1 00:00:01,268 --> 00:00:03,736 [josh] on this episode of expedition x... 2 00:00:03,771 --> 00:00:05,304 -Whoa. -Whoa. 3 00:00:05,339 --> 00:00:07,506 Oh, that is so steep. Don't look. 4 00:00:07,541 --> 00:00:10,175 [josh] my team heads to the deserts of new mexico, 5 00:00:10,211 --> 00:00:15,247 to investigate one of the most compelling ufo encounters in american history. 6 00:00:15,282 --> 00:00:17,883 This is the case that changed everything. Right here. 7 00:00:17,918 --> 00:00:21,353 [josh] where local law enforcement report a bizarre craft. 8 00:00:21,389 --> 00:00:23,856 [pablo] they saw a great, big spaceship... 9 00:00:23,891 --> 00:00:26,458 [josh] piloted by extraterrestrial beings. 10 00:00:26,494 --> 00:00:29,061 One of them turned and faced him and scared him. 11 00:00:29,096 --> 00:00:30,729 I was... 12 00:00:30,765 --> 00:00:32,398 It's steep up here. 13 00:00:32,433 --> 00:00:34,199 [jessica] trying not to fall off the edge. 14 00:00:34,235 --> 00:00:35,801 [josh] and according to some... 15 00:00:38,706 --> 00:00:40,139 ...They have returned. 16 00:00:40,174 --> 00:00:44,410 Different nuclear military operations made this kind of a hot-bed 17 00:00:44,445 --> 00:00:45,878 for ufo sightings. 18 00:00:45,913 --> 00:00:48,981 -Jess, get over here. -[jessica] let me see, let me see. 19 00:00:49,750 --> 00:00:51,683 Check that out. 20 00:00:51,719 --> 00:00:53,585 [phil] what the... [bleep] 21 00:00:53,621 --> 00:00:54,887 what is this? 22 00:00:56,123 --> 00:00:58,090 [josh] ufos over new mexico. 23 00:00:58,959 --> 00:01:01,727 My name is josh gates. 24 00:01:01,762 --> 00:01:04,663 In my travels, I have experienced strange things 25 00:01:04,698 --> 00:01:08,300 that defy logic. And made me question everything. 26 00:01:08,335 --> 00:01:10,202 Oh, my god! 27 00:01:10,237 --> 00:01:12,905 Now, I've put together a team to investigate 28 00:01:12,940 --> 00:01:15,474 the stranger side of the unknown. 29 00:01:15,509 --> 00:01:16,475 Let's go. 30 00:01:17,411 --> 00:01:18,977 [josh] phil torres is a scientist 31 00:01:19,013 --> 00:01:21,447 who hunts for rational explanations. 32 00:01:25,052 --> 00:01:27,453 [josh] jessica chobot's paranormal research, 33 00:01:27,488 --> 00:01:29,488 has made her a true believer. 34 00:01:29,523 --> 00:01:30,856 Phil, do you see that? 35 00:01:30,891 --> 00:01:32,391 [whispering] I just saw something right across. 36 00:01:32,426 --> 00:01:34,793 [josh] together, we're searching for answers... 37 00:01:34,829 --> 00:01:35,994 [phil] what is that? 38 00:01:36,030 --> 00:01:39,031 [josh] ...To the world's most extraordinary mysteries. 39 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:42,501 This is expedition x. 40 00:01:46,974 --> 00:01:49,975 Phil and jess, I hope you're ready. We got a wild one today. 41 00:01:50,010 --> 00:01:51,310 What you got? 42 00:01:51,345 --> 00:01:53,445 Well, phil, even you, mr. Science, are no doubt familiar with 43 00:01:53,481 --> 00:01:57,416 -the 1947 roswell incident, in new mexico? -Right. 44 00:01:57,451 --> 00:01:59,418 When the poor weather balloon crashed there, it was terrible. 45 00:01:59,453 --> 00:02:02,354 -Are you for real right now? -All right, stay calm, jess, stay calm. 46 00:02:02,389 --> 00:02:04,323 Well, what if I told you, that there was another 47 00:02:04,358 --> 00:02:07,192 potentially even more significant incident, that occurred 48 00:02:07,228 --> 00:02:10,829 only a 140 miles from roswell, about 15 years later. 49 00:02:10,865 --> 00:02:15,467 Not a crash, but supposedly an actual landing of a ufo. 50 00:02:15,503 --> 00:02:18,570 And allegedly a close encounter with alien beings. 51 00:02:18,606 --> 00:02:22,941 So, you're talking the lonnie zamora incident, socorro, new mexico. 52 00:02:22,977 --> 00:02:26,278 Unbelievable. You never fail to impress me, jess. 53 00:02:26,313 --> 00:02:27,379 Amazing! 54 00:02:27,448 --> 00:02:28,647 Before we dive into it, 55 00:02:28,682 --> 00:02:31,016 phil, you have gone on record to saying you think that... 56 00:02:31,051 --> 00:02:34,119 Extraterrestrials could be out there, somewhere, right? 57 00:02:34,155 --> 00:02:36,655 Out there for sure. I mean, scientists believe that there are 58 00:02:36,690 --> 00:02:39,758 over 400 billion galaxies in our universe. 59 00:02:39,793 --> 00:02:44,329 And in our galaxy alone, they found several hundred habitable planets. 60 00:02:44,365 --> 00:02:47,199 The more controversial debate, of course, is whether any of those extraterrestrials 61 00:02:47,234 --> 00:02:48,600 -have come here. -Right. 62 00:02:48,636 --> 00:02:50,502 That brings us back to the zamora incident. 63 00:02:50,538 --> 00:02:53,772 When this occurred, the us government investigated this thoroughly, 64 00:02:53,807 --> 00:02:56,141 and they couldn't solve it. It remains unsolved. 65 00:02:56,177 --> 00:02:59,745 Locals in this area believe that the zamora incident was real, 66 00:02:59,780 --> 00:03:02,314 and they're still having experiences. 67 00:03:02,349 --> 00:03:05,951 Experiences that they say, can end the debate over extraterrestrials, 68 00:03:05,986 --> 00:03:07,052 once and for all. 69 00:03:10,591 --> 00:03:15,260 New mexico ranks among the states with the most ufo sightings in the country. 70 00:03:15,296 --> 00:03:18,397 With reports nearly doubling in the last two years. 71 00:03:18,432 --> 00:03:20,632 And they're still on the rise. 72 00:03:20,701 --> 00:03:24,102 But if we trace the state's most significant ufo cases, 73 00:03:24,138 --> 00:03:27,406 it begins with the roswell incident in 1947. 74 00:03:27,441 --> 00:03:31,577 And perhaps, an even stranger event just 15 years later. 75 00:03:33,147 --> 00:03:36,949 The year is 1964, socorro, new mexico. 76 00:03:36,984 --> 00:03:42,454 At approximately 5:45 p.M., police sergeant lonnie zamora is pursuing 77 00:03:42,489 --> 00:03:45,157 a reckless driver just outside of town. 78 00:03:45,192 --> 00:03:50,028 When he hears a loud roar followed by a large flame rising from the desert 79 00:03:50,064 --> 00:03:51,330 off the highway. 80 00:03:51,365 --> 00:03:54,032 He breaks off the chase to investigate. 81 00:03:54,068 --> 00:03:58,103 When he crests a hill, he claims to see an oval-shaped object, 82 00:03:58,138 --> 00:04:02,307 emblazoned with a strange symbol, resting on four legs, 83 00:04:02,343 --> 00:04:06,678 with two small beings next to what it appears to be, a spaceship. 84 00:04:06,714 --> 00:04:10,282 As he approaches on foot, the craft suddenly lifts into the air, 85 00:04:10,317 --> 00:04:13,118 and races away across the desert sky. 86 00:04:13,153 --> 00:04:17,723 Zamora is shaken, and calls in his encounter to the local dispatch. 87 00:04:17,758 --> 00:04:21,059 The next day, the governments' ufo investigation program, 88 00:04:21,095 --> 00:04:24,763 project bluebook, sends their top investigators to the scene 89 00:04:24,798 --> 00:04:27,065 where they record physical evidence. 90 00:04:27,134 --> 00:04:32,304 Charred shrub, indentations in the soil, and even small footprints. 91 00:04:35,776 --> 00:04:40,512 But, project bluebook is shut down in 1969, without ever solving the case. 92 00:04:41,215 --> 00:04:43,982 Lonnie zamora dies in 2009. 93 00:04:44,018 --> 00:04:46,718 Despite a lifetime of scrutiny into his story, 94 00:04:46,753 --> 00:04:51,156 he never wavered that what he saw was from another world. 95 00:04:51,191 --> 00:04:56,028 And just recently, hundreds of declassified federal documents have emerged 96 00:04:56,063 --> 00:04:59,831 about the zamora incident, reinvigorating the mystery. 97 00:04:59,867 --> 00:05:04,069 On top of that, some say ufos have returned to socorro. 98 00:05:04,104 --> 00:05:07,873 Recently, a mass sighting was seen by multiple eyewitnesses, 99 00:05:07,908 --> 00:05:11,543 including pilots, military personnel and civilians, 100 00:05:11,578 --> 00:05:15,113 all claiming to see unidentified objects in the sky 101 00:05:15,149 --> 00:05:19,518 and putting the city of socorro back under the cosmic microscope. 102 00:05:25,526 --> 00:05:28,327 So, guys, what do you think? 103 00:05:28,362 --> 00:05:31,763 I'll admit, lonnie zamora seems like he was a very credible witness. 104 00:05:31,799 --> 00:05:33,999 He wasn't just some random guy with a tinfoil hat. 105 00:05:34,034 --> 00:05:35,467 He was a trained police officer. 106 00:05:35,502 --> 00:05:36,702 Yeah and I think that's a good point 107 00:05:36,737 --> 00:05:39,004 because law enforcement usually aren't 108 00:05:39,039 --> 00:05:41,473 the typical people to come forward with ufo encounters. 109 00:05:41,508 --> 00:05:43,975 That's what makes this case so fascinating. 110 00:05:44,044 --> 00:05:46,411 And the fact that there are new sightings today, 111 00:05:46,447 --> 00:05:49,081 means it is the perfect time to reopen this case. 112 00:05:49,116 --> 00:05:51,416 So, I've been trying to get in contact with some of these eyewitnesses 113 00:05:51,452 --> 00:05:53,218 from this new mass sighting, 114 00:05:53,253 --> 00:05:56,254 but so far they've all been very reluctant to go public. 115 00:05:56,323 --> 00:05:58,156 But I'm gonna keep working those leads, 116 00:05:58,192 --> 00:05:59,991 and I think that where you should start 117 00:06:00,027 --> 00:06:03,929 is to really try to understand the original zamora incident. 118 00:06:03,964 --> 00:06:07,432 And see if it could be connected to the sightings that are happening today. 119 00:06:07,468 --> 00:06:08,567 You up for this? 120 00:06:08,635 --> 00:06:09,868 Hell, yeah! 121 00:06:09,903 --> 00:06:12,070 -Sounds like a plan. -All right, go have a close encounter. 122 00:06:13,807 --> 00:06:16,174 My team hops on a 2000 mile flight 123 00:06:16,210 --> 00:06:18,710 from new york city to albuquerque. 124 00:06:18,746 --> 00:06:22,547 Then, drive 76 mile south to the small town of socorro. 125 00:06:23,650 --> 00:06:25,984 While I try to line up a credible eyewitness 126 00:06:26,019 --> 00:06:28,286 for the recent ufo sighting in the area, 127 00:06:28,322 --> 00:06:32,424 I'm directing jess and phil to dig deeper into the zamora incident. 128 00:06:32,459 --> 00:06:34,793 [phil] out of any of the investigations that we do, 129 00:06:34,828 --> 00:06:38,530 I feel like ufos are the most likely to actually exist. 130 00:06:38,565 --> 00:06:40,332 -Oh my-- -out of all of them. 131 00:06:40,367 --> 00:06:42,868 Who knew? You are a believer! 132 00:06:42,903 --> 00:06:46,772 But that doesn't mean that every story that you hear is real, 133 00:06:46,807 --> 00:06:48,273 or even the majority of them are real. 134 00:06:48,308 --> 00:06:51,743 There's a lot of aspects of the socorro story that I'm questioning. Like, 135 00:06:51,779 --> 00:06:55,247 tiny alien people coming out of there. It's a little weird. 136 00:06:55,282 --> 00:07:00,585 I understand. But, keep in mind there was an eyewitness. 137 00:07:00,621 --> 00:07:02,621 And the government took it seriously enough 138 00:07:02,656 --> 00:07:06,858 that they actually sent out people to check out the scene. 139 00:07:06,894 --> 00:07:08,560 So, something must have happened. 140 00:07:08,595 --> 00:07:10,061 I think there's the potential there 141 00:07:10,097 --> 00:07:12,230 that lonnie zamora actually encountered aliens. 142 00:07:12,266 --> 00:07:15,967 Well, the fact that they're always conveniently bipedal, upright, 143 00:07:16,003 --> 00:07:17,869 they have eyes, they have hands... 144 00:07:17,905 --> 00:07:20,739 That all just seems a little unimaginative 145 00:07:20,774 --> 00:07:22,474 to what's really out there in the universe. 146 00:07:22,509 --> 00:07:25,010 My opinion, if something is visiting us here, 147 00:07:25,045 --> 00:07:28,880 there is no doubt in my mind, we would be taken over and destroyed. 148 00:07:28,916 --> 00:07:30,882 That's the optimist in you, jess. 149 00:07:33,687 --> 00:07:36,254 [phil] we've arrived at the site where lonnie zamora 150 00:07:36,290 --> 00:07:38,723 supposedly witnessed an alien craft. 151 00:07:39,827 --> 00:07:43,628 -[jessica] is it hailing? -[phil] what? Oh my gosh. 152 00:07:43,664 --> 00:07:45,096 [jessica] oh, that is cold, oh, yeah. 153 00:07:45,132 --> 00:07:47,699 -All sorts of weird things coming out of the sky here. -[jessica] yeah. 154 00:07:47,734 --> 00:07:52,571 [josh] I've arranged for my team to meet renowned ufo investigator, james fox. 155 00:07:52,606 --> 00:07:55,307 -[jessica] hi! -Nice to meet you guys. 156 00:07:56,910 --> 00:07:59,077 [josh] two years ago, james and I investigated 157 00:07:59,112 --> 00:08:02,147 another infamous ufo case in zimbabwe. 158 00:08:02,182 --> 00:08:08,086 Where in 1994, 62 school children claimed to witness a ufo landing. 159 00:08:08,121 --> 00:08:10,055 The details are strikingly similar 160 00:08:10,090 --> 00:08:13,959 to what lonnie zamora reported seeing in 1964. 161 00:08:13,994 --> 00:08:16,695 James is a filmmaker, journalist and author, 162 00:08:16,730 --> 00:08:20,765 who has studied every detail of the zamora case for over five years 163 00:08:20,834 --> 00:08:25,504 and has spent decades pursuing answers to the mysteries of ufos. 164 00:08:25,539 --> 00:08:28,406 This is the case that changed everything. Right here. 165 00:08:28,442 --> 00:08:32,310 We came out here to check out where the actual landing occurred. 166 00:08:32,346 --> 00:08:33,612 Can you guys show us? 167 00:08:33,647 --> 00:08:34,779 -Absolutely. -Yeah. 168 00:08:34,815 --> 00:08:37,415 -You wanna lead the way? -Oh, sure. 169 00:08:37,451 --> 00:08:39,484 [josh] with james, is pablo lopez, 170 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,521 who arrived at the scene minutes after lonnie zamora 171 00:08:42,556 --> 00:08:44,523 reported the incident to the authorities. 172 00:08:44,558 --> 00:08:46,591 He was 20 years old at the time. 173 00:08:51,331 --> 00:08:53,365 [pablo] this is the spot where it landed. 174 00:08:55,569 --> 00:08:56,968 How did you end up here? 175 00:08:57,004 --> 00:09:00,438 I was at the sheriff's office. My dad was a radio operator. 176 00:09:00,474 --> 00:09:02,574 And I went in to visit with him. 177 00:09:02,609 --> 00:09:06,978 And lonnie came over there and he was really, really scared. 178 00:09:07,014 --> 00:09:09,814 And he said he saw a great big spaceship. 179 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:11,650 He said, which had landed right here. 180 00:09:14,054 --> 00:09:15,921 I came up here with the sheriff. 181 00:09:15,956 --> 00:09:20,392 When I got here, there was bushes here, that were smoldering. 182 00:09:20,427 --> 00:09:23,428 They still had smoke coming out of them, and some fire. 183 00:09:23,463 --> 00:09:25,230 And there was footprints. 184 00:09:25,265 --> 00:09:29,234 The footprints were tiny, they were probably three inches long. 185 00:09:29,269 --> 00:09:31,903 And maybe an inch and a half, two inches wide. 186 00:09:31,939 --> 00:09:33,705 -Like a three year old's? -[pablo] yes. 187 00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:36,274 Lonnie said they weren't over...That tall. 188 00:09:36,310 --> 00:09:38,677 One of them turned and faced him and it scared him... 189 00:09:39,212 --> 00:09:40,579 ...Out of his wits. 190 00:09:41,848 --> 00:09:43,348 What do you think landed here? 191 00:09:43,917 --> 00:09:45,050 A ufo. 192 00:09:45,085 --> 00:09:46,017 -Really? -[pablo] yeah. 193 00:09:46,053 --> 00:09:47,786 Something like that, something unexplainable. 194 00:09:47,821 --> 00:09:51,056 And officer zamora was a man's man, okay? 195 00:09:51,091 --> 00:09:53,625 -So, you knew him personally? -[pablo] I knew him personally, yes. 196 00:09:53,660 --> 00:09:56,294 Officer zamora wasn't the same person after this. 197 00:09:56,330 --> 00:09:58,930 He saw what he saw and it was for real. 198 00:10:00,734 --> 00:10:04,002 I gotta admit, this is messing with my brain a little bit. 199 00:10:04,037 --> 00:10:07,472 So, james, why this case? Why does this one stand out to you? 200 00:10:07,507 --> 00:10:12,277 This case right here, is what gave project bluebook the conclusion that 201 00:10:12,312 --> 00:10:16,681 ufos were not only real, but the close encounters of the third kind 202 00:10:16,717 --> 00:10:20,251 and that's cases where witnesses report 203 00:10:20,287 --> 00:10:22,220 beings associated with the craft. 204 00:10:22,255 --> 00:10:23,722 So, what are some of the details that you've 205 00:10:23,757 --> 00:10:25,256 gleaned from your investigating? 206 00:10:25,292 --> 00:10:28,693 There was a blue flame that came down from this object, 207 00:10:28,729 --> 00:10:33,365 and it didn't hit the ground and reflect, like a rocket booster would do it, 208 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,402 it penetrated into the ground. And unlike anything you've ever seen, 209 00:10:37,437 --> 00:10:41,473 this object rises to about 20 feet off the ground, 210 00:10:41,508 --> 00:10:45,510 and then it completely shuts off all propulsion, and is absolutely silent. 211 00:10:46,513 --> 00:10:49,180 You look at the air force's own files. 212 00:10:49,216 --> 00:10:52,417 And they're saying that what took place here, 213 00:10:52,452 --> 00:10:55,353 defies a terrestrial explanation. 214 00:10:55,388 --> 00:10:59,157 I brought some documents that I personally got at the national archives 215 00:10:59,192 --> 00:11:01,092 from project bluebook files. 216 00:11:01,128 --> 00:11:02,894 You can take a look at some of these here. 217 00:11:04,231 --> 00:11:05,730 -Wow. -[jessica] these are great-- 218 00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:07,565 -[phil] look at how charred that is. -[jessica] yeah. 219 00:11:11,772 --> 00:11:13,705 [james] so, what I basically want to illustrate here is, 220 00:11:13,740 --> 00:11:16,041 level of seriousness that the air force took 221 00:11:16,076 --> 00:11:17,709 when they were investigating this case. 222 00:11:17,744 --> 00:11:19,811 [jessica] james has meticulously compiled 223 00:11:19,846 --> 00:11:22,580 hundreds of official government files on this case. 224 00:11:22,616 --> 00:11:24,716 And two things stand out. 225 00:11:24,751 --> 00:11:28,386 First, the government investigation was exhaustive. 226 00:11:28,422 --> 00:11:31,156 The site was extensively combed for evidence, 227 00:11:31,191 --> 00:11:33,324 soil samples were taken and scrutinized, 228 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,728 every radar station within a 100 miles was contacted. 229 00:11:36,763 --> 00:11:40,231 They even tried to match the indentations at the landing site 230 00:11:40,267 --> 00:11:45,070 with every variety of plane and helicopter that was operating in the region. 231 00:11:45,105 --> 00:11:48,106 Despite their efforts, the project bluebook investigators 232 00:11:48,141 --> 00:11:51,309 could not come up with a rational explanation for what happened. 233 00:11:51,344 --> 00:11:56,014 The other major takeaway, the investigators believed officer zamora. 234 00:11:56,049 --> 00:11:58,349 Not only did they consider him credible, 235 00:11:58,385 --> 00:12:01,419 but that this incident was, and I quote, 236 00:12:01,455 --> 00:12:04,789 "the best authenticated landing sighting on record". 237 00:12:04,825 --> 00:12:09,294 And, "one of the major ufo sightings in the history of the air force". 238 00:12:10,197 --> 00:12:11,763 So, what's your theory on this then? 239 00:12:11,798 --> 00:12:14,666 Why would aliens be interested in this area? 240 00:12:14,701 --> 00:12:19,337 I started looking at sightings in the '40s and '50s and '60s, 241 00:12:19,372 --> 00:12:20,872 and I actually took out a map. 242 00:12:20,907 --> 00:12:25,243 And I was looking at proximity to different nuclear military operations. 243 00:12:25,278 --> 00:12:27,245 You know, trinity site 44 miles away, 244 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,581 we got white sands, holloman air force base. 245 00:12:29,616 --> 00:12:32,250 And I thought, there must be some sort of correlation, 246 00:12:32,285 --> 00:12:35,053 with our nuclear activity, our atomic activity, 247 00:12:35,088 --> 00:12:38,890 that had made this kind of a hot bed for ufo sightings. 248 00:12:38,925 --> 00:12:42,393 [jessica] intense ufo activity around our most dangerous weapons 249 00:12:42,429 --> 00:12:45,630 would definitely be an issue of national security. 250 00:12:45,665 --> 00:12:49,200 Thousands of nuclear tests have been conducted in these deserts. 251 00:12:49,236 --> 00:12:52,837 New mexico still has a stock-pile of 700 nuclear bombs 252 00:12:52,873 --> 00:12:58,009 and over 1,800 active warheads, that could be deployed in minutes. 253 00:12:59,579 --> 00:13:03,181 There are structured craft of unknown origin, 254 00:13:03,216 --> 00:13:05,049 whizzing around with impunity, 255 00:13:05,085 --> 00:13:08,586 under super sensitive military installations. 256 00:13:08,622 --> 00:13:11,189 We don't know who they are, where they come from or what they want. 257 00:13:17,597 --> 00:13:20,465 There are structured craft of unknown origin, 258 00:13:21,134 --> 00:13:23,067 whizzing around with impunity, 259 00:13:23,103 --> 00:13:26,538 under super sensitive military installations. 260 00:13:26,573 --> 00:13:29,040 We don't know who they are, where they come from or what they want. 261 00:13:30,177 --> 00:13:32,510 The military bases are all around here, 262 00:13:32,546 --> 00:13:35,513 so I would just think it's gonna be a military craft. 263 00:13:35,549 --> 00:13:38,183 But you're saying that because the military is here, 264 00:13:38,218 --> 00:13:40,752 that's why the ufos are interested in this location? 265 00:13:40,787 --> 00:13:43,588 That's one likely scenario. 266 00:13:43,623 --> 00:13:46,524 [jessica] if socorro's high concentration of ufo sightings 267 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:50,995 is due to its proximity to the military installations in the area, 268 00:13:51,031 --> 00:13:53,731 we need to pressure test that theory. 269 00:13:53,767 --> 00:13:55,967 So, after reviewing some topographical maps, 270 00:13:56,002 --> 00:13:59,170 we found the most perfect spot to set up some surveillance. 271 00:13:59,206 --> 00:14:02,540 A mesa, in the middle of the desert, located between 272 00:14:02,576 --> 00:14:06,444 the landing site of the zamora incident and white sands missile range. 273 00:14:06,479 --> 00:14:10,215 It offers the perfect elevated vantage point to monitor the skies 274 00:14:10,250 --> 00:14:13,818 over socorro to the north west and white sands to the south. 275 00:14:13,854 --> 00:14:17,222 Our objective is to reach the mesa before nightfall, 276 00:14:17,257 --> 00:14:20,325 and investigate for any unusual activity. 277 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,894 But getting there? That's the tricky part. 278 00:14:25,232 --> 00:14:26,197 [phil] come on. 279 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,467 Oh! Woah. 280 00:14:31,404 --> 00:14:33,171 -Jess, up here? -[jessica] yeah. 281 00:14:33,206 --> 00:14:36,808 We need to get to the base of that mesa, try to get up there. 282 00:14:36,843 --> 00:14:38,443 -[jessica] hike on up? -Yeah. 283 00:14:41,581 --> 00:14:43,147 Hey phil, we got a river up ahead. 284 00:14:45,151 --> 00:14:48,553 [phil] I'm not sure how deep this thing is. Hope these horses swim. 285 00:14:55,896 --> 00:14:58,429 -Looks like there's a passage through here. -[jessica] yeah, let's go. 286 00:15:02,135 --> 00:15:05,570 All right, jess. I don't think the horses are gonna go any higher. 287 00:15:05,605 --> 00:15:07,872 [jessica] I think you're right. 288 00:15:07,908 --> 00:15:11,075 [phil] the height of this mesa, which rises 1,200 feet, 289 00:15:11,111 --> 00:15:14,946 makes it ideal for viewing the night sky without any light pollution. 290 00:15:15,548 --> 00:15:16,915 Getting steep up here. 291 00:15:16,950 --> 00:15:19,217 But getting to the top won't be easy. 292 00:15:19,252 --> 00:15:21,252 We're facing a 70 per cent grade climb 293 00:15:21,288 --> 00:15:23,087 over loose shale with the sheer drop off. 294 00:15:24,391 --> 00:15:25,723 -[phil] you good? -[jessica] yeah. 295 00:15:26,826 --> 00:15:28,259 [jessica panting] 296 00:15:28,295 --> 00:15:31,095 just looking for snakes, trying not to fall off the edge. 297 00:15:31,131 --> 00:15:33,464 [phil] yeah, watch where you put your hands. 298 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:34,432 [phil sighs in exhaustion] 299 00:15:34,467 --> 00:15:35,900 could be a snake hole anywhere. 300 00:15:38,104 --> 00:15:39,570 [jessica grunts] 301 00:15:39,606 --> 00:15:40,772 [phil] jess, watch your step. 302 00:15:42,475 --> 00:15:43,841 Oh... [bleep] 303 00:15:44,411 --> 00:15:45,476 you got this. 304 00:15:49,749 --> 00:15:51,482 [panting] 305 00:15:52,319 --> 00:15:53,151 [jessica grunts] 306 00:15:59,292 --> 00:16:02,093 well, look around. 307 00:16:02,128 --> 00:16:04,162 We got sky in every direction here. 308 00:16:04,197 --> 00:16:07,532 Well, if nothing else, aliens will see us and say, 309 00:16:07,567 --> 00:16:10,435 "who are those two idiots that got to top of that hill?" 310 00:16:10,470 --> 00:16:12,270 that's us, hey, anything it takes. 311 00:16:14,174 --> 00:16:17,909 With nightfall upon us, I'm attaching a low light lens to one of our cameras, 312 00:16:17,944 --> 00:16:19,944 which will amplify the surrounding lights 313 00:16:19,980 --> 00:16:22,280 and allow us to more easily view objects 314 00:16:22,315 --> 00:16:25,083 that would usually be hidden in darkness. 315 00:16:25,118 --> 00:16:26,918 Jess has brought the flare camera, 316 00:16:26,953 --> 00:16:29,721 which has infrared sensors that can detect heat signatures 317 00:16:29,756 --> 00:16:31,823 from any airborne object. 318 00:16:31,858 --> 00:16:34,292 If there are any craft in the sky tonight, 319 00:16:34,327 --> 00:16:36,060 we're gonna see them. 320 00:16:36,096 --> 00:16:38,763 We got 360 view of this entire area. 321 00:16:38,798 --> 00:16:43,134 Because you have such a good lock on the stars in the sky, 322 00:16:43,169 --> 00:16:47,038 I'll search over here with the flare where the military bases are. 323 00:16:47,073 --> 00:16:48,373 Okay. 324 00:16:48,408 --> 00:16:51,542 There's been a big uptake of sightings from people in this area. 325 00:16:51,578 --> 00:16:55,413 So, just look for anything that seems even slightly out of the ordinary. 326 00:16:55,448 --> 00:16:59,050 -I do think between this camera, and your flare... -Mm-hm. 327 00:16:59,085 --> 00:17:02,553 ...We should hopefully be able to get whatever that something is 328 00:17:02,589 --> 00:17:04,455 on tape, to help identify it. 329 00:17:04,491 --> 00:17:06,290 [jessica] yeah. 330 00:17:06,326 --> 00:17:08,659 [phil] I'll be facing northwest towards socorro, 331 00:17:08,695 --> 00:17:10,928 where lonnie zamora had his encounter. 332 00:17:10,964 --> 00:17:13,164 While jess will scan the southern skies towards 333 00:17:13,199 --> 00:17:16,034 holloman air force base and the white sands missile range. 334 00:17:19,506 --> 00:17:21,873 So right now, I can see... 335 00:17:21,908 --> 00:17:26,144 The milky way, and I'm also seeing some movement. So... 336 00:17:26,179 --> 00:17:29,447 So far anything that's moving and blinking, it's a plane. 337 00:17:29,482 --> 00:17:32,984 Anything that's moving really, really steady in one direction 338 00:17:33,019 --> 00:17:35,219 and not blinking, that's a satellite. 339 00:17:35,255 --> 00:17:37,722 What I'm interested is anything that's moving, 340 00:17:37,757 --> 00:17:39,690 that strays outside of those parameters. 341 00:17:41,594 --> 00:17:44,062 Oh, I just saw some lightning down there. 342 00:17:51,538 --> 00:17:52,637 [jessica] nothing yet. 343 00:17:58,711 --> 00:18:01,145 What the hell is that? 344 00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:04,248 What the [bleep] 345 00:18:04,284 --> 00:18:07,752 it's glowing, it's spinning. 346 00:18:07,787 --> 00:18:09,120 Ryan, you getting this, you getting this? 347 00:18:10,490 --> 00:18:12,523 Jess, right over that. 348 00:18:12,559 --> 00:18:14,125 -[jessica] look at over there! -[phil] oh! 349 00:18:16,663 --> 00:18:17,829 [bleep] 350 00:18:17,864 --> 00:18:20,231 [jessica] why is this not showing up on my flare? 351 00:18:20,266 --> 00:18:22,767 [phil] I got it on tape. You seeing that? 352 00:18:22,802 --> 00:18:24,335 Is it showing up on the flare? 353 00:18:24,370 --> 00:18:26,270 [jessica] no, I can't get it on the flare. 354 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:27,872 Come on. 355 00:18:27,907 --> 00:18:29,974 [phil] holy [bleep]! 356 00:18:30,009 --> 00:18:33,678 Oh, my god. So, it's below cloud level. 357 00:18:33,713 --> 00:18:35,446 Jess, get over here. 358 00:18:35,482 --> 00:18:36,414 [jessica] all right. 359 00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:38,883 Let me see, let me see. 360 00:18:40,253 --> 00:18:42,019 Check that out. 361 00:18:42,055 --> 00:18:44,055 I could not pick that up on my flare. 362 00:18:44,090 --> 00:18:46,657 It is traveling fast. 363 00:18:46,693 --> 00:18:47,825 [phil] really fast. 364 00:18:48,495 --> 00:18:49,961 Oh, that definitely looks... 365 00:18:51,097 --> 00:18:53,097 -...Like a disk. -Oh, my gosh. 366 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:55,299 Holy [bleep], I lost it. 367 00:18:57,770 --> 00:19:00,238 [jessica] the object appeared to accelerate out of frame 368 00:19:00,273 --> 00:19:02,707 and we were unable to locate it after that, 369 00:19:02,742 --> 00:19:07,545 leaving phil and I to try to make sense of what the hell we just saw. 370 00:19:07,580 --> 00:19:12,350 -So, it came from the direction of socorro. -[jessica] uh-huh. 371 00:19:12,385 --> 00:19:14,519 [phil] it pivoted suddenly and started heading towards 372 00:19:14,554 --> 00:19:16,954 white sands and holloman air force base. 373 00:19:16,990 --> 00:19:18,890 [jessica] it didn't have a heat signature. 374 00:19:18,925 --> 00:19:22,260 [phil] so, it's not a plane, 'cause the thermal would've definitely picked up 375 00:19:22,295 --> 00:19:24,195 on the heat coming off it. 376 00:19:24,230 --> 00:19:28,533 The spin is weird. The speed, the height is weird. 377 00:19:28,568 --> 00:19:30,201 I don't know what that is. 378 00:19:30,870 --> 00:19:32,403 We saw a ufo. 379 00:19:32,438 --> 00:19:34,372 An unidentified flying object. 380 00:19:42,215 --> 00:19:46,751 The spin is weird. The speed, the height is weird. 381 00:19:46,786 --> 00:19:48,252 I don't know what that is. 382 00:19:48,721 --> 00:19:50,321 We saw a ufo. 383 00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:52,323 An unidentified flying object. 384 00:19:53,793 --> 00:19:57,195 The shape, speed and rotation of the object we saw tonight, 385 00:19:57,230 --> 00:20:00,665 is similar to the, now famous, video captured by 386 00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:02,533 united states navy f/a 18 pilots. 387 00:20:02,569 --> 00:20:05,903 -[on radio] look at that thing! -It's... 388 00:20:05,939 --> 00:20:09,207 [jessica] for me the similarities between our ufo and the navy's 389 00:20:09,242 --> 00:20:11,242 are impossible to ignore. 390 00:20:11,277 --> 00:20:13,544 But what exactly are these objects? 391 00:20:13,580 --> 00:20:17,114 In the case of the f/a 18 sighting, our own government admits, 392 00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:18,816 they haven't got a clue. 393 00:20:18,851 --> 00:20:22,686 -[on radio] see the disk? -[on radio] my gosh. 394 00:20:22,689 --> 00:20:25,256 [phil] it's not lost on me that lonnie zamora claimed to see 395 00:20:25,291 --> 00:20:29,694 a strange egg-shaped craft touch down just ten miles from this location. 396 00:20:29,729 --> 00:20:33,064 But as I replay in my mind what jess and I experienced tonight, 397 00:20:33,099 --> 00:20:36,234 something happened just before the object appeared. 398 00:20:36,269 --> 00:20:38,436 Lightning lit up the sky. 399 00:20:38,471 --> 00:20:40,805 Oh, I just saw some lightning down there. 400 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,242 I can't help but wonder if that could be a clue to understanding 401 00:20:44,277 --> 00:20:46,277 what is really going on here in new mexico. 402 00:20:54,287 --> 00:20:56,787 Oh! That was... I wasn't prepared for that. 403 00:20:57,890 --> 00:21:01,158 Oh, that is so steep though. Holy [bleep] don't look. 404 00:21:01,194 --> 00:21:02,960 Oh, my gosh, I'm not gonna look. 405 00:21:02,996 --> 00:21:05,229 Why are you taking me up this road? 406 00:21:06,799 --> 00:21:08,232 [phil] oh yeah, get this. 407 00:21:08,268 --> 00:21:13,571 Last year, new mexico had twice the normal rate of lightning strikes. 408 00:21:15,575 --> 00:21:19,977 The same year that new mexico is reporting way more ufo sightings. 409 00:21:20,012 --> 00:21:23,881 And last night, lightning struck right before I saw the object. 410 00:21:23,916 --> 00:21:25,683 Maybe it's all connected. 411 00:21:25,718 --> 00:21:28,286 [jessica] I'll admit that some types of lightning, like ball lightning, 412 00:21:28,321 --> 00:21:32,623 have been used to explain some ufos. But I don't think that's what we saw. 413 00:21:35,461 --> 00:21:38,262 [phil] there happens to be a facility at the top of this hill, 414 00:21:38,298 --> 00:21:43,034 that specializes in rare atmospheric phenomena in new mexico. 415 00:21:43,069 --> 00:21:45,136 Called them up this morning, they're happy to see us. 416 00:21:45,171 --> 00:21:46,971 So, let's see what answers they have. 417 00:21:53,913 --> 00:21:55,446 -[harald] hello. -[jessica] hi. 418 00:21:55,481 --> 00:21:56,347 How are you? 419 00:21:56,382 --> 00:21:57,448 -We're good. -[jessica] good. 420 00:21:57,483 --> 00:21:59,183 -Come on in. The door right there. -Thank you. 421 00:21:59,218 --> 00:22:00,818 [phil] the door that says, "danger, keep out"? 422 00:22:00,853 --> 00:22:02,787 Don't worry about it, that's the one. 423 00:22:02,822 --> 00:22:05,589 [jessica] I'll let you go first. You're welcome. 424 00:22:05,625 --> 00:22:07,825 [phil] I've arranged a meeting with harald edens, 425 00:22:07,860 --> 00:22:11,562 the director of the langmuir laboratory for atmospheric research. 426 00:22:11,597 --> 00:22:13,998 This guy studies lightning for a living. 427 00:22:14,033 --> 00:22:15,599 Yeah, I'm pretty jealous. 428 00:22:18,571 --> 00:22:20,004 Welcome to the top of the world. 429 00:22:24,410 --> 00:22:26,143 [phil] here's why we are here. 430 00:22:26,179 --> 00:22:29,814 One theory I've had about ufo sightings around here, 431 00:22:29,849 --> 00:22:32,083 is it could just be lightning. 432 00:22:32,118 --> 00:22:34,652 Or some kind of atmospheric phenomenon making people think 433 00:22:34,687 --> 00:22:37,355 -they're seeing a flying aircraft, so... -Right. 434 00:22:37,390 --> 00:22:40,124 ...Have you seen examples of lightning that could be confused 435 00:22:40,159 --> 00:22:41,425 with something like ufo? 436 00:22:42,261 --> 00:22:43,728 Yes, I have. Let's go check it out. 437 00:22:45,531 --> 00:22:48,833 [phil] since 1963, scientists here have been studying 438 00:22:48,868 --> 00:22:52,236 and provoking lightning with ingenious technology. 439 00:22:52,271 --> 00:22:54,739 They've used weather balloons, electric cables 440 00:22:54,774 --> 00:22:59,143 and even rockets shot directly into storm clouds. 441 00:22:59,178 --> 00:23:02,913 I feel like this whole building looks like the coolest movie set ever. 442 00:23:02,949 --> 00:23:06,584 It's a time capsule now. Because nowadays, everything can be done by just, 443 00:23:06,619 --> 00:23:07,918 basically computer right here. 444 00:23:09,989 --> 00:23:11,856 [phil] the scientists here have managed to capture 445 00:23:11,891 --> 00:23:14,425 incredible footage of all kinds of lightning, 446 00:23:14,460 --> 00:23:16,927 and extremely rare atmospheric phenomenon. 447 00:23:16,963 --> 00:23:21,064 Which could explain the massive number of ufo sightings in the area. 448 00:23:21,067 --> 00:23:23,033 This is intracloud lightning. 449 00:23:23,069 --> 00:23:24,602 [jessica] whoa. 450 00:23:24,637 --> 00:23:26,070 [harald] so, intracloud lightning is 451 00:23:26,105 --> 00:23:27,638 entirely within the thunderstorm. 452 00:23:27,673 --> 00:23:30,341 It lights up. The people see like a flash of light suddenly, 453 00:23:30,376 --> 00:23:33,844 but you may not know there is lightning storm around. 454 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,847 [phil] another type of rare lightning takes place about 50 miles 455 00:23:36,883 --> 00:23:38,349 above the surface of the earth. 456 00:23:38,384 --> 00:23:39,850 We have something called sprites. 457 00:23:39,886 --> 00:23:41,452 That looks like an alien invasion. 458 00:23:41,487 --> 00:23:44,221 And that does look like straight out of war of the worlds. 459 00:23:44,257 --> 00:23:46,223 [phil] the luminous tendrils in sprite lightning 460 00:23:46,259 --> 00:23:48,659 can spread out for dozens of miles. 461 00:23:48,694 --> 00:23:52,430 Which could easily be misinterpreted as something from another world. 462 00:23:52,465 --> 00:23:54,999 But I am eager to ask dr. Edens his opinion 463 00:23:55,034 --> 00:23:56,767 about a theoretical type of lightning, 464 00:23:56,803 --> 00:24:01,739 that many people believe could be the answer to the majority of ufo reports. 465 00:24:01,774 --> 00:24:05,376 What about ball lightning? First of all, is it even real? 466 00:24:05,411 --> 00:24:08,712 I think the evidence about ball lightning is so overwhelming 467 00:24:08,748 --> 00:24:10,748 that you basically have to admit 468 00:24:10,783 --> 00:24:12,783 so to speak, that ball lightning probably exists. 469 00:24:13,286 --> 00:24:14,885 [thunder rumbling] 470 00:24:14,921 --> 00:24:17,922 [jessica] ball lightning is usually described as glowing orbs of electricity 471 00:24:17,957 --> 00:24:21,826 that have been reported both in the sky and close to the ground. 472 00:24:21,861 --> 00:24:24,962 They appear for a few seconds or even a few minutes. 473 00:24:24,997 --> 00:24:30,000 So, it would be something that would be glowing, in the air. 474 00:24:30,036 --> 00:24:32,403 -Yeah. -Persisting for at least several seconds, 475 00:24:32,438 --> 00:24:34,071 and potentially moving. 476 00:24:34,106 --> 00:24:35,539 It's usually moving. 477 00:24:35,575 --> 00:24:37,708 Based on eyewitness reports. 478 00:24:37,743 --> 00:24:40,344 [phil] the fact that a top atmospheric scientist believes 479 00:24:40,379 --> 00:24:42,780 ball lightning is a real phenomenon, 480 00:24:42,815 --> 00:24:45,816 means it could easily be misidentified as a ufo. 481 00:24:45,852 --> 00:24:48,185 And after seeing unusual forms of lightning 482 00:24:48,221 --> 00:24:51,655 recorded in the same skies where people are reporting ufos, 483 00:24:51,691 --> 00:24:53,724 it could explain a lot of sightings. 484 00:24:53,759 --> 00:24:57,828 But I'll admit, these examples don't match what we saw last night 485 00:24:57,864 --> 00:25:02,333 and whatever lonnie zamora witnessed in 1964. 486 00:25:02,368 --> 00:25:05,769 With questions still looming, we decide to check-in with josh 487 00:25:05,805 --> 00:25:07,104 to update him on our progress. 488 00:25:07,874 --> 00:25:09,240 -Hey, josh. -Hi. 489 00:25:09,275 --> 00:25:10,741 Greetings, earthlings. 490 00:25:10,776 --> 00:25:13,577 How goes the search? Any little green men yet? 491 00:25:13,613 --> 00:25:17,414 No little green men, but man, we have seen some weird stuff. 492 00:25:17,450 --> 00:25:18,749 Really? 493 00:25:18,784 --> 00:25:19,617 -Oh, yeah. -Yeah. 494 00:25:19,652 --> 00:25:22,253 We actually went to the top of a mesa 495 00:25:22,288 --> 00:25:23,988 -and sure enough when we were up there, -yeah. 496 00:25:24,023 --> 00:25:25,523 We saw a weird glowing light. 497 00:25:25,558 --> 00:25:27,758 What the [bleep]! 498 00:25:28,895 --> 00:25:29,960 It was strange. 499 00:25:29,996 --> 00:25:32,429 Wait, phil, did you see a ufo? 500 00:25:32,465 --> 00:25:34,565 Yeah, that's what I'm trying to tell you. 501 00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:36,867 But for me it still keeps coming down to the fact that there is 502 00:25:36,903 --> 00:25:39,336 so much military activity around here. 503 00:25:39,372 --> 00:25:42,339 To your point, phil, there are a lot of things flying around up there. 504 00:25:42,375 --> 00:25:44,341 I wanna play something for you actually. 505 00:25:44,377 --> 00:25:47,711 This is a conversation between two commercial pilots 506 00:25:47,747 --> 00:25:51,682 that was captured fairly recently in the area that you are investigating. 507 00:25:51,717 --> 00:25:52,883 Listen to this. You ready? 508 00:25:52,919 --> 00:25:54,018 -Yeah. -[jessica] mm-hm, yeah. 509 00:26:24,016 --> 00:26:25,215 Whoa. 510 00:26:25,251 --> 00:26:28,285 -Did he just say ufo? -Oh, ufo! 511 00:26:28,921 --> 00:26:30,187 [phil] he really said that. 512 00:26:30,222 --> 00:26:32,389 [josh] yes, this is literally just one account. 513 00:26:32,425 --> 00:26:34,325 There are several of these that've recently happened. 514 00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:36,093 We're talking commercial pilots, 515 00:26:36,128 --> 00:26:40,030 air force personnel, air traffic controllers, all in this area. 516 00:26:40,066 --> 00:26:42,333 They're really credible, and after a lot of work 517 00:26:42,368 --> 00:26:45,169 I have finally convinced one of them to talk with you 518 00:26:45,204 --> 00:26:49,006 about another mass sighting that happened just last week. 519 00:26:51,677 --> 00:26:55,045 [jessica] until now, few have gone on record to talk about this 520 00:26:55,081 --> 00:26:57,414 new ufo sighting over socorro. 521 00:26:57,450 --> 00:27:01,819 But josh managed to track down a woman that works at a nearby military base. 522 00:27:01,854 --> 00:27:03,754 Who not only witnessed the event, 523 00:27:03,789 --> 00:27:05,889 she caught it on camera. 524 00:27:05,925 --> 00:27:11,261 She's agreed to speak with us, but only on the condition that we obscure her identity. 525 00:27:11,297 --> 00:27:14,765 I know that you didn't wanna have your image on camera, 526 00:27:14,834 --> 00:27:18,335 so I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. 527 00:27:18,371 --> 00:27:20,804 -Yeah, definitely. -Can you walk us through the night? 528 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,173 Like, what did you see? 529 00:27:23,209 --> 00:27:26,110 [witness] I was driving home from socorro to magdalena. 530 00:27:26,846 --> 00:27:28,445 I had my kids in the car. 531 00:27:28,481 --> 00:27:31,548 And I started to hear this rattling in my engine. 532 00:27:31,584 --> 00:27:33,584 So I pulled the car over. 533 00:27:33,619 --> 00:27:37,287 And that's when I noticed a single light coming towards us in the sky. 534 00:27:41,327 --> 00:27:45,429 So, I gave my daughter my cellphone and asked her to film it for us. 535 00:27:45,464 --> 00:27:48,232 [jessica] when we pull up the footage that her daughter captured, 536 00:27:48,267 --> 00:27:51,568 you can clearly see an unidentified light. 537 00:27:51,604 --> 00:27:53,637 -Whoa. -[phil] oh. Wow. 538 00:27:53,673 --> 00:27:55,039 Right there. 539 00:27:55,074 --> 00:27:57,374 There's definitely something in the sky. 540 00:27:57,410 --> 00:27:59,743 It's hard to make out exactly what we are seeing, 541 00:27:59,779 --> 00:28:04,248 but a closer look reveals something even stranger. 542 00:28:04,283 --> 00:28:06,784 There is more than one, oh, my god. 543 00:28:12,825 --> 00:28:16,560 [josh] my team is reviewing eyewitness footage captured just last week 544 00:28:16,595 --> 00:28:19,830 of unexplained lights in the socorro night sky, 545 00:28:19,865 --> 00:28:22,666 by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous. 546 00:28:22,702 --> 00:28:26,003 [jessica] there is more than one, oh, my god. 547 00:28:26,038 --> 00:28:28,772 [witness] you could see it was actually multiple lights. 548 00:28:28,808 --> 00:28:30,841 [jessica] oh, my gosh. Look at that. 549 00:28:30,876 --> 00:28:33,143 -I do see multiple lights. -Yeah, me too. 550 00:28:33,179 --> 00:28:35,045 You can see there is what, three, four different lights. 551 00:28:35,081 --> 00:28:36,547 [jessica] yeah, like a whole line of them. 552 00:28:38,617 --> 00:28:39,583 Interesting. 553 00:28:39,618 --> 00:28:41,885 So you don't think you saw just a single ufo, 554 00:28:41,921 --> 00:28:44,188 you think you saw, what, a formation of them? 555 00:28:44,223 --> 00:28:47,024 It seemed kind of like the fleet of craft. 556 00:28:47,059 --> 00:28:49,393 Which direction did you see those lights? 557 00:28:49,428 --> 00:28:51,528 I saw the lights to the southeast, 558 00:28:51,564 --> 00:28:54,231 hovering right around south baldy peak. 559 00:28:54,266 --> 00:28:58,769 Heard stories about ufos, and aliens but I've always been skeptic. 560 00:28:58,804 --> 00:29:02,673 After this, I don't know what to think. 561 00:29:02,708 --> 00:29:06,043 [jessica] according to our eyewitness, the strange fleet of craft 562 00:29:06,078 --> 00:29:08,178 were flying over south baldy peak, 563 00:29:08,214 --> 00:29:12,282 just east of socorro, and the legendary zamora landing site. 564 00:29:12,318 --> 00:29:15,953 So, we're heading over 10,000 feet into the magdalena mountains 565 00:29:15,988 --> 00:29:18,288 and thank god there is a road. 566 00:29:18,324 --> 00:29:20,858 -[phil] that is really high. -[jessica] that is like... 567 00:29:20,893 --> 00:29:22,693 -Keeping my eyes on the road. Okay. -[phil] you got this. 568 00:29:22,728 --> 00:29:23,794 [jessica] I got it. 569 00:29:23,829 --> 00:29:26,363 This position also offers a direct line of sight 570 00:29:26,398 --> 00:29:27,965 towards white sands missile range, 571 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,168 and holloman air force base to the southeast. 572 00:29:31,203 --> 00:29:34,438 With no lightning in the forecast, there will be no mistaking 573 00:29:34,473 --> 00:29:37,174 anything we see as atmospheric phenomenon. 574 00:29:37,209 --> 00:29:41,879 And tonight, I'll be deploying a brand new technique to hunt for ufos. 575 00:29:41,914 --> 00:29:44,214 And it's gonna blow phil's mind. 576 00:29:44,250 --> 00:29:46,383 [phil] what is this? 577 00:29:46,418 --> 00:29:47,951 [jessica] I'll show you. 578 00:29:47,987 --> 00:29:49,887 Three, two, one. 579 00:29:54,894 --> 00:29:56,126 [phil] what? 580 00:29:56,162 --> 00:29:58,061 [jessica] right? 581 00:29:58,097 --> 00:30:01,832 So, one of the theories running around the ufo circles right now 582 00:30:01,867 --> 00:30:04,368 is that aliens are attracted to anything 583 00:30:04,403 --> 00:30:06,336 that has a lot of lights and lasers. 584 00:30:06,372 --> 00:30:08,305 So, I figured we'd bring this out here, 585 00:30:08,340 --> 00:30:10,541 we're out in the middle of nowhere 586 00:30:10,576 --> 00:30:12,609 and try and lure some ufos in. 587 00:30:12,645 --> 00:30:16,313 So, they're like, space cats in the sky following laser pointers? 588 00:30:16,348 --> 00:30:17,915 Pretty much. 589 00:30:17,950 --> 00:30:22,186 It may sound far-fetched, but a few years ago, an astrophysicist at mit 590 00:30:22,221 --> 00:30:25,389 proposed shooting a high powered laser into deep space 591 00:30:25,424 --> 00:30:28,158 to attract extraterrestrials to earth. 592 00:30:28,194 --> 00:30:30,761 They have yet to put the plan into action, 593 00:30:30,796 --> 00:30:33,063 so allow me to make some history. 594 00:30:33,098 --> 00:30:35,666 Now, while my setup won't beam into deep space, 595 00:30:35,701 --> 00:30:38,802 it is reaching the outer edges of our atmosphere. 596 00:30:38,838 --> 00:30:41,638 So, if any visitors to earth are in the neighborhood, 597 00:30:41,674 --> 00:30:44,741 maybe this will get their attention. 598 00:30:44,777 --> 00:30:48,645 You know, the other night, when we filmed what we filmed in the sky, I realized that, 599 00:30:48,681 --> 00:30:51,148 that low light ir camera didn't quite have 600 00:30:51,183 --> 00:30:53,050 the resolution I was looking for. 601 00:30:53,085 --> 00:30:54,918 This is the pvs 14. 602 00:30:54,954 --> 00:30:58,322 This is essentially military-grade night vision technology. 603 00:30:58,357 --> 00:31:01,491 This thing is gonna let us see absolutely everything out there. 604 00:31:01,527 --> 00:31:02,960 Well, I'm gonna head out with my night vision. 605 00:31:02,995 --> 00:31:04,995 Are you just gonna sit here and stare at your lasers? 606 00:31:05,030 --> 00:31:08,699 As much as I would like to hang out here and sing pink floyd to myself, 607 00:31:08,734 --> 00:31:12,236 you know a lot of people say that when they see these ufos, 608 00:31:12,271 --> 00:31:14,805 that there is not any sound that they can hear. 609 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:17,507 But maybe it's just because the sound they do emit 610 00:31:17,543 --> 00:31:19,943 is just too faint for the human ear to pick up. 611 00:31:19,979 --> 00:31:22,179 So, I figured I'd bring the parabolic mic, 612 00:31:22,214 --> 00:31:25,816 you can be the eyes, I'll be the ears, lasers will be the lure, 613 00:31:25,851 --> 00:31:28,385 and any sound that I pick up, I can record, 614 00:31:28,420 --> 00:31:31,288 and we can go back and listen and analyze it later. 615 00:31:31,323 --> 00:31:33,023 All right. Sounds like a plan. 616 00:31:42,067 --> 00:31:45,769 All right. This thing can see anything out here in the dark. 617 00:31:45,804 --> 00:31:49,106 This military-grade scope can amplify any surrounding light 618 00:31:49,141 --> 00:31:52,209 more than any night vision device in the world. 619 00:31:52,244 --> 00:31:55,279 But there's one problem, is that it can't record. 620 00:31:55,314 --> 00:31:59,850 So that's why we 3d printed this. 621 00:31:59,885 --> 00:32:03,987 A mount for the scope that attaches to a smartphone 622 00:32:04,023 --> 00:32:06,390 that we can record on, so we'll get my evidence. 623 00:32:10,729 --> 00:32:12,930 Look at that. There's just lasers. 624 00:32:16,068 --> 00:32:19,503 I don't know if anybody's ever tried to actually record 625 00:32:19,538 --> 00:32:23,140 a ufo sound with something like this. 626 00:32:24,543 --> 00:32:25,976 Maybe we'll get lucky. 627 00:32:37,122 --> 00:32:39,156 Wait, I'm getting something. 628 00:32:39,191 --> 00:32:40,424 [low hum] 629 00:32:43,429 --> 00:32:45,562 so, I'm kinda picking up 630 00:32:45,597 --> 00:32:48,999 a persistent hum in this direction. 631 00:32:49,034 --> 00:32:50,167 A low hum. 632 00:32:54,340 --> 00:32:55,439 There, right there. 633 00:32:57,609 --> 00:32:59,076 What the [bleep] 634 00:33:04,550 --> 00:33:05,415 phil, are you there? 635 00:33:06,418 --> 00:33:08,118 [phil] yeah, I'm here, how's it going? 636 00:33:08,153 --> 00:33:10,420 -[pager beeping] -I keep hearing things. 637 00:33:10,456 --> 00:33:12,689 [phil] um, what are you hearing? 638 00:33:12,725 --> 00:33:15,959 [jessica] I don't know what it is. It's kind of like this low hum. 639 00:33:15,995 --> 00:33:19,129 Are you seeing anything or hearing anything on your end? 640 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:21,932 [phil] I'm hearing nothing on my end. 641 00:33:21,967 --> 00:33:24,034 It is completely silent out here. 642 00:33:24,069 --> 00:33:26,136 Okay, I'll let you know if I hear anything else. 643 00:33:31,076 --> 00:33:33,176 [jessica] after an hour of scanning the skies, 644 00:33:33,212 --> 00:33:36,546 we're definitely not getting lucky. 645 00:33:36,582 --> 00:33:37,748 And then... 646 00:33:39,118 --> 00:33:39,850 Wait. 647 00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:41,451 It's back. 648 00:33:41,487 --> 00:33:42,819 That hum is back. 649 00:33:42,855 --> 00:33:44,087 [low hum] 650 00:33:44,123 --> 00:33:46,189 [phil] whoa, whoa, whoa, do you see that? Do you see that? 651 00:33:46,859 --> 00:33:48,625 What the hell is that? 652 00:33:48,660 --> 00:33:50,027 It's traveling south. 653 00:33:51,797 --> 00:33:53,263 It's hard to keep focus on it. 654 00:33:55,134 --> 00:33:57,434 It's starting to disappear behind the clouds. 655 00:34:01,173 --> 00:34:02,406 Jess, you there? Are you there? 656 00:34:02,441 --> 00:34:04,908 -[jessica] I'm here. -I saw something. 657 00:34:04,943 --> 00:34:06,610 [phil] I don't know what that was. 658 00:34:06,645 --> 00:34:09,980 It wasn't flashing like a plane and I don't think it was a satellite. 659 00:34:10,015 --> 00:34:13,283 We've been seeing some weird stuff out here, so who knows. 660 00:34:13,318 --> 00:34:15,318 [jessica] do you still have eyes on it? 661 00:34:15,354 --> 00:34:19,222 [phil] no, I lost it. It was heading south, towards white sands. 662 00:34:23,462 --> 00:34:25,662 [jessica] I continue listening for any strange sounds, 663 00:34:25,697 --> 00:34:29,266 while phil keeps scanning the stars with the military-grade scope. 664 00:34:33,872 --> 00:34:38,442 But after scouring the sky for hours, there is nothing else to report. 665 00:34:39,812 --> 00:34:42,379 [phil] I'm shocked that jess and I managed to record 666 00:34:42,414 --> 00:34:47,017 not one but two unidentified flying objects in a single week out here. 667 00:34:47,052 --> 00:34:49,920 Both were travelling in the same direction, south, 668 00:34:49,955 --> 00:34:51,721 towards white sands missile range. 669 00:34:54,226 --> 00:34:56,693 So, as a new day dawns, we work the phones 670 00:34:56,728 --> 00:35:00,831 to try to gain access to this highly secured military base. 671 00:35:00,866 --> 00:35:05,936 Unfortunately, our request for information have so far, been denied. 672 00:35:05,971 --> 00:35:09,306 [jessica] yeah, real shocker there. But here's the good news. 673 00:35:09,341 --> 00:35:13,076 We located a fellow investigator who has uncovered a new link 674 00:35:13,112 --> 00:35:15,045 between the white sands missile range 675 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:18,415 and the 1964 lonnie zamora incident. 676 00:35:18,450 --> 00:35:21,685 And he has a paper trail to prove it. 677 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:22,919 -Hi. -Hey, dave. 678 00:35:22,955 --> 00:35:24,754 Glad we could finally track you down. 679 00:35:24,790 --> 00:35:26,556 Nice to talk to you. 680 00:35:26,592 --> 00:35:29,092 [phil] dave thomas is a scientist, mathematician, 681 00:35:29,128 --> 00:35:31,128 and president of the investigative group, 682 00:35:31,163 --> 00:35:33,630 new mexicans for science and reason. 683 00:35:33,665 --> 00:35:36,500 And after tireless research and study, he believes 684 00:35:36,535 --> 00:35:38,935 he's finally cracked the zamora case. 685 00:35:38,971 --> 00:35:41,438 So, you have great new evidence on the socorro incident, 686 00:35:41,473 --> 00:35:43,140 do you mind sharing that with us? 687 00:35:43,175 --> 00:35:46,476 I think the best explanation is probably is this. 688 00:35:52,584 --> 00:35:56,353 It sounds extraordinary that ufos visited socorro, new mexico, 689 00:35:56,388 --> 00:35:58,622 to keep tabs on our nuclear arsenal. 690 00:35:58,657 --> 00:36:00,924 Unless, of course, it's happened before 691 00:36:00,959 --> 00:36:04,127 and many claim it did, across the pond. 692 00:36:04,163 --> 00:36:08,465 It's called the rendlesham forest incident dubbed britain's roswell. 693 00:36:08,500 --> 00:36:13,904 In 1980, military personnel claimed to spot ufos near raf bentwaters, 694 00:36:13,939 --> 00:36:16,506 an airbase in England that was being used at the time 695 00:36:16,542 --> 00:36:18,041 by the u.S. Air force. 696 00:36:18,076 --> 00:36:20,610 I've personally investigated this story and met with 697 00:36:20,646 --> 00:36:22,579 former deputy commander of the base, 698 00:36:22,614 --> 00:36:24,514 lieutenant colonel charles holt. 699 00:36:24,550 --> 00:36:26,416 [man 1] there it is, I see it too. 700 00:36:26,451 --> 00:36:27,450 [man 2] what is it? 701 00:36:27,486 --> 00:36:29,085 [man 1] we don't know, sir. 702 00:36:29,121 --> 00:36:32,722 [josh] colonel holt claimed that an unidentified craft shot a beam of light 703 00:36:32,758 --> 00:36:35,392 into the base's weapon storage facility, 704 00:36:35,427 --> 00:36:38,728 which had long been rumored to house nuclear weapons. 705 00:36:38,764 --> 00:36:41,932 If an alien craft really did visit that base, 706 00:36:41,967 --> 00:36:43,767 maybe now, we know why. 707 00:36:48,707 --> 00:36:52,142 [josh] jess and phil have been investigating unidentified objects 708 00:36:52,177 --> 00:36:55,011 that have been reported over socorro, new mexico 709 00:36:55,047 --> 00:37:01,585 since officer lonnie zamora claimed to have encountered an alien craft in 1964. 710 00:37:01,620 --> 00:37:05,422 And scientist dave thomas might have just discovered hard evidence, 711 00:37:05,457 --> 00:37:10,393 that can finally explain one of the most iconic events in ufo history. 712 00:37:10,429 --> 00:37:14,497 I think that explanation, probably is this. 713 00:37:14,533 --> 00:37:16,566 -Oh, that is interesting. -Oh, wow. 714 00:37:16,602 --> 00:37:21,238 The white sands missile range was testing the lunar surveyor, 715 00:37:21,273 --> 00:37:23,907 on April 24th, 1964. 716 00:37:23,942 --> 00:37:26,176 And we have logs from the range. 717 00:37:27,746 --> 00:37:30,447 [phil] April 24th, 1964, 718 00:37:30,482 --> 00:37:33,750 the very same day, lonnie zamora had his encounter. 719 00:37:33,785 --> 00:37:37,220 And according to the test logs from the white sands missile range, 720 00:37:37,256 --> 00:37:41,791 it's the same day they were testing this highly secretive lunar surveyor. 721 00:37:41,827 --> 00:37:45,061 Keep in mind, this was at the height of the space race. 722 00:37:45,097 --> 00:37:49,699 And five full years before neil armstrong and buzz aldrin landed on the moon. 723 00:37:49,735 --> 00:37:52,602 The surveyor had three landing pods, 724 00:37:52,638 --> 00:37:55,105 and then it had four rocket engines. 725 00:37:55,140 --> 00:37:59,509 And yeah, would have been one of the strangest gadgets you can imagine. 726 00:37:59,544 --> 00:38:03,179 One of the things that lonnie mentioned seeing when you came across the ufo, 727 00:38:03,215 --> 00:38:07,083 was the fact that it had this blue flame shooting up from underneath it 728 00:38:07,119 --> 00:38:09,653 which scorched the earth around it. What could that have been? 729 00:38:09,688 --> 00:38:13,390 I think what they were testing is, there's these rockets, 730 00:38:13,425 --> 00:38:15,258 they were on the bottom of the craft. 731 00:38:15,294 --> 00:38:18,028 Lonnie zamora did see something strange, 732 00:38:18,063 --> 00:38:20,830 but we think it's probably from white sands, 733 00:38:20,866 --> 00:38:22,732 not from outer space. 734 00:38:22,768 --> 00:38:25,735 Is there anything else about zamora's description that you think 735 00:38:25,771 --> 00:38:28,305 matches up to this lunar lander? 736 00:38:28,340 --> 00:38:30,940 The two guys in the coveralls could have been... 737 00:38:32,577 --> 00:38:34,244 ...The people in the helicopter. 738 00:38:34,813 --> 00:38:36,513 That is interesting. 739 00:38:36,548 --> 00:38:40,083 Since gravity on the moon is six times less than that on the earth, 740 00:38:40,118 --> 00:38:42,218 the surveyor was suspended from a helicopter 741 00:38:42,254 --> 00:38:44,921 to mimic the conditions of a lunar landing. 742 00:38:44,956 --> 00:38:48,224 And that helicopter was piloted by two people. 743 00:38:48,260 --> 00:38:51,761 The same number of beings that officer zamora described. 744 00:38:51,797 --> 00:38:56,433 Dave also has an explanation for one of the landing's most puzzling details, 745 00:38:56,468 --> 00:39:00,437 the strange symbol that officer zamora reported adorning the craft. 746 00:39:00,472 --> 00:39:05,008 Lonnie zamora actually said he saw some sort of symbol on the side of the craft. 747 00:39:05,043 --> 00:39:05,875 The logo... 748 00:39:07,012 --> 00:39:10,613 ...That lonnie saw, may have been... 749 00:39:11,917 --> 00:39:15,051 ...From, uh, hughes aircraft company. 750 00:39:15,087 --> 00:39:17,387 [phil] the hughes aircraft company actually built 751 00:39:17,422 --> 00:39:20,023 the first lunar surveyor for nasa. 752 00:39:20,058 --> 00:39:24,127 And that actually matches up to a known company at the time? 753 00:39:24,162 --> 00:39:27,163 Pretty close to what's on howard hughes's business card. 754 00:39:28,066 --> 00:39:30,433 Man, that's a pretty good match. 755 00:39:30,469 --> 00:39:31,935 [phil] yeah, I can see it. 756 00:39:31,970 --> 00:39:35,105 While not an exact match, you can definitely see the similarities, 757 00:39:35,140 --> 00:39:38,708 considering lonnie zamora sketched the symbol he saw from memory. 758 00:39:38,744 --> 00:39:43,179 How come project bluebook didn't know white sands was launching, 759 00:39:43,215 --> 00:39:45,248 you know, test equipment that day? 760 00:39:45,283 --> 00:39:49,652 You know, when you work on a classified facility like white sands missile range, 761 00:39:49,688 --> 00:39:53,656 they have compartmentalization and need-to-know. 762 00:39:53,692 --> 00:39:57,160 So, the government might have been keeping secrets from itself, essentially? 763 00:39:57,195 --> 00:39:58,428 Uh, it does it every day. 764 00:39:59,564 --> 00:40:01,965 -Thank you, dave. -Thank you, dave. 765 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,134 All right, what do you think? 766 00:40:04,169 --> 00:40:08,171 Well, this socorro thing, completely unexplainable. 767 00:40:08,206 --> 00:40:11,674 -Mm-hm. -And bizarre. And then we talked to dave. 768 00:40:12,210 --> 00:40:14,277 I have to say, 769 00:40:14,312 --> 00:40:16,613 what dave is bringing to the table, 770 00:40:17,616 --> 00:40:20,083 -is tough to ignore. -It makes so much sense. 771 00:40:20,118 --> 00:40:24,220 He actually has solid proof that white sands military base 772 00:40:24,256 --> 00:40:28,825 had scheduled that lunar test that same day. 773 00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:32,662 But it still doesn't explain away all ufo sightings. 774 00:40:34,433 --> 00:40:37,233 [josh] based on this new revelation, the lonnie zamora incident 775 00:40:37,269 --> 00:40:42,105 is most likely explained by top-secret testing of a lunar surveyor. 776 00:40:42,140 --> 00:40:45,375 But, as jess points out, this does not discount 777 00:40:45,410 --> 00:40:47,744 every strange sighting over socorro. 778 00:40:47,779 --> 00:40:51,781 And, there may be more to this story, than meets the eye. 779 00:40:51,817 --> 00:40:53,983 After further analysis and enhancement of 780 00:40:54,019 --> 00:40:56,719 the mysterious object captured above the mesa... 781 00:40:57,155 --> 00:40:58,521 What is this? 782 00:40:58,557 --> 00:41:00,590 [jessica] oh, look at it spin. 783 00:41:00,625 --> 00:41:05,495 ...And after isolating the strange sounds collected on the parabolic microphone, 784 00:41:05,530 --> 00:41:09,766 both pieces of evidence remain unidentified. 785 00:41:09,801 --> 00:41:14,037 There's little doubt that life exists beyond earth somewhere in the universe, 786 00:41:14,072 --> 00:41:16,606 as for those who insist they witnessed aliens 787 00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:18,842 flying over the skies of socorro, 788 00:41:18,877 --> 00:41:20,677 that remains to be proven. 789 00:41:21,413 --> 00:41:23,613 So, keep looking skyward, 790 00:41:23,615 --> 00:41:26,149 because the truth really is, out there. 791 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:31,287 For more information on expedition x, 792 00:41:31,323 --> 00:41:34,424 head to discovery.Com/expeditionx