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At the centre of our existence
is a powerful dynamo.
2
00:01:05,513 --> 00:01:08,016
The sun.
3
00:01:08,099 --> 00:01:13,021
It gives us heat and light,
and drives the great engine of life.
4
00:01:47,225 --> 00:01:50,728
It's the food chain,
and we're all a part of it.
5
00:01:53,314 --> 00:01:58,153
No matter who you are,
even if you're a hardcore meat-eater,
6
00:01:58,236 --> 00:02:02,991
your dinner started with plants
somewhere turning sunlight into food.
7
00:02:03,075 --> 00:02:06,412
So we are, all of us,
8
00:02:06,871 --> 00:02:09,040
solar powered.
9
00:02:15,088 --> 00:02:19,551
Maybe the ancient Egyptians
were right to worship the sun.
10
00:02:19,593 --> 00:02:23,930
For four billion years,
the sun has given life to everything,
11
00:02:24,014 --> 00:02:26,934
on land, and in the sea.
12
00:02:44,953 --> 00:02:46,663
Rover One, this is Rover Two,
13
00:02:46,747 --> 00:02:51,960
We are at the edge of the wall
and are beginning our descent, Over,
14
00:02:52,002 --> 00:02:56,716
My name's Dijanna Figueroa, and I'm
a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara.
15
00:02:56,799 --> 00:03:00,720
- This is cool,
- Copy that. Starting descent. Over.
16
00:03:00,803 --> 00:03:04,265
I think I have
one of the coolest jobs in the world.
17
00:03:04,349 --> 00:03:07,060
Check out those
corkscrew coral down there,
18
00:03:07,143 --> 00:03:10,814
I'm a marine biologist.
I get to go to the bottom of the ocean
19
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and study the amazing organisms
that live there.
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There's nothing I'd rather be doing.
21
00:03:17,988 --> 00:03:21,158
Rover One, Rover One,
do you copy?
22
00:03:23,661 --> 00:03:26,164
This wall's pretty amazing,
23
00:03:26,247 --> 00:03:30,502
We're barely on the edge
of photosynthesis right here,
24
00:03:31,002 --> 00:03:33,505
Ambient light's really going now,
25
00:03:37,759 --> 00:03:42,348
You're totally reliant on
the technology that's in your little bubble
26
00:03:42,431 --> 00:03:46,477
to dive to that depth
where it's just a mystery down there.
27
00:03:46,519 --> 00:03:48,521
You never know what you're gonna see.
28
00:03:48,604 --> 00:03:52,150
- Look at all that krill,
- Oh, my gosh!
29
00:03:56,029 --> 00:04:01,118
Looks like we're in
krill heaven over here, Rover One,
30
00:04:01,201 --> 00:04:05,247
Yeah, roger that. Pretty incredible.
31
00:04:20,221 --> 00:04:23,392
Not seeing much of anything alive here,
Dijanna, What about you?
32
00:04:23,475 --> 00:04:27,980
Not much life at all, I think
we're pretty much out of the photic zone,
33
00:04:28,063 --> 00:04:30,691
It's like being on the moon, huh?
34
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Copy that,
35
00:04:35,071 --> 00:04:37,407
Hey, look, we got a crinoid right down here,
36
00:04:37,490 --> 00:04:41,661
Hey, Dijanna, we got a crinoid here.
We finally found a citizen.
37
00:04:41,745 --> 00:04:44,414
Copy that,
38
00:04:44,456 --> 00:04:47,501
Yeah, it looks like we're getting deeper,
and most of the animals down here
39
00:04:47,584 --> 00:04:52,047
look like they're suspension feeders,
or particle feeders,
40
00:04:52,131 --> 00:04:58,054
With no light from the surface,
not much can survive down here.
41
00:04:59,055 --> 00:05:02,809
But there are places in the ocean
where sunlight has never reached,
42
00:05:02,892 --> 00:05:08,273
not since the world began,
and yet amazing life forms thrive there.
43
00:05:09,065 --> 00:05:13,737
So when I was invited to join the new
expedition to explore these places,
44
00:05:13,779 --> 00:05:16,281
I had to say yes.
45
00:05:19,785 --> 00:05:22,079
"Keldysh," "Keldysh,"
"Ares" bridge.
46
00:05:22,121 --> 00:05:24,707
Yeah, Dave, we're about to begin dive reef right now,
47
00:05:24,791 --> 00:05:28,378
We got MIR One
going into the water at...
48
00:05:30,714 --> 00:05:34,259
Like this, so that we've got a central area
to work, Rover One is gonna stay...
49
00:05:34,301 --> 00:05:36,887
I'm Jim Cameron,
and here's the deal.
50
00:05:36,970 --> 00:05:38,931
I love this stuff.
51
00:05:39,014 --> 00:05:43,352
Exploration. Real honest-to-God
deep ocean exploration.
52
00:05:43,435 --> 00:05:48,566
This is way more exciting than
any made-up Hollywood special effects.
53
00:05:48,649 --> 00:05:52,278
These deep ocean expeditions
always seem like space missions to me.
54
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,074
So, why not combine
outer space and inner space?
55
00:06:07,002 --> 00:06:09,004
Sure, we'll take marine biologists.
56
00:06:09,088 --> 00:06:14,135
But why not take astrobiologists
and space researchers?
57
00:06:14,177 --> 00:06:16,971
So that's how a bunch
of space scientists wound up out here,
58
00:06:17,013 --> 00:06:19,307
a thousand miles from the nearest land,
59
00:06:19,349 --> 00:06:22,060
where, right under our feet,
down in the darkness,
60
00:06:22,144 --> 00:06:26,773
are the most insane alien life forms
that have ever been discovered.
61
00:06:26,857 --> 00:06:28,776
Two ships,
62
00:06:28,859 --> 00:06:31,237
four manned submersibles,
63
00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,325
forty dives at ten sites
in both the Atlantic and Pacific.
64
00:06:38,119 --> 00:06:40,872
I like big operations,
but this one was off the hook.
65
00:06:40,955 --> 00:06:45,919
So we'll come down together, like this, and
we'll try to stay a couple of meters apart,
66
00:06:46,002 --> 00:06:47,921
because we don't want to drift off,
67
00:06:48,005 --> 00:06:51,091
If the communications are compromised
with the multiple subs in the water,
68
00:06:51,175 --> 00:06:54,637
all working on the same frequency,
some in Russian, some in English,
69
00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,056
I want to make sure
we stay on visual...
70
00:06:57,139 --> 00:06:59,851
The plan was to coordinate a four-sub dive,
71
00:06:59,892 --> 00:07:05,273
using both ships, so two MIRs and two
Rovers could rendezvous at the bottom.
72
00:07:05,356 --> 00:07:07,901
This would be a world first.
73
00:07:07,984 --> 00:07:10,612
- Hi,
- Dr, Sagalevitch,
74
00:07:10,695 --> 00:07:13,699
Anatoly Sagalevitch heads
the Manned Submersibles Laboratory
75
00:07:13,740 --> 00:07:16,243
for the Russian
Academy of Sciences.
76
00:07:16,326 --> 00:07:18,537
We've been working together
for almost a decade.
77
00:07:18,579 --> 00:07:20,289
There we are,
78
00:07:20,372 --> 00:07:22,583
The adventurers,
79
00:07:22,625 --> 00:07:26,629
It's all his fault that we're doing this,
because we did Titanic twice,
80
00:07:26,713 --> 00:07:29,090
in '95 and '01,
and we did Bismarck.
81
00:07:29,174 --> 00:07:31,926
Sometime around the middle
of Bismarck, Anatoly says:
82
00:07:32,010 --> 00:07:34,095
"You know, these wrecks are good,
they're interesting,
83
00:07:34,179 --> 00:07:36,473
but you have to do something real,"
84
00:07:36,556 --> 00:07:39,143
"We have to do some science,
Something real,"
85
00:07:40,018 --> 00:07:43,272
Genya Chernaiev
is one of the Russian MIR pilots.
86
00:07:43,314 --> 00:07:46,525
He's been flying submersibles
for over 20 years now.
87
00:07:46,609 --> 00:07:49,987
The most important thing about this boat,
of course, is the view,
88
00:07:50,071 --> 00:07:52,657
320 degrees unobstructed,
89
00:07:52,740 --> 00:07:55,076
This view makes the Rovers unique,
90
00:07:55,118 --> 00:07:58,997
but because of the acrylic sphere,
they can't go as deep as the MIRs.
91
00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,293
So they'd only be joining us
for the Atlantic leg of the journey.
92
00:08:04,586 --> 00:08:07,464
We also had Jake,
the little remotely operated 'bot
93
00:08:07,506 --> 00:08:11,427
we'd used to explore
the Titanic and Bismarck wrecks.
94
00:08:11,469 --> 00:08:15,473
Jake had been modified
to test a variety of sampling tools.
95
00:08:16,307 --> 00:08:20,312
My brother Mike is Jake's inventor
and our pilot on this expedition.
96
00:08:20,395 --> 00:08:24,775
His challenge was to steer Jake safely
around the volcanically active vent sites,
97
00:08:24,816 --> 00:08:27,361
and not fry our little 'bot.
98
00:08:27,444 --> 00:08:29,947
This would hopefully allow us
to get up close and personal
99
00:08:30,030 --> 00:08:32,992
with the creatures we'd come to see.
100
00:08:33,033 --> 00:08:36,496
We've checked the decks twice,
all the rigging looks squared away,
101
00:08:36,579 --> 00:08:38,998
My other brother was with us too.
102
00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,002
JD was the safety and communications
officer on board the "Ares."
103
00:08:43,044 --> 00:08:46,131
Or, as he called it,
"crap job number 27."
104
00:08:46,214 --> 00:08:50,260
Our launch procedure is as per the book,
Everything's straightforward,
105
00:08:50,344 --> 00:08:54,473
She's first, she's second, Recovery
is determined by Jim from the bottom,
106
00:08:54,515 --> 00:08:56,350
Now, recovery can go either way,
107
00:09:00,354 --> 00:09:04,984
We chose the "Ares"
for the giant A-frame at her stern.
108
00:09:15,871 --> 00:09:18,999
Its massive hydraulic cylinders
can lift the sub off the deck
109
00:09:19,041 --> 00:09:21,544
and out over the water with ease.
110
00:09:21,627 --> 00:09:26,674
It's one of the safest ways
to launch a large payload off of any ship,
111
00:09:26,716 --> 00:09:30,553
and we constantly tested our procedures
until we had everything dialed in
112
00:09:30,637 --> 00:09:33,223
for the upcoming four-sub dive.
113
00:09:36,893 --> 00:09:39,521
All right, let's do this,
All stations, let's do this,
114
00:09:39,563 --> 00:09:43,901
I'm gonna need everybody
to keep their ears open, be observant,
115
00:09:43,943 --> 00:09:46,612
Keep your eyes open
for the lights of the other submersibles,
116
00:09:46,696 --> 00:09:50,575
And, you know, it's gonna be challenging,
But I think we can pull it off,
117
00:09:50,616 --> 00:09:53,328
All right, here we go,
Jacks up!
118
00:09:53,411 --> 00:09:56,748
Finally, everything was in motion.
119
00:09:59,292 --> 00:10:02,254
And in the middle of the North Atlantic,
120
00:10:02,337 --> 00:10:05,591
a thousand miles from the nearest land,
121
00:10:09,303 --> 00:10:12,807
our little expedition
was about to make history.
122
00:10:12,890 --> 00:10:15,226
We're in motion,
We're in motion,
123
00:10:22,692 --> 00:10:25,946
Nice and slow, blue winch,
Nice and slow,
124
00:10:25,988 --> 00:10:28,490
- Now we're gunnin' runnin', huh?
- Yeah,
125
00:10:28,574 --> 00:10:31,035
At least, that was the plan.
126
00:10:31,118 --> 00:10:33,496
All stop, all stop, All stop,
127
00:10:39,419 --> 00:10:42,005
I copy you, Lima Charlie.
The only problem we have right now
128
00:10:42,088 --> 00:10:44,841
is the A-frame. Over.
129
00:10:44,924 --> 00:10:48,303
I'll let you know
as soon as the crew gets it sorted.
130
00:10:48,345 --> 00:10:52,307
About an hour and 15 minutes
ago, we had a safety stop,
131
00:10:52,349 --> 00:10:55,644
Uh, what we know
is the A-frame went south,
132
00:10:56,145 --> 00:11:00,858
It's a complete breakdown of the cylinder,
It ultimately amounts to a cold stop,
133
00:11:00,942 --> 00:11:03,194
These bolts all shot,
134
00:11:03,277 --> 00:11:08,366
And all this paint that's been here forever
busts loose because of that situation,
135
00:11:08,450 --> 00:11:11,161
And it happened on that one as well,
136
00:11:11,661 --> 00:11:14,998
Yeah, right, I mean, we're in the
middle of the ocean with a broken A-frame,
137
00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:17,084
That's what it sounds like to me,
138
00:11:17,167 --> 00:11:19,253
How you gonna get that fixed up?
139
00:11:19,336 --> 00:11:23,174
Call A-frames"R"Us? You know,
have their little service ship come by?
140
00:11:23,257 --> 00:11:26,094
Thousand miles from shore?
141
00:11:27,011 --> 00:11:28,471
We don't have to move on it immediately,
142
00:11:28,554 --> 00:11:33,101
but it's at least something
we need to start processing,
143
00:11:34,811 --> 00:11:37,064
Well, I mean,
if they can't fix this,
144
00:11:37,147 --> 00:11:41,193
and we don't have an alternate way
of launching the sub, it's over,
145
00:11:41,276 --> 00:11:43,320
the expedition's over,
146
00:11:44,655 --> 00:11:46,824
If you are going to explore,
you have to accept the fact
147
00:11:46,907 --> 00:11:49,952
that on the one hand there's risk.
You have to stay up all night long
148
00:11:50,036 --> 00:11:52,705
thinking about every single factor
that's involved in what you're doing,
149
00:11:52,789 --> 00:11:55,041
and making sure that
you've thought of everything.
150
00:11:55,125 --> 00:11:57,752
'Cause if you can eliminate
all the things you can think of,
151
00:11:57,836 --> 00:12:01,089
you've eliminated nine-tenths
of what can go wrong,
152
00:12:01,173 --> 00:12:05,386
That way, when that last one-tenth
pops up, and you're in the middle of it,
153
00:12:05,427 --> 00:12:08,222
you don't have to worry about all the
other stuff 'cause you've dealt with that,
154
00:12:08,305 --> 00:12:13,978
Look, to be completely serious, your idea
about cutting that bulwark away at the side
155
00:12:14,061 --> 00:12:16,481
is the best idea I've heard
for an alternate plan yet,
156
00:12:16,564 --> 00:12:18,024
Just cut the side right out of the ship,
157
00:12:18,066 --> 00:12:20,276
I say we go clear that
with the captain right now,
158
00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,572
OK, Well, plan B,
159
00:12:48,724 --> 00:12:50,517
All right,
we can talk it through tonight,
160
00:12:50,601 --> 00:12:53,437
but I don't think
we should try for an all-up drill tonight,
161
00:12:53,479 --> 00:12:55,439
I mean, people have been up
since 4:30 in the morning,
162
00:13:06,409 --> 00:13:10,163
It became apparent that
the only way to get the subs off the "Ares"
163
00:13:10,247 --> 00:13:15,919
was to use the main crane and by sliding
the submersibles off the side of the vessel.
164
00:13:15,961 --> 00:13:22,259
With a crane that is 30, 40, 50 feet above
the actual pick point of the submersible,
165
00:13:22,301 --> 00:13:26,222
once an object starts to swing,
you can't stop it.
166
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,601
It's called the wrecking-ball effect.
167
00:13:29,684 --> 00:13:32,979
Once it gets away from you,
you can't get it back.
168
00:13:36,149 --> 00:13:40,362
I'm guessing we've got six to eight feet of
travel here, I'm thinking we should use...
169
00:13:40,445 --> 00:13:44,033
It ultimately resulted
in Jim writing a 40-page manual
170
00:13:44,116 --> 00:13:46,952
on what he thought the best way
to launch the vessel was.
171
00:13:46,994 --> 00:13:48,621
This eye feeds into that...
172
00:13:48,704 --> 00:13:52,875
So we spent a long time
devising four separate pick points,
173
00:13:52,959 --> 00:13:56,171
as well as eight different points
of connection to the submersible
174
00:13:56,212 --> 00:13:58,214
to stop it from swaying.
175
00:14:01,677 --> 00:14:04,596
We would practice all night long.
176
00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,933
At dawn the following day, we were ready
to attempt it for the first time.
177
00:14:08,017 --> 00:14:11,687
We spent the past 24 hours rebuilding
the entire launch and recovery system,
178
00:14:11,771 --> 00:14:16,859
which required us to cut this wall out, rerig
every capstan, rerig every block and tackle,
179
00:14:18,945 --> 00:14:21,656
We've got about
20 different points of rigging,
180
00:14:21,698 --> 00:14:24,367
Every single point
has to be checked by me, by hand,
181
00:14:24,451 --> 00:14:27,120
Any single point fails, anything,
182
00:14:27,204 --> 00:14:30,040
from the blue winch
to the cable itself, snaps, breaks,
183
00:14:30,124 --> 00:14:34,170
not only do we lose the sub, but we risk the
chance of losing somebody on the deck,
184
00:14:34,253 --> 00:14:37,715
I'm looking at every pulley
under tension, and it's looking at me,
185
00:14:42,804 --> 00:14:45,432
Keldysh, be advised,
we are go for launch ops,
186
00:14:45,515 --> 00:14:49,186
Deck crew, be advised we have 15
minutes before we start launch operation,
187
00:14:49,269 --> 00:14:51,521
- Paul?
- Yeah, roger that, DP control,
188
00:14:51,563 --> 00:14:55,526
MIR One's going into
the water right now,
189
00:14:55,609 --> 00:14:58,446
Let's see the crane, guys,
190
00:15:21,679 --> 00:15:24,432
- Oh, yes,
- Stow that, get on the line,
191
00:15:24,473 --> 00:15:26,476
Bye-bye,
192
00:15:28,186 --> 00:15:30,271
Tim, Straps off,
193
00:15:36,403 --> 00:15:40,282
Keep going, keep going, keep
going, keep going, keep going, keep going,
194
00:16:04,141 --> 00:16:08,354
DP control to "Keldysh."
MIRs are beginning their descent. Over.
195
00:16:08,938 --> 00:16:12,108
Say goodbye to the surface world,
196
00:16:14,318 --> 00:16:16,571
I love this part,
197
00:16:17,322 --> 00:16:19,783
Everything is a go,
We're ready to vent,
198
00:16:19,824 --> 00:16:22,577
SO, SO, Rover One,
199
00:16:22,661 --> 00:16:24,120
Go ahead, Rover One.
200
00:16:24,162 --> 00:16:28,208
We are about to start
our tandem descent,
201
00:16:30,461 --> 00:16:33,672
OK, here we go,
And three, two, one...
202
00:16:33,714 --> 00:16:37,301
- Venting. Go, go, go.
- OK, we're venting now,
203
00:16:37,385 --> 00:16:39,387
Venting now,
204
00:16:41,639 --> 00:16:45,268
All right, Rock and roll, Here we go,
205
00:16:55,612 --> 00:16:59,367
The descent to Lost City
takes about 30 minutes,
206
00:16:59,450 --> 00:17:04,414
which is plenty of time
to think about what you're about to do.
207
00:17:05,456 --> 00:17:08,460
My name is Loretta Hidalgo,
and I'm an explorer.
208
00:17:08,543 --> 00:17:12,380
Copy that, Rover One, This is Rover Two,
hearing you loud and clear,
209
00:17:12,464 --> 00:17:17,302
My goal is to one day
explore the reaches of space.
210
00:17:20,681 --> 00:17:25,519
- That is the bomb, Yeah!
- We're at 840 meters,
211
00:17:25,561 --> 00:17:31,067
Surface, this is Rover Two, We are
at 840 meters, We are on the bottom,
212
00:17:33,653 --> 00:17:36,907
God, these structures are gorgeous,
213
00:17:36,990 --> 00:17:41,411
OK, there's the rendezvous point,
and they are right there,
214
00:17:42,246 --> 00:17:47,793
MIR Two, MIR Two,
this is Rover Two. Do you copy? Over.
215
00:17:49,712 --> 00:17:53,758
MIR Two, MIR Two,
this is Rover Two, Do you copy?
216
00:17:53,841 --> 00:17:59,556
That's affirmative, Rover Two.
We have a very good visual on you.
217
00:18:01,975 --> 00:18:05,729
We were doing something
that no humans had ever done.
218
00:18:05,771 --> 00:18:10,776
This was the first time that four deep
submersibles had ever dived together.
219
00:18:10,860 --> 00:18:15,281
The water pressure that you get
down at 3,000 feet is mind-boggling.
220
00:18:15,364 --> 00:18:18,826
If you've ever carried a bucket of water,
you know that's about a foot of water.
221
00:18:18,910 --> 00:18:22,122
Now imagine being under
3,000 feet of water.
222
00:18:22,205 --> 00:18:25,000
And all that weight
of all those buckets lined up on your head
223
00:18:25,083 --> 00:18:28,295
are all pressing down on you
and on the submarine.
224
00:18:28,337 --> 00:18:31,757
Definitely not something
that humans were evolved to do.
225
00:18:31,799 --> 00:18:36,178
OK, Loretta, can you relay to Mike
that we are in position for 'bot ops? Over,
226
00:18:36,679 --> 00:18:38,890
Copy,
227
00:18:38,973 --> 00:18:42,310
MIR Two, MIR Two,
are you go for 'bot deploy?
228
00:18:43,978 --> 00:18:47,232
Uh, roger that,
We'll get set for 'bot ops, Over,
229
00:18:47,649 --> 00:18:49,860
- OK, There it is,
- Yeah, there he is,
230
00:18:49,943 --> 00:18:51,320
There's Jake,
231
00:18:51,403 --> 00:18:54,323
Can you see his tether spinning out?
232
00:18:54,406 --> 00:18:57,326
It's like a spider spinning its web,
233
00:19:02,999 --> 00:19:06,336
I'm just gonna pull a little tether
out here, to the left, into the current,
234
00:19:06,419 --> 00:19:08,963
and then I'll yaw back to the right,
235
00:19:10,048 --> 00:19:11,383
We were really
pushing the boundary
236
00:19:11,466 --> 00:19:14,636
of being out in
an extreme environment.
237
00:19:15,637 --> 00:19:20,809
I had this incredible experience of feeling
like I'd been transported into the future.
238
00:19:20,851 --> 00:19:22,978
Hi, 'bot!
239
00:19:23,062 --> 00:19:28,818
That I was on a space mission, and
we were watching another spacecraft
240
00:19:28,860 --> 00:19:30,904
coming up to work with us.
241
00:19:32,989 --> 00:19:37,244
Hi, Mike,
Get me out of here,
242
00:19:37,327 --> 00:19:40,038
- Affirmative,
- Affirmative,
243
00:19:49,590 --> 00:19:54,887
Push in a tiny bit in here,
and I get just right in as close as I can go,
244
00:19:59,142 --> 00:20:01,520
Oh, wow,
Are you seeing the structure?
245
00:20:01,561 --> 00:20:03,855
Yeah, Beautiful,
246
00:20:03,897 --> 00:20:09,194
OK, Mike, If you come right
about 30 degrees, and come forward,
247
00:20:09,236 --> 00:20:12,823
you'll come to a big fan right on
the corner of that rock, Over,
248
00:20:12,907 --> 00:20:15,034
Copy that.
249
00:20:17,578 --> 00:20:20,999
Oh, this is gorgeous,
I feel like I'm out there,
250
00:20:21,082 --> 00:20:24,044
- Are you liking this?
- I'm loving this,
251
00:20:26,421 --> 00:20:31,093
OK, I'm gonna have to come up a little bit,
Well, we're doing pretty good here,
252
00:20:31,176 --> 00:20:36,098
I've encountered a little
more current than I expected right here,
253
00:20:36,182 --> 00:20:38,100
Oh, my gosh!
254
00:20:38,142 --> 00:20:40,394
Hello, Mr, Big,
255
00:20:40,436 --> 00:20:44,732
He's like, "Don't even mess with me,"
256
00:20:44,774 --> 00:20:47,777
Oh! Oh, my God,
257
00:20:50,989 --> 00:20:52,991
Wow,
258
00:20:56,245 --> 00:20:58,247
Wow,
259
00:21:02,460 --> 00:21:05,129
Kevin Hand is one of our astrobiologists.
260
00:21:05,213 --> 00:21:07,257
And he's a brilliant guy.
261
00:21:07,298 --> 00:21:09,217
Really.
262
00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:12,345
That's one of the interesting things
I think about the Europan ocean,
263
00:21:12,429 --> 00:21:15,474
is that you can ask
two questions about life on Europa,
264
00:21:15,557 --> 00:21:18,727
Could life have originated on Europa?
265
00:21:18,811 --> 00:21:22,147
Astrobiology is
the study of life on other worlds.
266
00:21:22,189 --> 00:21:26,777
But since Kevin doesn't have any real
extraterrestrial specimens to analyze yet,
267
00:21:26,861 --> 00:21:29,405
he's out here doing
the next best thing:
268
00:21:29,489 --> 00:21:34,411
Looking at life in the extreme conditions
of the deep ocean.
269
00:21:35,745 --> 00:21:39,082
He's a theory guy
and he's never been to sea before,
270
00:21:39,166 --> 00:21:43,087
let alone inside a submersible
headed to the bottom of the ocean.
271
00:21:43,170 --> 00:21:45,923
Here we go,
Into the unknown,
272
00:22:05,402 --> 00:22:11,367
Rover Two, MIR Two copies you
loud and clear now. Loud and clear now.
273
00:22:23,838 --> 00:22:28,468
Yeah, it looks like
it goes down for a long ways,
274
00:22:30,888 --> 00:22:33,766
MIR Two is right above us,
275
00:22:34,433 --> 00:22:38,854
Very few people get to see
MIR Two from this angle,
276
00:22:38,896 --> 00:22:41,065
That is fantastic,
277
00:22:47,948 --> 00:22:53,537
The scale of these things
is so much larger than I had imagined,
278
00:22:53,620 --> 00:22:55,789
It's just amazing,
279
00:22:57,291 --> 00:23:01,796
We've got this huge,
huge carbonate structure,
280
00:23:01,879 --> 00:23:03,881
Unbelievable,
281
00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:09,429
Copy that.
Right rotator going up, rotator going up.
282
00:23:12,390 --> 00:23:16,770
It's just the hot water just flowing up
and slowly forming stalactites,
283
00:23:16,812 --> 00:23:22,610
Upside-down stalactites are slowly
deposited, millennium after millennium,
284
00:23:24,528 --> 00:23:26,322
So what's interesting
about these
285
00:23:26,405 --> 00:23:29,283
is that you don't necessarily
need plate tectonics,
286
00:23:29,367 --> 00:23:35,206
You need some means for the water
to react with the deep mantle rock,
287
00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:38,585
And then you get
the serpentinization reaction
288
00:23:38,627 --> 00:23:43,715
which produces the heat that drives
the formation of such systems,
289
00:23:43,799 --> 00:23:45,259
It's absolutely phenomenal,
290
00:23:45,301 --> 00:23:49,513
Do you want to go ahead
and proceed to the summit? Over.
291
00:23:49,597 --> 00:23:51,641
Roger that,
292
00:24:14,165 --> 00:24:18,169
- There's warm water up here,
- Yeah,
293
00:24:20,255 --> 00:24:24,175
The vent fluid is just
coming right up out of here,
294
00:24:27,679 --> 00:24:29,681
Wow, This is just amazing,
295
00:24:30,682 --> 00:24:33,143
Our technology is just
at the level now
296
00:24:33,185 --> 00:24:36,981
where we can safely explore
the depths of our own ocean,
297
00:24:37,022 --> 00:24:39,567
- Kinda friable,
- Yeah,
298
00:24:40,610 --> 00:24:42,362
OK,
299
00:24:43,363 --> 00:24:45,949
Yeah! Look at that,
300
00:24:46,950 --> 00:24:49,661
- We got a rock,
- Hey, we got a sample,
301
00:24:55,959 --> 00:24:58,212
Rover One, Rover One,
this is Rover Two, Do you...
302
00:24:58,295 --> 00:25:00,381
- Oh, my goodness, look at that!
- Oh, Christ!
303
00:25:00,464 --> 00:25:01,882
Holy cow,
304
00:25:01,924 --> 00:25:04,385
- OK, stop it, stop it, stop it,
- Kevin. You seeing this?
305
00:25:04,469 --> 00:25:08,932
Look at that thing,
That is absolutely unreal,
306
00:25:09,015 --> 00:25:10,892
See if you can
get your lights right on it.
307
00:25:10,934 --> 00:25:12,978
Roger that,
308
00:25:13,061 --> 00:25:17,524
Oh, my goodness,
Look at that, it's just amazing,
309
00:25:19,026 --> 00:25:21,403
Oh, man, look at this thing,
310
00:25:21,487 --> 00:25:24,657
Look at this thing,
This is incredible,
311
00:25:33,041 --> 00:25:36,711
How can something
like that be alive?
312
00:25:36,795 --> 00:25:41,258
How does a creature like this work?
That is absolutely phenomenal,
313
00:25:42,843 --> 00:25:44,720
Beautiful,
314
00:25:45,721 --> 00:25:47,890
Absolutely beautiful,
315
00:25:49,767 --> 00:25:53,104
See the reticulation inside this thing?
Look at that,
316
00:25:53,146 --> 00:25:55,565
That is amazing,
317
00:25:57,901 --> 00:25:59,986
I have no idea what that is,
318
00:26:01,905 --> 00:26:03,907
- No,
- That's what I love about this stuff,
319
00:26:03,949 --> 00:26:08,787
Every single dive, you're gonna see
something you've never seen before,
320
00:26:08,871 --> 00:26:14,085
And you might even see something
that nobody's ever seen before,
321
00:26:37,485 --> 00:26:39,737
Are you seeing this thing?
Look at this,
322
00:26:39,820 --> 00:26:43,366
This is, like,
the ugliest fish in the world,
323
00:26:48,997 --> 00:26:54,878
Oh, he's got feet! Look, he's got feet,
He's got, like, little toe-socks,
324
00:26:59,842 --> 00:27:05,807
The thing about deep diving is you
always need to expect the unexpected.
325
00:27:11,020 --> 00:27:13,857
Oh, my God,
look at that squid,
326
00:27:13,940 --> 00:27:16,151
Oh, it's massive,
327
00:27:17,194 --> 00:27:19,446
Look, look, look,
Quick, look,
328
00:27:19,530 --> 00:27:22,157
See it?
329
00:27:22,199 --> 00:27:24,118
Absolutely fantastic,
330
00:28:24,391 --> 00:28:27,185
Look at that fish,
You see that guy?
331
00:28:51,503 --> 00:28:56,341
All right, we got us a Dumbo,
Been hoping for this for a while,
332
00:29:00,805 --> 00:29:05,601
What a beautiful animal,
What a beautiful animal, Look at that,
333
00:29:05,643 --> 00:29:07,645
Like a dancer,
334
00:29:15,695 --> 00:29:17,781
What an amazing creature,
335
00:29:32,380 --> 00:29:35,258
God, you could watch this guy all day,
336
00:29:35,341 --> 00:29:38,887
Almost looks like
he's glowing from within,
337
00:29:59,951 --> 00:30:03,663
MIR One, MIR One,
This is Rover Two, Do you copy?
338
00:30:03,705 --> 00:30:08,335
MIR One, MIR One,
do you copy? This is Rover Two.
339
00:30:08,377 --> 00:30:12,506
MIR One, MIR One,
This is Rover Two, Do you copy?
340
00:30:12,590 --> 00:30:17,053
It's intermittent, Jim,
Sometimes yes and sometimes no,
341
00:30:19,222 --> 00:30:21,307
Uh, roger, Mike,
342
00:30:21,391 --> 00:30:25,353
We're seriously low on power
and will have to leave the bottom,
343
00:30:25,437 --> 00:30:28,231
I cannot get ahold of Vince,
344
00:30:28,315 --> 00:30:30,317
We must go up,
345
00:30:33,195 --> 00:30:35,906
Genya, We must go up,
346
00:30:36,907 --> 00:30:40,202
Oh, he's trying to say something,
about...
347
00:30:40,244 --> 00:30:42,371
He's trying to say...
Look out the porthole,
348
00:30:42,455 --> 00:30:44,248
I can't see him,
349
00:30:44,290 --> 00:30:46,251
Can you call surface?
350
00:30:46,292 --> 00:30:48,878
He's saying, "Up and over"?
Might be,
351
00:30:48,962 --> 00:30:53,800
We need you to contact the surface
that we are ascending,
352
00:30:59,390 --> 00:31:02,768
Can't read it, Zoom in,
Let's see if you can read the sign,
353
00:31:06,689 --> 00:31:10,819
"Contact surface, must surface,"
Understood, We'll contact them right now,
354
00:31:13,488 --> 00:31:17,993
Ares surface comm,
Rover Two leaving the bottom
355
00:31:18,076 --> 00:31:24,542
at X minus 244, Y minus 25,
356
00:31:24,625 --> 00:31:27,962
depth 741 meters,
357
00:32:16,639 --> 00:32:20,601
- So, how was it, Jim?
- We got the goods, We definitely got it,
358
00:32:22,812 --> 00:32:26,358
Ah, that thing is phenomenal,
How you doing?
359
00:32:28,110 --> 00:32:32,072
- What did you see down there?
- Oh, it was just incredible, Just incredible,
360
00:32:32,155 --> 00:32:35,868
There was a huge, um...
Was it a jellyfish?
361
00:32:37,536 --> 00:32:39,956
Some type of gelatinous...
362
00:32:40,039 --> 00:32:41,833
Massive, Like, a meter,
363
00:32:41,874 --> 00:32:44,877
We think that it was feeding
off of the, uh,
364
00:32:44,919 --> 00:32:50,592
off the amphipods and the plankton
and the copepods that were next to...
365
00:32:50,675 --> 00:32:53,053
- Hanging out at the lights?
- Hanging out at the light, yeah,
366
00:32:53,136 --> 00:32:55,597
- How's it work?
- Man, we don't know,
367
00:32:55,681 --> 00:32:58,350
- But it's there, So it's working somehow,
- Exactly,
368
00:32:58,392 --> 00:33:01,854
- Life's pretty cool,
- Yeah, absolutely fantastic,
369
00:33:01,937 --> 00:33:04,357
- Welcome back, Kevin,
- Thanks,
370
00:33:05,775 --> 00:33:07,985
- Team Rover,
- Go team Rover!
371
00:33:14,284 --> 00:33:17,120
My name is Maya Tolstoy,
and I'm a marine seismologist
372
00:33:17,204 --> 00:33:20,457
at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
373
00:33:21,416 --> 00:33:23,544
I study underwater volcanoes,
374
00:33:23,627 --> 00:33:28,007
and particularly I study the earthquakes
that these volcanoes make.
375
00:33:28,090 --> 00:33:31,344
And I'm trying to understand
how the Earth is made,
376
00:33:31,427 --> 00:33:34,848
how the surface of
the planet is formed.
377
00:33:36,224 --> 00:33:40,437
I'm going to be deploying
ocean-bottom seismometers.
378
00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:43,065
Those are instruments
that listen to earthquakes
379
00:33:43,106 --> 00:33:46,318
and other noises on the ocean floor.
380
00:33:49,613 --> 00:33:53,451
In the ocean,
the light only goes so far.
381
00:33:53,993 --> 00:33:58,039
And so sound allows you
to basically see the bottom of the ocean,
382
00:33:58,122 --> 00:34:04,254
and to see into the ocean crust, the way
that light lets you see on the surface.
383
00:34:08,425 --> 00:34:14,432
We put the instruments over the side of
the ship. They drop, they gather the data.
384
00:34:15,474 --> 00:34:19,479
Normally, I don't have to dive
in order to do my job.
385
00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,441
So it was very exciting
to finally see the environment
386
00:34:23,483 --> 00:34:26,111
that I've been working on
for over a decade.
387
00:34:26,194 --> 00:34:27,696
MIR two, copy,
388
00:34:27,779 --> 00:34:30,949
We have a visual on you.
We are inbound.
389
00:34:30,991 --> 00:34:33,660
Roger that,
390
00:34:34,453 --> 00:34:37,540
- Can you see them?
- Yeah, It's out my window,
391
00:34:37,623 --> 00:34:39,709
It looks like a spaceship,
392
00:34:43,463 --> 00:34:45,465
Wow,
393
00:34:45,506 --> 00:34:49,344
That's incredible,
That's like another planet,
394
00:34:53,724 --> 00:34:56,393
It's such
an incredible world down there,
395
00:34:56,476 --> 00:34:58,979
and it's so important
to the formation of our planet.
396
00:34:59,021 --> 00:35:02,608
It's where two thirds
of the surface of our world was created,
397
00:35:02,691 --> 00:35:05,653
and we still know so little about it.
398
00:35:07,029 --> 00:35:09,240
Do you see how
they're all shiny and glassy?
399
00:35:09,324 --> 00:35:12,911
- Oh, yeah, Look at that,
- That shows that it cooled superquickly,
400
00:35:12,994 --> 00:35:17,499
That's just, like, it really turns
to glass, basically, To obsidian, it's called,
401
00:35:17,541 --> 00:35:18,667
Look at that,
402
00:35:18,709 --> 00:35:21,211
And you see how there's
hardly any sediment on it?
403
00:35:21,295 --> 00:35:26,467
That's when it's really fresh,
This is brand-new crust we're looking at,
404
00:35:26,550 --> 00:35:27,468
Wow,
405
00:35:27,551 --> 00:35:32,181
Now, can you just imagine
being down here when this stuff erupts?
406
00:35:32,223 --> 00:35:35,685
Molten rock oozing out
and hitting the freezing cold water,
407
00:35:35,727 --> 00:35:38,438
I just can't imagine it,
It must have been insane,
408
00:35:38,521 --> 00:35:40,774
Must look pretty cool,
409
00:35:40,857 --> 00:35:44,319
For the few seconds before you die,
410
00:35:52,787 --> 00:35:55,206
I miss my son.
411
00:35:55,248 --> 00:35:57,458
He's five months old.
412
00:35:57,542 --> 00:36:01,755
It was such a hard decision
to make to come out here.
413
00:36:01,838 --> 00:36:06,259
But I think it's important to study
one of the most remarkable phenomenon
414
00:36:06,343 --> 00:36:09,304
we've ever discovered
in the oceans.
415
00:36:13,809 --> 00:36:16,812
MIR Two, just keep going
upslope on this heading,
416
00:36:16,896 --> 00:36:20,400
The chimneys should be
at the top of this sulfide mound, Over,
417
00:36:20,942 --> 00:36:23,278
Roger that,
418
00:36:34,832 --> 00:36:37,001
Wow,
419
00:36:37,084 --> 00:36:39,086
There it is,
420
00:37:00,150 --> 00:37:01,610
All around our world,
421
00:37:01,694 --> 00:37:05,156
running down the middle of the oceans
like seams on a baseball,
422
00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:08,284
are these cracks,
these spreading centers,
423
00:37:08,367 --> 00:37:12,997
where the crust of the planet
is literally ripping apart.
424
00:37:14,249 --> 00:37:16,751
Up above,
the sea looks normal.
425
00:37:21,173 --> 00:37:23,759
But two miles down,
it's a violent landscape
426
00:37:23,842 --> 00:37:28,723
where fresh lava flows
out of the crack and freezes into rock.
427
00:37:31,350 --> 00:37:35,355
When the sea water seeps down to the
molten rock just beneath the new crust,
428
00:37:35,438 --> 00:37:38,984
it gets superheated,
far hotter than boiling.
429
00:37:39,067 --> 00:37:42,863
But it can't boil, because of the intense
pressure at the bottom of the ocean.
430
00:37:42,946 --> 00:37:46,241
So it comes roaring up
out of the sea floor.
431
00:37:47,242 --> 00:37:51,372
When the superheated water hits the
freezing ocean, minerals condense out,
432
00:37:51,455 --> 00:37:55,418
forming the chimneys,
and creating the black smoke.
433
00:38:23,823 --> 00:38:26,117
When you see black smoke,
what you're really seeing
434
00:38:26,201 --> 00:38:29,162
is a blowtorch of
superheated water.
435
00:38:33,542 --> 00:38:36,253
Uh, we're getting in position
to get a water sample
436
00:38:36,337 --> 00:38:38,631
from the top
of one of these structures, Over,
437
00:38:38,714 --> 00:38:41,717
Yeah, roger that.
That's good.
438
00:38:45,930 --> 00:38:50,310
OK, let's get in as close as we can
on this chimney, Genya,
439
00:38:50,393 --> 00:38:54,439
These chimneys
reach 750 degrees Fahrenheit,
440
00:38:54,523 --> 00:38:58,694
and that's hot enough to melt
the windows of your submersible.
441
00:38:58,777 --> 00:39:00,988
That's a bad thing.
442
00:39:01,071 --> 00:39:05,868
Mental note: Don't melt
the windows of the submersible.
443
00:39:07,578 --> 00:39:10,081
Guys, we're getting really close
to this black smoker here,
444
00:39:10,164 --> 00:39:13,460
- Close enough?
- I think this is maybe a little too close,
445
00:39:13,543 --> 00:39:17,339
Uh, well, we're starting
to get into the plume,
446
00:39:18,423 --> 00:39:20,008
Right underneath the sub,
447
00:39:20,092 --> 00:39:21,718
Genya, move back.
You better move back.
448
00:39:21,802 --> 00:39:24,888
OK, I start to move back,
449
00:39:31,312 --> 00:39:35,900
That's normal.
We usually drive right in 'em like that.
450
00:39:35,984 --> 00:39:40,322
We were right on top of it,
That was a little freaky,
451
00:39:49,582 --> 00:39:51,584
That's pretty cool, Kevin,
452
00:39:51,667 --> 00:39:56,297
The geology's fascinating.
But it's not why I came out here.
453
00:39:58,383 --> 00:40:02,220
Keldysh, Keldysh, MIR Two,
We are on the bottom,
454
00:40:02,303 --> 00:40:05,390
Depth 3526 meters,
455
00:40:05,474 --> 00:40:09,478
And we are at the top
of the Moose structure, Over,
456
00:40:12,690 --> 00:40:16,527
These sites were
first visited 25 years ago by geologists.
457
00:40:16,569 --> 00:40:19,363
And they weren't looking for life.
458
00:40:20,990 --> 00:40:23,409
But it wasn't until
they got into a submersible
459
00:40:23,493 --> 00:40:28,415
and went down to the bottom
to see with their own eyes...
460
00:40:28,498 --> 00:40:34,379
It was like, "Oh, my God.
There's life down here, and it's beautiful. "
461
00:40:34,421 --> 00:40:36,674
It's an entire ecosystem.
462
00:40:40,177 --> 00:40:42,096
Wow, That's awesome,
463
00:40:46,059 --> 00:40:49,521
Copy that. That's what
we're imaging right now. Over.
464
00:40:50,230 --> 00:40:56,236
- Look at all that hot water,
- They're right in the flow,
465
00:41:00,199 --> 00:41:02,368
Oh, man, Check this out,
466
00:41:02,451 --> 00:41:08,374
It's like liquid fire,
and these guys are dancing right next to it,
467
00:41:08,416 --> 00:41:11,794
They are really tickling
the dragon's tail,
468
00:41:13,588 --> 00:41:17,217
The science community
was stunned.
469
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:21,096
How could these animals
be living in these toxic chemicals,
470
00:41:21,138 --> 00:41:24,641
at these pressures,
around extremes of temperature
471
00:41:24,725 --> 00:41:28,604
from freezing to beyond boiling
in just a few inches?
472
00:41:31,357 --> 00:41:36,362
How could there be a whole ecosystem
living without sunlight?
473
00:41:38,656 --> 00:41:42,202
And not just living,
but thriving!
474
00:41:45,873 --> 00:41:48,000
Unbelievable,
475
00:41:48,083 --> 00:41:52,922
This is the most insane
amount of biomass I ever saw in my life,
476
00:41:52,963 --> 00:41:54,548
Wow,
477
00:41:54,632 --> 00:41:57,093
Holy pancakes, Batman,
478
00:42:05,185 --> 00:42:10,274
And they're right there in the flow,
just enjoying the hydrothermal fluid,
479
00:42:10,357 --> 00:42:13,611
Oh, look at 'em swarming,
They love it in the smoke,
480
00:42:13,694 --> 00:42:15,696
Oh, yeah,
481
00:42:16,655 --> 00:42:20,743
The vents
were providing the energy for life.
482
00:42:20,827 --> 00:42:23,621
It was coming from chemicals
dissolved in the water,
483
00:42:23,663 --> 00:42:26,791
coming from inside the Earth itself.
484
00:42:26,875 --> 00:42:30,670
Not photosynthesis,
but chemosynthesis.
485
00:42:33,924 --> 00:42:38,929
It was a whole new basis for life,
one that didn't need the sun,
486
00:42:39,013 --> 00:42:42,058
only water and heat.
487
00:42:43,226 --> 00:42:46,437
That party's been going on down
there in the dark for the last billion years,
488
00:42:46,521 --> 00:42:48,648
and it's gonna be going on
for the next billion years,
489
00:42:48,731 --> 00:42:51,735
They're just doing their thing,
it's got nothing to do with us,
490
00:42:51,818 --> 00:42:57,824
the sun could go out tomorrow and they
wouldn't know and they wouldn't care,
491
00:42:58,867 --> 00:43:02,454
Exploring and discovering
ecosystems like this,
492
00:43:02,538 --> 00:43:07,501
which may not depend
on energy from the sun,
493
00:43:07,585 --> 00:43:10,338
opens up all sorts
of interesting possibilities
494
00:43:10,380 --> 00:43:13,967
when we think about
the search for life elsewhere.
495
00:43:16,553 --> 00:43:21,391
Wherever we've found liquid water
on planet Earth, we've found life.
496
00:43:21,475 --> 00:43:23,477
That's pretty profound.
497
00:43:25,854 --> 00:43:31,444
If we find liquid water elsewhere in
the solar system, are we gonna find life?
498
00:43:31,527 --> 00:43:34,781
We won't know
unless we start searching.
499
00:43:43,665 --> 00:43:48,420
In fact, NASA is planning a mission
called the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter.
500
00:43:48,462 --> 00:43:50,381
AKA JIMO.
501
00:43:50,422 --> 00:43:52,925
At 120 feet long
it's gonna be several times longer
502
00:43:53,008 --> 00:43:55,219
than any planetary probe
ever launched,
503
00:43:55,261 --> 00:44:00,975
and its nuclear reactor will power
ion engines and a big science radar.
504
00:44:08,483 --> 00:44:10,819
The main goal of JIMO
will be to use that radar
505
00:44:10,903 --> 00:44:15,074
to look down through the ice
of Jupiter's three largest moons.
506
00:44:15,157 --> 00:44:19,120
First, it will study Callisto,
and then it'll move to Ganymede.
507
00:44:19,161 --> 00:44:24,000
And these are bizarre moons,
the largest of Jupiter's 61 known moons.
508
00:44:24,083 --> 00:44:27,587
Callisto and Ganymede
both have crusts of ancient ice and rock
509
00:44:27,629 --> 00:44:31,299
that may hide oceans
miles below the surface.
510
00:44:33,927 --> 00:44:38,974
Further in is Io,
which is a moon of fire, not ice.
511
00:44:42,103 --> 00:44:46,399
Io's eccentric orbit causes it
to deform as it circles Jupiter.
512
00:44:46,482 --> 00:44:50,111
This intense tidal pumping
pulls at the moon like taffy,
513
00:44:50,195 --> 00:44:53,365
generating friction at the core
which then becomes heat,
514
00:44:53,448 --> 00:44:58,829
and this heat drives the solar system's
largest active volcanoes.
515
00:45:01,623 --> 00:45:04,210
There are constant eruptions,
rivers of lava,
516
00:45:04,293 --> 00:45:09,132
and volcanic plumes shooting
hundreds of miles into space.
517
00:45:20,394 --> 00:45:26,150
But the gem of the Jovian system, at least
as far as the search for life is concerned,
518
00:45:26,191 --> 00:45:27,735
is Europa.
519
00:45:27,818 --> 00:45:32,824
It's here where fire and ice
come together in perfect harmony.
520
00:45:34,117 --> 00:45:36,786
The scientific community
is relatively certain
521
00:45:36,870 --> 00:45:42,584
that beneath the icy, chaotic shell of
Europa, there exists a liquid water ocean,
522
00:45:42,667 --> 00:45:47,673
with twice the volume
of all the Earth's oceans combined.
523
00:45:47,756 --> 00:45:53,220
So tidal heating is working here too,
keeping that water from freezing.
524
00:45:53,262 --> 00:45:56,724
And possibly providing
energy for life.
525
00:45:56,807 --> 00:46:02,522
The same kind of life that we're finding
at the deep vents here on Earth.
526
00:46:11,281 --> 00:46:14,910
You see all that out there,
all that yellow and white and orange?
527
00:46:14,994 --> 00:46:18,289
That's just a huge
colony of microbes,
528
00:46:19,749 --> 00:46:24,295
This is just acres and acres
of this bacterial mass,
529
00:46:24,379 --> 00:46:28,425
Look at that, This could be like
a little glimpse back in time,
530
00:46:28,508 --> 00:46:31,928
Yeah, couple of billion years ago,
531
00:46:32,012 --> 00:46:34,723
Hydrothermal vents
have been on planet Earth
532
00:46:34,765 --> 00:46:36,975
since the oceans were formed.
533
00:46:38,143 --> 00:46:43,357
It may have been sites like these
around which life itself began.
534
00:46:44,775 --> 00:46:47,445
If we can just sort of
scoop up the top area of that,
535
00:46:47,528 --> 00:46:50,365
maybe a little bit of
the sediment below,
536
00:46:50,448 --> 00:46:51,991
Excellent,
537
00:46:52,075 --> 00:46:54,452
Nice sample,
538
00:46:54,494 --> 00:47:00,042
You can see all the stringy
little filaments that make up the mat,
539
00:47:00,542 --> 00:47:04,755
Extremophiles are simply
life forms that thrive in the extremes
540
00:47:04,839 --> 00:47:09,010
of temperature and pressure
and radiation,
541
00:47:09,093 --> 00:47:11,971
environments that to us are deadly.
542
00:47:13,932 --> 00:47:20,021
These microbes go far beyond anything
which our imagination could conceive of
543
00:47:20,105 --> 00:47:24,735
back when we first started studying
where we might find life.
544
00:47:24,818 --> 00:47:28,197
Now, if we find anything on Europa,
it's probably gonna look just like this,
545
00:47:28,259 --> 00:47:30,428
Absolutely,
546
00:47:33,265 --> 00:47:36,602
So I think if we're gonna try to get
evidence for life on another planet,
547
00:47:36,643 --> 00:47:40,022
we've certainly gotta look
for evidence for life on our own first,
548
00:47:40,105 --> 00:47:41,482
It's the only sample
we've got, right?
549
00:47:41,565 --> 00:47:45,069
Pan Conrad. She was
one of our senior astrobiologists.
550
00:47:45,111 --> 00:47:47,321
She comes from
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
551
00:47:47,405 --> 00:47:51,910
and she's one of those valuable people
who knows how to make science fun.
552
00:47:55,121 --> 00:47:59,042
So you know when you were little, and you
used to play like you were in a submarine?
553
00:47:59,126 --> 00:48:01,086
That was this,
554
00:48:02,129 --> 00:48:06,258
How cool is this?
This is way better than the cardboard box,
555
00:48:19,856 --> 00:48:22,568
Tolya, just see
if you can ease in on this structure,
556
00:48:22,651 --> 00:48:25,237
Absolutely,
557
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:31,118
It's just like the Mushroom Planet,
It looks exactly like a mushroom,
558
00:48:36,833 --> 00:48:40,628
Ah, that's gorgeous,
It's like a mirror,
559
00:48:47,094 --> 00:48:50,889
That's the hot water
forming a surface,
560
00:48:50,973 --> 00:48:53,142
That is very cool,
561
00:48:54,185 --> 00:48:57,104
See the bacteria growing right along
the edge, right in the hot flow?
562
00:48:57,188 --> 00:49:00,024
I see it,
563
00:49:00,108 --> 00:49:02,902
It's all bacterial mats on top,
564
00:49:04,863 --> 00:49:07,449
Certain molecules
found in living organisms
565
00:49:07,532 --> 00:49:11,745
will glow when they're hit
with an ultraviolet laser.
566
00:49:11,829 --> 00:49:13,831
Is that a good place
for a fluorometer reading?
567
00:49:13,914 --> 00:49:18,002
I think this is a great place
for a fluorometer reading,
568
00:49:18,544 --> 00:49:21,255
We designed
our life detection tool in such a way
569
00:49:21,339 --> 00:49:24,008
that we could point it
at a rock and say:
570
00:49:24,092 --> 00:49:27,929
"Aha! There's evidence
of life over there. "
571
00:49:28,513 --> 00:49:30,515
Lights out,
572
00:49:31,516 --> 00:49:35,521
OK, I'm going to start
the measurement now, Ready...
573
00:49:35,604 --> 00:49:36,605
Go,
574
00:49:36,688 --> 00:49:39,525
OK, Lasers firing,
575
00:49:39,566 --> 00:49:41,902
We got a lot of signal here,
576
00:49:41,986 --> 00:49:45,072
Whoo, this is good, We've got,
like, 14,000 counts in ultraviolet,
577
00:49:45,156 --> 00:49:48,201
Very interesting, Doctor, But is it life?
578
00:49:48,242 --> 00:49:52,330
There's definitely organic stuff there,
579
00:49:53,498 --> 00:49:55,750
It's so important
to study what you can
580
00:49:55,834 --> 00:49:58,045
about extreme environments
on the Earth
581
00:49:58,086 --> 00:50:03,008
before you go out
into the solar system and look for life.
582
00:50:09,515 --> 00:50:11,350
MIR Two, do you copy?
583
00:50:13,353 --> 00:50:14,395
Go for it, Ares.
584
00:50:14,479 --> 00:50:19,776
My name is Kelly Snook.
I work at NASA. I'm a planetary scientist.
585
00:50:19,860 --> 00:50:20,944
Copy that,
586
00:50:21,027 --> 00:50:24,323
I study the process of exploration.
587
00:50:24,406 --> 00:50:26,825
Rover Two and MIR Two...
588
00:50:28,160 --> 00:50:30,705
What I do in my day-to-day work
589
00:50:30,788 --> 00:50:38,296
is learn how to use the Earth as a training
ground for going to another planet.
590
00:50:38,379 --> 00:50:41,091
So here
I was looking for the analogs.
591
00:50:41,174 --> 00:50:43,760
Baboom! You did it,
592
00:50:43,802 --> 00:50:46,888
- It's in the basket,
- Slam dunk,
593
00:50:46,972 --> 00:50:49,224
Slam dunk from the center line,
594
00:50:51,226 --> 00:50:55,982
These, I thought these were bacterial,
so I told Anatoly to pick some up,
595
00:50:56,023 --> 00:50:58,985
Most people were on a ship,
in the middle of the ocean,
596
00:50:59,026 --> 00:51:02,197
studying the hydrothermal vents
or making a film.
597
00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:03,907
I was on Mars.
598
00:51:03,990 --> 00:51:06,451
And the people that were
down at the bottom of the ocean,
599
00:51:06,534 --> 00:51:09,454
they were out on
the surface of Mars.
600
00:51:14,460 --> 00:51:18,839
Everything that we do in the ocean is ten
times harder than you think it's going to be,
601
00:51:18,881 --> 00:51:21,884
and you go in thinking
it's gonna be really hard, you know?
602
00:51:21,968 --> 00:51:24,345
- So I don't see Mars surface ops...
- Same with space,
603
00:51:24,429 --> 00:51:25,972
...being any different,
604
00:51:26,014 --> 00:51:29,851
Yeah, hopefully we'll have time in that day
to sort of debug our comm protocols
605
00:51:29,893 --> 00:51:31,144
and the way we're interacting...
606
00:51:31,186 --> 00:51:34,564
My team included
astronaut Megan McArthur
607
00:51:34,648 --> 00:51:36,984
from NASA Johnson Space Center,
608
00:51:37,025 --> 00:51:42,239
and astrobiologist Tori Hoehler
from NASA Ames Research Center.
609
00:51:43,866 --> 00:51:48,287
We worked together to explore ways
in which humans and technologies
610
00:51:48,371 --> 00:51:53,626
can improve the science and discoveries
we'll make on the Moon and Mars.
611
00:51:55,378 --> 00:51:58,715
This combination
of science and technology,
612
00:51:58,757 --> 00:52:02,344
especially in an environment
like under the ocean,
613
00:52:02,386 --> 00:52:05,806
it's very similar to space exploration.
614
00:52:06,682 --> 00:52:09,894
The submersible is like
a pressurized rover on Mars,
615
00:52:09,977 --> 00:52:15,900
and so we were using this as an
opportunity to learn lessons about space.
616
00:52:15,984 --> 00:52:17,068
Go ahead, Roberto,
617
00:52:17,152 --> 00:52:22,824
If you can find any
microbial mats right near the chimney...
618
00:52:22,908 --> 00:52:27,287
Uh, I guess that depends on how we're
able to configure the MIRs, and how...
619
00:52:27,371 --> 00:52:30,374
I would talk to
the remote scientists at NASA,
620
00:52:30,416 --> 00:52:34,670
and I would get their requests
for particular rocks,
621
00:52:34,754 --> 00:52:38,424
and I would process the rocks
and prepare to take them back to Earth.
622
00:52:38,508 --> 00:52:40,802
I think it's probably
loaded with bacteria,
623
00:52:40,885 --> 00:52:45,015
I think the white stuff is most likely,
like I say, sulfur oxidizers,
624
00:52:46,266 --> 00:52:48,602
Analogs like this
are key to understanding
625
00:52:48,644 --> 00:52:53,357
how we'll do scientific exploration
on the Moon and Mars.
626
00:52:56,611 --> 00:53:01,240
Will we need manipulators,
like we have on the MIR? Probably.
627
00:53:01,950 --> 00:53:04,744
And how will we handle
the problems and technical glitches
628
00:53:04,828 --> 00:53:09,040
that no doubt we will have
on an extended planetary mission?
629
00:53:09,124 --> 00:53:11,501
Whatever you just switched off
you better switch back on,
630
00:53:11,585 --> 00:53:13,045
Right,
631
00:53:13,128 --> 00:53:14,922
Rover One and MIR One,
632
00:53:14,963 --> 00:53:20,594
be advised we have lost
our starboard horizontal thruster,
633
00:53:20,678 --> 00:53:24,223
Uh, we've lost AC
and we have lost pan and tilt,
634
00:53:24,307 --> 00:53:27,143
so we're probably
gonna have to abort,
635
00:53:28,144 --> 00:53:30,939
Every event here,
both planned and unplanned,
636
00:53:30,981 --> 00:53:34,609
generates data
we can apply to the future.
637
00:53:36,987 --> 00:53:40,491
Much of what I study is
how humans interact with the technology
638
00:53:40,574 --> 00:53:43,160
that allows them
to accomplish their tasks.
639
00:53:43,244 --> 00:53:45,413
Some of the technology
is very simple,
640
00:53:45,496 --> 00:53:50,209
but in space and at the bottom
of the ocean, nothing is simple.
641
00:53:51,211 --> 00:53:52,837
Yes!
642
00:53:52,921 --> 00:53:54,089
Oh...
643
00:53:56,383 --> 00:53:58,051
Is it gonna go? No!
644
00:53:58,135 --> 00:54:00,137
Ay...
645
00:54:01,221 --> 00:54:04,266
- You can't rotate the scoop more?
- It's on the edge of this carousel,
646
00:54:04,350 --> 00:54:06,352
You can put it in,
647
00:54:06,435 --> 00:54:08,604
- Can you rotate the scoop?
- I did, I did,
648
00:54:08,688 --> 00:54:11,691
- It's in?
- One piece has gone inside,
649
00:54:11,774 --> 00:54:15,945
Yeah? OK, good, All right, you got it,
You got it, One is out, one is in,
650
00:54:16,029 --> 00:54:19,157
The better we can integrate
technology like this, and robotics,
651
00:54:19,199 --> 00:54:21,618
into our human exploration systems,
652
00:54:21,701 --> 00:54:26,373
the more effectively we'll be able
to explore the solar system.
653
00:54:26,457 --> 00:54:28,959
- I feel like I'm in a spacecraft,
- I'm sorry?
654
00:54:29,043 --> 00:54:31,337
- I said, I feel like I'm in a spacecraft,
- You are,
655
00:54:31,378 --> 00:54:32,922
- That's right,
- You are in...
656
00:54:33,005 --> 00:54:37,677
- Inner space,
- ...the world's best spacecraft,
657
00:54:37,760 --> 00:54:40,346
to explore this planet,
You're in it,
658
00:54:42,098 --> 00:54:46,186
The experience of human beings
inside the submersible
659
00:54:46,269 --> 00:54:48,981
is what we're most interested in.
660
00:54:51,984 --> 00:54:55,362
It's Marge,
It's Marge Simpson's hairdo,
661
00:54:57,490 --> 00:54:59,700
It's not only
the hardware in the process,
662
00:54:59,784 --> 00:55:03,413
but the communications
between the people and the robots,
663
00:55:03,496 --> 00:55:06,625
because the scientist is
the interface between the technology
664
00:55:06,708 --> 00:55:08,919
and what we're trying to study.
665
00:55:09,002 --> 00:55:12,297
OK, guys, what I'd like you
to do is come to your right
666
00:55:12,381 --> 00:55:15,509
when you've had a look at that, 'cause
we're not getting much of an image here.
667
00:55:15,592 --> 00:55:18,095
And the current
is of course not favorable,
668
00:55:18,179 --> 00:55:22,517
That's OK,
It wouldn't be fun if it was easy, right?
669
00:55:25,561 --> 00:55:28,815
- What's that fish?
- It's a big fish. Don't be scared.
670
00:55:31,943 --> 00:55:34,738
If you want to take a sample
of any of these small sulfide rocks
671
00:55:34,821 --> 00:55:36,615
down here at the bottom,
that would be fine.
672
00:55:36,698 --> 00:55:39,284
It's a very
technologically difficult thing to do,
673
00:55:39,368 --> 00:55:41,453
to pick up a rock
at the bottom of the ocean
674
00:55:41,537 --> 00:55:43,873
and put it into
a sample collection device.
675
00:55:43,956 --> 00:55:45,958
That's really at the core
of what we're interested in.
676
00:55:46,042 --> 00:55:50,505
How are humans going to do these small,
easy tasks in a difficult environment?
677
00:55:50,588 --> 00:55:54,759
Whoa, we got currents,
Come on, gripper, Grip,
678
00:55:54,801 --> 00:55:56,970
It's got it.
679
00:55:59,431 --> 00:56:02,392
Oh! Hang onto it, baby,
680
00:56:02,810 --> 00:56:05,354
All right, you got it,
Barely got it, but you got it,
681
00:56:05,437 --> 00:56:07,606
OK, try to get it over to the carousel,
682
00:56:07,648 --> 00:56:09,775
Well, a task
that would take a person in the field
683
00:56:09,859 --> 00:56:14,155
a couple of minutes on Earth
can take hours on Mars.
684
00:56:14,238 --> 00:56:16,658
Every step is a new challenge.
685
00:56:17,784 --> 00:56:23,081
Now translate right just a little bit.
About another two inches.
686
00:56:24,499 --> 00:56:30,506
We can't send 150 people to Mars
right away. We would send probably six.
687
00:56:37,055 --> 00:56:39,349
These few people will be responsible
688
00:56:39,432 --> 00:56:42,352
for all the science
and exploration on the surface.
689
00:56:42,435 --> 00:56:45,856
Kind of like proxies for
the thousands of people back on Earth
690
00:56:45,939 --> 00:56:47,649
interested in the mission.
691
00:56:50,360 --> 00:56:53,822
Mars is the obvious first place
to look for life in the solar system,
692
00:56:53,906 --> 00:56:56,867
because there's evidence
that the Earth and Mars
693
00:56:56,951 --> 00:57:00,121
share a similar history
of abundant water.
694
00:57:00,204 --> 00:57:05,877
And one of the most important key
elements of life as we know it is water.
695
00:57:07,462 --> 00:57:13,260
Now, the Mars you see today
is dry, dusty, cold, apparently dead.
696
00:57:13,343 --> 00:57:18,224
But if you set the way-back machine,
it didn't look like that.
697
00:57:19,558 --> 00:57:22,436
If you could imagine
if life was evolving on Mars,
698
00:57:22,520 --> 00:57:25,106
and there was an impact great enough...
699
00:57:33,573 --> 00:57:36,493
based on what we know now
about extremophiles,
700
00:57:36,577 --> 00:57:42,291
we think that life could survive
a trip from Mars to Earth in a rock.
701
00:57:42,374 --> 00:57:47,713
It's possible that life
could be viable after that long of a trip.
702
00:57:51,426 --> 00:57:57,599
We might all be Martians. We might all
be from another solar system entirely.
703
00:57:59,685 --> 00:58:04,273
All right, Put up your hand if you would
sacrifice ten years of your life to go to Mars,
704
00:58:04,356 --> 00:58:06,358
- I'm going,
- Sure,
705
00:58:07,943 --> 00:58:12,115
How would you talk your husband
into letting you go to Mars?
706
00:58:12,198 --> 00:58:15,743
Say, "All right, honey, Now,
it's only gonna be for five years, OK?"
707
00:58:15,827 --> 00:58:19,289
"And I'm gonna write every day,
we'll have email,"
708
00:58:19,372 --> 00:58:22,584
Whoa,
That's a loaded question there,
709
00:58:22,626 --> 00:58:25,587
It's funny, 'cause when you asked me
the question, "Would I go to Mars?"
710
00:58:25,629 --> 00:58:32,553
I raised my hand without even thinking
about the consequences or life at home,
711
00:58:32,636 --> 00:58:35,973
My husband, my cat,
my mom and dad...
712
00:58:36,057 --> 00:58:38,768
My cat,
713
00:58:39,269 --> 00:58:42,480
That'd be hard,
I think he'd say, "Go for it," I really do,
714
00:58:42,564 --> 00:58:46,777
'Cause I think all of us, we're all human
and we all have that exploration bug,
715
00:58:46,860 --> 00:58:49,613
and if somebody that we love
has the opportunity to go out there
716
00:58:49,696 --> 00:58:55,619
and represent humanity and explore,
I think he'd push me and go for it,
717
00:58:58,998 --> 00:59:01,459
When you've been on the "Keldysh" for almost a month,
718
00:59:01,542 --> 00:59:05,296
it's very easy to pretend
that you're on your way to Mars.
719
00:59:07,882 --> 00:59:10,427
You're far away
from everything you know,
720
00:59:10,510 --> 00:59:13,722
in a small environment
with the same crew,
721
00:59:13,805 --> 00:59:17,977
who are there for the same
professional interests that you are.
722
00:59:18,018 --> 00:59:20,688
They're there to explore,
they're there to do science.
723
00:59:25,610 --> 00:59:27,445
The Russians are very resourceful.
724
00:59:27,528 --> 00:59:29,364
They were showing us
some of their sampling tools,
725
00:59:29,405 --> 00:59:33,368
and they have a tool that can sample
just about anything you'd want to sample.
726
00:59:33,451 --> 00:59:36,413
Some of the things are really clever.
727
00:59:36,496 --> 00:59:38,665
Or as simple as the Nikolai pot,
728
00:59:38,707 --> 00:59:42,586
which is basically a pot
we stole from the cook, Nikolai.
729
00:59:46,215 --> 00:59:49,635
It's something that
I just love getting to be a part of.
730
00:59:49,719 --> 00:59:52,889
You know, we get to be in their culture,
and look at how they do engineering
731
00:59:52,972 --> 00:59:54,724
and how they do operations.
732
00:59:54,808 --> 00:59:58,103
It's an incredible environment
to be working in.
733
00:59:59,813 --> 01:00:02,733
I love it because of
the way it brings people together.
734
01:00:02,774 --> 01:00:04,360
Victor,
735
01:00:04,401 --> 01:00:07,363
Obed?
736
01:00:07,404 --> 01:00:09,907
Your... Your lunch?
737
01:00:09,991 --> 01:00:12,243
- Yeah,
- Yes, that's right,
738
01:00:12,326 --> 01:00:13,494
Yeah? Yay!
739
01:00:13,578 --> 01:00:16,873
This expedition
captured a lot of that spirit.
740
01:00:16,915 --> 01:00:18,541
OK, all right,
741
01:00:18,625 --> 01:00:21,586
The idea of doing something
that was really difficult,
742
01:00:21,670 --> 01:00:25,716
and how people can come together
to make something like that happen.
743
01:00:25,799 --> 01:00:27,384
Poyehaly.
744
01:00:27,926 --> 01:00:30,221
The way they communicate
with each other.
745
01:00:30,262 --> 01:00:32,014
No, forward,
746
01:00:41,649 --> 01:00:43,860
Victor's been practicing,
747
01:00:44,819 --> 01:00:47,781
Vitka, khorosho, khorosho.
748
01:00:49,616 --> 01:00:51,910
One of the things
I enjoy about Russian culture
749
01:00:51,952 --> 01:00:54,788
is the way that
you integrate play and work.
750
01:00:54,872 --> 01:00:55,664
Vosem-pyaty.
751
01:00:55,748 --> 01:00:57,833
I mean,
I've studied Russian in college,
752
01:00:57,917 --> 01:01:01,838
because I always wanted to work
with the Russian space program.
753
01:01:01,921 --> 01:01:07,802
And the "Keldysh" is a great analog for,
you know, a space launch complex.
754
01:01:07,886 --> 01:01:11,181
And I understood what
all the astronauts are always saying,
755
01:01:11,264 --> 01:01:14,810
when they say that the technicians
and the engineers on the pad
756
01:01:14,893 --> 01:01:18,647
are the real heroes,
making sure that you're gonna be safe.
757
01:01:18,731 --> 01:01:22,735
This expedition
captured a lot of that spirit.
758
01:01:22,818 --> 01:01:24,779
Engines start.
759
01:01:29,242 --> 01:01:31,828
While we were out at sea,
two incredible explorers
760
01:01:31,911 --> 01:01:34,706
were already on their way to Mars.
761
01:01:35,916 --> 01:01:42,339
"Spirit" got there first, blazing into the thin
Martian atmosphere at over 12,000mph.
762
01:01:46,510 --> 01:01:49,931
"Opportunity" arrived
a few weeks later.
763
01:01:50,723 --> 01:01:54,394
Landing for both
was a nerve-racking affair.
764
01:01:55,478 --> 01:01:58,231
Current altitude approximately 25,000 feet.
765
01:01:58,315 --> 01:02:00,901
Awaiting confirmation.
766
01:02:00,984 --> 01:02:05,155
We're moving at a speed of 173 miles per
hour. We are near our terminal velocity.
767
01:02:05,197 --> 01:02:07,825
Cleaner separation of end
has been detected.
768
01:02:22,466 --> 01:02:23,884
No signal at the moment.
769
01:02:23,967 --> 01:02:30,391
Deep-space network tracking stations at
Canberra searching for primary signal.
770
01:02:31,767 --> 01:02:34,437
We're on Mars, everybody.
771
01:02:42,487 --> 01:02:45,198
Equipped with
high-resolution stereoscopic cameras,
772
01:02:45,282 --> 01:02:47,409
and a Swiss army knife's
worth of geological
773
01:02:47,492 --> 01:02:49,369
and chemical science instruments,
774
01:02:49,411 --> 01:02:52,748
the mission of
the Mars Exploration Rovers was clear:
775
01:02:52,831 --> 01:02:55,835
Find evidence of water in Mars' past,
776
01:02:55,918 --> 01:03:00,256
when conditions
may have been more favorable to life.
777
01:03:05,595 --> 01:03:09,724
You can learn a lot from a rock,
if you know how to ask.
778
01:03:10,767 --> 01:03:12,894
And you know where to look.
779
01:03:15,689 --> 01:03:20,194
Of the two rovers,
"Opportunity" really hit the jackpot.
780
01:03:20,277 --> 01:03:23,656
The ancient bedrock
was absolutely loaded with hematite,
781
01:03:23,739 --> 01:03:28,786
an iron-bearing mineral that usually
forms from interaction with liquid water.
782
01:03:28,870 --> 01:03:30,914
Then scientists detected jarosite,
783
01:03:30,955 --> 01:03:34,918
a mineral that suggests the rocks may
have been soaked in acid ground water,
784
01:03:34,960 --> 01:03:40,299
or in a hot springs environment,
like Yellowstone National Park.
785
01:03:43,344 --> 01:03:46,639
Other clues included
empty cavities inside rocks,
786
01:03:46,722 --> 01:03:49,308
where salt crystals
may have dissolved away,
787
01:03:49,392 --> 01:03:51,894
and rippled sediment patterns,
788
01:03:51,978 --> 01:03:57,442
hinting at the presence of free-flowing
water over thousands of years.
789
01:03:58,485 --> 01:04:02,447
And then there were the "blueberries."
Tiny spheres of hematite,
790
01:04:02,489 --> 01:04:06,076
eroded out of the rocks
and spilled out all over the surface.
791
01:04:06,160 --> 01:04:11,791
On Earth, spheres like this form
in the presence of water over time.
792
01:04:11,832 --> 01:04:16,462
Both "Spirit" and "Opportunity" helped
confirm where the water was on Mars,
793
01:04:16,504 --> 01:04:21,092
but they were not equipped
to tell us where the water is now.
794
01:04:21,176 --> 01:04:23,804
That job fell to
the Mars Odyssey Orbiter,
795
01:04:23,887 --> 01:04:27,599
which detected what is believed
to be massive quantities of water ice,
796
01:04:27,683 --> 01:04:34,148
just a few feet below the surface, with
the highest concentrations at the poles.
797
01:04:35,316 --> 01:04:40,572
In 2008, "Phoenix" will rise
from the ashes of the Mars Polar Lander,
798
01:04:40,655 --> 01:04:43,158
and, using many of that
failed mission's spare parts,
799
01:04:43,241 --> 01:04:46,369
will land near the Martian north pole.
800
01:04:48,497 --> 01:04:51,166
And, for the first time ever,
801
01:04:51,917 --> 01:04:56,255
a Martian probe will do more
than scratch the surface.
802
01:04:57,673 --> 01:05:01,052
"Phoenix" will dig deep
into the permafrost
803
01:05:01,135 --> 01:05:04,597
and sample Martian water
for the very first time.
804
01:05:06,891 --> 01:05:10,187
Everything we learn about Mars
makes the story more exciting.
805
01:05:10,270 --> 01:05:14,107
There's evidence of past water,
there's evidence of past volcanism,
806
01:05:14,191 --> 01:05:15,859
the chemistry checks out.
807
01:05:15,943 --> 01:05:20,948
All the ingredients for life are there.
That's why we keep searching.
808
01:05:22,033 --> 01:05:25,870
Of course, that's not the only way
we're searching for life in the universe.
809
01:05:25,912 --> 01:05:27,997
- Look at this, he's computer coordinated,
- I know,
810
01:05:28,081 --> 01:05:32,794
It says, "SETI Institute"
on your shirt and on your laptop,
811
01:05:32,877 --> 01:05:35,005
- It's a little over the top,
- That's impressive,
812
01:05:35,088 --> 01:05:38,425
- You're putting the message out there,
- Well, you know, they gave it to me,
813
01:05:38,467 --> 01:05:40,385
One of the groups
I'm affiliated with
814
01:05:40,427 --> 01:05:44,765
is the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence Institute.
815
01:05:44,849 --> 01:05:49,520
And what the SETI Institute does
is try to detect intelligent signals
816
01:05:49,604 --> 01:05:54,067
from distant civilizations
around another star.
817
01:05:54,108 --> 01:05:58,238
To do this, Frank Drake,
one of the founders of the SETI Institute,
818
01:05:58,280 --> 01:06:01,992
wrote down just a set of factors
known as the Drake Equation.
819
01:06:02,075 --> 01:06:08,082
And it includes factors such as the fraction
of stars around which planets form,
820
01:06:08,165 --> 01:06:12,795
the fraction of habitable planets
on which life emerges,
821
01:06:13,796 --> 01:06:18,635
and the fraction of life
that then evolves to intelligence,
822
01:06:20,470 --> 01:06:24,433
and eventually to becoming
tool-using civilizations
823
01:06:24,474 --> 01:06:28,437
that can communicate with
other civilizations in the galaxy.
824
01:06:35,027 --> 01:06:40,909
The last factor is the lifetime of the
intelligent communicating civilization.
825
01:06:40,992 --> 01:06:44,120
At the same time
that we develop the technology
826
01:06:44,204 --> 01:06:47,415
to communicate
with beings on a distant planet,
827
01:06:47,499 --> 01:06:51,712
we also develop the technology
to annihilate ourselves.
828
01:06:51,795 --> 01:06:57,176
And if that's standard
for intelligent civilizations in the galaxy,
829
01:06:57,218 --> 01:07:01,305
we're not going to have much luck
searching for life elsewhere.
830
01:07:03,057 --> 01:07:06,519
Let's say that my
kind of modified Drake's Equation
831
01:07:06,603 --> 01:07:09,856
says that life was possible on any planet,
any distance from a sun,
832
01:07:09,940 --> 01:07:13,485
or not even anywhere near a sun,
or any planetarylike body,
833
01:07:13,527 --> 01:07:17,448
like a moon of Jupiter or whatever,
that had ice around it, OK?
834
01:07:17,531 --> 01:07:21,827
And had some kind of tidal pumping
from some other gravity source near it,
835
01:07:21,869 --> 01:07:24,163
so that it had a liquid core
and it was generating heat,
836
01:07:24,205 --> 01:07:28,292
and it was making heat like these
hydrothermal vents that we're seeing,
837
01:07:28,376 --> 01:07:33,632
If we said there were maybe ten or twenty
or fifty times as many worlds like that,
838
01:07:33,715 --> 01:07:39,054
isn't it logical to assume that when we get
a call from one of your buddies out there,
839
01:07:39,096 --> 01:07:41,932
when SETI Institute
finally picks up a signal,
840
01:07:42,016 --> 01:07:45,519
it's gonna be coming from somebody
who had to bore up through ice
841
01:07:45,561 --> 01:07:47,855
and set their transmitter
out on the ice?
842
01:07:47,939 --> 01:07:52,110
Statistically, isn't that indicated
by what we're talking about here?
843
01:07:52,193 --> 01:07:55,780
There's a flaw in that statement,
and that is: Ice worlds are most common,
844
01:07:55,864 --> 01:07:58,950
We have no idea
about that right now,
845
01:07:59,034 --> 01:08:01,328
We got one liquid water planet
in our solar system,
846
01:08:01,411 --> 01:08:05,749
and we've already identified
three potential hydrospheres
847
01:08:05,833 --> 01:08:09,295
- that are ice-covered and far from the sun,
- Right, But...
848
01:08:09,378 --> 01:08:12,298
Based on our own immediate experience,
it's a three-to-one ratio,
849
01:08:12,381 --> 01:08:15,551
Sure, sure,
Do we know if any of them are habitable?
850
01:08:15,593 --> 01:08:18,513
- We don't, but we gotta go look,
- Right,
851
01:08:21,349 --> 01:08:24,770
We may find that
icy little worlds like Europa
852
01:08:24,811 --> 01:08:29,149
are where the bulk
of liquid water exists in our galaxy.
853
01:08:29,233 --> 01:08:33,404
And, in fact,
that's where the bulk of life may exist.
854
01:08:33,445 --> 01:08:35,448
Who knows?
855
01:08:35,531 --> 01:08:40,453
But it is really interesting
to think about the evolution of intelligence
856
01:08:40,536 --> 01:08:43,581
in an icy world system.
857
01:08:43,623 --> 01:08:45,709
Would you evolve to intelligence?
858
01:08:45,792 --> 01:08:49,921
Would you wonder about
the bottom of that ice shell?
859
01:08:54,969 --> 01:08:58,097
Our primary focus at this site
will be for the mussels and the crabs,
860
01:08:58,139 --> 01:09:00,892
OK, And you need mussels and crabs, and
we're gonna do the crabs in a crab trap?
861
01:09:00,975 --> 01:09:02,435
We're gonna do crab traps,
862
01:09:02,518 --> 01:09:06,356
So we're hoping that whatever we fix
in the crab trap will trap these guys,
863
01:09:06,439 --> 01:09:08,608
Now, do you care
where we put the crab trap?
864
01:09:08,650 --> 01:09:11,361
Preferably where there's crabs,
865
01:09:14,114 --> 01:09:18,994
Yes, we're currently at
X coordinates minus 106,
866
01:09:19,078 --> 01:09:22,540
Y coordinates minus 76. Over.
867
01:09:23,541 --> 01:09:27,253
The story of the vents
is really the story of the microbes.
868
01:09:27,336 --> 01:09:29,339
This is it, right here,
869
01:09:29,422 --> 01:09:33,885
Bottom of the food chain,
Waving fields of bacteria,
870
01:09:38,515 --> 01:09:40,851
The vent fluid is a kind of liquid sunshine,
871
01:09:40,934 --> 01:09:44,438
powering the whole
food chain down here.
872
01:09:45,564 --> 01:09:48,359
Some of the animals
are eating the bacteria,
873
01:09:48,442 --> 01:09:53,072
some of them are preying
on the ones that eat the bacteria.
874
01:09:55,867 --> 01:09:58,536
It's kind of ethereal, huh?
875
01:09:59,704 --> 01:10:04,334
Who would have thought
that bacteria could be beautiful?
876
01:10:11,759 --> 01:10:13,553
The animals
are eating the bacteria,
877
01:10:13,636 --> 01:10:16,848
but there's something else
going on here too.
878
01:10:16,931 --> 01:10:22,395
It's symbiosis, a dance of life
between partners of different species.
879
01:10:23,188 --> 01:10:25,315
Vent animals,
like the shrimp and the mussels,
880
01:10:25,399 --> 01:10:28,235
have formed
symbiotic relationships with microbes
881
01:10:28,318 --> 01:10:30,863
that can live off of
the chemicals in the vent fluid.
882
01:10:30,904 --> 01:10:33,032
Oh, we're near
something big, guys,
883
01:10:33,073 --> 01:10:36,243
Large mussel beds,
This is the jackpot,
884
01:10:39,330 --> 01:10:42,166
I study the metabolic
and molecular physiology
885
01:10:42,250 --> 01:10:46,004
of mussels and crabs
that live at these deep sea vents.
886
01:10:47,088 --> 01:10:50,717
I'm focusing on their ability
to withstand variations,
887
01:10:50,759 --> 01:10:53,137
large variations, in temperature.
888
01:10:57,933 --> 01:10:59,977
The genus Bathymodiolus
889
01:11:00,061 --> 01:11:03,481
is the scientific name
for the mussels that we study.
890
01:11:03,564 --> 01:11:06,234
We've got a mussel mound
over to the right, Genya,
891
01:11:06,276 --> 01:11:09,821
I think this will be a perfect spot
to do our mussel collections,
892
01:11:09,904 --> 01:11:12,824
- Yes,
- You see what I'm talking about?
893
01:11:12,908 --> 01:11:16,078
I think these are mixed sizes,
Or can you get some small ones?
894
01:11:16,119 --> 01:11:20,332
- We will take small and big also,
- But I need small,
895
01:11:20,416 --> 01:11:22,042
- Only small?
- Only small,
896
01:11:22,126 --> 01:11:25,296
- OK,
- Malinky. Yeah? Is that small?
897
01:11:25,379 --> 01:11:26,798
- Yes,
- OK,
898
01:11:26,881 --> 01:11:28,883
All right,
899
01:11:32,387 --> 01:11:34,723
Keldysh, Keldysh, MIR One,
900
01:11:34,806 --> 01:11:39,394
We have collected a full batch
of mussels in the clam bucket,
901
01:11:39,478 --> 01:11:44,942
X minus 487, Y minus 64,
902
01:11:48,195 --> 01:11:50,781
Oh, yeah! Bingo, baby,
903
01:11:58,415 --> 01:12:00,709
Looks like you got your crabs,
904
01:12:02,461 --> 01:12:08,467
Yes. We got crabs.
Big time. It's, like, full.
905
01:12:09,510 --> 01:12:11,095
You did it, you did it!
906
01:12:19,896 --> 01:12:22,399
Bio box is closed,
We have crabbage,
907
01:12:23,567 --> 01:12:26,695
We have crabbage.
908
01:12:48,385 --> 01:12:50,512
- Wanna open that?
- Yeah,
909
01:12:51,638 --> 01:12:54,308
My PhD advisor is Jim Childress.
910
01:12:54,391 --> 01:12:56,852
He's been studying
hydrothermal vent communities
911
01:12:56,894 --> 01:13:00,356
since their discovery
in the late 1970s.
912
01:13:00,898 --> 01:13:03,818
And he has years of experience
going to sea and doing science
913
01:13:03,901 --> 01:13:06,738
in these extreme environments.
914
01:13:08,406 --> 01:13:11,117
So the Childress lab
is one of the only labs in the world
915
01:13:11,201 --> 01:13:13,995
that's able to keep
these animals and maintain them
916
01:13:14,079 --> 01:13:18,208
in an environment similar
to what they come from.
917
01:13:21,629 --> 01:13:24,507
As fast as we can,
we take the animals that were collected
918
01:13:24,590 --> 01:13:25,967
and bring them into our lab,
919
01:13:26,050 --> 01:13:30,513
where we place them
in a maintenance respirometry system.
920
01:13:32,182 --> 01:13:35,435
We call this thing "the condo."
921
01:13:35,518 --> 01:13:38,230
We put the animals in
these little condos,
922
01:13:38,271 --> 01:13:42,484
we repressurize them up to
the pressure that they were collected in,
923
01:13:42,568 --> 01:13:46,697
and we make sure that
we have them back at the temperature
924
01:13:46,781 --> 01:13:49,951
that is optimal for their survival.
925
01:13:50,034 --> 01:13:53,830
Then we pick some of the animals
to use for our experiments,
926
01:13:53,913 --> 01:13:56,124
and we transfer them
into another system
927
01:13:56,207 --> 01:13:58,627
that's called
the high-pressure respirometry system.
928
01:13:58,668 --> 01:14:02,214
Now, this system
is extremely unique and special,
929
01:14:02,297 --> 01:14:05,968
because here we can manipulate
the environmental conditions,
930
01:14:06,051 --> 01:14:10,181
and we look at
the metabolic rates of the animals
931
01:14:10,264 --> 01:14:15,144
as we vary their environmental condition,
and that's what I love to study.
932
01:14:16,312 --> 01:14:19,315
By looking at mussels,
you can gain a better understanding
933
01:14:19,399 --> 01:14:23,320
about temperature adaptation,
and that might help us in the future
934
01:14:23,361 --> 01:14:26,948
when it comes to
the warming of our planet.
935
01:14:27,991 --> 01:14:30,119
Global warming is real.
936
01:14:30,160 --> 01:14:34,582
It's putting our planet at risk,
life as we know it, not just species.
937
01:14:34,665 --> 01:14:38,336
I mean the whole food chain,
the whole ecosystem.
938
01:14:38,419 --> 01:14:41,631
And at some point
we're gonna have to deal with it.
939
01:14:44,425 --> 01:14:49,389
I think I got into the ocean
because it's mysterious to me,
940
01:14:49,473 --> 01:14:51,850
it's unknown.
941
01:14:51,892 --> 01:14:56,355
It's not explored,
it hasn't been conquered,
942
01:14:56,438 --> 01:15:00,401
and I appreciate it,
and I have respect for it.
943
01:15:00,484 --> 01:15:01,819
Did you ever think
you'd end up here?
944
01:15:01,861 --> 01:15:03,988
Oh, God, no.
945
01:15:04,530 --> 01:15:08,493
But I guess this is the path
of questions that I tried to answer,
946
01:15:08,535 --> 01:15:12,581
which has led me on a path
that ended up here,
947
01:15:12,664 --> 01:15:14,458
And so now the question
that I'm trying to answer
948
01:15:14,541 --> 01:15:18,545
has me taking submarines
down to the bottom of the ocean,
949
01:15:44,698 --> 01:15:48,577
OK, let's, uh...
Let the meeting come to order,
950
01:15:48,661 --> 01:15:50,788
The dive will be Snake Pit,
951
01:15:50,872 --> 01:15:56,878
The pilots will be Dr, Anatoly Sagalevitch,
MIR One, Genya Chernaiev, MIR Two,
952
01:15:58,296 --> 01:16:01,049
We find a structure
that we can work the 'bot,
953
01:16:01,091 --> 01:16:08,057
So we'll land at the base and we'll just
try to work up through the structure,
954
01:16:08,140 --> 01:16:10,392
ideally up all the way to a chimney,
955
01:16:10,476 --> 01:16:14,855
There is not supposed to be
too much hot venting on the wall,
956
01:16:14,939 --> 01:16:16,023
some shimmering water,
957
01:16:16,107 --> 01:16:19,235
but I don't think the hot vents happen
until way at the top, is that correct?
958
01:16:19,277 --> 01:16:22,864
The best way to visualize this stuff
is wherever you see something black,
959
01:16:22,947 --> 01:16:24,574
that's like a blowtorch,
960
01:16:24,658 --> 01:16:27,619
That's, you know,
a blowtorch made out of water,
961
01:16:36,462 --> 01:16:38,256
OK, there's MIR One,
962
01:16:41,050 --> 01:16:42,969
They're coming up
with us, aren't they?
963
01:16:43,011 --> 01:16:45,346
You're about halfway
up the structure right now,
964
01:16:45,430 --> 01:16:49,434
so if you just work your way
forward along the wall.
965
01:16:49,476 --> 01:16:51,645
Copy that.
966
01:16:59,487 --> 01:17:05,368
There's an antler-shaped stone
bowl that's filled with juvenile "Rimicaris."
967
01:17:05,451 --> 01:17:07,328
Roger that,
968
01:17:07,370 --> 01:17:10,123
All right, This is, I think,
the structure he was describing,
969
01:17:10,206 --> 01:17:13,293
and I think I can get in
a little closer to it,
970
01:17:13,835 --> 01:17:15,837
That's it,
You should see 'em now, Over,
971
01:17:15,921 --> 01:17:18,215
- Got it,
- Oh, wow,
972
01:17:18,298 --> 01:17:20,300
Copy that, We see it,
973
01:17:22,511 --> 01:17:25,181
These little shrimp are different,
Are these related?
974
01:17:25,264 --> 01:17:28,059
Yes, Juvenile and adults,
975
01:17:30,144 --> 01:17:32,772
The vent shrimp, "Rimicaris exoculata,"
976
01:17:32,856 --> 01:17:36,610
are grazing on the bacteria
growing all around them.
977
01:17:36,693 --> 01:17:39,821
- Are you seeing this crab?
- I sure am,
978
01:17:40,822 --> 01:17:46,829
Look at 'em, They're eating the bacteria
that's growing all over that crab,
979
01:17:48,289 --> 01:17:50,082
Oh, he almost got that guy,
Look at that,
980
01:17:50,166 --> 01:17:52,293
He's all covered with this bacteria,
981
01:17:52,376 --> 01:17:56,965
He doesn't know it, he just thinks
the shrimp are picking on him,
982
01:17:57,966 --> 01:18:02,095
It's like crab-fu here
at the bottom of the ocean,
983
01:18:02,179 --> 01:18:04,014
- The shrimp colony, There you go,
- There it is,
984
01:18:04,056 --> 01:18:06,558
- Let's check that guy out,
- OK,
985
01:18:10,229 --> 01:18:13,107
- This is black smoke,
- Look at these guys,
986
01:18:13,190 --> 01:18:15,818
I can't believe they're swimming in and out of it,
987
01:18:15,902 --> 01:18:18,863
Oops, Aah! It's hot,
988
01:18:18,905 --> 01:18:20,865
OK, if it's not cooking them,
it's not gonna cook me,
989
01:18:20,907 --> 01:18:23,368
So I'm gonna move in a little closer,
990
01:18:23,410 --> 01:18:25,537
Being bold,
991
01:18:31,919 --> 01:18:35,881
- Now let's get out, Back out,
- I've got full back command,
992
01:18:35,923 --> 01:18:37,550
- What the heck?
- All right,
993
01:18:37,591 --> 01:18:39,385
- They're attached to us,
- Let's stay away from that,
994
01:18:39,427 --> 01:18:41,554
- They're on us,
- They're attacking us!
995
01:18:41,637 --> 01:18:45,350
Lookit, the shrimp love him,
They're all over him,
996
01:18:45,433 --> 01:18:48,144
The shrimp are loving Jake,
Check that out,
997
01:18:48,228 --> 01:18:50,230
Look at that,
998
01:18:51,857 --> 01:18:55,360
Oh, wow, Oh, my goodness,
I can't even see the fly,
999
01:18:55,444 --> 01:18:57,404
I just see shrimp,
1000
01:19:00,324 --> 01:19:02,618
Yeah, looks like
we've got some piggybackers,
1001
01:19:02,702 --> 01:19:06,122
some shrimp that are
along for the ride, Over,
1002
01:19:07,123 --> 01:19:10,418
Wow, That's amazing,
1003
01:19:10,460 --> 01:19:12,629
I can get shrimp at Sizzler, This...
1004
01:19:12,712 --> 01:19:15,674
You can't get this shrimp at Sizzler,
1005
01:19:27,270 --> 01:19:29,439
"Riftia," the giant tubeworms,
1006
01:19:29,522 --> 01:19:33,276
are hands down
the stars of the deep vent community,
1007
01:19:33,359 --> 01:19:37,364
and also the best example
of symbiosis in action.
1008
01:19:40,033 --> 01:19:42,494
I've got a little bit of
shimmering water here,
1009
01:19:42,536 --> 01:19:47,291
We should be OK,
Wow, Oh, this is gorgeous,
1010
01:19:48,501 --> 01:19:51,045
These animals don't even have a stomach.
1011
01:19:51,128 --> 01:19:53,589
They literally can't eat.
1012
01:19:55,425 --> 01:19:59,346
They depend completely on
a large sac of microbes inside their body,
1013
01:19:59,429 --> 01:20:01,640
which produces their food.
1014
01:20:04,226 --> 01:20:08,397
When you get in really close,
you can see some pretty neat stuff,
1015
01:20:08,480 --> 01:20:10,649
Oh, wow,
1016
01:20:19,534 --> 01:20:23,163
You see that guy?
Can we grab him?
1017
01:20:23,204 --> 01:20:26,750
If you want to,
You get ready, I think we're set,
1018
01:20:27,751 --> 01:20:29,836
On your mark...
1019
01:20:32,381 --> 01:20:35,092
- Oh, he might come to us,
- Go,
1020
01:20:36,886 --> 01:20:38,888
Oh!
1021
01:20:41,098 --> 01:20:43,685
Crab got away, Tell 'em nice try,
1022
01:20:43,768 --> 01:20:45,728
Nice try, nice try,
1023
01:20:48,898 --> 01:20:51,735
They're gorgeous underwater,
1024
01:20:51,777 --> 01:20:55,280
The long red plume is like a gill.
1025
01:20:55,364 --> 01:20:59,493
It takes in oxygen,
and also nutrients from the vent fluid.
1026
01:20:59,577 --> 01:21:02,997
The worm's job
is to keep this plume in the flow,
1027
01:21:03,080 --> 01:21:07,710
sucking in nutrients
which feed the bacteria inside.
1028
01:21:07,752 --> 01:21:13,758
And it's the bacteria's job to convert the
sulfide chemicals into food for the worm.
1029
01:21:15,927 --> 01:21:19,890
So the question is,
do the bacteria work for the worm,
1030
01:21:19,973 --> 01:21:23,060
or does the worm
work for the bacteria?
1031
01:21:25,312 --> 01:21:30,401
If these animals didn't exist,
we could not have imagined them.
1032
01:21:31,694 --> 01:21:36,741
It makes me wonder what else
is out there, waiting to be discovered.
1033
01:21:38,285 --> 01:21:40,954
You've got a cool job, Genya,
1034
01:21:41,038 --> 01:21:43,040
Thank you,
1035
01:21:46,627 --> 01:21:52,425
So the real question is, could you
imagine a colony of these on Europa?
1036
01:21:52,508 --> 01:21:54,844
Where would the oxygen
be coming from, you know?
1037
01:21:54,927 --> 01:21:58,348
If the whole idea is they don't
need sunlight to drive this ecosystem,
1038
01:21:58,431 --> 01:22:02,102
it's just chemosynthesis,
but they need some ambient oxygen,
1039
01:22:02,143 --> 01:22:04,646
- The oxygen in the water came from...
- Photosynthesis,
1040
01:22:04,730 --> 01:22:06,732
Photosynthesis
a million years ago, maybe,
1041
01:22:06,815 --> 01:22:10,069
It doesn't matter, however long
it takes for the water to turn it over,
1042
01:22:10,152 --> 01:22:13,781
So the question becomes,
is oxygen necessary for life?
1043
01:22:13,864 --> 01:22:15,116
- Ah, yeah, Yeah,
- OK?
1044
01:22:15,199 --> 01:22:20,038
It may be for large animals, OK?
But if we get down to the microbial level...
1045
01:22:20,121 --> 01:22:21,873
- But we want to see large animals,
- You want to see large animals,
1046
01:22:21,956 --> 01:22:25,210
We want to see large animals,
We don't want to spend all this money
1047
01:22:25,293 --> 01:22:27,254
to go out into space and find a microbe,
1048
01:22:27,337 --> 01:22:30,591
Oh, come on, microbes are great,
You know, they're highly underrated,
1049
01:22:30,674 --> 01:22:34,595
But they're not good conversationalists,
I mean, look, I would want to give...
1050
01:22:34,678 --> 01:22:38,724
Here, look, let me just go forward
to one of these cool Riftia patches...
1051
01:22:38,808 --> 01:22:41,060
What do you think
makes life here possible?
1052
01:22:41,144 --> 01:22:43,563
These guys have this
incredible symbiosis with microbes,
1053
01:22:43,646 --> 01:22:45,440
Yeah, they're living on the bacteria,
1054
01:22:45,523 --> 01:22:48,193
But I'm not gonna give
a bouquet of bacteria to my mom,
1055
01:22:48,276 --> 01:22:50,237
but I would give her
a bouquet of these Riftia.
1056
01:22:50,320 --> 01:22:52,990
Look at these things,
They're beautiful,
1057
01:22:53,073 --> 01:22:55,075
So what Jim says is right.
1058
01:22:55,158 --> 01:23:00,623
O xygen is the afterburner that fuelled the
explosion of multicellular life on our world.
1059
01:23:00,706 --> 01:23:04,585
And even though chemosynthesis
happens beyond the light of our sun,
1060
01:23:04,669 --> 01:23:08,715
many of the biological processes
still require some free oxygen,
1061
01:23:08,798 --> 01:23:15,263
and this oxygen is typically supplied from
photosynthesis at the surface of the Earth.
1062
01:23:15,347 --> 01:23:18,684
So where might oxygen
come from on Europa?
1063
01:23:19,685 --> 01:23:23,981
Europa's orbit sits within Jupiter's
enormous magnetic field.
1064
01:23:24,064 --> 01:23:27,568
The intense radiation
continually slams energetic particles
1065
01:23:27,652 --> 01:23:29,070
into the Europan surface,
1066
01:23:29,153 --> 01:23:32,323
and has the potential
to transform vast amounts of water ice
1067
01:23:32,407 --> 01:23:37,162
into things like hydrogen peroxide
and molecular oxygen.
1068
01:23:37,245 --> 01:23:41,375
Assuming those oxidants make their way
into the ocean on a regular basis,
1069
01:23:41,416 --> 01:23:44,253
through cracks
and upwellings or comet impacts,
1070
01:23:44,336 --> 01:23:50,634
they would represent an energy jackpot
for any life forms trying to survive there.
1071
01:23:50,718 --> 01:23:53,387
And so this is where
some of the hydrothermal samples
1072
01:23:53,429 --> 01:23:55,848
come into play again.
1073
01:23:55,932 --> 01:24:01,062
We're trying to replicate the Europan
surface environment in the lab.
1074
01:24:03,231 --> 01:24:07,611
Now, these,
these are rocks from the deep ocean,
1075
01:24:07,694 --> 01:24:10,739
So let's prep this for the chamber,
1076
01:24:10,781 --> 01:24:14,660
- Maybe take a little piece off of here,
- OK, sure,
1077
01:24:14,744 --> 01:24:18,748
So this is Europa in a can,
1078
01:24:18,790 --> 01:24:21,584
This part down here
is a vacuum chamber,
1079
01:24:21,626 --> 01:24:25,046
We've got liquid nitrogen coming in,
and we can grow ices
1080
01:24:25,130 --> 01:24:28,216
and basically replicate
the surface environment of Europa,
1081
01:24:28,300 --> 01:24:32,012
Then, up here,
we've got a high-energy electron gun,
1082
01:24:32,095 --> 01:24:37,601
and what this does is replicate the radiation
environment of the Jovian magnetic field,
1083
01:24:37,643 --> 01:24:43,149
this tremendously large
and powerful magnetic field of Jupiter,
1084
01:24:43,232 --> 01:24:47,529
What would happen to life
exposed to that environment?
1085
01:24:50,198 --> 01:24:54,411
We're taking microbes that we found
down at the hydrothermal vents,
1086
01:24:54,494 --> 01:24:56,330
putting them into this environment,
1087
01:24:56,413 --> 01:24:59,750
and bombarding them, blasting them,
with this high-energy radiation,
1088
01:24:59,833 --> 01:25:05,131
making sort of a chemical junkyard,
a biological chemical compound junkyard,
1089
01:25:06,799 --> 01:25:11,471
And this is sort of comparable to,
say, going to a junkyard here on Earth,
1090
01:25:11,513 --> 01:25:15,225
and you wander around the junkyard
and you see a steering wheel and a tire,
1091
01:25:15,308 --> 01:25:18,437
and you know that at one point
there was a complete car,
1092
01:25:19,688 --> 01:25:23,400
When we send a spacecraft to Europa,
we're going to have to understand
1093
01:25:23,484 --> 01:25:27,738
what are the chemical and molecular
biosignatures that are left behind?
1094
01:25:27,822 --> 01:25:31,284
Are we seeing that same
kind of signature on the surface of Europa?
1095
01:25:31,367 --> 01:25:36,998
If we do, what does that imply
for the habitability of the ocean below?
1096
01:25:47,760 --> 01:25:51,514
Menez Gwen's
an underwater volcano.
1097
01:25:53,891 --> 01:25:59,230
It's this really unique place because
you have your hydrothermal vents there,
1098
01:25:59,314 --> 01:26:02,108
and shimmering water everywhere.
1099
01:26:07,281 --> 01:26:10,409
- Are we digging this place?
- We're digging this place big time,
1100
01:26:10,492 --> 01:26:11,493
Big time,
1101
01:26:19,961 --> 01:26:22,714
Really see the clear fluids,
1102
01:26:22,755 --> 01:26:28,345
So these are a little bit cooler, 'cause
you're not getting the black smoke here,
1103
01:26:29,429 --> 01:26:33,350
This site has an amazing dreamlike quality.
1104
01:26:41,359 --> 01:26:47,031
The cooler, clear vent fluid
isn't as toxic as the black smokers.
1105
01:26:47,115 --> 01:26:50,368
So you wind up
getting a lot of visitors.
1106
01:26:50,452 --> 01:26:53,872
Including some opportunistic predators.
1107
01:27:08,179 --> 01:27:12,642
Oh, look at all that shimmering water
coming out of that structure,
1108
01:27:12,726 --> 01:27:17,022
If we can collect a sample down there,
that would be fantastic,
1109
01:27:17,105 --> 01:27:19,691
MIR One, MIR One, MIR Two,
1110
01:27:19,775 --> 01:27:21,944
This is MIR One.
Go ahead.
1111
01:27:21,985 --> 01:27:26,365
OK, Jim, we're ready now to launch Jake,
Ready to go now,
1112
01:27:29,076 --> 01:27:31,829
Here we go,
Coming out,
1113
01:27:31,913 --> 01:27:35,291
- Everything working OK?
- Yeah, it seems OK,
1114
01:27:37,210 --> 01:27:40,714
So getting to work with Mike
and Jake is just absolutely fantastic,
1115
01:27:40,797 --> 01:27:45,344
because you can think about this thing
as the distant ancestor of a vehicle
1116
01:27:45,427 --> 01:27:48,764
that may someday
explore oceans on other worlds.
1117
01:27:48,848 --> 01:27:51,434
OK, Mike, looking good, You should
be able to take your core sample
1118
01:27:51,517 --> 01:27:55,104
right at the base of
that chimney, Over,
1119
01:27:57,649 --> 01:28:00,819
- Looks pretty hot though, Kevin,
- It's just like a burning tree stump,
1120
01:28:00,860 --> 01:28:03,488
That is just incredible,
1121
01:28:03,530 --> 01:28:06,658
OK, it looks like most of the fluid
is coming out here and here,
1122
01:28:06,742 --> 01:28:07,993
Can we go in right there?
1123
01:28:08,035 --> 01:28:11,080
I will do the best I can,
but I'm working really hard,
1124
01:28:11,163 --> 01:28:14,625
We're in some kind of
convective flow here,
1125
01:28:20,923 --> 01:28:23,718
We're in there now,
You wanted close, we're close,
1126
01:28:23,802 --> 01:28:26,054
Be careful,
1127
01:28:26,137 --> 01:28:29,099
Looks like he's hit a blowtorch, doesn't it?
1128
01:28:29,182 --> 01:28:31,184
Think he's getting hit,
1129
01:28:31,685 --> 01:28:36,148
Mike, back up, back up, You got the top of
the 'bot is right in the vent fluid, Over,
1130
01:28:36,232 --> 01:28:38,943
Can you see if I'm in the hot water?
1131
01:28:39,402 --> 01:28:41,904
You really want to know?
1132
01:28:41,988 --> 01:28:46,200
Nice, Mike,
Just be the 'bot, Mike, Be the 'bot,
1133
01:28:46,242 --> 01:28:48,870
Stay calm, you got it,
1134
01:28:48,953 --> 01:28:52,415
Yeah, I'm gonna
just do this as quick as I can,
1135
01:28:54,835 --> 01:28:58,630
- Oh, yes!
- I think we got it, I think we got it,
1136
01:28:58,714 --> 01:29:03,260
Hey, we gotta just go cap this sample,
We just poked it right into the chimney,
1137
01:29:03,344 --> 01:29:06,639
Yeah, copy that, Congratulations,
Go back and cap it,
1138
01:29:06,722 --> 01:29:09,058
Roger that,
1139
01:29:10,351 --> 01:29:11,644
Coming home,
1140
01:29:12,896 --> 01:29:14,105
- Yeah,
- Look at...
1141
01:29:14,189 --> 01:29:16,399
Jake took some hits,
1142
01:29:16,441 --> 01:29:20,696
Other than the damage here
and here, it looks in pretty good shape,
1143
01:29:20,779 --> 01:29:24,366
Yeah, that was pretty fun,
Pretty intense,
1144
01:29:24,450 --> 01:29:30,748
Diving with Mike was great fun.
He is a mastermind with the robot.
1145
01:29:30,790 --> 01:29:33,710
I didn't realize how much
went into making that 'bot work right.
1146
01:29:33,793 --> 01:29:36,796
All right, it needs to come up,
A little more, Pete,
1147
01:29:36,880 --> 01:29:40,842
The 'bot had to be small
so that it could fit on the MIR.
1148
01:29:40,926 --> 01:29:43,929
It had to have
its own onboard power supply.
1149
01:29:44,012 --> 01:29:46,932
...back to neutral and we're ready to go,
1150
01:29:46,974 --> 01:29:50,436
Inside the sub,
I have a laptop and a joystick,
1151
01:29:50,478 --> 01:29:53,481
and that's all I have inside the sub.
1152
01:29:57,568 --> 01:29:59,445
The fiber is unique.
1153
01:29:59,487 --> 01:30:04,159
It allows us to send
a light pulse back and forth to the vehicle.
1154
01:30:04,242 --> 01:30:06,954
That's how we talk to the vehicle.
1155
01:30:09,581 --> 01:30:13,127
And we can control
the little camera as well.
1156
01:30:15,463 --> 01:30:18,549
The 'bot creates
a telepresence for us.
1157
01:30:18,633 --> 01:30:23,763
It actually allows us to feel
like we're outside of the submarine.
1158
01:30:24,180 --> 01:30:27,309
- All right, I'm gonna get a little bit closer,
- Oh, he's beautiful,
1159
01:30:27,350 --> 01:30:29,853
I never saw anything
like this, Look at that,
1160
01:30:29,895 --> 01:30:32,648
Uh-oh, he sees us now,
Hey, hey, hey!
1161
01:30:32,689 --> 01:30:34,233
He's going after you!
1162
01:30:34,316 --> 01:30:36,610
Look, look, look,
he's grabbed the gripper,
1163
01:30:36,694 --> 01:30:40,031
He's putting his tentacles on the gripper,
This is cool,
1164
01:30:40,114 --> 01:30:44,535
Who's grabbing who?
That was incredible,
1165
01:30:44,619 --> 01:30:48,331
It deliberately reached straight out
and probed the gripper,
1166
01:30:48,373 --> 01:30:50,917
I've never had
an encounter like that with the ROV,
1167
01:30:51,001 --> 01:30:54,838
with an animal that came right up
to us and touched the ROV like that,
1168
01:30:54,880 --> 01:30:57,758
It was an extraordinary encounter.
1169
01:30:57,841 --> 01:31:01,178
It was as though
I got to shake hands with an alien.
1170
01:31:01,220 --> 01:31:03,139
As an underwater explorer,
1171
01:31:03,222 --> 01:31:08,895
that was probably one of the highlights
of my whole experience underwater.
1172
01:31:08,978 --> 01:31:12,357
It's not hard to imagine
that someday it would be possible
1173
01:31:12,398 --> 01:31:15,193
to explore oceans on another world.
1174
01:31:15,235 --> 01:31:17,779
So getting an idea
of what it's like to explore
1175
01:31:17,863 --> 01:31:20,657
these extreme environments
on our own planet
1176
01:31:20,741 --> 01:31:24,620
could very well
pave the way to exploring Europa.
1177
01:31:32,086 --> 01:31:34,672
A mission to explore
under the ice of Europa
1178
01:31:34,756 --> 01:31:38,051
would be the ultimate
robotic challenge.
1179
01:31:49,063 --> 01:31:51,357
During the landing,
the team in mission control
1180
01:31:51,440 --> 01:31:54,151
would pretty much
be along for the ride.
1181
01:32:02,786 --> 01:32:06,081
Europa is so far away,
that even at the speed of light
1182
01:32:06,123 --> 01:32:10,294
it would take more than an hour
for a command just to reach the vehicle.
1183
01:32:10,377 --> 01:32:13,255
It's really on its own.
1184
01:32:13,297 --> 01:32:16,425
It has to be smart enough
to avoid terrain hazards,
1185
01:32:16,467 --> 01:32:19,762
and to find
a good landing site on the ice.
1186
01:32:39,492 --> 01:32:42,036
Now we have to get through the ice.
1187
01:32:43,037 --> 01:32:48,710
You need a melt probe.
It's basically a nuclear-heated torpedo.
1188
01:33:00,431 --> 01:33:04,894
The ice could be anywhere
from three to sixteen miles deep.
1189
01:33:05,895 --> 01:33:11,901
Week after week, the melt probe will sink
of its own weight through the ancient ice.
1190
01:33:12,902 --> 01:33:15,071
Until finally...
1191
01:33:28,419 --> 01:33:33,716
Now, what are you gonna do when
you reach the surface of that ocean?
1192
01:33:39,347 --> 01:33:43,310
You need an AUV,
an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.
1193
01:33:44,353 --> 01:33:46,313
It needs to be one smart puppy,
1194
01:33:46,396 --> 01:33:51,485
able to navigate and make decisions
on its own in an alien ocean.
1195
01:34:14,093 --> 01:34:19,557
Europa has internal heat.
It may well have hydrothermal venting.
1196
01:34:19,640 --> 01:34:22,685
If it does,
and if the chemistry is right...
1197
01:34:38,953 --> 01:34:41,122
It will have an enormous impact on humanity
1198
01:34:41,205 --> 01:34:44,667
if we find life
in an ocean on another world.
1199
01:34:48,296 --> 01:34:51,299
But in order to find it,
we have to go there.
1200
01:34:55,345 --> 01:34:59,308
And to go there,
we have to continue the journey here.
1201
01:35:00,726 --> 01:35:06,649
Exploration is like a muscle. You have
to exercise it to make it stronger.
1202
01:35:06,691 --> 01:35:09,444
And if water is
the common ingredient for life,
1203
01:35:09,485 --> 01:35:12,322
we need to take what we know
about deep ocean exploration
1204
01:35:12,405 --> 01:35:17,327
and apply it to space, giving scientists
and explorers the experience they'll need
1205
01:35:17,410 --> 01:35:20,789
to follow the water,
wherever it might be.
1206
01:35:23,000 --> 01:35:26,962
Discovering life at the vents
shows us that nature has more to teach us
1207
01:35:27,004 --> 01:35:29,340
than we can possibly imagine.
1208
01:35:30,341 --> 01:35:33,219
But I wonder,
what would it be like
1209
01:35:33,302 --> 01:35:37,140
if we were exploring
the ocean on another world?
1210
01:35:40,769 --> 01:35:43,146
- All stop,
- Stopping,
1211
01:35:44,189 --> 01:35:45,816
Hold it steady here,
1212
01:35:45,858 --> 01:35:50,779
It might completely
change our definition of life.
1213
01:35:50,863 --> 01:35:52,823
Let's see what they do,
1214
01:36:14,179 --> 01:36:16,140
Right on,
1215
01:36:17,516 --> 01:36:22,438
Houston, "Endurance." We have arrived
on station at the coordinates,
1216
01:36:22,522 --> 01:36:24,816
and we have some new friends.
1217
01:36:47,257 --> 01:36:50,135
Who knows what's out there?
1218
01:36:50,218 --> 01:36:52,178
So we have to go.
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