The Right Stuff (2020) s01e06 Episode Script

JOHN: Previously on The Right Stuff
MALE VOICE: Get ready, Gordo, I'm
about to push through the number.
Cal!
It's fun to do scary things sometimes.
I'm not mad, Cammie. You
know you can talk to me.
ALAN: If you were to examine one of us,
and you found something,
what would you do?
Anything you told me in
confidence would remain private,
unless it jeopardized
you or the project.
Screw von Braun.
He's getting soaked at the
bar in a Santa Claus beard
while you're out here working.
I can tell you who I'd
rather have a wingman.
This is Senator Kennedy's special
advisor on all matters of science,
Jerome Wiesner.
Jack asked me to be here
because he has some questions
about the manned space program.
Did you invite this guy?
- Al?
- I messed up. I was with a girl.
There's pictures, there's a
story that's going to come out
in the San Diego Herald.
I'm gonna take care of this.
You sold me out so you could win.
I've saved you, I saved
all of you, dammit!
BOB: Each of you is qualified
to make that first flight.
So this will be a peer vote.
Right down their name,
hand it to Mr. Lunney.
If you could not make the flight
yourself, who would you choose?
(ALAN WHISTLING)
GUS: I've never really given it much
thought, so I wasn't sure about it,
but Betty said the designers
are playing with color this year.
She's real into fashion, now that
we get our pictures taken so much,
reminds me of coffin lining, though.
(SIGHS) Have you guys
ever heard of fondue?
It's hot cheese in a
bowl and it's just
- (DOORS OPEN)
- FEMALE VOICE: Gentlemen?
It's time.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Don't forget to smile, John.
(CLEARS THROAT)
- (SHUTTER CLICKS)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Ladies and gentlemen.
I'm proud to introduce
NASA's Astronaut, first team.
- (CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Now, in the next few months,
one of these exceptional
men will be selected
for the first American space flight.
- (SHUTTER CLICKS)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
REPORTER: Which one of you
is going to be the first?
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Okay, John, level with me.
Off the record, you're
first, aren't you?
(SCOFFS)
Now you sure picked
some day to fly out here.
Should I take that as a yes?
Why would NASA parade
all three of us around
if they'd already picked number one?
You read mysteries?
They don't tell you who the
killer is halfway through.
I figure NASA wants to milk the
drama right up until launch day.
I mean, hell, they're taking
bets on you guys out in Vegas.
- Guess who's the favorite?
- Honestly, Loudon
they haven't decided.
(SIGHS) Okay.
Have it your way.
- (HORN HONKING)
- Come on!
You are first. I've been
pushing NASA to announce it.
The sooner, the better.
Until it's public, they could
still change their minds.
Thanks for the ride, John.
See you back in Florida.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
One twenty-four.
One twenty-five.
One twenty-six.
WALLY: No, really.
Take a good long look.
You recognize that elbow right there?
Now, Carla, see this?
What did I tell you, this
is prime astronaut elbow.
(CARLA CHUCKLES)
- So are you like a backup or
- A backup?
Nope, I'm gonna fly. We all are.
Just a little later.
- Uh-huh.
- WALLY: Uh-huh.
And the missions are gonna get more
complicated, so (CHUCKLES)
you can keep that.
(MIMICS EXPLOSION)
Maybe they're right. At this
rate, we might never go up.
- We'll all go up.
- Sure, we'll go. (CHUCKLES)
But in the meantime
I catch this, Wally buys the next round.
Hey, wait a second.
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
- (ALL LAUGH)
Nope, double or nothing.
Double or nothing.
Double or nothing.
- (GLASS SHATTERS)
- Oh. Come on.
- It's good, it's good, it's good.
- (LAUGHS)
Hey, Deke, toss me a glass.
(LAUGHS)
Sorry, Henri, just, uh,
having a little bit of fun.
- You know what? I've got it.
- HENRI: It's
I've got it!
Got it.
(SCREAMS)
- (GROANS)
- HENRI: You all right?
I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay.
- HENRI: There you go.
- GORDON: Here's the thing.
Very scared.
Just tumbling all over, tumbling,
rumbling and tumbling and rolling and
see, I was I was just on chase,
you know, and he was
I could I could see I
could see I could see him
I watched
I watched him
You know, man, I think
it should've been me.
(SOBS)
He was good he was a good guy.
He was.
He was my friend.
Now, just get some rest, Mr. Cooper.
Yeah. Yeah, rest. Rest, yeah. Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Thank you. Rest.
multi-axis demonstrations, heat
stress tests, centrifuge tests,
emergency procedure demonstrations,
and a thorough review
of all medical records.
Who's they?
Presidential Scientific
Advisory Committee.
PSAC?
- Are you kidding?
- Joke's on us, Al.
The chairman is Dr. Jerome Wiesner.
You might remember him from
the New Year's party last year.
Right, John invited him.
The president is deeply skeptical
of this agency, gentlemen,
and every bureaucrat in D.C. knows it.
I'm going up in two months.
They want us to waste time now?
That'll give the Russians
more time to get there first.
The president is afraid
we're gonna blow you up, Al.
To him, NASA's high
profile and high risk,
and that is a bad combination,
especially for a program he
inherited from the republicans.
We succeed, Eisenhower gets the credit.
You end up scattered
all over Cape Canaveral,
Kennedy takes the blame.
This committee is gonna issue a report.
It'll go straight to the president's desk.
(SIGHS)
So we're cooked?
They need a reason to shut us down.
Let's ace these demonstrations.
When do these pencil-dicks get here?
MALE VOICE 1: Get on in there.
MALE VOICE 2: Welcome
Welcome to the Starlite, gentlemen.
Welcome to Florida,
gentlemen. Right this way.
Dr. Wiesner. It's an honor
having you stay with us.
- (HIGH-PITCHED TONE)
- (GRUNTS)
Al?
(GROANS)
DEE: Al? They're waiting for you.
- (KNOCKING)
- Just a second.
(DOOR UNLOCKS, OPENS)
Are you okay?
Never better.
Mr. Wiesner, gentlemen, our first three.
We understand that you have a concern
about the safety of a
spacecraft landing in the ocean.
Mr. Kraft here will
introduce our preparations
for any mitigating circumstances.
- Chris?
- Good afternoon.
In the unlikely event
that the capsule
splashes down off target
or is breached and taking on water
the astronaut can use an
emergency egress procedure
to safely exit the craft.
Lieutenant Commander Shepard
will demonstrate that for you now.
WIESNER: Hey, Bob. This better work.
MALE VOICE: Pull.
- (AIR HORN BLOWS)
- (STOPWATCH TICKING)
(GROANS)
GLYNN: Come on.
Something's happening.
- (STOPWATCH CONTINUES TICKING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (SIGHS)
- MALE VOICE 1: 'Bout time, huh?
- MALE VOICE 2: Okay.
- (AIR HORN BLOWING)
- MALE VOICE 3: A little bit quicker.
- MALE VOICE 4: I agree.
- MALE VOICE 1: Come on, let's go.
- MALE VOICE 2: Okay, divers, move in.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(SIGHS)
(KEYS CLACKING)
(TYPEWRITER DINGS)
Sorry if I woke you.
- What is this?
- (KEYS CLACKING)
Annie, that isn't It's
"Shepard's conduct can only be described
as moral turp"
- Turpitude.
- (KEYS CLACKING)
John, what are you
Al Shepard doesn't
deserve this, all right?
I mean, he's selfish,
he can't be trusted.
People need to know that. People
who can do something about it.
They ought to know now?
Of all times I mean, the program
- is in real trouble.
- I know that, Annie.
That's why they need to know
about Al now more than ever.
I mean, if this program is gonna survive,
we need the right man out front.
That might just be me.
This (STUTTERS) it isn't you, John.
Please
come to bed.
Until NASA
announces Al Shepard to the public
I can still change their minds.
This This could really work.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Annie.
Some reporter caught
him screwing some girl.
I mean, in Tijuana.
There were (SCOFFS) there were photos.
It was nearly in all the papers
and I'm the one that saved him.
I'm in the right here.
A Annie, come on, please.
Annie
(SNIFFLES)
(TELEPHONE RINGS)
- Hello?
- CAM: Dad?
GORDON: Hey, baby girl.
What time is it?
- Did I wake you up?
- No.
Your mom let you stay up this late?
I couldn't sleep.
GORDON: Well, I guess
that makes two of us.
Hey, is, uh, something the matter?
- I'm okay. How are you?
- (SCOFFS) How am I?
Are you, uh You sure nothing's wrong?
Sometimes I think something
might be wrong with me.
GORDON: What do you mean?
I don't know. I do dumb stuff.
Like what kind of dumb stuff?
Mom never told you about this,
but I ran my bike into
the neighbor lady's car
with my eyes closed.
She told me I had a screw loose.
If you do, baby girl,
it's not your fault.
You got a couple of nuts for parents.
Dad, when are you coming home?
Not for a while still, sweetie.
You don't sound so great.
(CHUCKLES)
Don't worry your little
head about me, okay?
I miss you.
I miss you too, Cammie.
CAM: I should go.
GORDON: Okay, sweetheart. I love you.
(RECEIVER CLICKS)
John?
John?
MALE VOICE: Nice.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Great, great.
Speed up a little bit for me.
Slow down, slow down. Need
to smooth out a little bit.
Bounce that down on the
Glenns a little bit more.
DIRECTOR: Smile, you two!
You're at the beach, you're having fun.
Nice.
Hey, Shepards!
Serving up a nice slice
of apple pie, right?
DIRECTOR: Great, nice.
Game's not over yet.
Al.
Come on in.
We need to do a little more work.
(SCOFFS)
They wanna send a chimpanzee into
space first, before your flight.
ALAN: A chimp?
What, are they gonna
send a chicken up next?
See how good he is at checkers?
It's gonna delay us.
How long?
A while.
How long?
(WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
REPORTER: Sorry, fellas. But, the
first American in space won't be
a Mercury Seven astronaut,
it'll be a chimpanzee named, Ham.
He will be launched into orbit by
the Redstone, the same rocket
that will be used for manned spaceflight.
He will be trained to hit these
levers in response to flashing lights
to test if primates can
perform tasks in zero gravity.
The outcome of Ham's voyage will
determine whether or not the President
will continue the NASA program.
Good luck to America's
first chimp in space.
MALE VOICE: Twenty seconds and counting.
T-minus 15 seconds.
Twelve, eleven, ten, nine,
eight, seven,
six, five, four, three,
two, one, lift off.
MALE VOICE: We have lift off.
CHRIS: Come on, little guy.
(ROCKET ENGINE REVVING)
- MALE VOICE 1 OVER PA: Velocity is go.
- MALE VOICE 2: Velocity is go.
Performance and trajectory are go.
MALE VOICE 1 OVER PA: Subject
respiration normal. Heart, normal.
Flight, we've exceeded
nominal pitch angle.
- Computers predict a 17-G load.
- CHRIS: Okay.
How is the subject?
The heart rate is elevated,
performance normal.
Flight, we're showing
onboard abort initiated.
Flight, I confirm early engine shutdown.
Capsule set confirmed. LES ignition.
Can't slow him down now, I'm
recalculating splashdown trajectory.
(MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER PA)
Okay, FIDO, give me an update.
GLYNN: Still calculating
updated splashdown, Flight.
And how's our subject?
Is it over?
For us or the chimp?
Is there a difference?
They recovered the capsule.
Little fella's doing just fine.
(LAUGHS)
WIESNER: The rocket was
overpowered, Mr. Webb,
causing the capsule to splash down
a hundred and thirty miles
off course. It ran out of fuel,
it lost pressure, guidance
malfunction, and then it nearly sank.
The chimp lived, he
was fine. Look at him.
- He's smiling.
- WIESNER: Chimpanzees do not smile,
they only bear their
teeth when threatened.
The mission objective was to
establish that a primate could perform
under the extreme conditions of flight,
by that standard, it
was a clear success.
Ham didn't miss a beat. We
recovered him in perfect health.
It's all right there
in your flight data.
As are a multitude of
engineering problems.
The capsule systems performed well
within the established parameters.
Dr. Wiesner personally
observed our emergency protocols
and can attest that any of our
men would've easily survived this.
So, we should sail a leaking ship
since the crew are good swimmers?
Are we a trying to win
a space race or not?
We are trying to avoid
a national catastrophe.
Maybe your professional ambition
has blinded you to the fact
that men's lives are at stake here.
Jerome, where I come from, you attack
a man's character, you better stand
Mr. Webb, I find this all
as troubling as you do,
and as an aerospace engineer
I hold myself personally responsible
for the Redstone's performance.
If the president's trusted
advisors have any doubts,
I propose that our team
make additional refinements.
- In which case
- Hold on Wernher, we are not
going to take rockets up every day
- This is not some pumpkin run
- if we can't hit a goddamn target.
Mr. Webb, the president sent you here
to decide the fate of this program,
so let me ask you this,
did the men who carved this
country from a wild frontier
shy away from personal risk
when they had to cross
the Missouri at high flood?
Did our Founding Fathers quibble
over semicolons before sending
the Declaration of
Independence to King George?
Sir, our intrepid spirit
at challenging times
is what makes the United States
not merely a great nation,
but the greatest of nations.
There is nothing
nothing more important to us
than the safety of our astronauts.
But this
sir, this is a fight to stir
the hearts of the entire world.
And if we are too timid to bring
our best efforts to fruition
then the truth is, we have already lost.
(SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(ALL CHEER)
LOUDON: So PSAC's
letting you move forward.
They asked for a show, we gave
them a show, fireworks and all.
We? I gave them the show.
Okay? So, you put that down.
- Got it.
- It turns out the only problem they had
was with you lot.
- What problem?
- Oh, you did not hear.
Something in the man's medical file
just came to light.
Yup.
They're changing the flight order.
- What?
- WERNHER: Mm-hmm.
Oh, my friend, look at, you
have nothing to worry about.
Now, that one?
Me? What?
(CHUCKLES) Up and away,
gentlemen. Up and away.
Which one was mine?
(GROANS)
What the hell was that?
What do you know about this
change to the flight order?
- What are you talking about?
- Are they sidelining me?
- I don't know what you heard, but
- It was you.
- You wrote something in my file?
- No. Why would you say that?
Von Braun said that there was
problem with someone's medical record
and you are the only one who knows.
Knows what, Al? What do I know about?
I don't know anything, because
you don't tell me anything.
You let me help you, you let me
think, "Hey, maybe we're friends."
And then you show up here
and you scream in my face?
And it's not just me,
you do this with everyone.
One minute, you're Smiling Al,
the next minute, you're this.
I mean, what's the matter with you?
Why don't you want people to like you?
I do want people to
like me, of course I do.
Why do you think I wanna
be the first man in space?
You do know something
don't you?
I can't tell you, okay?
Don't try to make me.
Be a man and go ask Kraft yourself.
JOHN: Annie! I'm home!
Well, hello.
(BOB CLEARS THROAT)
- Welcome home.
- Hi, thank you.
Bob, to what do we owe
this pleasant surprise?
John. Annie, would you
give us a few minutes?
Happy anniversary.
(SIGHS)
How many of these did you send?
I have six.
From folks who saw it fit
to bring to my attention.
How many more are there, John?
- I was only
- BOB: You do realize
the manned space program
is hanging by a thread.
(SCOFFS)
Bob, I want you to listen, all
right? I I saved this program.
If if I hadn't kept Shepard's
little incident out of the papers,
we would've been shuttered months ago.
(SCOFFS)
So this is the thanks I get, huh?
Being trotted around like an idiot,
having to pretend like
I still have a shot.
- You are way out of line.
- JOHN: Oh, I'm out of line?
I am? Me?
I mean
Bob, I am trying to help you.
I'm trying to keep you from
making a horrible mistake.
Al Shepard is unfit to serve.
John.
John.
Right now
you're the one who seems unfit.
(SCOFFS, CHUCKLES)
Listen to me. This ends here.
If Jerome Wiesner got wind of this,
the whole agency would
go ass over teakettle.
And who knows what would be left
after all the shit got cleared away.
- I
- Stop!
Happy anniversary.
(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)
(CLEARS THROAT)
MALE VOICE: I didn't
(EXHALES)
- (DOOR OPENS)
- You wanted to see me?
Deke, yeah.
Um, get the door for me.
(DEKE CLEARS THROAT)
Take a seat.
Have a drink.
Whoa, cowboy, it's not even 10:00 a.m.
Have a drink with me, Deke.
Okay.
You know
I think you're the best damn
pilot in this whole program.
If it was up to me, you'd be first.
But it wasn't up to you, I know that.
What's going on, Chris?
(SIGHS) Something's come up.
Something that's, um
- it's concerning.
- Chris.
It's your arrhythmia.
Wiesner's guys found it
when they were going through
everyone's medical records.
The arrhythmia, no, that's
that's not a problem.
The Air Force surgeons
cleared me for that years ago.
They, um
they think it's too risky.
Too risky for now?
Too risky, period.
They're grounding you, Deke.
That's it?
I threw away my commission
to join this program.
Jesus Christ.
I understand.
- And we're gonna find a place for you.
- Oh. A place?
We're gonna find something
for you to do here.
Chris.
Don't let them do this. I mean
you're my friend.
I just I bought I bought
a house. Marge got a Buick.
You can fix this.
You can tell them, you can tell Bob,
tell him tell him what you said,
that you would have sent me up first.
- That was before, Deke.
- Tell them what you think is best.
This
is best, Deke.
Aren't you gonna open it?
It's a gravy boat.
The lady at the shop
called it a, uh saucier.
- (THUNDER RUMBLING)
- (TELEPHONE RINGING)
Hello, this is Shorty.
What?
Wait.
(GROANS) Wait. Slow down, slow
down. We're all asleep down here.
Are you joking?
- What's going on?
- It's the Russians.
I'm sorry, guys. They
put a man in orbit.
Dammit.
(SIGHS)
All right, what do we do now?
I don't know.
- (RADIO STATIC)
- REPORTER: In a devastating blow
to the U.S. in their battle against
the Soviet Union to win the space race,
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force
pilot is the first man in space.
History has spoken and
Russia is the victor
in the opening battle of the space race.