Moving Planet

NARRATOR: FROM SPACE, EARTH APPEARS TO BE STILL.

BUT LOOK CLOSER, AND IT'S MOVING.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING IN UNISON] NARRATOR: SATELLITE CAMERAS CAPTURE SOME OF THE GREATEST MOVEMENTS ON THE PLANET-- THE RELENTLESS SWIRLING OF THE ATMOSPHERE...

THE CONSTANT SURGE OF WATER... [FROGS CROAKING] [OTTER CHITTERS] EVEN THE MOVEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS.

ALL HAVE THE POWER TO SHAPE OUR LANDSCAPE.

LOOKING DOWN FROM SPACE, THESE MOVEMENTS COMBINE AND INTERACT TO CREATE A PLANET UNIQUE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THIS NEW PERSPECTIVE IS TRANSFORMING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

AT A TIME WHEN EARTH'S SURFACE IS CHANGING FASTER THAN AT ANY POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY...

THESE CAMERAS ARE REVEALING OUR PLANET IN A WHOLE NEW WAY.

THIS IS OUR HOME AS WE'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

NARRATOR: AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THERE ARE OVER A THOUSAND ACTIVE SATELLITES ORBITING EARTH.

THEIR CAMERAS REVEAL SOME OF EARTH'S GREATEST AND MOST POWERFUL MOVEMENTS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO CAPABLE OF CAPTURING INCREDIBLE DETAIL.

CENTRAL CHINA-- THE SMALL CITY OF DENGFENG.

IN AMONGST THE BUILDINGS, BRIGHT RED CIRCLES, FORMATIONS CREATED BY SOME TRULY SPECTACULAR MOVEMENT.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS] [MAN SAYING COMMANDS IN CHINESE] NARRATOR: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD CHING YIU LAM GOES TO A VERY SPECIAL SCHOOL.

[BOYS SHOUTING RESPONSES] NARRATOR: THE STUDENTS HERE SPEND THEIR SCHOOL LIFE MASTERING THE ART OF SHAOLIN KUNG FU.

EACH INDIVIDUAL MOVEMENT IS PRECISE-- SOME FAST, SOME SLOW, BUT ALL WITH PURPOSE.

[STUDENTS SHOUTING IN UNISON] ON HIS OWN, CHING YIU IS IMPRESSIVE.

BUT TOGETHER WITH HIS CLASSMATES, THEY CREATE SOMETHING MUCH MORE MEANINGFUL.

[BOYS SHOUT IN CHINESE] NARRATOR: ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS, THE STUDENTS OF THIS KUNG FU SCHOOL COME TOGETHER FOR A REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE.

[INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS] WHEN YOU COMBINE THE MOVEMENTS OF ONE INDIVIDUAL... [INSTRUCTOR SHOUTS, STUDENTS RESPOND] NARRATOR: WITH THE MOTION OF THOUSANDS, IT CREATES MOVEMENT SO IMPRESSIVE, IT CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE.

[STUDENTS SHOUTING IN UNISON] NARRATOR: THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS...

PERFORMING AS ONE.

THIS IS THE POWER OF MOVEMENT EN MASSE.

AND IT TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING WHEN VIEWED FROM ABOVE.

THE ACTIONS OF ONE INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT SEEM SIGNIFICANT, BUT TOGETHER, THEY HAVE A REAL IMPACT.

IT IS THE SAME FOR ALL LIFE ON OUR PLANET.

SIX THOUSAND MILES FROM CHINA, THE REPETITIVE MOVEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS HAS SHAPED ONE OF THE NATURAL WORLD'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY LANDSCAPES.

BOTSWANA, AFRICA.

IN THE HEART OF A DESERT, A VAST SHIMMERING FAN.

CHANNELS OF WATER HAVE CREATED A DELTA... THAT NEVER REACHES THE OCEAN BUT DISAPPEARS INTO THE SAND-- THE OKAVANGO.

FROM ABOVE, YOU CAN SEE A NETWORK OF TRACKS AND PATHS RUNNING THROUGH THE WETLAND-- CROSSROADS... FORKS IN THE ROAD... ROUNDABOUTS...

CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED BY AFRICA'S MOST UNLIKELY ARCHITECT...

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

[HIPPOPOTAMUSES GRUNTING] THE DELTA IS HOME TO BOTSWANA'S LARGEST POPULATION OF HIPPOS.

THEY WALLOW IN POOLS TO ESCAPE THE HEAT.

BUT THEY CAN'T ESCAPE EACH OTHER.

MALES DEFEND THEIR TERRITORY WHILE JUVENILES TRY TO COPY THEM.

THERE ARE YOUNGSTERS UNDERFOOT.

[HIPPOPOTAMUS CALLS] AND THE FEMALES HAVE HAD ENOUGH.

THEY ALL NEED JUST A BIT MORE SPACE.

[HIPPOPOTAMUSES GRUNTING] AS THE SUN BEGINS TO SET AND THE TEMPERATURE DROPS...

THE HIPPOS LEAVE THE POOL TO FIND FOOD.

BUT THE BEST GRAZING SPOTS CAN BE MORE THAN A MILE AWAY THROUGH THICK VEGETATION.

THEIR ROUTES TO FEEDING GROUNDS ARE RETRACED DAILY.

THREE-TON BULLDOZERS KEEPING THE PATHWAYS CLEAR.

[HIPPOPOTAMUS CALLING] AND SINCE ALL JOURNEYS ORIGINATE IN A POOL, THE HIPPO TRACKS ACT LIKE RELEASE VALVES...

ALLOWING WATER AND NUTRIENTS TO FLOW DEEP INTO THE DELTA.

IT'S THIS MOVEMENT THAT HELPS TO CREATE THE CHANNELS THAT SUSTAIN SO MUCH LIFE HERE IN THE OKAVANGO.

THESE HIPPO TRACKS HAVE FORMED A TANGLED NETWORK OF WATERWAYS STRETCHING FOR OVER 5,000 SQUARE MILES...

TRANSFORMING A DESERT INTO AN OASIS...

IN THE HEART OF SOUTHERN AFRICA.

70% OF THE PLANET IS COVERED BY WATER.

ITS POWERFUL MOVEMENT HAS ALLOWED LIFE TO FLOURISH ON EARTH.

AS WATER FLOWS ACROSS THE PLANET'S SURFACE, IT CREATES DIVERSE HABITATS.

OFF ALASKA, THE YUKON RIVER FANS OUT INTO AN INTRICATE DELTA AS IT REACHES THE BERING SEA.

TINY RIVERS JOIN TOGETHER AS THEY CHANNEL THROUGH AN ISLAND IN WEST AFRICA.

BUT AS WATER FLOWS INTO VAST OCEANS, ITS MOVEMENT BECOMES HARDER TO SEE.

BUT LOOK DOWN FROM ABOVE AND SATELLITES CAN TRACK IT OR, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THOSE USING IT.

OFF THE COAST OF SINGAPORE, THE BLUE IS FLECKED WITH COLOR-- CONTAINER SHIPS.

OVER 50,000 MERCHANT SHIPS CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE WORLD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR...

CARRYING 90% OF GLOBAL TRADE.

AND THEY FOLLOW SOME OF THE GREATEST MOVEMENTS ON THE PLANET.

WINDS RACING OVER THE OCEAN TRANSFER THEIR ENERGY INTO THE WATER BELOW, BECOMING AN UNSTOPPABLE, POWERFUL FORCE, OCEANIC CURRENTS.

CURRENTS ARE USUALLY INVISIBLE.

BUT BY FOLLOWING THE SHIPS FROM ABOVE, PLOTTING THE MANY THOUSANDS OF JOURNEYS MADE EACH YEAR, THE PATH OF THE CURRENTS BECOMES APPARENT.

AS SHIPS LEAVE NEW YORK, THEY FOLLOW A DIRECT ROUTE... HITCHING A RIDE ON THE CURRENTS OF THE GULF STREAM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC TO EUROPE.

TRAVELING WITH A CURRENT MAKES AN OCEAN CROSSING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EFFICIENT... [THUNDER] AND NOT JUST FOR SHIPS.

BY FOLLOWING THE POWERFUL CURRENTS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN, THIS BABY TURTLE IS ABLE TO BEGIN A JOURNEY OF OVER A THOUSAND MILES TO DISTANT FEEDING GROUNDS.

UNDER THE HULLS OF SHIPS, CURRENTS PROPEL HUNDREDS OF OCEAN TRAVELERS... FROM JELLYFISH... TO WHALES.

BUT FOLLOWING THE CURRENTS DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE FOR THE SHORTEST ROUTE.

THE VOYAGE TO EUROPE FROM ASIA ONCE MEANT SAILING AROUND THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.

SO HUMANS CREATED A SHORTCUT-- THE SUEZ CANAL... 120 MILES CARVED THROUGH THE SAND... AN INCREDIBLE HUMAN ENDEAVOR THAT NOW SHORTENS THE JOURNEY BY OVER 4,000 MILES.

LOOKING DOWN FROM ABOVE IN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE CIRCUMSTANCES, SATELLITES TRACE THE PATH OF A CURRENT.

LIKE AIRPLANES, SHIP EXHAUSTS CREATE CLOUDS, LEAVING TRAILS IN THE ATMOSPHERE THAT MIMIC THE MOVEMENT OF THE WATER BELOW.

WATER IS NEVER STILL.

IT MOVES AROUND THE PLANET, BUT IT ALSO RISES AND FALLS.

ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF FRANCE, THE WATER SURROUNDS AND ABANDONS THE ISLAND OF MONT SAINT MICHEL.

AT THE BAY OF FUNDY IN CANADA, THE TIDE CAN RISE BY 50 FEET IN JUST OVER SIX HOURS...

THE MOST EXTREME TIDAL DIFFERENCE FOUND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

BUT EVERY COASTLINE ACROSS THE GLOBE FEELS THIS EBB AND FLOW.

AND NOWHERE IS LIFE MORE KEENLY ATTUNED TO THE WATER'S MOVEMENT THAN HERE ON THE SOUTHERN COAST OF BANGLADESH AND INDIA.

THIS MAZE OF WATERWAYS IS THE SUNDARBANS.

TWICE A DAY, IT'S TRANSFORMED BY THE TIDE, BLUE... TO BROWN.

AS THE WATERS FALL, EXPOSING THE MUD BELOW... [ANIMALS CALLING] SILT FROM RIVER WATER TRAPPED BY MANGROVE ROOTS CREATES A HABITAT LIKE NO OTHER-- A HOME FOR TIMID CHITAL DEER...

TROOPS OF MACAQUES...

ELUSIVE BENGAL TIGERS... AND OVER THREE MILLION... [CONVERSATIONS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE] PEOPLE.

BHOBEN BISWASH AND HIS SON HRIDOY LIVE IN THE NORTH OF THE SUNDARBANS.

LIFE HERE REVOLVES AROUND THE MOVEMENT OF THE TIDES.

BHOBEN IS A FISHERMAN.

HIS SON HRIDOY IS LEARNING THE FAMILY TRADE.

BUT THEY WON'T BE FISHING WITH LINES OR POLES.

INSTEAD, THEY'LL BE USING TEN SMOOTH-COATED OTTERS.

[OTTERS CALLING] THESE ARE NOT WILD ANIMALS.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BREEDING OTTERS SINCE THE SIXTH CENTURY, WORKING WITH THEM LIKE HUNTING DOGS.

INTELLIGENT AND AGILE, THEY'RE EXTREMELY PRECIOUS TO THEIR OWNERS.

[BHOBEN SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE] NARRATOR: BUT FISHING HERE DOESN'T JUST RELY ON THE OTTERS' HELP.

THE FAMILY'S SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE MOVEMENT OF THE WATER.

AT HIGH TIDE, THOUSANDS OF TINY INLETS CRISSCROSS THROUGH THE MANGROVE FOREST...

GIVING ITS FISH PLENTY OF ROOM TO HIDE.

BUT AS THE MOON ORBITS AROUND THE EARTH, IT'S GRAVITATIONAL PULL ON THE OCEANS CHANGES.

WHEN THE MOON IS OVERHEAD, TIDES ARE HIGH.

BUT AS THE MOON DROPS BELOW THE HORIZON, THE TIDES RETREAT WITH IT.

AT THE VERY LOWEST TIDE, FISH ARE FORCED INTO THE FEW REMAINING STRETCHES OF WATER.

THE OTTERS CAN NOW GET TO WORK.

[OTTERS CHITTERING] THEIR SENSITIVE WHISKERS DETECT THE MOVEMENT OF FISH... AND THEY FLUSH THEM TOWARDS THE NETS.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY] NARRATOR: YOUNG OTTERS SWIM FREELY.

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LEARNING FROM THE ADULTS, BUT IT'S EASY TO GET DISTRACTED.

NARRATOR: THE OTTERS BRING IN UP TO TWICE AS MANY FISH AS USING NETS ALONE.

AND THEY TAKE THEIR CUT.

TEN OTTERS CAN EAT 17 POUNDS OF FISH A DAY.

BUT IT'S GETTING HARDER FOR THESE FISHERMEN TO EARN A LIVING.

LARGE SCALE FISHING AND POLLUTION FROM GROWING INDUSTRY ARE DECIMATING THE FISH STOCK IN THE SUNDARBANS.

[OTTER CALLS] FROM WHAT WAS ONCE OVER 200 BOATS, THIS IS NOW JUST ONE OF EIGHT KEEPING THIS ANCIENT SKILL ALIVE.

THE TIDE TURNS, ONCE AGAIN FILLING THE CHANNELS, AND THE FISHERMEN AND OTTERS FOLLOW THE RISING WATER HOME.

THE MOVEMENT OF WATER AFFECTS ALMOST EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH.

BUT TO COMPLETE ITS JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLANET, IT MUST RELY ON A MORE POWERFUL FORCE BECAUSE WATER DOESN'T ONLY MOVE ACROSS THE PLANET'S SURFACE.

IT IS CARRIED IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

FROM A SATELLITE TAKING AN IMAGE OF THE EARTH EVERY 15 MINUTES...

WEATHER PATTERNS SWIRL.

THE ATMOSPHERE INFLUENCES THESE SYSTEMS... [THUNDER] WHICH BRINGS RAIN, SNOW, STORMS, AND FLOODS.

ANIMALS ON OUR PLANET CAN THRIVE OR FAIL IN RESPONSE TO THESE MOVEMENTS.

KENYA, EAST AFRICA.

BESIDE THE GREEN OF A RIVERBANK... A FAMILY OF ELEPHANTS.

ON THE MOVE AND FORAGING FOR FOOD...

THEY HAVE A NEW CALF JUST OVER A WEEK OLD.

[CALF CALLS] AT AROUND 200 POUNDS AND GROWING FAST, SHE NEEDS TO DRINK SOME 21 PINTS OF MILK A DAY.

BUT HER MOTHER IS STRUGGLING TO PROVIDE IT FOR HER.

SHE HASN'T EATEN PROPERLY IN WEEKS.

IN FACT, THE WHOLE HERD IS IN TROUBLE.

AND TO BIOLOGISTS, IT'S CLEAR WHY.

AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, THE FAMILY IS USUALLY FOUND SIX MILES NORTH IN THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE.

BUT THE VIEW FROM ABOVE REVEALS THAT ALL IS NOT WELL.

THE GROUND IS DEEP ORANGE, BARELY ANY SIGNS OF WATER OR GREEN SPOTS OF VEGETATION.

SAMBURU IS IN THE GRIP OF A VICIOUS DROUGHT.

NORTHERN KENYA HAS BEEN STRUCK HARD BY THE PLANET'S CHANGING CLIMATE.

THIS YEAR HAS SEEN 25% LESS RAIN THAN USUAL.

THE DRY SEASON HAS BEEN EXTREME.

ANIMALS ARE STARVING.

A DESPERATE SEARCH FOR FOOD HAS FORCED THE FAMILY TO MIGRATE OUT OF THE SAFETY OF THE RESERVE TO A FEW SMALL PATCHES OF GREEN DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO A BUSY MAIN HIGHWAY.

[TRAFFIC NOISE] [ELEPHANT GRUNTING] SCRUBBY VEGETATION PROVIDES A LITTLE TO EAT, BUT HERE THE FAMILY COULD BE A TARGET FOR POACHERS.

ON THE GROUND, THEIR SITUATION IS DESPERATE.

BUT LOOKING DOWN AT THE EARTH REVEALS WHAT THE ELEPHANTS CAN'T SEE.

WEATHER PATTERNS RACE ACROSS THE PLANET, PRECIOUS WATER CARRIED BY THE ATMOSPHERE.

OVER EAST AFRICA, CLOUDS ARE FINALLY BUILDING.

RAIN IS JUST SIX DAYS AWAY...

BUT THE CALF IS WORN OUT.

HER MOTHER WILL NOT LET HER REST.

ELEPHANTS SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND PAST EXPERIENCES.

AND SO THEY KNOW IT'S NOT SAFE TO BE SO CLOSE TO A BUSY HIGHWAY.

THEY NEED TO MOVE ON.

BUT THE CALF IS TOO TIRED.

[THUNDER] THIS IS THE FIRST RAIN SHE'S EVER EXPERIENCED.

AND IT'S A BIT OF A STRUGGLE.

THE MOTHER ENCOURAGES THE CALF TO HER FEET.

AND NOW THEY CAN TRAVEL BACK TO THE SAFETY OF THE RESERVE.

SAMBURU IS TRANSFORMING.

ELEPHANTS, SCATTERED BY THE DROUGHT AS FAR AS 40 MILES AWAY, ARE NOW RETURNING TO THE RESERVE, AND OUR FAMILY IS WITH THEM.

OVERNIGHT, ONE OF THE OTHER FEMALES HAS GIVEN BIRTH.

ONE NEW LIFE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVEMENTS ON EARTH.

THE POWERFUL CIRCULATION OF AIR AROUND THE PLANET CAN SUSTAIN LIFE.

BUT AROUND THE TROPICS, AIR WARMED BY THE WATER BELOW RISES HIGH INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, WHERE IT PICKS UP SPEED, CREATING A DEADLY NATURAL FORCE.

LOOK DOWN OVER THE OCEAN, AND THE CLOUDS SHIFT INTO SHAPE.

THEY BEGIN TO SPIRAL AND RACE...

PICKING UP ENERGY AS THEY SPIN ACROSS THE OCEAN.

HURRICANES.

ON AVERAGE, ONE HURRICANE HITS THE GULF COAST EVERY YEAR.

BUT THE VIEW FROM SPACE HAS TRANSFORMED OUR ABILITY TO STUDY THESE STORMS AND SAVE LIVES.

AUGUST 2017--HURRICANE HARVEY.

WEATHER SATELLITES CAPTURED SOME OF THE CLEAREST VISUAL DATA ON A HURRICANE EVER SEEN.

MEASURING TWO HUNDRED MILES ACROSS AND WITH WIND SPEEDS OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR, A CRUCIAL PART OF KNOWING WHERE HARVEY WOULD HIT WAS TO TRACK ITS MOVEMENTS BY SATELLITE.

WITH NEAR REAL-TIME DATA SENT TO THE GROUND, SCIENTISTS COULD NARROW ITS PROJECTED LANDFALL JUST SOUTH OF HOUSTON.

ONCE IT HIT, THESE CAMERAS COULD BE USED TO MONITOR THE EXTENT AND LOCATION OF DEVASTATING FLOODING.

HARVEY WAS THE MOST POWERFUL STORM TO HIT THE U.S.

SINCE HURRICANE KATRINA... AND THE WETTEST IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

AND HARVEY WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.

NEXT CAME IRMA, JOSE, AND KATIA IN ONE OF THE WORST HURRICANE SEASONS ON RECORD.

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE HELPED SCIENTISTS AND DISASTER AGENCIES TO MONITOR THEIR MOVEMENT AND RESPOND.

THE VIEW FROM SPACE ALLOWS US TO TRACK MOVEMENTS WITHIN OUR ATMOSPHERE IN A WAY THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE FROM THE GROUND.

AND THIS NEW PERSPECTIVE HAS MADE ONE OF THE EARTH'S MOST EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENA VISIBLE, REVEALING A CONNECTION BETWEEN CONTINENTS THOUSANDS OF MILES APART.

A PLUME OF ORANGE... SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES ACROSS.

DUST.

IT COMES FROM HERE, NORTH AFRICA.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE A SMALL WHITE SCAR IN THE SAHARA DESERT IS ACTUALLY THE REMAINS OF A VAST LAKE THAT DRIED UP OVER A THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

ONCE RICH IN LIFE, NOW A DUST BOWL.

WINDS WHIPPING ACROSS THE LAKEBED LIFT NUTRIENT-RICH SAHARAN DUST INTO THE AIR.

BY FOCUSING ON THE DUST PLUME DAY AND NIGHT, WE CAN SEE IT TRAVEL MORE THAN 2,000 MILES... AS IT MOVES OVER THE ATLANTIC... TO CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA... HOME OF THE LARGEST TROPICAL RAINFOREST IN THE WORLD.

[THUNDER] IT RAINS HERE ALMOST EVERY DAY...

BUT PLANTS NEED MORE THAN JUST WATER TO GROW.

NUTRIENT-RICH SAHARAN DUST FROM THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS THE GLOBE, CARRIED IN RAINDROPS FERTILIZES THE SOIL...

FEEDING THE FOREST... AND HELPING TO SUSTAIN MORE SPECIES OF ANIMALS... THAN ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.

IT IS ONLY WITH SATELLITES THAT SCIENTISTS ARE ABLE TO CALCULATE THAT 27 MILLION TONS OF DUST MAKES THIS JOURNEY EACH YEAR-- A GIFT THAT HAS MADE THESE RAINFORESTS THE MOST DIVERSE ON THE PLANET.

FROM ABOVE, EPIC MOVEMENT CAN BE TRACKED ACROSS CONTINENTS.

OVER THE EAST AFRICAN PLAINS OF THE SERENGETI, HUGE WILDEBEEST HERDS CAN BE SEEN ON THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATION-- AN 1,800-MILE ROUND TRIP FOLLOWING SEASONAL RAINS.

[WILDEBEEST GRUNTING] FROM 380 MILES ABOVE BAJA, MEXICO... GRAY WHALES ARE VISIBLE BENEATH THE WATER, ARRIVING HERE TO GIVE BIRTH AFTER A 4,000-MILE JOURNEY FROM ALASKA.

AND IT'S NOT JUST ANIMALS THAT CROSS CONTINENTS TO GATHER TOGETHER.

IN MECCA, MILLIONS OF PILGRIMS TRAVEL FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE TO WORSHIP DURING THE HAJJ...

IN THE DESERT OF NEVADA, THE CRESCENT FORMED BY OVER 50,000 REVELERS AT BURNING MAN... AND IN ITALY, CROWDS GATHER IN THE VATICAN TO HEAR THE POPE SPEAK AT EASTER.

BE THEY RELIGIOUS OR CELEBRATORY, PEOPLE CONGREGATE FOR MANY REASONS.

IN 2017, MILLIONS TRAVELED ACROSS THE GLOBE TO BE PART OF ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVEMENTS ON EARTH.

AS THE EARTH ROTATES, ORBITING AROUND THE SUN, ITS MOVEMENT CREATES AN AWE-INSPIRING SPECTACLE.

ON AUGUST 21st THAT YEAR, SATELLITES CAPTURED A HUGE BLACK SHADOW MOVING ACROSS THE U.S. AND TWO YOUNG SCIENTISTS WERE READY TO RECORD IT IN THE MOST INGENIOUS WAY.

KIMBERLY: WE'VE BEEN PLANNING WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO FOR ALMOST A YEAR.

NARRATOR: KIMBERLY AND REBECCA YEUNG ARE TRAVELING OVER A THOUSAND MILES TO WHAT THEY HOPE IS THE PERFECT LOCATION.

KIMBERLY: IT'S REALLY PRETTY HERE, BUT IT'S SO FLAT.

NARRATOR: THESE SISTERS HAVE DESIGNED SOMETHING TO BRING THE VIEW FROM SPACE CLOSER TO HOME.

KIMBERLY: SOMEONE AT NASA HAD THE SAME IDEA THAT WE DID.

NARRATOR: THEY'RE GOING TO BE COLLABORATING WITH NASA ON SOME GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH.

TOGETHER THEY ARE GOING TO STUDY THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN FROM SPACE.

NIGHT FALLS ACROSS AMERICA.

THE EARTH FINISHES ANOTHER REVOLUTION.

[INDISTINCT TRANSMISSIONS] AND THE STAGE IS SET FOR THE BIG EVENT.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE MOVING INTO POSITION FOR THIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE...

CLIMBING MOUNTAINS, GATHERING AT ECLIPSE PARTIES AND CELEBRATIONS... [GAS HISSING] BUT REBECCA AND KIMBERLY ARE BUSY PREPARING FOR LAUNCH.

IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS, THE MOON WILL MOVE BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE SUN...

BLOCKING ITS LIGHT COMPLETELY.

THESE YOUNG SCIENTISTS ARE GOING TO SEND A WEATHER BALLOON LOADED WITH INSTRUMENTS INTO SPACE TO RECORD THE ECLIPSE.

THEY'VE GOT CAMERAS ON BOARD AND TWO SPECIAL PASSENGERS.

KIMBERLY: WE HAVE A PICTURE OF OUR CAT LOKI, AND WE HAVE AMELIA EARHART.

SHE'S A VERY STRONG FEMALE.

SHE WAS VERY BRAVE, AND WE THINK SHE'S A REALLY GREAT ROLE MODEL.

NARRATOR: THEY HAVE TO LAUNCH AT EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME TO ENSURE THEY'RE AT THE BEST ALTITUDE FOR THE ECLIPSE.

KIMBERLY AND REBECCA: 3, 2, 1.

NARRATOR: THE BALLOON WILL RISE TO APPROXIMATELY 80,000 FEET, OVER 15 MILES STRAIGHT UP.

THE GIRLS ARE ONE OF OVER 50 TEAMS RELEASING BALLOONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PART OF NASA'S RESEARCH.

THEN AT PRECISELY 10:24 ON THE PLAINS OF WYOMING, THE SHOW BEGINS.

GIRL: OOH!

MAN: WHOA.

NARRATOR: THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TOTAL ECLIPSE TO TRAVEL COAST TO COAST ACROSS THE U.S.

IN 99 YEARS.

[CROWD CHEERS] NARRATOR: HIGH ABOVE THE GROUND, THEIR BALLOON IS STILL RISING.

YOU CAN BEGIN TO SEE THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH AND THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE.

LOKI THE CAT AND AMELIA WILL SOON BE AT THE RIGHT ALTITUDE FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE VIEW.

MAN: THERE IT GOES.

THERE IT GOES.

NARRATOR: IT TAKES AROUND AN HOUR AND 20 MINUTES FOR THE MOON TO MOVE TO THE POINT WHERE IT COMPLETELY OBSCURES THE SUN.

MAN: LOOK AT THAT.

GIRL: YEAH, LOOK HOW DARK IT IS.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] NARRATOR: FROM 80,000 FEET UP, YOU CAN TRULY APPRECIATE WHY IT GOES DARK DURING AN ECLIPSE.

WHEN EVERYTHING ALIGNS, THE MOON CASTS A CIRCULAR SHADOW MORE THAN 70 MILES ACROSS.

LOKI AND AMELIA NOW SHARE A SIMILAR REMARKABLE VIEW TO THE ASTRONAUTS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION... AND A SATELLITE CAMERA POSITIONED 22,000 MILES ABOVE AMERICA THAT RECORDS THE SHADOW PASSING COMPLETELY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THEY'VE SUCCEEDED IN CAPTURING ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVEMENTS ON EARTH.

FINALLY, THE SUN APPEARS ONCE MORE FROM BEHIND THE MOON, AND THE TOTALITY OF THE SOLAR ECLIPSE COMES TO AN END.

MAN: OH, IT'S COMING BACK.

OH, NO.

HERE COMES THE LIGHT.

GIRL: THERE IT IS.

OH, SO SAD.

OHH.

MAN: THAT WAS JUST THE MOST AMAZING THING.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] NARRATOR: AT OVER 96,000 FEET, THE BALLOON BURSTS... AND THEIR SPACECRAFT FALLS BACK TO EARTH.

[SISTERS LAUGHING] YEAH, THAT WAS AWESOME.

NARRATOR: AND WITH A SIMPLE IDEA, THEY'VE SHOWN US THAT THE VIEW FROM SPACE IS WITHIN THE GRASP OF EVERYONE.

IT'S ONLY FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE THAT WE CAN WATCH THE EARTH SPIN ON ITS AXIS, A MOVEMENT THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ALL LIFE, TAKING US FROM DAY TO NIGHT...

INFLUENCING THE RISE AND FALL OF THE TIDES... AND THE CIRCULATION OF THE ATMOSPHERE...

CREATING WEATHER... AND, IN TURN, AFFECTING ALMOST EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH.

MOVEMENT TRIGGERS MORE MOVEMENT.

AND THE BEST WAY TO TRULY UNDERSTAND HOW IT'S ALL CONNECTED IS TO LOOK DOWN FROM ABOVE.

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