For All Mankind (2019) s03e04 Episode Script

[ED] Our figures match yours, Helios.
There is no way those
other ships can overtake us.
I guess it's time to break
out that champagne!
Outstanding.
And I'm sure it's
especially sweet to you
that NASA will reach Mars dead last.
Roger that.
I think we got that Interstellar
Exploration Prize
sewn up for you, Dev.
It's not for me.
The day we win
I'm giving the entire Helios team
an equal slice of that prize money.
[CHEERING]
Jesus, that's gotta be like
Like 20,000 a person.
And we have beat the world's superpowers
at their own game!
[ALL CHEERING]
Look at that.
A lone ember in the night sky.
Compared to the sun,
infinitesimally small.
We built that fire
all of us, together.
And that fire
will take us all the way to Mars.
[CREW CHEERING]
All right!
- [DANNY WHISTLES]
- [CREW MEMBER] Whoo!
- [ED] All right.
- [COMMS SYSTEM BEEPS]
[DANIELLE] Phoenix, Sojourner 1.
Phoenix, Sojourner 1. Over.
Sojourner 1, this is Phoenix.
Welcome to deep space, Danielle.
I gotta hand it to you, Ed.
After we left lunar orbit,
we pressed the pedal to the metal.
But our nukes would've
sucked up too much prop
to get us to Mars ahead of you.
What can I say?
Innovation and out-of-the-box thinking
wins the day every time.
You're right about that.
[CHUCKLES] How's my daughter?
- I'm good.
- That's good to hear, kiddo.
I'm just sorry your old man
had to whup you so bad.
But, um, I did warn ya.
Being first isn't everything, Dad.
Well, you keep her safe, Danielle.
And And thanks for a great race.
You You pushed us to excel.
It was my pleasure, bud. Sojourner out.
Mr. Halladay.
Standing by, Captain.
Beat to quarters.
To quarters. All hands!
Clear the decks!
Batten down the hatches!
Cut the jib, you scalawags.
Ms. Baldwin, I believe
we're in need of a chantey.
Aye, Captain.
["YO HO (A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME)" PLAYS]
[SONG CONTINUES ON COMMS SYSTEM]
Uh, Skipper, I'm getting
an odd broadcast from Sojourner.
[VOLUME INCREASES]
[CHUCKLING]
[ALL CHUCKLING]
[SIGHS] They've totally lost it.
Stevens.
Monitor their vector telemetry
and patch in the NASA video feed.
- I want eyes on that ship.
- Copy.
[ED] Helios Control,
Sojourner's up to something.
Keep eyes on them.
Sounds like they're ready
to rock and roll. Are we?
Affirmative. Jolly Roger systems
show ready in all respects.
Then let's do this thing.
Sojourner 1, Houston.
How's the wind up there?
Steady nor'easter.
Then grab it.
Sojourner 1 is go
for Operation Jolly Roger.
[DANIELLE] Sojourner copies.
Go for Jolly Roger.
Mr. Halladay, hoist the mainsail.
Aye, Captain.
[BILL] Jesus, that solar
sail's gonna pick up
enough photon radiation pressure
to give Sojourner constant acceleration.
[STAMMERS] They're gonna
beat us by eight days.
What can we do to retake the lead?
I'm sorry, but the math says
it's just not possible.
So we dump mass.
What about pulsed burns?
There's There's broken plane
maneuvers or a comet flyby
Those are all incredibly dangerous.
Look, Dev, I know that getting
there first is important,
but getting there in one piece
is more important.
First is what matters, Karen.
It's the only thing that matters.
First is what changes things.
We dump their propellant
reserves if we have to.
Phoenix can just make more fuel
once they get to Mars.
No, even if we had enough propellant
to overtake Sojourner,
we wouldn't have enough
to slow down to enter Mars orbit.
Yeah, we're pushing a hotel out there.
It's too much mass, not enough
[DANIELLE] Phoenix, Sojourner 1.
Ed, I wish I could see
the look on your face
when you run the numbers and realize
we beat your ass to Mars.
Well played, Danielle.
[DANIELLE] I learned from
the best. Sojourner out.
NASA's surprise
unveiling of a solar sail
has upended the race to Mars
and will likely bring the American craft
to the Red Planet
a full week before its competitors.
Director of Roscosmos, Lenara Catiche,
has accused the United States
of playing dirty tricks,
but still insists that the Soviet Union
can and will win the race.
A lot of folks here at home
are cheering on NASA,
but there's also a vocal
and growing minority
calling out the space program
and President Wilson.
What's their gripe?
This so-called clean energy
of helium-3 nuclear fusion.
President Wilson hailed it
as a miracle fuel
that will save us from global warming.
But it is the blue-collar workers,
the coal miners, the oil workers
who are now bearing the price
for this progress.
Last month, the Wilson administration
introduced a new jobs bill
with great ballyhoo.
Wilson claimed it would equip
displaced fossil fuel workers
to compete in the new economy.
But I'm not buying it.
[ELLEN] All right, Mr. Speaker,
let's cut to the chase here.
What's this all about?
[SPEAKER] Well, Madam President,
unfortunately, the Congress
will not be able to support
your fiscal year budget proposal.
[ELLEN] You've gotta be kidding.
[SPEAKER] I wish I were.
You sat on that very couch last week
and agreed to these budget cuts.
I said I was open to exploring them.
No, you promised
that if we raised taxes,
you would support them.
So what changed?
My members have been getting
a lot of blowback
from their constituents.
Do you have any idea how much incoming
we're taking from Gingrich?
Dick, we have a historic opportunity
to strike a grand bargain
and balance the budget
and show the American people
that bipartisanship can work.
And I believe we can
strike that bargain,
if you're willing
to explore other avenues.
- Such as?
- NASA.
What about it? NASA's self-funding.
Oh, it's a good deal more than that.
Margo Madison has built an oligarchy
that generated
$75 billion in profits last year,
and she doesn't like to share.
If we could tap into that revenue
Absolutely not. That money
finances our Mars program,
which, if you haven't noticed,
is on track to make history.
Madam President,
the Mars race plays great on cable news
and at DC cocktail parties,
but there's a lot of people
out there in the heartland
wondering what Mars has to do with them.
Coal, oil and natural gas
industries are in free fall.
Oh, so now you care
about the oil industry, huh?
I care about all of America, Jim.
Whole towns in Texas and Appalachia
are closing down, wiped out by helium-3
and the other advances brought on
by the space program.
You've seen the protests.
These people are fed up.
I'm not tapping NASA.
I step foot on that slippery slope,
and Congress will drain
the agency of all its cash.
[SIGHS] That's a shame.
As I'm sure you're aware,
if we don't find a compromise
in the next two weeks,
you'll have to shut down the government.
If we do, the public will blame you.
I wouldn't be too sure
you can close that sale.
People look to their president
to solve these difficult problems.
And that's exactly what
I'm going to do, Dick,
with or without your help.
Well, I thank you for your time,
Madam President,
and look forward to
speaking with you again.
I'll see you out.
Fatuous bastard.
Who the hell does he think he is,
issuing an ultimatum like that?
[CHUCKLES]
Uh, could you all give us a minute?
Thank you.
Thanks.
How you doing?
You remember the first day
we stepped into this office?
[CHUCKLES] Of course.
Everything felt possible
like we could really change things.
[BREATHES DEEPLY, SIGHS]
Now it just feels like a job.
We are changing things.
It just takes time.
I mean, an American is about to be
the first one to set foot on Mars.
And you made that possible.
I wish I could've been there
when they unfurled that sail.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
Okay, so let's go.
- To JSC?
- Yeah.
You haven't been back
since the election.
You can congratulate everyone
on a on a job well done.
And I think it'd be good
for you too, you know.
Get back to your roots.
It does sound nice, actually.
Not to mention it'll be
a great photo op.
- Larry.
- What?
We could use all the positive
coverage we can get.
["POSSUM KINGDOM" PLAYING]
Yeah. [SIGHS]
I guess we could.
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[KELLY] Good morning, outer space.
You're listening to the first
and only pirate radio station
exclusively serving
the inner solar system.
If you're listening out there,
I'm your DJ, Kelly Baldwin.
Hope you're enjoying the tunes.
As the only humans
for about a million miles,
there's nothing like a little music
to bring us all together.
And as always, if you have any requests,
you can reach me on my private
radio frequency, 6.8 megahertz.
Now, why don't we go around the horn?
The temperature in Houston today
is 18 degrees Celsius.
At Shackleton Crater,
it's minus 157. Brrr.
Venus will hit a balmy 482
degrees by late afternoon.
And on Mars in Valles Marineris,
it's 21 Celsius with clear skies.
I like the sound of that.
["CAN I KICK IT?" PLAYING]
[SIGHS] It's, like, been Whac-A-Mole
all week long with this thing.
Relax. Could be worse.
We could have his job.
Latest from the waste recycler.
Drink it today, piss it tomorrow,
eat it the day after.
Jesus, Zizzo. There's some things
I'd I'd rather not think about.
[LAUGHS]
Caesar salad?
- Mmm.
- Good as you're gonna get up here.
[CHEWS] Zizzo, I owe you big.
Okay, Louisa, comm check on
channel one. How do you hear?
Loud and clear on one.
Roger loud and clear.
Going to channel two.
[LOUISA] Switching to channel two now.
[DANNY] Switching to Ka band.
How do you read?
[LOUISA] Five by five with Ka band.
[DANNY] Copy. [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]
[LOUISA] Loud and clear.
Good on delta as well.
[NEWSCASTER] The race to Mars
continues to capture the imagination
of people across the country.
And the space merchandise
industry is cashing in.
With interest in space travel
the highest it's been
wants to get in on the Mars race.
According to sources at the Pentagon,
the North Korean space program sent
their own unmanned
probe to the Red Planet
in the weeks prior to the launch
of Sojourner 1.
The North Korean program has struggled
to keep pace with other nations
and is still on the defensive
after debris from one
of their failed rockets
brought about the Polaris
[AD READER] part of
a complete breakfast.
[REPORTER] Welcome back to Morning USA.
And now to our continuing series
on the crew of Sojourner 1,
America's first manned mission to Mars.
Now, last week we took you
to the Scottish Highlands
to see Clarke Halladay's upbringing.
Today, we take a closer look
at another international member
of NASA's crew, Rolan Baranov,
the former cosmonaut
who famously defected
to the United States in 1983
during the Jamestown crisis.
Baranov, a former Soviet
military officer
with PhDs in geology
and structural engineering,
was a provocative choice,
as many in the Soviet Union
still consider him a
traitor to their nation.
They call at least three
times a day, Rolan.
I can't take it anymore.
Just ignore them.
You've been here for ten years.
I don't understand why they
continue to harass you about this.
[ROLAN] I'm sorry. Can we
talk about something else?
Okay.
So the sink is still leaking.
Which one?
The same one that always leaks.
Hey, Anne.
- Hi, Will.
- Hi, Will.
[WILL] What's up, little man?
Watch over Rolan, Will.
He needs supervision.
Say goodbye, Peter.
- [PETER] Bye, Daddy. Bye, Will.
- Goodbye.
[BREATHES SHAKILY] My family likes
you more than my family likes me.
Mmm. Well, I'm twice as smart
and extremely handsome, so
Yeah, true.
[DANIELLE] Feeling parched up here.
Can somebody grab me a juice pouch?
[CLARKE] Copy, Skipper.
I think we can remedy that.
- [ROLAN GRUNTS]
- I'll just borrow this.
Terrorist.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING OVER RADIO]
Thanks, man.
As requested.
Why, thank you, Sylvie.
Pull up a chair. Enjoy the view.
Looks a whole lot like it did yesterday.
And the day before that.
And the day before that.
- Just like an ant farm.
- What?
Nothing. Just a little inside joke.
Don't worry.
We are gonna have some
new scenery here soon enough.
Hmm.
[SIGHS] Man. I cannot wait
to set her down in Happy Valley.
Melas Chasma?
It's "Happy Valley" to me.
I remember the first time I saw it.
It was in a picture book
in the big kids' library.
And it just
[GRUNTS] made me happy.
- Hmm.
- [CHUCKLES]
Orbital mechanics don't lie.
- We're fucked.
- [CREW MEMBER] Mmm.
NASA had it all figured
before they even left lunar orbit.
If we had a photon torpedo,
we could blow 'em out of the sky.
- [GRUNTS]
- [INHALES SHARPLY]
"I say we nuke the entire
site from orbit.
- It's the only way to be sure".
- [SANDY LAUGHS]
[CHUCKLES] What is that, Wrath of Khan?
No, you idiot. It's from Aliens.
[IMITATING MACHINE]
Oh Oh, God. All right.
Here we go. [CHUCKLES]
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
Yes.
- [COUGHING, CHOKING]
- [SANDY] Oh, no.
Oh, man.
Oh, my food.
- [SCREECHES]
- [SANDY GROANING]
Do that bit from that film
Uh, what was it called?
Uh, Love in the Sky.
- Right. Wait, okay, okay. Um
- [LARS] Yeah.
"Hey, I haven't seen
that blonde here before.
Is she one of the new students?"
"I don't know. Beats me, Gordo.
I haven't seen her here either".
[CHUCKLES]
"How'd you like a flying
lesson, sweetheart?"
- [INHALES SHARPLY, SCATS]
- [SANDY CHUCKLES]
Hey, guys. What's going on?
N-Nothing. We're just shooting the shit.
Hey, Nick. You got a minute?
Uh, sure. Sure, Danny.
[CHUCKLES]
But you didn't do my favorite scene.
Go ahead. Do it.
Come on, Danny.
You know how I feel
about your parents. I
I just was trying to lighten the mood.
Here, I'll get you started.
"Hey, Trace, grab that roll of
duct tape and wrap it around me.
Tight, damn it!"
- Danny.
- Go on.
"Tight, damn it".
[SIGHS]
"What are you thinking, Gordo?"
"Thinking if I make a run
for that reactor,
it just might be able to save
everyone in Jamestown".
"That's crazy".
Keep going.
- Danny. Come on, please.
- Keep going.
- I'm sorry. Okay? I-I
- [ED] Nick.
Don't you have some reports to generate?
Uh, yes, sir.
Well, I didn't like that
movie much either, Dan.
But a lot of people loved it,
including some that
should've known better.
I mean I mean, Nick
was there for Chrissakes.
- That's no excuse.
- I know.
But I'm counting on you
to help me lead this crew.
And you do that by example.
W-We We talked about this.
You've got to learn how
to control your temper.
Believe me. [CHUCKLES] I mean,
I know how hard that can be.
We're stuck with these people
for a long-ass time,
and I'm counting on you
to help make it work.
Aye, aye, sir.
You still haven't taken me up
on that game of Spades.
Look, I got a deck with your name on it.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I just
Everything's been really hectic.
- Yeah.
- You know. [INHALES SHARPLY]
Uh, let's, uh Let's
do it for sure. Soon.
[PROTESTERS CHANTING]
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
[PROTESTORS CONTINUE CHANTING]
- [SIREN BLARES]
- Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
- [SIREN BLARES]
- [PROTESTERS CHANTING]
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
- [PROTESTORS APPLAUDING]
- [CHANTING CONTINUES]
If you could talk to President Wilson
right now,
what would you say to her?
You and all your friends at NASA
and Helios are getting
rich off helium-3.
But what about us?
My father worked the oil fields
and his father before him.
Now it's all gone.
- Fuck NASA!
- [CHANTING CONTINUES]
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
Hey, aren't you Jimmy Stevens?
Son of Tracy and Gordo Stevens?
Uh, I'm Jack Gould with
the Houston Sentinel.
What brings you to the protest today?
Fuck off.
Those fucking leeches.
They say they care about the truth,
but they really don't give a shit.
Got that right. They're
all in NASA's pocket.
Mm-hmm. I'm Sunny, by the way.
Hey, so, um, me and my friends
are just gonna hang out after this,
- grab some beers.
- Mm-hmm.
You wanna come?
Uh. Yeah.
Cool.
Save our jobs! Save
our jobs! Save our jobs!
[CHANTING CONTINUES]
[SIREN BLARES]
[SHUTTERS CLICKING]
[REPORTERS CHATTERING]
- Hello.
- Madam President, welcome back to NASA.
Thank you.
- I'll be your tour guide today.
- Great.
Thank you.
Feels good to be here.
Because it's home.
[ELLEN SIGHS]
Ladies and gentlemen,
the President of the United States.
Hello.
Thank you. Thank you.
Ah. It's so good to see you.
Jim. How's it going? Thank you.
Never changes.
We do the work.
The politicians grab the glory.
But she's one of us.
Not anymore, she isn't.
[ELLEN] Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Madam President.
Welcome back to Houston.
We've missed you.
Thank you, Margo.
It's good to be home. [SIGHS, CHUCKLES]
Two years ago, you were
asked to jettison
all of your meticulous
plans and timetables
and move up the launch of Sojourner
so we could beat
Helios to the Red Planet.
And many said that NASA
was too stuck in its ways,
too weighed down with bureaucracy
and red tape to meet such a challenge.
But you
you have shown the naysayers
what you are made of
and restored our faith that, when
united behind a common goal,
there is nothing the American
people cannot achieve.
That was pretty good.
And like Christopher Columbus's
expedition over 500 years ago,
Sojourner has plunged into the unknown
and is on the precipice of discoveries
that none of us can possibly anticipate,
discoveries that will transform
all of our lives.
And as a former astronaut
- Whoo!
- [ELLEN CHUCKLES]
And one who once worked in this room
I want to thank you all for
your service to your country.
Thank you.
- Fuck you very much, NASA.
- [ALL] Fuck you, NASA.
- [PROTESTOR 1] Fuck you, NASA.
- [CHUCKLES] Oh.
[LAUGHING, CHATTERING]
[LAUGHS]
Jimmy, do you know Charles?
Charles used to work at NASA.
He was an astronaut.
I was a moon Marine at Jamestown.
My mom was up there.
Yeah, I know. I was
up there with her in '83.
- Really?
- [CHARLES] Yeah.
She trained me on the LSAM.
Let me tell you, she was one tough SOB.
Yeah.
Um Uh Were you
up there when, uh
I was out on patrol at the claim site
when whatever happened went down.
What do you mean "whatever happened"?
Have you read the commission's report?
- Yeah.
- [CHARLES] Mmm.
Look, I'm not saying
something didn't happen.
But it ain't what they're saying,
that's for sure.
It was a cover-up, man. Pure and simple.
Vance Paulson was the best Marine,
the best astronaut, I ever met.
And you're gonna tell me he was
shot in the back by a Russian?
I don't think so.
I mean, you gotta look
at the whole thing.
Why was there even an issue
with the reactor?
I know it had a backup cooling system.
They're not telling us everything.
[SUNNY] I mean, think about it.
After all that goes down,
NASA and Russia divide up
the moon between them,
and then they "discover" helium-3.
I mean, it's the most valuable
resource in the last 500 years.
You think it's a coincidence?
["SIGHT OF YOU" PLAYING]
[SONG CONTINUES ON COMMS SYSTEM]
[CONSOLE BEEPING]
Kelly's request hotline,
what do you wanna hear?
[COSMONAUT, IN RUSSIAN] I have problem.
Who is this?
[STATIC ON RADIO]
[IN RUSSIAN] Who is this?
Mars-94?
I'm on Russian ship.
What? I'm having trouble hearing you.
[COSMONAUT] My crew, they are about
to do something very dangerous.
They are determined to win race to Mars.
What are they gonna do?
You can tell me.
[COSMONAUT] I listen to you. Radio.
Good Morning Outer Space.
When you talk, I think,
"You can be trusted".
Trusted. For what?
To help us. If we took
[COSMONAUTS SPEAK INDISTINCTLY]
- Hello? Hello?
- [COSMONAUT] I have to go. I have to go.
[IN RUSSIAN] Are you there?
It's basically boiled sheep's head.
The more you eat, the creepier it gets.
Empty eye sockets looking back at you
[DANNY] Do you one better.
Incubated duck egg,
all feathery and beaky so that
the bones have a nice crunch.
- [LOUISA] Mmm.
- Jesus. What is wrong with you people?
[CHUCKLES]
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
- What do we got?
- Telemetry from the Russians.
Their delta V just took a big jump.
They're changing their heading.
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
Flight.
Yeah, Russian telemetry is consistent
with a midcourse burn.
[ALEIDA] Starting when?
Factoring the transmission delay,
about five minutes ago.
What's going on?
The Russians have just fired up
their nuclear engines.
You think this could be some sort of
trajectory correction maneuver?
Too long for a TCM.
They're pushing it hard.
I think they're trying
to get back in the race.
[COMPUTER BEEPS]
And they just boosted their
TMI burn thruster by over 20%.
That's way too much.
It could overtemp their engine.
What are your people up to, Rolan?
They want to win, of course.
And they're not my people anymore.
Those crazy Russkies sure
got stones, don't they?
If they keep the burn up
for the next seven minutes,
they'll beat Sojourner
to Mars by three days.
Putting us dead last.
[CREW MEMBER] That can't be right.
Flight, something's going on.
The Soviet burn stopped too early.
I'm putting their current trajectory
up on the board.
Something's wrong.
If their engines could fire,
they'd still be burning.
This has to be a major malfunction.
Get me the Russian ambassador.
[LARRY] Good luck.
The Soviets will never admit
if they've had an engine failure.
I know.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
Mr. Ambassador.
[DANIELLE] All right, here's the latest.
The Russians have admitted
that their nuclear engines
are in meltdown.
[SIGHS] They pushed 'em too hard.
Goddamn it. So what's
the time frame for a rescue?
Seventy-two hours before the radiation
kills everybody on board their ship.
[ED] Jesus.
Okay.
We'll do it.
Ed, you don't have enough prop
to pick up the Russkies
and brake to enter Mars orbit.
I know. Neither will you.
This rescue is a one-way ticket home.
Think it through.
Rendezvous with the Russians
is gonna mean some sticky flying,
especially if their maneuvering
systems are all fouled up.
I hate to break it to you, kiddo,
but I was doing mid-air refueling
while you were learning how to read
Fun with Dick and Jane.
It doesn't matter how good you are.
That ship of yours flies
like a grand piano.
She's not wrong, sir. Okay?
Maybe it's better if
they just take this
If it was us breaking down
in the middle of outer fucking space,
we'd want the same consideration,
don't you think?
We can use our lander as a ferry.
And we got a hell of a lot more space
up here for their crew
than you do, so
I keep forgetting y'all got
a hotel and casino over there.
Yeah, you should see our pool.
At least you got plenty of
snacks for the ride home.
I hope the Russians like pasta.
[SIGHS] All right. You
take the ball this time, Ed.
Hey, at least you already
know I kicked your ass.
So nothing's lost there.
[CHUCKLES]
Anything you need.
[ED] Fair winds. Phoenix out.
[COMMS SYSTEM BEEPS]
[SIGHS]
All right, let's tap the brakes.
Meet up with those Russians.
I calculated the burn. We're good to go.
Danny, double-check his work
and feed it into the flight
control computer. Clear?
Louisa, I want you and Zizzo working
the consumables problem.
We need to figure out how to
accommodate five more souls.
[ED] I know how disappointing
this is for everyone.
But bringing those folks
home safe and sound
is more important than mission success.
Okay [SIGHS]
we'll be ready to go by the
time we get your response.
Phoenix out.
[DEV] All right. Let's talk about this.
So what do we think about
Ed's proposal to give up Mars?
Well, if a ship's in trouble,
you go rescue it, right?
That's been the law of the sea
since the dawn of time.
I think we should help too.
Anybody else?
I mean, if we wanna hear both
sides of it, now would be the time.
Heather, what do you think?
I mean, we're not the
only ship out there.
Why should this fall on us?
Y-You mean, why not NASA?
Because our ship can support the
extra crew far better than they can.
So we're supposed to give up on Mars
because NASA designed
a less capable ship?
[CONTROLLER] NASA's a government agency.
They're obligated
to step up for stuff like this.
And NASA's done joint missions
with the Russians before. But
Yes, and our crew has also
been trained by NASA,
so they're more than
capable of handling
Show of hands.
Those in favor of letting
NASA handle the rescue?
Oh.
Well, that settles it.
Tim, put in a call to Margo Madison.
Let me know when you have her.
Hey, if if they do this rescue,
NASA's not gonna have enough
fuel to make it to Mars.
Your point being?
[SCOFFS] Is that really
why you're doing this?
It was the group's decision.
Right.
We are united in our decision
to let NASA handle the rescue.
- [SCOFFS]
- [DEV] Press forward to Mars.
I'm sorry, Ed. I hope you understand.
Okay.
Nothing changes.
We continue with the rescue mission.
We're just going to ignore Dev?
Give me an updated state vector
for the Russian vessel.
You got a problem, Danny? Huh?
No, sir.
- Confirmed and entered.
- Very well.
Prop tanks pressurization
nominal. Board is green.
All hands, this is the commander.
Stand by for a course change burn.
Adarsh, set the master arm to "on".
[BEEPS]
Engine controls won't arm.
Manual override won't engage
either. No response at all.
Tank pressurization is dropping.
Feed valves just dropped off-line.
We're not going anywhere.
Check the communications uplink log.
[DANNY] Software update came in
with the last message from ground.
Software update.
[ADARSH] What is it?
Dev Ayesa just locked me
out of my own spacecraft.
No, I don't understand, Dev.
Your ship can handle this rescue
far more effectively than ours.
It
Oh, don't give me that. No.
You're jeopardizing lives
for your own selfish interests.
But what else is new?
He refuses to help.
Jesus.
Selfish bastard.
- You have to force him to do it.
- [LARRY] How?
Nationalize his company.
Use your emergency powers.
It's been done before.
You're suggesting we march
the National Guard over to Helios
and commandeer private
assets for public use?
[MARGO] Whatever it takes.
Sometimes you have to ignore
the politics and do the right thing.
[ELLEN] This is the right thing, Margo.
It's what NASA does best. Saves
lives, leads by example. Remember?
That's more important
than winning a race.
So it's on us.
No Mars. No parades.
No Interstellar Exploration Prize.
[KELLY] We're government employees.
We never would've seen
that prize money anyway.
But there might have been
a handsome plaque.
[CHUCKLES]
Hey. We earned the right
to be the first on Mars.
No one can take that away from us.
Now, I know this wasn't our mission,
but it is now.
Maybe the Russians will
give us a plaque.
[ALL CHUCKLE]
All right. Let's do it.
Sylvie, you and Will initiate
furling of the solar sail.
On it.
Clarke, calculate an intercept
burn, optimized for speed.
Copy that.
- Hop to it, people.
- [CREW] Aye, aye, Skipper.
Cosmonauts will not like
being rescued by a defector.
Hey, don't worry.
I got your back, Rolls.
[INHALES, SIGHS DEEPLY]
I didn't want it to go down like this.
If there's anything I can do
to support you, I will.
I'm sorry.
No need to apologize, Ed.
I work for the United States of America.
You work for an asshole.
[CHUCKLES]
Once the rescue has been performed,
it will be the first time since
the Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1983
that cosmonauts have been aboard
an American spacecraft.
But reaching the Soviets
comes at a cost.
Sojourner will no longer have
enough fuel to land on Mars.
The now-combined crews
will be forced to return home,
leaving Helios's Phoenix
as the sole viable Mars mission.
[DANIELLE] Mars-94, this is
Commander Danielle Poole of Sojourner.
We are commencing our final approach
for the rescue operation.
[COSMONAUT] Russian crew,
prepare to transfer upon my order
and only my order.
Seems like a pleasant guy.
Yeah.
Closure rate?
We're at .5 meters per second.
We may wanna bump that up,
get them out of that radiation
as soon as we can.
[DANIELLE] Negative.
We're gonna cut it back in half
for the final approach.
We have to be careful. These
ships weren't designed to dock,
and we've never done
anything like this before.
Roger that, Skipper.
Now, you better suit up.
Just got word from Houston
that the Russian engines might
use liquid hydrogen, just like us.
If we could get access to their fuel,
we could still make it to Mars.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
You just get some video
of their LH2 valves.
Maybe Houston can find a way to
get the gas from their ship to ours.
Happily.
[DANIELLE] We're now in position,
and I'm in contact with the Soviet crew.
They assure me their radiation exposure
has been minimal
and they're still mobile.
This transmission delay is killing us.
How long is it now?
Five minutes, 29 seconds each way.
That makes us virtually useless to them.
[SIGHS]
[CLARKE] First cosmonauts are hooked up
to the tether and heading across.
Stay frosty, everybody.
[COSMONAUT SPEAKING RUSSIAN]
along tether, but slow.
[DANIELLE] We read you, Commander.
Clarke, how's our separation
from Mars-94?
[CLARKE] The vector is holding steady.
[SYLVIE] I've got eyes on the LH2 valve.
Begin video transmission to Houston.
[KELLY] Roger, Syl.
Beginning downlink.
Picture looks good.
[CLARKE] First cosmonaut
in the air lock. Four to go.
Welcome aboard, Dimitri.
[IN RUSSIAN] Dog of a defector.
[CLARKE] Two down, three to go.
[SYLVIE] Taking video
of the aft propulsion section.
[KELLY] Continuing downlink to Houston.
Holy shit.
What do you see?
Engine four, tie-tube exit temperature
on the Russian ship.
If their nuclear engines are
anything like ours
That heat'll transfer
to the liquid hydrogen tank,
overpressure it
It could bust that system open
at the seams. [BREATHES HEAVILY]
That could take out both ships.
Sojourner, Houston.
Immediately terminate
all rescue operations
and maneuver away from the Russian ship.
FIDO, I need a burn that'll separate
those ships by 5 kilometers.
And I need it now.
[FIDO] Roger, Flight. On it.
They won't even get the warning
for another five minutes.
Fuck.
They're on their own.
[CLARKE] Four down, one to go.
[COSMONAUT] Rotation control
difficult. Major problems.
[BREATHES HEAVILY, SPEAKS RUSSIAN]
Commander, we're losing separation!
Shit.
Everybody clear the port side.
Do it now!
All hands, brace for collision.
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTING]
[DANIELLE] All hands, clear
to starboard. Clear! Clear! Clear!
[SCREAMS]