All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E01.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER
NEW MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENON

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

COMING UP...

REDS, NARCOS,
AND SECRET AGENTS...

Pavelec: WHAT YOU MIGHT BE
LOOKING AT IS A LOST PLANE

OR A C.I.A. SECRET MISSION.

Narrator: ...TRANSYLVANIA AND
THE EERIE, FORBIDDEN MOUNDS...

COULD WE BE LOOKING
AT THE TOMB OF DRACULA?

Narrator: ...SPYING ON THEIR
SPIES, SPYING ON OUR SPIES...

IF CHINA TELLS YOU IT'S NOT
IN MILITARY FACILITY,

IT PROBABLY IS.

Narrator: ...AND STRANGE SHAPES
IN THE LAND OF LEGENDS...

WE FOUND SOME SKELETONS,

WHICH HE INTERPRETED TO LOOK
LIKE THE SKELETONS OF GIANTS.

Narrator: ... BAFFLING
PHENOMENA, MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

DECEMBER 2005, THE QUICKBIRD-2
SATELLITE FLIES OVER THE BAHAMAS

ON THE WESTERN SOUTHERN
TIP OF THE AREA

KNOWN AS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

IT SPOTS THE SHAPE
OF AN AIRPLANE,

BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN
REPORTED MISSING,

AND THERE'S NO HISTORICAL
RECORD OF A CRASH HERE.

Kourounis: JUST LOOKS
COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE.

WHAT IS IT DOING HERE?

Baker: HOW COULD THIS BE SITTING
HERE AND PLANES FLYING OVERHEAD

OR SHIPS IN THE AREA
NOT HAVE NOTICED IT?

WHAT KIND OF PLANE GOES DOWN AND
NOBODY SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

Narrator: EXPLORER AND DIVER
GEORGE KOUROUNIS HEADS FOR

THE BAHAMAS TO INVESTIGATE
THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

Kourounis: I'VE CHECKED WITH THE
CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITIES

IN THE UNITED STATES,

AND THERE'S NO RECORD
AT ALL OF ANY PLANE

GOING DOWN IN THIS AREA,

SO THIS WRECK IS NOT NEW,

BUT HOW OLD IT IS
IS ANYONE'S GUESS.

WHO WAS ON BOARD?
WHERE WERE THEY GOING?

WAS IT DITCHED INTENTIONALLY?

DID IT CRASH?

Narrator: THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN
OVER SHALLOW WATER

ALMOST 50 MILES FROM NASSAU,
THE BAHAMAS' CAPITAL.

THE CLIMATE HERE IS TROPICAL,

IT'S ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF
THE ATLANTIC GULF STREAM,

SUBJECT TO VIOLENT HURRICANES.

THIS IS THE GATEWAY TO
THE FAMOUS BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

IT'S KNOWN FOR WEIRD THINGS
LIKE MAGNETIC ANOMALIES

THAT THROW OFF COMPASSES,
STRANGE WEATHER.

YOU GET FOGS THAT COME IN,
EXTREME WINDS, HURRICANES.

WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE CALL IN,
FREAKING OUT ON THE RADIO,

DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE,
AND THEN THEY FINALLY DISAPPEAR.

Kourounis: THIS PLANE IS
RIGHT ALONG THE FLIGHT PATH

OF ONE OF THE FIRST PLANES
TO HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED

TO HAVE DISAPPEARED
IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

Narrator: THAT PLANE
WAS THE STAR ARIEL,

AND ITS DISAPPEARANCE CONTINUES
TO BAFFLE INVESTIGATORS

TO THIS DAY.

IT TAKES OFF ON
JANUARY 17, 1949, FROM BERMUDA,

HEADING FOR KINGSTON, JAMAICA,
AND IS NEVER SEEN AGAIN.

NO RADIO CONNECTION, NO DEBRIS,
NO WRECKAGE, JUST LOST.

NOBODY KNOWS WHERE IT IS.

**

Narrator: GEORGE HEADS OUT
TO THE CRASH SITE.

IF THE PLANE TURNS OUT TO BE
THE LONG-LOST STAR ARIEL,

IT COULD BE AN IMPORTANT FIND,
WHICH COULD OFFER CLUES

TO THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
DISAPPEARANCES.

THE BAHAMAS ARE DEFENDED
BY AN EXTENSIVE CORAL REEF,

WHICH ACTS AS A BARRIER
AGAINST THE TURBULENT WATERS

OF THE ATLANTIC.

THE SEA HERE IS FLAT,
SHALLOW, AND CLEAN,

PERFECT FOR THE PRESERVATION
OF A CRASHED PLANE.

BUT SOMETHING ELSE HAS HELPED
PROTECT THE WRECK

FROM INQUISITIVE HUMANS.

THESE ARE AMONG
THE MOST SHARK-INFESTED WATERS

IN THE WORLD.

Kourounis: SO HERE'S A WING.
IT'S PRETTY BIG.

AND THEN THE FUSELAGE
GOES ALONG THIS WAY.

JUST COMING -- OH,
YOU CAN SEE THE ENGINES.

COCKPIT WOULD BE RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: AT LOW TIDE,
MUCH OF THE PLANE IS VISIBLE,

BUT THERE ARE
NO REGISTRATION NUMBERS

OR IDENTIFYING MARKS
ABOVE THE WATER.

IT'S TIME TO GET WET.

**

ONE THING I DIDN'T THINK
ABOUT IS THE CURRENT

DRAGGING ME
INTO THE SHARP METAL,

SO THAT'S A LITTLE SCARY.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S
TAKEN AN ICE-CREAM SCOOP

AND JUST GOUGED OUT
THE GUTS OF THE PLANE.

THE TOP IS COMPLETELY MISSING.

**

IT'S ABOUT 70 FEET LONG,
MAYBE 100-FOOT WINGSPAN.

THE ENGINES ARE SO INTACT,
IT LOOKS LIKE

I COULD JUST START IT UP
AND FLY THE THING OUT OF THERE.

**

Narrator: IN LINE WITH
INTERNATIONALLY AGREED RULES,

ALL CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT
MUST CARRY REGISTRATION

AND IDENTIFICATION CODES ON
FIREPROOF PLATES ON THE FUSELAGE

AND TYPICALLY ALSO ON
THE TAIL AND PROPELLERS.

THIS PLANE APPEARS TO HAVE NONE.

Kourounis: THE MARKINGS
ON THE TAIL SECTION

ARE NO LONGER EXISTENT.

UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S
THE ONE PART OF THE PLANE

THAT GOT QUITE DESTROYED.

Narrator: IN THE SATELLITE
IMAGE, THE SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS

OF THE WRECK
ARE REASONABLY CLEAR.

GEORGE HAS SENT THESE, ALONG
WITH HIS UNDERWATER FOOTAGE,

TO AVIATION EXPERT
MIKE PAVELEC BACK IN THE U.S.

TO SEE IF HE CAN IDENTIFY IT.

RECORDS SHOW THAT THE STAR ARIEL
WAS AN AVRO TUDOR MARK IV,

A RARE BRITISH PLANE
FROM THE 1940s.

VERY FEW WERE MADE.

IS THIS ONE OF THEM?

WELL, I KNOW YOU WERE HOPING
THIS WAS THE STAR ARIEL.

BUT THAT'S NOT
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

THE STAR ARIEL
HAD FOUR ENGINES.

THIS ONLY HAS TWO.

TO ME, IT LOOKS
MORE LIKE A C-46.

C-46?

Narrator: THE CURTISS C-46,
KNOWN AS THE COMMANDO,

WAS USED BY U.S. ARMY,
AIR FORCE, AND BY THE MARINES.

ITS POWERFUL ENGINES
ALLOWED IT TO CARRY TROOPS

LONG DISTANCES
OVER DIFFICULT TERRAINS.

IN WORLD WAR II,
IT FLEW MISSIONS BETWEEN CHINA,

INDIA, AND BURMA, TRANSPORTING
TROOPS OVER THE HIMALAYAS,

BUT IT WASN'T JUST
THE AMERICAN MILITARY

WHO FLEW CURTISS COMMANDOS.

IN FACT, ONE OF THE THINGS
IT WAS USED FOR AFTER THE WAR

WAS FOR THE NEWLY FORMED C.I.A.
IN CLANDESTINE MISSIONS,

SO WHAT YOU MIGHT BE
LOOKING AT IS A LOST PLANE

FOR A C.I.A. SECRET MISSION.

THE CURTISS C-46 WAS
A MAINSTAY OF AIR AMERICA,

THE C.I.A.'S
CLANDESTINE AIRLINE.

THEY WERE USED REGULARLY
IN THE 1960s AND '70s

IN VIETNAM AND LAOS.

Baker: ESSENTIALLY, IT'S
A CARGO PLANE. THINK ABOUT IT.

THAT'S WHAT ITS PURPOSE WAS.

BIG CAPACITY, LARGE FUEL TANK,

SO IT HAD THE ABILITY TO TRAVEL.

Narrator: THE C.I.A. IS KNOWN
TO HAVE USED THE COMMANDO

IN THE NOTORIOUS
BAY OF PIGS INVASION,

WHEN C.I.A.-BACKED INSURGENTS
UNSUCCESSFULLY MOUNTED

A COUNTER-REVOLUTION
AGAINST FIDEL CASTRO.

IT WAS PRESIDENT
JOHN F. KENNEDY'S

ALLEGED REFUSAL TO PROVIDE FULL
AIR COVER FOR THIS OPERATION

THAT LED TO SPECULATION THAT
ROGUE ELEMENTS IN THE C.I.A.

HAD SOME INVOLVEMENT
IN HIS ASSASSINATION.

THE QUESTION THEN BECOMES,
WAS THIS PLANE UNDER THE WATER

BECAUSE IT WAS
A C.I.A. OPERATION?

Narrator: COMING UP, THINGS
GET WEIRD IN TRANSYLVANIA...

Gerhard: IT IS BELIEVED
BY THE LOCALS THAT,

IF YOU LEAVE A RAZOR BLADE
NEXT TO THESE MOUNDS,

IT'LL SHARPEN ITSELF.

Narrator: ...AND SEX, SPIES,
AND SECRETS IN PARADISE.

Capps: HE WALKS TO A MARKET
OR GOES TO A RESTAURANT,

AND HE'S FLANKED
BY NEO-NAZI GUARDS.

Narrator: EXPLORER
GEORGE KOUROUNIS IS IN

THE BAHAMAS, INVESTIGATING
A SUNKEN PLANE

SPOTTED BY THE GEOEYE SATELLITE.

THERE ARE NO
IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS,

BUT THIS IS
A CURTISS C-46 COMMANDO.

IT'S A PRETTY COOL AIRPLANE.

IT WAS EVEN USED FOR
CLANDESTINE MISSIONS

BY THE C.I.A.

WHO WAS FLYING IT?

WHY DOES IT HAVE NO
IDENTIFYING MARKS?

AND WHY HAS THIS CRASH
NOT BEEN REPORTED?

IT IS KNOWN THAT
THE CURTISS COMMANDOS

WERE USED BY THE C.I.A. IN THE
BAY OF PIGS FAILED COUP

AGAINST FIDEL CASTRO.

CUBA IS JUST 300 MILES
SOUTH OF HERE.

BUT NEARER STILL IS A TINY
ISLAND CALLED NORMAN'S CAY.

THERE ISN'T MUCH
ON NORMAN'S CAY,

BUT ON THE ORIGINAL
SATELLITE IMAGE,

GEORGE SPOTS A RUNWAY.

IT EXTENDS FOR
A FULL 1,000 FEET,

STRANGELY LARGE
FOR SUCH A TINY ISLAND.

WHEN GEORGE ASKS AT A LOCAL BAR,
THEY TELL HIM

IT WAS BUILT 40 YEARS AGO
BY CARLOS LEHDER,

A NOTORIOUS COLOMBIAN
NARCO DRUG LORD NICKNAMED

CRAZY CHARLIE.

GEORGE IS GIVEN THE NUMBER
OF A MAN WHO KNOWS ABOUT HIM

AND ARRANGES TO MEET AT
CRAZY CHARLIE'S ABANDONED HOUSE.

SHELDON.
NICE TO MEET YOU.

SO WHO IS THIS
CRAZY CHARLIE CHARACTER

THAT I'VE BEEN
HEARING ABOUT?

CRAZY CHARLIE WOULD BE
CARLOS LEHDER.

THAT WAS THE GUY.

HE BASICALLY WAS PARTNERS
WITH PABLO ESCOBAR.

Capps: YOU MAY NOT KNOW
WHO CRAZY CHARLIE IS,

BUT YOU'VE PROBABLY
HEARD OF PABLO ESCOBAR.

AND PABLO WAS HIS PARTNER.

TALK ABOUT THE BIGGEST, BADDEST
DRUG OPERATION IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: CRAZY CHARLIE
HERO-WORSHIPPED ADOLF HITLER

AND HATED AMERICA.

HE EARNED HIS NICKNAME,
SENDING NAKED GIRLS IN JEEPS

TO PICK UP GUESTS
FROM HIS PRIVATE RUNWAY.

HIS WILD ORGIES ON NORMAN'S CAY

WERE FAMOUS
THROUGHOUT THE CARTELS.

DRUG-RUNNING WAS
EARNING HIM BILLIONS,

AND HE WAS DETERMINED
TO SPEND ALL OF IT.

Baker: HE HAD
AN INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR

THE PARTY LIFESTYLE,
FOR WOMEN, FOR JUST EXCITEMENT.

Capps: CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING
CRAZY CHARLIE AS YOUR NEIGHBOR?

SO HE WALKS TO A MARKET
OR GOES TO A RESTAURANT,

AND HE'S FLANKED
BY NEO-NAZI GUARDS.

YOU'RE SCARED TO SAY A THING.

YOU'RE SCARED TO PUT A FOOT
IN A WRONG SPOT.

I CAN IMAGINE CALLING THAT
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE.

JUST STAY AWAY.

Narrator: BUT WHEN IT CAME
TO RUNNING NARCOTICS,

CRAZY CHARLIE WAS BRILLIANT.

THE CARTELS HAD BEEN
USING HUMAN MULES

TO SMUGGLE SMALL QUANTITIES
OF DRUGS.

LEHDER REALIZED THAT IF THEY
COULD BRING IN DRUGS BY AIR,

YOU COULD MOVE HUGE QUANTITIES
AND MAKE VAST SUMS OF MONEY.

THE BAHAMAS WAS
AN IDEAL TRANSIT POINT.

FROM HERE, COCAINE
WAS SHIPPED TO THE U.S.

ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE,

CAUSING AN EXPLOSION
OF DRUG ADDICTION IN THE STATES.

Baker: WE CAN'T UNDERESTIMATE
HOW MUCH NARCOTIC

WAS MOVING AT THAT TIME,

LATE '70s, EARLY '80s,
INTO THE STATES.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE BUSINESS.

Narrator: BUT WHY IS THERE
A PLANE KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN

FAVORED BY THE C.I.A.
CLOSE TO NORMAN'S CAY?

THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER
OF OFFICIAL INVESTIGATIONS

INTO ALLEGED LINKS BETWEEN
THE C.I.A.

AND DRUG FUNDED INSURGENCY
MOVEMENTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA,

SUCH AS CONTRAS IN NICARAGUA.

COULD CRAZY CHARLIE,
NOT THE C.I.A.,

HAVE BEEN USING
THE CURTISS COMMANDO?

AND IF SO, HOW DID
HE COME BY THE PLANE?

Capps: THE C-46 COMMANDO
IS A PERFECT DRUG PLANE.

IT CARRIES ABOUT
1,500 POUNDS OF DRUGS,

AND IT HANDLES ALTITUDE
REALLY WELL.

AND A LOT OF PLACES THEY
WANT TO GO ARE GOING TO BE

HIGH-AIR STRIPS
IN THE MOUNTAINS.

YOU GOT TO IMAGINE, TOO, IF HE'S
RUNNING THESE SHIPMENTS

NIGHT AND DAY,
THERE HAS TO BE SOME ACCIDENTS.

COULD BE WEATHER,
IT COULD BE SOMEONE

WHO WAS TESTING THE MERCHANDISE

A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH
AND DOWNED THE PLANE.

I ACTUALLY WORKED
IN THE CARIBBEAN,

AND IT WAS ALMOST
THE NORMAL STORY --

SMALL ISLAND WITH A RUNWAY,
AIRPLANE WRECKS ALL AROUND IT.

Narrator: THOUGH THERE ARE
ALLEGATIONS OF C.I.A. COLLUSION

WITH THE CARTELS,
THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE

OF C.I.A. ACTIVITY AGAINST THEM.

IN 2007, VIDEO WAS RELEASED
OF A FIGHTER PLANE

TAKING DOWN
A DRUG-RUNNING PLANE.

Narrator: LEHDER IS ARRESTED AND
EXTRADITED TO THE U.S. IN 1987.

HE IS SENTENCED
TO LIFE PLUS 135 YEARS.

BUT THE SENTENCE IS REDUCED
TO 55 YEARS

WHEN HE TESTIFIES AGAINST
THE FORMER DICTATOR OF PANAMA,

MANUEL NORIEGA,
WHO HAD, IN TURN,

COLLUDED WITH THE C.I.A.

LEHDER IS, STILL,
IN THEORY, BEHIND BARS,

BUT HIS WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN.

ACCORDING TO ONE JOURNALIST,
LEHDER KNOWS TOO MUCH

ABOUT THE C.I.A.'S INVOLVEMENT

IN THE IRAN-CONTRA AFFAIR
TO BE RELEASED ANYTIME SOON.

WHEN HE COMES OUT, I GUESS,
IF YOU WANT TO DO IT,

YOU CAN SET UP
AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM.

I WANT TO KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

I WONDER HOW MANY BODIES
ARE BURIED AROUND HERE.

THE PLANE IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE
REMAINS A MYSTERY.

WHOSE PLANE IS IT?
AND WHAT WAS IT DOING?

COMING UP,
A TOP-SECRET INSTALLATION

HIDDEN IN DEEPEST PATAGONIA.

WHAT DOES THIS FACILITY DO?

Narrator: APRIL 2016,
THE WORLDVIEW-3 SATELLITE

SPOTS SOMETHING NEW IN A REMOTE
PROVINCE OF ARGENTINA.

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
IS THIS HIGH-TECH FACILITY

WITH A HUGE RADAR DISH
AND SUPPORT BUILDINGS.

THERE'S A FENCE LINE
SURROUNDING THE AREA.

IT'S OBVIOUS THAT
WHOEVER BUILT THIS

IS NOT WELCOMING OF VISITORS.

ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE REVEALS
THAT THE DISH IS 115 FEET WIDE

AND HAS A CONVEX
SECONDARY REFLECTOR.

IT HAS THE ABILITY TO SEE
INTO DEEP SPACE

AND HAS ITS OWN
$10-MILLION POWER PLANT.

THIS IS NO ORDINARY
SATELLITE DISH.

WHO ARE THEY TALKING TO?

ARE THEY TRACKING SOMETHING,

OR ARE THEY LISTENING
TO SOMETHING?

WHAT DOES THIS FACILITY DO?

Narrator: THE ARGENTINIAN
GOVERNMENT IS NOT FORTHCOMING.

IN THE SPRING OF 2014,
THEIR CURRENCY IS IN FREE FALL,

AND THEIR CAPITAL CITY PARALYZED
BY A SERIES OF STRIKES.

SO WHERE DID
ALL THE MONEY COME FROM

FOR THEIR PATAGONIAN PARABOLA?

UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE,
THEY MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT.

THE ARGENTINIAN
GOVERNMENT REVEALS

THAT IT'S A DEEP-SPACE
TRACKING FACILITY.

Narrator: BUT THIS ONLY
PROMPTS MORE QUESTIONS.

ARGENTINA HAS A TENTATIVE
SPACE PROGRAM.

BUT SO FAR, THEY HAVEN'T
EVEN GOTTEN A ROCKET

INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT,
NEVER MIND DEEP SPACE.

FINALLY, THEY ADMIT
THAT THE GIANT ANTENNA

BELONGS TO A FOREIGN POWER.

D'Antonio: NOW, AS IT TURNS OUT,

THIS FACILITY IS OWNED
AND OPERATED BY THE CHINESE.

Narrator: CHINA IS THE NEW
BIG PLAYER IN SPACE.

THEY SPEND AROUND
$6 BILLION PER YEAR.

THEY HAVE A MOON MISSION
PLANNED FOR 2018

AND A MARS MISSION
PLANNED FOR 2020.

Pappalardo: HAVING A FACILITY
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

IN ARGENTINA MAKES PERFECT SENSE
IF YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT

BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH
THEM WHENEVER YOU WOULD WANT.

Narrator:
IT ALL SOUNDS PLAUSIBLE,

BUT FURTHER RESEARCH
BY IMAGE ANALYSTS

REVEALS THAT THIS ANTENNA CAN DO
MORE THAN JUST POINT INTO SPACE.

LOOKING AT THE SHADOW FROM THIS,
YOU CAN SEE THAT

THIS IS ACTUALLY
A MOUNT THAT ALLOWS

FOR THIS DISH TO BE STEERED.

WHEN ANALYSTS PLOT
THE PRECISE COORDINATES

OF THE CHINESE FACILITY,
THEY SEE THAT IT'S THE SAME

LONGITUDE SECTOR
AS WASHINGTON, D.C.

THAT MEANS IT CAN BE AIMED
AT SATELLITES

TRAVELING OVER THE D.C. AREA
NORTH TO SOUTH,

A SO-CALLED POLAR ORBIT

SOMETIMES USED BY
EARTH-MONITORING SATELLITES.

WITH THIS FACILITY, THE CHINESE
MAY HAVE A CAPABILITY

TO LISTEN IN TO OUR SPY BIRDS,

OUR NORTH-SOUTH-ORBITING
DEFENSE SATELLITES.

THOUGH THEY PROTEST
THEIR INNOCENCE,

THE CHINESE HAVE
A HISTORY IN THIS AREA.

IF CHINA TELLS YOU IT'S NOT
IN MILITARY FACILITY,

IT PROBABLY IS.

Narrator: IN 1997,
THE CHINESE OPEN A SIMILAR BASE

ON THE ISLAND OF TARAWA ATOLL ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PACIFIC.

THEY CLAIM IT'S
A SPACE-TELEMETRY-AND-TRACKING

STATION UNTIL LOCAL JOURNALISTS
POINT OUT THAT IT'S POSITIONED

RIGHT NEXT TO A MAJOR
U.S. MISSILE RANGE

IN THE ADJACENT
MARSHALL ISLANDS.

THE CHINESE ARE
THE NUMBER-ONE PERPETRATOR

OF CYBER SHENANIGANS.

Narrator: SO THE PATAGONIAN
FACILITY CAN BE USED FOR SPYING,

BUT WHEN INTELLIGENCE
OPERATIVES DELVE DEEPER INTO

THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

THEY DISCOVER SOMETHING
EVEN MORE WORRYING.

SCRUTINY OF THE IMAGES SHOW
ANOTHER PARABOLIC ANTENNA

AND SUGGEST THAT THESE TWO
COULD BE USED IN TANDEM.

Pappalardo: IF YOU HAVE A SECOND
SATELLITE DISH WITH AN ANTENNA,

YOU CAN USE THOSE TWO TO FIND
THE POSITION OF A SATELLITE

PASSING OVERHEAD A LOT MORE
QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY.

Moran: LASER BEAMS
FROM A SITE LIKE THIS

COULD BE USED TO DISABLE
OTHER SATELLITES,

OBLITERATING THEIR ABILITY

TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE
WITH THEIR BASES.

A SATELLITE THAT CAN'T
COMMUNICATE WITH THE EARTH

IS SPACE JUNK.

**

Narrator: THIS NIGHTMARE
SCENARIO IS NO SCIENCE FANTASY,

AS RECENT HISTORY SHOWS.

ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO,
CHINESE HACKERS,

POTENTIALLY WORKING
FOR THE GOVERNMENT,

MANAGED TO TAKE OVER
TWO U.S.-BASED SATELLITES.

IT SHOWS THE SCOPE AND RANGE
OF WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF.

THEY HAVEN'T PLAYED
BY THE RULES,

AND I KNOW IT'S TIME
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO START.

Narrator: WITH TENSIONS GROWING
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA,

THE WORST MAY BE YET TO COME.

THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT
ALREADY SEE A SECOND COLD WAR

EMERGING BETWEEN WASHINGTON
AND CHINA ALREADY.

DISABLING THE AMERICAN
SPACE ASSETS

WOULD BE THE FIRST STEP
IN ANY CONFLICT.

SPACE WARFARE IS GOING TO
BE INEVITABLE IN THE FUTURE.

Narrator: COMING UP,
IMPOSSIBLE MEGASTRUCTURES

ON THE EDGE OF THE OCEAN...

NAN MADOL HAS A HISTORY
OF REPORTS OF BEING HAUNTED.

Narrator: ...THE GIANT
RUSSIAN INFERNO...

IT'S A CATASTROPHE
THAT'S ON STEROIDS.

ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.

Narrator: ...AND A TRANSYLVANIAN
BURIAL GROUND FIT FOR VAMPIRES.

NOT ONLY ARE EXCAVATIONS
BANNED FROM THE SITE,

THEY ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.

Narrator:
THE QUICKBIRD-2 SATELLITE

FLIES HIGH OVER THE PACIFIC

AND CAPTURES THESE IMAGES
OF GIGANTIC SQUARE BLOCKS

OFF A REMOTE ISLAND IN
THE REGION KNOWN AS MICRONESIA.

Kourounis: THERE'S SOMETHING
STRANGE GOING ON OFF THE COAST

OF THE MICRONESIAN
ISLAND OF POHNPEI.

THERE ARE THESE TINY ISLANDS,
ALMOST 100 OF THEM,

THAT ARE REMARKABLY SIMILAR
AND GEOMETRICALLY SHAPED.

THE REASON IS NOT SO CLEAR.

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
WHY WERE THEY CREATED?

Kourounis: THERE ARE
ALL KINDS OF TABOOS

ABOUT VISITING THE PLACE.

WHY HERE?
WHY OFF THE COAST?

Narrator: AS THE SATELLITE
IMAGE INDICATES,

POHNPEI IS EXTREMELY REMOTE,

2,500 MILES FROM LOS ANGELES
AND 1,600 MILES FROM AUSTRALIA.

ONCE, IT WAS INHABITED
BY AN ANCIENT RACE

ABOUT WHOM VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN.

Hunt:
WHY WOULD SOMEBODY BUILD A CITY

OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN?

WHY HERE, SO FAR AWAY FROM
ANY OTHER KNOWN CIVILIZATION?

Narrator: THE 97
INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS

SEEN IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE
ARE SEPARATED BY

NARROW CHANNELS OF WATER.

IT'S NOT UNTIL THESE ARE SEEN
AT GROUND LEVEL

THAT THE EXTRAORDINARY SHAPE

AND SCALE OF THESE STRUCTURES
BECOME SO STRIKING.

AS AMAZING AS THIS SITE
APPEARS FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY,

COMING DOWN TO GROUND LEVEL,
IT'S EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING.

THERE ARE WALLS THAT ARE 25 FEET
TALL AND 17 FEET THICK.

Narrator: THE LOCAL NAME
ONLY ADDS TO THE MYSTERY.

THE NAME "NAN MADOL" MEANS
"THE SPACE IN BETWEEN,"

AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS CANALS
THAT RUN AND SEPARATE

THESE TINY ISLANDS,
SO IT'S A REFERENCE TO THAT.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, NAN MADOL
HAS A HISTORY OF REPORTS

OF BEING HAUNTED.

SOME PEOPLE EVEN CALL IT
THE GHOST CITY.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE
STRUGGLING TO EXPLAIN

THESE GIANT STRUCTURES.

IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT
THE CONSTRUCTION OF NAN MADOL,

YOU WOULD SORT OF COMPARE IT
TO A LOG CABIN,

BUT INSTEAD OF USING WOOD,
IT'S VOLCANIC ROCK.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS HAVE DATED
THE VOLCANIC BASALT,

WHICH FORMED THE BLOCKS,
TO 1180 A.D.

BUT THE ISOLATED CIVILIZATION
LIVING HERE

COULD SURELY NOT HAVE BUILT
ANYTHING THIS BIG.

WHAT'S MORE, BASALT STONE
WAS NOT QUARRIED HERE.

HOW DID THESE
HUGE LOGS GET HERE?

GETTING THE MATERIALS
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

THE FIRST HURDLE.

THE SECOND HURDLE WOULD HAVE
BEEN MANEUVERING THEM

INTO PLACE.

Narrator: ATTEMPTS TO REPRODUCE
POSSIBLE BUILDING METHODS

HAVE FAILED.

PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY
TRIED TO RECREATE

THE CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES AT NAN MADOL,

BUT THE MOST THEY'VE EVER
BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH

IS ABOUT 1 TON.

SOME OF THE BLOCKS
AT NAN MADOL ARE 90 TONS.

Narrator:
ON SOME OF THE ISLANDS,

THERE ARE ANCIENT TOMBS,

BUT THERE IS A TABOO
SURROUNDING THEM.

Krueger: THERE WAS A GERMAN
BY THE NAME VICTOR BERG

WHO OPENED UP SOME OF THE TOMBS,

AND WITHIN SOME OF THEM,
HE FOUND SOME SKELETONS,

WHICH HE INTERPRETED TO LOOK
LIKE THE SKELETONS OF GIANTS.

LATER THAT SAME EVENING,
HE BECAME DELIRIOUS.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]
A STORM RAGED, AND HE FELL ILL.

AND THE VERY NEXT MORNING,
VICTOR WAS DEAD.

SIMPLE COINCIDENCE?
OR THE CURSE OF NAN MADOL?

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE
SHOWS OVER 90

OF THESE MEGASTRUCTURES.

THIS IS ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION
ON A SCALE

TO RIVAL THE GREAT PYRAMIDS.

TO EXPLAIN THEIR PRESENCE,
THE LOCALS HAVE A MYTH.

THERE WERE TWO SORCERER BROTHERS
WHO ARRIVED IN CANOES,

AND THEY FOUND THIS REGION ON
THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE ISLAND

ON TOP OF A CORAL REEF,
AND THEY SAID, "THIS IS PERFECT.

THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING
TO BUILD OUR ALTAR,"

BUT THEY DIDN'T USE RAFTS.

THEY USED SPECIAL MAGICAL POWERS
TO HAVE THE BASALT LOGS

ACTUALLY FLY THROUGH
THE AIR LIKE BIRDS

AND THEN ARRIVE
AT THE LOCATION SITE,

AND THESE TWO BROTHERS WOULD USE
THEIR VOICES IN VARIOUS TONES

TO DIRECT THE LOG INTO PLACE
TO BUILD THIS CITY-STATE.

**

Narrator: COULD THERE BE
A GRAIN OF TRUTH TO THE MYTH?

WAS SOME NOVEL CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUE USED HERE?

Schuttler: RESEARCHERS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO HAVE CREATED

THESE ULTRASONIC
STANDING SOUND WAVES,

AND THIS HAS ENABLED PARTICLES
TO NOT ONLY LEVITATE,

BUT THEY CAN ALSO
MOVE THEM AROUND THE PLANE,

AND THEY'VE DONE THIS WITH

WATER, METAL,
AND WOOD PARTICLES.

HOWEVER, IT'S HIGHLY
UNLIKELY THAT NAN MADOL

WAS CREATED
WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY.

EVEN TODAY, SCIENTISTS ARE
ONLY ABLE TO MOVE

THESE LITTLE, TINY PARTICLES,
AND IT'S STILL REALLY A MYSTERY

HOW YOU WOULD MOVE
THESE 90-TON BASALT LOGS.

Narrator:
REVIEWING THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

ANOTHER INTRIGUING
POSSIBILITY SUGGESTS ITSELF.

COULD THE BLOCKS FORM JUST ONE
PART OF A MUCH BIGGER COMPLEX

THAT EXTENDS OUT INTO THE SEA?

YOU LOOK AT THE REEF ITSELF,
THERE ARE STRUCTURES THERE

THAT COULD BE MAN-MADE,
COVERED IN CORAL.

THERE ARE TALES OF TUNNELS
RUNNING FROM NAN MADOL

OUT TO THE SEA, KIND OF LIKE
AN ATLANTIS OF THE PACIFIC.

Narrator: WHEN, IN 1914,
MICRONESIA IS FORCIBLY COLONIZED

BY JAPAN, A TEAM OF EIGHT DIVERS
ARE SENT TO INVESTIGATE

A RUMORED UNDERWAY CITY,
BUT LIKE PREVIOUS INVESTIGATORS,

THEY GET MORE THAN
THEY BARGAINED FOR.

Bellinger: THEY FOUND SOME
PLATINUM-LINED COFFINS,

WHICH THEY SMASHED.

TWO OF THE DIVING PARTY
MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED,

AND THE TWO SALVAGED COFFINS,

WHICH WERE
BROUGHT BACK TO JAPAN,

WERE BROUGHT, UNFORTUNATELY,
TO HIROSHIMA AND DESTROYED

IN THE NUCLEAR OBLITERATION.

Narrator: THE BLOCKS SEEN
FROM SPACE REMAIN UNEXPLAINED.

WHO BUILT THEM, HOW, AND WHY?

IT'S LIKE EVERY ATTEMPT
TO PULL A NUGGET OF TRUTH

OUT OF THE DARKNESS
IS THWARTED AT EVERY TURN.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,
A MYSTERY BURIAL GROUND

IN REMOTEST TRANSYLVANIA.

Gough: I'M WILLING TO BET
THAT WHAT WE HAVE HERE

IS THE GRAVE OF SOMEONE
VERY IMPORTANT INDEED.

Narrator: AUGUST 2011,
WORLDVIEW-2 PHOTOGRAPHS

AN ANCIENT ENIGMA
IN THE HEART OF TRANSYLVANIA --

EIGHT HUGE MOUNDS.

THESE MOUNDS ARE SO LARGE,
THEY CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

Mosher: THEY ALMOST LOOK LIKE
PYRAMIDS THAT HAVE BEEN

WORN DOWN, AND THEN GRASS HAS
JUST SORT OF GROWN OVER THEM.

Gough: THE QUESTION IS,
WHY ARE THEY THERE?

WHAT'S INSIDE OF THEM?

WE JUST SIMPLY DON'T KNOW
AT THIS POINT.

Narrator:
FOR HISTORIAN ANDREW GOUGH,

THE MOUNDS REPRESENT
AN IRRESISTIBLE CHALLENGE.

Gough: WHEN I FIRST LOOK
AT THESE AERIAL IMAGES,

IT'S REALLY INTRIGUING.

TO ME, THESE IMAGES COULD
VERY WELL BE BURIAL MOUNDS.

I'M WILLING TO BET
THAT WHAT WE HAVE HERE

IS THE GRAVE OF SOMEONE
VERY IMPORTANT INDEED.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY TO
RESOLVE THE MYSTERY

IS TO HEAD FOR ROMANIA

AND TAKE A 3 1/2-HOUR DRIVE
FROM THE CAPITAL, BUCHAREST,

TO THE SMALL VILLAGE OF SONA,
IN THE HEART OF TRANSYLVANIA,

THE SO-CALLED
LAND BEYOND THE FOREST.

Gough:
WE'RE ENTERING TRANSYLVANIA.

THE PLACE HAS REALLY KEPT
ITS MEDIEVAL FEEL.

IN FACT, IT STILL FEELS
A BIT WEIRD, CREEPY.

[ BELL TOLLS ]

**

Narrator: THERE ARE
MANY LOCAL SUPERSTITIONS

SURROUNDING THE MOUNDS.

Gerhard: IT IS BELIEVED
BY THE LOCALS THAT,

IF YOU LEAVE A RAZOR BLADE
NEXT TO THESE MOUNDS,

IT'LL SHARPEN ITSELF,

THAT WATER LEFT BY THESE MOUNDS
WILL IN FACT GAIN

SOME TYPE OF MAGICAL
HEALING PROPERTIES.

WE JUST TURNED THE CORNER,
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,

THEY'RE RIGHT IN FRONT OF US,
AND THEY'RE HUGE.

Narrator: THE LOCALS
CALL THEM GURUIETI,

LITERALLY "PILES OF EARTH."

THE TALLEST IS 100 FEET HIGH,
THE LONGEST 200 FEET ACROSS.

Gough: WOW, LOOK AT THAT.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE MUCH BIGGER
THAN I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE.

YOU JUST CAN'T GAUGE THINGS.

AND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING
AT A SATELLITE,

YOU ALWAYS THINK IT'S GOING
TO BE MUCH SMALLER IN PERSON,

BUT THESE THINGS ARE HUGE.

Narrator: THERE'S NO GEOLOGICAL
EXPLANATION FOR THE GURUIETI,

BUT THERE IS A KIND OF ANCIENT
MOUND KNOWN TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS.

THEY CALL THEM TELLS,
AND THEY'RE FORMED

BY THE DETRITUS
OF FORMER CIVILIZATIONS

DATING BACK
THOUSANDS OF YEARS --

PREHISTORIC GARBAGE DUMPS.

TELL STRUCTURES ARE BASICALLY
MATERIAL FROM A SOCIETY

THAT LIVED IN THAT AREA THAT WAS
BUILT UP OVER THE CENTURIES

AND PERHAPS THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: BUT NO ARTIFACTS
HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE AREA,

AND THESE HILLS
ARE THE WRONG SHAPE.

Bellinger: THEY'RE
REALLY QUITE STEEP.

THAT SOMEWHAT ARGUES AGAINST
THE EXISTENCE OF A TELL.

Narrator: EVEN IF
THEY ARE NOT TELLS,

THESE HILLS ARE OLD AND PART
OF LOCAL FOLKLORE,

THE WORK, PERHAPS,
OF THE ANCIENT ANCESTORS

OF THE TRANSYLVANIANS
LIVING HERE.

ANOTHER THEORY IS THAT
THE DACIANS LIVED IN THIS AREA

AND PERHAPS BUILT THESE MOUND
BEFORE THE ROMANS ARRIVED.

Narrator: THE DACIANS WERE A
LOCAL TRIBE WHO LIVED HERE

FROM 500 B.C.,
WHEN THEIR KING, DECEBALUS,

DEFIES THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
HE SIGNS HIS OWN DEATH WARRANT.

THEIR DOOMED WAR AGAINST ROME
IS ACTUALLY DEPICTED

ON TRAJAN'S COLUMN.

Narrator: STANDING 98 FEET TALL,
TRAJAN'S COLUMN IN ROME

REPORTS THE EMPIRE'S VICTORY
AGAINST THE DACIANS

IN A 620-FOOT FRIEZE
THAT SPIRES AROUND IT.

AT ITS CLIMAX, DECEBALUS
CHOOSES TO SLIT HIS THROAT

RATHER THAN BE CAPTURED.

TODAY IN ROMANIA,
HE'S A NATIONAL HERO,

BUT WITH HIS DEATH,

DACIAN CULTURE
IS SUPPRESSED RUTHLESSLY.

MAYBE THESE BURIAL MOUNDS
DIDN'T OCCUR ALL AT ONCE,

BUT MAYBE THEY ARE THE TOMBS
OF ANCIENT DACIANS

WHO WOULD BRING THEIR KINGS
OR QUEENS OR CHIEFTAINS

HERE OVER TIME.

THIS THEORY HOLDS
THAT THESE MOUNDS ARE PART

OF A REGION-WIDE NETWORK
OF LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS

THAT ARE ACTUALLY LINKED
AND HAVE MEANING

AS CEREMONIAL SITES
TO THE DACIAN PEOPLE.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY TO
TEST OUT THE DACIAN THEORY

IS TO EXCAVATE, BUT WHEN
ANDREW RINGS HIS LOCAL CONTACTS,

HE'S SURPRISED AT WHAT HE HEARS.

Gough: THAT WAS INTERESTING.

THEY TOLD ME THAT NOT ONLY
ARE EXCAVATIONS BANNED

FROM THE SITE, BUT THEY
ALWAYS HAVE BEEN,

SO WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S THERE.

EVEN DURING THE COMMUNIST REGIME

WHEN THE LANDS
SURROUNDING THIS AREA

WERE DIVIDED UP FOR
INDIVIDUAL AGRICULTURAL PLOTS,

NOBODY WOULD TOUCH THIS AREA.

THE AUTHORITIES LEFT THIS ALONE.

[ ENGINE STARTS ]

Narrator: SO WHAT IS
EVERYONE SO SCARED OF?

ANDREW HEADS FOR SONA
TO FIND OUT.

THE BLACKSMITH KNOWS
ALL THE LOCAL LEGENDS.

GIANTS?

SO THERE IS TOO MUCH EARTH
TO CARRY TO BE MADE BY MEN.

Narrator: THE MOUNDS ARE
CERTAINLY GIANT SIZED,

BUT IT'S UNLIKELY THAT A MYTH
ABOUT GIANT BOOT SCRAPINGS

IS ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY
A GOVERNMENT BAN.

WHAT DO THE MOUNDS CONTAIN
THAT THEY DON'T WANT DISTURBED?

RETURNING TO
THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

ANDREW SEARCHES FOR ANY CLUES.

CLOSE BY, HE FINDS THE MEDIEVAL
CITADEL OF SIGHISOARA.

IT'S A PLACE INFAMOUS
FOR ONE THING ABOVE ALL ELSE.

THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF VLAD DRACULA,

THE VERY REAL AND GENUINELY
TERRIFYING PRINCE OF WALLACHIA.

Bellinger: VLAD WAS REVERED AS
A HERO AMONG HIS OWN PEOPLE.

HE AS ABSOLUTELY VIEWED
AS A TERRIBLE,

BLOOD THIRSTY VILLAIN
BY HIS ENEMIES.

Narrator: VLAD IS BORN HERE
IN SIGHISOARA IN 1431.

HIS FATHER IS A MEMBER OF THE
ORDER OF DRAGONS, THE DRACUL,

HENCE VLAD'S CHILDHOOD NICKNAME
DRACULA, SON OF THE DRAGON.

AS HE TURNS INTO
THE MONSTER HE BECOMES,

HE GAINS ANOTHER CHILLING NAME,
VLAD DRACULA THE IMPALER.

**

THIS IS THE ROOM
WHERE DRACULA WAS BORN.

HOW AMAZING IS THAT?

AND THIS ONE PAINTING TELLS US
WHY PEOPLE THOUGHT

VLAD THE IMPALER WAS DRACULA.

JUST LOOK AT THIS IMAGE.

HIS VICTIMS ARE BEING IMPALED

WHILE THESE PEOPLE
ARE STILL ALIVE.

IT'S BLOODY. IT'S GORY.
IT'S SHOCKING.

AND HE'S HAVING A MEAL
WHILE THAT IS GOING ON.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXPRESSION
OF ABSOLUTE POWER,

ALL OF HIS ENEMIES
SURROUNDING HIM,

ALL OF THEM IMPALED AND DEAD
AND HIM HAVING A MEAL.

Narrator: ACCORDING
TO THE HISTORY BOOKS,

VLAD DRACULA IS KILLED
BY OTTOMAN TROOPS IN 1476.

IT IS SAID HE WAS BEHEADED,

BUT IT IS STILL UNKNOWN
EXACTLY WHERE HE WAS BURIED.

Gough: I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER,
SOMEONE SO INFAMOUS

AND SOMEONE WHOSE TOMB
HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND,

COULD THE SATELLITE IMAGE,
COULD THAT POSSIBLY BE

THE UNDISCOVERED TOMB
OF VLAD AND HIS COURT?

Narrator: THE SHAPE OF
THE MOUNDS DOES REFLECT

ONE KNOWN RITUAL OF
VAMPIRE BURIAL IN TRANSYLVANIA.

VAMPIRE LORE AND VAMPIRE BURIALS

ARE STILL VERY COMMON
IN THE AREA.

THERE'S A VERY STRONG BELIEF

THAT VAMPIRES CAN
RISE FROM THE DEAD.

[ SCREAMING ]

Narrator: IN ORDER TO PREVENT
VAMPIRES FROM RETURNING,

TRANSYLVANIAN VILLAGERS
TURN THEIR GRAVEYARDS

INTO PRISONS FOR THE UNDEAD,

STAKING CORPSES IN THE HEART OR
WEIGHING THEM DOWN WITH STONES.

Wolter: THERE HAVE BEEN GRAVES
THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND

WITH LARGE STONES
ON TOP OF THE DECEASED

TO KEEP THEM
FROM RISING FROM THE DEAD

TO HAUNT THE LIVING AS VAMPIRES.

[ SCREAMING ]

IMAGINE LAYING OUT A MEMBER
OF YOUR FAMILY IN A COFFIN

BUT THEN HAVING TO TAKE
THE ADDED PRECAUTION

OF DRIVING A STAKE
THROUGH THEIR HEART,

COVERING THE BODY WITH STONES TO
PREVENT THEM FROM RISING AGAIN.

Narrator: COULD THESE
HUGE MOUNDS GLIMPSED

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE BE
MASSIVE STONES

OR PILES OF STONES DESIGNED
TO WEIGH DOWN VAMPIRES?

Mosher:
THESE MOUNDS ARE SO HUGE.

IF THERE ARE ANY VAMPIRES
DOWN THERE,

THEY'RE SURE NOT GOING ANYWHERE,

BECAUSE THEY WEIGH
TONS AND TONS.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY
TO BE CERTAIN IS TO

INVESTIGATE THE SITE THOROUGHLY,
BUT THAT WOULD REQUIRE

CENTURIES OF SUPERSTITION
TO BE OVERCOME.

NOBODY HAS DISTURBED
THESE MOUNDS,

AND NOBODY SEEMS TO HAVE
THE STOMACH TO DO IT.

I WOULD LOVE
IF THIS COULD BE PROVEN

TO BE THE BURIAL PLACE OF VLAD,

BUT IT JUST SCREAMS
OF A DACIAN CEMETERY,

A ROYAL CEMETERY.

THE ONLY WAY TO UNEARTH
THE MYSTERY OF THESE MOUNDS

IS TO EXCAVATE WITH
PROPER ARCHAEOLOGY.

UNTIL THAT HAPPENS,
WE'RE JUST GOING TO BE GUESSING.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,
AS RUSSIA BURNS,

THE WORLD HOLDS ITS BREATH.

TO SEE THAT SMOKE
FROM 1.5 MILLION KILOMETERS

AWAY FROM OUR PLANET
IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.

Narrator: IN THE SUMMER OF 2016,

THE DEEP SPACE
CLIMATE OBSERVATORY

PHOTOGRAPHS A HUGE CLOUD
IN THE SKIES OVER SIBERIA.

THIS IMAGE IS
EXTREMELY STRIKING.

WE CAN SEE THE CONTRAST
OF BRIGHT WHITE CLOUDS

WITH THIS PLUME OF GRAY.

WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT
WOULD ALMOST COVER THE ENTIRE

UNITED STATES.

WHATEVER IT MAY BE,
IT'S NOT VERY GOOD

FOR WHOEVER IS ON
THE GROUND THERE.

[ KEYBOARD KEYS TAPPING ]

Narrator: WHEN ANALYSTS EXAMINE
THE IMAGE IN DETAIL,

THEY REALIZE SOMETHING
IS SERIOUSLY WRONG.

Agrios: THIS PLUME OF GRAY DOES
NOT LOOK LIKE A NORMAL CLOUD.

CLOUDS ARE WHITE.

IT'S USUALLY SMOKE
THAT'S GRAY, NOT CLOUDS.

Narrator: BUT IF THIS IS SMOKE,
WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING

ON THE GROUND
MUST BE TRULY HORRIFIC,

ONE OF THE BIGGEST
WILDFIRES IN HISTORY.

TO SEE THAT SMOKE FROM
1.5 MILLION KILOMETERS

AWAY FROM OUR PLANET
IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.

HOW COULD SOMETHING THIS
MASSIVE ACTUALLY GET STARTED?

Narrator: SIBERIA REPRESENTS
57 % OF THE TOTAL LAND MASS

OF RUSSIA AND 10%
OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

MUCH OF IT IS COVERED IN FOREST.

Wallace: SO THESE ARE
PRECIOUS ECOSYSTEMS,

RICH WITH A TAPESTRY OF WILDLIFE
UNLIKE ANY OTHER PLACE ON EARTH.

YOU HAVE SIBERIAN TIGERS,
ARCTIC FOXES,

ALL SORTS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS.

Narrator: BUT WHAT COULD
HAVE CAUSED AN INFERNO

ON SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SCALE?

Cerveny: IN THESE SUCH REMOTE
LOCATIONS, BETWEEN 20% TO 40%

OF THE FIRES
ARE LIGHTNING RELATED.

IT JUST TAKES ONE TO SPARK
A FIRE WITH DRY ENOUGH

CONDITIONS UNDERNEATH
TO IGNITE THE VEGETATION,

AND YOU'VE GOT A WILDFIRE
ON YOUR HANDS.

Narrator: LIGHTNING
CAUSES FIRE EVERYWHERE

BUT NEVER ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

WHAT'S MORE, IF THIS IS
A NATURAL TRAGEDY,

WHY IS THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
TRYING TO KEEP IT A SECRET

AND THEN PLAYING DOWN THE SCALE?

THE RUSSIANS SAY IT'S ABOUT
2,500-SQUARE-MILE-BURN

OF FOREST FIRE BUT MIGHT BE
AS BIG AS 10 TIMES THAT.

WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE?

Narrator: THERE IS A HISTORY
OF COMMUNIST RUSSIA

COVERING UP DISASTERS.

IT TAKES TWO DAYS
FOR MOSCOW TO ADMIT

THAT ANYTHING HAD
HAPPENED AT CHERNOBYL,

THE WORLD'S WORST
NUCLEAR ACCIDENT.

IT TAKES DECADES FOR
THE FULL HORROR

OF THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT

THAT SHRUNK THE ONCE HUGE
ARAL SEA TO BECOME APPARENT.

BUT WHAT'S BEING
COVERED UP HERE?

Pavelec: WE KNOW THAT
THE RUSSIANS DON'T PRACTICE

THE SAME SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

AS THE AMERICANS
AND THE BRITISH.

SO COULD THIS BE JUST
WANTON DESTRUCTION

OF MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF NATURE

BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PERFECT
MILITARY SYSTEMS?

Narrator: NO CONVENTIONAL WEAPON
COULD CAUSE THE DEVASTATION

SEEN IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT
UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONS?

SUSPICION FALLS ON THE SURA
IONOSPHERIC TESTING FACILITY.

THE SURA IONOSPHERIC RESEARCH
STATION DOES THESE EXPERIMENTS

WHERE THEY SHOOT RADIO BLASTS
UP INTO THE IONOSPHERE

TO SEE HOW THEY INTERACT
WITH THE IONS.

YOU'VE GOT TO WONDER
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT.

SO NO ONE REALLY KNOWS
WHAT THEY'RE UP TO,

BUT SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT
FUTURE WEATHER WEAPONS

COULD LEAD TO CATASTROPHIC
NATURAL DISASTERS

SUCH AS HURRICANES
OR EARTHQUAKES.

IF THEY ARE PLAYING
WITH THE WEATHER,

COULD THAT HAVE CAUSED
THESE MASSIVE FIRES?

Narrator:
BUT SOMETHING DOESN'T ADD UP.

WHEN I HEAR THINGS ABOUT
A WEATHER-CONTROL FACILITY

CONSPIRING TO FORM
THIS CONFLAGRATION,

IT REALLY MAKES ME WONDER
WHAT THEY'RE DOING WRONG.

IF YOU HAVE WEATHER-MODIFICATION
EQUIPMENT, WHY NOT PUT IT OUT?

Narrator: THERE IS
ANOTHER EXPLANATION,

WHICH ALSO INVOLVES
THE RUSSIAN MILITARY.

IN 2016, THEY CONDUCTED
16 ICBM TESTS.

BUT A NUMBER
OF THESE TESTS END IN FAILURE.

COULD A STRAY ROCKET
BE THE CAUSE?

Pavelec: THE LAUNCH FACILITIES
FOR THE NEW-GENERATION ICBMs

WERE VERY CLOSE TO WHERE
WE SEE THESE FOREST FIRES.

IF YOU WERE TO HAVE A LAUNCH
OF A MISSILE THAT EXPLODED

AS IT WAS GETTING UP INTO THE
HIGHER PARTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE,

THOSE LITTLE BITS COULD THEN
FALL DOWN ON TO THE EARTH,

AND EACH ONE BECOMES
AN IGNITION SOURCE,

A POINT OF SOURCE
FOR STARTING ONE OF THESE FIRES.

Narrator: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
FROM A FAILED MISSILE TEST

OFFERS A CONVINCING EXPLANATION
FOR SOME OF THE FIRES,

BUT COULD IT ACCOUNT
FOR ALL OF THEM?

Agrios: THE SHEER NUMBER
OF FIRES HERE MAKE IT

REALLY UNLIKELY THAT
THEY WERE STARTED BY A ROCKET

THAT CRASHED.

THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE
HUNDREDS OF ROCKETS.

Narrator: WITH THE RUSSIANS
CONTINUING TO STONEWALL,

WE MAY NEVER KNOW FOR SURE
WHAT CAUSED THESE FIRES,

BUT THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT
THEY WILL HAVE A GLOBAL IMPACT.

Agrios: THIS IS ONE OF THE
LARGEST FORESTS IN THE WORLD,

SO THERE'S THIS REALLY
STRONG CHANCE

THAT IT WILL JUST KEEP
BURNING AND BURNING.

THESE FORESTS ARE LIKE
THE LUNGS OF THE PLANET.

THEY STORE A LOT OF
CARBON DIOXIDE

THAT WOULD REALLY
BE CATASTROPHIC

TO HAVE RELEASED
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

IT'S A CATASTROPHE
THAT'S ON STEROIDS.