‘Cooper’s Treasure’: The Search for Shipwrecks an Astronaut Spotted From Space

Discovery’s new series Cooper’s Treasure, premiering tonight, has it all: A space mystery, a search for buried silver and gold, and pure family drama.

In our exclusive clip, you meet Darrell Miklos, the son of treasure hunter Roger Miklos and a longtime friend of Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper. Before his death, Cooper shared a secret with Darrell: During one of his missions — while, he says, he was scouring the Earth for nuclear sites — he discovered shipwrecks. For decades, he attempted to locate them using the information he’d covertly collected while in orbit and back on land, to no avail. And so, he passed along his drawings and notes to Darrell in the hope that he would continue the exploration and ultimately find the treasure.

The first hour introduces some of the trials Darrell will face. For starters, how can he confirm the legitimacy of Cooper’s “treasure map from space” when there’s no record of Cooper having the surveillance equipment necessary to make it aboard the spacecraft? (Cue a meeting with “space royalty,” Mercury and Gemini-era engineers, that could get space nerds a bit misty). And, how will Darrell secure a key piece of the puzzle that’s in the possession of his estranged father? (Their reunion makes a tense episode of Parenthood seem like nothing.)

Cooper’s Treasure premieres April 18 at 10 p.m. on Discovery.