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 --

THE LOST TREASURE OF UTAH...

THERE COULD BE A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD

WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED.

Narrator: ...A PORTAL TO AN ALIEN UNDERWORLD...

Man: WOW, THIS IS MASSIVE.

WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT BE LURKING

AND WAITING FOR US INSIDE THIS CAVE?

Narrator: ...AND SEEN FROM THE SKIES OVER COMMUNIST CUBA...

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT A NEW AXIS OF EVIL

RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP.

Narrator: ...BAFFLING PHENOMENA,

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE -- WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

[ WHIRRING, CLICKING ]

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ WHOOSHING, WHIRRING ]

Narrator: JUNE 27th, 2016 --

FLYING OVER UTAH, A SURVEY PLANE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

Chamberlain: THIS IS REALLY BIZARRE.

IT LOOKS MORE LIKE SOMETHING YOU WOULD SEE UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

Woman: IT REMINDS ME A LOT OF BEING IN BIOLOGY CLASS

AND SEEING CELLS DIVIDE OR CHROMOSOMES.

Narrator: ANALYSTS DIAL UP THE MAGNIFICATION.

IT LOOKS LIKE THESE ARE MOUNDS,

BUT THIS APPEARS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

WHO WOULD BE BUILDING MOUNDS AT SUCH A REMOTE SITE?

Narrator: GEOLOGICAL RECORDS YIELD A CLUE.

**

IN THE 1850s, TREASURE HUNTERS DISCOVER GOLD

NEAR THE SITE IN THE IMAGE.

**

TODAY, RUMORS THAT THESE ABANDONED CLAIMS

HOLD UNTOLD RICHES HAS LURED A NEW GENERATION OF PROSPECTORS

TO EXCAVATE THESE LANDS.

LEGENDS ABOUND IN THIS AREA ABOUT LOST GOLD MINES.

THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL IS THE JOSEPHINE GOLD MINE,

SAID TO BE THE RICHEST GOLD MINE IN THE WORLD.

**

Narrator: THE FABLED JOSEPHINE MINE IS FIRST DOCUMENTED

BY SPANISH JESUIT PRIESTS IN 1650.

IT'S SAID THERE COULD BE A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD

STILL SITTING THERE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED.

**

THIS PART OF THE WORLD IS FAMOUS FOR PEOPLE

SEARCHING FOR GOLD MINES,

SO MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE --

PEOPLE LOOKING FOR TREASURE.

Narrator: YET HISTORICAL IMAGES REVEAL THAT THE MARKS HAVE BEEN HERE

FOR OVER 35 YEARS,

WELL BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE LATEST WAVE OF GOLD HUNTERS.

MILITARY HISTORIAN MARTIN MORGAN

RE-EXAMINES THE IMAGE.

Morgan: IT'S QUITE CLOSE TO DUGWAY PROVING GROUND,

WHICH WAS FOR THE U.S. ARMY

AN OUTPOST OF ITS CHEMICAL CORPS.

THAT OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY THAT THESE FEATURES ARE RELATED

TO THAT U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION.

**

Narrator: THE U.S. MILITARY OPENS DUGWAY PROVING GROUND

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

IT BECOMES KNOWN AS AREA 52.

DUGWAY PROVING GROUNDS WAS HOME TO THE U.S. ARMY'S

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS TESTING PROVING GROUND.

Narrator: WITHIN A HIGHLY SECURE FACILITY THE SIZE OF RHODE ISLAND,

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP AND TEST BIOWEAPONS,

SUCH AS SARIN AND ANTHRAX.

**

SOME EXPERIMENTS INVOLVE HUMAN EXPOSURE

TO CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AGENTS.

THIS WAS THE EARLY DAYS OF DEVELOPING CHEMICAL WARFARE,

AND THEY ACTUALLY DEVELOPED AND TESTED THEM OUT IN THE OPEN AIR.

Narrator: AN INCIDENT AT DUGWAY HALF A CENTURY AGO

COULD EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE.

ONE TEST INVOLVED THE AERIAL DELIVERY

OF A VAPORIZED VERSION OF VX.

VX GAS IS A NASTY AGENT THAT CAUSES YOUR MUSCLES TO CONTRACT,

AND THEN YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO RELEASE THEM.

EVEN A MINIMAL EXPOSURE CAN BRING ON DEATH

IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

**

Narrator: COLORLESS AND ODORLESS,

JUST A TINY DROP OF VX IS ENOUGH TO KILL A HUMAN.

DECLASSIFIED FILES REVEAL THAT ON MARCH 13th, 1968,

A PLANE RELEASES 320 GALLONS

OF THE STUFF INTO THE UTAH ATMOSPHERE.

Morgan: WHAT THEY DIDN'T REALIZE WAS THAT THE NOZZLE

WAS MALFUNCTIONING

AND CONTINUED TO LEAK SMALL AMOUNTS OF VX GAS

AS THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO BASE.

Narrator: WINDS DISPERSE THE NERVE AGENT DOWNWIND TOWARDS AN AREA

CALLED SKULL VALLEY...

WHERE IT EXTERMINATES 6,000 SHEEP.

THE WIND WAS BLOWING TOWARD THE SHEEP,

BUT IT JUST AS EASILY

COULD HAVE BEEN BLOWING TOWARD A POPULATED CITY.

Narrator: THE ARMY DEPLOYS A FLEET OF BULLDOZERS

TO BURY THE POISONED UNGULATES.

Morgan: THAT BRINGS UP THE POSSIBILITY

THAT MAYBE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS THE SHEEP GRAVEYARD FROM 1968.

**

YET WHEN AMANDA MARCHETTI SCANS THE SITE

USING DIGITALGLOBE'S SECUREWATCH TECHNOLOGY,

SHE DISCOVERS THE IMAGE IS AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.

THE SUPPOSED MOUNDS ARE DEPRESSIONS

SURROUNDED BY DEBRIS.

THESE CIRCULAR PATTERNS

ARE ACTUALLY INDICATIVE OF BOMB CRATERS,

AND THAT BEGS THE QUESTION,

"WHO WOULD GO OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE UTAH DESERT

TO EXPLODE A BUNCH OF BOMBS IN A RANDOM GRID PATTERN?"

**

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY SUGGESTS ANOTHER NEARBY MILITARY FACILITY

MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WEIRD PATTERN.

ONE CLUE COULD BE ITS PROXIMITY TO THE TOOELE ARMY DEPOT.

NOW, THAT IS A PLACE WHERE THE U.S. MILITARY,

PARTICULARLY THE ARMY, DUMPS ALL ITS UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE.

[ SHOUTING ] [ GUNFIRE ]

Narrator: SINCE DECLARING INDEPENDENCE IN 1776,

THE U.S. HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN CONFLICT

FOR 93 PERCENT OF ITS HISTORY.

DURING THE 20th CENTURY ALONE,

IT PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SEVEN MAJOR WARS.

THE U.S. REALLY RELIED HEAVILY

ON THE ORDNANCE STORAGE PLACES AT TOOELE.

THEY USED THESE IGLOOS, AS THEY WERE KNOWN BACK THEN,

TO BASICALLY FILL THEM UP WITH ORDNANCE

GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO WORLD WAR II.

**

Narrator: TODAY, AMERICA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 50 PERCENT

OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL MILITARY EXPENDITURE.

**

IT'S NO SURPRISE IT'S BUILT UP AN ARSENAL OF SURPLUS ARMAMENTS.

Muñoz: NOW, THE NUMBERS AREN'T REALLY PRECISE,

BUT LET'S JUST SAY, THERE WAS ENOUGH ORDNANCE IN THERE

TO BASICALLY LEVEL ANY AMERICAN CITY.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE THING IS WITH BULLETS, BOMBS, GRENADES, MORTARS,

YOU CAN STORE THEM FOR A LONG TIME,

BUT JUST LIKE A GALLON OF MILK, IT'S GOT A FINITE SHELF LIFE.

Narrator: BUT UNLIKE MILK, WHEN TOOELE'S ORDNANCE GOES OFF,

IT REALLY GOES OFF.

Man: THREE, TWO, ONE!

Man #2: WHOA.

Muñoz: WHAT WE ARE SEEING HERE IS A SERIES OF BLAST PITS

USED BY THE U.S. MILITARY

TO GET RID OF ITS OLD BOMBS AND BULLETS.

Man: FIRE IN THE HOLE!

[ TRILLING, WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, THE MASSACRE SEEN FROM SPACE...

THEY JUST LAID THEM ALL OUT AND KILLED THEM ALL.

Narrator: ...AND THE ICE CAVE OF THE NORSE FIRE GOD.

ONE OF THE GODS IS SAID TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE END OF THE WORLD -- RAGNAROK.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: JANUARY 17th, 2012 --

HUNDREDS OF MILES ABOVE SAUDI ARABIA,

THE GEOEYE-1 SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

IN THIS SORT OF DRAB, DESERT LANDSCAPE,

ANYTHING THAT HAS ANY COLOR TO IT REALLY CATCHES THE EYE,

AND WHEN YOU SEE THIS SORT OF BLOOD-RED STAIN

GROWING FROM THIS BUILDING,

YOU IMMEDIATELY START WONDERING WHAT THE HELL THAT IS.

Muñoz: WOW, IF THIS IS BLOOD,

THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF IT DOWN THERE.

**

Narrator: FOR SOME ANALYSTS, THE LOCATION OF THE MASSIVE,

BLOODY STAIN COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.

SAUDI ARABIA HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT

OF SLAUGHTERHOUSES TO ITS POPULATION

BECAUSE THEIR IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT

OF THROUGH TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD TO MECCA.

**

Narrator: THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD DECLARES MECCA

TO BE A HOLY SITE OF PILGRIMAGE IN 630 A.D.

AT THE CENTER OF ITS 500,000-CAPACITY GRAND MOSQUE

SITS THE KAABA, WHICH CONTAINS THE BLACK STONE

SAID TO DATE FROM THE TIME OF ADAM AND EVE.

Janulis: IT IS THE MOST SACRED PLACE IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD,

AND EVERY MUSLIM IS EXPECTED TO TRY

AND MAKE A JOURNEY TO MECCA AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFETIME.

**

Narrator: ONCE A YEAR, UP TO THREE MILLION MUSLIMS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD

TRAVEL HERE FOR THE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE.

**

ASSOCIATED WITH THE HAJJ ARE A NUMBER OF RITUALS,

AND ONE OF THEM IS THAT EVERY PILGRIM IS EXPECTED

TO BUTCHER AN ANIMAL IN THE HALAL WAY AS A SACRIFICE.

Narrator: DURING HAJJ, AROUND ONE MILLION ANIMALS ARE SLAUGHTERED.

[ BLEATING ]

ACCORDING TO TRADITION, THE ANIMAL'S BLOOD MUST BE DRAINED

AFTER SEVERING THE CAROTID ARTERY, WINDPIPE,

AND JUGULAR VEIN WITH ONE CUT.

THE ANIMAL HAS ITS THROAT CUT OPEN WHILE IT IS ALIVE,

AND THIS ALLOWS THE HEART TO PUMP THE BLOOD OUT OF THE ANIMAL

WHILE IT'S HANGING UPSIDE DOWN.

Narrator: FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

SACRIFICES TAKE PLACE ON THE STREETS OF MECCA,

FILLING THEM WITH PILES OF ROTTING CARCASSES.

Janulis: WHEN YOU'VE GOT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE COMING THROUGH,

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHY THAT WOULD GET MESSY REALLY QUICKLY.

Narrator: TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM,

AUTHORITIES OPEN GIANT SLAUGHTERHOUSES IN THE DESERT.

NOW, DURING THE SACRIFICE,

PILGRIMS PAY AROUND $120 TO OUTSOURCE THE KILLING.

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

AFTER RECEIVING A TICKET, A TEXT LETS THEM KNOW

WHEN THEIR SACRIFICE IS READY.

Janulis: MAYBE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS ONE OF THESE HUGE OPEN-AIR SACRIFICIAL SLAUGHTERHOUSES.

Narrator: YET THE IMAGE IS TAKEN IN JANUARY,

SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THE MASS SLAUGHTER.

**

MILITARY ANALYSTS SPECULATE THAT IF THIS IS BLOOD,

IT MAY NOT BE ANIMAL GORE.

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BLOODSHED IN THE MIDDLE EAST,

YOU PRETTY MUCH SHOULD START WITH ISIS.

**

Narrator: BETWEEN 2014 AND 2018, ISLAMIC STATE CARRIES OUT

MORE THAN 200 MASS MURDERS,

MANY IN PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF BUTCHERY.

**

SATELLITES PLAY A KEY ROLE IN MONITORING THESE ATROCITIES

AND TRACKING THE PERPETRATORS.

DETERMINING WHERE SOMETHING HAPPENED BASED ON VISUAL IMAGES

IS CALLED GEOLOCATING.

FOR EXAMPLE, IN AN ISIS EXECUTION VIDEO,

YOU LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE AROUND THERE,

DITCHES, BUILDINGS, AND YOU CAN MATCH THAT WITH SATELLITE IMAGES

AND DETERMINE WHERE SOMETHING HAPPENED.

Narrator: IN 2014, EYES IN THE SKY HELP IDENTIFY

THE SITE OF THE BARBARIC EXECUTION

OF 1,700 IRAQI SOLDIERS ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER TIGRIS --

A MASSACRE SO TERRIBLE, IT COULD BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

IT LITERALLY WAS RIGHT OUT OF A SCENE FROM WORLD WAR II

WITH NAZI EXTERMINATION OF POPULATIONS.

THEY JUST LAID THEM ALL OUT AND KILLED THEM ALL.

**

SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS IMAGE.

COULD THIS BE AN ISIS MASS-GRAVE SITE?

YET INTELLIGENCE REPORTS SUGGEST ISLAMIC STATE

DOES NOT OPERATE IN THE AREA AROUND THE IMAGE.

GEOLOGIST DEVIN DENNIE HAS A THEORY.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS IN NATURE

THAT ACTUALLY CAN APPEAR BLOOD-RED.

THERE ARE MINERALS THAT ARE BLOOD-RED.

I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A SCENE LIKE THIS

WHEREVER SOMEONE IS MINING THE MINERAL BAUXITE.

Narrator: BAUXITE ORE IS USED TO MAKE ALUMINUM.

TO PROCESS IT, MANUFACTURERS TURN TO A CHEMICAL KILLERS USE

TO DISPOSE OF DEAD BODIES.

Dennie: SODIUM HYDROXIDE IS THE CHEMICAL OF CHOICE

TO REMOVE ALUMINUM FROM BAUXITE,

SO WHAT IS LEFT AFTER THIS PROCESS

IS THIS VERY DARK RED FLUID THAT LOOKS LIKE BLOOD.

Narrator: SAUDI GEOLOGICAL REPORTS CONFIRM THIS DESERT

CONTAINS SEVERAL BAUXITE MINES.

ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT OVER THE LAST YEAR,

THE KINGDOM IS RAMPING UP PRODUCTION

AT SITES SUCH AS THE ONE IN THE IMAGE.

FOR SOME EXPERTS ON THE MILITARIZED DICTATORSHIP,

THIS MAY NOT BE GOOD NEWS.

THE BAUXITE IS ACTUALLY VERY, VERY USEFUL

IN MILITARY APPLICATIONS.

NIGHT VISION GOGGLES USE THEM.

HEAVY ARMOR USE THEM, AND BALLISTIC MISSILES

IN THE NOSE CONES USE THEM TO PROTECT THE WARHEADS,

SO JUST BECAUSE THIS BAUXITE MINE ISN'T A SLAUGHTERHOUSE

DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO KILL PEOPLE EVENTUALLY.

[ WHIRRING ]

COMING UP, INVESTIGATING THE ALIEN ICE CAVE...

THIS LOOKS GIGANTIC. WHO KNOWS HOW DEEP IT GOES?

Narrator: ...AND CONQUERING THE SEA OF DEATH.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME SERIOUS INGENUITY FOR YOU

TO SURVIVE HERE.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: MARCH 2019 --

EYES IN THE SKY STUDY ICELAND,

ONE OF THE MOST ALIEN PLACES ON EARTH.

Dennie: WHAT'S CRAZY ABOUT ICELAND IS EVEN ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE

SAY THAT IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MOON OR MARS.

Narrator: WHILE FLYING OVER MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE NEAR LAKE MYVATN

IN THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY, A PILOT SPOTS SOMETHING BIZARRE.

**

Chamberlain: THIS LOOKS GIGANTIC.

THIS IS PITCH-BLACK.

WHO KNOWS HOW DEEP IT GOES?

**

Narrator: NASA SCIENTIST PASCAL LEE

THINKS THE VOLCANIC TERRAIN OFFERS A CLUE.

Lee: SO THE FEATURE IS SITTING ON A LAVA FLOW,

AND SO THAT HOLE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT

IS PROBABLY A LAVA TUBE ENTRANCE.

Narrator: AN EARTHQUAKE APPEARS TO HAVE OPENED AN ARTERY

INTO EARTH'S UNDERWORLD.

Lee: YOU IMAGINE THE LAVA FLOW RUNNING DOWN THE FLANKS

OF A VOLCANO AND ONTO A PLAIN.

WELL, THE SURFACE OF THE LAVA FLOW IS GOING TO COOL

RELATIVELY QUICKLY COMPARED TO THE INSIDE OF THE FLOW,

AND SO THE TOP SURFACE OF YOUR LAVA FLOW

BECOMES A HARDENED CRUST

WHILE THE MOLTEN MAGMA INSIDE CONTINUES TO FLOW DOWNHILL.

**

Narrator: LAVA TUBES CAN BE AS WIDE AS A SUBWAY

AND STRETCH FOR 40 MILES.

THEY ARE PORTALS INTO OUR PLANET,

YET WHAT FASCINATES SCIENTISTS

IS THAT THEY'RE ALSO WINDOWS INTO OTHER WORLDS.

LAVA TUBES HAVE BEEN FOUND ON MARS

IN THE VICINITY OF OLYMPUS MONS,

THE BIGGEST VOLCANO IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT'S OVER THREE TIMES THE HEIGHT OF MOUNT EVEREST,

AN ENORMOUS STRUCTURE.

Narrator: IMAGES FROM NASA'S $720 MILLION MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER

REVEAL IT IS POCKMARKED WITH LAVA TUBE ENTRANCES.

THEY SUGGEST THAT THE SURFACE CONCEALS

A VAST NETWORK OF TUNNELS.

SOME GEOLOGISTS THINK THIS LABYRINTH COULD SOLVE

THE MYSTERY OF HOW MANKIND CAN COLONIZE ANOTHER PLANET.

A LAVA TUBE MIGHT BE A GREAT PLACE

TO HAVE YOUR FIRST OUTPOST ON MARS.

Narrator: MARS HAS NO MAGNETIC FIELD

AND AN ATMOSPHERE 100 TIMES THINNER THAN EARTH'S.

THAT MEANS RADIOACTIVE SOLAR WINDS

AND COSMIC RAYS PUMMEL ITS SURFACE.

[ THUNDER CRASHING ] WHAT'S MORE,

50-MILE-HIGH DUST STORMS

CAN ENVELOP THE RED PLANET FOR MONTHS AT A TIME.

A LAVA TUBE IS A PLACE WHERE YOU'VE GOT PROTECTION

FROM COSMIC RADIATION.

IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU'RE PROTECTED

FROM THE ENORMOUS WINDS AND HARSH WEATHER

THAT CAN EXIST ON MARS.

Narrator: LEE THINKS THE LAVA TUBE IN ICELAND

COULD MIRROR ONES FOUND ON MARS.

LIKE ON THE RED PLANET,

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HERE HAVE FILLED ENTIRE VALLEYS,

CARPETING VAST SWATHS OF THE LAND IN LAVA.

HE WANTS TO EXPLORE THE ABYSS TO SEE IF IT COULD SOLVE

THE MYSTERY OF FINDING A SECOND HOME FOR OUR SPECIES.

Lee: BY COMING TO ICELAND,

YOU ARE SEEING WHAT GEOLOGY LOOKS LIKE ON MARS,

AND OUR LITTLE SPOT HERE IS GOING TO LEAD US

INTO ONE OF THESE MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND WORLDS.

**

LEE AND HIS TEAM JOURNEY TO NORTHEASTERN ICELAND.

**

THE LAVA TUBE LIES IN AN AREA ONLY ACCESSIBLE

BY THE MOST RUGGED VEHICLE.

**

AND REACHING IT MEANS VENTURING DEEP INTO ONE OF

THE MOST VOLCANICALLY DANGEROUS PLACES ON EARTH.

**

-ARE YOU GUYS READY? -YEAH, I'M GOOD.

Vaughn: ICELAND IS KNOWN AS THE LAND OF ICE AND FIRE,

WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A PARADOX,

BUT ALMOST 10 PERCENT OF THE COUNTRY IS COVERED IN ICE,

AND THERE'S OVER 100 VOLCANOES.

Narrator: ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE LAVA OUR PLANET HAS EJECTED

OVER THE LAST 500 YEARS COMES FROM THIS ISLAND.

**

IT'S A PLACE THAT SITS LITERALLY ASTRIDE THE MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

WHERE ENTIRELY NEW OCEAN CRUST IS BEING FORMED,

HALF OF THAT CRUST GOING TO THE EAST,

HALF GOING TO THE WEST.

Narrator: THE ENTRANCE TO THE LAVA TUBE, A SO-CALLED SKYLIGHT,

IS OVER 100 FEET WIDE.

OH, WOW.

WOW, FROM THE SATELLITE PHOTOS,

IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET A SENSE OF SCALE.

THIS IS BIG.

Narrator: BUT THIS CHASM IS ONLY A DOORWAY.

TO ENTER THE TUBE ITSELF, THE TEAM MUST ACCESS

A SECOND, MUCH SMALLER ENTRYWAY HIDDEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIT.

THE CAVE DOESN'T START REALLY

UNTIL YOU GOT THROUGH THE NARROW ENTRANCE INTO THE PERMAFROST.

YEAH. THERE WE GO.

ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE LAVA TUBES ON EARTH

HAVE BEEN MAPPED AND EXPLORED...

**

YET RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE REVEALS

THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VENTURING DEEP INTO ICELAND'S LAVA TUBES

SINCE THE TIME OF THE VIKINGS.

Janulis: IF A VIKING BROKE THE LAW,

ONE OF THE MAIN PUNISHMENTS THEY MIGHT RECEIVE

WOULD BE BASICALLY TO BE KICKED OUT OF THE COMMUNITY.

IN MOST PLACES, THIS MIGHT NOT BE THAT BIG OF A DEAL,

BUT IN ICELAND, THAT COULD BE A DEATH SENTENCE,

SO CRIMINALS WOULD SEEK REFUGE IN THE CAVES AROUND ICELAND.

[ SHOUTING ] Narrator: STUDIES SUGGEST

THAT GROUPS OF THESE CAVE-DWELLING OUTLAWS

BAND TOGETHER TO FORM FEROCIOUS RAIDING PARTIES.

**

INSIDE ONE LAVA TUBE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER PILES OF BONES

AND EVIDENCE OF PAGAN RITUALS.

CAVES IN ICELAND HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE CULTURE

AND MYTHOLOGY OF THE PEOPLE THERE FOR OVER 1,000 YEARS.

Narrator: EVEN TODAY, MORE THAN HALF THE ICELANDIC POPULATION

BELIEVES IN CAVE-DWELLING ELVES AND SUPERNATURAL BEINGS.

THEY WERE KIND OF LIKE ROUTEWAYS TO THE UNDERWORLD.

Janulis: WE FIND CAVES PLAYING A SIGNIFICANT ROLE

IN THE MYTHOLOGIES OF THE NORDIC GODS.

ONE OF THE GODS, SURTR, IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN, BASICALLY,

A FIRE GOD THAT'S GOING TO COME FROM A CAVE

AND HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THE END OF THE WORLD, RAGNAROK.

LEE AND HIS TEAM PREPARE TO DESCEND INTO THIS UNDERWORLD

AND ENTER THE LAIR OF THE VIKING FIRE GOD.

**

Lee: WOW.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, INSIDE THE ICE CAVE...

CAREFUL NOW.

...AND IMMORTAL ARMOR FOR THE AFTERLIFE.

Woman: THE CHINESE BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY

STAVE OFF THE DECOMPOSITION OF BODIES.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: NASA SCIENTIST PASCAL LEE IS IN ICELAND

INVESTIGATING A LAVA TUBE DISCOVERED BY EYES IN THE SKY.

HE HOPES IT WILL SHED LIGHT ON WHETHER HUMANS WILL BE ABLE

TO COLONIZE SIMILAR ONES RECENTLY FOUND ON MARS.

**

IT'S A CLAUSTROPHOBE'S NIGHTMARE.

CAREFUL NOW.

BUT THE EFFORT IS WORTH IT.

**

-WOW. -PRETTY AMAZING, RIGHT?

**

THIS IS MASSIVE.

Narrator: RISING FROM THE CAVE FLOOR --

PILLARS OF ICE, LIKE SOMETHING FROM AN ALIEN WORLD.

Lee: WOW, THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

**

DO YOU HAVE ROCK UNDER THAT?

MUST BE SOME.

Narrator: LEE'S FIRST CHALLENGE IS TO CHECK

WHETHER THE LAVA TUBE IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND.

Lester: THE REAL DANGER WITH LAVA TUBES

IS THE CEILING POTENTIALLY COLLAPSING.

Lee: IS IT SAFE?

IS IT SAFE FOR ASTRONAUTS TO OCCUPY?

Narrator: USING HUMANS TO EXPLORE MARTIAN LAVA TUBES

WOULD BE HIGHLY DANGEROUS.

LEE AND HIS TEAM THINK THIS COULD BE THE ANSWER.

[ DRONE WHIRRING ]

**

HERE, WE'RE SIMULATING A MISSION OF A DRONE

MAPPING A LAVA TUBE ON ANOTHER PLANET.

Narrator: THE DRONE USES LASER PULSES TO STUDY

EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THE ICE CAVERN,

THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY THIS TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN USED.

ON MARS, NASA COULD DEPLOY SWARMS

OF ROCKET-PROPELLED DRONES

TO MAP ITS SUBTERRANEAN LABYRINTH.

WELL, THERE YOU GO. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Narrator: THE DRONE DATA REVEALS THE HUGE CAVERN'S SHAPE,

SIZE, AND POTENTIAL DANGERS WITHIN MINUTES,

KEY FOR EXPLORING THE RED PLANET'S LAVA TUBES.

IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT IN THE LOWER GRAVITY OF MARS,

LAVA TUBES COULD BE MUCH BIGGER,

HUNDREDS OF FEET WIDE AND DOZENS AND DOZENS OF MILES LONG.

**

Narrator: LEE HOPES THAT ON MARS, LAVA TUBES

WILL BE BIG ENOUGH TO HOUSE LARGE SETTLEMENTS,

AND HE SUGGESTS THEIR ROOFS, WHICH CAN BE TENS OF FEET THICK,

COULD OFFER PROTECTION FOR THE ITS HELLISH WEATHER.

THE SURFACE OF MARS IS A VERY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT.

TEMPERATURE CHANGES AT THE SURFACE

ARE DRASTIC DURING THE DAY AND NIGHT.

Narrator: ON MARS, DAY-TO-NIGHT TEMPERATURES CAN SWING

FROM 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT TO MINUS 100.

THIS LOGGER GOES IN HERE.

YEAH, OKAY.

Narrator: DATA LOGGED IN THIS CAVERN

CONFIRMS LAVA TUBES REMAIN

ISOLATED FROM TEMPERATURE CHANGES ON THE SURFACE.

YEAH. ALL RIGHT.

COOL.

WHEN YOU GO UNDERGROUND, LIKE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS,

THE TEMPERATURE BECOMES MUCH MORE STABLE,

BUT HOW WOULD YOU ACTUALLY TURN A PLACE LIKE THIS ON MARS

INTO A HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT?

Narrator: THESE ICE SCULPTURES COULD BE KEY.

THE LATEST STUDIES SUGGEST THE RED PLANET

HOLDS RESERVES OF LIQUID WATER THOUSANDS OF FEET UNDERGROUND.

**

IN ADDITION, IN THE DISTANT PAST,

WATER VAPOR FROM MARS' ATMOSPHERE

OR VOLCANOES COULD HAVE FROZEN TO FORM ICE-FILLED LAVA TUBES

AND REMAINED THERE VIA A PROCESS CALLED COLD TRAPPING.

MARS COULD HAVE HAD ICE BUILD UP

FROM THEIR ANCIENT VOLCANIC ACTIVITIES,

SO WATER FROM THE INSIDE OF THE PLANET

GETTING TRAPPED INTO THESE CAVES.

THAT WOULD BE SUPER INTERESTING BECAUSE WITH WATER,

YOU CAN HAVE SOMETHING TO DRINK.

YOU CAN ALSO TURN THE HYDROGEN

AND OXYGEN FROM WATER INTO ROCKET FUEL.

[ RUMBLING ]

AND IF WE CAN MAKE FUEL, WE CAN FILL UP THE ROCKET

AND COME HOME ONE DAY.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: THE POPULATION OF MARS IS CURRENTLY FOUR ROBOTS,

BUT IF LEE'S THEORIES ARE CORRECT,

IT COULD SOON BE A SECOND HOME FOR OUR SPECIES,

LIVING INSIDE NATURAL SUBTERRANEAN FORTRESSES

FILLED WITH LIFE-GIVING ICE,

LIKE THE ONE DISCOVERED BY EYES IN THE SKY.

Lee: THE LESSON THAT I'M WALKING AWAY WITH

IS HOW SPECIAL OF AN UNDERGROUND ENVIRONMENT A LAVA CAVE IS.

WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT BE LURKING AND WAITING FOR US

INSIDE THE GIANT VOLCANOES OF MARS?

[ RUMBLING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, THE DESERT THAT SWALLOWED A CIVILIZATION...

HUNDREDS OF MUMMIES HAVE BEEN RECOVERED PERFECTLY PRESERVED.

Narrator: ...AND THE MYSTERY FACILITY STEALING YOUR SECRETS.

VLADIMIR PUTIN'S FINGERPRINTS ARE ALL OVER THAT.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

**

Narrator: OCTOBER 7th, 2013 --

THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE

OF A REMOTE CORNER OF CHINA'S TAKLAMAKAN DESERT.

[ WHIRRING ]

AT FIRST GLANCE, THIS IMAGE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE

THERE'S A WHOLE LOT GOING ON, BUT WHEN YOU ZOOM IN,

YOU SEE THAT THERE'S A REALLY INTERESTING REPTILIAN SWATH,

LIKE A SNAKE SLITHERING RIGHT UP THE CENTER OF THE IMAGE.

Altaweel: IT SEEMS DENSE AND DELIBERATE,

SUGGESTING THAT IT'S NOT A NATURAL FORMATION

BUT RATHER A MAN-MADE FEATURE.

Narrator: THE PATTERN INTRIGUES ARCHAEOLOGISTS.

THERE ARE NO RECORDED SETTLEMENTS HERE,

IMPLYING THE SNAKING LINES AND THE BARREN SANDS

ARE CENTURIES OLD.

THE TAKLAMAKAN IS ONE OF THE DRIEST PLACES ON EARTH.

IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE HOTTEST PLACES ON EARTH.

Marchetti: IN A PLACE SO UTTERLY DEVOID OF LIFE,

WHO WOULD COME OUT TO HERE TO MAKE THESE MARKINGS

IN THE GROUND, AND WHY?

Narrator: TOPOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS REVEALS

THE MARKINGS ARE RAISED RIDGES.

Bellinger: I THINK THE IMAGE SHOWS MOUNDS OF DIRT.

WHAT THEY ARE, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE,

BUT I'M THINKING MAYBE A QUARRY OF SOME KIND OR A MINE.

Narrator: ANCIENT CHINESE TEXTS CONFIRM THAT THESE LANDS

WERE ONCE RICH IN A VALUABLE MINERAL.

THIS AREA LOOKS VERY HOSTILE, VERY UNFORGIVING,

BUT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE,

AND THEY WERE DRAWN BY THE JADE MINING.

SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A JADE MINE.

**

Narrator: KNOWN AS THE STONE OF HEAVEN,

THE CHINESE HAVE REVERED JADE SINCE NEOLITHIC TIMES.

**

IN THE WEST, WE THINK ABOUT GOLD

BEING THE ULTIMATE VALUABLE MATERIAL.

IN CHINA, IT'S JADE.

**

Narrator: THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE CHINESE

HAVEN'T JUST VALUED JADE FOR ITS BEAUTY.

CURIOUSLY, THEY MADE ARMOR OUT OF IT.

THERE'S ACTUALLY CHINESE EMPERORS BEING BURIED

IN THESE SUITS OF JADE ARMOR.

THE CHINESE BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY STAVE OFF

THE DECOMPOSITION OF BODIES.

Narrator: YET WHEN INVESTIGATORS ARRIVE AT THE SITE,

THEY DISCOVER THIS WAS NO MINE.

Paul: ARCHAEOLOGISTS ON THE GROUND LOOKING AT THIS SITE

FIND STRUCTURES LIKE HOMES AND GRAVES,

WHICH MEANS THIS AREA LIKELY WAS A TOWN OR EVEN A LARGER CITY.

**

Narrator: TESTS REVEAL THE STRUCTURES ARE OVER 1,700 YEARS OLD.

AT THIS TIME, THE HAN,

ONE OF THE LONGEST-RULING IMPERIAL DYNASTIES

IN CHINESE HISTORY, REIGN OVER THE LAND.

**

THE HAN DYNASTY WERE PARTICULARLY FAMOUS

BECAUSE OF THEIR GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS

IN TERMS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE.

THEY BUILT GREAT CITIES. THEY BUILT GREAT TEMPLES.

Narrator: FROM CELESTIAL ATLASES

TO THE MORE THAN 5,000-MILE-LONG GREAT WALL OF CHINA,

THE HAN LEAVE AN INDELIBLE MARK ON CHINESE AND GLOBAL HISTORY.

Hoffman: THEY WERE INDUSTRIOUS.

THEY WERE INVENTIVE. THEY INVENTED THINGS LIKE PAPER.

THEY WERE EXPLORERS AND ASTRONOMERS.

THEY WERE VERY SOPHISTICATED.

Narrator: OVER THE YEARS, THE SANDS SURROUNDING THE SITE

IN THE IMAGE HAVE SWALLOWED HUNDREDS OF TOWNS AND CITIES.

ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THE STRUCTURES

ARE EVIDENCE OF THE MIGHTY HAN'S ATTEMPTS TO GROW FOOD

IN THIS DEADLY LANDSCAPE.

**

THE WORDS TAKLAMAKAN ACTUALLY MEAN YOU CAN GET IN,

BUT YOU CAN'T GET BACK OUT.

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOME SERIOUS INGENUITY

AND DRIVE TO COME UP WITH AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

THAT'S GOING TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO SURVIVE HERE.

**

Narrator: MANY OF THE LINES APPEAR TO BE THE REMAINS OF CANALS

BUILT TO CHANNEL TRICKLES OF SNOWMELT

FROM NEARBY MOUNTAINS,

YET FURTHER STUDIES OF THE PATTERN REVEAL ANOTHER MYSTERY.

**

Horton: WHAT'S SURPRISING ABOUT THIS IRRIGATION SYSTEM

IS IT'S NOT CLEARLY AN IMPERIAL HAN DESIGN.

IT SEEMS THAT ITS FORM AND SHAPE ACTUALLY COMES FROM THE WEST.

IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CHINESE IRRIGATION SYSTEM AT ALL.

**

IT'S NEARLY IDENTICAL TO A SIMILAR SYSTEM WE SEE IN JORDAN.

**

Narrator: JORDAN, IN THE MIDDLE EAST,

IS OVER 2,600 MILES FROM THE STRUCTURES IN THE IMAGE.

KAREN BELLINGER UNCOVERS A CLUE

THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE CONNECTION

BETWEEN THESE TWO DISTANT SITES.

Bellinger: THIS PART OF THE WORLD WAS THE NEXUS FOR A VAST,

SPRAWLING TRADE NETWORK KNOWN AS THE SILK ROAD FOR MILLENNIA.

[ CAMELS GRUNTING ]

IT CONNECTED EAST AND WEST.

PEOPLE TRAVELED BACK AND FORTH EXCHANGING GOODS.

**

Narrator: THE SILK ROAD CONNECTS EUROPE TO CHINA

FROM 130 B.C. TO THE 15th CENTURY A.D.

**

ITS USE AS A MEANS OF TRANSPORTING GOODS

FROM EAST TO WEST IS WELL DOCUMENTED,

YET WHAT THE SITE IN THE IMAGE

AND OTHER DISCOVERIES NEARBY REVEAL

IS IT WAS MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

HUNDREDS OF MUMMIES HAVE BEEN RECOVERED

FROM THE TAKLAMAKAN DESERT PERFECTLY PRESERVED,

AND WEIRDLY, WITH DISTINCTLY NORTHERN EUROPEAN FEATURES,

BLOND HAIR IN FLAXEN PIGTAILS, REDDISH BEARDS,

EVEN TARTAN CLOTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT

CAME STRAIGHT OFF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS.

Narrator: THE TAKLAMAKAN MUMMIES AND IRRIGATION SYSTEM

CONFIRM THAT TRAVELERS FROM EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

BROUGHT BOTH GOODS AND TECHNOLOGY WITH THEM.

WHEN WE THINK OF THE SILK ROAD, TRADE ROUTES IN GENERAL,

WE THINK OF PEOPLE BUYING AND SELLING, TRADING OBJECTS,

BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS

AN EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AS WELL.

**

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THE SITE DISCOVERED BY SATELLITE

IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST EXAMPLES

OF HOW THE SILK ROAD CHANGED HISTORY.

AS THE CENTURIES PROGRESSED,

IT BECAME A CONDUIT FOR THE SPREAD OF KNOWLEDGE

THAT LED TO THE RENAISSANCE, THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION,

AND HELP LAY THE TECHNOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE MODERN WORLD.

IT WAS A CORRIDOR IN WHICH PEOPLE MOVED,

IDEAS MOVED, RELIGIONS MOVED.

IT WAS THE SUPERHIGHWAY, IF YOU LIKE, OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, DISCOVERED FROM SPACE,

A NEW THREAT TO AMERICA IN COMMUNIST CUBA.

Janulis: THIS FACILITY COULD JUST BE RETRANSMITTING INTELLIGENCE

IT'S GATHERING DIRECTLY TO THE RUSSIAN SHIP.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: FEBRUARY 15th, 2018 --

A SATELLITE PASSING OVER COMMUNIST CUBA

CAPTURES AN UNUSUAL FACILITY.

WHAT WE SEE IN THE IMAGE IS A BLOCK BUILDING WITH A BIG,

HUGE GOLF-BALL-LOOKING THING ON TOP OF IT.

THIS HAS TO BE A RADOME.

**

Narrator: A RADOME IS A STRUCTURE THAT COVERS

AND PROTECTS HIGH-TECH RADAR EQUIPMENT FROM THE ELEMENTS.

**

THE HIDDEN ROTATING ANTENNA PROVIDES A 180-DEGREE CAPABILITY

TO TRACK TARGETS AND INTERCEPT COMMUNICATIONS.

THE BIGGEST PIECE OF INTELLIGENCE THAT A RADOME MASKS

IS WHERE THE DISH IS AIMING.

IF THE DISH IS AIMING AT THE HORIZON LINE,

IT'S COMMUNICATING WITH SHIPS.

IF IT'S POINTING STRAIGHT UP, IT'S COMMUNICATING

WITH SATELLITES.

Narrator: THE SPY DOME'S LOCATION

RINGS ALARM BELLS IN WASHINGTON.

**

IT SITS JUST 115 MILES FROM THE U.S. COASTLINE.

PROXIMITY MEANS MORE INFORMATION,

AND YOU DON'T GET MUCH CLOSER THAN THE COAST OF CUBA.

WHATEVER IT IS THAT THAT FACILITY IS BEING USED TO DO

IS IN A PRIME LOCATION TO WATCH THE UNITED STATES.

**

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, ANALYSTS CALCULATE A FACILITY OF THIS SIZE

COULD COST TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS,

MONEY MANY DOUBT THAT CUBANS POSSESS

AFTER 60 YEARS OF CRIPPLING EMBARGOES.

Pavelec: THIS IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE STUFF.

I WOULD SPECULATE THAT THE CUBANS ARE GETTING SPONSORSHIP,

OR AT LEAST FUNDING, FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE

FOR THIS SORT OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY INSTALLATION.

**

Narrator: THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT ANOTHER OF AMERICA'S ENEMIES

HAS BUILT THE CUBAN SPY DOME TO HIJACK U.S. DATA...

**

...A TROJAN HORSE FOR THE DIGITAL AGE.

**

MILITARY JOURNALIST CARLO MUÑOZ IDENTIFIES HIS PRIME SUSPECT.

NOW, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ANYBODY

TO PUMP MONEY AND INFLUENCE INTO CUBA,

VLADIMIR PUTIN'S FINGERPRINTS ARE ALL OVER THAT.

**

Narrator: IN RECENT YEARS, THE RUSSIANS HAVE ATTACKED A BASE

HOLDING U.S. FORCES IN SYRIA, INTERFERED IN ELECTIONS,

AND ASSASSINATED DISSIDENTS ON AMERICAN SOIL.

THE FACILITY DISCOVERED FROM SPACE COULD REPRESENT

A NEW WAY OF BRINGING TERROR TO AMERICA'S DOORSTEP.

THE RUSSIANS UNDER PUTIN ARE ONCE AGAIN LOOKING AT CUBA

AS A PLACE TO PUT RUSSIAN MILITARY INFLUENCE

TO OFFSET AMERICAN POWER IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

Narrator: IN 2014, THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PLEDGES TO WIPE OUT

90 PERCENT OF CUBA'S $35 BILLION DEBT TO MOSCOW.

ANALYSTS SPECULATE THE SPY STATION IN THE IMAGE

COULD BE A QUID PRO QUO.

IT'D BE A GOOD WAY TO REALLY STICK A KNIFE

IN THE UNITED STATES IN A WAY THAT THE UNITED STATES

CAN'T RESPOND TO IN ANY DIRECT WAY.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS REVEAL THAT IN THE MONTHS

FOLLOWING THE STRUCTURE'S COMPLETION,

THE RUSSIAN SPY SHIP VIKTOR LEONOV DOCKS IN CUBA.

Janulis: THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS NEW RADOME FACILITY

COULD JUST BE RETRANSMITTING ANY SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE

IT'S GATHERING DIRECTLY TO THE RUSSIAN SHIP.

**

Narrator: HOWEVER, FORMER CIA OPERATIVE MIKE BAKER

THINKS THE MYSTERY COMPOUND BEARS THE HALLMARKS

OF ANOTHER FOREIGN POWER.

FRANKLY, IT IS MORE LIKELY TO BE PART OF CHINA'S EFFORT

TO INCREASE THEIR LEVERAGE AND INFLUENCE.

**

Narrator: WHILE VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS GARNERED

A REPUTATION FOR AGGRESSION,

CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING'S

WEAPON OF CHOICE IS INFILTRATION.

ON THE PAST DECADE PLUS, CHINA HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA, INCLUDING CUBA.

Narrator: DEFENSE ANALYSTS FEAR THE CHINESE

ARE USING THIS GROWING INFLUENCE TO EMBED SPYWARE WITHIN

COMPANIES' AND INDIVIDUALS' ELECTRONIC DEVICES.

ONE THING THAT CHINA HAS GOTTEN VERY GOOD AT IS SOFT POWER,

ECONOMIC POWER, BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE.

THEY ARE REALIZING THAT YOU DON'T NEED TO BUILD

A MILITARY BASE, PER SE, TO INFLUENCE A NATION.

Narrator: ARMIES OF COMMUNIST HACKERS,

SUCH AS THE SHADOWY APT10 GROUP,

HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 100 MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR

CYBER ATTACKS OVER THE LAST DECADE.

A NEW FACILITY LIKE THIS COULD GREATLY INCREASE

THEIR REACH INTO OUR LIVES.

Pappalardo: THE IDEA THAT CHINA WOULD BUILD SUCH A FACILITY

SO CLOSE TO THE UNITED STATES MAKES SENSE.

THE CHINESE COULD GET A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION

ON WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS DOING,

INTERCEPT ITS SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE.

THERE WOULD BE VERY ACTIVE CONSUMERS OF THAT INFORMATION.

**

Narrator: THE EVIDENCE OF BOTH CHINESE AND RUSSIAN INVESTMENT IN CUBA

IN RECENT YEARS RAISES ANOTHER TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY.

THE SPY DOME COULD BE A JOINT INITIATIVE

BETWEEN AMERICA'S TWO BIGGEST GLOBAL ENEMIES.

Pappalardo: RUSSIA AND CHINA, HISTORICALLY, ARE NOT FRIENDS.

THEY'VE FOUGHT WARS.

THEY'VE BEEN STRATEGIC COMPETITORS,

BUT RECENTLY, THEY'VE FOUND A SHARED GOAL

IN TAKING THE UNITED STATES DOWN A PEG.

**

Narrator: THERE ARE 130 LARGE-SCALE

TARGETED INTELLIGENCE BREACHES IN THE U.S. EACH YEAR.

**

ANALYSIS SUGGESTS OVER A QUARTER ORIGINATE IN CHINA AND RUSSIA.

THE FACILITY DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES

COULD MEAN THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT WORSE.

IF THESE POWERS WERE TO COME TOGETHER AND JOIN FORCES,

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT A NEW AXIS OF EVIL

RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP.

**