SOYUZMULTFILM presents
THE GREAT MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
The following mystery has puzzled astronomers for ages.
As early as the 17th century scientists noticed
a mathematical regularity in the distance of planets to the Sun.
Here's how the planets are arranged in their distance from the Sun:
Mercury,
Venus,
Earth,
Mars,
Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
The average distance from the planets to the Sun
follows a mathematical sequence.
The distance from Earth to Sun is used as an astronomical unit.
But... if the discovered mathematical regularity isn't coincidental,
then in the Solar System, between Mars and Jupiter,
there is one missing planet.
And, indeed, here, at a distance of 2.8 astronomical units,
exists an asteroid belt consisting of many small planetoids.
So what are these asteroids?
Maybe, they're pieces of a lost planet?
Attention, attention!
The preparations for the expedition to the asteroid belt are completed.
And today all of humanity
shall be watching with excitement the launch of the spaceship
"Phaeton 1".
Now we will switch over to the orbital spaceport.
Speaking to us will be the commander of the spaceship "Phaeton 1".
We are proud to be the first to attempt to solve this mystery of the Solar System.
What is the goal of the expedition?
Our goal, I might say, is to see the asteroids with our own eyes
and to determine if they really are pieces of the missing tenth planet of our Solar system.
- May I add something? - Certainly.
We will observe many of the asteroids
and we will attempt a landing on the biggest one, Ceres.
Tell me, why is your ship named "Phaeton"?
This name isn't coincidental.
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks already knew a myth
originating, perhaps, in the legendary Atlantis.
PHAETON SON OF THE SUN A film-hypothesis
O light of all the world, God of the Sun, Helios!
Ask me for whatever you like, my son Phaeton. I shall fulfill your desire.
This I swear to you with the unbreakable oath of the immortal gods.
O Helios, let me at least once ride across the sky in your chariot.
My son! Remember my final admonitions.
Hold the bridles tight, don't let the horses ride too fast!
Don't climb up too high so as not to burn the sky,
and don't descend too low, or you'll scorch all of the Earth.
O great Zeus, the Thunderer!
I, Gaia the Earth, beseech you:
Protect whatever yet remains from this fire!
Attention, attention!
Within a few minutes the launch to Ceres will start.
Over to the space communication center.
Attention! Five minutes to countdown.
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Launch!
Earth, Earth! Can you hear me? How is your visual reception?
"Phaeton 1". "Phaeton 1". We hear you well. The background noise is within acceptable limits.
How are you feeling? - Excellent! - The state of our health is normal.
The trajectory parameters correspond to those that were calculated.
The first steps of man into space unexpectedly brought us closer to the past,
and made us gain a new outlook on the history of all humankind.
People began to think more often about probable connections
between earth and space events.
Take the myth about Phaeton:
Some researchers are inclined to regard this myth
as being one of the poetic testimonies
to an ancient, but real event -
the destruction of the planet Phaeton as the result of a cosmic catastrophe.
Many seemingly inexplicable things have happened throughout Earth's history.
But it's all fragmented... connections are lost. There's no unified picture.
Ancient titanic constructions, myths, legends reaching us from dark ages,
surviving artifacts of science and culture of ancient civilizations,
possibly contain the mystery of contacts of the Earth with other worlds.
Earth, Earth. We've passed Mars. Passed Mars.
Attention, attention! Today, according to the projected course,
and having bridged nearly 700 million kilometers,
"Phaeton 1" enters the asteroid belt.
We switch over to direct video-communication.
A fragment! I see a fragment of irregular shape.
It's dead ahead.
Earth, Earth. We're seeing an irregularly shaped fragment.
There's another one. Yet another!
Earth, it seems that these really are the remains of a planet.
There are many fragments.
A fragment on the bow side.
We passed it by fine.
"Phaeton 1". "Phaeton 1". Don't deviate from your course.
- Turn on the outer vision cameras. - Outer vision cameras are ready.
Earth, Earth! Come in, over!
If the planet Phaeton really existed, what caused its destruction?
No. No, no. Phaeton couldn't have been ruined by war.
After all, on Earth we never let it get to that.
People were able to avoid annihilation. High intelligence is incompatible with war.
Most likely, Phaeton could have been destroyed by natural causes.
It is more likely that the tragedy was caused by collision with another celestial body.
For example, with a comet.
Phaeton could also have been destroyed by the gravitational pull of the giant Jupiter.
Incidentally, there is an allegorical hint to that in the legend of Phaeton.
Phaeton is killed by a thunderbolt of Zeus,
and Zeus and Jupiter are the same mythological character.
I believe that Phaeton could have harbored a highly developed civilization;
That the Phaetonians could fly freely to the other planets of the Solar System.
I can imagine their arrival on our ancient Earth.
A hypothesis? Yes, for now it's a hypothesis.
But in our time we stand on the brink of discovery
of the greatest mysteries of the universe.
And what today is still a hypothesis, tomorrow can become reality.
Screenplay by V. ANKOR V. LIVANOV
Director V. LIVANOV
Art director M. ZHEREBCHEVSKY
Composer G. GLADKOV
Camera M. DRUYAN Sound G. MARTYNYUK
Assistant director T. FYODOROVA Art-assistant A. GOREVA Montage YE. TERTYCHNAYA
Animators A. ABARENOV, V. KUSHNERYOV, YU. KUZYURIN, N. KUKOLEV, I. KUROYAN, M. PERSHIN
Voiced by M. BABANOVA, A. KONSOVSKIY, YU. YAKOVLEV, A. ZADACHIN, N. BURLYAYEV
Script editor A. SNESAREV Production director L. BUTYRINA
THE END Subs by Pashka Geraskin (2012), revised by Eus (2015), barometer (2016), Niffiwan (2022)