Narrator: A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF A SKYSCRAPER
HURTLING THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM
AT OVER 100,000 MILES PER HOUR,
FAST ENOUGH TO LEVEL A CITY IF IT HITS THE EARTH.
AS THE DATA CAME IN, EVERYBODY'S JAWS BEGAN TO DROP
AND YOU REALIZE, NO, THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
Narrator: THIS BIZARRE OBJECT
COMES FROM OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
IT'S OUR FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR.
ASTRONOMERS CALL IT "'OUMUAMUA," THE MESSENGER FROM AFAR.
'OUMUAMUA IS OUR GALAXY COMING TO US.
Thaller: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY
WE ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING LEGIT ALIEN.
Narrator: ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD
SCRAMBLE TO UNLOCK ITS DEEPEST SECRETS.
HOW DID 'OUMUAMUA GET HERE?
DOES IT POSE A THREAT TO THE EARTH?
COULD IT EVEN BE AN ALIEN SPACESHIP?
♪
'OUMUAMUA WAS SO STRANGE, SO DIFFERENT,
THAT EVERYTHING WAS ON THE TABLE.
WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS.
Narrator: THIS IS THE INSIDE STORY
OF THE RACE TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE ALIEN ASTEROID.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
♪
THE SUMMIT OF MAUNAKEA,
THE GIANT VOLCANO ON HAWAII'S BIG ISLAND.
HOME TO SOME OF THE EARTH'S MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPES.
THIS IS WHERE ASTRONOMERS KEEP WATCH ON THE NIGHT SKIES
LOOKING FOR ASTEROIDS AND COMETS THAT THREATEN THE EARTH.
ASTRONOMER ROB WERYK
IS PART OF THIS VITALLY IMPORTANT SEARCH.
Weryk: AT THE END OF MY E-MAIL SIGNATURE,
I JUST WRITE "GUARDIAN OF EARTH."
IT'S KIND OF A JOKE BETWEEN MY COLLEAGUES AND ME.
MY OFFICIAL TITLE IS PLANETARY DEFENSE RESEARCHER.
BUT WE'RE BASICALLY LOOKING TO PROTECT THE PLANET
FROM HAZARDOUS ASTEROIDS AND COMETS.
Narrator: ON OCTOBER 19th, 2017,
ROB SPOTS A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT
STREAKING THROUGH SPACE LIKE A ROGUE MISSILE.
Weryk: WE ACTUALLY HAD A NEW CANDIDATE DETECTION.
IT WAS MOVING VERY FAST.
IT APPEARED AS A STREAK IN THE IMAGE.
Narrator: THE OBJECT IS MOVING SO FAST,
THAT IT APPEARS AS A FAINT, GRAY LINE.
AT THIS SPEED, IT WILL HIT THE EARTH
WITH MORE FORCE THAN A NUCLEAR BOMB --
POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DESTROY A CITY.
ROB AND THE TEAM SET UP CAMP
AT THE CANADA-FRANCE-HAWAII TELESCOPE,
TO PLOT THE OBJECT'S TRAJECTORY.
THE DATA THEY CAPTURE CONFIRMS
THAT THIS OBJECT IS HEADING AWAY FROM OUR PLANET.
THE EARTH IS SAFE...FOR NOW.
BUT THE OBJECT'S ORBIT
IS UNLIKE ANYTHING ROB HAS SEEN BEFORE.
EVERYTHING THAT BELONGS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
TRAVELS IN CLOSED LOOPS AROUND THE SUN.
THE SUN HOLDS THE PLANETS IN NEAR CIRCULAR ORBITS.
SMALLER BODIES, LIKE COMETS, MOVE IN VAST, ELLIPTICAL ORBITS
THAT TAKE THEM TO THE EDGES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
BEFORE LOOPING BACK TOWARDS THE SUN.
BUT ROB'S DATA REVEALS
THAT THIS MYSTERIOUS OBJECT IS DIFFERENT.
ITS ORBIT IS OPEN, NOT CLOSED.
THIS MEANS THAT IT MUST COME FROM OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
FROM INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
IT'S OUR FIRST CONFIRMED ALIEN VISITOR.
ASTRONOMERS NAMED IT "'OUMUAMUA,"
HAWAIIAN FOR "MESSENGER."
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY.
AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY TOLD US, RIGHT THEN,
THAT THIS OBJECT CAME FROM OUTSIDE THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
Thaller: 'OUMUAMUA WAS LIKE NOTHING WE HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.
AND THINK ABOUT THAT. THAT'S LITERALLY TRUE.
THIS WAS ACTUALLY A COMPLETELY ALIEN OBJECT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT DAY, I KIND OF GOT SHIVERS, RIGHT?
Narrator: BUT 'OUMUAMUA TRAVELS SO FAST,
THAT ASTRONOMERS HAVE JUST WEEKS TO STUDY IT
BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS BEYOND THE REACH OF EARTH'S TELESCOPES.
Weryk: THE BEST ASSESSMENT WE HAD,
WE WOULD SEE IT FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE WEEKS,
SO WE HAD TO GET AS MUCH DATA AS WE COULD
AS SOON AS WE COULD ON AS MANY TELESCOPES AS WE COULD.
Narrator: IT'S NOW A RACE AGAINST TIME,
TO LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT 'OUMUAMUA AS POSSIBLE.
ASTRONOMERS START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION.
WHAT IS 'OUMUAMUA?
THE MAIN CANDIDATES ARE TWO FORMS OF SPACE DEBRIS
ROUTINELY HURLED OUT OF DEVELOPING SOLAR SYSTEMS.
WHEN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM FIRST FORMED,
WE THINK THAT A HUGE NUMBER OF COMETS AND ASTEROIDS
WERE EJECTED AWAY BY JUPITER, ITS GRAVITY.
THIS MUST'VE HAPPENED AROUND OTHER STARS, AS WELL.
IN ALL LIKELIHOOD,
'OUMUAMUA IS AN INTERSTELLAR ASTEROID OR A COMET.
Narrator: COULD 'OUMUAMUA BE AN ASTEROID OR COMET,
TOSSED INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE
DURING THE BIRTH OF AN ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEM?
♪
ASTRONOMER MEG SCHWAMB STUDIES ASTEROIDS AND COMETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
SHE AND HER TEAM RACE TO OBSERVE THE OBJECT
USING THE GEMINI NORTH TELESCOPE IN HAWAII.
ASTRONOMERS HOPE TO GET AN IDEA
OF 'OUMUAMUA'S SHAPE AND SIZE,
A VITAL CLUE AS TO WHAT IT IS.
IT WAS EXCITING.
I REALLY WANTED TO KNOW WHERE IT WOULD FIT IN.
WOULD IT LOOK LIKE AN ASTEROID?
WOULD IT LOOK LIKE A COMET?
BUT IT LOOKED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Narrator: THERE ARE NO TELESCOPES POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO DETERMINE THE SIZE AND SHAPE DIRECTLY.
ALL THEY HAVE TO GO ON IS THE FACT
THAT 'OUMUAMUA'S DIMENSIONS
AFFECT HOW MUCH LIGHT IT REFLECTS BACK TOWARDS EARTH.
Schwamb: THIS IS ACTUALLY DATA FROM MANY, MANY TELESCOPES
FROM AROUND THE WORLD WATCHING 'OUMUAMUA.
SO, THIS IS BRIGHTNESS OVER TIME.
IT GETS BRIGHTER AND FAINTER AND BRIGHTER AGAIN.
Narrator: WHAT COULD MAKE THE LIGHT FROM 'OUMUAMUA BRIGHTEN AND DIM?
ROB THINKS IT'S BECAUSE OF THE OBJECT'S SHAPE,
AND THE WAY IT'S MOVING.
IF YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS SHAPE HERE,
YOU'RE LOOKING ON THE LONGEST EDGE,
IT HAS THE GREATER SURFACE AREA.
THIS REFLECTS MORE LIGHT.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SMALLER END,
IT DOESN'T REFLECT AS MUCH LIGHT,
THEREFORE IT'S NOT GONNA APPEAR AS BRIGHT.
SO, THIS IS SIMILAR TO 'OUMUAMUA,
WHERE WE THINK IT'S A VERY ELONGATED OBJECT.
AND AS IT'S TUMBLING THROUGH SPACE,
THE DIFFERENT SIZE OF THE REFLECTIVE SURFACE
GIVES YOU THE VARIATION OF BRIGHTNESS YOU SEE.
Narrator: ASTRONOMERS USE THIS DIFFERENCE IN LIGHT
TO DETERMINE EXACTLY HOW ELONGATED
AND HOW BIG 'OUMUAMUA IS.
BASED ON THE VARIATION IN THE LIGHT CURVE OF 'OUMUAMUA,
WE KNOW THAT IT'S APPROXIMATELY A LENGTH-TO-WIDTH RATIO
OF 6 TO 1.
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA IS SIX TIMES LONGER THAN IT IS WIDE.
THIS MAKES IT EXCEPTIONALLY TALL AND THIN.
IT SOARS BETWEEN 650 TO 785 FEET HIGH.
IT'S A SKYSCRAPER THAT COULD BE AS BIG
AS THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING,
TUMBLING THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
DETERMINING 'OUMUAMUA'S SHAPE
IS A FANTASTIC BIT OF DETECTIVE WORK,
BUT ASTRONOMERS ARE NO CLOSER TO SAYING
WHETHER THE ALIEN VISITOR IS AN ASTEROID OR A COMET
BECAUSE THEY'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING WITH THIS SHAPE BEFORE.
ASTRONOMERS SCRAMBLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT 'OUMUAMUA IS.
FIRST UP, COULD IT BE AN ASTEROID?
INVESTIGATORS TURN TO LAB EXPERIMENTS
TO TRY TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.
IF IT IS A ROCKY ASTEROID,
WHAT KIND OF COSMIC PROCESS COULD CARVE OUT
SUCH A LONG AND THIN SHARD OF ROCK?
♪
PLANETARY SCIENTIST PETER SCHULTZ
HAS SPENT HIS CAREER RECREATING VIOLENT COLLISIONS IN SPACE.
HE WANTS TO KNOW IF AN ALMIGHTY COLLISION
CAN MAKE A ROCKY SPLINTER THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF 'OUMUAMUA.
'OUMUAMUA IS REALLY INTERESTING,
'CAUSE WE'VE NEVER SEEN AN ASTEROID THAT IS SHAPED
LIKE A CIGAR.
THAT'S JUST STRANGE.
AND SO, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHY.
Narrator: COULD AN EPIC COLLISION CREATE A SIMILAR ASTEROID?
OR IS THERE AN EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE EXPLANATION
BEHIND 'OUMUAMUA'S STRANGE SHAPE?
COULD THIS INTERSTELLAR VISITOR BE AN ALIEN SPACESHIP?
♪
Narrator: AT THE NASA AMES VERTICAL GUN RANGE,
PLANETARY SCIENTIST PETER SCHULTZ
USES A GIANT, HYPERVELOCITY GUN TO RECREATE
SOME OF THE MOST VIOLENT COLLISIONS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
TO UNDERSTAND THE FORCES AT WORK.
HERE WE ARE, AT THE NASA AMES VERTICAL GUN RANGE.
THIS ALLOWS US TO FIRE PROJECTILES
AT 22 TIMES THE SPEEDS OF SOUND.
OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS,
PETER'S INVESTIGATED EVERYTHING
FROM MOON SHAPING COLLISIONS...
TO DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT KILLED THE DINOSAURS.
♪
MOST OF PETER'S EPIC COLLISIONS
CREATE SHORT AND LUMPY DEBRIS, SHAPED LIKE
MOST OF THE ASTEROIDS SEEN IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
BUT DRAWING ON HIS EXPERIENCE, PETER BELIEVES
THAT ONE VERY SPECIFIC TYPE OF COLLISION
MIGHT JUST GENERATE SOMETHING
THAT LOOKS LONG AND THIN LIKE 'OUMUAMUA,
THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR TO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
RIGHT NOW, WE ARE IN THE IMPACT CHAMBER.
THIS IS WHERE WE SLAM INTO THINGS.
THIS IS OUR PROJECTILE, WHICH REPRESENTS AN ASTEROID.
AND TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE SLAMMING INTO THIS CYLINDER.
NOW, IMAGINE THAT THIS IS A PLANET OR ANOTHER ASTEROID.
IT WILL BE COMING IN, SLAMMING IN AT AN OBLIQUE ANGLE,
AND WE WANT TO FIND OUT
DOES IT BREAK INTO MILLIONS OF PIECES,
OR ARE THERE SOME BIGGER CHUNKS
THAT IT MIGHT END UP LOOKING LIKE A CIGAR --
SOMETHING LIKE 'OUMUAMUA.
CHARGE IS LOADED, THAT'S GOOD TO GO.
WE'RE READY TO BRING THE GUN UP.
Narrator: PETER BELIEVES THAT AS THE SMALL BODY
SMASHES INTO THE LARGER OBJECT AT AN ANGLE,
THE GLANCING BLOW COULD CREATE SOMETHING
THE SHAPE OF 'OUMUAMUA.
BUT THE SHOT HAS TO BE INCREDIBLY PRECISE TO WORK.
♪
YEAH, IF WE'RE OFF BY ONE MILLIMETER.
♪
Man: OKAY, WE ARE ARMED IN AND RESET.
HIGH VOLTAGE IS ON.
IRON PADDLES IN. HERE WE GO.
ROLLING.
[ SHATTER ]
WHOA! OKAY.
YEP, WE HIT IT OKAY.
THIS WENT WELL.
Narrator: THE PROJECTILE SUCCESSFULLY SLAMS
INTO THE CYLINDER AT 22 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.
BUT HAS THE FEROCIOUS IMPACT
GENERATED ANY FRAGMENTS THE SHAPE OF 'OUMUAMUA?
♪
PETER EXAMINES THE HIGH-SPEED FOOTAGE.
♪
Schultz: THESE ARE ACTUAL FRAGMENTS OF THE PROJECTILE ITSELF.
Narrator: THESE BLACK SHAPES ARE PIECES
OF THE NOW SHATTERED BALL BEARING.
THERE'S A FRAGMENT HERE THAT'S ELONGATED,
A FRAGMENT HERE IS ELONGATED.
THAT'S ALMOST A 5-TO-1 RATIO.
SO, THIS IS A FRAGMENT THAT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE 'OUMUAMUA.
Narrator: AS IT SLAMS INTO THE CYLINDER,
THE TOP HALF OF THE SMALL BALL SHEARS OFF,
AND BREAKS INTO LONG, THIN SHARDS,
A SIMILAR SHAPE TO 'OUMUAMUA.
WE'VE BASICALLY SHOWN HERE...
THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO PRODUCE AN ELONGATE FRAGMENT,
FROM AN IMPACT BETWEEN TWO BODIES.
[ SHATTER ]
Narrator: THESE SORTS OF 'OUMUAMUA-FORMING COLLISIONS
ARE THOUGHT TO HAPPEN IN THE VIOLENT CONDITIONS
THAT EXIST WHEN A SOLAR SYSTEM IS BORN.
♪
AS A SOLAR SYSTEM FORMS, A DENSE CLOUD OF MATERIAL
SWIRLS AROUND A YOUNG STAR.
INSIDE THE CLOUD, ASTEROIDS COLLIDE...
♪
...DRAWING OUT A BARRAGE OF ROCKY FRAGMENTS.
SOME OF THEM ARE LONG AND THIN, JUST LIKE 'OUMUAMUA.
BUT IN THE MAELSTROM OF A YOUNG SOLAR SYSTEM,
THEY DON'T LAST LONG.
AFTER MULTIPLE COLLISIONS, ONLY A SMALL FRACTION
OF THE THIN FRAGMENTS SURVIVE,
AND EVEN FEWER ESCAPE INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
♪
IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT AN ASTEROID
THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF 'OUMUAMUA,
CAN ESCAPE FROM A DEVELOPING SOLAR SYSTEM.
BUT THESE SHARDS SURVIVE SO RARELY
THAT ASTRONOMERS CAN'T SAY FOR SURE
IF 'OUMUAMUA IS AN ASTEROID.
WITH TIME RUNNING OUT, ASTRONOMERS MUST INVESTIGATE
THE OTHER OPTIONS.
'OUMUAMUA IS GETTING FAINTER EVERY SINGLE DAY,
EVERY SINGLE HOUR.
SO, THE RACE IS ON TO COLLECT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN
BEFORE IT FADES FOREVER INTO NOTHINGNESS.
Narrator: AS THE ALIEN VISITOR SPEEDS AWAY,
IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT IT COULD BE AN ICY COMET
OR PERHAPS AN ALIEN SPACESHIP
ON A MISSION TO EXPLORE OTHER WORLDS.
♪
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA, THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR
TO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
INVESTIGATORS ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS MYSTERIOUS OBJECT IS.
THEY KNOW THAT 'OUMUAMUA IS SHAPED LIKE A LONG, THIN CIGAR.
BUT IS IT A COMET MADE FROM ICE?
THERE ARE GOOD REASONS WHY THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE.
♪
WE THINK A LOT MORE COMETS GET THROWN OUT,
AWAY FROM THE STAR SYSTEM ENTIRELY, THAN ASTEROIDS.
Narrator: COMETS ARE A MIX OF ROCK AND ICE,
LIKE DIRTY SNOWBALLS.
THEY FORM FURTHER OUT IN SOLAR SYSTEMS,
AND THIS MAKES IT EASIER FOR THEM
TO BREAK FREE AND HEAD INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
BUT IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A COMET TO BE THIS SHAPE OF 'OUMUAMUA?
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TYPICAL COMET.
THE ONES THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN UP CLOSE,
THEY ALL LOOK KIND OF DIFFERENT.
Narrator: SOME COMETS STICK TOGETHER, CREATING RUBBER DUCK SHAPES.
OTHERS ARE ROUNDED AND FLY ALONE.
BUT NOTHING WE'VE SEEN BEFORE
HAS THE SKYSCRAPER PROFILE OF 'OUMUAMUA.
SO, HOW DID IT FORM?
ONE POTENTIAL SOLUTION LIES FAR BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, OUT IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
♪
'OUMUAMUA, IT'S BEEN OUT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN STARS,
FOR MILLIONS, TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS.
AND SO, THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT
THAN THE OBJECTS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
IT COULD'VE BEEN THAT 'OUMUAMUA LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT
AT THE BEGINNING OF ITS JOURNEY, TO WHEN IT PASSED BY THE EARTH.
Narrator: IF 'OUMUAMUA REALLY IS AN ICY COMET,
THE RAVAGES OF INTERSTELLAR SPACE
COULD'VE DRAMATICALLY ALTERED ITS SHAPE.
♪
'OUMUAMUA MAY HAVE STARTED LIFE AS A LUMPY COMET.
ON ITS LONG JOURNEY, IT ENCOUNTERS POCKETS OF DUST
AND TINY ABRASIVE MICRO-METEOROIDS.
AS THEY STRIKE THE COMET'S SURFACE,
THEY SANDBLAST AWAY THE ICE AND ROCK...
AND OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS,
WHITTLE AWAY THE LUMPS AND BUMPS.
THE COMET GETS THINNER AND THINNER...
UNTIL, EVENTUALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE A SKYSCRAPER.
♪
IT MAY BE POSSIBLE FOR A COMET
TO BE THE SAME SHAPE AS 'OUMUAMUA.
BUT IS THERE ANY HARD EVIDENCE IN THE OBSERVATIONS
THAT CONFIRMS IF IT IS A COMET?
SO, THE FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT IF IT WAS ICY IN COMING IN,
IT WOULD START BEHAVING EXACTLY LIKE A COMET,
AND THEN ONCE IT GOT CLOSE ENOUGH,
WE WOULD START SEEING IT SHEDS ITS LAYERS,
AND THAT WE MIGHT SEE A TAIL COMING FROM IT,
JUST LIKE WE DO WHEN WE SEE A COMET
COMING IN FROM OUR DISTANT SOLAR SYSTEM.
Narrator: AS COMETS COME CLOSE TO THE HEAT OF A STAR,
LIKE THE SUN, THE ICES ON THEM FLASH INTO GAS.
♪
THIS CREATES AN EXTENDED CLOUD OF GAS AND DUST,
A COMA AND TAIL.
♪
THE SAME SHOULD HAPPEN TO 'OUMUAMUA IF IT'S A COMET.
Schwamb: WHAT WE EXPECTED TO SEE WAS THAT WE WOULD SEE A COMA.
THIS IS AN IMAGE FROM THE VERY LARGE TELESCOPE,
AND SO THE DOT THERE IS 'OUMUAMUA,
AND IT'S JUST A DOT.
IT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE A POINT SOURCE, NO FUZZINESS AT ALL.
SO, WE DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THE COMA WE WERE EXPECTING,
SO IT WASN'T A COMET.
♪
'OUMUAMUA IS THE FIRST OBJECT TO BE CLASSIFIED AS A COMET
AND THEN DECLASSIFIED TO NOT BE A COMET.
Narrator: SO, WHAT IS 'OUMUAMUA?
MANY THOUGHT IT MUST BE A COMET.
BUT THEN WHY DOES IT NOT HAVE A TAIL?
AND IT'S UNLIKELY TO BE A ROCKY ASTEROID,
BECAUSE WE SO RARELY SEE ONE SHAPED LIKE A SKYSCRAPER.
WITH QUESTION MARKS HANGING OVER
THE TWO MOST LIKELY EXPLANATIONS,
SOME BEGIN TO CONSIDER AN EXTRAORDINARY THIRD ALTERNATIVE.
IS 'OUMUAMUA SO LONG AND THIN
BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY AN ALIEN SPACESHIP
ON A MISSION TO EXPLORE OTHER WORLDS?
♪
THIS MAY SOUND LIKE AN ASTONISHING IDEA,
BUT THERE IS OTHER EVIDENCE THAT SUPPORTS THIS THEORY.
Oluseyi: ONE THING THAT WAS REALLY SUSPICIOUS
ABOUT 'OUMUAMUA WAS ITS TRAJECTORY
AND THIS IS KIND OF WHAT GAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CREDENCE
TO THE NOTION THAT IT WAS SOME KIND OF ALIEN VISITATION.
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA'S TRAJECTORY SENDS IT FLASHING
BETWEEN THE ORBITS OF MARS AND EARTH.
ASTRONOMERS CALL THIS THE HABITABLE ZONE...
THE ONE PLACE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
WHERE 'OUMUAMUA COULD ENCOUNTER INTELLIGENT LIFE.
SO, IS 'OUMUAMUA A SPACESHIP
SENT HERE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US?
SETH SHOSTAK IS PART OF SETI,
THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE.
IF 'OUMUAMUA IS AN ALIEN SPACECRAFT,
IT COULD BE BROADCASTING SOME SORT OF RADIO SIGNAL.
SETH'S PLAN IS TO LISTEN IN BEFORE THIS VISITOR
VANISHES FROM THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
COMMUNICATION IS SOMETHING THAT ALL SPACECRAFT HAVE TO DO.
THEY'D HAVE TO COMMUNICATE BACK TO THE MOTHERSHIP,
OR THE MOTHER PLANET OR SOMEBODY ELSE.
SO, IF THEY WERE DOING THAT, THEN WE COULD'VE DETECTED
SOME RADIO SIGNALS COMING OFF THIS THING.
Narrator: IF ALIENS ARE COMMUNICATING OUT IN SPACE,
IT'S A GOOD BET THEY'LL BE USING RADIO WAVES.
THIS IS THE ALLEN RADIO TELESCOPE ARRAY.
IT'S DESIGNED TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF ALIENS
BY EAVESDROPPING ON THEIR CONVERSATIONS.
♪
RADIO WAVES ESSENTIALLY CAN GO ANYWHERE YOU WANT
IN THE UNIVERSE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM
IN TERMS OF THEM BEING BLOCKED BY STUFF.
IF THERE'S ANY COMMUNICATION GOING ON,
OUT THERE IN THE COSMOS, RADIO IS GONNA BE PART OF THAT.
Narrator: SETH'S WORK FOCUSES ON
LISTENING FOR COMMUNICATIONS, COMING FROM DISTANT STARS,
BUT 'OUMUAMUA PROVES TOO GOOD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PASS UP.
IF THERE'S ONLY A 1% CHANCE THAT IT WAS A SPACECRAFT,
IT'S STILL WORTH POINTING THESE ANTENNAS IN THAT DIRECTION
AND CHECKING IT OUT.
Narrator: SETH WORKS WITH FELLOW ASTRONOMER JOHN RICHARDS.
IS 'OUMUAMUA BROADCASTING A SIGNAL?
UNFORTUNATELY, NOTHING YET.
THERE'S NO TRANSMITTER THAT'S BROADCASTING
AS 'OUMUAMUA SLIDES BY US HERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
SO, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S REALLY AN ALIEN SPACECRAFT,
THEY'RE IN STEALTH MODE, RIGHT? [ LAUGHS ]
IF 'OUMUAMUA IS AN ALIEN SPACESHIP,
IT'S NOT BROADCASTING SIGNALS...YET.
'OUMUAMUA IS PROVING FAR MORE MYSTERIOUS
THAN ANYONE EXPECTED.
Plait: WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF REALLY WEIRD STUFF
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
BUT EVEN WITH ALL OF THAT, 'OUMUAMUA MIGHT BE THE WEIRDEST.
Narrator: TWO WEEKS AFTER FIRST SPOTTING
THIS STRANGE, INTERSTELLAR VISITOR,
INVESTIGATORS HAVE ONE FINAL CHANCE
TO DECODE ITS IDENTITY.
ASTRONOMERS AROUND THE WORLD RUSH TO TRY AND CAPTURE
ONE LAST CLUE, 'OUMUAMUA'S COLOR.
CAN THIS FINALLY SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHAT THIS OBJECT IS?
AND CAN 'OUMUAMUA REVEAL ANYTHING
ABOUT WHERE IT CAME FROM
AND CLUES AS TO WHETHER LIFE EXISTS
IN A DISTANT ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEM?
♪
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA, THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR
EVER DISCOVERED, IS RACING
TOWARDS THE EDGE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
AT NEARLY 100,000 MILES PER HOUR.
IT WILL SOON BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR EVEN THE WORLD'S
MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPES TO OBSERVE IT.
BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS FOR GOOD,
INVESTIGATORS HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE
TO PROBE ITS DEEPEST SECRETS
TO CONFIRM IF IT'S AN ASTEROID,
A COMET, OR AN ALIEN SPACESHIP.
♪
MEG SCHWAMB IS PART OF THE GROUP RACING TO CAPTURE
THE ALIEN VISITOR'S COLOR.
THIS COULD PROVIDE A CRUCIAL CLUE
TO HELP IDENTIFY WHAT 'OUMUAMUA IS.
Schwamb: EVERYONE WAS SORT OF RUSHING
TO GET AS MUCH DATA AS WE COULD
BEFORE WE COULDN'T GET ANYMORE.
I KNOW, FOR OUR GROUP, WE OBSERVED IN THE LAST NIGHT
THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.
WE GOT LUCKY.
Narrator: IS 'OUMUAMUA THE COLOR OF AN ASTEROID,
A COMET, OR, PERHAPS, A COLOR
THAT ONLY AN ADVANCED ALIEN CIVILIZATION COULD CREATE?
COMBINING MULTIPLE IMAGES FROM GEMINI,
AND OTHER OPTICAL TELESCOPES,
INCREDIBLY, THEY CAPTURE 'OUMUAMUA'S COLOR.
THIS IS ACTUALLY AN IMAGE, AN OPTICAL
SHOWING WHAT 'OUMUAMUA WOULD LOOK LIKE TO OUR EYES.
SO, YOU MIGHT NOTICE THIS SORT OF REDDISH HUE
THAT 'OUMUAMUA HAS, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY REAL.
AND THAT ACTUALLY TELLS US SOMETHING ABOUT ITS COMPOSITION,
AND WE CAN USE THAT TO LOOK AT HOW IT FITS INTO
THE COLORS OF OBJECTS IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.
Narrator: IT'S AN ASTONISHING BREAKTHROUGH.
'OUMUAMUA'S DARK RED COLOR DOES MATCH
SOMETHING SCIENTISTS HAVE SEEN BEFORE --
THE COLOR OF COMETS.
ASTRONOMERS HAVE OBSERVED MANY ICY COMETS
THAT HAVE THE SAME RED COLOR, THOUGHT TO BE A TAR-LIKE CRUST.
IT MIGHT MEAN THAT IT'S ACTUALLY NOT JUST ROCK,
BUT MAYBE ICE INVOLVED AS WELL WITH 'OUMUAMUA.
Narrator: THIS CRUCIAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT 'OUMUAMUA IS AN ICY OBJECT.
NEW DATA ALSO REVEALS THAT 'OUMUAMUA
HAS AN UNEXPECTED SPEED BOOST AS IT PASSES BY THE SUN.
THE SUN'S HEAT VAPORIZES SMALL AMOUNTS OF ITS ICE,
BLASTING IT INTO SPACE.
THESE JETS ACT LIKE MINI ROCKET BOOSTERS.
COMBINED WITH THE COLOR, IT'S A SLAM DUNK.
'OUMUAMUA IS A COMET, BUT IT'S UNLIKE ANY COMET
WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.
THE 'OUMUAMUA IS LITERALLY ONE OF ITS KIND.
IT'S THE ONLY BODY IN ITS OWN CATEGORY.
Narrator: WHY DIDN'T 'OUMUAMUA FORM A FULL TAIL,
AS IT PASSED BY THE SUN,
AS ALL OTHER COMETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM DO?
ASTROPHYSICIST PERRY GERAKINES
FROM NASA'S COSMIC ICE LABORATORY
BELIEVES IT COULD BE DOWN TO THE THICKNESS
OF THE COMET'S CRUST.
HE STUDIES HOW THESE RED CRUSTS FORM.
WE'RE INVESTIGATING THE COMPOUNDS
THAT MAKE UP INTERSTELLAR AND PLANETARY ICES,
AND WE'RE MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF RADIATION
ON THOSE ICES.
Narrator: PERRY'S CONVINCED THAT RADIATION
HAS A STRANGE EFFECT ON THE ICY, OUTER LAYERS OF A COMET.
HE STARTS BY MAKING HIS OWN SAMPLE OF COMET ICE.
Gerakines: I'VE GOT A MIRROR HERE,
THAT I PLACE IN THE VACUUM CHAMBER,
AND I'M COOLING IT TO 20 DEGREES KELVIN,
OR MINUS-250 CENTIGRADE.
I'M GOING TO CREATE AN ICE ON TOP OF IT.
Narrator: PERRY THEN RELEASES WATER,
CARBON DIOXIDE, AND METHANE GASES INTO THE CHAMBER.
♪
THESE ARE ALL COMMONLY FOUND IN OUTER SPACE.
THE GASES FREEZE INTO ICE ON THE SURFACE
OF THE SUPER COLD MIRROR.
Gerakines: AND WE CAN PEEK INSIDE THE VACUUM CHAMBER,
AND IN THIS CASE, I'VE GOT QUITE A THICK ICE,
SO I CAN SEE THE ICE BUILDUP ON THAT MIRROR.
IT LOOKS QUITE GOOD.
Narrator: THE SILVER MIRROR IS NOW COVERED
IN A CREAMY LAYER OF COMETARY ICE.
PERRY WANTS TO TRANSFORM THIS ICE
INTO THE RED CRUST THOUGHT TO ENCASE 'OUMUAMUA,
SO HE ADDS ONE LAST INGREDIENT -- RADIATION.
Gerakines: THE NEXT PART OF THIS EXPERIMENT
IS TO TURN ON OUR SOURCE OF RADIATION,
AND THEN EXPOSE THE ICE TO THAT RADIATION.
Narrator: RADIATION FROM STARS BLASTS COMETS
AS THEY TRAVEL THROUGH SPACE
OVER MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF YEARS.
PERRY GIVES HIS SAMPLE AN INTENSE BLAST OF RADIATION,
TO MIMIC THESE CONDITIONS.
WE START EXPOSING THE ICE TO THE RADIATION.
GONNA LEAVE IT LIKE THIS FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES,
WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT A MILLION YEARS IN SPACE.
Narrator: UNDER THIS INTENSE FLOOD
OF A MILLION YEARS WORTH OF RADIATION,
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENS TO THE ICE.
♪
BEFORE, WE HAD SORT OF THIS CREAMY WHITE
SORT OF FROST LAYER.
NOW IT'S THIS MUDDY BROWN COLOR.
SO, THE RADIATION HAS CHANGED IT, VISIBLY.
Narrator: THIS DARK RED CRUST MADE FROM RADIATION BLASTED ICE
IS WHAT ASTRONOMERS THINK COVERS MANY COMETS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND 'OUMUAMUA.
CAN THIS CRUST EXPLAIN WHY 'OUMUAMUA
DOESN'T FORM A FULL TAIL?
♪
PERRY BELIEVES THAT IN 'OUMUAMUA'S CASE,
INTERSTELLAR SPACE SUPERCHARGED THE FORMATION OF ITS RED CRUST.
♪
Gerakines: 'OUMUAMUA HAS SPENT 50 MILLION YEARS OR SO
IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE WHERE IT HAS NOT BEEN
PROTECTED BY THE SUN'S MAGNETIC FIELD,
SO IT'S BEEN EXPOSED TO HARSHER RADIATION.
Narrator: IS INTERSTELLAR RADIATION
THE FINAL PIECE IN THE PUZZLE OF THE ALIEN VISITOR?
♪
AS 'OUMUAMUA PASSES THROUGH THE INTERSTELLAR VOID,
COSMIC RAYS PEPPER ITS SURFACE.
♪
AS THEY HIT THE COMET, THEY TRANSFORM THE OUTER LAYERS
OF ICE INTO A CRUST OF RED, STICKY COMPOUNDS.
OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS, THIS GROWS INTO
A TOUGH SHELL, UP TO A FOOT AND A HALF THICK.
THIS RED CRUST PROTECTS THE ICY CORE FROM
THE HEAT OF THE STARS AND STOPS IT FROM TURNING INTO GAS.
THAT'S HOW 'OUMUAMUA COULD PASS SO CLOSE
TO THE SUN WITHOUT FORMING A VISIBLE TAIL.
♪
AND SO, FOR 'OUMUAMUA, THIS MIGHT MEAN THAT THERE IS STILL
AN ICY CORE, SO IT MIGHT NOT BE SO SURPRISING THAT WE DIDN'T
SEE ANYTHING BECAUSE OF THAT PROTECTIVE CRUST.
♪
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA FINALLY PASSES BEYOND THE REACH OF OUR TELESCOPES.
FROM THE EVIDENCE GATHERED IN THOSE
FEW SHORT WEEKS, THIS IS OUR BEST GUESS
AT THE ALIEN VISITOR'S EXTRAORDINARY STORY.
♪
'OUMUAMUA BEGINS LIFE AS AN ICY COMET,
BEFORE BEING THROWN OUT OF ITS PARENT SOLAR SYSTEM
AND INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS, DUST AND MICROMETEORITES
WHITTLE AWAY AT THE SURFACE
UNTIL IT'S A STRANGE, THIN SKYSCRAPER SHAPE.
COSMIC RAYS CREATE A THICK, RED CRUST
THAT WRAPS AROUND ITS ICY CORE
AND PROTECTS 'OUMUAMUA AS IT FLASHES PAST OUR SUN
BEFORE HEADING OUT ONCE MORE TOWARDS INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
♪
'OUMUAMUA IS THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR
WE'VE EVER SPOTTED, BUT HOW MANY MORE ARE OUT THERE,
AND WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF US SEEING ANOTHER?
♪
Narrator: ASTRONOMERS BELIEVE OUR FIRST INTERSTELLAR VISITOR,
'OUMUAMUA, IS FAR FROM ALONE.
WE THINK THAT INTERSTELLAR MATERIAL
SUCH AS INTERSTELLAR ASTEROIDS, THINGS THAT ORIGINATED
BEYOND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM,
PASS THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM ALL THE TIME.
WE THINK THAT 10,000 OF THEM ARE
PASSING THROUGH AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
Narrator: THE CHAOS OF SOLAR-SYSTEM FORMATION
ACROSS THE GALAXY THROWS OUT BILLIONS OF ASTEROIDS
AND COMETS INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
♪
MANY FIND THEIR WAY HERE.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING LIKE THIS
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
THE PROBLEM IS FINDING IT.
FOR MANY YEARS, ASTRONOMERS THOUGHT
THESE WOULD BE TOO DIFFICULT TO SPOT
UNTIL 'OUMUAMUA FLASHED BY OUR PLANET.
WE REALLY SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR MORE OF THEM,
AND THERE SHOULD BE MORE OF THEM OUT THERE.
Narrator: SO, HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO WAIT
UNTIL WE DETECT THE NEXT INTERSTELLAR VISITOR?
♪
ASTRONOMERS BELIEVE THAT HUGE NUMBERS OF THESE
ALIEN OBJECTS PASS THROUGH OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
SPOTTING THEM IS SIMPLY A CASE OF CONSTANTLY MONITORING
A LARGE ENOUGH AREA OF THE SKY.
Schwamb: WE ALSO KNOW BIGGER TELESCOPES ARE COMING,
LIKE THE LARGE SYNOPTIC SKY SURVEY TELESCOPE
THAT'S BEING CURRENTLY BUILT IN CHILE.
SO, THEY'RE GONNA FIND ONE OF THESE A YEAR,
HOPEFULLY, OR MORE.
AND SO, THEN WE START UNDERSTANDING WHETHER
'OUMUAMUA IS REALLY STRANGE OR NOT.
Narrator: WHAT CAN 'OUMUAMUA AND OTHER INTERSTELLAR OBJECTS
TELL US ABOUT THE DISTANT AND MYSTERIOUS
ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEMS THAT THEY COME FROM?
NOW WITH 'OUMUAMUA, THE POSSIBILITY HAS ARISEN
THAT WE CAN SAMPLE OTHER STAR SYSTEMS, AS WELL --
NOT JUST OUR OWN PLANETS, BUT SOMETHING FROM A DISTANT STAR.
HOW SIMILAR TO US, HOW DIFFERENT IS IT?
'OUMUAMUA MAY BE SMALL,
BUT THE SCIENTIFIC RAMIFICATIONS COULD BE VAST.
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA IS AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY
TO TEST OUR THEORIES ABOUT HOW PLANETS
AND SOLAR SYSTEMS FORM ACROSS THE COSMOS.
MAYBE THE SAME PROCESSES ARE UBIQUITOUS OR EVERYWHERE
AROUND STARS, OR MAYBE IT CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT.
Narrator: WITH ITS STRANGE SHAPE, 'OUMUAMUA AT FIRST SEEMS
SHOCKINGLY ALIEN, BUT IT'S NOT AS DIFFERENT AS FIRST THOUGHT.
ITS RED COLOR MATCHES MANY OF THE ICY OBJECTS
SEEN IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
I WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT THIS OBJECT
OR THIS IMAGE IS FROM AN OBJECT
FROM ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM PASSING BY.
I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU
IT'S SOMETHING FROM OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.
Narrator: THESE SIMILARITIES MEAN THAT 'OUMUAMUA'S
HOME SOLAR SYSTEM MAY NOT BE SO VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR OWN,
AND THAT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR ASTRONOMERS' THEORIES ABOUT
HOW SOLAR SYSTEMS AND PLANETS FORM THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE.
Howett: IT'S PHENOMENALLY EXCITING BECAUSE WHAT IT MEANS
IS THE PROCESSES THAT ARE HAPPENING
IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM
THAT WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF
ARE HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, AS WELL.
Narrator: MANY UNSOLVED MYSTERIES SURROUND 'OUMUAMUA.
♪
ONE REMAINS THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF ALL --
CAN 'OUMUAMUA REVEAL ANY POSSIBLE SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN LIFE ON EARTH,
AND ANY ALIEN LIFE THAT MAY EXIST IN THE UNIVERSE?
PERRY GERAKINES THINKS IT CAN.
HE'S FINDING THE SIGNATURE OF SURPRISING CHEMICALS
HIDDEN INSIDE THE RED CRUST THOUGHT TO ENCASE 'OUMUAMUA.
SO, WE COME OVER HERE, AND WE CAN SEE A SPECTRUM.
Narrator: THESE LARGE PEAKS REVEAL THE PRESENCE OF WATER,
HARDLY SURPRISING FOR SOMETHING THAT STARTED AS ICE,
BUT PERRY ALSO DISCOVERS SOMETHING
FAR MORE COMPLEX AND UNEXPECTED.
AND YOU CAN SEE LITTLE BUMPS THAT INDICATE THE PRESENCE
OF ANOTHER ORGANIC MOLECULE THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR LIFE.
THESE ORGANIC MOLECULES ARE SOME OF
THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF DNA, THE BLUEPRINT OF LIFE.
OBJECTS LIKE 'OUMUAMUA MAY HAVE EVEN DELIVERED
THE INGREDIENTS OF LIFE TO THE YOUNG EARTH.
♪
SO, THIS GIVES US SOME CLUE ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF LIFE.
YOU AND I ARE BASED ON COMPOUNDS
THAT ARE COMMON IN COMETS AND METEORITES
AND THINGS LIKE 'OUMUAMUA.
THAT'S NOT A COINCIDENCE.
THAT'S WHAT LANDS HERE, WE ARE COMMON AS MUCK.
♪
Narrator: IF 'OUMUAMUA DOES HAVE THE SAME MOLECULES
IT ITS RED CRUST, THEN THE IMPLICATIONS ARE EXTRAORDINARY.
RED STAINED OBJECTS JUST LIKE IT MAY BE SPREADING THE SAME
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LIFE ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.
'OUMUAMUA TELLS US THAT MAYBE MATERIAL IS BEING SHARED
FROM ONE SOLAR SYSTEM TO ANOTHER,
AND THE FACT THAT 'OUMUAMUA IS COVERED WITH ORGANICS,
THIS BRINGS UP THE IDEA THAT THE SEEDS FOR LIFE
OR MAYBE EVEN LIFE ITSELF
CAN SPREAD FROM ONE STAR SYSTEM TO ANOTHER.
WHEN COMETS LAND HERE ON EARTH,
THEY BRING A RICH TREASURE TROVE OF ORGANIC MOLECULES.
THEY BRING THEM HERE TO EARTH, WHERE LIFE CAN EVOLVE,
AND SOME OF THOSE MOLECULES THAT ACTUALLY WERE BAKED
ON THE SURFACE OF A DISTANT COMET
AROUND ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM ARE PROBABLY IN YOUR BODY RIGHT NOW.
Narrator: IT'S AN ASTONISHING IDEA, BUT TO KNOW FOR SURE,
ASTRONOMERS WOULD NEED TO FLY TO AN INTERSTELLAR VISITOR
LIKE 'OUMUAMUA AND GET A SAMPLE FROM THE SURFACE.
'OUMUAMUA IS NOW TOO REMOTE TO REACH,
BUT COULD WE VISIT AND SAMPLE THE NEXT INTERSTELLAR OBJECT?
ONE SCIENTIST IS WORKING ON A WAY TO DO JUST THAT.
♪
Narrator: ON OCTOBER 19th, 2017,
AN OBJECT APPEARS AS A FLASH OF LIGHT IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
'OUMUAMUA IS THE FIRST INTERSTELLAR OBJECT
EVER DISCOVERED.
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE HUGE NUMBERS OF SIMILAR OBJECTS
ARE OUT THERE, BUT WHEN WILL WE DETECT
THE NEXT ONE, AND WHEN WE DO,
WILL IT BE POSSIBLE TO VISIT IT AND COLLECT A SAMPLE?
Wadhwa: IF ANOTHER INTERSTELLAR OBJECT LIKE THIS
WERE TO COME THROUGH, WHAT AN AMAZING DREAM COME TRUE
IT WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY GO TO THAT OBJECT,
PICK UP SOME ROCKS FROM THE SURFACE
AND BRING THEM BACK AND ANALYZE THEM IN OUR LABORATORIES.
BOY, WOULD IT BE COOL.
Narrator: THE IDEA OF CAPTURING A SAMPLE
OF AN ALIEN COMET LIKE 'OUMUAMUA MAY SOUND LIKE SCIENCE FICTION,
BUT JASON DWORKIN'S TEAM AT NASA'S ASTROBIOLOGY LAB,
IS PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD HELP US DO JUST THAT.
THEY'RE SENDING A SPACESHIP TO GRAB A CHUNK OF AN OBJECT
THAT ALREADY BELONGS TO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
WHEN WE GET OUR SAMPLE, THEN WE TAKE IT IN THIS LABORATORY.
THIS IS WHERE WE CAN DO THE CRUSHING EXTRACTION WORK
NECESSARY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S INSIDE.
Narrator: THE BOLD IDEA IS TO FLY TO THE ASTEROID BENNU,
A ROUNDED LUMP OF ROCK NEARLY 1,650 FEET THAT ORBITS
BETWEEN VENUS AND MARS, AND THEN GRAB A SAMPLE.
THE SPACECRAFT HAS A THREE-METER-LONG POGO STICK
THAT WILL TOUCH THE SURFACE OF ASTEROID BENNU FOR AS LONG
AS FIVE SECONDS, BRINGING BACK TWO KILOGRAMS OF THE SURFACE
OF BENNU TO STUDY WHAT THIS ANCIENT ASTEROID TELLS US ABOUT
THE ORIGIN OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND MAYBE THE ORIGIN OF LIFE.
Narrator: COULD SCIENTISTS USE SIMILAR TECHNOLOGY
TO SAMPLE AN ALIEN COMET?
ACTUALLY, A SAMPLE FROM 'OUMUAMUA IS THE NEXT BEST THING
TO GOING TO ANOTHER SOLAR SYSTEM AND GETTING A SAMPLE BACK.
WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE UNIVERSALITIES OF LIFE
OR THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF LIFE HERE VERSUS ELSEWHERE.
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO CAPTURING
AN ALIEN SAMPLE, IS THE TIME NEEDED FOR
THE MISSION TO GET OFF THE GROUND.
TO HAVE THE ROCKET READY, HAVE THE SPACECRAFT READY,
HAVE EVERYTHING TESTED AND WORKING PERFECTLY
WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME, WOULD TAKE SEVERAL YEARS
TO GET READY, AND 'OUMUAMUA CAME IN QUICKLY AND LEFT QUICKLY.
SO, BY THE TIME WE WERE READY, IT WOULD BE GONE.
'OUMUAMUA'S PATH BROUGHT IT LOOPING IN BEHIND THE SUN.
THIS BLINDS ASTRONOMERS ON EARTH TO ITS APPROACH.
SCIENTISTS ONLY DETECT IT WHEN IT'S ALREADY
ON ITS WAY OUT OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
BUT WITH THE EXPANDING NETWORK OF TELESCOPES KEEPING WATCH
ON THE SKY, NEXT TIME WE SHOULD HAVE MORE WARNING.
Dworkin: THE LONGER YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU KNOW TO SEE IT,
THE BETTER YOU CAN PREPARE, THE MORE TIME YOU HAVE
TO GET SOMETHING READY TO INTERCEPT IT
AND GET A SAMPLE AND STUDY IT.
Narrator: PERHAPS, WITH A SPACESHIP READY ON STANDBY,
WE CAN SNATCH OUR FIRST SAMPLE OF AN ALIEN VISITOR
THE NEXT TIME ONE COMES CALLING.
♪
'OUMUAMUA, OUR FIRST ALIEN VISITOR,
IS NOW HEADING BACK TOWARDS INTERSTELLAR SPACE.
IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, BOTH FOR 'OUMUAMUA
AND THE ASTRONOMERS CHASING IT.
Schwamb: ALL OF 'OUMUAMUA'S INTERESTING
AND SORT OF DIFFERENT
BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST OF ITS KIND.
AND SO, I THINK TO REALLY UNDERSTAND
HOW IT FITS IN, WE NEED TO FIND MORE OF THEM,
AND THE NICE THING IS WE WILL.
Narrator: 'OUMUAMUA HAS BEEN TRAVELING TOWARD US
FOR MANY TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS,
BACK BEFORE THERE WERE HUMANS ON EARTH,
AND NOW IT'S GOING ON, AND IT'S GOING TO TRAVEL
FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS MORE.
IT'S MIND BLOWING.
Thaller: 'OUMUAMUA WAS ONE OF THESE MOMENTS
IN MY CAREER AS A SCIENTIST, WHERE SOMETHING GOT
EVEN BETTER THAN I HAD IMAGINED
AS THE EVIDENCE MOUNTED BECAME MORE AND MORE BIZARRE,
MORE AND MORE ALIEN.
THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN,
I WILL NEVER FORGET 'OUMUAMUA.
♪
Narrator: NOW ASTRONOMERS PREPARE
FOR THE NEXT INTERSTELLAR ARRIVAL
AND HOPE IT WILL BE AS SURPRISING,
AS MYSTERIOUS, AND AS REVOLUTIONARY
AS 'OUMUAMUA, THE MESSENGER FROM AFAR.