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NARRATOR: A visionary scientist.
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WILLIAM HENRY:
He provided the greatest leap
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in human history.
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NARRATOR:
A single-minded obsession.
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ROBERT PEARLMAN:
We wanted to go to space
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because he wanted
to go to space.
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NARRATOR: And a mysterious past.
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You have to wonder
where this knowledge came from.
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NARRATOR: He developed the means
to put a man on the moon,
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but was Wernher Von Braun's
passion fueled
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by his own ambition?
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Or might he have been influenced
by otherworldly beings?
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DAVID WILCOCK: Wernher Von Braun
was in touch with some sort
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of extraterrestrial force
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that is steering us even further
out into space.
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NARRATOR:
Since the dawn of civilization,
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mankind has credited
its origins to gods
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and other visitors
from the stars.
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What if it were true?
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Did extraterrestrial beings
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really help to shape
our history?
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And if so,
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might aliens have influenced
Wernher Von Braun?
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NARRATOR: Huntsville, Alabama.
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July 24, 1969.
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A crowd of thousands gathers
in Courthouse Square
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to cheer on the triumphant
return of Dr. Wernher Von Braun,
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just hours after Apollo 11's
Columbia Command Module
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splashed down
in the Pacific Ocean.
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The United States had achieved
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what many believed
was impossible:
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Putting a man on the moon.
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The picture ran in newspapers
around America
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the following day,
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celebrating the genius rocket
engineer who was behind it all.
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Von Braun is a titan.
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You know, he's one of the major
figures of the last century.
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And he was way ahead
of his time.
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Von Braun adamantly believed
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that humanity's future
was in space.
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He's the greatest
voice we've had
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in the history
of the space program.
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NARRATOR: Considered by NASA
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to be the "Father
of Rocket Science,"
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Von Braun is credited
with either inventing
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or helping to develop many
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of the most sophisticated aerial
technologies that exist today,
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like the supersonic
anti-aircraft missile,
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the ballistic missile,
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the first American satellite,
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and the first
U.S. space vehicles,
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including the enormous
Saturn V rocket
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that enabled man
to reach the moon.
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Without exaggeration, the Apollo
program has been called
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"the greatest achievement that
mankind has ever accomplished."
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Without Wernher Von Braun, we
would have not reached the moon.
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To date, the Saturn V is
the most powerful rocket
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that we've ever built.
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NARRATOR: Von Braun's incredible
engineering feats were matched
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only by his all-consuming
crusade to send man into space.
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In the 1950s, when space travel
seemed a fantasy,
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Wernher Von Braun teamed up
with Walt Disney
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to convince a skeptical public
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that putting man on the moon
was not only possible,
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but that it would happen
in their lifetimes.
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In these films,
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watched by an estimated
42 million people,
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Von Braun boldly predicted
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not only how we would send
men into space,
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but also the use
of protective suits,
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lunar landing vehicles,
orbiting space stations,
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and even manned trips to Mars.
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If we were to start today
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on an organized and
well-supported space program,
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I believe a practical
passenger rocket
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could be built and tested
within ten years.
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NARRATOR: But who exactly was
this engineering genius
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with such extraordinary
visions for the future?
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Why did he believe so strongly
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that man could and should
travel into space?
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And what did he expect to find
when we got there?
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Wernher Von Braun was born
March 23, 1912,
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in a small town
in Eastern Prussia.
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The second of three sons,
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Wernher grew up a child
of wealth and privilege.
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But while he was born
into an accomplished family,
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Wernher's keen intellect
and unusual passions stood out.
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His father once said,
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"I don't know where
his talent comes from,"
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and stated on more
than one occasion
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that he considered
his son a mystery.
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IMPEY: Wernher Von Braun
was multitalented.
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Both sides of his brain
were working.
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He could think
about technical things
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and imagine rocketry
and space travel,
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but he was
an accomplished musician.
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And these traits
manifested very early.
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I think his parents knew
by the time he was four or five
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that he was very special.
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His mother gave him a telescope
when he was young,
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and he looked at the moon
and said, "I want to go there."
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I want to build the machine
that will go to the moon."
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And of course he did
half a century later.
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NARRATOR: Wernher Von Braun
grew up in a time
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when German science fiction
authors focused
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on science utopian novels
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that often featured
an idealized German engineer
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who solves the world's problems
through science and technology.
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Movies such as
Fritz Lang's Metropolis
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and Woman in the Moon also
stirred the public's imagination
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and no doubt had a powerful
influence on Von Braun.
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For a young man growing up
in the 1920s and '30s,
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space travel was considered
too fantastic and far-fetched
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to ever be possible.
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And although
the Wright brothers had achieved
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the first powered flight
in 1903,
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the horse and buggy was still
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a widely used mode
of transportation.
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The achievement of putting
a man on the moon
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is something that was at the
time really almost impossible
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and almost unthinkable.
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Wernher Von Braun was obsessed
with going to the moon
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and going to Mars from
the time he was a little boy.
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And that was his destiny.
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NARRATOR: In his teens,
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Von Braun wrote papers
on orbital flight,
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and by the incredibly
young age of 20,
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he was named the head
of Germany's rocket program
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by army artillery officer
Captain Walter Dornberger.
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Dornberger would later write
in his 1952 book,
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V-2, the Firing into Space,
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that he was deeply impressed
by the young Von Braun's energy,
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shrewdness and astonishing
theoretical knowledge.
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IMPEY: When he worked
towards one of his goals,
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he would apply himself
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and master a subject
in very short order.
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He'd been trained
as an engineer,
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and doing a PhD in physics
is not trivial.
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And he got his PhD at an age
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when most German students
were still undergraduates.
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NARRATOR: But how is it
that Wernher Von Braun...
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Whose contemporaries included
such scientific geniuses
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as Nikola Tesla,
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Robert Oppenheimer
and Albert Einstein...
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Was so far ahead of everyone
when it came to rocketry?
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And what was behind
his obsession
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to travel to the stars?
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Some ancient astronaut
theorists believe
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that the boy genius
may have been guided
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by otherworldly forces.
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Maybe he drew his inspiration
from science fiction.
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Maybe it came from his...
his own imagination and vision
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of what the future should be.
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Or maybe it was inspired
by something extraterrestrial.
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WILCOCK: Some sort
of extraterrestrial contact
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might have happened
with Wernher Von Braun.
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Something or someone
might have reached him and saw
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where we needed to go
as a civilization,
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and gave him the tools
and the insights
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that he needed to be able
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to build our way out into space.
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GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS:
Some have suggested that people
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like Albert Einstein, Tesla,
that they've had
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this extraterrestrial
intervention;
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That they have had access
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to this abundance of knowledge.
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And the question has arisen...
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Did Wernher Von Braun?
Was he also one of them?
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Because the vision he had,
the ideas
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were incredible for their time.
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NARRATOR:
Might extraterrestrials
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have chosen Wernher Von Braun
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to propel mankind
to the moon and beyond,
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as some ancient astronaut
theorists propose?
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Perhaps further clues
can be found
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by examining Von Braun's
connection
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to a mysterious Nazi institution
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known as the Ahnenerbe.
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NARRATOR: In 1933, Adolf Hitler
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rose to power
and began consolidating.
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Germany's military, political
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and economic institutions
under the control
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of his Nazi Party apparatus.
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For years,
Wernher Von Braun avoided
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becoming a member
of the Nazi Party,
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but on November 12, 1937,
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he was commanded to join
and did so.
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To hear him tell it,
he was, uh, had no choice.
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That he... it was either do that
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or, um, face the same fate
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as everyone else
who disobeyed the Nazis...
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Certain death.
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Von Braun didn't think the Nazi
movement was the way to go,
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but it was a means to an end
to develop his rockets.
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NARRATOR: In 1944,
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with the help
of additional funding
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from the German government,
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Von Braun launched the 45-foot,
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27,000-pound A-4,
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later rechristened the V-2,
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or "Vengeance Weapon."
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While Von Braun's first rocket
only reached 1.4 miles,
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the V-2 climbed to an altitude
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of 108.5 miles,
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and became
the first man-made object
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to ever reach space.
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PEARLMAN:
The V-2 rocket was a one-stage,
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liquid-fueled rocket that was
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not comparable to any
other rocket at the time,
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because there weren't
other rockets at the time.
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You had rockets in development.
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What Von Braun was able
to do with the V-2
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00:11:54.548 --> 00:11:57.582
was combine the theory
with the practical application
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and develop
the first rocket ever
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00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:02.387
to be able to reach space.
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NARRATOR: How was Von Braun
able to advance.
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00:12:05.525 --> 00:12:07.859
Germany's rocket program so far
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00:12:07.961 --> 00:12:10.528
in just a few short years?
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00:12:10.630 --> 00:12:12.831
Was it due to a desperate nation
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00:12:12.933 --> 00:12:15.330
supplying him
with massive amounts
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00:12:15.135 --> 00:12:18.236
of money and material?
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Or could there be
another reason?
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On July 1, 1935,
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Hitler's SS commander,
Heinrich Himmler,
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00:12:28.115 --> 00:12:29.848
established Ahnenerbe...
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00:12:29.950 --> 00:12:33.184
An elite Nazi institute
that purported
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00:12:33.286 --> 00:12:35.453
to research the cultural
and archaeological history
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00:12:35.555 --> 00:12:37.822
of the Germans.
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However, its true purpose
proved far more bizarre.
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BARA: Ahnenerbe was based
on the idea that the Aryan race
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was the most directly
descended from ancient,
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perhaps alien, gods.
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CHILDRESS: Part of their job
was to literally go
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all over the world looking
for special occult artifacts.
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Things like the Ark of the
Covenant and the Holy Grail.
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BARA: Von Braun became
closely associated with them
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through his association
with the SS
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00:13:07.988 --> 00:13:09.454
and with Heinrich Himmler.
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00:13:09.556 --> 00:13:12.490
And one of the main reasons
for that was that
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they felt like rocketry
was almost an arcane secret,
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um, a sort of black magic
that would
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enable them
to dominate the world.
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NARRATOR: As World War II
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00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:26.204
broke out across Europe...
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Ahnenerbe expanded its research
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00:13:30.310 --> 00:13:33.440
into secret weapons programs,
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00:13:33.146 --> 00:13:37.810
and Himmler tapped Von Braun
as its technical director
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at Germany's large-scale
experimental research facility
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00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:42.821
at Peenemunde
in Northwest Germany.
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00:13:42.923 --> 00:13:47.792
It was during these next
several years that Von Braun
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00:13:47.894 --> 00:13:49.994
advanced
the science of propulsion,
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00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.640
aerodynamics
and rocket guidance systems
253
00:13:53.166 --> 00:13:55.800
beyond what anyone
had thought possible.
254
00:13:55.902 --> 00:13:57.802
CHILDRESS:
You have to ask yourself,
255
00:13:57.904 --> 00:13:59.103
where would they have gotten
256
00:13:59.206 --> 00:14:02.207
that kind of knowledge
so quickly?
257
00:14:02.309 --> 00:14:05.143
One of the possible reasons
is that the Ahnenerbe,
258
00:14:05.245 --> 00:14:07.110
with their researches,
259
00:14:07.113 --> 00:14:08.313
had actually discovered
260
00:14:08.415 --> 00:14:10.810
technology through
261
00:14:10.183 --> 00:14:11.816
some of their expeditions
262
00:14:11.918 --> 00:14:13.284
to find ancient relics,
263
00:14:13.386 --> 00:14:17.121
and their search, really,
for ancient technology.
264
00:14:17.224 --> 00:14:19.824
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the Ahnenerbe
265
00:14:19.926 --> 00:14:22.193
discovered artifacts
that helped them
266
00:14:22.295 --> 00:14:25.864
advance their weapons research?
267
00:14:25.966 --> 00:14:29.400
Some ancient astronaut theorists
suggest that the Nazis did,
268
00:14:29.502 --> 00:14:32.203
in fact, recover something
269
00:14:32.305 --> 00:14:34.138
not from the ancient world
270
00:14:34.241 --> 00:14:37.475
but from
an extraterrestrial one.
271
00:14:37.577 --> 00:14:40.979
A multicolored orb of light
was seen in the sky
272
00:14:41.810 --> 00:14:44.215
in 1937 in Southwestern Poland.
273
00:14:44.317 --> 00:14:47.518
And by all accounts,
this was a UFO sighting.
274
00:14:47.621 --> 00:14:49.320
But it's a lot more than that.
275
00:14:49.422 --> 00:14:52.223
This orb actually crashed
into the ground.
276
00:14:54.294 --> 00:14:56.127
NARRATOR:
According to the account,
277
00:14:56.229 --> 00:14:59.163
when investigators reached
the suspected crash site,
278
00:14:59.266 --> 00:15:02.901
they found a strange
disc-shaped object.
279
00:15:03.300 --> 00:15:06.871
Nazi officials are said to have
taken the damaged craft
280
00:15:06.973 --> 00:15:09.474
to a nearby secure facility
281
00:15:09.576 --> 00:15:11.109
where it was examined
282
00:15:11.211 --> 00:15:13.444
by Germany's
top aeronautical experts,
283
00:15:13.546 --> 00:15:16.981
including Wernher Von Braun.
284
00:15:17.830 --> 00:15:21.920
While no remains of any alleged
UFOs survived the war,
285
00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:24.880
German engineers
286
00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:26.858
did develop a series
of revolutionary aircraft,
287
00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:30.862
including the first
rocket-powered jet fighter,
288
00:15:30.964 --> 00:15:33.998
the first stealth bomber,
289
00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:36.367
and even antigravity-powered,
290
00:15:36.469 --> 00:15:39.103
saucer-shaped vehicles.
291
00:15:39.205 --> 00:15:41.339
From what we're able
to glean today,
292
00:15:41.441 --> 00:15:44.475
Nazi technology
at the end of World War II
293
00:15:44.577 --> 00:15:47.912
was so advanced
that they had things
294
00:15:48.140 --> 00:15:51.182
that are still
science fiction today...
295
00:15:51.284 --> 00:15:54.180
Antigravity...
296
00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:55.787
beam weapons...
297
00:15:55.889 --> 00:15:57.889
flying saucers...
298
00:15:57.991 --> 00:16:00.325
flying triangles.
299
00:16:00.427 --> 00:16:03.227
Things that are still
kept secret today.
300
00:16:05.999 --> 00:16:08.499
NARRATOR: In June 1945,
301
00:16:08.601 --> 00:16:11.803
U.S. Army officials
holding German scientists
302
00:16:11.905 --> 00:16:15.273
reported that the Nazis
were 25 years ahead
303
00:16:15.375 --> 00:16:18.276
of the United States
in rocketry.
304
00:16:18.378 --> 00:16:21.546
You have to wonder
where this knowledge came from
305
00:16:21.648 --> 00:16:24.282
and also whether Von Braun...
306
00:16:24.384 --> 00:16:28.453
Who was really the spearhead of
all the Nazi rocket technology...
307
00:16:28.555 --> 00:16:32.390
If he had also gotten
information from other sources,
308
00:16:32.492 --> 00:16:34.392
perhaps extraterrestrials,
309
00:16:34.494 --> 00:16:36.527
that helped him
advance so quickly
310
00:16:36.629 --> 00:16:38.196
in rocket technology.
311
00:16:38.298 --> 00:16:40.832
NARRATOR:
Could the incredible advances
312
00:16:40.934 --> 00:16:43.234
made by Von Braun's design team
313
00:16:43.336 --> 00:16:46.304
have been the result
of alien technologies
314
00:16:46.406 --> 00:16:49.700
that were reverse-engineered?
315
00:16:49.109 --> 00:16:53.544
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes and claim
316
00:16:53.646 --> 00:16:56.814
the most compelling evidence
isn't the amazing technology
317
00:16:56.916 --> 00:16:59.450
achieved by the Nazis,
318
00:16:59.552 --> 00:17:02.520
but the incredible advancements
that came after the war
319
00:17:02.622 --> 00:17:05.523
in America.
320
00:17:13.533 --> 00:17:17.568
NARRATOR:
Oberjoch, Germany, May 1945.
321
00:17:19.172 --> 00:17:21.406
In the wake
of Adolf Hitler's suicide
322
00:17:21.474 --> 00:17:24.409
and the German surrender,
Wernher Von Braun
323
00:17:24.477 --> 00:17:28.460
and hundreds of other
German rocket engineers
324
00:17:28.114 --> 00:17:33.170
surrendered to the U.S. Army's
Counterintelligence Corps.
325
00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:37.880
But it was a move Von Braun
had planned months before.
326
00:17:38.458 --> 00:17:41.259
BARA: Von Braun
and his colleagues made
327
00:17:41.361 --> 00:17:43.321
a conscious decision
to surrender to the Americans
328
00:17:43.363 --> 00:17:46.264
because they felt they would
have access to higher technology
329
00:17:46.366 --> 00:17:48.566
and they would have
a better opportunity to fulfill
330
00:17:48.635 --> 00:17:51.369
his dream of going to the moon
and going to Mars,
331
00:17:51.471 --> 00:17:53.471
uh, to explore what was there.
332
00:17:55.542 --> 00:17:59.143
NARRATOR: Although he was
a known member of the SS,
333
00:17:59.245 --> 00:18:01.145
Von Braun leveraged his position
334
00:18:01.247 --> 00:18:04.482
as the head of Germany's
V-2 rocket program
335
00:18:04.551 --> 00:18:07.351
to convince U.S. authorities
to bring him
336
00:18:07.454 --> 00:18:11.389
and roughly 100 hand-picked
members of his team to America.
337
00:18:11.458 --> 00:18:15.560
Eventually,
some 1,500 German scientists
338
00:18:15.628 --> 00:18:19.430
and technicians would follow
Von Braun to the U.S.
339
00:18:19.499 --> 00:18:24.680
through a top secret program
called Operation Paperclip.
340
00:18:26.439 --> 00:18:29.400
Operation Paperclip was a, uh,
341
00:18:29.142 --> 00:18:32.430
an executive-ordered,
uh, private secret operation
342
00:18:32.145 --> 00:18:34.450
to bring over Nazi scientists,
343
00:18:34.147 --> 00:18:37.381
mostly Nazi rocket scientists
and engineers, to the U.S.
344
00:18:37.450 --> 00:18:40.451
to help build up a rocketry
program for the United States.
345
00:18:42.789 --> 00:18:46.557
Operation Paperclip was kept
a secret for decades.
346
00:18:46.626 --> 00:18:50.461
And you have to wonder whether
it was this special knowledge,
347
00:18:50.530 --> 00:18:52.330
perhaps extraterrestrial
knowledge,
348
00:18:52.432 --> 00:18:54.198
that these Nazi scientists had
349
00:18:54.267 --> 00:18:57.635
that we needed so desperately
for our own space program.
350
00:19:00.673 --> 00:19:05.109
NARRATOR: In the fall of 1945,
the U.S. Army assigned
351
00:19:05.211 --> 00:19:08.679
the 33-year-old Von Braun
and his German colleagues
352
00:19:08.781 --> 00:19:11.682
to the White Sands Proving
Ground missile test range
353
00:19:11.784 --> 00:19:13.684
in New Mexico.
354
00:19:13.786 --> 00:19:16.120
Since the 1940s,
355
00:19:16.222 --> 00:19:20.224
White Sands has been
the military's testing site
356
00:19:20.326 --> 00:19:23.728
for cutting-edge developments
in rocketry and space travel.
357
00:19:23.796 --> 00:19:27.265
According to official records,
358
00:19:27.333 --> 00:19:30.601
Von Braun's task was
to help teach the Americans
359
00:19:30.703 --> 00:19:32.603
how to rebuild and launch
360
00:19:32.705 --> 00:19:35.706
captured V-2 rockets
brought back from Germany.
361
00:19:37.710 --> 00:19:39.477
But there are others who believe
362
00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:43.981
Von Braun had another
top secret job.
363
00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:46.984
Former Army Lieutenant Colonel
Philip Corso,
364
00:19:47.530 --> 00:19:49.654
in his book,
The Day after Roswell,
365
00:19:49.756 --> 00:19:54.525
claimed the facility also housed
classified R & D projects,
366
00:19:54.594 --> 00:19:58.129
including the study
of extraterrestrial craft.
367
00:20:00.833 --> 00:20:03.734
Lieutenant Colonel
Philip Corso served
368
00:20:03.836 --> 00:20:06.204
in the U.S. military
for many years,
369
00:20:06.306 --> 00:20:10.107
and he claimed
that he actually worked
370
00:20:10.210 --> 00:20:14.645
on recovered alien technology,
371
00:20:14.747 --> 00:20:16.581
including the crashed vehicle
372
00:20:16.683 --> 00:20:20.551
that was recovered at Roswell,
New Mexico in 1947.
373
00:20:22.689 --> 00:20:26.123
Now, there is a theory that
alien technology from Roswell,
374
00:20:26.226 --> 00:20:28.459
and maybe from other
crashes, too,
375
00:20:28.561 --> 00:20:31.696
was actually taken to the
White Sands Proving Ground...
376
00:20:31.764 --> 00:20:34.232
That's where
Wernher Von Braun worked...
377
00:20:34.300 --> 00:20:39.670
And that all this, uh, R & D
that was going on at White Sands
378
00:20:39.772 --> 00:20:43.307
was actually at least
in part alien technology.
379
00:20:47.580 --> 00:20:49.180
NARRATOR: Corso claimed
380
00:20:49.282 --> 00:20:52.490
that these reverse-engineering
efforts resulted
381
00:20:52.118 --> 00:20:54.719
in today's integrated
circuit chips,
382
00:20:54.821 --> 00:20:58.589
fiber optics and lasers.
383
00:20:58.658 --> 00:21:03.461
The sudden explosion
of post-World War II technology
384
00:21:03.563 --> 00:21:06.464
is unexplainable to many.
385
00:21:06.566 --> 00:21:10.100
This is why they point to
Wernher Von Braun and the Nazis
386
00:21:10.103 --> 00:21:12.336
as the source
of this technology.
387
00:21:12.438 --> 00:21:15.206
NARRATOR: There are also claims
388
00:21:15.308 --> 00:21:19.100
that a top secret Nazi
superweapon called Die Glocke
389
00:21:19.112 --> 00:21:22.113
ended up in the hands
of the Americans.
390
00:21:26.119 --> 00:21:29.720
Reportedly, "the Bell,"
as it came to be known,
391
00:21:29.822 --> 00:21:31.589
was brought to the United States
392
00:21:31.658 --> 00:21:34.592
in a secret deal
with SS General Hans Kammler,
393
00:21:34.661 --> 00:21:37.595
the same man
behind the construction
394
00:21:37.664 --> 00:21:41.299
of Mittelwerk and Peenemunde.
395
00:21:41.367 --> 00:21:44.635
Die Glocke, or the Bell,
is said to represent
396
00:21:44.737 --> 00:21:49.206
the pinnacle of the Nazi SS
wonder-weapons program.
397
00:21:51.544 --> 00:21:55.120
It's a metallic bell,
about nine feet in diameter,
398
00:21:55.114 --> 00:21:57.348
with many mysterious properties.
399
00:21:57.450 --> 00:21:59.684
Scientists who have
looked at this
400
00:21:59.786 --> 00:22:03.354
and the recollections of its
appearance and its usage suggest
401
00:22:03.456 --> 00:22:06.457
that it had
antigravitational properties.
402
00:22:08.361 --> 00:22:10.261
We have to legitimately consider
403
00:22:10.363 --> 00:22:13.130
that the German scientists
were at the root of all this
404
00:22:13.199 --> 00:22:15.132
and that their
transferred technology
405
00:22:15.234 --> 00:22:17.535
is exactly what is
now being used
406
00:22:17.637 --> 00:22:21.305
in advanced so-called
"alien reproduction vehicles,"
407
00:22:21.374 --> 00:22:24.742
built by our own military
industrial complex.
408
00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:30.614
NARRATOR: It was rumored
409
00:22:30.717 --> 00:22:33.484
that much of the Nazis' secret
weaponry was hidden
410
00:22:33.553 --> 00:22:36.721
at the Mittelwerk underground
research facility.
411
00:22:36.823 --> 00:22:39.724
In the 1990s,
412
00:22:39.826 --> 00:22:43.294
German archaeologist
and scientist Willi Kramer
413
00:22:43.363 --> 00:22:47.298
determined that somehow
70 tons of material
414
00:22:47.367 --> 00:22:50.401
that used to exist
at Mittelwerk is now missing.
415
00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:57.708
Is it possible that the missing
material ended up in U.S. hands?
416
00:23:01.514 --> 00:23:04.749
Perhaps further clues can
be found by examining the story
417
00:23:04.817 --> 00:23:08.719
of how Wernher Von Braun
put a man on the moon.
418
00:23:14.930 --> 00:23:17.161
The American public seemed
to have an insatiable appetite
419
00:23:17.263 --> 00:23:18.696
for science fiction.
420
00:23:22.702 --> 00:23:25.503
It seemed that in the wake
of the atomic bomb,
421
00:23:25.605 --> 00:23:29.600
anything was possible.
422
00:23:29.750 --> 00:23:33.677
Wernher Von Braun viewed
this fixation as his opportunity
423
00:23:33.780 --> 00:23:38.549
to get the public to share in
his dream of space exploration
424
00:23:38.618 --> 00:23:40.418
and initiated a plan
425
00:23:40.520 --> 00:23:43.421
to turn science fiction
into science fact.
426
00:23:45.124 --> 00:23:49.260
In 1952, he captured
the public's imagination
427
00:23:49.128 --> 00:23:52.630
with an illustrated series of
articles in Collier's magazine,
428
00:23:52.698 --> 00:23:55.566
depicting life in space.
429
00:23:55.668 --> 00:23:59.570
And it was two years later
that Von Braun teamed up
430
00:23:59.672 --> 00:24:03.441
with perhaps the only man just
as passionate as him
431
00:24:03.509 --> 00:24:08.546
at the notion of turning dreams
into reality: Walt Disney.
432
00:24:08.614 --> 00:24:12.820
Over the course of three films,
433
00:24:12.151 --> 00:24:15.519
Von Braun used Disney's model
and animation artists
434
00:24:15.588 --> 00:24:19.156
to illustrate his vision
for our future space program.
435
00:24:21.494 --> 00:24:23.394
Here we have a scale drawing
of the earth
436
00:24:23.496 --> 00:24:26.764
with the moon
240,000 miles away.
437
00:24:26.866 --> 00:24:28.766
This is the elliptical path
438
00:24:28.868 --> 00:24:30.768
which our rocket ship
will follow,
439
00:24:30.870 --> 00:24:34.238
going out... and coming back.
440
00:24:34.340 --> 00:24:36.507
We must aim the ship
well ahead of the moon
441
00:24:36.609 --> 00:24:38.509
so that they both arrive
442
00:24:38.611 --> 00:24:41.712
at about the same point
in space at the same time.
443
00:24:41.781 --> 00:24:44.248
Even though we now have
the theoretical knowledge
444
00:24:44.317 --> 00:24:46.584
to make a trip to the moon,
445
00:24:46.686 --> 00:24:51.222
it will be many years yet before
our plans can fully materialize.
446
00:24:51.324 --> 00:24:53.290
Wernher Von Braun was a mixture
447
00:24:53.392 --> 00:24:56.360
of scientist, engineer
and visionary.
448
00:24:56.462 --> 00:25:00.231
Von Braun was
that rare combination,
449
00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:05.350
and perhaps the mystic visionary
in him lifted his work
450
00:25:05.137 --> 00:25:07.705
above the common sphere
451
00:25:07.773 --> 00:25:10.307
of scientific
and engineering achievement.
452
00:25:14.460 --> 00:25:16.981
NARRATOR: October 4, 1957.
453
00:25:17.830 --> 00:25:20.217
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
454
00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:22.553
The Soviet Union shocks
the world
455
00:25:22.655 --> 00:25:25.456
when they launch Sputnik
into Earth's orbit
456
00:25:25.558 --> 00:25:28.993
and beat the United States
at becoming the first country
457
00:25:29.950 --> 00:25:32.960
to send a man-made object
into space.
458
00:25:32.198 --> 00:25:35.320
PEARLMAN: The Soviet Union
had shocked the United States
459
00:25:35.134 --> 00:25:38.350
by putting the first man-made
satellite into space.
460
00:25:38.104 --> 00:25:43.700
Sputnik flying overhead not only
was a scary proposition,
461
00:25:43.109 --> 00:25:45.175
because if they could put
a satellite above us,
462
00:25:45.278 --> 00:25:48.450
why couldn't they put
a nuclear missile above us?
463
00:25:48.114 --> 00:25:49.980
It was also, uh,
sort of a wake-up call,
464
00:25:50.820 --> 00:25:52.283
because most people
considered the Russians
465
00:25:52.385 --> 00:25:55.252
to be behind us technologically.
466
00:25:55.354 --> 00:26:00.391
NARRATOR: America's interest
in space shifted into high gear,
467
00:26:00.459 --> 00:26:01.959
and over the next several years,
468
00:26:02.280 --> 00:26:03.494
Wernher Von Braun
led the design team
469
00:26:03.563 --> 00:26:07.398
that sent the first
American satellite into space
470
00:26:07.466 --> 00:26:10.734
and the first man into orbit...
471
00:26:10.836 --> 00:26:13.504
all aboard rockets based on
472
00:26:13.573 --> 00:26:16.106
Von Braun's
original V-2 designs.
473
00:26:18.477 --> 00:26:20.978
MAN: Three, two, one...
474
00:26:21.800 --> 00:26:23.347
NARRATOR: But as impressive
as these feats were,
475
00:26:23.449 --> 00:26:25.249
the next step man would take
476
00:26:25.351 --> 00:26:28.786
would be far greater
than any that had come before.
477
00:26:30.556 --> 00:26:33.290
On July 20, 1969,
478
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:37.595
57-year-old
Wernher Von Braun watched
479
00:26:37.697 --> 00:26:40.130
from inside Mission Control
as a human being,
480
00:26:40.199 --> 00:26:41.632
for the first time in history,
481
00:26:41.701 --> 00:26:45.636
stepped foot on a celestial body
other than Earth.
482
00:26:45.738 --> 00:26:48.439
CHARLIE DUKE:
We copy you down, Eagle.
483
00:26:48.541 --> 00:26:50.400
NEIL ARMSTRONG:
Tranquility Base here.
484
00:26:50.142 --> 00:26:51.642
The Eagle has landed.
485
00:26:55.548 --> 00:26:57.615
That's one small step for man,
486
00:26:57.717 --> 00:27:01.518
one giant leap for mankind.
487
00:27:01.621 --> 00:27:04.989
NARRATOR: Wernher Von Braun's
boyhood dream,
488
00:27:05.910 --> 00:27:07.958
which so many had called
an impossible feat,
489
00:27:08.600 --> 00:27:11.729
had become a reality.
490
00:27:11.797 --> 00:27:14.732
(horse whinnies)
491
00:27:14.800 --> 00:27:17.340
POPE: We effectively went
from horse and buggy
492
00:27:17.136 --> 00:27:21.138
to landing people
on the moon in 60 years.
493
00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:25.542
It's an exponential increase
in technology.
494
00:27:25.611 --> 00:27:27.144
It's an absolute explosion.
495
00:27:27.246 --> 00:27:31.815
It's phenomenal
that we came so far so fast.
496
00:27:35.855 --> 00:27:38.255
IMPEY:
Getting to the moon involves
497
00:27:38.357 --> 00:27:41.458
extremely precise
orbital calculations
498
00:27:41.527 --> 00:27:44.528
and the possibility
of missing the moon,
499
00:27:44.630 --> 00:27:46.960
of not capturing into an orbit,
500
00:27:46.165 --> 00:27:50.340
is a matter of a tiny fraction
of a degree in the trajectory
501
00:27:50.136 --> 00:27:53.370
and a small percentage
of the speed coming in.
502
00:27:53.439 --> 00:27:56.400
So the ability to adjust
the orbit in real time
503
00:27:56.108 --> 00:27:58.308
and adjust those calculations...
504
00:27:58.411 --> 00:27:59.810
It was a stunning achievement.
505
00:28:01.347 --> 00:28:02.946
NARRATOR:
But how did Von Braun know
506
00:28:03.490 --> 00:28:05.149
all the specific information
needed to calculate
507
00:28:05.251 --> 00:28:08.686
not only how
to send man to the moon
508
00:28:08.788 --> 00:28:11.422
but to bring him back to Earth?
509
00:28:12.792 --> 00:28:15.250
Where did he get data such as
510
00:28:15.127 --> 00:28:17.461
the exact gravitational pull
of the moon,
511
00:28:17.563 --> 00:28:20.998
the speed needed
to break Earth's orbit,
512
00:28:21.670 --> 00:28:23.734
or the effects of
space radiation on the ship?
513
00:28:23.836 --> 00:28:25.736
BUZZ ALDRIN:
We're now in the approach phase.
514
00:28:25.838 --> 00:28:27.337
Everything looking good.
515
00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:29.740
NARRATOR: And how did Von Braun
know the answers
516
00:28:29.842 --> 00:28:32.420
15 years earlier,
517
00:28:32.144 --> 00:28:33.477
when he appeared
in Walt Disney's.
518
00:28:33.579 --> 00:28:36.460
"Man In Space" programs?
519
00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:43.487
I consider it to be
entirely possible
520
00:28:43.589 --> 00:28:47.157
that the endowment
of extraterrestrial technology
521
00:28:47.226 --> 00:28:50.194
that fell into the hands of guys
like Wernher Von Braun
522
00:28:50.296 --> 00:28:53.130
was, in fact, a key element
523
00:28:53.232 --> 00:28:57.167
that allowed us to make
technological leaps forward
524
00:28:57.236 --> 00:29:00.170
much faster than we ever
would have been able to do
525
00:29:00.239 --> 00:29:02.390
if we were without the benefit
526
00:29:02.141 --> 00:29:05.142
of this advanced technology.
527
00:29:05.244 --> 00:29:08.145
POPE: Wernher Von Braun
wanted to go further
528
00:29:08.214 --> 00:29:12.249
than just send people
to the moon and bring them back.
529
00:29:12.318 --> 00:29:17.688
Ultimately he was talking
about colonies in space.
530
00:29:17.757 --> 00:29:21.725
Maybe it was inspired
by something extraterrestrial.
531
00:29:23.829 --> 00:29:28.332
NARRATOR: Could it be that
Von Braun was not only guided
532
00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:30.134
by an alien intelligence,
533
00:29:30.202 --> 00:29:34.710
but that the incredible
achievement of reaching the moon
534
00:29:34.173 --> 00:29:35.639
really was made possible
535
00:29:35.741 --> 00:29:38.675
with the help of
extraterrestrial technology?
536
00:29:41.847 --> 00:29:43.647
Some ancient astronaut
theorists say
537
00:29:43.749 --> 00:29:45.415
that not only is this the case,
538
00:29:45.484 --> 00:29:47.651
but there is evidence
539
00:29:47.753 --> 00:29:50.120
that NASA encountered
more on the moon
540
00:29:50.222 --> 00:29:52.589
than they have revealed.
541
00:29:59.665 --> 00:30:02.933
Guidance recommendation,
uh, is PGNS,
542
00:30:03.350 --> 00:30:04.275
and you're cleared for takeoff.
543
00:30:04.303 --> 00:30:08.438
NARRATOR: July 21, 1969.
544
00:30:08.541 --> 00:30:12.576
Approximately 21½ hours
after landing on the moon,
545
00:30:12.678 --> 00:30:15.712
the Lunar Module Eagle lifts off
546
00:30:15.815 --> 00:30:18.949
to rejoin
the Command Module Columbia
547
00:30:19.510 --> 00:30:21.718
and begin the return to Earth.
548
00:30:21.821 --> 00:30:24.521
The astronauts take with them
549
00:30:24.623 --> 00:30:28.458
47.5 pounds of lunar
surface material,
550
00:30:28.561 --> 00:30:31.195
and they leave some items
behind as well,
551
00:30:31.297 --> 00:30:33.130
like scientific instruments,
552
00:30:33.232 --> 00:30:35.299
an American flag,
553
00:30:35.401 --> 00:30:40.204
and a small plaque commemorating
the Apollo 11 mission.
554
00:30:40.306 --> 00:30:44.107
But perhaps most curious
of the items left on the moon
555
00:30:44.210 --> 00:30:46.376
was a small bag containing
556
00:30:46.478 --> 00:30:48.345
a gold replica
of an olive branch
557
00:30:48.447 --> 00:30:51.140
and a silicon disk
558
00:30:51.116 --> 00:30:53.684
with recorded messages
of peace and goodwill
559
00:30:53.786 --> 00:30:55.919
from 73 world leaders.
560
00:30:56.210 --> 00:31:00.691
Why were these symbolic messages
sent up into space?
561
00:31:00.793 --> 00:31:05.229
Some ancient astronaut theorists
suggest that the mastermind
562
00:31:05.331 --> 00:31:08.232
behind the Apollo program...
Wernher Von Braun...
563
00:31:08.334 --> 00:31:11.201
Was expecting to find more
on the moon
564
00:31:11.303 --> 00:31:14.104
than NASA wanted
the public to know.
565
00:31:14.206 --> 00:31:17.207
Wernher Von Braun famously said
566
00:31:17.309 --> 00:31:21.378
that the next world war will be
the war against the ETs.
567
00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.680
His remarks were
hugely controversial.
568
00:31:23.782 --> 00:31:25.983
Some people have said
that he was simply saying
569
00:31:26.850 --> 00:31:29.520
there can't be another world war
570
00:31:29.154 --> 00:31:31.121
now that we've got
atomic weapons.
571
00:31:31.223 --> 00:31:35.920
Other people have speculated
that he knew something
572
00:31:35.194 --> 00:31:39.129
and he was hinting
at some terrible truth.
573
00:31:39.231 --> 00:31:42.199
Another story relates
that, uh, Von Braun claimed
574
00:31:42.301 --> 00:31:45.350
that we had help from "them"
575
00:31:45.137 --> 00:31:47.137
to get us into space.
576
00:31:47.239 --> 00:31:50.400
If anybody knew about
the extraterrestrials,
577
00:31:50.142 --> 00:31:52.342
it would've been a guy
like Wernher Von Braun.
578
00:31:56.810 --> 00:31:59.283
NARRATOR: Some ancient astronaut
theorists propose that not only
579
00:31:59.385 --> 00:32:03.120
did alien beings have a hand
in man reaching the moon,
580
00:32:03.222 --> 00:32:06.990
but that once there,
we discovered further evidence
581
00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:08.992
that we are not alone.
582
00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:12.562
And they claim
the strongest proof can be found
583
00:32:12.665 --> 00:32:16.330
by examining our last
manned trip to the moon:
584
00:32:16.135 --> 00:32:20.137
The Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
585
00:32:21.607 --> 00:32:23.106
We definitely weren't
told everything,
586
00:32:23.208 --> 00:32:25.453
and there's monkey business
played with the moon landings,
587
00:32:25.477 --> 00:32:27.880
of course, as far as
what we know about them.
588
00:32:27.112 --> 00:32:28.512
(indistinct radio chatter)
589
00:32:28.614 --> 00:32:31.581
BARA: Apollo 17 was, in fact,
a technology salvaging mission.
590
00:32:31.684 --> 00:32:32.994
HARRISON SCHMITT:
Yeah, looks like there's been
591
00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:34.451
a geologist here before us.
592
00:32:34.553 --> 00:32:37.487
BARA: Some of it has to do with
the actual landing site itself.
593
00:32:37.589 --> 00:32:39.356
There were several mountains
in the area
594
00:32:39.458 --> 00:32:40.991
that don't really
look like mountains.
595
00:32:41.930 --> 00:32:42.573
One of them
is very hexagonal-looking.
596
00:32:42.661 --> 00:32:45.495
And they bear
a striking resemblance
597
00:32:45.597 --> 00:32:47.297
to actual artificial structures.
598
00:32:47.399 --> 00:32:51.401
The astronauts went directly
for this hexagonal mountain.
599
00:32:51.503 --> 00:32:53.670
They parked on the hill above it
600
00:32:53.772 --> 00:32:55.672
and then they got out
of the lunar rover.
601
00:32:55.774 --> 00:32:59.900
What's interesting is that,
for the next 20 or 30 minutes,
602
00:32:59.111 --> 00:33:01.578
NASA has control
of the camera on the rover,
603
00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:03.480
and they point it at everything
604
00:33:03.582 --> 00:33:05.182
except what the astronauts
are doing.
605
00:33:05.284 --> 00:33:08.352
They had plenty of time
to rappel down
606
00:33:08.454 --> 00:33:10.870
inside of this
V-shaped depression.
607
00:33:10.189 --> 00:33:12.167
- JOHN YOUNG: Okay, let's go on back.
- DUKE: I am.
608
00:33:12.191 --> 00:33:13.702
BARA: It's really interesting
that we don't see
609
00:33:13.726 --> 00:33:14.925
any of the astronauts at all
610
00:33:15.270 --> 00:33:16.237
until they come back
to the lunar rover.
611
00:33:16.261 --> 00:33:17.501
(indistinct radio transmission)
612
00:33:17.563 --> 00:33:19.107
There's no question
that the mystery would be
613
00:33:19.131 --> 00:33:20.775
what they were looking for,
what they found,
614
00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:23.467
could it possibly have been
ancient alien technology?
615
00:33:23.569 --> 00:33:27.571
NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut
theorists suggest
616
00:33:27.673 --> 00:33:31.641
that even more compelling
than the hexagonal formation
617
00:33:31.744 --> 00:33:35.612
is what appears at another spot
that was filmed:
618
00:33:35.714 --> 00:33:38.181
The Shorty Crater.
619
00:33:38.283 --> 00:33:40.917
SCHMITT: There is orange soil!
620
00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:43.887
CERNAN: Well, don't move it
until I see it.
621
00:33:43.989 --> 00:33:45.956
SCHMITT: It's all over!
622
00:33:46.580 --> 00:33:47.524
Orange!
623
00:33:47.626 --> 00:33:50.594
BARA: In Shorty Crater,
you can see orange soil
624
00:33:50.696 --> 00:33:52.262
that was discovered
at the landing site.
625
00:33:52.364 --> 00:33:54.164
And the reason
the soil was orange was because
626
00:33:54.233 --> 00:33:55.665
it had a great deal
of oxygen in it,
627
00:33:55.768 --> 00:33:57.000
which was kind of a surprise.
628
00:33:57.102 --> 00:33:59.102
But the biggest surprise
629
00:33:59.204 --> 00:34:01.171
is, if you actually
look in the crater,
630
00:34:01.273 --> 00:34:03.473
what you see are objects
that at first
631
00:34:03.575 --> 00:34:05.976
might to the naked eye
appear to be rocks,
632
00:34:06.780 --> 00:34:09.946
but in fact, as you study it
with an engineer's eye,
633
00:34:10.490 --> 00:34:13.183
what you see is mechanisms.
634
00:34:13.285 --> 00:34:15.118
And right in the middle of it,
635
00:34:15.220 --> 00:34:16.553
there's a very
interesting object
636
00:34:16.655 --> 00:34:19.156
that as you zoom up on it,
it begins to look
637
00:34:19.258 --> 00:34:22.926
more and more like a human head.
638
00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:25.362
NARRATOR: Mike BARA
639
00:34:25.464 --> 00:34:27.564
and fellow researcher
Richard Hoagland
640
00:34:27.666 --> 00:34:31.134
obtained early generation
negatives from Shorty Crater,
641
00:34:31.236 --> 00:34:34.371
and upon enhancing the colors
present in the film,
642
00:34:34.473 --> 00:34:37.908
found that the object
appears metallic.
643
00:34:38.100 --> 00:34:40.550
BARA: The most intriguing thing
is that, on the upper part
644
00:34:40.790 --> 00:34:42.112
of the mouth,
there was a bright, distinct
645
00:34:42.214 --> 00:34:44.114
red stripe painted across it.
646
00:34:44.216 --> 00:34:46.216
And it glowed and shone
647
00:34:46.318 --> 00:34:48.285
as if it were metallic.
648
00:34:48.387 --> 00:34:50.420
You then come to the realization
649
00:34:50.522 --> 00:34:52.550
that what you're
probably looking at
650
00:34:52.157 --> 00:34:55.425
is the head
of a humanoid-appearing robot.
651
00:34:55.527 --> 00:34:58.995
The leftovers of an explosion
that damaged and destroyed
652
00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:00.430
a bunch of mechanical stuff.
653
00:35:00.532 --> 00:35:03.400
(indistinct radio transmission)
654
00:35:03.502 --> 00:35:06.403
NARRATOR:
Did NASA really recover
655
00:35:06.505 --> 00:35:08.972
alien artifacts from the moon?
656
00:35:09.740 --> 00:35:12.909
Curiously, on June 30, 1972...
657
00:35:13.110 --> 00:35:16.680
Just 5 months
before the Apollo 17 mission...
658
00:35:16.782 --> 00:35:19.983
Wernher Von Braun
retired from NASA,
659
00:35:20.850 --> 00:35:24.870
frustrated over the direction
the Apollo program was headed.
660
00:35:24.189 --> 00:35:27.230
However,
he continued his efforts
661
00:35:27.126 --> 00:35:29.526
to return to space,
662
00:35:29.628 --> 00:35:32.896
turning to his wealthy and
high-powered friends for help.
663
00:35:32.998 --> 00:35:35.980
But what did he tell them?
664
00:35:35.200 --> 00:35:38.368
Is it possible that there exists
665
00:35:38.470 --> 00:35:40.971
a secret space program?
666
00:35:48.680 --> 00:35:53.160
January 22, 2015.
667
00:35:53.118 --> 00:35:55.552
Officials with the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
668
00:35:55.654 --> 00:35:57.554
announce plans
669
00:35:57.656 --> 00:35:59.550
for the Mars Helicopter...
670
00:35:59.158 --> 00:36:00.957
A drone that will
triple the distance
671
00:36:01.590 --> 00:36:02.959
a rover can explore.
672
00:36:03.610 --> 00:36:06.596
Meanwhile, the privatization
of space exploration
673
00:36:06.698 --> 00:36:11.334
has created
a new $300 billion industry
674
00:36:11.403 --> 00:36:15.500
that may soon surpass
the advancements of NASA.
675
00:36:15.107 --> 00:36:17.607
And there are some
676
00:36:17.676 --> 00:36:19.910
ancient astronaut theorists
who believe
677
00:36:20.120 --> 00:36:22.579
that this private space industry
678
00:36:22.681 --> 00:36:25.482
is the brainchild
of Wernher Von Braun.
679
00:36:27.953 --> 00:36:30.954
Wernher Von Braun had the ear
of seven American presidents,
680
00:36:31.560 --> 00:36:33.256
the top scientists of the world
681
00:36:33.358 --> 00:36:36.993
and many of the world's
industrial leaders.
682
00:36:37.950 --> 00:36:40.230
It's natural that you might
find the links
683
00:36:40.299 --> 00:36:43.900
to the private groups
that have the resources,
684
00:36:44.200 --> 00:36:46.136
the means and the dedication
685
00:36:46.205 --> 00:36:51.740
to develop their own
advanced technology
686
00:36:51.176 --> 00:36:54.411
independent of the governments,
independent of the-the public,
687
00:36:54.479 --> 00:36:57.314
the-the people of the world.
688
00:36:57.382 --> 00:37:01.418
NARRATOR: After retiring
from NASA in 1972,
689
00:37:01.486 --> 00:37:04.540
Wernher Von Braun was invited
690
00:37:04.122 --> 00:37:06.656
to meetings
of the Bohemian Club...
691
00:37:06.758 --> 00:37:09.326
A secretive group
of high-powered men
692
00:37:09.394 --> 00:37:11.962
famous for
their rustic retreats.
693
00:37:12.300 --> 00:37:14.231
But why?
694
00:37:14.299 --> 00:37:16.299
What went on there?
695
00:37:18.203 --> 00:37:21.204
It is rumored that some members
of the Bohemian Club
696
00:37:21.306 --> 00:37:25.575
also belonged to private groups
called "breakaway civilizations"
697
00:37:25.644 --> 00:37:27.844
that have developed
advanced technologies
698
00:37:27.946 --> 00:37:31.514
independent
of world governments.
699
00:37:31.617 --> 00:37:34.851
WILCOCK: I've had insiders
that have told me
700
00:37:34.920 --> 00:37:36.364
that they worked
in this space program,
701
00:37:36.388 --> 00:37:38.521
that we do have
a breakaway civilization
702
00:37:38.624 --> 00:37:40.924
that is extremely advanced.
703
00:37:41.260 --> 00:37:44.600
That we already have
diplomatic relationships
704
00:37:44.162 --> 00:37:45.629
with a variety
of extraterrestrial
705
00:37:45.731 --> 00:37:49.165
species and cultures.
706
00:37:51.300 --> 00:37:52.936
NARRATOR:
Is it possible Von Braun knew
707
00:37:53.500 --> 00:37:55.500
of the existence
of extraterrestrials?
708
00:37:57.476 --> 00:38:01.244
Might his extraordinary
efforts to reach space
709
00:38:01.346 --> 00:38:03.280
have been motivated by a desire
710
00:38:03.382 --> 00:38:07.417
to come in contact
with otherworldly beings?
711
00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:11.210
Could it have been part
of his plan all along
712
00:38:11.890 --> 00:38:13.890
for us to have
a private space industry
713
00:38:13.992 --> 00:38:17.260
that operated in secret?
714
00:38:17.362 --> 00:38:19.562
For the last 60-some years,
715
00:38:19.631 --> 00:38:22.265
we've developed no new
propulsion technologies at all.
716
00:38:22.367 --> 00:38:25.135
And that seems
very, very unlikely.
717
00:38:25.237 --> 00:38:27.671
So the question becomes,
at what point
718
00:38:27.773 --> 00:38:30.440
did NASA actually
develop the next level
719
00:38:30.542 --> 00:38:34.444
of propulsion technology
and maybe take it secret?
720
00:38:37.182 --> 00:38:40.650
NARRATOR: On June 16, 1977,
721
00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:43.687
after a four-year-long battle
with cancer,
722
00:38:43.789 --> 00:38:47.991
65-year-old
Wernher Von Braun died.
723
00:38:48.930 --> 00:38:52.962
His gravestone
contains no epitaph,
724
00:38:53.650 --> 00:38:55.965
simply a reference
to Psalms 19:1...
725
00:38:56.680 --> 00:38:58.968
A biblical passage that reads.
726
00:38:59.710 --> 00:39:01.338
"The heavens declare
the glory of God;
727
00:39:01.440 --> 00:39:05.141
The skies proclaim
the work of his hands."
728
00:39:05.243 --> 00:39:08.278
Wernher Von Braun's
bold predictions
729
00:39:08.347 --> 00:39:10.580
that we would put
a man on the moon,
730
00:39:10.682 --> 00:39:13.183
explore Mars
731
00:39:13.251 --> 00:39:15.118
and build a space station
732
00:39:15.220 --> 00:39:17.654
have all come to pass.
733
00:39:17.756 --> 00:39:22.580
But was this
incredible visionary
734
00:39:22.160 --> 00:39:26.496
perhaps preparing us
for something even greater?
735
00:39:27.666 --> 00:39:30.367
On January 20, 2015,
736
00:39:30.435 --> 00:39:33.336
President Barack Obama announced
737
00:39:33.438 --> 00:39:36.106
in his State of the Union
address
738
00:39:36.208 --> 00:39:39.142
that the next step for
the United States space program
739
00:39:39.244 --> 00:39:41.111
is a manned mission to Mars.
740
00:39:41.213 --> 00:39:43.790
Last month, we launched
a new spacecraft
741
00:39:43.148 --> 00:39:45.480
as part of a re-energized
space program
742
00:39:45.150 --> 00:39:47.584
that will send
American astronauts to Mars.
743
00:39:47.686 --> 00:39:51.221
NARRATOR: Photographs
taken on Mars have revealed
744
00:39:51.323 --> 00:39:54.991
mysterious formations
that some have interpreted
745
00:39:55.600 --> 00:39:58.194
as man-made structures
like pyramids,
746
00:39:58.296 --> 00:40:01.264
the outline of a sphinx,
747
00:40:01.333 --> 00:40:03.700
and even a carving
of what appears to be
748
00:40:03.769 --> 00:40:07.170
a human-like face.
749
00:40:07.239 --> 00:40:09.672
Might life exist
on the Red Planet?
750
00:40:09.775 --> 00:40:12.242
And could it be
751
00:40:12.310 --> 00:40:15.445
that NASA's next mission
isn't to travel there
752
00:40:15.514 --> 00:40:17.547
but to disclose the fact
753
00:40:17.649 --> 00:40:21.284
that we have been there before?
754
00:40:21.386 --> 00:40:23.586
There's no question when you
look at the surface of Mars
755
00:40:23.688 --> 00:40:26.523
that there are ruined
artificial structures there.
756
00:40:26.591 --> 00:40:30.527
There's no question when you
look at photographs of the moon
757
00:40:30.595 --> 00:40:33.630
that there are ruined
artificial structures there.
758
00:40:33.732 --> 00:40:36.599
And it seems very unlikely
that it was just us,
759
00:40:36.668 --> 00:40:38.568
that it was human beings
that built this.
760
00:40:38.670 --> 00:40:42.238
The question becomes,
did NASA go to different places
761
00:40:42.307 --> 00:40:44.207
like the moon and Mars
and find things
762
00:40:44.309 --> 00:40:45.942
that we would all
like to know about
763
00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:49.312
but are being hidden from us?
764
00:40:49.414 --> 00:40:50.947
WILCOCK: What if we actually
765
00:40:51.490 --> 00:40:52.916
are on the moon
766
00:40:53.180 --> 00:40:55.485
and it's all classified?
767
00:40:55.587 --> 00:40:59.489
What if there is a whole
secret infrastructure
768
00:40:59.591 --> 00:41:02.659
and that there is
already a vast amount
769
00:41:02.761 --> 00:41:05.610
of colonization
of the moon, of Mars,
770
00:41:05.130 --> 00:41:08.970
and of other moons
in our solar system as well?
771
00:41:08.200 --> 00:41:11.568
Let's all hope
that the time is coming soon
772
00:41:11.670 --> 00:41:13.636
where we will get disclosure,
773
00:41:13.738 --> 00:41:16.500
where the walls of secrecy
will finally break down,
774
00:41:16.107 --> 00:41:19.420
and we will be told the truth.
775
00:41:21.313 --> 00:41:24.470
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
the greatest rocket scientist
776
00:41:24.115 --> 00:41:26.249
the world has ever known
777
00:41:26.351 --> 00:41:30.420
found his inspiration
not on our world but another?
778
00:41:30.489 --> 00:41:34.591
Could Wernher Von Braun
have been chosen
779
00:41:34.659 --> 00:41:38.194
to propel mankind into space?
780
00:41:38.296 --> 00:41:39.662
And might he have been
responsible
781
00:41:39.764 --> 00:41:43.533
for much more
than we are even aware of?
782
00:41:43.635 --> 00:41:46.369
Perhaps one day soon,
783
00:41:46.471 --> 00:41:50.139
we will realize Von Braun's
full vision for space travel
784
00:41:50.208 --> 00:41:55.110
and finally come face-to-face
with our alien ancestors.