1. - Throughout time,
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2. governments and the people who
work for them
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3. have done strange
and even terrible things
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4. in the name
of national interest,
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5. especially in the race
to control space.
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6. Tonight, the daring theft
of an enemy spacecraft
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7. at the start of the Cold War.
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8. - There are so many places
where this could fail.
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9. At worst, you're going
to be caught in the act
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10. and they're going to shoot you.
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11. - The plan to nuke the moon.
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12. - If the Russians
really are planning
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13. to hit the moon with a nuclear
weapon, then guess what?
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14. America needs to beat them
to the punch.
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15. - And a shocking cover-up of
the space age's worst disaster.
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16. - 70 coffins have
been delivered
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17. to a Russian space center.
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18. Something catastrophic
has taken place.
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19. - It's time to bring the
secrets of deep space to light.
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20. - It's 1959.
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21. The U.S. and the Soviet Union
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22. are locked
in fierce competition
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23. on Earth and in space.
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24. So when the CIA gets the chance
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25. to steal some Russian
technological secrets,
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26. the agency doesn't think twice.
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27. - The summer of 1959,
the Cold War was still
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28. very much an active conflict,
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29. but things were thawing
just a little bit.
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30. Both sides decided that they
should do a cultural exchange.
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31. First stop is New York.
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32. The Soviet Union
mounts a large display
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33. of some of their main
technical advances.
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34. - What's particularly
interesting
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35. to the American government
is a display
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36. of the Soviet
lunar spacecraft.
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37. - The Soviets are blazing
ahead in the space race.
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38. In January 1959, they launch
the first spacecraft
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39. to leave Earth's orbit.
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40. - From the Americans'
perspective,
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41. the Soviets can do no wrong.
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42. And they want to find out
how they're so successful.
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43. - So American spies are
sent to the exhibition
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44. to check out a replica
of the Luna.
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45. But when they get
to the display,
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46. they're hit with
a pretty big realization.
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47. What they're looking at
is not a model.
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48. It's the actual spacecraft
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49. that is being presented
to the public.
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50. They're presented with
this incredible opportunity
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51. to get up close to
the Soviets' crown jewel.
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52. - If American space engineers
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53. can somehow
take a look inside,
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54. they could work out
the secret of Soviet success.
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55. - There's just no way
to inspect the Luna
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56. while it's in New York.
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57. It's guarded 24/7
by KGB officers.
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58. But the Soviet exhibition
is on tour.
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59. It's moving to Mexico City,
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60. where the CIA have
a much better chance
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61. of getting a closer look.
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62. - The Americans decide
to try the unthinkable.
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63. The question is how
do you steal something
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64. the size of a school bus from
under the nose of the KGB?
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65. - The CIA come up with a plan.
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66. Wait for the exhibition
to finish.
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67. Distract the guards.
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68. And intercept the Luna
while it's in transit.
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69. - And if they can get
the truck with the Luna in it,
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70. somehow separate
from everything else,
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71. they just might be able
to take a look.
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72. - And then return it
without anyone realizing.
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73. This is an insane plot.
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74. You're trying to steal
a spaceship from the KGB.
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75. If you do get caught,
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76. they have grounds
to shoot you on the spot.
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77. - It sounds like the plot
of a Hollywood heist movie.
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78. But on December 15th,
the CIA makes it happen.
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79. - The exhibition is over.
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80. The exhibits are
loaded onto trucks
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81. to be stored overnight
at a train depot.
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82. CIA already had
operatives in place
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83. that were positioned perfectly
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84. to assist in the kidnapping
of the Lunik.
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85. - They make sure the Luna
is on the last truck,
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86. and it heads straight
into rush-hour traffic.
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87. The guards have
been working hard.
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88. They're following this truck,
but they want the day to end.
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89. They want to clock out.
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90. - There's a farewell party
at their hotel,
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91. and nobody wants to miss out.
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92. But what they don't know
is that this big blowout
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93. has been organized by the CIA,
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94. because the plan is to keep
the KGB distracted all night
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95. with beautiful women
and rivers of tequila.
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96. - The Soviet guards leave the
Luna with the truck driver.
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97. What they don't know is that
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98. he's working
with the Americans.
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99. - The CIA has kidnapped
the spaceship
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100. and the plan is
working perfectly.
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101. With the Luna now
in their possession,
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102. the CIA divert its route.
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103. They've commandeered a private
salvage yard for the night
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104. that's fenced off
from prying eyes.
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105. - So while the KGB are
having a party,
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106. the American engineers
have the opportunity
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107. to get their hands
on modern technology
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108. that's devised by the Russians.
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109. - They only have until dawn
to learn everything they can
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110. about the Soviet space ship.
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111. - The men take their shoes off
so they don't leave
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112. any kind of debris
and they get right inside.
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113. They start taking it apart
bolt by bolt.
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114. Photographing everything.
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115. - It was a chance for them
to steal as much information
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116. as they needed to boost
the American space program.
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117. - But there's a huge problem.
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118. The Soviets have placed
a tamper-proof seal
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119. inside some of
the most important parts.
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120. In order to photograph it,
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121. they're going to have
to break this seal.
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122. The Russians are going to know
that they were inside the Luna.
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123. - The operatives have no
choice but to pull in a favor.
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124. - So what they do
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125. is get a local forger
to remake it overnight.
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126. - The forger must turn around
an exact copy of the seal
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127. in a few hours.
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128. - By daybreak,
the Luna is back in one piece.
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129. The Soviet guards
roll out of the party
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130. nursing these killer hangovers
with no clue
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131. that their prize exhibit has
spent the night with the enemy.
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132. - It's incredible to think
that this whole thing worked.
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133. - The Luna continues
its global tour,
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134. with the Soviets
none the wiser.
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135. The question is
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136. did the heist advance
America's space program?
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137. According to CIA documents
declassified in 1994...
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138. The answer is yes.
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139. - The Americans used the intel
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140. to calculate the weight
of the spacecraft
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141. and from that, they can
work out the size and weight
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142. of the missile the Soviets are
using to launch it.
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143. - It's just the kind
of detailed intelligence
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144. the Americans need to blast
ahead in the space race.
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145. - And on August 10th,
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146. they launch a CORONA
spy satellite
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147. that orbits 17 times
around the Earth.
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148. - The superpower space race
becomes a sprint
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149. to land a man
on the lunar surface.
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150. But both nations have
other plans for the moon
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151. that are so shocking they
remain secret for 40 years.
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152. - Throughout the 1950s
and '60s,
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153. we lived under constant fear
of a nuclear attack.
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154. You are, every day,
being fed a steady diet of
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155. you need to be terrified
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156. that the world's going
to end next week.
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157. There are a lot of
outrageous headlines
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158. during this time period.
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159. The one that
caught the attention
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160. of the American public the most
was...
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161. "Latest Red Rumor:
They'll Bomb the Moon."
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162. - It's a headline
that just looks like
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163. it came straight
out of a comic book.
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164. The news has the White House
in a panic.
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165. Are the Russians really going
to go through with this,
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166. or is it just a wild rumor?
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167. - For the American military,
this is no joke.
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168. It responds in 1958 by
launching secret Project A119.
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169. - The U.S. Air Force calls upon
12 of the country's leading
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170. astrophysicists to take part in
a highly sensitive assignment.
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171. - The team includes a young
graduate named Carl Sagan,
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172. in the days before he was
a world-renowned astronomer.
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173. - The plan is simple.
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174. If the Russians
really are planning
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175. to hit the moon with a nuclear
weapon, then guess what?
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176. America needs to beat them
to the punch.
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177. One side is planning
something insane,
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178. the other side has
to match it.
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179. - But the U.S. has
a challenge.
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180. There's no point in nuking
the moon if no one can see it.
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181. - The moon has no atmosphere.
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182. That blast will not produce
the iconic mushroom cloud
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183. that we expect
from a nuclear explosion.
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184. - They come up
with a solution.
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185. Detonate the bomb along
the moon's terminator line,
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186. the border between where
the shadow meets the light.
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187. - So that bright flash
of light will be visible
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188. to the naked eye and
the resulting cloud of dust
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189. and debris that's kicked up
by the nuclear weapon
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190. is going to be illuminated
by the sun.
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191. - With a key problem solved,
the American team is ready
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192. in the event
the president says go.
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193. - In 1958, in perhaps
the most surreal contest
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194. of the space race,
American and Soviet scientists
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195. compete to hit the moon
with a nuclear bomb.
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196. The question is
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197. will either side blow up
the Earth in the process?
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198. - If the nuclear payload
is too heavy for the rocket,
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199. the rocket could fall back to
Earth and the bomb detonates.
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200. The big event suddenly becomes
a tragedy on a massive scale
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201. and possibly the start
of a nuclear war.
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202. - But the risk of apocalypse
isn't enough
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203. to make the U.S.
pull the plug.
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204. - The team puts
forward this plan
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205. to use a W25 warhead,
which is a smaller device,
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206. but crucially, it will
still be visible from Earth.
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207. - Problem solved.
All systems are ready to go.
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208. - The science works.
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209. Are they actually
going to do this?
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210. - At the last minute,
there's one more concern
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211. that throws plans
into a tailspin.
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212. The nuclear fallout
could contaminate
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213. the moon's surface for years.
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214. - Which means
nobody can go up there.
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215. And that's a big problem
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216. because landing a man
on the moon is looking
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217. more and more
scientifically possible.
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218. - The U.S. realizes that
stepping on the moon
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219. is a bigger win
than blowing it up.
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220. In January 1959,
Project A119 is canceled.
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221. And the Soviets also
come to their senses.
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222. That doesn't mean
the space race is over.
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223. The next goal?
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224. Be the first to set up
a permanent base on the moon.
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225. It won't be easy,
but in 1959, the U.S. military
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226. launches Project Horizon
to accomplish the goal.
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227. - The moon is an extremely
hostile environment.
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228. The temperature range is huge.
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229. In the sunlight, it can reach
up to 225 degrees Fahrenheit,
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230. while in the dark,
it can drop to minus 243.
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231. - Plus, the thin
atmosphere means
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232. that there is no protection
from cosmic radiation
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233. and there's no protection
from meteorites.
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234. So the safest place is
beneath the lunar surface.
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235. - This moon base
is planned to consist
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236. of an underground
network of tubes.
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237. and they serve
as living quarters,
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238. storage, lab space,
and the entire facility
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239. will be powered
by nuclear reactors.
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240. - The move itself will
be a massive operation.
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241. - The proposal calls for
about 147 Saturn launches
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242. to get not only the materials
up to the moon,
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243. but also the things that
will become the space station
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244. and the crew themselves.
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245. This will take ten years to do
and cost $6 billion.
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246. - In today's money,
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247. that's $64 billion.
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248. $64 billion.
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249. Why would the government
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250. consider spending
an unthinkable sum of money
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251. building an outpost
on the moon?
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252. - Classified documents
released in 2014
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253. provide the answer.
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254. - The Americans know that
the Soviets intend to build
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255. their own moon base,
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256. and they do not want to be
neighbors with these guys.
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257. The Soviets have the momentum
in this space race,
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258. and there's a sense that
the moon is up for grabs,
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259. and they want to claim it.
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260. - The Soviet initiative
is called Zvezda,
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261. which translates as star.
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262. - The Soviet designs are very
similar to Project Horizon.
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263. But there's a little bit
more emphasis on comforts.
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264. - They put in video screens
displaying Russian vistas
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265. to comfort
homesick cosmonauts.
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266. - The Soviets
build a prototype
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267. and they stick a group
of cosmonauts in it
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268. for a year as a simulation.
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269. - But the U.S. is planning
more than a lunar land grab.
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270. The true purpose
of Project Horizon
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271. is to turn the moon
into an American fortress.
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272. - The first one
to colonize the moon
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273. could also be the first one
to weaponize it.
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274. The moon's distance
from the Earth
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275. makes an outpost difficult
to attack and easy to defend.
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276. - They even have plans
for armed combat on the moon.
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277. I'm talking about
astronauts armed with weapons
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278. on the surface of the moon
shooting it out.
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279. - During the Cold War, it was
a competition to dream up
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280. what's the worst thing that
our enemy can do
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281. and how can we counter it?
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282. And it just led
to doing crazy things
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283. or planning crazy things.
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284. - Fortunately,
lunar combat never breaks out.
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285. In 1959,
Project Horizon is shelved
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286. by a newly-formed agency,
NASA.
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287. - The dream of militarization
of the moon
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288. is over, at least for now.
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289. - It's 1960, and as the contest
for space continues,
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290. the Soviets want to land
a knockout punch.
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291. They build a rocket powered
by a new kind of fuel
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292. called devil's venom.
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293. It will end in tragedy.
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294. - In October of 1960,
an American news story breaks
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295. about a Soviet
rocket engineer's death.
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296. - Mitrofan Nedelin
is a highly decorated
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297. military commander and he's
known as the chief of rockets.
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298. According to the
Soviet press release,
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299. he died the previous day
in an air accident.
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300. - As Russia mourns
an important leader,
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301. the CIA investigates
his death.
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302. But it finds no record
of a Soviet air crash.
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303. And the secret report
is full of suspicious gaps.
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304. - According to the report,
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305. something catastrophic
happened.
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306. - 70 coffins have
been delivered
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307. to a Russian space center.
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308. - It's clear the
Soviet space program
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309. has experienced a disaster.
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310. But what kind?
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311. - Rumors start bouncing around
about Nedelin's death.
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312. Some say that it was
an air crash.
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313. Some say that it was
a fatal explosion.
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314. - The one thing that
everyone can agree on
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315. is that it happened
in southern Kazakhstan,
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316. the location of the Soviets'
biggest missile launch site.
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317. - The events remain a mystery
for 39 years.
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318. Then a former space officer
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319. decides it's finally safe
to come clean.
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320. - At the Russian Cosmodrome,
Chief Nedelin is developing
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321. a top-secret new missile,
the R-16.
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322. Now, it's a space rocket,
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323. but its purpose has nothing
to do with space exploration.
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324. - The R-16 is basically
a super weapon.
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325. - It's actually
an intercontinental
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326. ballistic missile designed
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327. to hit long-range targets.
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328. The weapon enters space,
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329. then falls back to Earth
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330. to strike its targets.
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331. - It has a range
of almost 7,000 miles,
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332. carrying a 5-
to 6-megaton nuclear warhead.
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333. This could decimate the
United States from Russia.
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334. The Soviet Union wants
to launch this missile
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335. for the first time on
the 43rd anniversary
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336. of the Russian Revolution.
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337. It's all symbolism,
but the Soviets wanted
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338. to send shockwaves about
Russian power around the world
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339. with this new weapon.
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340. - It's never been tested
and Nedelin is under
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341. increasing pressure
to launch it.
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342. - Nedelin has
hundreds of engineers
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343. working at this ferocious pace
to meet this deadline.
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344. It's a dangerous environment.
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345. The R-16 requires
a highly volatile fuel
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346. that's known as devil's venom.
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347. It's so corrosive that
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348. as soon as you put it
in the fuel tanks,
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349. it starts to literally eat away
at the rocket.
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350. - As the test date approaches,
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351. there are problems
with the rocket,
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352. but Soviet scientists
don't want to admit failure.
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353. They want to hit
this deadline,
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354. so they keep pressing forward.
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355. - On the morning of the test,
the 100-foot-high R-16
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356. is fueled with devil's venom,
ready for launch.
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357. Things start to go wrong
right away.
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358. - Part of the electrics
short-circuit.
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359. Chief Nedelin and his staff
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360. are supposed to leave
the launch area.
Copy !req
361. - They're just milling around
the launch pad and the missile,
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362. violating every
safety protocol,
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363. and the missile begins
to spit out sparks
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364. and then it begins to spit out
devil's venom.
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365. - What happens next
is captured on film,
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366. but the shocking images are
suppressed for 30 years.
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367. - The electrical issue
sparks the fuel,
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368. which bursts the fuel tanks
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369. and triggers this
Earth-shattering explosion.
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370. - Anyone near the rocket
was killed instantly.
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371. Anyone else had
to try to escape
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372. this mass of flames
and toxic gas.
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373. But they were all trapped in
the area by a security fence.
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374. Some workers burned to death.
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375. Others died from
inhaling fumes.
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376. It was an absolute disaster.
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377. - Chief Nedelin, along with
many important engineers,
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378. are killed.
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379. It's a horrific failure.
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380. - In the aftermath, survivors
and relatives of the dead
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381. are ordered to describe
the tragedy as a plane crash.
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382. It's one of the many fatal
accidents that affected
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383. the space program,
covered up by the government.
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384. - The exact number of people
who lost their lives
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385. while working
on the Soviet space program
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386. remains unknown to this day.
Copy !req
387. - For six years,
the U.S. and the Soviet Union
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388. invest billions
on deep space competition.
Copy !req
389. Then, in 1963, the U.S.
seems to change tack.
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390. The Air Force announces
the first-ever space lab.
Copy !req
391. Called the
Manned Orbiting Laboratory,
Copy !req
392. or MOL, it will be launched
to benefit all humanity.
Copy !req
393. - The U.S. develop and test
a two-man operated
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394. scientific research station.
Copy !req
395. It's designed
to remain in orbit
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396. 150 miles above
the Earth's surface,
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397. is 60 feet long, with a
laboratory and a living space.
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398. - A program
designed to evaluate
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399. man's performance in space
over extended periods of time.
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400. - The design team comes up
with incredible innovations.
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401. - They develop the
next generation
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402. of flexible space suits.
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403. The laboratory simulator
becomes part
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404. of NASA's future projects,
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405. as does the MOL's
waste generation system.
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406. - The individuals who
trained on the MOL
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407. all later went on
to be the pioneers
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408. who manned some of the early
Space Shuttle missions.
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409. - The project's greatest
technical breakthrough
Copy !req
410. is its own giant camera.
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411. - The camera is
the size of a car.
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412. It uses an external mirror
that is as tall as a man.
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413. - It is described
as the perfect tool
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414. for conducting scientific
studies of Earth.
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415. - Things like tracking tectonic
plates or air pollution
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416. or studying the polar caps.
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417. - All to benefit humankind.
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418. The benefits seem endless.
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419. In November 1966,
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420. the first prototype
is ready for test launch.
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421. - All launch commit lights
are green.
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422. T-minus 10 seconds.
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423. - The MOL enters orbit
and remains in contact
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424. with the Earth for 30 days.
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425. It's a huge success.
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426. - But behind
all the excitement
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427. hides a stunning secret.
Copy !req
428. In 2015, the military
declassifies documents that
Copy !req
429. expose the science project
as an elaborate cover story.
Copy !req
430. The real intent of the camera,
to spy on the Russians.
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431. - Since 1960,
the American military
Copy !req
432. has been monitoring
Russia's nuclear capabilities
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433. from surveillance satellites.
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434. - Photographs from space
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435. of value to
strategic intelligence
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436. completely revolutionized
the intelligence process.
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437. - After the cameras
take the pictures,
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438. the film needs to be processed
back on Earth.
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439. By that point, it could
be too late to react.
Copy !req
440. - What good is intel
on an enemy attack
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441. if it arrives too late
to respond?
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442. One solution is a spy camera
operated by astronauts.
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443. - The crew on the MOL could
actually direct the camera
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444. at exactly what they wanted
to take a picture of.
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445. - They can report what
they are looking at,
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446. and then the crew back on Earth
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447. knows exactly what photos
they'll be getting.
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448. - From its orbit between
150 to 170 miles,
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449. it can resolve places and
objects 9,000 feet across.
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450. That's easily big enough
to get detail
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451. from military installations
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452. and other
really important sites
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453. that the United States
is trying to spy on.
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454. - The camera works,
but at a huge price.
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455. The MOL costs
a whopping $13 billion.
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456. - It was too expensive,
and the evolution of technology
Copy !req
457. was making modern day
satellites better equipped
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458. to carry out the same operation
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459. that the MOL was
supposed to carry out.
Copy !req
460. - The MOL is mothballed
after just one flight.
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461. But there is one more twist
in this tale.
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462. The cover story that the MOL
will make discoveries
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463. for the benefit of the planet
ultimately comes true.
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464. Technology from the MOL
would be used in "Skylab,"
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465. America's first space station.
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466. Launched in May 1973,
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467. it proves humans can live
in space for weeks at a time.
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468. - The space race was
never just about
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469. getting a man on the moon.
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470. It was about fighting wars
on Earth.
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471. In 1966, the Soviets test
a weapon of mass destruction
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472. that can dodge
America's early warning system
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473. by using the physics of space.
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474. By 1961,
the U.S. is protecting itself
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475. by building a network
of giant radars
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476. that can detect incoming
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477. weapons launched from Russia.
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478. - If the Soviets are going
to attack the United States
Copy !req
479. via missile launches,
they're going to fly
Copy !req
480. those missiles
on the most direct route,
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481. and that's over the North Pole.
Copy !req
482. - The radar system gives
the U.S. a big advantage.
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483. It has time to respond.
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484. - It would give
them 20 minutes.
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485. 20 minutes doesn't
sound like much,
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486. but that would
be enough for us
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487. to get a retaliatory strike
underway.
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488. - For the Soviets, this warning
system poses a big problem.
Copy !req
489. They no longer have
the capability
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490. to unleash a secret,
decisive attack.
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491. - Now the Soviets need
to find a new way to attack.
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492. - If they could launch an
attack from someplace else,
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493. the Americans would not
be able to detect them
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494. and we won't be
prepared for it,
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495. and so they come up
with this brilliant idea.
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496. - The Soviets have already
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497. launched satellites
into space.
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498. Why not do the same
with a nuclear bomb?
Copy !req
499. - And it's called the
Copy !req
500. Fractional Orbital
Bombardment System.
Copy !req
501. - The idea is simple
and terrifying.
Copy !req
502. The missile enters orbit,
circles the planet,
Copy !req
503. and can be directed to strike
in any direction at any time.
Copy !req
504. - The way the system works
is it's launched into orbit,
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505. and then it just waits.
Copy !req
506. Once the signal is given
to attack...
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507. It leaves orbit,
enters Earth's atmosphere,
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508. and then it releases
its warheads.
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509. And what's so deadly is that
Copy !req
510. they're very close
to the target.
Copy !req
511. - It could drop a nuclear
weapon on us at any point.
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512. And in this way,
the Soviet Union would
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513. win the chess game
and get checkmate.
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514. - That is terrifying.
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515. - At first, the Soviets need
to test to see if it works.
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516. - In the bleak midwinter
in the Kazakhstan desert,
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517. the Soviets launched
their brand-new missile.
Copy !req
518. - It's programmed to land
4,000 miles away in Kamchatka.
Copy !req
519. To avoid destroying
Northeast Russia,
Copy !req
520. the tests are conducted
without a warhead.
Copy !req
521. - The FOBS tests begin
to go wrong immediately.
Copy !req
522. The missiles go off target,
they break apart in the air,
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523. they rain down on parts
of the Earth.
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524. - The embarrassing
setbacks threatened
Copy !req
525. to derail the project.
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526. - The mechanics of
rerouting the missile
Copy !req
527. into its attack position
are difficult to perfect.
Copy !req
528. - But the Soviets keep pushing
Copy !req
529. and the missile improves
with each launch.
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530. In the summer of 1967,
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531. American spies deliver
a highly classified report
Copy !req
532. with news the Pentagon has
been dreading.
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533. The secret orbital missile
actually works.
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534. - The successful tests travel
across the South Pole,
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535. but most importantly,
Copy !req
536. they dodge those
Arctic radar systems.
Copy !req
537. - The test is non-nuclear,
but it provides a powerful
Copy !req
538. proof of concept
that they can do it.
Copy !req
539. And if they decide to do it,
Copy !req
540. what they're going
to swing toward the Earth
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541. is a 5-megaton
strategic nuclear weapon.
Copy !req
542. 5 megatons is not going
to look pretty
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543. if it's directed
at Southern California.
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544. - In November 1967, the Soviets
unveil their new missile
Copy !req
545. at a Red Square parade,
Copy !req
546. announcing they can deliver a
nuke to anywhere in the world.
Copy !req
547. Their secret weapon
is no longer a secret.
Copy !req
548. - The Soviets have created
something so frightening
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549. that the UN steps in.
Copy !req
550. In 1967, both superpowers
signed the Outer Space Treaty,
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551. which prohibits the placement
of nuclear weapons in orbit.
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552. But that doesn't
stop the Soviets
Copy !req
553. finding new opportunities,
Copy !req
554. like arming a space station
with a secret cannon.
Copy !req
555. - The Soviet military
is in the middle of developing
Copy !req
556. a space station, the Almaz,
Copy !req
557. and they want it in orbit
as soon as possible.
Copy !req
558. But NASA is ahead of the game
with the imminent launch
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559. of their "Skylab"
space station.
Copy !req
560. - You've got Russian
space stations,
Copy !req
561. American space stations.
Copy !req
562. What happens
if they eventually meet?
Copy !req
563. And then if they meet,
Copy !req
564. what happens if that contact
is not friendly?
Copy !req
565. - The Soviets don't
take any chances.
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566. They set up a highly
classified military project
Copy !req
567. to prepare for enemy attacks
in space
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568. by arming the "Almaz 2"
space station
Copy !req
569. with a fully-functioning
space cannon.
Copy !req
570. - They approach
a Soviet weapons designer
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571. to create a gun
that can fire in space.
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572. - Normal artillery
is really heavy.
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573. And weight is at a premium
in space flight,
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574. so they needed something
a lot lighter.
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575. - The Soviet space engineers
Copy !req
576. decide to adapt an autocannon,
the Rikhter R-23.
Copy !req
577. It's the fastest firing
single-barrel cannon
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578. ever used by
the Soviet Air Force,
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579. dispatching
2,500 rounds per minute.
Copy !req
580. - The R-23 was designed
Copy !req
581. for the first
Soviet supersonic bomber,
Copy !req
582. so it's already compact
and lightweight.
Copy !req
583. It's also brutally effective.
Copy !req
584. - You've got 23-millimeter
rounds that are
Copy !req
585. punching these holes
from a mile away.
Copy !req
586. So if it can do that on Earth,
Copy !req
587. it's going to do enough
to cause serious damage
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588. to any American space station
that tries to approach.
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589. - But fitting a gun
to a spaceship
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590. is a little different
from fitting one to a plane.
Copy !req
591. - On a plane,
you have a rotating turret,
Copy !req
592. and the gun can be turned
to follow the target
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593. and to shoot it down
from any angle.
Copy !req
594. But the engineers can't
figure a way to achieve this
Copy !req
595. in a space vehicle.
Copy !req
596. - The cannon has to be fixed
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597. in place, so for the operator
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598. to line up the target,
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599. they'd have to pivot
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600. the entire space station,
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601. which is a big problem if the
target is moving at speed.
Copy !req
602. - And there's
another challenge.
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603. When the cannon fires...
Copy !req
604. it's going to recoil.
Copy !req
605. - And that's a huge problem
in space.
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606. When it's fired
in zero gravity,
Copy !req
607. the recoil could inadvertently
Copy !req
608. force the orbiting
space station well off course.
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609. - There's only one way
to be sure.
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610. In 1974, the Soviets conduct
a secret live test.
Copy !req
611. - The Soviets launch an Almaz
that has a gun on it.
Copy !req
612. The crew spends
about three weeks in orbit
Copy !req
613. running various tests,
and then they go home
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614. because the Soviets don't want
to have a crew on board
Copy !req
615. in case the test of this gun
goes badly wrong.
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616. - The crew's off the vessel,
Copy !req
617. but the space station
is still in orbit.
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618. It's time to test the cannon.
Copy !req
619. - Officials on the ground fire
the gun by remote control.
Copy !req
620. They shoot it once.
Copy !req
621. They shoot it twice.
Copy !req
622. They shoot it three times.
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623. It's the first time a gun has
ever been fired in space.
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624. - But firing a gun in space
has unexpected downsides.
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625. - If you miss your target,
Copy !req
626. that bullet would have so much
energy and momentum behind it
Copy !req
627. that it would
potentially keep going.
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628. There could still be Russian
bullets orbiting the Earth.
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629. - The test is never repeated
Copy !req
630. and the gun is decommissioned
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631. and stored secretly
for 40 years.
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632. - It's a weapon
that many people
Copy !req
633. didn't even believe existed.
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634. - Then in 2015,
a Russian TV show
Copy !req
635. visits a private military
collection
Copy !req
636. and the Almaz space cannon is
finally revealed to the world.
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637. - In 1983, a final showdown
of the space race begins
Copy !req
638. when Ronald Reagan
announces a plan
Copy !req
639. to put laser guns in space.
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640. It's called the
Strategic Defense Initiative.
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641. Most people know
it as Star Wars,
Copy !req
642. and Russia strikes back
with a plan of its own.
Copy !req
643. - My fellow Americans,
Copy !req
644. thank you for sharing your time
with me tonight.
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645. Tonight, we're launching an
effort which holds the promise
Copy !req
646. of changing the course
of human history.
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647. - Ronald Reagan makes
this announcement
Copy !req
648. that shocks the world.
Copy !req
649. He's launching
a Strategic Defense Initiative.
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650. - The plan is to launch
a network of satellites
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651. armed with defensive lasers,
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652. lasers that can shoot down
Russian missiles.
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653. - If a laser could
shoot down a missile
Copy !req
654. before it ever
reached the homeland,
Copy !req
655. it would make
all nuclear weapons...
Copy !req
656. Impotent and obsolete.
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657. - The program requires
radical new technology
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658. that doesn't even exist yet.
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659. - Critics around the world
started to see this
Copy !req
660. as a science fiction tale.
Copy !req
661. So Reagan's program
started to be called
Copy !req
662. the Star Wars program.
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663. - The Western media poked fun.
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664. But the reaction in Moscow
is deadly serious.
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665. - When the Soviets found out
about Reagan's plan
Copy !req
666. to put a laser in space,
they see it totally different.
Copy !req
667. What they see is a chance
for the Americans to launch
Copy !req
668. nuclear weapons against Russia,
Copy !req
669. but then the laser
would incapacitate
Copy !req
670. only Russian nuclear warheads
in response.
Copy !req
671. They see it as a one-sided
threat that doesn't
Copy !req
672. nullify the nuclear arms race,
but instead intensifies it.
Copy !req
673. So they go about
creating their own platform.
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674. - If America is
planning Star Wars,
Copy !req
675. then the Soviets
must find an answer.
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676. They set up a secret project
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677. to build
a space battle station
Copy !req
678. armed with lasers.
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679. - Within a year of
Reagan's "Star Wars" speech,
Copy !req
680. Soviet scientists
are commissioned
Copy !req
681. to provide a laser capable of
destroying American satellites.
Copy !req
682. - This 1 million-watt laser
is the first weapon
Copy !req
683. on their planned
orbital weapons platform,
Copy !req
684. essentially a space station
Copy !req
685. that is armed
with cutting-edge weaponry.
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686. It's a radical new technology.
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687. No one has put a laser
in space before.
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688. - The mysterious weapon is
called "Polyus Skif,"
Copy !req
689. which roughly translates
to North Pole barbarian.
Copy !req
690. Whatever the name,
it's a killer.
Copy !req
691. - The "Polyus Skif"
is massive.
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692. It's two tractor trailers long
and weighs 80 tons.
Copy !req
693. It requires a huge rocket
to launch it.
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694. - The Soviet space laser
is way ahead
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695. of Reagan's Star Wars,
Copy !req
696. and it's a potential
game-changer.
Copy !req
697. Some call it a battlestar
that will weaponize space.
Copy !req
698. - They've essentially created
a Death Star.
Copy !req
699. A real Death Star.
Copy !req
700. - In 1987, it's ready
Copy !req
701. to be launched into orbit
and tested.
Copy !req
702. But there's been a change
at the Kremlin.
Copy !req
703. The Soviet Union has
a new leader
Copy !req
704. who's looking
to slow down the space race.
Copy !req
705. - Mikhail Gorbachev has
publicly proposed an end
Copy !req
706. to the development
of space weapons.
Copy !req
707. - Because he's promising
to reduce the Cold War,
Copy !req
708. the development of
a space-based laser
Copy !req
709. is going to blow a hole
in peace talks.
Copy !req
710. - But Gorbachev doesn't want
to pull the plug
Copy !req
711. on "Polyus" quite yet.
Copy !req
712. - The Soviet Union has already
sunk a lot of money into this,
Copy !req
713. so the launch is
going to go ahead.
Copy !req
714. But he orders them to not
test the laser in space.
Copy !req
715. It's not a good look.
Copy !req
716. - On launch day,
Gorbachev's so concerned
Copy !req
717. about Western reaction to the
laser that he bans any photos.
Copy !req
718. - All the journalists
and photographers
Copy !req
719. could only stand on the
opposite side of the rocket.
Copy !req
720. That was Gorbachev's solution
to making sure that history
Copy !req
721. only told the tale
of what they could see,
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722. which was a clean rocket
going into space,
Copy !req
723. when in fact, there was
a covert death ray
Copy !req
724. on the other side of the rocket
that was trying to be hidden.
Copy !req
725. - The launch goes ahead...
Copy !req
726. as discreetly as possible.
Copy !req
727. - The day that the "Polyus" is
set to launch, it's a big day.
Copy !req
728. The officials are out there.
Copy !req
729. The launch proceeds.
Copy !req
730. And it's looking good
initially.
Copy !req
731. But then...
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732. Something goes terribly wrong,
spins out of control,
Copy !req
733. plunges back to Earth,
burning up in the atmosphere.
Copy !req
734. Everything is lost.
Copy !req
735. It's a complete disaster.
Copy !req
736. - In the end,
both programs failed.
Copy !req
737. Reagan ran out of funding
for his Star Wars program,
Copy !req
738. and the idea of
space-based lasers
Copy !req
739. still remains a thing
of science fiction.
Copy !req
740. But the question is
for how long?
Copy !req
741. - In 1991, the collapse
of the Soviet Union
Copy !req
742. puts an end to the Cold War
phase of the space race.
Copy !req
743. But the contest to control
deep space is far from over.
Copy !req
744. New players from
SpaceX in America
Copy !req
745. to China, India, and Japan
are looking to the moon.
Copy !req
746. And beyond.
Copy !req
747. From covert plans
to nuke the moon
Copy !req
748. to tragic attempts to
cover up shocking disasters,
Copy !req
749. competition in deep space will
continue to inspire strange,
Copy !req
750. terrible and sometimes
inspiring missions.
Copy !req
751. I'm David Duchovny.
Copy !req
752. Thanks for watching
"Secrets Declassified."
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