1 00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:03,266 [narrator] They're watching you. 2 00:00:03,266 --> 00:00:05,767 More than 6,000 satellites circle the earth. 3 00:00:07,467 --> 00:00:10,600 Every day, they uncover new mysterious phenomena 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:13,266 that defy explanation. 5 00:00:15,867 --> 00:00:18,000 Arizona's mystery space colony. 6 00:00:19,367 --> 00:00:22,300 These structures witnessed one of the most bizarre 7 00:00:22,367 --> 00:00:26,900 and incredible experiments in human history. 8 00:00:26,967 --> 00:00:30,000 [narrator] The multi-million dollar underwater treasure trove. 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:30,800 [narrator] The multi-million dollar underwater treasure trove. 10 00:00:30,867 --> 00:00:33,066 [woman] It really is incredible to see 11 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:34,867 just how far people will go 12 00:00:34,867 --> 00:00:36,800 if there's a chance of getting rich. 13 00:00:38,567 --> 00:00:41,066 [narrator] And Churchill's secret bioweapons lab. 14 00:00:42,367 --> 00:00:44,266 It was so bad 15 00:00:44,266 --> 00:00:46,567 that it earned the nickname the Island of Death. 16 00:00:48,066 --> 00:00:51,100 [narrator] Baffling phenomena, mysteries from space, 17 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,567 what on earth are they? 18 00:00:55,266 --> 00:00:56,700 [robotic sounds] 19 00:00:58,767 --> 00:01:00,000 [distorted signals] 20 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,867 [distorted signals] 21 00:01:05,867 --> 00:01:08,367 [buzzing] 22 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,400 [narrator] December 15, 2020, 23 00:01:16,100 --> 00:01:19,600 a satellite passing over Mt. Lemmon in Arizona 24 00:01:19,667 --> 00:01:21,900 captures a group of mysterious structures 25 00:01:21,967 --> 00:01:23,700 in the arid landscape below. 26 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,266 There's some very bizarre architecture going on here 27 00:01:28,266 --> 00:01:29,600 in the Arizona desert. 28 00:01:30,767 --> 00:01:34,767 There are two gigantic white domes, 29 00:01:34,767 --> 00:01:38,467 and then there's also these pyramid-shaped buildings 30 00:01:38,467 --> 00:01:41,066 connected with a central complex. 31 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:42,400 I've never seen anything like it. 32 00:01:44,467 --> 00:01:45,867 [narrator] The isolated structures 33 00:01:45,867 --> 00:01:48,767 cover an area of over 100 acres, 34 00:01:48,767 --> 00:01:52,166 with each dome measuring 180 feet in diameter. 35 00:01:54,367 --> 00:01:56,367 This looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, 36 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,867 like a kind of colony on some alien planet. 37 00:02:03,367 --> 00:02:06,767 [narrator] To Anthony Morgan, the facility's unearthly appearance 38 00:02:06,767 --> 00:02:08,367 may not be a coincidence. 39 00:02:10,166 --> 00:02:12,066 [Anthony] The domes in our image look like 40 00:02:12,066 --> 00:02:15,100 the Mars Desert Research Station. 41 00:02:15,166 --> 00:02:17,500 That's where we conduct research trying to figure out 42 00:02:17,567 --> 00:02:19,867 what it would actually take to live on Mars. 43 00:02:22,367 --> 00:02:25,066 [narrator] Utah's Mars Desert Research Station 44 00:02:25,066 --> 00:02:27,500 is one of the largest such facilities on earth. 45 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:30,000 Over the past two decades, 46 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:30,767 Over the past two decades, 47 00:02:30,767 --> 00:02:34,300 more than 1,000 people have spent time in isolation here 48 00:02:35,867 --> 00:02:38,367 preparing for humankind's first attempt 49 00:02:38,367 --> 00:02:40,000 to colonize the Red Planet. 50 00:02:41,467 --> 00:02:44,467 An important part of knowing what it would take to live on Mars 51 00:02:44,467 --> 00:02:47,266 is understanding not just your physical surroundings, 52 00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:50,400 but the human psychology involved as well. 53 00:02:50,467 --> 00:02:53,900 That's why this research station is built in the Utah desert. 54 00:02:53,967 --> 00:02:56,567 It's a pretty close analogy to Mars. 55 00:02:56,567 --> 00:02:59,300 [narrator] Local records confirm the structures in the image 56 00:02:59,367 --> 00:03:00,000 are also dedicated to extraterrestrial science. 57 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,166 are also dedicated to extraterrestrial science. 58 00:03:04,900 --> 00:03:08,400 But their story is mired in controversy and recrimination. 59 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,600 These strange structures once witnessed 60 00:03:12,667 --> 00:03:16,667 one of the most bizarre and incredible experiments 61 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:17,867 in human history. 62 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,667 [narrator] That history begins in the early 1980s, 63 00:03:22,667 --> 00:03:24,100 the height of the Cold War. 64 00:03:26,266 --> 00:03:28,567 With many fearing that a nuclear conflict 65 00:03:28,567 --> 00:03:30,000 could soon lay waste to humanity, 66 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:30,867 could soon lay waste to humanity, 67 00:03:31,767 --> 00:03:33,800 a group of scientists and businessmen 68 00:03:33,867 --> 00:03:35,600 hatch an extraordinary plan. 69 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,266 [George] They had this grand idea 70 00:03:39,266 --> 00:03:42,400 to shuttle some elites off the planet 71 00:03:42,467 --> 00:03:47,767 to basically repopulate other parts of our solar system. 72 00:03:47,767 --> 00:03:52,567 [Linda] The vision was that if earth became a kind of nuclear wasteland, 73 00:03:52,567 --> 00:03:54,567 some of America's elites 74 00:03:54,567 --> 00:03:57,100 could be living on another planet. 75 00:03:57,166 --> 00:04:00,000 [Guy] The problem was that man had only just set foot on the moon. 76 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:00,567 [Guy] The problem was that man had only just set foot on the moon. 77 00:04:00,567 --> 00:04:03,467 So, the idea of actually building a colony there 78 00:04:03,467 --> 00:04:05,400 was a long way off. 79 00:04:05,467 --> 00:04:09,166 So the concept needed to be proved on earth first. 80 00:04:09,166 --> 00:04:12,000 And that's where this strange facility comes in. 81 00:04:14,367 --> 00:04:15,800 [narrator] After years of planning, 82 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,400 construction on the $150 million prototype space colony 83 00:04:20,467 --> 00:04:22,467 called Biosphere 2, 84 00:04:22,467 --> 00:04:24,667 begins in 1987. 85 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:29,667 [Randy] The plan of Biosphere 2 86 00:04:29,667 --> 00:04:30,000 was to see how well a self-contained biome 87 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,567 was to see how well a self-contained biome 88 00:04:34,567 --> 00:04:37,266 of different environments 89 00:04:37,266 --> 00:04:40,367 would work as a colony on a different planet. 90 00:04:41,767 --> 00:04:43,266 [George] It's called Biosphere 2, 91 00:04:43,266 --> 00:04:46,567 because essentially Biosphere 1 is earth. 92 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:48,900 And this is an attempt 93 00:04:48,967 --> 00:04:51,767 to create a miniature earth 94 00:04:51,767 --> 00:04:53,467 under controlled conditions. 95 00:04:55,667 --> 00:04:58,567 [narrator] To replicate our planet, scientists fill 96 00:04:58,567 --> 00:05:00,000 the 7 million cubic feet greenhouse 97 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,100 the 7 million cubic feet greenhouse 98 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,100 with areas of marshland, 99 00:05:03,100 --> 00:05:06,367 rainforest, savanna and desert, 100 00:05:06,367 --> 00:05:09,467 and install a 1 million gallon mini ocean. 101 00:05:12,467 --> 00:05:14,667 Sealed off from the outside world, 102 00:05:14,667 --> 00:05:18,367 over 3,000 plant species generate the oxygen needed 103 00:05:18,367 --> 00:05:20,667 for Biosphere 2's inhabitants. 104 00:05:23,367 --> 00:05:26,166 [Adam] The two white domes are called lungs. 105 00:05:26,166 --> 00:05:28,967 When the air expands it goes into the lungs 106 00:05:28,967 --> 00:05:30,000 which have a flexible membrane 107 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:30,767 which have a flexible membrane 108 00:05:30,767 --> 00:05:32,467 that can equalize the air pressure 109 00:05:32,467 --> 00:05:34,967 between the lungs and the main building. 110 00:05:34,967 --> 00:05:37,367 [Amma] This is really cool because you're able 111 00:05:37,367 --> 00:05:40,266 to clean the air that is produced inside 112 00:05:40,266 --> 00:05:41,600 and recirculate it. 113 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:46,800 [narrator] On September 26, 1991, 114 00:05:46,867 --> 00:05:50,300 eight volunteers, four men and four women, 115 00:05:50,367 --> 00:05:51,767 enter Biosphere 2. 116 00:05:53,567 --> 00:05:56,967 The plan is to seal them inside for two years, 117 00:05:56,967 --> 00:05:58,900 replicating a long space mission. 118 00:06:01,767 --> 00:06:05,500 But after only a few weeks, things start to go wrong. 119 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,367 They say that an army marches on its stomach. 120 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:11,300 And that was the first problem. 121 00:06:12,867 --> 00:06:16,367 [Adam] Food wasn't exactly abundant in Biosphere 2. 122 00:06:16,367 --> 00:06:19,000 Different crops would suffer and die, 123 00:06:19,066 --> 00:06:21,867 and then they would have no more of that crop to consume. 124 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,667 [George] One reason the crew's crops were failing 125 00:06:25,667 --> 00:06:28,500 was because the population of bees that they had in them 126 00:06:28,567 --> 00:06:30,000 were dying out. 127 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:30,367 were dying out. 128 00:06:30,367 --> 00:06:32,967 The special design of the glass in the greenhouse 129 00:06:32,967 --> 00:06:34,367 was disorienting them. 130 00:06:36,567 --> 00:06:39,100 [narrator] While the bees die, cockroaches, 131 00:06:39,166 --> 00:06:42,500 brought in to recycle organic matter, prosper, 132 00:06:42,567 --> 00:06:45,567 and eat more of the remaining foodstuffs. 133 00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:50,166 One of the few crops to thrive are sweet potatoes, 134 00:06:50,166 --> 00:06:51,900 which the volunteers each consume 135 00:06:51,967 --> 00:06:53,800 at the rate of one pound a day. 136 00:06:56,667 --> 00:06:58,767 Eventually the residents of Biosphere 2 137 00:06:58,767 --> 00:07:00,000 were eating so many sweet potatoes 138 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,100 were eating so many sweet potatoes 139 00:07:01,100 --> 00:07:02,800 that their skin started to turn orange. 140 00:07:04,767 --> 00:07:05,900 But worse than that 141 00:07:05,967 --> 00:07:08,000 is what happened with the facility's oxygen. 142 00:07:09,867 --> 00:07:12,300 [narrator] As the oxygen-generating plants die, 143 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,467 bacteria living in Biosphere 2's soil 144 00:07:16,467 --> 00:07:18,600 consume more of the precious gas. 145 00:07:22,967 --> 00:07:25,166 Oxygen levels drop to 14%, 146 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,000 equivalent to living at Mt. Everest base camp. 147 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:30,600 equivalent to living at Mt. Everest base camp. 148 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:34,867 [George] On top of all the health problems 149 00:07:34,867 --> 00:07:36,800 people were having in Biosphere 2, 150 00:07:36,867 --> 00:07:40,266 the organizers had started selling tickets to the public, 151 00:07:40,266 --> 00:07:45,100 basically turning the experiments into a human zoo. 152 00:07:50,567 --> 00:07:53,200 [narrator] As the experiment rolls on, these conditions 153 00:07:53,266 --> 00:07:55,767 take a psychological toll on the volunteers. 154 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,000 Unsurprisingly, the residents became extremely agitated. 155 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,367 Unsurprisingly, the residents became extremely agitated. 156 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,200 They split into two groups and started battling with each other. 157 00:08:07,266 --> 00:08:09,166 Throwing things and spitting at each other. 158 00:08:10,900 --> 00:08:12,967 Eventually the organizers of the experiment 159 00:08:12,967 --> 00:08:14,900 realized that if they didn't step in, 160 00:08:14,967 --> 00:08:17,200 something terrible was gonna happen. 161 00:08:17,266 --> 00:08:18,900 And so they didn't end the experiment, 162 00:08:18,967 --> 00:08:21,700 but they did start providing people with food and oxygen. 163 00:08:22,767 --> 00:08:24,667 [crowd cheering] 164 00:08:24,667 --> 00:08:28,367 [narrator] When the volunteers leave the facility in 1993, 165 00:08:28,367 --> 00:08:30,000 many in the scientific community 166 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:30,367 many in the scientific community 167 00:08:30,367 --> 00:08:32,867 mock the experiment and its organizers. 168 00:08:37,667 --> 00:08:39,667 According to official reports, 169 00:08:39,667 --> 00:08:41,900 Biosphere 2 subsequently closes. 170 00:08:43,767 --> 00:08:47,000 But the latest satellite images reveal something strange. 171 00:08:49,066 --> 00:08:52,467 This experiment was meant to have ended in the 1990s, 172 00:08:52,467 --> 00:08:55,000 but this place still looks operational. 173 00:08:55,667 --> 00:08:56,767 What's going on here? 174 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,000 Biosphere 2 is indeed still operational. 175 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,166 Biosphere 2 is indeed still operational. 176 00:09:02,166 --> 00:09:03,967 And it now has a new brief, 177 00:09:03,967 --> 00:09:07,000 and that is saving the planet from catastrophe. 178 00:09:12,667 --> 00:09:15,266 [narrator] Coming up, the subtropical time machine. 179 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:20,300 It's inspiring to see this huge facility 180 00:09:20,367 --> 00:09:23,900 flipped around into something so positive. 181 00:09:23,967 --> 00:09:27,000 [narrator] And the strange structures that helped to defeat Hitler. 182 00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:30,000 They had to make sure they got it right 183 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,266 They had to make sure they got it right 184 00:09:31,266 --> 00:09:33,667 'cause they were only gonna get one chance. 185 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,166 [buzzing] 186 00:09:38,066 --> 00:09:39,367 [buzzing] 187 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,100 [narrator] This is Biosphere 2, 188 00:09:44,100 --> 00:09:46,767 the site of a highly controversial experiment 189 00:09:46,767 --> 00:09:49,500 to prepare humanity for life on another world. 190 00:09:52,367 --> 00:09:55,367 Officially, the program ended in the 1990s, 191 00:09:56,900 --> 00:09:59,667 but recent imagery shows renewed activity 192 00:09:59,667 --> 00:10:00,600 at the structures. 193 00:10:02,266 --> 00:10:04,700 What's going on inside these domes now 194 00:10:04,767 --> 00:10:06,467 is some of the most important research 195 00:10:06,467 --> 00:10:06,876 happening anywhere on earth. 196 00:10:06,876 --> 00:10:08,000 happening anywhere on earth. 197 00:10:10,367 --> 00:10:11,834 [narrator] Government records reveal 198 00:10:11,834 --> 00:10:16,166 the University of Arizona takes over the facility in 2011. 199 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:21,667 Its scientists repurpose the former pseudo space colony 200 00:10:21,667 --> 00:10:23,467 and give it a more critical mission. 201 00:10:25,867 --> 00:10:28,700 Today, this facility is dedicated to help humans 202 00:10:28,767 --> 00:10:31,266 continue to thrive on a planet 203 00:10:31,266 --> 00:10:34,567 that is increasingly suffering the effects of climate change. 204 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:36,876 Biosphere 2 is originally about escaping the earth. 205 00:10:36,876 --> 00:10:39,667 Biosphere 2 is originally about escaping the earth. 206 00:10:39,667 --> 00:10:41,133 Now, it's about saving it. 207 00:10:43,667 --> 00:10:46,567 [narrator] While the theory of human-induced climate change 208 00:10:46,567 --> 00:10:48,900 is accepted by almost all scientists, 209 00:10:50,567 --> 00:10:53,500 many of the consequences it will have for life on earth 210 00:10:53,567 --> 00:10:55,367 remain a subject of debate. 211 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:00,667 Researchers at Biosphere 2 212 00:11:00,667 --> 00:11:03,100 are trying to solve some of these mysteries 213 00:11:03,100 --> 00:11:06,700 and find solutions to many of the threats facing humankind. 214 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,100 [Linda] For scientists, Biosphere 2 215 00:11:10,166 --> 00:11:12,400 is essentially a time machine. 216 00:11:12,467 --> 00:11:14,400 They can use it to play out the things 217 00:11:14,467 --> 00:11:16,500 that they predict might happen in the future, 218 00:11:16,567 --> 00:11:18,100 and see the effects. 219 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:22,266 [narrator] One of the most visible effects of climate change 220 00:11:22,266 --> 00:11:25,000 can be seen in coral reefs, 221 00:11:25,066 --> 00:11:28,266 which scientists fear could disappear almost entirely 222 00:11:28,266 --> 00:11:29,667 by the year 2050. 223 00:11:34,100 --> 00:11:36,876 By adjusting conditions within Biosphere 2's ocean, 224 00:11:36,876 --> 00:11:37,300 By adjusting conditions within Biosphere 2's ocean, 225 00:11:38,467 --> 00:11:39,867 John Adams and his team 226 00:11:39,867 --> 00:11:43,066 are trying to find species of coral resistant 227 00:11:43,066 --> 00:11:45,367 to the impacts of our changing oceans. 228 00:11:46,467 --> 00:11:49,367 We want to look at how corals are going to respond 229 00:11:49,367 --> 00:11:51,266 not only to the changes in atmospheric CO2, 230 00:11:51,266 --> 00:11:53,367 but also changes in temperature. 231 00:11:53,367 --> 00:11:58,000 Can we breed a coral that is going to be more resilient 232 00:11:58,066 --> 00:11:59,266 to future temperatures? 233 00:12:00,567 --> 00:12:03,800 Scientists here are testing the idea of a super reef 234 00:12:03,867 --> 00:12:06,800 by seeing which species survive best 235 00:12:06,867 --> 00:12:06,876 under climate change conditions. 236 00:12:06,876 --> 00:12:08,266 under climate change conditions. 237 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:10,767 Studying how it reacts, 238 00:12:10,767 --> 00:12:12,667 could hold the key to defending our oceans 239 00:12:12,667 --> 00:12:14,667 against this unfolding catastrophe. 240 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:20,166 [narrator] Nowhere is this unfolding catastrophe 241 00:12:20,166 --> 00:12:23,567 being more keenly felt than in the planet's rainforests. 242 00:12:27,467 --> 00:12:31,500 Since the original experiment at Biosphere 2 was conceived, 243 00:12:31,567 --> 00:12:34,867 humankind has destroyed an area of tropical forest 244 00:12:34,867 --> 00:12:36,467 the size of Europe. 245 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,467 [Linda] This is an absolute catastrophe. 246 00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:44,367 For the first time in history, 247 00:12:44,367 --> 00:12:47,567 they're giving out more carbon dioxide than oxygen. 248 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:51,767 [Greg] Rainforests are home to roughly half 249 00:12:51,767 --> 00:12:53,867 of the world's plant and animal species. 250 00:12:55,867 --> 00:12:57,767 It's almost impossible to imagine 251 00:12:57,767 --> 00:12:59,500 how our planet could function without them. 252 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,967 [narrator] The fear is that as global temperatures continue to increase, 253 00:13:05,967 --> 00:13:06,876 trees will die in greater numbers 254 00:13:06,876 --> 00:13:08,567 trees will die in greater numbers 255 00:13:08,567 --> 00:13:10,767 leading to even bigger temperature rises. 256 00:13:13,667 --> 00:13:16,567 But research in Biosphere 2's rainforest 257 00:13:16,567 --> 00:13:18,467 suggests there may be some hope. 258 00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:22,867 [John] What's really unique about the Biosphere 2 rainforest 259 00:13:22,867 --> 00:13:26,467 is that you can actually subject the entire tree 260 00:13:26,467 --> 00:13:27,667 to a change in temperature. 261 00:13:28,567 --> 00:13:30,367 Today, what we've been doing 262 00:13:30,367 --> 00:13:31,867 is we've been heating our rainforest up 263 00:13:31,867 --> 00:13:34,300 to look at what extreme temperatures are going to do. 264 00:13:37,567 --> 00:13:40,967 [narrator] By cranking up the heat within the rainforest area, 265 00:13:40,967 --> 00:13:43,967 Adams replicates predicted global temperature rises 266 00:13:43,967 --> 00:13:46,000 over the next eight decades. 267 00:13:47,266 --> 00:13:49,667 Surprisingly, and encouragingly, 268 00:13:49,667 --> 00:13:52,200 the early results of these rainforest experiments 269 00:13:52,266 --> 00:13:55,266 are showing that these plants, these trees, 270 00:13:55,266 --> 00:13:57,300 are far tougher than we think. 271 00:13:58,467 --> 00:13:59,900 The evidence seems to be that many 272 00:13:59,967 --> 00:14:02,000 of the rainforest plants are more resilient 273 00:14:02,066 --> 00:14:04,066 to rising temperatures than we had feared. 274 00:14:05,967 --> 00:14:06,876 [narrator] Results from other experiments here are equally surprising. 275 00:14:06,876 --> 00:14:09,166 [narrator] Results from other experiments here are equally surprising. 276 00:14:11,266 --> 00:14:13,467 This machine measures methane emissions 277 00:14:13,467 --> 00:14:15,367 from trees in the rainforest. 278 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:18,667 [John] This is really cutting edge. 279 00:14:18,667 --> 00:14:21,400 Methane is an extremely important greenhouse gas. 280 00:14:21,467 --> 00:14:24,100 We still know very little about how it's produced 281 00:14:24,166 --> 00:14:27,166 and what increases or decreases that production 282 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:28,266 in the natural system. 283 00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:32,467 [Linda] As crazy as this may sound, 284 00:14:32,467 --> 00:14:35,000 scientists have actually discovered that some trees 285 00:14:35,066 --> 00:14:36,876 give off methane from their trunks. 286 00:14:36,876 --> 00:14:37,567 give off methane from their trunks. 287 00:14:37,567 --> 00:14:41,000 And this is particularly bad in areas that are flooded in the Amazon. 288 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:44,867 What these trees essentially become are chimneys. 289 00:14:44,867 --> 00:14:48,200 They're pumping greenhouse gas out of the earth. 290 00:14:51,367 --> 00:14:53,367 Now that is catastrophic. 291 00:14:53,367 --> 00:14:56,266 Why? Because methane is many, many times 292 00:14:56,266 --> 00:14:58,867 more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide. 293 00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:03,867 [narrator] Thanks to the work of Adams and his team, 294 00:15:03,867 --> 00:15:06,867 the strange structures revealed from space 295 00:15:06,867 --> 00:15:06,876 have undergone an extraordinary transformation. 296 00:15:06,876 --> 00:15:09,500 have undergone an extraordinary transformation. 297 00:15:13,100 --> 00:15:15,967 What was once a place of scientific ridicule, 298 00:15:15,967 --> 00:15:18,266 is now playing a vital role in helping 299 00:15:18,266 --> 00:15:21,166 to preserve our planet for future generations. 300 00:15:23,567 --> 00:15:27,467 [Greg] It's inspiring to see this huge facility 301 00:15:27,467 --> 00:15:31,467 that at one point was looking like it might be a failure 302 00:15:31,467 --> 00:15:34,400 really flipped around into something so positive. 303 00:15:41,967 --> 00:15:43,166 [narrator] Coming up... 304 00:15:43,166 --> 00:15:46,900 [Guy] Sea team, they played a key role 305 00:15:46,967 --> 00:15:50,467 in the battle that changed the course of human history. 306 00:15:51,467 --> 00:15:53,767 [narrator] And building the impossible. 307 00:15:54,867 --> 00:15:58,500 This was a daring and risky undertaking. 308 00:15:58,567 --> 00:15:59,767 It was really groundbreaking. 309 00:16:01,967 --> 00:16:03,166 [buzzing] 310 00:16:05,567 --> 00:16:07,000 [buzzing] 311 00:16:09,367 --> 00:16:12,000 [narrator] January 5, 2022, 312 00:16:14,367 --> 00:16:17,500 a satellite orbiting over the south coast of England 313 00:16:17,567 --> 00:16:20,400 captures something strange lurking beneath the waves. 314 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:24,266 [Klint] It's really weird. 315 00:16:24,266 --> 00:16:28,100 Where the land ends and the ocean starts, 316 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:30,567 we've got five sets of lines 317 00:16:30,567 --> 00:16:33,266 and they have a very precise distance between them. 318 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:34,830 They look like they've been scratched into the terrain, 319 00:16:34,830 --> 00:16:37,767 They look like they've been scratched into the terrain, 320 00:16:37,767 --> 00:16:39,467 like fingers down a blackboard. 321 00:16:42,266 --> 00:16:45,166 [narrator] There are 45 of the mystery structures, 322 00:16:46,467 --> 00:16:49,000 some over 150 feet long. 323 00:16:51,066 --> 00:16:53,800 [Samantha] It's a really interesting image, 324 00:16:53,867 --> 00:16:57,100 but it's really unclear as to what these lines 325 00:16:57,166 --> 00:17:00,200 going down into the sea actually represent. 326 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,830 [narrator] Historians think the location is significant. 327 00:17:04,830 --> 00:17:05,266 [narrator] Historians think the location is significant. 328 00:17:07,166 --> 00:17:08,900 [Mark] This particular island 329 00:17:08,967 --> 00:17:12,000 is part of the complex of Portsmouth harbor, 330 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,066 which was one of the most important naval bases 331 00:17:16,867 --> 00:17:18,200 through English history. 332 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,867 [Guy] Given the location, I'd say that these lines 333 00:17:22,867 --> 00:17:25,767 must have had something to do with launching ships. 334 00:17:27,667 --> 00:17:31,100 [narrator] Portsmouth rises to global prominence during the 16th century 335 00:17:32,467 --> 00:17:34,830 when Tudor King Henry VIII embarks on a project 336 00:17:34,830 --> 00:17:35,667 when Tudor King Henry VIII embarks on a project 337 00:17:35,667 --> 00:17:38,300 to vastly increase England's naval power. 338 00:17:42,367 --> 00:17:45,800 Between 1509 and 1547, 339 00:17:45,867 --> 00:17:49,400 he expands his fleet from five to 58 ships 340 00:17:51,867 --> 00:17:53,767 triggering a period which sees England 341 00:17:53,767 --> 00:17:56,700 explore and conquer vast areas of the world. 342 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,266 He increased it more than tenfold, 343 00:18:01,266 --> 00:18:02,667 and many of those ships 344 00:18:02,667 --> 00:18:04,800 were built here and launched here. 345 00:18:06,300 --> 00:18:10,667 So it's just possible that these remains we see 346 00:18:10,667 --> 00:18:12,467 were Tudor slipways. 347 00:18:14,967 --> 00:18:16,500 [narrator] Historic records confirm 348 00:18:16,567 --> 00:18:20,100 the mystery structures are slipways or boat launches, 349 00:18:20,166 --> 00:18:22,900 but ones constructed long after the reign of Henry VIII. 350 00:18:25,100 --> 00:18:28,567 These slipways were part of one of the largest 351 00:18:28,567 --> 00:18:31,700 naval operations in modern history. 352 00:18:31,767 --> 00:18:34,767 They played a vital role in D-Day 353 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:41,367 The plans for these slipways are drawn up in 1943 354 00:18:41,367 --> 00:18:44,000 when Allied forces ramp up preparations 355 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,867 for a massive assault on Nazi-occupied France. 356 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,000 D-Day took over two years to plan. 357 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,600 And the Allies knew that a swift surprise attack 358 00:18:56,667 --> 00:19:00,066 from a massive and carefully coordinated fleet 359 00:19:00,066 --> 00:19:03,000 was the only way to push their way 360 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,200 into continental Europe. 361 00:19:06,567 --> 00:19:08,300 [narrator] Military planners identify 362 00:19:08,367 --> 00:19:12,000 Normandy's wide beaches as the ideal site 363 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,967 for a surprise amphibious assault, 364 00:19:16,166 --> 00:19:17,767 but their bays are too shallow 365 00:19:17,767 --> 00:19:19,600 for traditional troop-carrying ships. 366 00:19:21,066 --> 00:19:24,200 One of the keys to D-Day for the Allies is getting 367 00:19:24,266 --> 00:19:29,567 as many troops and tanks and artillery pieces ashore 368 00:19:29,567 --> 00:19:32,266 as quickly as they can, ready to fight. 369 00:19:34,767 --> 00:19:34,830 [narrator] In response, military chiefs commission 370 00:19:34,830 --> 00:19:37,467 [narrator] In response, military chiefs commission 371 00:19:37,467 --> 00:19:40,367 around 4,000 flat-bottom landing craft 372 00:19:42,100 --> 00:19:44,467 using the area in the image as their base. 373 00:19:46,166 --> 00:19:50,100 Landing crafts are the centerpiece of the operation. 374 00:19:50,100 --> 00:19:51,266 Without these ships 375 00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:54,100 our troops would never get near the coast of Normandy. 376 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,567 [narrator] Ahead of the biggest amphibious attack in history, 377 00:20:00,567 --> 00:20:03,100 Allied forces carry out rehearsals 378 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:04,830 designed to mimic the conditions of D-Day. 379 00:20:04,830 --> 00:20:05,400 designed to mimic the conditions of D-Day. 380 00:20:07,667 --> 00:20:10,867 The logistics and planning that went into preparing for D-Day 381 00:20:10,867 --> 00:20:12,700 are absolutely mindboggling. 382 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,800 No amphibious assault on this scale had ever been attempted, 383 00:20:17,867 --> 00:20:20,667 and they had to make sure they got it right 384 00:20:20,667 --> 00:20:23,066 because they were only gonna get one chance. 385 00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:28,867 [narrator] One such rehearsal in April 1944, 386 00:20:28,867 --> 00:20:31,600 code named Exercise Tiger, 387 00:20:31,667 --> 00:20:34,367 cruelly highlights the potential for disaster. 388 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:41,367 As 30,000 Allied troops storm a beach in Southwest England 389 00:20:41,367 --> 00:20:44,100 patrolling Nazi E-boats open fire, 390 00:20:47,567 --> 00:20:49,467 inflicting massive causalities. 391 00:20:51,567 --> 00:20:55,567 In the subsequent chaos 946 soldiers die. 392 00:20:57,166 --> 00:20:59,567 [Samantha] Exercise Tiger is catastrophic, 393 00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:04,830 American and British soldiers are dying here and they haven't even left Britain. 394 00:21:04,830 --> 00:21:05,100 American and British soldiers are dying here and they haven't even left Britain. 395 00:21:07,266 --> 00:21:13,000 [narrator] On June 6th, 1944, more than 6,000 ships and landing craft, 396 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,467 many launched from the area seen from space, 397 00:21:16,467 --> 00:21:21,367 carry more than 150,000 troops onto the Normandy beaches. 398 00:21:24,166 --> 00:21:30,066 To sustain the ferocity of the assault, damaged ships are returned to the site, 399 00:21:30,066 --> 00:21:32,800 hauled out of the water sideways, repaired, 400 00:21:32,867 --> 00:21:34,830 and quickly returned to action. 401 00:21:34,830 --> 00:21:35,867 and quickly returned to action. 402 00:21:35,867 --> 00:21:41,767 [Sascha] Every ship available had to be kept in continuous operation 403 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:44,667 in order for the invasion to succeed. 404 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:49,567 These slipways were a critical part of that rapid return to action 405 00:21:49,567 --> 00:21:52,700 and thrown back into combat against a determined enemy. 406 00:21:56,500 --> 00:22:01,100 [narrator] Over the following weeks the slipways help land 2 million soldiers, 407 00:22:01,166 --> 00:22:04,830 400,000 vehicles, and 3 million tons of supplies onto the French beaches. 408 00:22:04,830 --> 00:22:07,066 400,000 vehicles, and 3 million tons of supplies onto the French beaches. 409 00:22:09,567 --> 00:22:12,266 And the tide of war turns forever. 410 00:22:13,767 --> 00:22:15,867 [Guy] These strange underwater lines 411 00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:18,467 may not seem like a vital piece of military equipment, 412 00:22:18,467 --> 00:22:22,200 but actually they played a key role in the battle 413 00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:25,000 that changed the course of human history. 414 00:22:33,166 --> 00:22:34,830 [narrator] Coming up, a century old mystery emerges from the depths. 415 00:22:34,830 --> 00:22:38,000 [narrator] Coming up, a century old mystery emerges from the depths. 416 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:42,100 It is not something you would expect to see in the middle of Lake Superior. 417 00:22:43,767 --> 00:22:47,467 [narrator] And the WWIII mega weapon. 418 00:22:47,467 --> 00:22:50,166 You drop one of these and everything stops. 419 00:23:02,166 --> 00:23:04,867 [narrator] March 28th, 2022, 420 00:23:07,767 --> 00:23:12,100 a drone scans the seemingly endless expanse of Lake Superior, 421 00:23:12,166 --> 00:23:13,900 the largest of the Great Lakes. 422 00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:20,000 As the camera passes over its Northern shores 423 00:23:21,667 --> 00:23:23,367 it spots something strange. 424 00:23:25,467 --> 00:23:27,943 I'm looking at an expanse of blue water 425 00:23:27,943 --> 00:23:28,600 I'm looking at an expanse of blue water 426 00:23:29,467 --> 00:23:30,900 with an island, 427 00:23:30,900 --> 00:23:35,767 but all these shapes in the water are really puzzling. 428 00:23:37,567 --> 00:23:41,867 There's a lot of straight lines and some type of structure 429 00:23:41,867 --> 00:23:43,100 beneath the surface of the water. 430 00:23:44,867 --> 00:23:49,367 You don't really see something like this very often. 431 00:23:51,166 --> 00:23:53,500 [narrator] The island is one of around 400 432 00:23:53,567 --> 00:23:57,943 that dot this 31,700 square mile body of water. 433 00:23:57,943 --> 00:23:58,000 that dot this 31,700 square mile body of water. 434 00:23:59,567 --> 00:24:02,367 The shapes in the water here are just extraordinary. 435 00:24:02,367 --> 00:24:06,767 It is not something you would expect to see in the middle of Lake Superior. 436 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,467 [narrator] Analysts study the submerged shapes in more detail. 437 00:24:14,467 --> 00:24:17,266 When you see strange shapes like this underwater 438 00:24:17,266 --> 00:24:20,000 the first thing that comes to mind is that it's a ship wreck. 439 00:24:22,700 --> 00:24:26,166 [narrator] Lake Superior has been used by mariners to trade goods 440 00:24:26,166 --> 00:24:27,943 between Canada and the US for around 10,000 years. 441 00:24:27,943 --> 00:24:31,867 between Canada and the US for around 10,000 years. 442 00:24:31,867 --> 00:24:36,300 In the 17th century the number of ships on its waters explodes, 443 00:24:36,367 --> 00:24:40,867 as hunters ravage the region for wolf, bear, and beaver pelts. 444 00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:45,066 [Patrick] The fur trade is really critical 445 00:24:45,066 --> 00:24:50,467 and trappers depended on the transport these Great Lakes provided. 446 00:24:52,367 --> 00:24:54,000 [narrator] By the 19th century 447 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,400 around 2,000 ships are crossing the lake each year. 448 00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:02,367 Many do not survive the perilous journey. 449 00:25:03,900 --> 00:25:07,467 Lake Superior literally has a stretch called Shipwreck Coast 450 00:25:07,467 --> 00:25:10,900 because so many ships met their ends there. 451 00:25:12,967 --> 00:25:15,066 [Guy] It's possible that there structures 452 00:25:15,066 --> 00:25:18,800 are therefore something to do with Lake Superiors, really, 453 00:25:18,867 --> 00:25:23,200 pretty horrific legacy of ship wrecks and maritime destruction. 454 00:25:24,967 --> 00:25:27,943 [narrator] Yet, when analysts turn to historic records of the island 455 00:25:27,943 --> 00:25:28,400 [narrator] Yet, when analysts turn to historic records of the island 456 00:25:28,467 --> 00:25:32,166 they discover the strange shapes have a very different origin. 457 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:39,767 Looking at 19th century records, we discover that this tiny island 458 00:25:39,767 --> 00:25:44,000 was the location of the richest silver mine 459 00:25:44,066 --> 00:25:45,767 in the entire Western Hemisphere. 460 00:25:48,467 --> 00:25:53,700 [narrator] Lake Superior's Silver Rush begins in the American Civil War. 461 00:25:53,767 --> 00:25:57,467 To finance its campaign against the Confederate States, 462 00:25:57,467 --> 00:25:57,943 the Union prints large amounts of paper currency. 463 00:25:57,943 --> 00:26:00,166 the Union prints large amounts of paper currency. 464 00:26:02,066 --> 00:26:05,100 Distrustful of this new form of money, 465 00:26:05,100 --> 00:26:10,400 many Americans hoard reserves of gold and silver, causing prices to soar. 466 00:26:12,867 --> 00:26:17,066 In the 1860s silver prices reached an all-time high. 467 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:20,967 Anyone looking to make serious money 468 00:26:20,967 --> 00:26:24,667 is now scouring the New World for precious metal. 469 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:27,943 [narrator] In May 1868, prospects from The Montreal Mining Company 470 00:26:27,943 --> 00:26:32,200 [narrator] In May 1868, prospects from The Montreal Mining Company 471 00:26:32,266 --> 00:26:35,000 find silver nuggets on the island in the image. 472 00:26:37,166 --> 00:26:38,934 They soon discover that the reef 473 00:26:38,934 --> 00:26:43,266 sits on a massive vein of the metal that stretches deep under Lake Superior. 474 00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:49,166 This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to come along, invest, 475 00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:50,800 and make a lot of money. 476 00:26:52,867 --> 00:26:54,867 [Guy] But accessing it meant doing something 477 00:26:54,867 --> 00:26:56,567 everyone thought was impossible, 478 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:57,943 building an underwater mine. 479 00:26:57,943 --> 00:26:59,667 building an underwater mine. 480 00:27:02,367 --> 00:27:04,166 [narrator] To access the sliver, 481 00:27:04,166 --> 00:27:06,300 engineers construct breakwaters 482 00:27:06,367 --> 00:27:10,166 allowing them to increase the islands size tenfold, 483 00:27:10,166 --> 00:27:12,900 creating the strange patterns in the image. 484 00:27:17,066 --> 00:27:21,600 They then dig mine shafts up to 1,250 feet deep, 485 00:27:21,667 --> 00:27:26,000 greater than the height of the Empire State Building. 486 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:27,943 The ideas pioneered to allow this mine to function were utterly groundbreaking. 487 00:27:27,943 --> 00:27:30,667 The ideas pioneered to allow this mine to function were utterly groundbreaking. 488 00:27:31,667 --> 00:27:33,700 This mine isn't just underwater, 489 00:27:33,767 --> 00:27:37,266 but it's under the choppy waters of Lake Superior. 490 00:27:40,667 --> 00:27:43,000 [narrator] The next problem the company faces 491 00:27:43,066 --> 00:27:47,367 is finding people brave enough to work in a damp, freezing mine 492 00:27:47,367 --> 00:27:50,467 surrounded by Lake Superior's crushing waters. 493 00:27:53,867 --> 00:27:57,367 This is probably one of the absolute worst environments 494 00:27:57,367 --> 00:27:57,943 that anyone could ever hope to mine in. 495 00:27:57,943 --> 00:28:00,467 that anyone could ever hope to mine in. 496 00:28:01,467 --> 00:28:03,867 [Patrick] If that mine shaft was flooded 497 00:28:04,667 --> 00:28:06,000 there's no way out, 498 00:28:06,700 --> 00:28:08,367 you're dead. 499 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:14,266 [narrator] Over the next decade or so the miners extract the equivalent 500 00:28:14,266 --> 00:28:17,900 of $78 million worth of silver from the lake bed. 501 00:28:19,266 --> 00:28:23,467 Despite these insanely difficult and dangerous conditions, 502 00:28:23,467 --> 00:28:27,943 it's digging up millions of dollars' worth of silver every year. 503 00:28:27,943 --> 00:28:28,800 it's digging up millions of dollars' worth of silver every year. 504 00:28:28,867 --> 00:28:32,967 [Samantha] It really is incredible to see just how far people will go 505 00:28:32,967 --> 00:28:35,166 if there's a chance of getting rich. 506 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,667 [narrator] The mine continues to operate until 1883, 507 00:28:40,667 --> 00:28:45,166 when a storm prevents a vital shipment of coal from reaching the island. 508 00:28:46,266 --> 00:28:50,166 Without the coal the pumps stop working, 509 00:28:50,166 --> 00:28:52,767 and water comes flooding in, 510 00:28:52,767 --> 00:28:56,166 destroying the mine's structure and filling the tunnels again. 511 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:05,000 [narrator] Over the next 140 years, the freezing waters of Lake Superior 512 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,100 reclaim the rest of the mine. 513 00:29:09,667 --> 00:29:13,000 Today, all that remains is its ghostly outline, 514 00:29:15,367 --> 00:29:19,667 the forgotten dreams of long buried treasures. 515 00:29:19,667 --> 00:29:24,700 It's certainly possible that there is a lot more silver under Lake Superior. 516 00:29:24,767 --> 00:29:27,943 So if you've got a scuba suit and unlimited courage, you can always give it a shot. 517 00:29:27,943 --> 00:29:28,767 So if you've got a scuba suit and unlimited courage, you can always give it a shot. 518 00:29:36,567 --> 00:29:40,667 Coming up, the mystery of Anthrax Island. 519 00:29:40,667 --> 00:29:44,367 There's really no telling what secrets could be hiding there. 520 00:29:45,700 --> 00:29:49,166 [narrator] And the color changing cauldrons. 521 00:29:49,166 --> 00:29:55,200 Local people here worship and venerate these lakes as places of the dead. 522 00:30:02,767 --> 00:30:05,667 [narrator] May 21st, 2021, 523 00:30:06,867 --> 00:30:10,967 as a satellite passes above the West Coast of Scotland 524 00:30:10,967 --> 00:30:14,166 it captures something weird on an island far below. 525 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:19,166 [Samantha] Looking at this ariel photograph of the Outer Hebrides, 526 00:30:19,166 --> 00:30:21,767 there is this very clear, distinct 527 00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:24,967 form in the landscape. 528 00:30:24,967 --> 00:30:28,200 This is bizarre because it looks like a perfect circle 529 00:30:28,266 --> 00:30:28,530 with another perfect circle around it. 530 00:30:28,530 --> 00:30:30,567 with another perfect circle around it. 531 00:30:32,867 --> 00:30:37,667 [narrator] The mystery shapes measure over 12,000 feet in diameter. 532 00:30:37,667 --> 00:30:40,266 The perfection of the circles is phenomenal. 533 00:30:40,266 --> 00:30:45,500 It's almost like a gigantic watch face imprinted on the Earth. 534 00:30:47,900 --> 00:30:53,100 [narrator] The giant circles sit close to a cluster of isolated structures. 535 00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:55,667 [Lindsay] You can tell that these aren't residential, 536 00:30:55,667 --> 00:30:58,530 this strikes me as some sort of official complex, 537 00:30:58,530 --> 00:30:59,600 this strikes me as some sort of official complex, 538 00:30:59,667 --> 00:31:02,066 like a government run facility. 539 00:31:02,066 --> 00:31:04,667 [Guy] The questions is, why would the government be interested 540 00:31:04,667 --> 00:31:09,000 in this remote area of land in the Outer Hebrides? 541 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,200 [narrator] Government records reveal that this part of Scotland 542 00:31:14,266 --> 00:31:17,567 has long been a center for clandestine military research. 543 00:31:19,900 --> 00:31:22,667 During WWII the British Government chose the Hebrides 544 00:31:22,667 --> 00:31:24,967 for a series of highly controversial tests. 545 00:31:24,967 --> 00:31:28,530 It's entirely possible that this location is connected to those tests. 546 00:31:28,530 --> 00:31:29,400 It's entirely possible that this location is connected to those tests. 547 00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:35,000 [narrator] The test program begins in 1941, 548 00:31:35,066 --> 00:31:37,867 a time when the fate of Europe is on a knife edge. 549 00:31:40,967 --> 00:31:44,266 With Hitler's forces amassing across the English Channel 550 00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:47,000 Prime Minister Winston Churchill 551 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,700 steels his country for a Nazi invasion. 552 00:31:52,100 --> 00:31:56,266 [Carlos] Now, above all else, the government wanted to be absolutely sure 553 00:31:56,266 --> 00:31:57,867 that in the case of an invasion 554 00:31:57,867 --> 00:31:58,530 the British would have some sort 555 00:31:58,530 --> 00:31:59,567 the British would have some sort 556 00:31:59,567 --> 00:32:02,367 of counterattack plan in place. 557 00:32:02,367 --> 00:32:05,266 [Samantha] Churchill was gonna do whatever it took, 558 00:32:05,266 --> 00:32:06,800 and so the British Government 559 00:32:06,867 --> 00:32:08,567 is looking to all of its options, 560 00:32:08,567 --> 00:32:10,567 including biological warfare. 561 00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:14,567 [narrator] As part of a program 562 00:32:14,567 --> 00:32:17,367 code-named Operation Vegetarian, 563 00:32:17,367 --> 00:32:20,867 Churchill instructs a team of scientists to work on a plan 564 00:32:20,867 --> 00:32:25,166 to bombard German cattle with feed laced with anthrax. 565 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:28,530 By wiping out millions of cows, 566 00:32:28,530 --> 00:32:29,266 By wiping out millions of cows, 567 00:32:29,266 --> 00:32:34,000 they hoped to cripple the country by causing a nation-wide famine. 568 00:32:34,066 --> 00:32:37,767 What the British Government wanted was a reprisal of epic proportions 569 00:32:37,767 --> 00:32:39,700 should the need ever arise. 570 00:32:39,767 --> 00:32:42,166 Now, what they were looking for was a total collapse 571 00:32:42,166 --> 00:32:43,867 of German infrastructure. 572 00:32:45,900 --> 00:32:50,000 [narrator] As a test run, scientists on an island in the Outer Hebrides 573 00:32:50,066 --> 00:32:52,600 dropped anthrax bombs on a herd of sheep. 574 00:32:54,467 --> 00:32:57,100 [Samantha] Many sheep are sacrificed in this experiment. 575 00:32:57,100 --> 00:32:58,530 But more importantly, 576 00:32:58,530 --> 00:32:58,667 But more importantly, 577 00:32:58,667 --> 00:33:03,700 the landscape itself was poisoned for years afterwards. 578 00:33:03,767 --> 00:33:08,100 It was so bad that it earned the nickname The Island of Death. 579 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,400 [narrator] Military historians discover that the site in the image was indeed used 580 00:33:14,467 --> 00:33:17,400 for developing weapons of mass destruction, 581 00:33:17,467 --> 00:33:21,467 but ones from a later period in history. 582 00:33:21,467 --> 00:33:25,867 [Guy] This circular structure is actually linked to a type of weapon 583 00:33:25,867 --> 00:33:28,530 that could've had far more devastating consequences than anthrax 584 00:33:28,530 --> 00:33:30,166 that could've had far more devastating consequences than anthrax 585 00:33:30,166 --> 00:33:32,467 and in far less time. 586 00:33:32,467 --> 00:33:37,467 This was a nuclear testing facility for the CORPORAL Missile. 587 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:44,400 [narrator] The story of the CORPORAL Missile begins in 1944, 588 00:33:44,467 --> 00:33:48,700 when Germany starts terrorizing London with its V-1 flying bomb. 589 00:33:50,867 --> 00:33:54,367 Spooked by its revolutionary capabilities, 590 00:33:54,367 --> 00:33:58,530 Washington launches its own long-range weapons program. 591 00:33:58,530 --> 00:33:59,066 Washington launches its own long-range weapons program. 592 00:33:59,066 --> 00:34:03,100 America was desperate to develop the technology that the Germans had. 593 00:34:03,100 --> 00:34:06,200 And as a result, the idea of creating a missile 594 00:34:06,266 --> 00:34:09,867 on which a warhead could be attached becomes a priority. 595 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:16,166 [narrator] In 1944, US engineers soon begin tests 596 00:34:16,166 --> 00:34:21,567 on a series of liquid-fueled, gyroscopically-guided rockets. 597 00:34:21,567 --> 00:34:26,767 Following the Soviet Union's first successful atomic test five years later 598 00:34:26,767 --> 00:34:28,530 the military accelerates the program developing the CORPORAL, 599 00:34:28,530 --> 00:34:31,667 the military accelerates the program developing the CORPORAL, 600 00:34:31,667 --> 00:34:36,867 a 46-foot long missile armed with a 1,500 pound nuclear warhead. 601 00:34:38,900 --> 00:34:42,967 This is the first guided missile with a nuclear warhead attached. 602 00:34:42,967 --> 00:34:44,867 And you're looking at more firepower 603 00:34:44,867 --> 00:34:47,500 than most battlefields in WWII ever saw. 604 00:34:49,166 --> 00:34:51,000 [narrator] At this time in history, 605 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,100 one of America's, and its allies greatest fears, 606 00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:57,200 is a Soviet land invasion of Western Europe. 607 00:35:00,166 --> 00:35:04,967 Outnumbered 3-1 by Stalin's troops and tank battalions 608 00:35:04,967 --> 00:35:08,667 the US turns to the CORPORAL Missile to even up the odds. 609 00:35:10,867 --> 00:35:14,700 [Guy] The CORPORAL was a tactical weapon rather than strategic. 610 00:35:14,767 --> 00:35:17,567 Now, that means it was designed for use on the battlefield 611 00:35:17,567 --> 00:35:18,967 against an approaching enemy. 612 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,367 If you are faced with an overwhelming force, 613 00:35:22,367 --> 00:35:25,367 you drop one of these and everything stops. 614 00:35:28,767 --> 00:35:33,367 [narrator] In 1954, Britain, a possible last line of defense 615 00:35:33,367 --> 00:35:37,667 on a WWIII battlefield, purchases the CORPORAL Missile system, 616 00:35:37,667 --> 00:35:40,600 and then installs it at the site in the image. 617 00:35:42,066 --> 00:35:45,900 There's a sense that Britain needs to protect itself. 618 00:35:45,967 --> 00:35:50,700 It is, after all, far closer to a Soviet enemy than the United States. 619 00:35:53,100 --> 00:35:56,367 [narrator] Soviet-era documents reveal that the Kremlin's plan 620 00:35:56,367 --> 00:35:58,530 was to specifically attack sites, 621 00:35:58,530 --> 00:35:58,600 was to specifically attack sites, 622 00:35:58,667 --> 00:36:02,767 like the one seen from space, should war break out. 623 00:36:02,767 --> 00:36:05,467 [Guy] Of course, thankfully, the Cold War never escalated 624 00:36:05,467 --> 00:36:07,367 to the extent that many feared. 625 00:36:07,367 --> 00:36:11,200 And the CORPORAL was ultimately never deployed in a war. 626 00:36:13,467 --> 00:36:17,567 [narrator] The site in the image continues to be used to military tests, 627 00:36:17,567 --> 00:36:20,800 but their exact nature remains classified. 628 00:36:22,667 --> 00:36:27,000 There's really no telling what other government secrets could be hiding there. 629 00:36:36,767 --> 00:36:39,867 [narrator] Coming up, windows into the underworld. 630 00:36:40,900 --> 00:36:43,066 The lakes seem to be changing color, 631 00:36:43,066 --> 00:36:44,867 I have no idea what's going on here. 632 00:36:52,900 --> 00:36:55,367 [narrator] October 6th, 2021, 633 00:36:58,967 --> 00:37:03,600 eyes in the sky over the Indonesian island of Flores capture this image. 634 00:37:05,667 --> 00:37:09,600 This is mind-blowing, you've got these three lakes 635 00:37:09,667 --> 00:37:14,066 and what's weird is, they are dramatically different colors. 636 00:37:14,066 --> 00:37:17,300 [George] The colors in this satellite image are astounding. 637 00:37:17,367 --> 00:37:18,172 They look really beautiful, like an artist's palette for painting a portrait. 638 00:37:18,172 --> 00:37:21,667 They look really beautiful, like an artist's palette for painting a portrait. 639 00:37:23,567 --> 00:37:24,967 [narrator] When analysts turn 640 00:37:24,967 --> 00:37:28,667 to Maxar SecureWatch Technology the mystery deepens. 641 00:37:30,567 --> 00:37:34,567 As I scan back in time it gets even weirder. 642 00:37:34,567 --> 00:37:37,266 The lakes seem to be changing color, 643 00:37:37,266 --> 00:37:39,667 I have no idea what's going on here. 644 00:37:39,667 --> 00:37:41,200 [Anthony] What's really strange is they seem 645 00:37:41,266 --> 00:37:43,500 to change independently of one and other, 646 00:37:43,567 --> 00:37:45,767 and there's not an obvious catalysis. 647 00:37:47,266 --> 00:37:48,172 [narrator] Geological records shed more light. 648 00:37:48,172 --> 00:37:49,467 [narrator] Geological records shed more light. 649 00:37:51,166 --> 00:37:55,367 [Adam] These lakes sit on top of Mount Kelimutu which is an active volcano. 650 00:37:55,367 --> 00:37:57,500 I think the strange shifting colors 651 00:37:57,567 --> 00:38:01,100 might have something to do with activity deep below the surface. 652 00:38:02,500 --> 00:38:05,700 [narrator] For those living nearby, these volcanic forces 653 00:38:05,767 --> 00:38:08,967 hold deep, spiritual significance. 654 00:38:08,967 --> 00:38:15,266 The local people here worship and venerate these lakes as the places of the dead. 655 00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:18,172 They believe that the spirits of people go to specific lakes 656 00:38:18,172 --> 00:38:20,567 They believe that the spirits of people go to specific lakes 657 00:38:20,567 --> 00:38:22,266 depending on how you lived your life, 658 00:38:22,266 --> 00:38:24,967 or the age that you were at the time that you died. 659 00:38:26,967 --> 00:38:29,967 [narrator] The island in the image, and the rest of Indonesia, 660 00:38:29,967 --> 00:38:31,467 sits on the Ring of Fire 661 00:38:33,467 --> 00:38:37,100 a 25,000 mile long string of seismic sites 662 00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:41,300 which is home to 3/4 of the world's active volcanoes. 663 00:38:44,667 --> 00:38:48,172 For scientists, the color changing lakes offer a unique window 664 00:38:48,172 --> 00:38:49,000 For scientists, the color changing lakes offer a unique window 665 00:38:49,066 --> 00:38:52,700 into the inner workings of these unpredictable forces of nature. 666 00:38:54,567 --> 00:38:55,867 [Devin] From the bottom up, 667 00:38:55,867 --> 00:38:58,767 a volcano is so much more complex than most people believe. 668 00:39:00,667 --> 00:39:05,100 It's very hard to study because the heat and pressure down there would destroy 669 00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:08,166 any instruments you lower down. 670 00:39:08,166 --> 00:39:11,367 [narrator] Scientist speculate that each of the lakes in the image 671 00:39:11,367 --> 00:39:14,000 is connected to sources of volcanic gases 672 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,600 by a complex network of vents called fumaroles. 673 00:39:20,767 --> 00:39:24,200 Seismic forces mean this subterranean plumbing system 674 00:39:24,266 --> 00:39:26,867 is always in a state of flux, 675 00:39:26,867 --> 00:39:31,266 so different amounts of gases rise up through the volcano at any given time. 676 00:39:34,467 --> 00:39:36,800 [Devin] We get this very complex feeder network 677 00:39:36,867 --> 00:39:39,700 and that feeder network is constantly changing, 678 00:39:39,767 --> 00:39:41,400 through pressure, and temperature. 679 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:45,166 Every time the volcano's uplifted one will close off and another one will open. 680 00:39:47,367 --> 00:39:48,172 As those gases percolate up through the mountain they take different paths, 681 00:39:48,172 --> 00:39:51,800 As those gases percolate up through the mountain they take different paths, 682 00:39:51,867 --> 00:39:55,867 and they bring with them different minerals and different nutrients. 683 00:39:55,867 --> 00:39:59,000 And they become isolated from each other in these craters. 684 00:40:02,266 --> 00:40:05,700 [narrator] The constantly changing fumaroles feed various gases 685 00:40:05,767 --> 00:40:09,066 and minerals into the lakes, changing their color. 686 00:40:11,100 --> 00:40:13,600 Sometimes the chemistry changes 687 00:40:13,667 --> 00:40:18,172 and the color of the lake changes almost instantaneously. 688 00:40:18,172 --> 00:40:18,567 and the color of the lake changes almost instantaneously. 689 00:40:18,567 --> 00:40:23,567 One lake may be more blue or more green depending on the amount and the type 690 00:40:23,567 --> 00:40:25,467 of gas coming off the magma below. 691 00:40:28,300 --> 00:40:30,667 [narrator] It also appears that Indonesia's frequent 692 00:40:30,667 --> 00:40:34,567 rain storms affect the chemical cauldrons at the volcano's summit. 693 00:40:37,166 --> 00:40:41,467 [George] One lake goes from a bright cyan blue during the dry season, 694 00:40:41,467 --> 00:40:43,867 to a darker blue during the wet season, 695 00:40:43,867 --> 00:40:48,000 and the black lake does the exact opposite. 696 00:40:48,066 --> 00:40:48,172 [Devin] During wet seasons more oxygen's available to dampen those colors down. 697 00:40:48,172 --> 00:40:53,066 [Devin] During wet seasons more oxygen's available to dampen those colors down. 698 00:40:53,066 --> 00:40:56,300 And during the dry season they're really vivid and bright 699 00:40:56,367 --> 00:40:58,000 because the oxygen levels are low. 700 00:41:00,700 --> 00:41:04,066 [narrator] For scientist, predicting when the lakes change color 701 00:41:04,066 --> 00:41:06,467 is more than just an academic question, 702 00:41:07,867 --> 00:41:09,800 it could also save lives. 703 00:41:11,667 --> 00:41:15,867 [Adam] In the last decade we've seen white plums arising from one of the lakes, 704 00:41:15,867 --> 00:41:18,172 it is possible that Kelimutu is overdue for another eruption. 705 00:41:18,172 --> 00:41:20,000 it is possible that Kelimutu is overdue for another eruption. 706 00:41:21,300 --> 00:41:24,467 [Devin] This much gas churning through this volcano, 707 00:41:24,467 --> 00:41:27,000 it's got to indicate it's due to erupt again, 708 00:41:27,066 --> 00:41:28,967 we just don't know exactly when. 709 00:41:30,166 --> 00:41:33,667 [narrator] The volcano last erupted in 1968, 710 00:41:33,667 --> 00:41:37,367 raining steam and ash down onto surrounding villages. 711 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:44,367 Experts continue to try to decode these harbingers of disaster 712 00:41:44,367 --> 00:41:48,172 from the skies before it's too late. 713 00:41:48,172 --> 00:41:48,367 from the skies before it's too late. 714 00:41:48,367 --> 00:41:52,367 If we can't fully understand the indicators that these lakes provide us, 715 00:41:52,367 --> 00:41:55,800 then we might miss signs of impending catastrophe.