Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

SPOTTED FROM ABOVE,

A TRULY GIANT BIBLICAL DISCOVERY...

Rice: WHEN YOU FIND POTTERY WITH A NAME LIKE "GOLIATH" ON IT,

YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER.

Narrator: IT'S GREEN.

IT'S GLOWING, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS THAT I'VE SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: ...NAZIS INVADE NORTH AMERICA...

Morgan: GERMAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN NORTH AMERICA.

THEY WERE READY TO DO BATTLE.

Narrator: ...AND A CITY SEEN FROM SPACE WHICH SHOULD NOT BE THERE.

WE'VE GOT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LARGE CITY

THAT DOESN'T REALLY EXIST.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

[ BEEPING ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

JANUARY 27TH, 1945 -- AN RAF RECONNAISSANCE PLANE

TAKES A PHOTOGRAPH OVER A REGION 20 MILES WEST OF JERUSALEM.

THE BRITISH MILITARY SEES NOTHING UNUSUAL IN THE IMAGE,

AND IT'S FILED AND IGNORED FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY,

UNTIL IT COMES TO THE ATTENTION OF ARCHAEOLOGIST AREN MAIER

WHO IS ENGAGED IN A SEARCH

FOR THE LOST PHILISTINE CITY OF GATH, [GAT]

FABLED HOME OF THE GIANT GOLIATH.

I STARTED LOOKING AT OLD AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS,

AND IN AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN RIGHT AFTER WORLD WAR II,

I SAW A VERY INTERESTING FEATURE.

Narrator: THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH REVEALS WHAT APPEARS TO BE

A HUGE, DEFENSIVE DITCH

AROUND A HILL KNOWN AS TELL ES-SAFI.

THE IDEA IMMEDIATELY POPPED INTO MY MIND

THAT THIS IS A SIEGE SYSTEM.

Narrator: MAIER BELIEVES THE DITCH BEARS ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF A SIEGE TRENCH FROM A GREAT BATTLE.

ATTACKERS BUILD A TRENCH AROUND A CITY TO ISOLATE IT

SO THAT PEOPLE INSIDE THE CITY CAN'T GET OUT.

Narrator: FOR MAIER, THE SIEGE TRENCH IS A VITAL CLUE.

ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE'S BOOK OF KINGS,

THE CITY OF GATH WAS RAZED TO THE GROUND,

ITS INHABITANTS SLAUGHTERED FOLLOWING A SIEGE

LED BY THE WARRIOR KING, HAZAEL.

[ CRASH! ]

HAZAEL COMPLETELY DECIMATED THE CITY.

HE KILLED ALL OF THE PEOPLE,

AND THE DAMAGE INFLICTED ON THE CITY WAS LITERALLY BIBLICAL.

IT WAS UTTERLY DESTROYED.

Narrator: ALL TRACE OF THE GREAT CITY IS LOST TO HISTORY.

Hunt: GATH DISAPPEARS.

FOR ALL THESE YEARS, WE'VE ONLY KNOW THE CITY OF GATH IN TEXT.

Rice: IT'S BEEN LOST FOR CENTURIES,

AND MANY PEOPLE JUST THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A LEGEND.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: MAIER'S THEORY IS THAT THE SIEGE TRENCH IN THE AERIAL IMAGE

WAS DUG DURING THE DESTRUCTION OF GATH 3,000 YEARS AGO.

THE SIEGE TRENCH IS THE FIRST CLUE

THAT SOMETHING'S THERE THAT NEEDS INVESTIGATION.

Rice: WHAT'S REALLY COOL ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH

IS THAT NOBODY HAS EVER NOTICED THIS BEFORE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CENTURIES HERE,

WHERE THIS HUGE TRENCH HAS BEEN HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.

THAT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

Narrator: MAIER HEADS TO THE SITE TO BEGIN THE INVESTIGATION ON THE GROUND.

DRONE FOOTAGE CONFIRMS THE FEATURE HE DETECTED

IN THE 1945 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH.

WE HAVE THIS ENORMOUS, IF YOU WANT, GINORMOUS, FEATURE.

IT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOURS

OF WORK OF THOUSANDS OF LABORERS

AND THIS WAS DONE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF BESIEGING THIS SITE.

Narrator: IF MEYER IS RIGHT, THE LEGENDARY CITY OF GATH

COULD LIE BENEATH THIS HILL,

BUT HE NEEDS MORE EVIDENCE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BEGIN TO SURVEY THE SITE USING

A KIND OF X-RAY MACHINE CALLED A MAGNETOMETER.

IT'S ONE OF THE METHODS WHICH ENABLES US

TO LOOK DOWN BELOW THE SURFACE

AND TRY TO SEE WHETHER WE HAVE ANCIENT REMAINS

HIDING BEFORE WE EXCAVATE.

Narrator: THE REMOTE-SENSING DATA REVEALS SOMETHING

UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE SITE.

THEY SOON UNEARTH GRUESOME EVIDENCE.

Maier: WE FOUND SKELETONS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED IN THE DESTRUCTION,

AND THE DESTRUCTION WAS SO COMPLETE

THAT THERE WASN'T EVEN ANYBODY LEFT TO BURY THE DEAD.

Narrator: CARBON-DATING OF THE REMAINS CONFIRMS

THESE PEOPLE DIED IN THE 9th CENTURY BC,

THE EXACT TIMEFRAME DESCRIBED IN THE BIBLE.

OUR HUNCH TO CONNECT BETWEEN THE SIEGE TRENCH

AND THIS DESTRUCTION IS PROVEN WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Narrator: BUT BEFORE THE CITY OF GATH WAS DESTROYED,

AN EVENT IS SAID TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE OUTSIDE THE GATES HERE,

ONE THAT WAS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE

AND HAS SINCE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS ENCOUNTERS

IN HISTORY,

THE CLASH BETWEEN THE SHEPHERD, DAVID,

AND THE PHILISTINE WARRIOR, GOLIATH -- THE GIANT.

Maier: THEY MET IN THE ELAH VALLEY AND HE COMES DOWN

TO THE MEETING PLACE OF THE PHILISTINE

AND THE ISRAELITE ARMIES

AND HE SEES THIS BIG GIANT

STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY,

TAUNTING THE ISRAELITE ARMY.

Narrator: IN ANCIENT TIMES, IT WAS COMMON FOR A WARRIOR TO CHALLENGE

AN OPPONENT TO SINGLE COMBAT BEFORE A BATTLE.

THESE BATTLES WILL ALWAYS BEGIN WITH A TAUNT,

AND GOLIATH WOULD SAY TO DAVID, AS THE TEXT SAYS,

"BEFORE THE DAY IS OVER,

I'M GOING TO FEED YOUR FLESH TO THE RAVENS."

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, THE GIANT APPROACHES DAVID

WEARING FULL BRONZE BODY ARMOR,

CARRYING A SPEAR AND HUGE SWORD.

DAVID DID ONE THING THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY SMART.

HE KEPT HIS DISTANCE, WRAPS HIS SLING AROUND THE STONE

AND FROM A DISTANCE,

GOT TO BE PRETTY ACCURATE, HE LETS THE STONE FLY.

HE TOOK ONE SHOT AND HIT GOLIATH

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREHEAD.

GOLIATH FALLS.

Maier: DAVID RUNS, CUTS OFF HIS HEAD,

AND AS SOON AS THE PHILISTINES SEE

THAT THEIR CHAMPION IS DEAD,

THEY PANIC AND THEY RUN AWAY.

Narrator: THE STORY IS ONE OF THE GREAT LEGENDS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

MEYERS TASK NOW IS TO FIND CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

THAT THIS LOCATION REALLY WAS THE HOME OF GOLIATH.

EXCAVATIONS CONTINUE AND THE DIG TEAM

DISCOVERS THE BASE OF A HUGE STRUCTURE

POSITIONED IN FRONT OF THE REMAINS OF A TEMPLE.

FOR MAIER THE STRUCTURE CONFIRMS THE SITE

WAS ONCE A GREAT CITY.

Maier: RIGHT OVER HERE, WE HAVE A GATE,

AND THIS WE BELIEVE IS ONE OF THE GATES OF THE CITY OF GATH,

MORE OR LESS THE TIME OF DAVID.

Narrator: DAVID MAY HAVE ONCE STOOD AT THIS VERY SPOT

IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ENTRANCE TO THE FORTIFIED CITY.

IMAGINE DAVID COMING OVER HERE

AND HE WOULD BE AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE GATE.

THE GATE WAS PROBABLY SEVERAL STORIES HIGH.

Narrator: PROOF THAT DAVID'S GIANT OPPONENT

LIVED AT THIS SITE REMAINS ELUSIVE,

BUT AS MEYER'S TEAM CONTINUES,

THEY UNEARTH WHAT MIGHT BE A VITAL CLUE.

Maier: WE FOUND AN INSCRIPTION WHICH HAS ON IT TRUE NAMES

WHICH ARE VERY, VERY SIMILAR TO THE NAME GOLIATH.

IT MAY JUST BE COINCIDENCE,

BUT WHEN YOU FIND POTTERY WITH A NAME LIKE GOLIATH ON IT,

YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER.

[ TRIUMPHANT MIDDLE-EASTERN MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: GATH, THE CITY OF GOLIATH AND REFUGE OF KING DAVID,

LOST FOR CENTURIES, FOUND BY A CAMERA IN THE SKIES.

EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T FOUND THE GIANT BONES OF GOLIATH,

WHO KNOWS, MAYBE ONE DAY WE WILL,

AND THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC.

**

[ WARBLING, WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

UNDERWATER WEIRDNESS AT THE EDGE OF AN ABYSS.

Stenstrom: YOU HAVE THIS ALMOST ALIEN-LIKE STRUCTURE

AND WHAT IS NEXT TO IT?

ONE OF THE MOST SECRETIVE FACILITIES ON THE PLANET.

Narrator: AND DEEPEST PERU GLOWS IN THE DARK.

URANIUM IS WILDLY RADIOACTIVE, RIGHT?

IT'S JUST LIKE THE GLOWING HANDS ON YOUR CLOCK.

AND SO IS THERE SOME RELATIONSHIP HERE?

[ WARBLING ]

[ WARBLING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: MAY 2016, A SATELLITE CROSSES OVER THE PALPA REGION

OF CENTRAL PERU.

STRANGE LINES ARE CARVED ONTO THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE,

THE WORK OF SKY-GOD-WORSHIPING NATIVES,

BUT IT'S NOT ANCIENT GEOGLYPHS THAT THE SATELLITE PICKS UP.

I'M LOOKING AT WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BRIGHT GREEN LIGHT

ON THE MIDDLE OF A MOUNTAINSIDE IN PERU.

WHAT'S IT DOING THERE?

Narrator: THERE ARE NO BUILDINGS HERE, NO HUMAN PRESENCE, OR ACTIVITY.

THERE IS NO SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION

FOR THE LARGE, GREEN GLOW.

Capps: YOU'VE GOT THIS BRIGHT GREEN SPLOTCH.

I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS THAT I'VE SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: AT FIRST, INVESTIGATORS WONDER WHETHER THE GREEN GLOW

COULD BE JUST A TRICK OF THE LIGHT.

THERE'S A THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THIS IS AN IMAGE GLITCH,

THIS GREEN OBJECT SITTING ON THE SIDE OF A HILL.

Narrator: BUT ACCORDING TO VETERAN IMAGE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO,

THIS IS NOT DATA CORRUPTION.

D'Antonio: IF THIS WAS A COMPUTER GLITCH, THEN WE MIGHT EXPECT

TO SEE A PIXELATED, BLOCK-Y OBJECT.

BUT WE DON'T SEE THAT.

THIS SORT OF TRAILS OFF, SO THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR ANYTHING

THAT MIGHT CAUSE SUCH A GLOWING LIGHT.

THEY EXAMINE THE GEOLOGY OF THE AREA.

ONE OF PERU'S NEW URANIUM MINING PROJECTS IS LOCATED NEARBY

SO PERHAPS THERE COULD BE SOME CONNECTION.

Sanford: THE GREEN LIGHT ITSELF REMINDS ME A LOT OF RADIATION

FROM URANIUM.

PERU HAS A LOT OF URANIUM DEPOSITS.

[ CRACKLING ]

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS ESTIMATE PERU'S MOUNTAINS CONTAIN 30,000 TONS

OR MORE OF THIS RADIOACTIVE ORE,

USED TO MAKE EVERYTHING FROM EARTH-SHATTERING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

TO LUMINOUS, GLOW-IN-THE-DARK PAINT.

URANIUM IS WILDLY RADIOACTIVE, RIGHT?

IT'S JUST LIKE THE GLOWING HANDS ON YOUR CLOCK,

AND SO IS THERE SOME RELATIONSHIP HERE

THAT YOU'VE GOT THIS GLOWING MATERIAL

AND THIS GLOWING SPOT?

Narrator: SCIENCE JOURNALIST DAVE MOSHER DOUBTS THAT URANIUM MINING

COULD EXPLAIN THE STRANGE SATELLITE IMAGE.

Mosher: WHEN YOU MINE URANIUM,

IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY LOW IN RADIOACTIVITY

AND ALSO IT ONLY GLOWS UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT,

SO THAT COULDN'T POSSIBLY EXPLAIN WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THE GREEN GLOW ALL THE MORE INTRIGUING

IS ITS PROXIMITY TO GIANT GEOGLYPHS

CARVED INTO THE LANDSCAPE OVER 3,000 YEARS AGO.

Capps: YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THE NAZCA MINES IN PERU,

BUT THERE'S AN EVEN MORE FAMOUS MYSTERIOUS SITE

CALLED THE PALPA LINES.

THEY'RE A THOUSAND YEARS OLDER

AND THEY HAPPEN TO BE ON A HILLSIDE RIGHT NEAR THE SITE.

Dr. Krueger: THE PALPA LINE GEOGLYPHS INCLUDE GEOMETRIC SHAPES

AND THEY ALSO INCLUDE HUMAN FIGURES

AND SOME ANIMAL FIGURES AS WELL.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THAT THE PALPA LINES

WERE CREATED BY AN ANCIENT PEOPLE KNOWN AS THE PARACAS,

WHO WORSHIPED SKY-DWELLING GODS.

THESE FIGURES ARE REALLY QUITE STRANGE-LOOKING,

LIKE CREATURES THAT COME FROM ANOTHER PLANET.

Narrator: A CONTROVERSIAL 2016 DNA STUDY OF THE SKELETAL

REMAINS OF THE PARACAS MAKES HEADLINES ACROSS THE WORLD.

Capps: SCIENTISTS DID AN ANALYSIS OF THE DNA

AND THEY FOUND MUTATIONS THAT DIDN'T MATCH ANY HUMAN,

ANY PRIMATE, ANY ANIMAL ON THIS EARTH,

WHICH IS SUPER-COOL AND CREEPY

AND IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO OUR GREEN GLOWING GOD.

Narrator: NEWSPAPERS THEN REPORT LOCAL SIGHTINGS

OF MORE STRANGE GREEN LIGHTS.

Sanford: AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT THIS PHOTO IS TAKEN,

THERE WERE REPORTS OF GREEN LIGHTS IN THE SKIES AROUND PERU,

SO IS THERE SOME KIND OF CONNECTION HERE?

YOU ADD IT ALL UP TOGETHER, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING

REALLY, KIND OF, MYSTERIOUS GOING ON HERE.

Narrator: THE GREEN GLOW MAY INDEED BE COMING FROM SPACE,

BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN IT'S EXTRATERRESTRIAL.

INVESTIGATORS WONDER WHETHER IT MIGHT BE EVIDENCE

OF SOME EXPERIMENTAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.

WE DO KNOW THAT NASA'S BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH LASERS.

Narrator: NASA'S iSat PROGRAM USES GREEN LASER BEAMS

TO DETECT CHANGES IN ELEVATION IN THE EARTH'S LANDSCAPE.

DOCTOR KELLY BRUNT IS ONE OF THE MISSION'S LEAD SCIENTISTS.

LASERS ARE USED TO BASICALLY ILLUMINATE SPOTS ON THE GROUND

AND WE GET INFORMATION REFLECTED BACK

TO OUR DETECTORS THAT GIVE US INFORMATION

ABOUT ALL SORTS OF LAND SURFACES.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE SENDS 10,000 LASER PULSES TO EARTH PER SECOND.

BY MEASURING HOW LONG IT TAKES THESE PULSES TO BOUNCE BACK,

IT DETECTS VARIATIONS IN ELEVATION TO WITHIN HALF AN INCH

WHILE ORBITING ALMOST 400 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH

AT 17,000 MILES PER HOUR.

THESE ARE HIGHLY ACCURATE AND HIGHLY PRECISE INSTRUMENTS

FOR EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH.

ONE OF OUR CURRENT INTERESTS IN EARTH SCIENCE

IS THE EXTENT OF OUR VEGETATION,

AND SO NASA ROUTINELY IS IN AREAS KIND OF NEAR THE EQUATOR

LOOKING AT OUR VEGETATION, INCLUDING AREAS LIKE PERU.

Narrator: BUT WHEN DR. BRUNT CROSS-REFERENCES THE DATE

OF THE IMAGE WITH THE NASA iSat MISSIONS,

THEY DON'T MATCH UP.

Brunt: WE CAN'T EXACTLY IDENTIFY WHICH MISSION

OR ACTIVITY CREATED THIS,

SO WE REALLY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT CAME FROM.

Narrator: THE ORIGIN OF THE STRANGE GREEN GLOW CAUGHT BY SATELLITE

REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

THIS VERY WELL MIGHT REMAIN A MYSTERY.

WE MIGHT NEVER FIND OUT.

[ WARBLING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

SEEN FROM SPACE,

A SERIES OF MYSTERIOUS SHAPES BENEATH THE WAVES.

PEOPLE SEE STRANGE THINGS RISING UP OUT OF THE WATER.

THEY SEE STRANGE VESSELS

COMING ALONG THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.

AND A POLAR BASE FOR A NAZI INVASION.

GERMAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN NORTH AMERICA

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

IT'S THE ONLY TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS.

[ WARBLING ]

[ WARBLING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: AS THE Landsat 7 SATELLITE CROSSES THE BAHAMAS,

IT REVEALS WHAT LOOKS LIKE

A SERIES OF HUGE RIPPLES

ON THE OCEAN FLOOR.

Stenstrom: THIS IS IMAGE IS TOTALLY BIZARRE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE WHOLE PLACE IS ALIVE.

THIS LOOKS LIKE A SERIES OF CAVES OR TUNNELS

THAT ARE CARVED INTO THE OCEAN FLOOR.

IT'S A REALLY A MYSTERY AS TO HOW THESE ACTUALLY FORMED.

Narrator: THE RIPPLES LEAD INTO WHAT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

IS A GAPING ABYSS.

DIVER AND EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS

HAS TRAVELED TO THE BAHAMAS TO INVESTIGATE.

THESE RIPPLES HAVE ESCAPED THE ATTENTION

OF ANY MARINE SCIENTIST

BECAUSE THEY'RE HARD TO SPOT.

FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES ABOVE,

THE FORMATIONS CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN,

BUT UP CLOSE, IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY.

YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE ANYTHING.

THERE'S LOTS OF FISH AND MARINE LIFE HERE,

AND I KNOW THAT PUFFER FISH CAN BUILD ELABORATE STRUCTURES

IN THE SAND, SO MAYBE MARINE LIFE IS INVOLVED IN THIS.

Narrator: WHAT'S SO IMPRESSIVE HERE IS THE SCALE.

Goldfinger; WHALES CARVE GROOVES IN THE SEAFLOOR AS THEY FEED.

FOR SOME SORT OF ANIMAL TO CREATE A FEATURE LIKE THIS,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A REALLY BIG ANIMAL.

Narrator: WHALES AND SHARKS PATROL THESE WATERS,

BUT THEY COULDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THESE HUGE

UNDERWATER STRUCTURES.

THE ONLY OTHER SUPERSIZED SEA LIFE HERE IS THE STUFF OF MYTH

AND LEGEND, THE SO-CALLED LUSCA.

KOUROUNIS WANTS TO FIND OUT MORE,

TO SEE IF THESE OLD SAILORS' FOLKTALES GIVE UP ANY CLUES.

IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT KNOWS ABOUT IT,

IT'S GOING TO BE THESE GUYS.

MAYBE THIS CREATURE HAS TO DO WITH WHAT I'VE SEEN

ON THE SATELLITE IMAGERY.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A THING CALLED THE LUSCA?

OKAY.

Narrator: STORIES OF THE TERRIFYING, BOAT-MUNCHING LUSCA

ARE TOLD BY FISHERMEN ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN.

THE LUSCA IS DESCRIBED AS A HUGE SEA MONSTER,

HALF OCTOPUS, MASSIVE TEETH, AND LONG ARMS

THAT CAN WRAP AROUND YOUR BOAT

AND PULL IT DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS.

THERE ARE FISHERMAN WHO WON'T EVEN GO INTO THIS AREA.

YOU'LL HAVE A HEART ATTACK JUST BY LOOKING AT IT?

SO YOU THINK IT MIGHT COME BACK?

YEAH?

A LOT OF THE DEEP WATERS IN THE OCEANS ARE STILL UNEXPLORED.

WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SPECIES DOWN THERE

THAT WE DON'T KNOW OF YET.

WHATEVER LIVES DOWN THERE COULD HAVE LIVED THERE

FOR A LONG TIME WITHOUT HAVING CHANGED A LOT

OVER THE LAST FEW MILLIONS OF YEARS.

Narrator: BUT OTHER GIGANTIC MARINE STRUCTURES LIKE CORAL REEFS

ARE THE WORK OF SMALL CREATURES, NOT BIG ONES.

KOUROUNIS LOOKS FOR OTHER CLUES IN THE AREA.

THE LOCATION OF THIS IMAGE IS INTRIGUING.

YOU HAVE THIS ALMOST ALIEN-LIKE STRUCTURE,

AND WHAT IS NEXT TO IT?

ONE OF THE MOST SECRETIVE NAVAL

TESTING FACILITIES ON THE PLANET.

Narrator: THE AMERICAN TOP-SECRET MARINE FACILITY IS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED.

IT'S PRESENCE IN THE AREA IS ALSO THE SUBJECT OF CONTROVERSY.

KOUROUNIS MEETS UP WITH BAHAMIAN JOURNALIST JEROME SAWYER.

HE'S BEEN COLLECTING REPORTS FROM LOCALS

WHO ARE FEARFUL OF WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.

PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU THEY SEE STRANGE THINGS

RISING UP OUT OF THE WATER.

THEY SEE STRANGE VESSELS

COMING ALONG THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,

STRANGE SOUNDS AND LIGHTS COMING OFF OF THE BASE AT NIGHT,

SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS MYSTERY BASE

WHERE THESE STRANGE NOISES AND...

AREA 51.

Narrator: KOUROUNIS DISCOVERS THE BASE IS CONTROLLED BY THE US NAVY,

AND ITS OFFICIAL TITLE IS THE ATLANTIC UNDERSEA TESTING

AND EVALUATION CENTER, OR AUTEC.

AUTEC WAS A BASE THAT WAS SET UP DURING THE COLD WAR

SO THAT THE UNITED STATES NAVY

COULD TEST UNDERWATER VEHICLES

AND UNDERWATER WEAPONS.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY SECRETIVE PLACE.

Narrator: AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDS, THE PURPOSE OF THE BASE

IS TO PREPARE FOR AN UNDERSEA WAR

AND TO CONDUCT RESEARCH INTO ADVANCED DEEP-SEA WEAPONS.

LOCAL PEOPLE BLAME THE BASE FOR A SERIES OF UNUSUAL EVENTS.

EVERY SO OFTEN,

THERE ARE SOME STRANGE ENVIRONMENTAL OCCURRENCES.

THERE WERE INSTANCES WHERE WHALES WERE WASHING UP

THAT REALLY SEEMED TO POINT BACK

TO SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING ON THIS BASE.

WE KNOW THAT THE NAVY HAS TESTED WEAPONS AND TORPEDOES

AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT DEVICES

IN THIS UNDERWATER ZONE, IN AUTEC.

COULD THERE BE SOME SORT OF CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE NAVY'S WEAPON-TESTING AREA

AND THESE INCREDIBLY STRANGE FORMATIONS UNDERWATER

THAT ARE RIGHT NEXT TO AUTEC?

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS STUDYING THE FORMATIONS AROUND THE ABYSS

BELIEVE THERE MAY BE A CLUE IN THE KIND OF ROCK

FORMING THE STRUCTURE.

THEY'RE REALLY A LITTLE BIT LIKE MELTED ICE CREAM.

SO THE ROCKS THAT FORM THEM ARE LIMESTONES.

Narrator: GEOLOGISTS KNOW LIMESTONE CAN BE WORN AWAY BY CHEMICALS.

THE LIMESTONE WAS EATEN AWAY BY CHEMICALS IN THE WATER

THAT FLOWED OVER IT, CREATING THIS INCREDIBLE STRUCTURE.

Narrator: BUT THESE STRUCTURES ARE SO HUGE,

SCIENTISTS CONCLUDE THE CHEMICAL EROSION MUST BE NATURAL.

THESE FEATURES ONLY OCCUR IN THESE NATURALLY ROLLING WATERS,

AND SO YOU ACTUALLY WATCH THESE SCULPTURES BEING FORMED

UNDERNEATH THE WATERS IN THESE NEAR-SHORE ZONES.

Narrator: THESE STRANGE STRUCTURES ARE YET TO BE PROPERLY EXPLORED

BY SCIENTISTS.

THESE FEATURES ARE SO SPECTACULAR THAT,

IF THEY WERE ON LAND, THEY WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE NATIONAL PARK.

THEY'D BE A HUGE ATTRACTION, BUT THEY'RE UNDERWATER,

SO NOBODY GETS TO SEE THEM REALLY,

BUT LUCKILY, THROUGH SATELLITE IMAGERY, WE CAN SEE THEM NOW.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS CAN DEDUCE HOW THE RIPPLE SHAPES ARE FORMED,

BUT THEY STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT LURKS WITHIN THE ABYSS.

[ WARBLING ]

COMING UP...

IN THE DESERT SANDS OF THE PHARAOHS,

IT'S TOO WEIRD TO BE TRUE.

AND MONSTERS IN THE ARCTIC.

Kays: THESE THINGS WERE LARGE ENOUGH TO BITE A CAR IN HALF.

IT MAKES JAWS LOOK LIKE NEMO.

[ WARBLING ]

[ WARBLING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A SATELLITE PASSES OVER THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

CLOSE TO THE NORTH POLE, IT CAPTURES A LARGE, FROZEN ISLAND.

NORSEMEN IN THE 12th CENTURY GAVE IT A NAME

WHICH MEANS "COLD SHORES," SVALBARD.

SVALBARD IS A PLACE OF COMPLETE ISOLATION.

IT'S NOT A PLACE WHERE HUMANKIND CAN LIVE

UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Narrator: THE ISLAND STRETCHES 25,000 SQUARE MILES,

BUT THE MAIN INHABITANTS ARE POLAR BEARS.

IT'S DARK HALF THE YEAR.

IT'S ALL SURROUNDED BY ROCK AND ICE.

IT'S REALLY COLD.

YOU'LL DIE IN A FEW MINUTES IF YOU GO OUT UNPROTECTED.

Narrator: BUT IN THE WILDS OF SVALBARD,

WHERE YOU'D EXPECT TO FIND NOTHING,

ANALYSTS NOTICE A SERIES OF STRAIGHT LINES.

THE SHAPE LOOKS MAN-MADE.

THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT AND WHY IS IT HERE?

THIS IS ONE OF THE HARSHEST, COLDEST PLACES IN THE WORLD.

YOU DON'T BUILD HERE FOR NO REASON.

Narrator: THE LINES LOOK LIKE THEY'RE DUG INTO THE GROUND.

ANALYSTS CONSIDER WHY ANYONE WOULD CHOOSE TO EXCAVATE

IN THIS ICY WASTELAND.

WHEN YOU STUDY UP ON THIS REGION TO FIGURE OUT

WHO MIGHT BE DIGGING TRENCHES HERE,

IT'S REMARKABLE TO FIND OUT THAT THIS GIANT, SNOWY WILDERNESS

IS ACTUALLY A TREASURE TROVE FOR FOSSIL HUNTERS.

ONE FOSSIL WAS CALLED "THE MONSTER."

IT WAS 33 FOOT LONG AND WAS THOUGHT TO BE

THE T. REX OF THE SEA.

Narrator: THESE WATERS WERE ONCE A MEETING PLACE FOR JURASSIC MONSTERS,

SOME OF THE FIERCEST CREATURES EVER KNOWN.

THESE GIANT CREATURES KNOWN AS PLIOSAURS RULED THE SEAS

UNTIL THEY DIED OUT 65 MILLION YEARS AGO.

THESE THINGS WERE TWICE AS BIG AS AN ORCA.

THEY WERE LARGE ENOUGH TO BITE A CAR IN HALF.

IT MAKES JAWS LOOK LIKE NEMO.

BUT AS THE OCEAN DISAPPEARED AROUND THE ISLAND OF SVALBARD,

THESE ANIMALS WERE FOSSILIZED ON THE ISLAND.

Narrator: YET THE CONFIGURATION OF LINES DOESN'T MATCH THE USUAL PATTERN

OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG.

THE ANGLES DON'T MAKE SENSE BECAUSE IF IT WERE

AN EXCAVATION SITE,

THEY'D BE FOLLOWING THE SHAPE OF THE ANIMAL

AND GOING AROUND THE ANIMAL,

AND THESE SEEM TO GO ALL OVER THE PLACE WITH NO REAL PATTERN.

D'Antonio: THIS IS MORE HAPHAZARD IN ITS APPEARANCE,

SO IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING ELSE.

Narrator: WHEN ANALYSTS EXAMINED THE IMAGE IN CLOSER DETAIL,

LIGHT STRUCTURES APPEAR, WHICH COULD PROVIDE A VITAL CLUE.

Pavelec: THESE CIRCLES ARE VERY REMINISCENT OF WEATHER STATIONS

I'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

THE GERMANS SET UP A NUMBER OF WEATHER STATIONS

ALL ACROSS THE ARCTIC TO HELP WITH THEIR SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN.

Kays: IN WARFARE, BEING ABLE TO PREDICT THE WEATHER

IS CRITICAL FOR SUCCESS OR FAILURE,

ESPECIALLY IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD

WHERE THE WEATHER IS SO HARSH.

Pavelec: THE ARCTIC AND THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

WERE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

THE AMERICANS WERE TRYING TO SUPPLY BRITAIN

AND THE SOVIETS WITH MATERIALS, SO THE GERMAN U-BOATS

HUNTED THE ALLIED CONVOYS IN THESE WATERS.

Narrator: TO SUPPORT THEIR MILITARY ACTIVITY,

THE NAZIS SET UP 19 WEATHER STATIONS

ACROSS THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND ARCTIC.

THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS AFTER THE WAR,

ANALYSTS DISCOVERED THE NAZIS HAD REACHED NORTH AMERICA,

ESTABLISHING A SECRET STATION CODE-NAMED KURT

ON THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.

Morgan: GERMAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND

IN NORTH AMERICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

IT'S THE ONLY TIME THAT THIS HAPPENS.

THE GERMANS THAT LANDED THERE WERE FULLY ARMED

WITH SUBMACHINE GUNS

AND THEY WERE READY TO DO BATTLE.

Narrator: THESE SECRET WEATHER STATIONS GIVE THE GERMAN U-BOATS

A DEADLY ADVANTAGE AGAINST ALLIED CONVOYS.

GERMAN U-BOATS WOULD ATTACK IN FORMATION,

SOMETHING THEY CALLED "THE WOLF PACK ATTACK,"

AND THIS WAS VERY EFFECTIVE AGAINST ALLIED SHIPS,

CAUSING A LOT OF CASUALTIES.

Narrator: IN TOTAL, NAZI U-BOATS SINK ALMOST 3,000 SHIPS.

HISTORIANS CONSIDER IF THE MAN-MADE STRUCTURES IN SVALBARD

ARE A NAZI RELIC FROM THIS DARK PERIOD OF HISTORY.

Morgan: SO THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GERMAN OCCUPATION

OF THE ISLAND DURING WORLD WAR II,

AND WE MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THE WEATHER STATION THAT THEY BUILT.

Narrator: THE GERMAN ARMY WAS INDEED IN SVALBARD DURING THE WAR

BUT WHEN DEFEAT LOOKED CERTAIN,

THEY WERE ORDERED TO LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND.

Pavelec: THE GERMANS, AT THE END OF THE WAR,

KNOWING THAT THEIR FATE WAS SEALED,

DESTROYED ALL THE STUFF THAT THEY COULD BEFORE

THEY SURRENDERED.

IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO STUDIES THE FOOTAGE

TO EXAMINE THE WHITE STRUCTURES.

IF WE ZOOM IN, TO SAY THIS BUILDING RIGHT HERE,

WE CAN SEE THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT IS TYPICALLY A MODERN CONSTRUCT.

TO ME, THEY LOOK A LOT LIKE RADAR, POINTING STRAIGHT UP,

PROBABLY SOME SORT OF SPACE SATELLITE TRACKING STATION.

Narrator: FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT THERE IS ONLY

ONE TRACKING STATION THIS FAR NORTH.

THIS IS THE LARGEST GROUND-TRACKING STATION

IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: IT'S NAME IS "SVALSAT."

THIS STATION AND TROLLSAT IN ANTARCTICA

ARE THE ONLY FACILITIES IN THE WORLD

THAT CAN TRACK EVERY REVOLUTION

OF NORTH-SOUTH ORBITING SATELLITES.

THE EARTH IS ROTATING THIS WAY,

AND THE POLAR ORBITER IS GOING THIS WAY.

AS IT GOES THIS WAY, NOTICE THAT AS IT ORBITS,

IT'S SEEING A NEW SWATH OF THE EARTH

EACH TIME THE EARTH ROTATES.

YOU CAN TRACK RAINFALL, DIFFERENCES IN STORMS,

DIFFERENCES IN VEGETATIVE GROWTH,

DIFFERENCES IN SEA LEVEL, GLACIER MOVEMENT.

Narrator: THE DATA IS MEANT TO BE USED FOR PURELY SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES

BY THE LIKES OF NASA, BUT SOME EXPERTS HAVE THEIR DOUBTS.

SVALSAT IS INTENSELY CONTROVERSIAL BECAUSE

EVEN THOUGH IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN A DEMILITARIZED ZONE,

EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SATELLITES

THAT IT MONITORS HAVE MADE THEIR WAY BACK

TO THE THE U.S. MILITARY.

Pappalardo: YOU COULD SEE CHANGES IN BASES.

YOU CAN SEE CHANGES IN ROAD SYSTEMS.

YOU CAN SEE CHANGES IN MISSILE FIELDS.

YOU CAN SEE CHANGES IN PORTS, SHIP BUILDING.

Narrator: NOW SVALSAT HAS BECOME A MAJOR TARGET

FOR THE PRYING EYES OF FOREIGN SPIES.

THERE'S A NEW WAR BEING WAGED TODAY WITH SATELLITES

AND THE DATA THEY COLLECT,

AND THIS SITE IS RIGHT ON THE FRONT LINES.

WE FIND OURSELVES NOW IN A VERY COMPLICATED PLACE

BECAUSE AS RESULT OF 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGY,

WE'RE CAPABLE OF COLLECTING THIS EARTH SCIENCE,

AND YET THIS EARTH SCIENCE

CAN ALSO BE USED FOR MILITARY PURPOSES.

SVALSAT, THE LARGEST SATELLITE TRACKING STATION ON EARTH,

WATCHING EVERYTHING WE DO FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD,

GUARDED BY POLAR BEARS. [ POLAR BEAR GROWLS ]

[ WARBLING ]

COMING UP...

TELLTALE SIGNS OF TERROR IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT.

Pavelec: IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE IMAGES SHOW EXPLOSIVES AND DEVICES

THAT COULD BE PUT TO NEFARIOUS PURPOSES.

Narrator: AND LIGHTS IN THE PRAIRIE THAT AREN'T PRODUCED

BY A LITTLE HOUSE.

IS THIS SOME KIND OF A SECRET CITY OR A SECRET MILITARY BASE

THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS ABOUT?

[ WARBLING ]

[ WARBLING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A SATELLITE PASSES OVER THE SOUTHERN TIP

OR EGYPT'S SINAI PENINSULA.

IT CAPTURES A SERIES OF STRANGE,

PARALLEL STRUCTURES PUNCTUATING THE DESERT SANDS.

THIS IS A REALLY ISOLATED LOCATION

AND WHATEVER IT IS SEEMS OUT OF PLACE.

IT JUST LOOKS REALLY, REALLY ODD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT.

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT IS IT DOING THERE?

Narrator: WHEN EXPERTS EXAMINED EARLIER IMAGES OF THE SAME SITE,

THEY MAKE A SURPRISING DISCOVERY.

IF WE LOOK BACK IN TIME AT IMAGES OF THIS SAME AREA,

THIS THING SEEMS TO APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF DESERT WINDS COULD PLAY A PART.

VIOLENT SANDSTORMS CONTINUALLY ALTER DESERT LANDSCAPES.

IT'S NOT UNHEARD OF FOR SANDSTORMS OR SHIFTING SANDS

TO UNCOVER RELICS

THAT HAVE LAIN HIDDEN FOR MILLENNIA.

AND EGYPT IS KNOWN FOR ITS RUINS.

PERHAPS THIS IS AN UNCOVERED RUIN.

Narrator: BUT MILITARY ANALYSTS SUGGEST THE STRUCTURE

MIGHT BE FAR MORE RECENT.

BECAUSE OF THE SYMMETRY AND THE WAY ITS LAID OUT,

IT ACTUALLY MIGHT SUGGEST

THAT IT'S SOME SORT OF DESERT MILITARY TRAINING CAMP.

Narrator: THE EGYPTIAN ARMY HAS NO KNOWN PRESENCE IN THIS LOCATION,

BUT INVESTIGATORS FEAR THAT OTHERS DO.

WE KNOW THAT THIS PART OF THE WORLD,

NORTH AFRICA AND THE HORN OF AFRICA,

ARE RAMPANT WITH BAD GUYS WITH INSURGENT

AND TERRORIST GROUPS, RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS,

ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO DO HARM TO OTHERS.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS FEAR AN ISIS-AFFILIATED CELL

COULD BE OPERATING IN THIS REGION,

CONDUCTING SOME VERY SINISTER ARCHEOLOGY.

IT IS KNOWN THAT A JIHADIST GROUP OPERATES

RECOVERING GERMAN ANTI-TANK AND ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES

FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

HARVESTING THE HIGH EXPLOSIVE OUT OF EACH ONE OF THESE WEAPONS

FOR THE PURPOSES OF USING THEM AGAIN.

Narrator: HISTORIANS CONFIRM THAT HIDDEN IN THE EGYPTIAN DESERT

ARE ALMOST A FIFTH OF ALL THE WORLD'S ACTIVE LAND MINE

AND UNEXPLODED BOMBS AND SHELLS.

THE DRY DESERT SANDS THAT HAVE PRESERVED TOMBS

AND TEMPLES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

ALSO PROTECT WEAPON COMPONENTS FROM CORROSION.

THEY ARE AS LETHAL TODAY AS THEY WERE 70 YEARS AGO.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THESE IMAGES SHOW MOUNDS OF MUNITIONS

OR RACKS OF SOME SORT THAT ARE CARRYING

AND HOLDING ALL THESE KINDS OF EXPLOSIVES AND DEVICES

THAT COULD BE PUT TO NEFARIOUS PURPOSES.

Narrator: IN RECENT YEARS, THESE REPURPOSED NAZI MINES

ARE USED TO DEADLY EFFECT.

SOME OF THESE EXPLOSIVES,

MANUFACTURED FOR THE SECOND WORLD WAR

AND RECLAIMED BY EXTREMISTS,

WAS USED IN A TRUCK BOMB AT A HILTON RESORT

AND KILLED OVER 34 PEOPLE.

IF THIS ACTUALLY A TRAINING SITE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT,

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.

Narrator: MILITARY EXPERTS CONSULT EGYPTIAN INTELLIGENCE REPORTS,

BUT THEY SHOW LITTLE OR NO EXTREMIST ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA.

Pavelec: GIVEN THE LOCATION, IT'S PROBABLY NOT LIKELY THAT

IT'S A PLACE WHERE EXTREMISTS ARE DIGGING FOR LAND MINE.

THERE HAS TO BE SOME OTHER PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION

FOR THIS PHOTOGRAPH.

Narrator: THE ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE SITE REMAINS A MYSTERY

UNTIL ESTONIAN EXPLORER AND PHOTOGRAPHER KAUPO KIKKAS

GAINS ACCESS TO THE HIDDEN SITE.

KIKKAS WINS THE TRUST OF THE BEDOUIN TRIBESMEN.

THEY GUIDE HIM THROUGH A LITTLE- KNOWN TRAIL IN A MOUNTAIN RIDGE.

[ SWING MUSIC PLAYS ]

Sanford: IT'S NOT THIS DANGEROUS THING THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.

IT'S NOT MILITARY.

IT'S NOT ISIS.

IT'S A CINEMA.

A CINEMA IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?

Narrator: THE OUTDOOR CINEMA IS THE VISION OF RECLUSIVE

FRENCHMEN DEAN IDELL.

HIS DREAM WAS TO SCREEN FILMS UNDER THE DESERT STARS.

HE GOT A GENERATOR. HE GOT THE SEATS.

HE GOT A SCREEN TO BE ABLE TO SHOW IT TO PEOPLE.

THIS CINEMA WAS ACTUALLY NAMED THE END OF THE WORLD CINEMA

BECAUSE IF YOU WERE GOING TO GO SEE A MOVIE THERE,

IT WOULD BE LIKE

YOU WERE TRAVELING TO THE END OF THE WORLD.

Narrator: BUT KIKKAS DISCOVERS THAT THE FRENCHMAN'S CINEMATIC DREAM

TURNED INTO A HORROR SHOW.

Sanford: NO MOVIE WAS SHOWN.

IN FACT, NO MOVIE HAS EVER BEEN SHOWN THERE.

PERHAPS ONE OF THE EGYPTIAN GODS

OR DEAD PHARAOHS CAME BACK AND SAID,

"I DO NOT WANT MOVIES SHOWN ON MY LAND. GET OUT.

AND BY THE WAY, [IMITATES ZAP], THERE GOES YOUR GENERATOR."

[ ELECTRICITY ZAPPING ]

[ WARBLING ]

Narrator: STILL TO COME...

THE AMERICAN CITY THAT ISN'T ON ANY MAP.

WE HAVE A MYSTERY.

WE'VE GOT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LARGE CITY

THAT DOESN'T REALLY EXIST.

[ WARBLING ]

[ WARBLING ]

[ RAPID BEEPING ]

Narrator: NOVEMBER 12, 2012 -- 500 MILES ABOVE EARTH,

NASA'S $8 BILLION SUOMI NPP SATELLITE RECORDS

A PANORAMIC VIEW OF NORTH AMERICA AT NIGHT.

WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN THE UNITED STATES,

AND YOU SEE THIS IMAGE AT NIGHT, IT ALMOST IS MAGICAL.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE VARIOUS CITIES

SPREAD AROUND THE COUNTRY,

LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, MIAMI,

ALL THE BIG URBAN CENTERS, AND THEY'RE ALL BRIGHTLY LIT.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGING INSTRUMENTS DETECT LIGHT SOURCES

ONE BILLION TIMES FAINTER THAN SUNLIGHT.

THEY ALSO CAPTURE A STRANGE ANOMALY.

IT STARTS GETTING DARKER AS YOU GET INTO THE INTERIOR,

BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET INTO THE DAKOTAS,

SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

Narrator: THE IMAGE SHOWS A CITY-SHAPED ARRAY OF LIGHTS

TO THE WEST OF FARGO,

BUT THE NEAREST CITY APPROACHING THIS SIZE IS CHICAGO,

NEARLY 1,000 MILES AWAY.

WE HAVE A MYSTERY.

WE'VE GOT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LARGE CITY

THAT DOESN'T REALLY EXIST.

THE BIG QUESTION IS,

WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER WHO OR WHAT COULD BE LIGHTING UP

SUCH A VAST EXPANSE OF THE MIDWEST.

SOME SUGGEST THE LIGHTS HINT AT A CLANDESTINE PURPOSE.

OBVIOUSLY, SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON.

IS THIS SOME KIND OF A SECRET CITY OR A SECRET MILITARY BASE

THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS ABOUT?

Narrator: DEFENSE ANALYSTS KNOW THAT US MILITARY HAS A HISTORY

OF CREATING SO-CALLED CLOSED CITIES

FOR TOP-SECRET MILITARY RESEARCH.

[ WHIRRING ]

Baker: THE U.S. HAS HAD A FEW OF THOSE

AND BASICALLY FOR PURPOSES

OF WEAPONS OR NUCLEAR TESTING.

Narrator: CLOSED CITIES HAVE THEIR ORIGIN THE COLD WAR.

DURING THE 1940s, BOTH THE U.S. AND SOVIET UNION

BUILD VAST MILITARY COMPLEXES IN ISOLATED AREAS

AWAY FROM THE PRYING EYES OF THE ENEMY.

THEY EACH BUILT CITIES WHERE SCIENTISTS WOULD BE

IN A CLOSED ENVIRONMENT.

THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE U.S. WOULD HAVE BEEN LOS ALAMOS,

WHERE THE MANHATTAN PROJECT WAS BASED,

DEVELOPING THE ATOMIC BOMBS THAT WOULD BE DROPPED

ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI, ENDING WORLD WAR II.

Narrator: CLOSED CITIES ARE HIGHLY SECURE, PUBLIC ACCESS IS PROHIBITED.

BUT INSIDE, THEY'RE LIKE REGULAR TOWNS WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE

AND FACILITIES TO SUPPORT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Harrison: THEY BUILT HOUSES.

THEY PLANTED TREES FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE GOING TO LIVE THERE.

THEY BUILT SCHOOLS FOR THE KIDS.

THEY DID EVERYTHING TO CREATE THIS CITY.

Narrator: THE COLD WAR ENDED ALMOST 3 DECADES AGO,

BUT THE US GOVERNMENT STILL OPERATES ITS CLOSED CITIES.

EVEN TODAY, MERCURY, NEVADA IS ONE OF THESE CLOSED CITIES.

WE KNOW THAT IT'S BUILT AROUND A NUCLEAR TEST SITE,

BUT WE REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE THERE

OR WHAT ACTUALLY IS GOING ON.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE RAISES FEARS THAT THE U.S. MILITARY

IS CONDUCTING TOP-SECRET,

LARGE-SCALE MILITARY TESTING IN THE MIDWEST.

BUT IF THIS IMAGE IS A SECRET CITY

DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE,

WHY WOULD IT BE SO EASILY VISIBLE FROM SPACE?

NOWADAYS, A SECRET CITY DOESN'T EXIST ABOVE THE SURFACE.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO HIDE A FACILITY,

IT'S PRETTY MUCH UNDERGROUND.

THAT'S YOUR ONLY OPTION.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SPECULATE THAT BRIGHT LIGHTS

IN THE REMOTE PRAIRIE OF THE MIDWEST

IS EVIDENCE OF A NATURAL DISASTER.

ONE POSSIBILITY ASSOCIATED WITH SEEING A LIGHT

IN A NORMALLY UNPOPULATED AREA IS TO THINK,

"MAYBE THAT'S BECOME A WILD GRASS FIRE."

Narrator: WILDFIRES IN THE UNITED STATES CAN TRAVEL AT 14 MILES AN HOUR

AND DESTROY AN AREA 45 TIMES LARGER

THAN NEW YORK CITY EVERY YEAR.

Cerveny: PRAIRIE FIRES WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT,

THROUGH ACCIDENT OR THROUGH LIGHTNING,

YOU COULD GET A PART OF THE PRAIRIE ON FIRE,

AND IT WOULD QUICKLY SPREAD TO HUNDREDS OF MILES.

Narrator: BUT NO LARGE WILDFIRES HAVE BEEN REPORTED

IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY AROUND THE DATE

THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN.

ANALYSTS RETURNED TO THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

STUDIES OF THE INFRARED DATA REVEAL SOMETHING UNUSUAL.

IF YOU DIG DEEP WITHIN THE INFRARED SIGNATURES,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THAT THERE ARE TEN

REALLY BRIGHT CENTERS

OF THIS GIANT BALL OF FLAME.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THAT THE BRIGHT CENTERS OF LIGHT

IN THE IMAGE CORRESPOND TO THE LOCATION

OF RECENTLY DISCOVERED OIL FIELDS.

THIS IS THE SECOND-LARGEST OIL FIELD IN AMERICA.

IN FACT, SO LARGE THAT IT PRODUCES

AROUND 600,000 BARRELS OF OIL A DAY.

Narrator: IN 2006, OILMEN DISCOVERED RICH DEPOSITS

NEAR THE REMOTE TOWN OF PARSHALL, NORTH DAKOTA.

THE OIL-RICH LAYER OF ROCK KNOWN AS THE BAKKEN FORMATION

COVERS 25,000 SQUARE MILES

AND IS NOW PEPPERED WITH HUNDREDS OF DRILLING RIGS.

Pepper: WHAT YOU SEE YOU FLY OVER THIS AREA, LOOKING DOWN,

YOU SWEAR THAT IT'S A BUSY NEIGHBORHOOD

WITH ALL THESE LITTLE CUL-DE-SACS.

BUT IF YOU GET CLOSER, YOU REALIZE IT'S ALL DIRT

AND THOSE ARE JUST OIL FIELD AFTER OIL FIELD,

ALL TRYING TO GET THAT OIL.

Narrator: THE LIGHTS PICKED UP ON SATELLITE

ARE THE OIL FIELDS BURNING OFF EXCESS GAS.

IN THE BUSINESS OF OIL, IF THE PRICE OF NATURAL GAS IS LOW,

YOU BURN IT OFF TO GET TO THAT EXPENSIVE OIL.

IF THE PRICE OF NATURAL GAS GOES UP,

THAT LIGHT WILL GO OUT AS THEY PUMP THAT INTO FILL TANKS.

Narrator: BAKKEN OIL COMPANIES DISPOSE OF UP $1,000,000

OF EXCESS GAS PER DAY.

THE NASA SATELLITE HAS CAPTURED OILMEN BURNING MONEY FROM SPACE.

[ WHOOSH ]