1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Looks like a row of lights. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,000 Tonight, the hunt for extraterrestrials continues. 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,000 When kids all draw similar things, 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,000 that's quite scary. 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,000 I come face-to-face with the victims 6 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 of a traumatic close encounter. 7 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Sometimes you just need to be brave enough to say that 8 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,000 you saw aliens. 9 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,000 In Great Britain, I get special access 10 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,000 to the site of Europe's most notorious UFO case. 11 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,000 It's coming this way. 12 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 It is definitely coming this way. 13 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 And hear a high-ranking witness's story. 14 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,000 I'm thinking to myself, this is probably the end of my career. 15 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,000 Nobody's gonna believe this. 16 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Then, I conduct an experiment 17 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 to capture extraterrestrial life at the edge of space. 18 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 Look at that! 19 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,000 But will our evidence survive the trip? 20 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,000 There it is! 21 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,000 There it is right there! 22 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,000 My name is Josh Gates. 23 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 I've traveled to more than 100 countries 24 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,000 exploring age-old legends. 25 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Oh, wow! 26 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Look at this! 27 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,000 And now, I'm tackling mankind's greatest question. 28 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Are we alone in the universe? 29 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Join me on a global quest for answers. 30 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:18,000 There she goes! 31 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,000 And an investigation that is out of this world. 32 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,000 Oh, right there! 33 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 This is Expedition Unknown, 34 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,000 Hunt for Extraterrestrials. 35 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,000 The search for extraterrestrial life. 36 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,000 For the first time in human history, 37 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,000 the answer to the question of whether we're alone in the universe 38 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,000 may be within reach. 39 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,000 I'm focusing on the biggest, newest, 40 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 and most compelling evidence on or beyond Earth. 41 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,000 I began my search at NASA in Houston, 42 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,000 where the next generation of telescopes and rovers 43 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 are being ready to hunt for life beyond the stars. 44 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,000 This is officially the coolest 4x4 I've ever been in. 45 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 I guess it's not a 4x4, it's more like a 12x12. 46 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,000 And I learned that the astronauts living and working in space 47 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,000 are confident we're not alone. 48 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,000 I think just by sheer number, there has to be life out there. 49 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,000 In Chile, I came face-to-face with telescopes 50 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000 detecting exoplanets that may well be able to support life. 51 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,000 This is for sure the single most complex piece of equipment 52 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:25,000 I have ever seen. 53 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,000 And in the Atacama Desert, I had my own UFO encounter. 54 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,000 Oh, I got a light. I got a light. 55 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Guys, come here. Seriously, bring the camera. Come here. 56 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000 Going that way, going that way. 57 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Going that way. 58 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,000 And then it's gone. 59 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000 I don't know what that was. 60 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,000 I do not have an explanation for that. 61 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,000 On remote Easter Island, 62 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,000 I explored the controversial belief in ancient aliens. 63 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000 Oh, my God. Look at these. 64 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,000 That does look so not a dessert. 65 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,000 And now, I'm in Africa on a scientific odyssey 66 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,000 with geologist Dr. Sherrod Master. 67 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,000 You know where you're going? 68 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Yes. I hope so. 69 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,000 Because I certainly don't. 70 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 He's in Zimbabwe hunting for fragments of a meteorite 71 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,000 at a recent impact site that has never been investigated. 72 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 We are the first people to actually get out there 73 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,000 to have a look at what happened. 74 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,000 Cool. 75 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,000 It is believed that meteorites could contain 76 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,000 fossilized remains of microbial matter. 77 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:26,000 If that can be proved, 78 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,000 then life definitely exists beyond Earth. 79 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,000 Every meteorite matters. 80 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,000 The information that they have is absolutely precious. 81 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 It is believed to have landed 82 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000 near the isolated village of Enkaye. 83 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,000 You saw it land? 84 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:40,000 Yeah. 85 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,000 It looked like fire in the sky. 86 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,000 The meteorite itself was stolen from a riverbed near the village, 87 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000 so we're on the hunt for samples that could have broken off at impact. 88 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,000 It's likely that if there were any other fragments of this meteorite, 89 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,000 there was spread out in an ellipse. 90 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,000 So we should focus our search kind of starting here 91 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:58,000 and moving back this way. 92 00:03:58,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Yes, that's right. 93 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,000 Since any meteorite is certain to contain iron ore, 94 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,000 Dr. Master and our team are scanning the impact zone 95 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,000 with metal detectors, 96 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,000 and it looks like we may have found something. 97 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Doc, I got a hit over here. 98 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,000 Let's have a look. 99 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:19,000 This whole area has gone crazy. 100 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,000 The biggest hit we've had all day for sure. 101 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:24,000 What is this? 102 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,000 What is it? 103 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,000 Oh my God. 104 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Wow. 105 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:30,000 It's got that dark crust, 106 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,000 and it looks very smoothed out. 107 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,000 What is it? 108 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,000 It could be a piece of meteorite. 109 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:36,000 It could be. 110 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 We would have to have it tested. 111 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,000 Yeah, I think so. 112 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,000 This could be a part of the meteorite figure. 113 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:41,000 It could be. 114 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 I mean, it's certainly giving off a really, really strong iron hit. 115 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,000 That's good. 116 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,000 That's good. 117 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000 The sample will need to be sent to a lab, 118 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,000 split open, and examined under an electron microscope. 119 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:56,000 It's a kind of incredible notion to think that this might have come from out there. 120 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:57,000 Absolutely, yes. 121 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 We're holding a tiny piece of an alien world right now. 122 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,000 Great work. 123 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:02,000 Yeah, okay. 124 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:03,000 This is awesome. 125 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,000 Yeah, that's awesome. 126 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Let's get it to the lab and see what it is. 127 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Yeah, yeah. 128 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,000 The lab is able to confirm what we hoped. 129 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:16,000 The iron-rich rock we've discovered is, in fact, part of the meteorite. 130 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,000 The initial tests, however, do not reveal signs of organic particles. 131 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,000 But as Dr. Sharad points out, every meteorite is important, hunt down enough of them, 132 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,000 and scientists may find the smoking gun for alien life. 133 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Dr. Master isn't the only person in Zimbabwe convinced that extraterrestrial life has visited here. 134 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:49,000 From the fields of Ankaye, I get back into the 4x4 and drive to Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare. 135 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,000 My next stop is to meet with an expert named James Fox. 136 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:03,000 James has been investigating UFO encounters for decades, and he's here in Zimbabwe investigating 137 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 one of the largest mass sightings in the history of the world. 138 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:17,000 On September 16, 1994, a mysterious craft was spotted landing near the grounds of the Aerial Elementary School outside of Harare. 139 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:25,000 What makes this case so sensational, though, is that it wasn't just seen by one person, but by merely 100 students. 140 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,000 There's the man. 141 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,000 Hey, hey! James, what's up, man? 142 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Hey! So glad you made it! 143 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,000 Are you two in? 144 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,000 Nice to meet you in person. 145 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Nice to meet you. Come on in. 146 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:35,000 Let me jump in. 147 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:45,000 In doing research on this topic, the story of this aerial school grabbed me, and I'm really curious to hear your take on it. 148 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Well, this is a close encounter of the third kind, where witnesses claim to see the actual occupants, the beings, 149 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,000 which takes it into a whole other category. 150 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:04,000 But because of the sheer volume of eyewitness testimony, I can definitively say this is the most compelling close encounter of the third kind in modern history, period. 151 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 I cannot wait to check this out. 152 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:17,000 James has gotten in touch with several of the former students who witnessed the UFO, many of whom are telling their stories to investigators for the first time. 153 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,000 We arrive at the school near the capital and head inside. 154 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:26,000 Hi, Judy. 155 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,000 Hi. 156 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,000 I'm James. 157 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Hi, I'm Judy. 158 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:30,000 And this is Josh. 159 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:31,000 Hello. 160 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:32,000 Nice to meet you. 161 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,000 It's good to meet you. 162 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:38,000 Judy Bates worked at the school as a teacher on the day of the UFO sighting, and is now headmistress. 163 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Well, it won't take up too much of your time. 164 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:47,000 So on the day that this event happened at the school, what I understand is that the teachers were in some sort of a meeting. 165 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Is that right? 166 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000 And so how did you first become aware that some kind of event had happened? 167 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Noise outside. 168 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:59,000 You can always tell in a playground, school playground, when there's an unusual level of noise. 169 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,000 Did it get louder or quieter? 170 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Yes, louder. 171 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Got louder. 172 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,000 More excitable. 173 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,000 The students were in a panic. 174 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Many were crying and inconsolable. 175 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Clearly something had taken place. 176 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,000 The headmaster asked them to draw what they had seen. 177 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Those drawings, the freshest depictions of that day, are still here in the archives. 178 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,000 This looks like a spaceship to me with light. 179 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:23,000 Sure. 180 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 A ring around the craft. 181 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,000 Look at this. 182 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 This is a, looks like a landing ramp. 183 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:35,000 I think it's interesting to me, it's consistent across all of these, it's always framed by these trees. 184 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,000 That you have this thing in between these trees. 185 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,000 Mm-hmm. 186 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:43,000 As we go through the binder, it's quickly apparent that the drawings share eerie similarities. 187 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:48,000 The craft is always long and has numerous bright lights near the bottom. 188 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,000 Something. 189 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Oh, look at that. 190 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000 So classic saucer just emits the trees. 191 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:58,000 And again, this row of light seems to be consistent every time. 192 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,000 And look at that, there's the creature. 193 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,000 You look like a dark creature. 194 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,000 So I can have big eyes. 195 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,000 See what I think? 196 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,000 Row of lights. 197 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,000 And are these kids that were all in the same classroom? 198 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,000 No, absolutely not. 199 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,000 They would have been ranged from grade one to grade seven. 200 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,000 And they're all drawing the same stuff? 201 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:16,000 Yeah. 202 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Look when kids from different age groups are in different classrooms and they all draw similar things. 203 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,000 That's quite, quite scary. 204 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,000 What would you say to a skeptic who said, oh, there's no way this happened? 205 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,000 You're always going to get people like that, aren't you? 206 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,000 And then if it happened to them, how would they behave? 207 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:34,000 Yeah. 208 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Right. 209 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:40,000 We surely can't think that there isn't anything else out there. 210 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:45,000 James and I step out and go towards the classroom where the eyewitnesses have been assembled. 211 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 But I've been advised to tread carefully. 212 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,000 OK, so what's the move here? 213 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000 This was a fairly traumatic experience. 214 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,000 They're willing to meet with us, but I don't know exactly what. 215 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:54,000 They're comfortable revealing. 216 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,000 Right. 217 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,000 So we're just going to cross our fingers and hope for the best. 218 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,000 OK. 219 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:18,000 I'm continuing my quest for evidence of extraterrestrial life at the Ariel School in Zimbabwe, the location of one of the largest mass UFO sightings in recorded history. 220 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:19,000 Hello. 221 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Researcher James Fox has arranged for us to interview six of the eyewitnesses to the event, many speaking out for the very first time. 222 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 Take us back to the 16th of September, 1994. 223 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,000 So we were all out on the playground, all ages, right? All grades. 224 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,000 I remember a sort of silence. 225 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,000 And kids like pointing and saying, you know, what's that? What's that? What's that? 226 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:54,000 What I remember is actually three orbs surrounding the main craft. 227 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:55,000 Right. 228 00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:04,000 And these orbs of light just before it lands kind of don't often different directions before it lands in a rock back in the bushes there. 229 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:12,000 I remember walking towards the silver shape with like lights underneath, right? 230 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:17,000 And I really wanted to get a closer look. I was really like, you know, what is this? 231 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,000 And I remember some kids starting to cry. 232 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 Can you describe what the craft looked like? 233 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Silver with like slanted sides and flat top and flat bottom and then those lights that would go on and off. 234 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:39,000 The descriptions of the alien craft all match the drawings we saw earlier, as well as the accounts of the nearly 70 other students. 235 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,000 But this encounter was more than just a UFO. 236 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:52,000 Then I remember seeing like a small little humanoid. 237 00:11:52,000 --> 00:12:01,000 A humanoid? I don't know if I'm going to call it a humanoid or a human. Short arms, short legs, sort of a pair on the top part of the saucer. 238 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,000 And that's when I distinctly remember being really scared. 239 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 What did this creature look like? 240 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,000 Not tall at all. 241 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Did you see the eyes? 242 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:22,000 The eyes are a dark but with a shiny, like long slanted type of eyes. 243 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:23,000 Can you show me with your hands? 244 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:27,000 Sort of like that. That angle, yeah. 245 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Okay, so you see this saucer, this being. How long does this go on for? Is it instant or does it stay there for a while? 246 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,000 It was an instant. 247 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:46,000 It's difficult to judge time, but I think we were out there for a good 20 minutes maybe. 248 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,000 20 minutes? 249 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,000 Yeah. 250 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:54,000 It's almost like everything kind of just pauses for a minute and there's so much happening, but it felt like for a minute. 251 00:12:54,000 --> 00:13:00,000 James believes that the distortion of time they're describing is a frequent occurrence during close encounters. 252 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:05,000 Blank spots in memory and segments of lost time are often reported. And how did it end? 253 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,000 Did it take off? Did it disappear? 254 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,000 Did anybody see it move or move again? 255 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:16,000 I remember teachers running down and I remember hearing voices like, take the kids, you know, take the kids. 256 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:24,000 So I remember just, I went to those kids that were crying and I was like, come let's go, let's go. 257 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:33,000 I don't actually remember looking back and checking to see if, you know, because now there was real sort of, let's go, let's get out of here, you know, let's take the kids to their classes. 258 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:41,000 What was the overall sentiment of the teachers, the adults of this case? 259 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,000 I just remember us being called into an assembly, saying that we were all lying. 260 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:58,000 But I don't know if that was just to try and keep us from crying and being upset and everything to what we'd seen. 261 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,000 But I just remember there was a lot of trouble. 262 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:08,000 You're in trouble. They just wanted to kind of say this didn't happen. 263 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,000 Yeah. 264 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000 You know, I think they put it down to just kids in the imaginations. 265 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:18,000 I just, I do remember going back to our classroom, there being a lot of, kind of, you know, everyone wasn't sure what to do. 266 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 There was a bit of panic, a bit of confusion. 267 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:25,000 And I do remember our teachers just trying to, you know, talk to us and kind of calm us down a bit. 268 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:34,000 The idea of a conspiracy involving 70 plus children agreeing on a single version of a detailed event is hard to reconcile, 269 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,000 especially when they seem so personally affected by the event. 270 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:47,000 How do you feel about the experience? Do you think that you're lucky to have had this kind of an experience or does it feel like kind of a curse? 271 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:54,000 Lucky in a way, but when you're a kid and you see that it's like a curse because you just get mocked and everything. 272 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,000 Right. 273 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:00,000 I think if I keep it to myself, you know, within my own head I feel lucky. 274 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:11,000 But it's when you have to explain it to others and kind of try and open other people's minds where it feels like a burden when you can't really talk openly about it 275 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,000 without either being criticized or considered crazy. 276 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:23,000 It is that fear of stigma, of being branded as crazy, that has kept the full story of the aerial school from coming out for so long. 277 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:28,000 Tragically though, it has also made these men and women feel more alone than they needed to. 278 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,000 What do you say to someone who says this is impossible? 279 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:35,000 This was some group psychosis, there was some shiny thing at the end of the field. 280 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,000 You all don't know what you saw. 281 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,000 I would say I know what I saw. 282 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:45,000 It was too vivid, too real, you know. 283 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000 Yeah, roughly the same. 284 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:48,000 They don't have to believe it. 285 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,000 Would you believe it if you hadn't been there? 286 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,000 I don't think so. 287 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Do you think it's possible that it was a hoax? 288 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,000 That somebody could have tricked you? 289 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,000 No. 290 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:08,000 Not at all. 291 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,000 I think sometimes you just need to be brave enough to say that, 292 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:18,000 okay, I think by sort of like world definitions, we saw aliens. 293 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:27,000 The former students of the aerial school are bound together by a strange but deep bond. 294 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:32,000 As for me, I walk away from our interview believing that they believe, 295 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,000 and James Fox is continuing to investigate the case, 296 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:40,000 but without physical evidence, the jury will remain out, 297 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:46,000 which is why I'm turning to another infamous sighting over 7,000 miles away. 298 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,000 And just like the aerial school, there are multiple eyewitnesses involved, 299 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,000 but there's also something else, possible proof of the encounter. 300 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,000 I've been traveling through Zimbabwe, 301 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:10,000 meeting with former students who claim to have experienced a mass UFO encounter. 302 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,000 Can you describe what the path looked like? 303 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,000 It's over with slanted sides and flat top and flat bottom, 304 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,000 and then those lights that would go on and off. 305 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:24,000 Even for an open-minded skeptic like me, their story is incredibly compelling, 306 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,000 but there's no corroborating evidence to truly close their case. 307 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,000 However, there is another mass sighting half a world away 308 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,000 with a high-level military witness willing to talk, 309 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,000 and perhaps even proof to back his story up. 310 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,000 As I drive out of London to my next investigation, 311 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,000 it occurs to me that I haven't eaten on camera in days. 312 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:59,000 And what's more appropriate for the UK than bangers and mash? 313 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 This means something. 314 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,000 The British don't appreciate the concept of playing with your food, 315 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,000 and we're politely asked to leave. 316 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,000 What? 317 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,000 After my close encounter with lunch, 318 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,000 I return to the road and speed toward a Cold War relic 319 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,000 with a story that still hasn't been fully told. 320 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Next stop is a place called Bentwater's Air Base. 321 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,000 Today the base is closed, but it used to be a huge Royal Air Force 322 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,000 and US Air Force military installation. 323 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,000 It's also the home of what has become known as the Rendlesham Forest Incident, 324 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:52,000 this is without a doubt the most celebrated UFO case in British history. 325 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:56,000 And I'm going to meet with an eyewitness, but not just any old eyewitness, 326 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 a US Air Force colonel who was in charge of the base that night. 327 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,000 In 1980 at the height of the Cold War, 328 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,000 bases like Bentwater's were on a constant state of readiness 329 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,000 to defend against the Soviet attack. 330 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,000 On Christmas night of that year, 331 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,000 a security patrol was sent to investigate 332 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:19,000 what they thought was a downed aircraft in nearby Rendlesham Forest. 333 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,000 When they ran in to help, 334 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:27,000 what they found instead became so famous that it is now known as England's Roswell. 335 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,000 I've been granted access to drive on to Bentwater's 336 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,000 to meet with retired US Colonel Charles Holt, 337 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,000 the deputy base commander at the time of the incident, 338 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000 as well as British radar operator Gary Baker. 339 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,000 How are you? 340 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:47,000 Good to finally meet you. 341 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:48,000 Good to meet you too, Colonel, it's a pleasure. 342 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,000 How are you doing? 343 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:50,000 I'm really well, thanks. 344 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:51,000 This is Gary Baker. 345 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:52,000 Gary, pleasure. 346 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,000 Well, I appreciate you guys taking the time to meet with me. 347 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Thank you so much. 348 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,000 This is a pretty amazing place. 349 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:58,000 It certainly is. 350 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,000 It was a beehive of activity in 1980, I can tell you that. 351 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,000 Now in 1980, you were the deputy base commander. 352 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:05,000 I was a deputy base commander. 353 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,000 And you were stationed somewhere else, right? 354 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,000 Where were you? 355 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,000 This is the base of this RF Neeta set in Norfolk. 356 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:12,000 It's a radar station. 357 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,000 Our mission was to protect the airspace of the United Kingdom. 358 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:21,000 So take me back in time to late December, I believe, 1980. 359 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:25,000 Well, the initial incident occurred Christmas night, December 25th, 360 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,000 morning to December 26th. 361 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000 The two bases, Bentwater's was the primary base 362 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,000 and Woodbridge was a sister base, 363 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000 which was all part of the same complex. 364 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:35,000 They're side by side, 365 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,000 but they're separated by the rental from Forest. 366 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000 And there's a shortcut between the two bases 367 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,000 that the maintenance people would run back and forth. 368 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 We had a back gate for a service road, 369 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 and you could see into the tall course of the pines. 370 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,000 John Burrows is a police patrolman. 371 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,000 He and his partner, Bud Stephens, 372 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,000 went up to the gate to check the integrity of the lock. 373 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,000 Burrows looks out the gate, 374 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 and he sees red and blue flashing lights and white lights. 375 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:10,000 Pinnison volunteers, they said, 376 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,000 we need to do something, we need to find out what this is. 377 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,000 Pinnison says, I'll go out. 378 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,000 John Burrows volunteers to go with them. 379 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,000 They go forward into the forest to where the lights are. 380 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,000 They see a metallic object. 381 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,000 It was triangular, about nine feet on the side, 382 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,000 about six feet tall. 383 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,000 It was on three legs, very smooth, shiny, 384 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,000 sort of a blackish color. 385 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,000 On the edge, it had hieroglyphic-like markings on it. 386 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,000 In the meantime, the radios are acting up. 387 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,000 So he immediately ran back to the guard shack, 388 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,000 called their traffic control, 389 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000 and said, do we have any reports of anything? 390 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,000 No, nothing flying, nothing in the air, 391 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:54,000 nothing reported down. 392 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,000 So when you first heard what was your initial reaction? 393 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:01,000 There was an explanation. 394 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,000 I was sure there was a logical explanation. 395 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Two nights later, Bruce England, 396 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,000 the on-duty flight commander for the police, came in. 397 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,000 White as a sheet. 398 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:10,000 He said to the base commander, 399 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,000 now we gotta talk, now it's back. 400 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,000 They take me to the site where, 401 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,000 supposedly, this crafted landing. 402 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,000 We find three indentations, eight or nine feet apart, 403 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,000 three to four inches deep in a perfect triangle. 404 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,000 And we're taking readings with a Geiger counter. 405 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:26,000 Now, the readings we got were about nine times 406 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,000 normal back-rime radiation. 407 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,000 We find what looks like a blasted earth, 408 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,000 scrubbed up area here. 409 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000 This tape is the actual recording Colonel Halt made 410 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,000 the night of his Rendlesham sighting. 411 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000 It is perhaps one of the most important 412 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,000 contemporaneous pieces of UFO evidence ever captured. 413 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,000 We got three positive degrees. 414 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,000 So while we're doing that, Bruce England says, 415 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 look over there, there's a glowing red object or light. 416 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,000 There it is. 417 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,000 I see it too. What is it? 418 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,000 We don't know, sir. 419 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,000 And sure enough, there's this object, 420 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,000 something like an American football. 421 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,000 It was not perfectly round and had a dark center. 422 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,000 The best way I can describe it, 423 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:09,000 it looked like a pupil of an eye. 424 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,000 This is what we're showing off. 425 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,000 It was shedding light or sparks 426 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,000 that would fall into the ground. 427 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,000 It moves towards us, missing the trees, 428 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,000 so it's obviously under intelligent control. 429 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:20,000 It's coming this way. 430 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,000 It's definitely coming this way. 431 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,000 So we're watching this thing and it silently explodes. 432 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,000 The five white objects, 433 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000 something like a fireworks display, 434 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 and they're gone. They disappear. 435 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:36,000 There's no doubt about it. This is weird. 436 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:39,000 And we see two white objects, two bright lights. 437 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,000 One of the objects comes overhead at very high speed 438 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,000 and stops directly overhead, 439 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,000 I'd say about 2,000, 3,000 feet, 440 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,000 and sends down a beam, boom, right on our feet. 441 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,000 Oh, I'm sorry, we have a pierced 442 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,000 to the beam coming down to the ground. 443 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,000 And I'm thinking, is it a weapon? 444 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,000 Is it a warning? Some kind of communication? 445 00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:58,000 Were you scared? 446 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,000 Yeah, yeah, I was scared. 447 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,000 I've been granted access to visit England's Bentwaters Airfield 448 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,000 and meet with former Deputy Base Commander 449 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,000 Colonel Charles Holt and radar tower operator 450 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,000 Gary Baker, who are telling me about their experiences 451 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:26,000 on the night of one of the world's most infamous UFO sightings. 452 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,000 One of the objects comes overhead at very high speed 453 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,000 and stops directly overhead, I'd say about 2,000, 3,000 feet, 454 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,000 and sends down a beam, boom, right on our feet. 455 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Oh, I'm sorry, we have a pierced to the beam 456 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,000 coming down to the ground. 457 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,000 And I'm thinking, is it a weapon? 458 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Is it a warning? Some kind of communication? 459 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,000 Were you scared? 460 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,000 Yeah, yeah, I was scared. 461 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,000 We see strange, uh, stroked-out flashes. 462 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:53,000 I have moon shape dancing about with colored lights on them. 463 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:54,000 This is unreal. 464 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,000 And just as suddenly as it appeared, 465 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,000 like a light switch goes off. 466 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,000 I'm thinking to myself, why did I ever come out here? 467 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,000 This is probably the end of my career. 468 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000 Nobody's gonna believe this. 469 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,000 Back here on the base in the control tower, 470 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000 what was the official word? Did the guys there see anything? 471 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:13,000 Yeah, but they didn't admit it. 472 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,000 What did they see? 473 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,000 They saw an object go across the 60-mile scope 474 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,000 in less than four seconds. 475 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,000 And they saw it go into the forest where we were. 476 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,000 That would mean that the craft on the radar 477 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,000 was moving at 54,000 miles per hour, 478 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,000 a speed at which no plane at the time or since could match. 479 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,000 Gary, tell me a bit about your experience. 480 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:38,000 I got into work, and there was a buzz amongst the crew, 481 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,000 the colleagues, that there'd been a UFO flap. 482 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,000 And within a day or two, the Ministry of Defense 483 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,000 took away radar tapes and bridge logs. 484 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,000 And the bridge logs is a running commentary of events 485 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,000 that happen within the sphere of interest of that radar station. 486 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,000 Had anybody ever come in to remove things like that before? 487 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,000 No, no. 488 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,000 In addition, my squadron and the other squadron, 489 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,000 all the personnel were told to go into the briefing room. 490 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:10,000 We were told this never happened, 491 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,000 and no one's to talk about it, period. 492 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,000 You know, in the military, if you're given an order, 493 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,000 yours isn't the reason why, you just do it. 494 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000 Secrecy wasn't unusual for the Cold War military, 495 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,000 but Gary was surprised by the official explanation for the night. 496 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,000 But I read through it, and it says, 497 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,000 the Ministry of Defense deny radar evidence 498 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:36,000 because the radar camera switched off at 1627 on that day. 499 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,000 And I think, hang on a minute, we had two radars. 500 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:39,000 This is the Cold War. 501 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:43,000 They don't suddenly switch off when it's time to go home for tea and biscuits. 502 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,000 The assumption being that RFNita said, 503 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,000 camera was switched off so there's no radar evidence. 504 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,000 But that no radar evidence was taken away by the Ministry of Defense. 505 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,000 Colonel, what do the skeptics say? 506 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,000 How do people explain this away? 507 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,000 The biggest story is the lighthouse. 508 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:02,000 Now, where is the lighthouse? 509 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,000 It's about four or five miles away. 510 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,000 Many people have suggested that the light from this coastal station 511 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,000 could have been what was observed at the base that night. 512 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:13,000 At the end of the day, what do you think you saw? 513 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,000 I saw something under intelligent control, I know that. 514 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,000 That's all I can say. 515 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Do you think what you saw was extraterrestrial? 516 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,000 I'm firmly convinced myself that yes, it was extraterrestrial. 517 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:32,000 Colonel Halt clearly doesn't think highly of the prevailing theory 518 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,000 that the lighthouse was the source of the phenomena he saw. 519 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,000 I want to conduct an experiment to see for myself. 520 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,000 The only problem is the lighthouse has been deactivated 521 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,000 since it's about to be swallowed by the sea. 522 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,000 I'm not going to let that stop me. 523 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,000 I arrange a ferry to get me over to the lighthouse. 524 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,000 I'm going to take a look at the lighthouse. 525 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:55,000 I arrange a ferry to get me over to the lighthouse 526 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,000 where I've set up a meeting with engineer Trevor Robinson. 527 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,000 Hey, Trevor. 528 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:05,000 Yes. 529 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,000 Nice to meet you. 530 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000 Thanks so much for letting me come out here. 531 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,000 You're welcome. 532 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:12,000 My hope is that we can see what this lighthouse might have looked like back in 1980. 533 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,000 Have you been able to coax her back to life? 534 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:15,000 We can give it a try. 535 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,000 Let's give it a whirl. Come on. 536 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:23,000 He's salvaged a light equivalent in strength to the one that's shown in 1980. 537 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:28,000 We climb over 100 feet up the stairs with the lantern and the batteries, 538 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,000 which Trevor could really have brought up here before I arrived. 539 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:33,000 I'm just saying. 540 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,000 I'm starting to see why you sent me down for the batteries. 541 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:37,000 Oh my God. 542 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:38,000 How do you know the couple? 543 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:39,000 Another couple. 544 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:40,000 Okay, I'll be back. 545 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:41,000 Oh my God. 546 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:47,000 Next, we wire the old lantern of the lighthouse with our modern replacement. 547 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:52,000 In 1980, the light would have rotated and blinked in a five second interval. 548 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:54,000 This will be able to emulate it perfectly. 549 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:55,000 There you go. 550 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:56,000 Perfect. 551 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,000 Okay, are you ready? 552 00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,000 Yep. 553 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 Okay, let's see what this baby can do. 554 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,000 Look at that! 555 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:10,000 Nice work. 556 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,000 She's alive! 557 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Now that we know the light works, 558 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:22,000 Trevor shuts it down and waits for my signal. 559 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,000 While I head back to the ferry to Bentwater's Air Force Base 560 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,000 and into the heart of adjacent Rendlesham Forest where the sighting took place. 561 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,000 All right, let's see if we can see this lighthouse. 562 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:39,000 Hello, babe? 563 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:40,000 Trevor, hey, it's Josh. 564 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,000 We are in position. 565 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:43,000 We're in Rendlesham Forest. 566 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,000 Let's have you light off the light. 567 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,000 Okay, here we go. 568 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,000 I'm in Rendlesham Forest, 569 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000 site of Europe's most infamous UFO encounter. 570 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:09,000 British officials blamed a nearby lighthouse for the sighting. 571 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:13,000 But was the Rendlesham UFO a case of mistaken identity? 572 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,000 We're about to turn the lighthouse back on to settle it once and for all. 573 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,000 We're in position. 574 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:20,000 We're in Rendlesham Forest. 575 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:21,000 Let's have you light off the light. 576 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,000 Okay, here we go. 577 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:28,000 There you go. 578 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:29,000 So, all right, keep it running. 579 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:30,000 I'll give you a bus back. 580 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,000 Now, parts of the event took place on the edge of the field 581 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,000 where it was a little more open, 582 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,000 in here at the actual site where this thing is meant to have landed. 583 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:43,000 Look at how thick the canopy is. 584 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,000 There's just no way they could have seen this lighthouse from down here. 585 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,000 Let's see if we can see it back at the base. 586 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Before I can say for sure that the lighthouse 587 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,000 couldn't have been what Colonel Halt saw, 588 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,000 I decide to check the range of the light 589 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,000 from the highest point I can find on Bentwater's airfield, 590 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,000 the abandoned air traffic control tower. 591 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:09,000 Here we are. 592 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:10,000 Look at this. 593 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:15,000 The very top of Bentwater's air base. 594 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,000 This is the highest point at the site. 595 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,000 So, he's east and to the south, 596 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,000 so he should be somewhere right out here. 597 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:30,000 Boom. 598 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,000 One, two, three, four. 599 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,000 Five. 600 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,000 Look at that. 601 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,000 Just light clockwork every five seconds. 602 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,000 But remember, I couldn't see it from down in the forest at all, 603 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:43,000 which is where most of these eyewitnesses were. 604 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,000 And not only did he see white lights, 605 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,000 but blue lights and green lights. 606 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,000 What I'm seeing out here is this bone white light. 607 00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:53,000 And these guys worked at this base for years. 608 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,000 This lighthouse would have been something that they saw pretty regularly. 609 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:58,000 So, I'm going to go ahead and check it out. 610 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,000 I'm going to go ahead and check it out. 611 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,000 This is something that they saw pretty regularly. 612 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,000 So, it's hard to imagine that it could have matched 613 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,000 what they described as something that was really erratic. 614 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,000 Now, it is totally possible that the beams of light 615 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,000 could have bounced off of trees, 616 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,000 hit fog or clouds, 617 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:17,000 and made kind of a strange appearance. 618 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,000 But I think it's really safe to say that's not what they saw. 619 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,000 In my mind, the Rendlesham incident has earned its notoriety. 620 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,000 The witnesses were seasoned military men, 621 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:33,000 trained to be logical and in control of any situation. 622 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,000 These are not guys prone to exaggeration. 623 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,000 The audio tapes and witnesses to the radar 624 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:43,000 suggest that something was in that forest on Christmas week in 1980. 625 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:50,000 The next morning, I'm shifting gears and continuing my quest. 626 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,000 I leave Rendlesham feeling like I've just heard 627 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,000 about a genuine close encounter. 628 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,000 But I'm also frustrated. 629 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,000 I'm seeking irrefutable evidence of extraterrestrials. 630 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:02,000 And there's a scientist here in the UK 631 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,000 who is a scientist who has been working with the US 632 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,000 to help us find out what's going on. 633 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,000 And I'm also frustrated that there's no evidence 634 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,000 of extraterrestrials. 635 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,000 And there's a scientist here in the UK 636 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,000 who's attempting to not just find the very thing I'm looking for, 637 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:19,000 but to physically capture it. 638 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,000 Near the city of Sheffield, 639 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:24,000 I find Professor Milton Wainwright with two researchers 640 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,000 as they prepare their latest groundbreaking experiment. 641 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,000 Fantastic to see you. 642 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,000 You brought the weather with you. 643 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,000 It's a very English day. 644 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:34,000 This is Chris. 645 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,000 This is Alex. 646 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:36,000 Alex, pleasure. 647 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,000 What's the experiment? 648 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,000 We're going to launch a balloon. 649 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,000 It's going to go more or less straight up towards the stratosphere. 650 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,000 And how high up will this balloon go? 651 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,000 We'll be looking over 20 miles. 652 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,000 So you're going almost up to the edge of space. 653 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,000 What are you testing for here? What's the idea? 654 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,000 What we're looking for is evidence towards the theory of panspermia. 655 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:55,000 The idea that life... 656 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,000 Sir, this is a family show. 657 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Sorry. 658 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,000 Panspermia is... 659 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:02,000 Panspermia is the idea that life came from space. 660 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,000 The idea is that several billion years ago, 661 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,000 bacterial extraterrestrials floated into Earth's atmosphere 662 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,000 and began life here. 663 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,000 And Milton is convinced the process is still happening today. 664 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,000 So as soon as the Earth cooled, 665 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:24,000 there's life coming in all the time. 666 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,000 Nothing's fundamentally changed since that time. 667 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,000 So if it came in then, it should be coming in now. 668 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,000 To prove it, the balloon will carry a box to the edge of space, 669 00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:36,000 where no organic particles from Earth are found. 670 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,000 The box then opens a tray that collects space particles 671 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,000 on round stubs that act like flypaper. 672 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,000 The tray retracts, the balloon bursts, 673 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000 and the box parachutes to Earth. 674 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,000 Then we take the box back to the laboratory, 675 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,000 look what's on the surface of these stubs. 676 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,000 The hope is one of the stubs contains an organic particle, 677 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,000 life that didn't come from Earth. 678 00:34:58,000 --> 00:34:59,000 That's awesome. 679 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Is there anything I can do to help? 680 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,000 Absolutely, yeah. Great. Let's get some gloves. 681 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Gloves? Okay. 682 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:10,000 The noise of the balloon being filled isn't exactly dignified. 683 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:17,000 The balloon inflates in a matter of minutes, 684 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,000 and I almost leave with it. 685 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,000 That's it? Yeah, yeah. 686 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,000 Goodbye. Goodbye. Oh my God. 687 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,000 I was the old man from up for a second. 688 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:27,000 I thought I was out of here. 689 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000 In this box, they saw a little tracking payload. 690 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,000 The non-sterile part of the box is rigged with a GPS tracker, 691 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:38,000 and fitted with an on-board camera that will transmit the entire trip. 692 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,000 Camera looks good. Camera going in. 693 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,000 You all happy? Yep. Let's go. 694 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:43,000 Here we go. 695 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,000 Finally, Alex and Chris seal the boxes with, what else, duct tape. 696 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,000 And we're ready for launch. 697 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:00,000 Let it go. 698 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,000 And we're going to find this again. 699 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:03,000 You're sure? Yeah. 700 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,000 Watch out. 701 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,000 Way, there she goes. 702 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,000 On a hilltop near Sheffield, England, 703 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,000 Professor Milton Wainwright is launching an experimental box 704 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,000 attached to a weather balloon into the stratosphere. 705 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,000 Watch out. 706 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,000 Way, there she goes. 707 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,000 Way, there she goes. 708 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,000 Godspeed. 709 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,000 Look at that. 710 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000 He believes that at the edge of space, there may be organic particles 711 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,000 not from our planet. 712 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:50,000 His goal? 713 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:54,000 For a tiny collection tray to open and trap one of these microbes. 714 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:56,000 If he can prove they exist, 715 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:00,000 it means that the first life on Earth probably began in space, 716 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:04,000 and that all of us are, in a sense, extraterrestrials. 717 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,000 We need to chase this thing down so all systems go. Let's go. 718 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:12,000 Back to the car. 719 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:14,000 Okay, let's do it. Come on. Let's go find this thing. 720 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:19,000 Alex, Chris and I immediately jump into their truck to give chase, 721 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:23,000 while Milton returns to his lab to prepare for our samples. 722 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,000 Okay, we're off. We're off. We're off. 723 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:30,000 It says it's more than 30,000 feet now. 724 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,000 Yeah, that's right. That's well higher than the height of Everest. 725 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,000 That is insane. 726 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,000 We got another three times that skill to go. 727 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000 So, we do need to pull over to get some gas, 728 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,000 so we're going to do that in just a moment. 729 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:50,000 Wait, what? 730 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,000 You guys were so organized. 731 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:55,000 Well, that's it. 732 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,000 Like, you might only focus on so many things. 733 00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,000 How to gas. 734 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:02,000 We almost thought of everything. 735 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,000 Here we go. 736 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,000 All right, quick pit stop, everybody. Here we go. Let's fuel it up. 737 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,000 Yeah, let's turn that. 738 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,000 The balloon is still ascending for a few more minutes 739 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,000 over the English countryside, 740 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:18,000 so we should have time to get gas and a few essentials. 741 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:21,000 Okay, let's go. 742 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:22,000 Sorted? 743 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:23,000 Yeah. 744 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:24,000 I'm good. 745 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:25,000 You're good. 746 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:26,000 Yeah, I'm good. 747 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,000 I guess that's what you call a pit stop. 748 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,000 All filled up, we return to the hunt, 749 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,000 speeding along to get to the point 750 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,000 where the box is projected to return to Earth. 751 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,000 Get the hell out of here. 752 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,000 Look at that! 753 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,000 I mean, it looks like it's almost in space. 754 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:53,000 Absolutely. 755 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,000 I mean, you really see the blackness of space 756 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,000 juxtaposed against the thin blue line of the atmosphere. 757 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,000 It's great, isn't it? 758 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:01,000 That is... 759 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,000 Buh-buh bananas. 760 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,000 As the balloon nears peak altitude, 761 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,000 the box opens, 762 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:08,000 hopefully to collect the particles we're after. 763 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:09,000 It says door opened, 764 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,000 and it's collecting particles, hopefully. 765 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,000 It is. 766 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:15,000 Go science. 767 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,000 Okay, so we just broke 100,000 feet. 768 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,000 It's 100,000 feet up. 769 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:21,000 Insane. 770 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,000 Totally insane. 771 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:28,000 The box closes as it crosses 110,000 feet. 772 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:32,000 The balloon likely won't withstand much more pressure. 773 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:38,000 It burst. 774 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,000 Yes, and that little balloon's now turned into a little parachute. 775 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:42,000 Okay. 776 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:43,000 And it's burst. 777 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,000 And it's on its way back down. 778 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,000 It's on its way back down. 779 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,000 Our experiment plummets back to Earth 780 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:52,000 as we speed toward its GPS signal. 781 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:54,000 Okay, how far are we from it? 782 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:56,000 We are nine miles away. 783 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,000 Just about to land ahead of us, I think. 784 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,000 I think we're on the ground. 785 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,000 Touchdown. 786 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:14,000 Touchdown, okay. 787 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,000 So, like, we might be in a field right next to a farmhouse. 788 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,000 Okay, here we go. Punch it, Chewie. 789 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:25,000 The box is down. 790 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:27,000 Now we need to get to it as soon as possible 791 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,000 to see if it's still intact. 792 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:31,000 This is the field, is it? 793 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:32,000 It's in here. 794 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:33,000 Yeah. 795 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,000 We've just passed that building over there 796 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,000 and just slightly into the field. 797 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:45,000 There it is. 798 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:47,000 There it is, right there. 799 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,000 The expedition continues right now. 800 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,000 I'm taking you behind the scenes here at EXU headquarters 801 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,000 along with my crew and a very special guest 802 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,000 for an exclusive look at shocking new evidence. 803 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,000 But first, here's a sneak peek at next week's conclusion 804 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:07,000 to the hunt for extraterrestrials. 805 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,000 Our box is back from space. 806 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:17,000 No. 807 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:18,000 In one piece. 808 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,000 And now, the results are in. 809 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:21,000 What's that? 810 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:23,000 If that does prove out to be something organic 811 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:24,000 that you're talking about... 812 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,000 Life from space. 813 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,000 Then, I return to the U.S. to investigate a sighting 814 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,000 that has locals running for the hills. 815 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,000 Oh, right there. 816 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:35,000 A big light. 817 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:40,000 And go west to take on the most infamous UFO case in history. 818 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,000 Roswell. 819 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,000 The memo tells us there's been alien visitation. 820 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:44,000 It's a smoking gun. 821 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,000 Absolutely. 822 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:48,000 Then, as my hunt draws to a close, 823 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:52,000 it's time for the evidence to be put to the test. 824 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,000 So what do you make of this video? 825 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,000 What will the final verdict be? 826 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:57,000 So what is it? 827 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:58,000 It's still on its point. 828 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,000 Get outta here!