The UFO crashed in Antarctica 100,000 years ago, and became buried under several millenia's worth of ice and snow. The UFO is first seen in the opening credits entering Earth's atmosphere, in such a disoriented manner that it is implied that it was not even attempting to land, but had completely lost control, possibly due to the actions of The Thing on board. The Thing crawled out of the ship a short distance, but was unable to withstand the harsh cold weather and subsequently froze. It was buried in ice along with the UFO, only to be discovered in the modern day.