUNDS

OF PRESSURE IS LIKE.

RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT RIGGED UP.

YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF PRESSURE IN THERE.

THERE'S PROBABLY 14,

15 POUNDS OF PRESSURE ON THERE, THE WAY IT'S RIGGED.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE.

I'LL TRY THAT TURN. OKAY.

RIGHT? BUT EVEN THAT IS QUITE A BIT.

BUT IF WE THROW THIS DEAD BOLT...

THEY DIDN'T JUST HAVE ONE BOLT IN THE DOOR, THEY HAD SIX.

AND THEY NEEDED A WRENCH TO DO IT.

SO THE DEAD BOLT REPRESENTS THE SIX BOLTS IN THE HATCH,

TO SHOW US THE PRESSURE OF EVEN OPENING UP ONE WITH THE WRENCH.

AND IF WE START THE WRAP BEHIND THE DOOR,

YOU'RE PUTTING 50 POUNDS OF FORCE THERE.

HERE'S ANOTHER 50.

HERE'S ANOTHER 50.

SO EVERY WRAP IS ADDING PRESSURE.

EVERY WRAP IS PROBABLY ABOUT 50 POUNDS.

I'LL TRY TO MAKE 10 WRAPS.

AH, GEEZ.

I TUNED IT UP A LITTLE BIT.

IF YOU GIVE IT A TRY...

I AM GONNA STAND ASIDE WHILE YOU ATTEMPT TO OPEN THIS DOOR.

OKAY? -ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT. I'LL GO FOR IT FIRST.

Melvin: WOW. IS IT BUDGING?

NAH. NO.

IT'S YOUR TURN.

LET ME TRY.

[ GRUNTS ]

OKAY.

YOU CAN'T TOUCH IT.

WHAT IF ONE OF US PULLS ON IT?

SO, I'LL PULL THE HANDLE. YOU TAKE THE...

LET'S TRY TO PULL IT BACK.

[ BOTH GROANING ]

AND THIS IS PROBABLY 1/40th

OF WHAT THE FORCE THEY WERE EXPERIENCING, YEAH.

Melvin: THIS WAS A REHEARSAL FOR THE LAUNCH,

SO THE CAPSULE WAS COMPLETELY SEALED

LIKE IT WOULD BE IN OUTER SPACE.

SO THE INTENSITY OF THE FIRE,

FED BY THE PURE-OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT,

CAUSED THE PRESSURE TO SKYROCKET.

THAT'S WHY THE ASTRONAUTS HAD NO CHANCE TO ESCAPE.

JUST, REALLY BAD FOR MY ASTRONAUT BUDDIES IN THERE.

Jenkins: YOU KNOW, THIS TEST DEMONSTRATED

THAT THE APOLLO 1 ASTRONAUTS REALLY HAD NO CHANCE OF ESCAPE.

BUT I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE

TO REACH OUR ULTIMATE GOAL WITHOUT THEIR SACRIFICE.

IT MAKES ME THINK OF WHAT THOSE MEN

ENDURED FOR THE UNITED STATES

IN ORDER TO GET OURSELVES TO THE MOON FIRST.

TRUE HEROES AND PATRIOTS.

Bara: THEY WERE CALLING IT A SPACE RACE,

AND THEY WERE RACING SO FAST THEY DROPPED THE BALL

ON BASIC ELEMENTS LIKE PRESSURIZATION AND A DOOR LATCH.

SO THERE'S NO WAY THEY WERE EVEN CLOSE TO FIGURING OUT

ORBITAL METHODS, CALCULATING FUEL REQUIREMENTS,

OR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF RE-ENTRY.

THIS IS FODDER FOR SO MANY CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

THEY JUST WEREN'T READY IN 1967, AND THEY WEREN'T READY IN 1969.

NONE OF THIS MEANS THAT NASA WASN'T CAPABLE

OF SENDING MEN TO THE MOON.

IN FACT, WHAT THEY LEARNED FROM APOLLO 1

PUT THEM ONE STEP CLOSER.

BASED ON THIS TRAGEDY,

THE HATCH DOOR WAS IMPROVED FOR FUTURE MISSIONS

SO IT COULD BE MORE EASILY OPENED IN EMERGENCIES.

MY ASTRONAUT BROTHERS PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE

FOR THE LOVE OF THEIR COUNTRY, BUT IT WAS NOT IN VAIN.

Narrator: DID A NASA SAFETY INSPECTOR TRY TO WARN THE WORLD

THAT THEY WEREN'T READY TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON?

AND WAS HIS UNTIMELY DEATH AN ACCIDENT?

OR A COVER-UP?

WHO WASHES THEIR CAR 20 MINUTES BEFORE THEY GO COMMIT SUICIDE?

THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE HERE.

♪

♪

OUR FIRE AND DOOR TESTS CONFIRMED THAT

NASA'S EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED

IN THE APOLLO 1 DISASTER IS CREDIBLE,

BUT CLEARLY PROVED THAT NASA HAD A LOT OF WORK TO DO

BEFORE PUTTING A MAN ON THE MOON.

EVEN IF THOSE ASTRONAUTS DIED BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT,

THERE ARE STILL CONSPIRACY THEORIES

THAT NASA WOULD STOP AT NOTHING TO SILENCE DISSENT OR CRITICISM.

Jenkins: EVEN BEFORE THE APOLLO 1 DISASTER,

DID YOU KNOW THAT CONCERNS WERE BEING RAISED WITHIN NASA ITSELF?

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THOMAS RONALD BARON?

FROM SEPTEMBER OF 1965 UNTIL NOVEMBER OF 1966,

BARON WAS A MISSILE PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTOR

IN THE QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT

OF NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION, THE COMPANY IN CHARGE

OF BUILDING THE APOLLO 1 COMMAND MODULE.

DURING THAT TIME, HE KEPT NOTES ON WHAT HE PERCEIVED

AS FLAWS IN THE PROJECT

AND SUBMITTED HIS 55-PAGE REPORT TO NASA AT THE END OF 1966.

Jenkins: BARON FELT IGNORED BY HIS SUPERIORS,

SO HE DELIBERATELY LEAKED THIS REPORT TO THE PRESS,

FORCING NORTH AMERICAN AVIATION TO FIRE HIM ON JANUARY 5, 1967.

LESS THAN A MONTH LATER, THE TRAGEDY HE PREDICTED

TOOK THE LIVES OF THREE AMERICAN HEROES.

ON APRIL 21, 1967,

BARON TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS ABOUT HIS FINDINGS,

BRINGING WITH HIM A NEW AND MORE DETAILED 500-PAGE REPORT.

Bara: BARON'S APPEARANCE BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE LASTED HOURS.

AT THE VERY START, HE SPOKE OF WHAT HE CALLED

"EXTENSIVE PROBLEMS" AT NORTH AMERICAN CONCERNING SAFETY.

I HAVE A TRANSCRIPT OF HIS HEARING,

AND AT ONE POINT, HE'S ASKED WHAT HE WOULD CONSIDER

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF HIS POINTS.

SO, READING FROM THE REPORT, HE SAYS, "I MEAN,

IF I WERE TO WRITE A LETTER ABOUT A PARTICULAR INSTANCE

OR A FIRE OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS,

OR SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE HAD,

AND TRY TO GET IT UP THROUGH CHANNELS,

IT WOULD BE STOPPED ALONG THE WAY.

THIS HAS OCCURRED."

AND AT THE END OF HIS TESTIMONY,

WHEN ASKED IF HE'D LIKE TO MAKE ANY FINAL STATEMENTS,

HE SAYS HE'D LIKE TO SUBMIT AS PART OF THE RECORD

HIS 500-PAGE REPORT.

SO THEY TELL HIM, WE CAN'T TAKE IT AS AN EXHIBIT.

WHETHER WE PRINT IT AS PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD

IS SOMETHING WE WILL DECIDE AFTER WE SEE IT.

ONLY ONE WEEK AFTER TESTIFYING, THE GUY IS DEAD.

BARON AND HIS FAMILY WERE KILLED WHEN THEIR CAR STRUCK A TREE.

THE 500-PAGE REPORT WAS NEVER MADE PUBLIC AND HAS DISAPPEARED.

MAYBE HE WAS DISGRUNTLED.

HE DIES SUDDENLY, WHICH I FIND VERY, VERY SUSPICIOUS.

IN THE CONSPIRACY COMMUNITY, BARON IS A LEGEND

FOR TAKING ON NASA,

AND I BELIEVE HE WAS SILENCED.

I'M SURE THIS IS GONNA BE HARD FOR LELAND TO HEAR,

BUT THE SPACE PROGRAM HAD ITS FLAWS.

Melvin: TO BE HONEST, AS AN ASTRONAUT, IT REALLY PAINS ME

THAT WE HAVE TO INVESTIGATE HIS DEATH AS A CONSPIRACY.

I DON'T REMOTELY BELIEVE IT.

AND IT'S ACTUALLY VERY OFFENSIVE.

BUT I'LL DO THIS TO PUT THIS CONSPIRACY NONSENSE TO BED.

WE NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE DEATH OF THOMAS BARON

AND DETERMINE IF THERE WAS ANY FOUL PLAY.

IF THERE WAS, WE'RE BACK TO WONDERING WHETHER

NASA WAS COVERING UP THEIR LACK OF READINESS TO GO TO THE MOON.

UNTIL APOLLO 1, NASA HAD LOST ONLY THREE ASTRONAUTS,

AND ALL OF THEM ON JET-TRAINING FLIGHTS.

WE HAD TO BEAT THE SOVIETS AT ANY COST,

AND IF THE APOLLO 1 TRAGEDY WASN'T GONNA STOP NASA,

NEITHER WAS THOMAS BARON.

♪

Jenkins: I TRACKED DOWN A POTENTIAL SOURCE

WHO MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE US SOME INFO

ON THOMAS BARON'S DEATH.

JOURNALIST GARY CORSAIR.

HE'S INTERVIEWED BARON'S FAMILY, INTERVIEWED LOTS OF PEOPLE

THAT WERE IN THE SPACE PROGRAM EARLY ON.

Melvin: YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, LIKE, AN FBI GUY,

YOU KNOW, LIKE EXPERT AND ALL THAT, BUT...

HOW DO YOU KEEP FINDING ALL THESE PEOPLE, MAN?

WHAT'S YOUR SECRET?

LELAND, I LIKE YOU TOO MUCH, MAN.

IF I TOLD YOU, I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU.

♪

I THINK I SEE HIM.

HERE WE GO.

GARY? GOOD MORNING.

HEY. GOOD MORNING. CHAD JENKINS.

NICE TO MEET YOU, CHAD. THANKS FOR MEETING US.

LELAND MELVIN. HOW YOU DOIN'?

NICE TO MEET YOU, LELAND. HAVE A SEAT.

YEAH.

WE'RE LOOKING INTO THE EARLY DAYS OF APOLLO,

AND WHAT WE'D LIKE TO ASK TO YOU ABOUT

IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOMAS BARON.

HE WAS A GUY IN HIS MID-20's WHO WAS VERY INTELLIGENT,

VERY METICULOUS, VERY EXACTING.

HIGH-SCHOOL EDUCATION BUT WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE AIR FORCE.

HE SPENT ABOUT FOUR YEARS WORKING AS A TECH

ON ALL SORTS OF AIRCRAFTS.

SO, REALLY, HE HAD A LOT OF KNOW-HOW AS FAR AS AERONAUTICAL.

WHAT WAS HIS BIGGEST CONCERN ABOUT THE APOLLO 1?

WOW, THERE WAS...

YOU KNOW, OTHER GUYS DON'T CARE, THEY'RE TAKING SHORTCUTS,

THEY'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE SPECS,

THEY'RE CHANGING THE SPECS, OR DISREGARDING TAGS.

I MEAN, THEY LOVED IT WHEN HE WAS OUT SICK

BECAUSE THEY GOT WORK DONE.

SO HE WASN'T A POPULAR GUY

AMONGST HIS PEER, OR HIS SUPERVISORS.

THEY WERE BEHIND SCHEDULE AND HE WAS PUTTING THEM

FARTHER BEHIND SCHEDULE EVERY DAY.

THIS DEADLINE OF LESS THAN A DECADE,

OR A DECADE, TO GET TO THE MOON.

RIGHT.

AND THAT WAS VERY REAL WITHIN NASA.

MY GOLLY, WE'VE GOT TO GET THERE BEFORE THE RUSSIANS.

WAS HE GETTING IN TROUBLE AT ALL FOR COMPLAINING

THE WAY HE WAS TO HIS SUPERIORS?

IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE HIS SUPERVISORS SAID

"YOU NEED TO RATCHET IT DOWN.

YOU NEED TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY A LITTLE BIT."

SO HE GOT HIS HANDS SLAPPED ALL THE TIME.

INSTEAD, HE WENT AND TALKED TO THE PRESS.

I THINK NASA WENT TO GREAT LENGTHS TO DISCREDIT TOM BARON.

AND BARON HAD REAL CONCERNS ABOUT THAT.

I DO KNOW THAT BARON WAS FOLLOWED.

SOMEONE HAD RANSACKED HIS TRAILER.

I THINK IT'S SAFE TO ASSUME THEY WERE LOOKING

FOR HIS 500-PAGE REPORT.

THIS IS ALL CRUCIAL, SENSITIVE STUFF.

MANY OF THE ASTRONAUTS MOSTLY HAD SOME PROBLEMS

WITH THE WAY OPERATION WAS GOING ON.

YEAH, GRISSOM. I MEAN, HE HUNG A LEMON ON ONE OF THE PROTOTYPES.

HE SAYS, "WE'RE GONNA FLY IN THIS?"

AND HE ALSO MADE A COMMENT

THAT THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENGINEERING

WASN'T AS GOOD AS IT WAS ON MERCURY AND GEMINI.

OH, WOW. WITH THIS KIND OF EVIDENCE,

A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT NASA REALLY WASN'T

READY TO GO TO THE MOON.

GUS WAS WORRIED THAT THEY WERE NOT GONNA COME BACK

FROM THAT FLIGHT, AND, AS YOU KNOW, BARON,

RIGHT UP UNTIL THE FIRE, SAID, "SOMETHING BAD'S GONNA HAPPEN."

DO YOU THINK, UH, THAT TOM BARON'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT?

I HAVE THE ONLY COPY OF THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT.

TELL US ABOUT THOMAS BARON.

UH, THE GUY'S MAKING NOTHING BUT TROUBLE.

I MADE A PROMISE TO MYSELF.

I'M NEVER GONNA LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.

♪

♪

Jenkins: SO, THOMAS BARON WASN'T A POPULAR GUY AMONGST HIS PEERS.

THEY WERE BEHIND SCHEDULE, AND HE WAS PUTTING THEM

FARTHER BEHIND SCHEDULE EVERY DAY.

AND THE PRESIDENT HAD THIS, YOU KNOW, MANDATE

TO GET US TO THE MOON IN TEN YEARS,

AND PEOPLE WERE PUSHING FOR THAT.

THEY'RE LIKE, "BROTHER, CAN'T YOU LOOK THE OTHER WAY

ONCE IN A WHILE?" RIGHT.

"WE GOT A DEADLINE TO MEET."

Jenkins: THOMAS BARON WAS A NASA WHISTLE-BLOWER

WHO WAS EVENTUALLY FIRED FOR LEAKING HIS OPINIONS

ON THE APOLLO PROGRAM.

JUST ONE WEEK AFTER HE TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS,

HE DIES WITH HIS WIFE AND STEPDAUGHTER

WHEN HIS CAR GETS HIT BY A TRAIN,

AND HIS 500-PAGE REPORT GOES MISSING.

THE QUESTION IS -- IS THIS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT,

OR WAS HE SILENCED TO PROTECT NASA?

DO YOU THINK, UH, THAT TOM BARON'S DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT?

I'M HOPING YOU GUYS CAN HELP ME ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

I HAVE WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE ONLY COPY

OF THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT.

THAT'S THE ACTUAL REPORT? WOW.

THAT'S THE ONLY COPY THAT I KNOW EXISTS.

NOT SOMETHING WE WANT TO SHOW OFF OUT IN THE OPEN HERE.

RIGHT.

I THINK IT WAS VERY, VERY SUSPICIOUS.

THE RUMOR THAT WAS OUT THERE FOR A LONG TIME

WAS THAT HE WAS SO DISTRAUGHT OF BEING FIRED

AND ALL THAT HE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

MM.

TO WHICH I SAY, "WHO WASHES THEIR CAR 20 MINUTES

BEFORE THEY GO COMMIT SUICIDE?"

BUT WHAT REALLY DRIVES CONSPIRACY THEORISTS IS THE FACT

THAT THE TRAIN ORIGINATED FROM THE JAY JAY RAIL YARD,

WHICH WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY NASA.

INTERESTING STORY.

YEAH. YEAH, IT REALLY IS.

THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT WOULD LOVE FOR ME

TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SUICIDE, BUT I'M NOT BUYING IT.

ONE, THE TRAIN CAME FROM A NASA RAIL YARD.

TWO, WHY WOULD HE DRIVE HIS CAR INTO A TRAIN

WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN ON BOARD?

I THINK THE THING WAS STAGED.

TO ME, THE PLACE TO START IS FLORIDA,

WHERE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, WHERE BARON LIVED.

Melvin: LET'S GO TO FLORIDA.

THIS SAYS HE HAD A FRACTURED SKULL,

LACERATIONS ON THE HEAD, FRACTURED RIBS.

ALL THOSE INJURIES ARE CONSISTENT WITH A CAR ACCIDENT.

I'M NO EXPERT, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME.

THE POLICE REPORT IS EYE-OPENING,

BUT WE CAN'T JUST GO ON THE COMMENTS OF A REPORTER

WITH NO TIES TO NASA.

BEFORE WE GO ASKING WILD QUESTIONS LIKE,

"COULD HE HAVE BEEN KILLED?"

WE NEED TO FIND SOMEONE WHO WORKED WITH HIM

AND KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES.

I WAS ABLE TO FIND A GUY WHO ACTUALLY WORKED

WITH THOMAS BARON --

ERNIE REYES.

WHAT BETTER PERSON THAN SOMEBODY

WHO DIRECTLY WORKED WITH THOMAS AT NASA?

ERNIE REYES WORKED FOR NASA FROM THE BEGINNING --

IN FACT, EVEN BEFORE THE BEGINNING,

WORKING ON THE X-15 ROCKETS IN THE MID-'50s.

HE WAS AN ENGINEER AND TECHNICIAN

ON THE GEMINI AND APOLLO PROGRAMS,

WORKING ON THE HARDWARE OF THE CAPSULE, THE COMMAND MODULE,

AND EVEN THE LUNAR LANDER AT THE ROCKET RANCH.

DURING THE APOLLO PROGRAM,

HE WAS THE DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE,

WORKING AS AN INSPECTOR WITH THOMAS BARON ON A DAILY BASIS.

HE WAS EVEN THERE WHEN THE APOLLO 1 FIRE HAPPENED.

A LOT OF THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS --

IT'S HARD TO GET A HOLD OF THEM

'CAUSE THIS HAPPENED 50 YEARS AGO.

THERE'S NOT MANY THAT ARE LEFT

THAT WORKED ON THE PROJECT AND HAD ACCESS TO NASA, AS WELL.

THIS IS A HUGE FIND FOR US.

HOPEFULLY IT'S A GOLD MINE.

Melvin: I'M EXCITED TO INTERVIEW ERNIE.

THESE EARLY NASA GUYS ARE LEGENDS,

BUT THEY DON'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.

♪

HI.

HEY, SIR, ARE YOU MR. REYES?

AFRAID SO. I'M CHAD JENKINS.

I'M A FORMER FBI AGENT.

HELLO, SIR. HOW YOU DOING?

MY NAME'S LELAND MELVIN.

LELAND, I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU WITHOUT YOUR BLUE SUIT.

COME ON IN. RIGHT.

WE APPRECIATE YOU LETTING US COME HERE

AND ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS.

THIS WHOLE PLACE IS DECORATED WITH SPACE-ERA GOODIES,

'CAUSE I SPENT MY LIFE AT THE ROCKET RANCH.

Jenkins: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU WERE PART OF THE APOLLO 1 PROGRAM IN 1967?

YES, SIR.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOMAS BARON?

OH, MY GOD.

HE WAS STUBBORN AS THE DAY IS LONG,

AND HE WAS HUNGRY TO WRITE UP THINGS

THAT WERE SOMETIMES TRUE DISCREPANCIES,

AND TIMES THEY WERE NOT.

AND THIS WAS SLOWING DOWN THE PROCESS?

WE HAD A TREMENDOUS CONSTRAINTS TO GET THE CREW TRAINED.

THE CREW LAUNCHED THE APOLLO PROGRAM.

THE PRESIDENT HAD SAID BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

YEAH.

WAS HE LIKED BY FELLOW COWORKERS,

OR WAS HE, LIKE, A NUISANCE?

HE WAS, UH, NOT LOOKED AT SOMEBODY THAT WAS,

UH, ON THE SAME TEAM.

NOT BRINGING ANYTHING TO THE PARTY, OKAY?

KIND OF A NAYSAYER?

A NAYSAYER.

THEN IN '66, THEY SAID, UH, "WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?

THE GUY'S MAKING NOTHING BUT TROUBLE FOR ALL CONCERNED --

INCLUDING OUR COMPANY. DO WE NEED HIM?"

RIGHT.

BOOP, HE WAS TERMINATED.

I HAPPENED TO REVIEW HIS REPORT.

MM-HMM. THE YEAR OF THE ACCIDENT,

1967.

I WENT THROUGH THAT WHOLE REPORT.

HE KEPT SAYING THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE A DISASTER...

MM-HMM.

...IF THEY DIDN'T FIX WHAT HE FOUND.

THERE WAS NOTHING THAT INVOLVED ANYTHING

THAT WOULD'VE CAUSED THE FIRE.

SO THOMAS BARON PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE A DISASTER,

BUT NONE OF THE ITEMS HE FLAGGED ACTUALLY LED

TO THE APOLLO 1 FIRE.

NASA WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO SILENCE HIM.

I KNEW IT.

NOT SO FAST. BARON SAID, BEFORE CONGRESS,

THAT IN HIS NEW 500-PAGE REPORT, THE ONE THAT IS NOW MISSING,

THAT HE HAD INFORMATION IN THERE

REGARDING THE FLAMMABILITY OF MATERIALS IN THE CAPSULE.

SO, NASA MAY NOT HAVE WANT HIM SILENCED

FOR HIS INITIAL 55-PAGE REPORT,

BUT THEY SURE AS HELL WOULD WANT HIM TO SHUT UP

IF HE HAD 500 PAGES PROVING

THAT THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE FLAMMABILITY OF THE MATERIALS

THEY USED IN THE CAPSULE INTO ACCOUNT.

DO WE REALLY THINK THAT TOM WAS MURDERED

BECAUSE OF THE TESTIMONY HE GAVE?

♪

♪

♪

DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ACCIDENT

THAT TOOK PLACE ON THOSE TRAIN TRACKS?

ON MY LIST OF CONCERNS,

THAT DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THE TOP 20.

MM-HMM.

I DIDN'T LOOK INTO THAT, AND I --

I COULD NOT CONCERN MYSELF WITH THAT.

WE HAD HAD AN APOLLO CAPSULE FIRE.

WE WERE DISASSEMBLING IT ONE NUT AT A TIME.

WE HAD BURNT THREE ASTRONAUTS.

I WENT INTO AN AREA WHERE I HAD BEEN WORKING EVERY DAY.

FIRE BOTTLES, BURNED ITEMS -- EVERYTHING WAS A MESS,

AND THEY PUT THE FLASHLIGHT INTO THE COCKPIT...

THEY HAVEN'T TAKEN THE GUYS OUT, YET.

I PHYSICALLY HELPED PULL THE BODIES OUT.

MM-HMM.

I MADE A PROMISE OF MYSELF.

I'M NEVER GONNA LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.

Melvin: WATCHING THIS MAN RELIVE THIS TRAGEDY

MAKES ME THAT MUCH MORE PROTECTIVE OF THE SPACE PROGRAM.

WE GOT TO THE MOON, AND THIS MAN HELPED US GET THERE.

PERIOD. CASE CLOSED.

WAS THERE DOUBT ABOUT US HAVING THE RIGHT STUFF

TO GET TO THE MOON AFTER THAT FIRE

WHERE WE LOST OUR THREE ASTRONAUTS?

I-I WOULD SAY THAT THERE WAS A RENEWED EFFORT

WITH MORE EMPHASIS ON DOING THE BEST YOU COULD,

AND DOUBLE- AND TRIPLE-CHECKING YOUR WORK.

AND WE KEPT HEARING ABOUT THE RUSSIANS DOING THIS

AND THE RUSSIANS DOING THAT.

WELL, WE'RE GONNA DO THE SAME, BUT PLUS MORE.

RIGHT.

WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE PRESIDENT'S DESIRES,

AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE THIS NATION NUMBER ONE.

PEOPLE THAT SAID, "WE NEVER WENT TO THE MOON.

YOU GUYS DIDN'T GO.

YOU STAGED IT."

IT TICKS ME OFF. MM-HMM.

I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING.

I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

YOU'VE DONE FOR THE PROGRAM,

FOR THE LEGACY OF THE APOLLO 1 CREW MEMBERS,

FOR ALL OF THE ASTRONAUTS THAT HAVE SACRIFICED

AND GIVEN THEIR LIVES, AND THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND

LIKE YOURSELF THAT HAVE SACRIFICED

AND GIVEN UP YOUR TIME FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM.

SO, JUST THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART

FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.

YOU'RE QUITE WELCOME. IT WAS AN HONOR.

EVERY DAY WAS A CHALLENGE.

THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT ERNIE'S WORDS ARE SINCERE AND HEARTFELT,

BUT IT DOESN'T CONVINCE ME AND OTHER CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

THAT THOMAS BARON WAS NOT SILENCED BY NASA.

Jenkins: ERNIE IS A CREDIBLE CHARACTER WITNESS,

BUT WE CAN'T IGNORE THOMAS BARON'S CRASH SITE,

AND IT'S JUST EIGHT MILES FROM HERE.

AFTER HE GAVE THAT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY,

IT WAS SEVEN DAYS

TO THE DAY THAT THIS ACCIDENT

ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE. WOW.

I MEAN, CAN YOU IMAGINE THE EMOTION

THAT WAS RUNNING THROUGH THAT MAN AT THAT TIME?

YEAH. YOU KNOW, FOR TOM TO COME FORWARD WITH THIS INFORMATION,

IT DIDN'T MAKE THE AGENCY LOOK GOOD.

THERE WAS ALREADY ENOUGH PRESSURE THERE.

BUT DO WE REALLY THINK THAT TOM WAS MURDERED?

Melvin: CONSPIRACY THEORISTS WILL TELL YOU

THAT TOM BARON WAS A WHISTLE-BLOWER

AND THAT NASA HAD HIM MURDERED TO COVER UP THE FACT

THAT THEY WERE NOT READY TO GO TO THE MOON.

I BELIEVE IT WAS A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT

OR EVEN POSSIBLY SUICIDE.

DID HE TRY TO STOP THE CAR AT ALL?

IT SAYS HERE THERE WERE NO SKID MARKS.

ACCORDING TO THIS, THEY TOOK PICTURES.

I CALLED FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL,

AND THEY DON'T HAVE THEM ANYMORE.

THEY'VE BEEN DESTROYED.

WE NEED TO FIND THIS CRASH SITE AND SEE WITH OUR OWN TWO EYES

WHAT HE SAW THAT DAY AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.

RIGHT.

Jenkins: THOMAS BARON'S DEATH WAS RULED AN ACCIDENT

BY THE FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL.

THE INVESTIGATING TROOPER CONCLUDED THAT BARON HAD TRIED

TO BEAT A TRAIN AT A CROSSING, BUT CONSPIRACY THEORISTS BELIEVE

THAT SINCE THE TRAIN ORIGINATED AT JAY JAY,

A TRAIN YARD OWNED BY NASA,

THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD'VE ORCHESTRATED BARON'S MURDER

TO LOOK LIKE A TRAGIC ACCIDENT.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I SEE WHERE THIS ACCIDENT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

AND COMPARE IT TO THE REPORT SO I CAN SEE FOR MYSELF

WHETHER THIS WAS A MURDER, SUICIDE, OR ACCIDENT.

♪

SO, BASICALLY, THIS BIKE PATH WAS THE OLD TRAIN TRACKS.

LOOKS LIKE IT'S RUNNING RIGHT HERE PARALLEL TO THE ROAD.

RIGHT.

JUST UP THE STREET, ABOUT 7/10th OF A MILE IS WHERE TOM LIVED.

SO, HE TURNED 30 MILES PER HOUR, GOING AROUND HERE, RIGHT?

YEAH, TOM WAS DRIVING NORTH TO SOUTH.

HOW FAST WAS THE TRAIN GOING?

THE TRAIN WAS GOING 40 MILES AN HOUR.

WELL, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, TOM'S BRAKE FLUID WAS FINE,

AND THE CONDUCTOR HONKED TWICE TO WARN HIM.

THIS WAS THE END FOR TOM.

♪

COULD SOMEONE TRYING TO PROTECT NASA

HAVE ACTUALLY STAGED THIS CRASH

TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE AN ACCIDENT AND GET RID OF BARON,

OR WAS THIS A DESPERATE ACT OF A MAN

WHO HAD JUST BEEN HUMILIATED ON A NATIONAL STAGE

AND LOST HIS JOB?

LOOK, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TRIED TO ASSASSINATE CASTRO.

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THEY COULDN'T ORCHESTRATE A HIT

ON A GUY LIKE BARON WITH A TRAIN?

THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE HERE.

NO.

♪

♪

Jenkins: THINGS DON'T MAKE SENSE HERE.

Melvin: NO.

DO WE REALLY THINK THAT TOM WAS MURDERED

BECAUSE OF THE TESTIMONY HE GAVE THE WEEK PRIOR?

IS IT A COVER UP OR NOT?

Jenkins: LELAND AND I WERE AT THE SCENE OF THOMAS BARON'S DEATH.

WAS IT A MURDER, A SUICIDE, OR AN ACCIDENT?

WHEN YOU RUN INTO A DEAD END OF AN INVESTIGATION,

A GOOD WAY TO GET BACK ON TRACK

IS TO RETRACE THE STEPS OF THE VICTIM.

I'M HOPING BY RE-DRIVING THE ROUTE THAT BARON TOOK

WHEN HE LOST HIS LIFE WOULD HELP ME SEE SOMETHING

THAT I OTHERWISE COULDN'T SEE.

♪

TAKING THAT TURN AT 30 MILES AN HOUR IN A MODERN VEHICLE

WITH POWER STEERING WAS DANGEROUSLY FAST.

I WOULDN'T EVEN WANT TO TRY TAKING THAT TURN IN A 1959 CAR.

YOU'D LOSE CONTROL.

HE MUST'VE JUST TRIED TO MAKE

THAT LEFT-HAND TURN AND BEAT THE TRAIN.

WITH ALL THE PRESSURE THAT HE WAS UNDER DURING THIS TIME

WITH THE APOLLO FIRE, STRESS, THE SPACE PROGRAM IN ITSELF...

RIGHT. ...YOU KNOW,

GETTING PEOPLE TO THE MOON, GETTING FIRED...

A 1967 POLICE REPORT DOES POINT TO MENTAL CONDITIONS

THAT TOM WAS FACING.

I COULD SEE A CONSPIRACY IF HE WOULD'VE BEEN MURDERED

IN GUNSHOT WOUNDS.

WHILE BARON'S DEATH MAY SEEM SUSPICIOUS AT FIRST GLANCE,

THE LOGISTICS OF COORDINATING A TRAIN

TO CROSS THE TRACKS AT THE EXACT SAME TIME BARON'S CAR

IS CROSSING THOSE TRACKS IS RIDICULOUSLY COMPLICATED.

STANDING THERE AT THE CRASH SITE OVER 50 YEARS LATER,

THE CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT BARON'S DEATH

WAS SOMEHOW SUSPICIOUS JUST DOESN'T HOLD ANY WATER.

IF NASA WAS GONNA TRY TO SILENCE HIM, THEY WOULD'VE DONE IT

BEFORE THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARING AND THE INVESTIGATION.

YEAH, HIS TESTIMONY WAS ALREADY GIVEN.

EVERYTHING WAS ALREADY OUT. HE HAD NO MORE INFORMATION.

RIGHT. WHAT'S THE BENEFIT?

WHAT'S THE UPSIDE? THERE'S NO BENEFIT.

I'M LEANING TOWARDS IT'S EITHER AN ACCIDENT,

OR, UNFORTUNATELY, TOM DECIDED TO TAKE HIS LIFE

AND PART OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS WITH IT.

WHICH IS VERY SAD.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT,

THE 500-PAGE REPORT THAT BARON SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS

IS STILL MISSING, AND IN THAT REPORT,

HE CLAIMED THERE WAS RELEVANT INFORMATION

ON THE FLAMMABILITY OF MATERIALS USED ON APOLLO 1.

DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.

THE WHOLE THING IS PRETTY CONVENIENT FOR NASA.

♪

Jenkins: WE'VE DISCOVERED SOME SURPRISING SECRETS

LURKING AT THE EDGES OF THE SPACE RACE TO THE MOON,

AND WE'VE MADE IT AS FAR AS APOLLO 1.

IT WOULD BE ANOTHER 2-1/2 YEARS BEFORE THE U.S.

WAS READY TO LAUNCH TO THE MOON.

Man: We have a lift off.

Lift off on Apollo 11.

THIS INVESTIGATION IS UNLIKE ANY I'VE EVER DONE BEFORE.

SIMULATING THE APOLLO 1 CAPSULE DOOR

AND TESTING THE CONDITIONS THAT LED TO THE FIRE

REALLY HELPED US CONFIRM

THAT NASA'S EXPLANATION COULD RULE OUT A CONSPIRACY.

NASA HAD A LONG WAY TO GO,

BUT THEY DIDN'T KILL THREE ASTRONAUTS

OR ANYONE ELSE TO COVER UP THE SHORTCOMINGS IN THEIR PROGRAM.

SO, MIKE, I GOT TO TELL YOU, AS TRAGIC AS IT WAS FOR THOMAS

AND HIS FAMILY TO LOSE THEIR LIVES THAT DAY,

THERE'S JUST NOTHING NEFARIOUS ABOUT IT.

THE FACTS JUST DON'T ADD UP.

YEAH, OKAY, BUT WHERE IS BARON'S 500-PAGE REPORT?

HOW COME WE CAN'T FIND IT?

IT STILL MAKES NO SENSE THAT SOMEONE AS ANAL AS BARON

IS GONNA COMMIT SUICIDE BY TRAIN

AND TAKE HIS ENTIRE FAMILY WITH HIM.

I THINK NASA WAS RUNNING OUT OF TIME AND COVERING THEIR TRACKS.

HEY, IT'S NOW JANUARY OF 1967.

THREE MEN ARE DEAD.

YOU'VE ONLY GOT THREE YEARS LEFT TO REACH JFK'S GOAL

OF GETTING TO THE MOON,

AND IT'S NOT POPULAR TO BRING THIS UP,

BUT IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THEY MIGHT'VE CONSIDERED,

AT THIS POINT, FAKING THE WHOLE THING?

WE HAD 400,000 ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS,

ASTRONAUTS, MECHANICS.

HOW COULD YOU KEEP A LID ON THIS?

HOW COULD YOU FAKE THIS MOON LANDING?

WELL, MAYBE THEY DIDN'T KEEP A LID ON IT.

BRO, HERE HE GOES AGAIN.

♪