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 ]

RAGNAROK AND THE CHAMBERS OF HORROR.

EVERY NINE YEARS, NINE MEN WERE SACRIFICED FOR NINE DAYS.

ALL PATHS LEAD HERE.

Narrator: BEAM ME UP, BEIJING.

CHINA IS CLAIMING THEY'VE SUCCESSFULLY

ACHIEVED TELEPORTATION AT THIS BASE.

Narrator: AND FAMILY VACATIONS NORTH KOREAN STYLE.

THIS WOMAN RUNS AWAY FROM THEM, AT WHICH POINT,

THEY SHOOT HER DEAD.

[ GUNSHOT ]

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 ]

**

JUNE 16, 2012.

AS THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE PASSES OVER SCANDINAVIA,

IT CAPTURES A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE

ON THE SWEDISH ISLAND OF OLAND.

THIS IS A REALLY CURIOUS IMAGE THAT AT FIRST GLANCE

LOOKS LIKE THE REVERSE OF AN ANCIENT COIN.

THESE RECTANGULAR SHAPES

ARE MAYBE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PERSON.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY IN THIS CIRCLE?

THIS LOOKS LIKE A GIANT MAZE, A LABYRINTH.

**

Narrator: THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE IS 500 FEET ACROSS,

AND ITS CRUMBLING WALLS SUGGEST IT IS CENTURIES OLD.

ITS ORIGIN AND PURPOSE BAFFLE EXPERTS.

CLEARLY SOMEBODY PUT A LOT OF TIME

INTO THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURE.

BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHY?

**

Narrator: THE SITE CAPTURES THE IMAGINATION

OF ARCHEOLOGIST KLINT JANULIS WHO'S MAKING THE LONG JOURNEY

TO SWEDEN TO INVESTIGATE.

OLAND SITS IN THE COLD AND STORMY BALTIC SEA.

MORE THAN 20 TIMES THE SIZE OF MANHATTAN,

IT HAS A POPULATION SMALLER THAN GREENWICH VILLAGE.

Janulis: IT'S THIS REALLY ENIGMATIC STRUCTURE.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS,

AND I WON'T KNOW UNTIL I SEE IT FOR MYSELF.

**

Narrator: THE ISLAND IS COVERED IN WINDMILLS,

MANY DATING BACK TO THE 19th CENTURY.

BUT SOME STRUCTURES GO BACK FAR FURTHER,

TO 6,000 B.C. WHEN THIS ISLAND IS FIRST SETTLED BY TRIBES,

PROBABLY BY WAY OF AN ICE BRIDGE FROM THE SWEDISH MAINLAND.

**

AS JANULIS APPROACHES THE SITE, HE SPOTS A POSSIBLE CLUE.

**

ANOTHER CIRCULAR STONE LEGACY

OF ONE OF THE ISLAND'S ANCIENT PEOPLES.

Janulis: WOW.

THE FIRST THING I NOTICE IS SHAPE.

THESE ARE GIANT ROCKS

INDIVIDUALLY PLACED IN THE GROUND

IN THE SHAPE OF A SHIP.

Narrator: FOR JANULIS, THE SHAPE OF THIS STRUCTURE

SUGGESTS HE'S WALKING ON CONSECRATED GROUND.

Janulis: IN THE LAYOUT, IN THE SCALE,

IN THE CONSTRUCTION,

THIS IS WHAT I EXPECT FROM A VIKING GRAVE.

Paul: BOATS WERE THE CENTRAL ASPECT OF VIKING CULTURE.

PEOPLE WANTED TO BE BURIED IN STRUCTURES THAT MIMICKED

THE WAY THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES.

Narrator: THE SIZE OF THE BURIAL SITE

SUGGESTS NORSEMEN HAD A LARGE PRESENCE

NEAR THE STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORDS SHOW THAT VIKINGS INHABIT OLAND

FROM 750 TO 1,100 A.D.

**

Dr. Hunt: THE WORD "VIKINGER" MEANS "WANDERERS."

NOBODY COULD WANDER LIKE THE VIKINGS.

THEY EXTENDED THEIR SEAFARING ALONG THE COAST OF AFRICA,

INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN, ALL THE WAY TO NORTH AMERICA.

[MEN SHOUTING]

Narrator: FOR THESE WARRIORS,

DEATH IS JUST THE START OF ANOTHER LIFE

IN THE HALL OF THE FALLEN -- VALHALLA.

GETTING INTO VALHALLA WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART

OF YOUR SPIRITUAL AND WARRIOR LIFE,

AND ONE WAY THAT THE VIKINGS TRIED TO DO THAT

WAS MAKE SURE THE DECEASED

HAD A VEHICLE OR A VESSEL, A SHIP,

TO CARRY THEM INTO THE AFTERLIFE.

[MEN SHOUTING]

Narrator: VIKINGS CREMATE THEIR DEAD

IN THE BELIEF THE SMOKE CARRIES THEM TO THE NEXT WORLD.

SLAVES, KNOWN AS THRALLS,

WOULD OFTEN BE BURNED ALIVE WITH THEIR MASTERS

SO THEY COULD CONTINUE TO SERVE THEM IN VALHALLA.

Paul: INDIVIDUALS WERE BURIED WITH THINGS

THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO THEM.

PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE PREPARED TO RE-CREATE

THE WAY THAT THEY LIVED.

Narrator: BOAT BURNINGS CAN'T HAPPEN AT SEA,

OR IN THE CENTER OF SHIP-SHAPED STONE STRUCTURES SUCH AS THESE.

BUT BECAUSE A BOAT WAS SO VALUABLE,

THEY ARE RARE.

AMONG THE MOST CELEBRATED FUNERAL PYRES

IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY IS THAT OF BALDUR, SON OF ODIN,

WHO WAS SAID TO HAVE POSSESSED THE GREATEST SHIP EVER BUILT.

Paul: BURNING A BOAT TAKES A LOT OF TIME.

IT TAKES A LOT OF RESOURCES,

SO THAT'S WHY THIS BURIAL PRACTICE

WAS RESERVED FOR ONLY AN ELITE FEW.

Narrator: THE SIZE OF THIS TOMB

SUGGESTS IT CONTAINS THE REMAINS OF CELEBRATED WARRIORS.

YET MOST VIKINGS WEREN'T FIGHTERS AT ALL,

BUT HUMBLE FARMERS.

NORMAL VIKINGS WOULD NOT BE BURIED IN SHIPS.

THEY MIGHT BE BURIED IN CEMETERIES

THAT COULD BE LIKE THIS IMAGE.

Narrator: JANULIS CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY

TO THE SITE IN THE IMAGE,

WONDERING IF IT SERVED AS SOME SORT OF NECROPOLIS.

I'M GONNA GO UP TO THE SITE AND LOOK AROUND

AND SEE IF IT HOLDS TRUE.

**

WOW.

**

THE OVERHEAD IMAGE DOESN'T DO THIS JUSTICE.

THIS PLACE IS REALLY BIG.

**

THERE'S AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF LABOR

THAT WENT INTO THIS LOCATION, INTO BUILDING THIS HERE.

Narrator: SEEING THE STRUCTURE CLOSE UP

MAKES JANULIS RE-EVALUATE ITS PURPOSE.

Janulis: THE PATTERNS ACTUALLY DON'T EVEN MATCH

WHAT I WAS SEEING ON THE OVERHEAD IMAGE.

YOU START SEEING MORE NUANCE.

THERE'S PATHWAYS.

THESE RECTANGLE-LIKE SHAPES ARE A LOT BIGGER THAN A PERSON,

A LOT BIGGER THAN A COFFIN.

I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS WAS NOT A BURIAL SITE.

**

Narrator: ON THE PERIMETER, JANULIS DISCOVERS A DETAIL

HE DIDN'T SEE IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

Janulis: IT'S GOT REALLY THICK WALLS.

WE'VE GOT LIMESTONE STACKED 16 FEET HIGH, 12 FEET THICK,

AND IN ALL RESPECTS, THIS LOOKS LIKE A FORT.

**

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS CONFIRM THAT THROUGHOUT HISTORY,

THIS ISLAND'S LONG COASTLINE HAS BEEN VULNERABLE

TO ATTACK FROM PIRATES AND FOREIGN POWERS.

EVIDENCE FOR THIS COMES FROM ANOTHER CIRCULAR STRONGHOLD

13 MILES TO THE SOUTH.

Paul: THERE'S ANOTHER LOCATION NEARBY

THAT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR FROM ABOVE,

AND THIS NEARBY SITE HAD A GREAT MASSACRE OCCUR.

**

Narrator: THE FORT IS CALLED SANDBY BORG.

IN 2018, ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER THE REMAINS

OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE HERE,

EXECUTED USING FAST, BRUTAL FORCE.

Dr. Hunt: FORENSIC EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THE RAIDERS

WENT FROM DOOR TO DOOR, THEY SPARED NO ONE,

EVEN SLICING YOUNG CHILDREN IN HALF.

**

THERE ARE NO WOMEN DEAD, WHICH MEANS ONE THING --

THE RAIDERS WERE ELIMINATING

ANY COMPETITION OF WARFARE,

AND THEY TOOK THE WOMEN AWAY INTO SLAVERY.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS DATE THE MASSACRE

TO THE FIFTH CENTURY,

AROUND THE TIME WHEN THE STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE IS BUILT.

THIS IS A TIME WHEN THE ROMAN WORLD IS COLLAPSING.

IT'S A TIME OF SUCH TURBULENCE, THERE IS NO SOCIAL ORDER.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

IT'S EVERYONE ELSE AGAINST YOU.

Narrator: JANULIS WONDERS IF THESE STONES

CONCEAL SIMILARLY GRUESOME REMAINS.

THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE PLACE

WHERE PEOPLE CAME FOR PROTECTION,

AND THEN THEY ALL GOT KILLED

DURING A TIME OF GREAT CONFLICT AND WARFARE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, KLINT JANULIS

ENTERS THE HALL OF THE SLAIN.

IT REPRESENTED THE GODS WHO SURVIVED RAGNAROK,

THE APOCALYPSE.

Narrator: AND THE INVASION OF THE PENGUIN MUNCHING MEGA MICE.

THIS WAS LIKE PENGUIN NEW YORK,

AND IT JUST DISAPPEARED?

**

**

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST KLINT JANULIS

IS ON THE SWEDISH ISLAND OF OLAND,

INVESTIGATING A MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT SITE

CAPTURED BY EYES IN THE SKY.

Janulis: IT WAS BUILT WITH A LOT OF EFFORT,

BUILT TO BE A DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE.

Narrator: YET WHEN JANULIS EXPLORES THE LAYOUT,

HE SPOTS A SERIOUS FLAW IN THE DESIGN.

THIS SITE HAS NINE DOORWAYS,

AND STANDING RIGHT HERE IN THE VERY MIDDLE OF IT,

IT IS VERY OBVIOUS

THAT AS A STRUCTURE TO PROTECT, YOU DON'T WANT DOORWAYS.

DOORWAYS ARE WEAK POINTS.

EVERY DOOR IS A POSSIBLE POINT OF ENTRY,

A SPOT YOU COULD BE ATTACKED FROM.

**

Narrator: THIS DISCOVERY OFFERS ANOTHER CLUE

TO THE STRUCTURE'S PURPOSE.

WE KNOW NINE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER

FOR EARLY NORDIC SOCIETIES.

WE KNOW THAT IT WAS RELIGIOUSLY IMPORTANT.

Narrator: THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE APPEARS TO BE FOCUSED

AROUND THIS HUGELY SYMBOLIC NUMBER.

ALL THE RECTANGLES, THE CHAMBERS ALL CONVERGE

AT THE SEEMINGLY CENTRAL POINT.

ALL PATHS LEAD HERE.

IF THIS IS SYMBOLIC, WHAT IS THE REASON

BEHIND THESE CHAMBERS ALL RUNNING INWARD?

ACCORDING TO THE VIKINGS,

NINE WORLDS GROW OUT OF THE GREAT TREE YGGDRASIL,

INCLUDING ASGARD, RULED BY ODIN.

HERE, THE DARK ELVES FORGE A MAGIC RING,

WHICH HE PLACES ON THE FUNERAL PYRE OF HIS SON BALDUR.

EVERY NINE NIGHTS, THE RING

CREATES EIGHT MORE IDENTICAL ONES.

ONE OF THE LEGENDS THAT INSPIRES THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Janulis: IT WAS SYMBOLIC OF THE NINE REALMS OF NORSE MYTHOLOGY,

AND SYMBOLIC OF THE NORSE APOCALYPSE, RAGNAROK.

IN EARLY NORSE FOLKLORE,

RAGNAROK DESCRIBES WHEN THE NINE REALMS

ARE DESTROYED IN A BATTLE BETWEEN GODS AND BEASTS.

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

Dr. Hunt: IT'S A TIME WHEN THE WORLD IS CHAOS,

WHEN CIVILIZATION APPEARS TO BE AT ITS LAST GASP.

**

THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END.

**

Narrator: 11th CENTURY CHRONICLES

DOCUMENT MACABRE NORSE CEREMONIES

TO ASK ODIN FOR PROTECTION AND PREVENT FUTURE CATACLYSMS.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF RITUALS

SURROUNDING THE USE OF NINE SACRIFICES.

**

EVERY NINE YEARS, NINE MEN WERE SACRIFICED FOR NINE DAYS,

TOTALING 81 DEAD MEN.

**

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE CHRONICLES,

THE 81 VICTIMS ARE HUNG FROM TREES

IN A SACRED GROVE NEXT TO A TEMPLE.

FOR THE UNFORTUNATE VICTIMS OF THIS NORSE TERROR,

THIS WAS MORDOR.

IF YOU LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR SITE,

IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT WE HAVE 81 CHAMBERS HERE

REPRESENTING A SIMILAR SACRIFICE.

AND THAT WAS REALLY THE ULTIMATE WAY TO DIE,

BECAUSE THEN YOU'RE SELECTED BY THE GODS

BECAUSE OF THAT INCREDIBLE SACRIFICE.

Narrator: FROM A SATELLITE,

AN ANCIENT RING WITH NINE ENTRANCES.

ONE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE SITE OF MASS RITUAL BLOODLETTING,

A BUTCHERY THE VICTIMS ENDURE

IN THE HOPE THAT IT WILL GAIN FAVOR

WITH THE GREAT GODS OF ASGARD,

AND EARN THEM PASSAGE TO THE FEASTS OF VALHALLA.

Janulis: WE KNOW THAT THIS SITS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ISLAND,

SO BEING THE VERY CENTER,

AND HAVING THE RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM

BUILT INTO THIS MASSIVE STRUCTURE,

I THINK THAT THIS IS A PLACE THAT CONNECTED

BOTH THEIR MILITARY AND WARRIOR CULTURE

AND THEIR RELIGIOUS CULTURE.

**

Horton: THIS FEATURE COULD BE A KIND OF LANDSCAPE VALHALLA,

A PLACE WHERE THE DEAD ARE BEING CELEBRATED

IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY CEREMONIAL BUILDING.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, LITTLE KIM'S MYSTERY MEGASTRUCTURE.

WHENEVER YOU SEE SOMETHING NEW AND BIG IN NORTH KOREA,

IT RAISES THE ALARM.

**

Narrator: AND ATTACK OF THE MEGA MICE.

THEY'RE 10 INCHES! THESE ARE HUGE MICE.

[ MOUSE SQUEAKING ]

**

**

Narrator: SCIENTISTS RELY ON SATELLITES

TO MONITOR ANIMAL POPULATIONS

IN THE VAST ANTARCTIC WILDERNESS.

IMAGES TAKEN OVER PIG ISLAND IN THE SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN

ON MARCH 18, 2017,

REVEAL SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG.

THIS IS BIZARRE.

YOU USUALLY CAN SEE PENGUINS IN THESE GIANT COLONIES,

BUT HERE, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT FEELS LIKE A DESERTED ISLAND.

Narrator: THE LARGEST COLONY OF KING PENGUINS ON THE PLANET

HAS GONE AWOL, AND NOBODY KNOWS WHY.

THIS WAS LIKE PENGUIN NEW YORK,

AND IT JUST DISAPPEARED?

Narrator: SINCE RECORDS BEGAN,

THE ISLAND HAS BEEN PACKED WITH THE THREE-FOOT-TALL BIRDS.

AT ITS PEAK, THERE WERE TWO-MILLION BIRDS

ON THIS ISLAND,

HALF A MILLION BREEDING PAIRS.

RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE ONLY 60,000 BREEDING PAIRS LEFT.

THAT'S A DECREASE IN ABOUT 90%.

Narrator: EXPERTS SPECULATE IF THIS CATASTROPHIC DECLINE

IS A CASUALTY OF THEIR IRREGULAR SEX LIFE.

IT TAKES A REALLY LONG TIME

FOR THEM TO BUILD UP THEIR POPULATIONS

BECAUSE THEY ONLY LAY ONE EGG AT A TIME.

SO, ANY ISSUES CAN REALLY BE A DETRIMENT

TO THE LONG TERM SURVIVAL OF THAT POPULATION.

Narrator: FOR EGGS AND CHICKS,

PREDATORS SUCH AS SEALS, SKUAS, AND GIANT PETRELS

ARE AN EVER PRESENT DANGER.

Dr. Vaughn: THESE PENGUINS HAVE VERY LITTLE FEAR OR NATURAL DEFENSES,

SO A PREDATOR COULD LITERALLY WALK UP,

EAT 'EM, AND TAKE THEIR EGGS.

**

Narrator: WHILE ANALYSTS DOUBT THESE ANIMALS ARE THE CAUSE,

THEY DISCOVER BIGGER TWO-LEGGED ANIMALS

ARE ALSO ON THE HUNT.

HUMANS HAVE PARTICULAR THINGS THAT ARE CONSIDERED DELICACIES,

AND IT JUST SO TURNS OUT PENGUIN EGGS ARE DELICIOUS.

Narrator: PENGUIN EGGS CONTAIN A PROTEIN

WHICH MAKES THEM RESISTANT TO THE COLD,

AND GIVES THEM A WEIRD CHARACTERISTIC.

WHEN YOU BOIL THEM, THE WHITES DON'T TURN WHITE.

THEY STAY CLEAR, SO WHEN YOU PEEL IT BACK,

IT LOOKS LIKE A YELLOW YOLK ORB

SUSPENDED INSIDE THIS MASS OF CLEAR GELATINOUS FLUID.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE AN ALIEN EGG.

**

COLLECTING PENGUIN EGGS IS PERMITTED IN SOME PLACES,

BUT TAKING THEM FROM THE ISLAND IN THE IMAGE IS ILLEGAL,

YET SOME PEOPLE WILL STOP AT NOTHING

FOR A BELLYFUL OF GELATINOUS, FISHY ALIEN EGG.

WE KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE LIKE PENGUIN EGGS,

AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A BLACK MARKET DEMAND FOR THEM,

SO POTENTIALLY PEOPLE COULD BE VISITING THE ISLAND

UNKNOWN TO US, AND TAKING THESE EGGS.

Narrator: HOWEVER, OTHERS THINK THE ISLAND IS TOO REMOTE

TO TEMPT EGG RUSTLERS.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF ITS GEOLOGY OFFERS A CLUE.

Dr. Dennie: PIG ISLAND IS A PART OF WHAT'S CALLED

THE CROZET ARCHIPELAGO.

WE'RE HERE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE PLATE,

AND THERE ARE BREAKS OR FAULTS WITHIN THAT PLATE

ALLOWING MAGMA TO RISE UP

AND FORM THESE UNDERWATER VOLCANOES,

WHICH SOMETIMES BREACH THE SURFACE AND FORM ISLANDS.

**

Narrator: KING PENGUINS CONSUME UP TO HALF

OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT IN FISH EACH DAY.

TO HIT THESE NUMBERS, THEY SPEND 75% OF THEIR LIVES

IN THE WATER, DIVING DOWN TO 1,000 FEET.

THE GASES FROM AN UNDERWATER ERUPTION

CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE THE CHEMISTRY OF THE MARINE WATER,

CAUSING IT TO BECOME ACIDIC

AND DRIVING AWAY THE FOOD FOR OUR PENGUINS.

[ PENGUINS SQUAWKING ]

**

Narrator: SEISMIC RECORDS SUGGEST THIS ISN'T HAPPENING HERE.

Nelson: WE HAVE SATELLITES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

WE CAN SEE WHEN A VOLCANO ERUPTS.

THERE WAS NOT ACTIVITY HERE, SO IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.

**

Narrator: BIOLOGISTS WONDER IF THE LAND MASS'S STRANGE NAME

MAY PROVIDE A CLUE.

PIG ISLAND IS CALLED PIG ISLAND

BECAUSE IT WAS ONCE COVERED IN PIGS.

**

Narrator: IN THE 18th AND 19th CENTURIES,

MARITIME EXPLORERS PACKED THEIR SHIPS WITH ANIMALS

TO PROVIDE FRESH MEAT FOR THE JOURNEY.

[ PIGS SQUEALING ]

GIANT TORTOISES ARE CONSIDERED PARTICULARLY DELICIOUS,

AND A SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER THANKS TO THE RESERVES

THEY KEEP IN THEIR LONG NECKS.

HOWEVER, IF THE ONBOARD CATERING ESCAPES,

IT CAN CAUSE CHAOS.

THROUGHOUT ECOLOGY, THERE ARE LOTS OF EXAMPLES

ON ISLANDS WHERE A PREDATOR HAS BEEN INTRODUCED,

SOME KIND OF INVASIVE SPECIES,

AND KILLED OFF AN ENTIRE POPULATION.

THE PIGS THAT WERE ONCE HERE ARE LONG GONE,

BUT ANOTHER STOWAWAY MAY BE PRESENT.

THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT COULD BE ACCIDENTALLY INTRODUCED

UNKNOWINGLY, LIKE A RAT OR A MOUSE,

AND STARTS REPRODUCING, AND THEN YOU HAVE A REAL PROBLEM,

BECAUSE THOSE RATS FIND AND EAT ANYTHING THAT THEY CAN.

**

Narrator: A BREEDING PAIR OF RATS

CAN PRODUCE TENS OF MILLIONS OF PUPS IN JUST A FEW YEARS.

ON ANOTHER ISLAND IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN,

A SWARM OF SUPERSIZED MICE

WIPE OUT OVER A MILLION SEA BIRDS EACH YEAR.

ON GOUGH ISLAND, WHEN MICE WERE INTRODUCED,

THEY GOT A TASTE FOR BIRD CHICKS,

AND THEY ATE SO MUCH, THEY BECAME GINORMOUS.

Nelson: NOW THEY'RE LARGE. THEY'RE 10 INCHES.

THESE ARE HUGE, PROBLEMATIC MICE.

Narrator: YET THE MOST RECENT SURVEY ON PIG ISLAND

FINDS NO SIGN OF INVASIVE PREDATORS.

Nelson: I THINK IT'S UNLIKELY THAT IT'S PREDATORS,

BECAUSE WE KNOW THE LAST TIME PEOPLE VISITED THE ISLAND,

THEY HAD A THRIVING POPULATION.

Narrator: DISEASE, LACK OF FOOD, PREDATORS?

THE MYSTERY OF THE PIG ISLAND PENGUINS BAFFLES SCIENTISTS.

IN LATE FALL 2019,

AN EXPEDITION THERE HOPES TO IDENTIFY

WHERE THEY HAVE DISAPPEARED TO AND WHY.

CLEARLY THERE'S A HUGE PROBLEM HERE FOR THESE PENGUINS.

WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE MYSTERY WRECK OF TOMORROW ISLAND.

THE INCIDENT WAS HUSHED UP AFTER THE FACT.

Narrator: AND SUPER POWERS FACE OFF IN THE LAND OF THE SKY GODS.

CHINA AND INDIA ARE BASICALLY THE NEIGHBORS FROM HELL.

**

**

Narrator: MARCH 11, 2018.

A SATELLITE OVER NORTH KOREA CAPTURES THIS GLIMPSE

INTO THE NOTORIOUSLY SECRETIVE NATION.

LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE HERE,

YOU SEE A LONG, RECTANGULAR STRUCTURE,

SEEMINGLY SITTING IN THE WATER TIED UP TO SOME DOCK OR PIER.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY FLOATING STRUCTURE

IS 300 FEET LONG AND 90 FEET WIDE.

WHENEVER YOU SEE SOMETHING NEW AND BIG IN NORTH KOREA,

IT RAISES THE ALARM.

**

[ PEOPLE CHEERING ]

IN NORTH KOREA, THE VAST MAJORITY OF AVAILABLE CAPITAL

IS SPENT ON THE LEADERSHIP AND THE MILITARY.

SO YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT

THIS COULD BE A MILITARY STRUCTURE.

Narrator: IF THIS IS SOME KIND OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY,

IT'S HIGHLY UNUSUAL.

JOE PAPPALARDO DISCOVERS A POSSIBLE CLUE --

A CAMOUFLAGED RUSSIAN MISSILE SYSTEM

THAT CAN BE LAUNCHED FROM A BARGE.

Pappalardo: THE REALLY SCARY THING IS

THAT YOU CAN HIDE ONE OF THESE THINGS,

IT'LL LOOK LIKE A NORMAL SHIPPING CONTAINER,

TILL IT RAISES UPRIGHT

AND SHOOTS A MISSILE AT ITS TARGET.

**

Narrator: THE SYSTEM, CALLED CLUB-K,

CONCEALS FOUR READY-TO-LAUNCH 180-MILE-RANGE MISSILES.

THE IDEA THAT THE NORTH KOREANS SAW THIS SYSTEM

AND EITHER BOUGHT IT OR REVERSE ENGINEERED IT

OR FLAT OUT STOLE IT, THAT IS A REAL POSSIBILITY.

**

Narrator: SUCH A SYSTEM REPRESENTS

A TERRIFYING STEP FORWARD FOR DICTATOR KIM JONG-UN'S

NUCLEAR ATTACK CAPABILITIES.

NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN DEVELOPING

ITS INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE TECHNOLOGY

SINCE 2005.

HE IS DESPERATE TO DEVELOP ICBM TECHNOLOGY

THAT HAS A FARTHER RANGE.

A WAY AROUND THIS PROBLEM

IS TO TAKE THE MISSILE NEARER TO THE ENEMY.

SO HAVING MOBILE PLATFORMS

THAT YOU COULD PUSH OUT TO SEA IS GOING TO BE AN ADVANTAGE

FROM THE NORTH KOREAN LEADERSHIP'S PERSPECTIVE.

Narrator: YET OTHER DETAILS ON THE MYSTERY SHIP

SEEM TO RULE OUT THE MOBILE MISSILE LAUNCHER THEORY.

LOOKING CLOSER AT THE IMAGE, YOU SEE THAT THIS BARGE

HAS DIFFERENT FLOORS.

SO IF YOU ARE TRYING TO DESIGN SOMETHING THAT COULD LAUNCH

INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES,

YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT FLOORS ON IT.

**

Narrator: THE MYSTERY VESSEL APPEARS TO HAVE MULTIPLE LEVELS,

LIKE MANY WESTERN FREIGHT CARRIERS.

EXPERTS CONSIDER IF IT COULD BE

ONE OF KIM JONG-UN'S SANCTION-BUSTING GHOST SHIPS.

SINCE 1993, NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN HIT WITH U.N. SANCTIONS.

BUT NORTH KOREA HAS FOUND A WAY AROUND INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS

BY USING INVISIBLE CARGO SHIPS.

Narrator: UNDER MARITIME LAW,

ALL VESSELS MUST CARRY A SATELLITE TRACKING SYSTEM.

SOME NORTH KOREAN CARGO SHIPS

TURN OFF THESE TRANSPONDERS TO EVADE DETECTION.

Moran: THAT MEANS THAT THEY CAN LITERALLY CARRY

ANY EMBARGOED SHIPMENT IN OR OUT OF THE COUNTRY

WITHOUT BEING DETECTED.

Narrator: UNITED NATIONS ANALYSIS SUGGESTS

THAT THE REGIME USES THESE GHOST SHIPS

TO ILLEGALLY IMPORT AND EXPORT

OIL, COAL, AND IRON ORE.

KIM JONG-UN IS ALSO RUMORED

TO SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR

SMUGGLING LUXURY FOOD AND LIQUOR INTO THE COUNTRY.

MOST OF THE NORTH KOREAN POPULATION IS STARVING TO DEATH.

IT'S PROBABLY FOOD FOR THE UBER ELITE,

KIM JONG-UN AND HIS CRONIES.

Narrator: YET STUDIES OF THE SHIP'S MOVEMENTS

REVEAL SOMETHING STRANGE.

SATELLITE TRANSPONDER DATA IS AVAILABLE,

AND IT LEADS ANALYSTS 4,000 MILES SOUTH.

THIS IS SO CRAZY.

THIS WAS MOORED UP BY THE GREAT BARRIER REEF.

Narrator: A 1980s AUSTRALIAN NEWS REPORT

SHOWS THAT THE VESSEL WAS BUILT AS A FLOATING HOTEL

ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF.

WHAT HAPPENED HERE WAS THAT A CYCLONE HIT AUSTRALIA,

AND THE BUILDING GOT DAMAGED.

Narrator: IN 1989, THE HOTEL FINDS A NEW HOME,

STATIONED OFF THE COAST OF VIETNAM,

WHERE IT'S NICKNAMED THE FLOATER.

AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM,

DURING A PERIOD OF WARMER RELATIONS

BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA,

IT DOCKS AT THE 400-MILLION-DOLLAR

NORTH KOREAN MOUNT KUMGANG RESORT.

THERE'S A PUSH BY THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT

LOOKING FOR SOME UNIFICATION,

SOME OPENING OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH.

**

Narrator: MOUNT KUMGANG SITS 11 MILES

FROM THE BORDER WITH SOUTH KOREA.

OFFICIALS HOPE THE FLOATING HOTEL

WILL PROVIDE AN UNLIKELY VENUE FOR FAMILY REUNIONS.

WHEN THE PENINSULA WAS DIVIDED,

OBVIOUSLY IT MEANT FAMILIES WERE DIVIDED.

SO THE IDEA HAS BEEN,

"WE'LL PUT THIS FLOATING HOTEL UP,

IT'S GONNA BE CHOCK FULL OF SOUTH KOREAN FAMILIES

VISITING THEIR NORTH KOREAN RELATIVES FOR THE FIRST TIME."

**

THE COMMUNIST REGIME ALLOWS THOUSANDS OF SOUTH KOREANS

TO BRIEFLY REUNITE WITH THEIR LONG-LOST LOVED ONES.

**

DURING THE FESTIVITIES,

ONE OF THE SOUTH KOREAN GUESTS

TAKES A WRONG TURN ALONG A NEARBY BEACH.

**

THE NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS CLAIMED THAT THIS WOMAN

ENTERED AN UNAUTHORIZED MILITARY AREA.

THEY YELL AT HER TO STOP,

AND, OF COURSE, BECAUSE SHE'S PETRIFIED,

SHE RUNS AWAY FROM THEM,

AT WHICH POINT, THEY SHOOT HER DEAD.

[ GUNSHOT, PEOPLE SHOUTING ]

**

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT,

NORTH KOREA SEIZES SOUTH KOREAN ASSETS,

AND SHUTS THE RESORT.

THE FLOATING HOTEL IS LEFT TO RUST.

**

COMING UP, SPACE WARS!

PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT THE NEXT FRONTIER OF WARFARE IS SPACE

ARE WRONG. THAT ERA'S ALREADY BEGUN.

Narrator: AND A PLANE WRECK, THE VANISHING CONGRESSMAN, AND JFK.

MANY PEOPLE TIED HIS DISAPPEARANCE

TO THE ASSASSINATION ITSELF.

[ GUNSHOT ]

**

**

Narrator: JUNE 23, 2015.

A SATELLITE PASSING OVER THE BERING STRAIT

CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF A STRANGE PLANE WRECK.

THE PLANE IS REMARKABLY INTACT.

USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A CRASH,

AN INVESTIGATIVE TEAM WILL SHOW UP,

TAKE THE PIECES AWAY FOR FORENSIC ANALYSIS.

BUT NOT THIS ONE. IT'S JUST SITTING THERE.

**

WHY WOULD THERE BE AN AIRCRAFT

SEEMINGLY ABANDONED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ISLAND?

**

Narrator: THE WRECK'S LOCATION INTRIGUES INVESTIGATORS.

IT LIES IN ONE OF THE STRANGEST PLACES ON EARTH -- BIG DIOMEDE.

**

A RUSSIAN ISLAND THAT SITS RIGHT ON AMERICA'S DOORSTEP.

WE OFTEN THINK OF MOTHER RUSSIA

BEING THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY, A DISTANT LAND,

BUT IN REALITY, THEY'RE EXTREMELY CLOSE.

Narrator: BIG DIOMEDE'S AMERICAN NEIGHBOR,

LITTLE DIOMEDE, LIES JUST OVER TWO MILES AWAY

ACROSS THE BERING STRAIT.

YET IN ONE SENSE, IT'S A WORLD AWAY.

Munoz: TO ADD ANOTHER LAYER OF STRANGENESS,

IN TERMS OF TIME, THESE ISLANDS COULDN'T BE FURTHER APART.

THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE RUNS RIGHT BETWEEN THEM,

SO THE LARGER OF THE TWO ISLANDS IS 21 HOURS AHEAD

OF THE SMALLER ISLAND.

BIG DIOMEDE ISLAND IS REFERRED TO AS TOMORROW ISLAND,

AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE AMERICANS LIVING ON LITTLE DIOMEDE

AS THEY LOOK TOWARD IT, THEY ARE LOOKING TOWARD TOMORROW.

Narrator: IN WINTER MONTHS, A BRIDGE OF ICE LINKS THE ISLANDS.

DURING THE COLD WAR, SOVIET DEFECTORS TAKE ADVANTAGE

OF ITS PROXIMITY TO MAKE A BREAK FOR FREEDOM.

CALL IT THE ICE CURTAIN BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE TWO SUPERPOWERS

GAZING ACROSS AT ONE ANOTHER, ACROSS SHEETS OF ICE.

THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST YOUR AVERAGE FRONTIER.

THIS WAS THE BORDER WHERE THE TWO OF THEM ACTUALLY MET.

**

Narrator: THE WRECK ON TOMORROW ISLAND APPEARS TO BE DECADES OLD.

INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR HISTORICAL PLANE DISAPPEARANCES

IN THE AREA.

THERE IS ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION INVOLVING A PLANE

THAT WENT MISSING IN 1972.

**

Narrator: ON OCTOBER 16, 1972,

U.S. POLITICIAN HALE BOGGS VANISHES EN ROUTE

FROM ANCHORAGE TO JUNEAU.

Walters: HALE BOGGS WAS A PRETTY HOTSHOT POLITICIAN.

HE WAS HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER IN THE UNITED STATES.

HE WAS A TOP LEADING DEMOCRAT.

Narrator: THE PLANE'S DISAPPEARANCE RAISES IMMEDIATE SUSPICION.

CONGRESSMAN BOGGS IS A MEMBER OF THE WARREN COMMISSION,

A GROUP OF SEVEN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

INVESTIGATING THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY.

[ GUNSHOT ]

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

BOGGS OPENLY CHALLENGES THE REPORT'S OFFICIAL FINDINGS.

Walters: THE CONCLUSION OF THE WARREN COMMISSION

WAS THAT JFK WAS SHOT BY A SINGLE GUNMAN,

LEE HARVEY OSWALD.

Oswald: I DIDN'T SHOOT ANYBODY, NO, SIR.

[ Echoing ] I DIDN'T SHOOT ANYBODY, NO, SIR.

**

Janulis: BOGGS IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT DID NOT BELIEVE

THE LONE GUNMAN HYPOTHESIS.

HE THOUGHT THERE WERE MULTIPLE GUNMEN INVOLVED

IN THE ASSASSINATION OF JFK.

THIS MADE HIM A BIT OF AN OUTLIER

AMONG THE REST OF THE COMMISSION.

Narrator: DECLASSIFIED POLICE FILES REVEAL

THAT TWO YEARS BEFORE HIS PLANE DISAPPEARS,

A CAR FORCES BOGGS OFF THE ROAD

AS HE DRIVES TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

WITH ALL THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES ALREADY FLOATING AROUND

ABOUT JFK'S ASSASSINATION,

MANY PEOPLE AUTOMATICALLY TIED HIS DISAPPEARANCE

TO THE ASSASSINATION ITSELF.

[ HELICOPTER BLADES WHIRRING ]

Narrator: THE VANISHING PLANE

TRIGGERS A MAMMOTH SEARCH-AND-RESCUE OPERATION.

**

40 MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND 50 CIVILIAN PLANES

SCOUR 325,000 SQUARE MILES OF LAND AND OCEAN.

THE SEARCH FOR CONGRESSMAN BOGGS'S PLANE WAS MASSIVE.

THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT EFFORT THAT WAS UNDERTAKEN.

THE PLANE WAS NEVER FOUND.

**

Narrator: YET MARTIN MORGAN UNCOVERS A REPORT

ON A RUSSIAN FORUM THAT SUGGESTS

THIS IS NOT CONGRESSMAN BOGGS'S WRECK.

I FOUND A REFERENCE TO THE LOSS

OF A SOVIET LI-2 TRANSPORT PLANE

THAT WENT DOWN HERE.

Narrator: THE ACCOUNT COMES FROM SOMEONE CLAIMING HE IS STATIONED

ON THE ISLAND IN 1971.

HE STATES THE AIRCRAFT IS CARRYING BALLOT PAPERS

FOR THE UPCOMING SOVIET ELECTIONS

WHEN IT FLIES INTO A STORM OVER THE BERING STRAIT.

**

Morgan: IN THE AFTERMATH, THE AIRCRAFT RAN INTO TROUBLE

AND HAD TO CONDUCT AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON BIG DIOMEDE.

**

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Narrator: UNDER COMMUNISM,

RUSSIA GOES THROUGH THE PRETENSE OF VOTING,

BUT ONLY ONE POLITICAL PARTY IS ALLOWED TO GOVERN.

ANALYSTS QUESTION WHY A GOVERNMENT PLANE

WAS SEEMINGLY FLYING TOWARDS THE U.S. AT ELECTION TIME.

EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF PLANE THIS WAS,

WHERE IT CRASH LANDED,

WHAT WAS ON THAT PLANE?

Narrator: THE DATE OF THE CRASH CORRESPONDS WITH A WAVE

OF ATTEMPTED DEFECTIONS FROM THE SOVIET UNION TO THE WEST.

IMAGE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT WHATEVER THE PLANE WAS CARRYING,

TOMORROW ISLAND GUARDS RECOVER ITS CARGO.

IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE TRACK,

SOME SORT OF VERY RUGGED, OUTDOOR VEHICLE

TO GET TO AND FROM THIS AIRPLANE WRECKAGE.

**

Narrator: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO VERIFY WHO OR WHAT

THE MYSTERY PLANE WAS CARRYING

AND WHY IT WAS FORCED OUT OF THE SKIES.

Morgan: THE INCIDENT WAS HUSHED UP AFTER THE FACT.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE SOVIETS DIDN'T WANT WORD GETTING OUT

ABOUT ANYTHING.

AND THE ONLY REASON WE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT

IS BECAUSE OF THIS PERSONAL ACCOUNT

THAT EMERGES 40 YEARS LATER.

Munoz: THE QUESTION STILL REMAINS --

WHY HAS MOSCOW CONTINUED TO JUST LET THIS THING COLLECT RUST

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BERING STRAITS.

AND UNTIL THE RUSSIANS DECLASSIFY THEIR FILES

ON THIS PARTICULAR MISSION, NO ONE'S EVER GONNA KNOW.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, A JOURNEY INTO THE QUANTUM REALM.

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT IS SO WEIRD

THAT EVEN EINSTEIN REFERRED TO IT AS "SPOOKY ACTION."

**

**

Narrator: OCTOBER 4, 2017 --

A SATELLITE ABOVE THE TIBETAN HIMALAYAS IN CHINA

SPOTS SOMETHING HIDDEN AMONG REMOTE, INACCESSIBLE PEAKS.

IN THIS IMAGE, I'M SEEING SOMETHING REALLY INTERESTING.

IT HAS THE LOOK ALMOST OF A VILLAIN'S LAIR.

SOMEBODY'S UP TO SOMETHING.

IT'S OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

Narrator: A DETAILED STUDY OF THE MOUNTAIN LAIR

YIELDS SOME CLUES.

THIS IMAGE FEATURES SOME PRETTY HIGH-TECH SATELLITE EQUIPMENT.

Munoz: WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS A EITHER SATELLITE RECEIVER

OR TRANSMISSION STATION.

**

Narrator: THE MYSTERY FACILITY SITS JUST 37 MILES

FROM THE BORDER WITH INDIA,

ONE OF CHINA'S BIGGEST ECONOMIC AND MILITARY COMPETITORS.

CHINA AND INDIA HAVE FOUGHT A WAR OVER THAT TERRITORY.

THEY'RE IN SORT OF

A LOW SIMMERING COLD WAR SITUATION RIGHT NOW.

THEY'RE BOTH DEVELOPING NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

THEY BOTH ARE IN A MILITARIZATION PHASE.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

Munoz: ONE WAY YOU CAN CHARACTERIZE

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND INDIA

ARE BASICALLY THE NEIGHBORS FROM HELL.

[ METAL CLANGS, EXPLOSION ]

CHINA IS FULL OF LARGE, TALL MOUNTAIN RANGES,

SO WHY BUILD THIS IN TIBET,

ONLY MILES AWAY FROM THE INDIAN BORDER?

**

Narrator: ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE,

THE MYSTERY COMPOUND IS AN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY

RUN BY THE CHINESE SPACE PROGRAM.

MANY MILITARY ANALYSTS DOUBT THIS.

Dr. Albertson: YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND

THAT CHINA'S SPACE PROGRAM IS RUN BY CHINA'S MILITARY.

SO ON ITS FACE, THIS INITIALLY BECOMES

A SOMEWHAT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY.

THE LOCATION OF THIS STATION

IS DIRECTLY INFLUENCED BY INDIA.

IT'S MONITORING SOMETHING IN THAT AREA.

**

Narrator: AT 4:56 P.M. ON MARCH 29, 2018,

INDIA LAUNCHES ITS $41-MILLION GSAT-6A SATELLITE.

**

IT IS TASKED WITH PROVIDING COMMUNICATION SERVICES

TO THE MILITARY.

**

Munoz: NOW, THIS IS A MEGA SATELLITE.

THIS PARTICULAR PLATFORM

PROBABLY COST THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT MILLIONS IN RESEARCH,

DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING.

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE THE PREMIER, HIGH-TECH PIECES

OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS THAT INDIA HAS.

[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]

Narrator: TWO DAYS INTO ITS MISSION,

THE INDIAN SPACE AGENCY LOSES COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CRAFT.

**

Major: A COMMUNICATION SATELLITE, REALLY ANY SATELLITE

IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO LOSE TRACK OF.

Narrator: THE CRAFT LOSES POWER,

AND A SUPPOSEDLY FAIL-SAFE BACKUP POWER SYSTEM

DOESN'T KICK IN.

SOME OBSERVERS SUSPECT FOUL PLAY.

**

Major: USUALLY, SATELLITES HAVE SOME SORT OF A REDUNDANCY

BUILT INTO THEIR COMPUTER SOFTWARE

SO IF SOMETHING BREAKS,

THE BACKUP SYSTEM TURNS ON AND TAKES OVER

AND YOU NEVER REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. IT WENT DEAD.

**

Narrator: ANALYSTS CONSIDER IF THE MYSTERIOUS CHINESE FACILITY

IN THE IMAGE PLAYED A ROLE.

SPACE JOURNALIST JASON MAJOR UNCOVERS AN INCREDIBLE REPORT

FROM JULY 2017 THAT MAY PROVIDE A CLUE.

CHINA'S CLAIMING THEY'VE SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED

TELEPORTATION AT THIS SATELLITE BASE.

Narrator: THE CHINESE ASSERT THEY HAVE TELEPORTED DATA

INTO SPACE USING QUANTUM PHYSICS.

THIS IS WHAT'S CALLED QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT,

WHERE TWO SUBATOMIC PARTICLES THAT ARE ENTANGLED

REACT WITH EACH OTHER INSTANTANEOUSLY

NO MATTER HOW FAR APART THEY ARE.

**

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT USES THE THEORY

THAT PHOTONS, PARTICLES AND WAVES WHICH TRANSMIT LIGHT,

CAN HAVE IDENTICAL TWINS.

THESE TWIN PHOTONS ARE INEXTRICABLY CONNECTED,

SO THEIR ACTIONS MIRROR EACH OTHER.

PICTURE A SOCCER BALL SPINNING CLOCKWISE,

AND ITS ENTANGLED OTHER TWIN SOCCER BALL IS A MILE AWAY.

AND AS SOON AS ONE STARTS SPINNING CLOCKWISE,

THE OTHER STARTS SPINNING CLOCKWISE.

Narrator: THE CHINESE CLAIM TO HAVE USED ENTANGLED PHOTONS

TO COMMUNICATE INFORMATION FROM THE BASE IN THE IMAGE

TO A SATELLITE ORBITING 870 MILES AWAY.

THE PHYSICS IS MIND-BLOWING,

THE IMPLICATIONS, STAGGERING.

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT CAN HAPPEN A FOOT AWAY.

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT CAN HAPPEN A MILE AWAY.

QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT CAN EVEN HAPPEN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.

[ PEOPLE CHEERING ]

Narrator: FOR SOME INVESTIGATORS,

THE CHINESE BREAKTHROUGH IS JUST THE LATEST

IN SERIES OF TROUBLING TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS.

IN JANUARY 2019,

THE U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ISSUES A REPORT,

WARNING THAT THE COMMUNISTS ALSO POSSESS AN ARSENAL

OF MILITARY-GRADE SPACE TECHNOLOGY.

THIS INCLUDES SATELLITE-BUSTING MISSILES,

AND DIRECTED-ENERGY WEAPONS.

Munoz: THE CAPABILITIES THAT COULD OR COULD NOT BE AT THIS BASE,

BOTH KINETIC AND LASER,

COULD ACTUALLY POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO AMERICAN SPACE ASSETS,

WHETHER THEY BE CIVILIAN OR MILITARY.

**

Narrator: THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT THE CHINESE

COULD USE QUANTUM TELEPORTATION

TO TRANSMIT UNCRACKABLE LAUNCHING COMMANDS INSTANTLY

TO ANY OF THEIR MILITARY ASSETS IN SPACE.

Pappalardo: PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT

THE NEXT FRONTIER OF WARFARE IS SPACE ARE WRONG.

THAT ERA'S ALREADY BEGUN.

IT'S ALREADY A CONTESTED GROUND.

THE CHINESE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO LEVERAGE SPACE

EITHER TO ENHANCE THEIR CAPABILITIES

OR TO BLUNT OTHER PEOPLE'S CAPABILITIES.

**

Dr. Albertson: YOU COULD SEE PEOPLE TAKING OUT

EACH OTHER'S SATELLITES,

ATTACKING OTHER COUNTRIES FROM SPACE,

PEOPLE CUTTING OFF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FOR THEIR BENEFIT.

THERE'S NO TELLING WHERE THIS COULD GO.

**

Narrator: MANY ANALYSTS FEAR THAT THIS BASE REPRESENTS

THE LATEST SALVO IN THE RACE TO MILITARIZE SPACE.

**

IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE IF THE CHINESE HAVE DEVELOPED

THIS TYPE OF CAPABILITY,

THAT IN FUTURE CONFLICTS,

THEY COULD AIM THESE WEAPONS AT THE UNITED STATES OR ITS ALLIES.

**