In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched
the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit.
Their achievement fueled a space race between the United States and the Soviets.
There has been some debate about what followed
but I was there, and this is the real story. Mostly.
Until two days ago,
that sound had never been heard on this earth.
America attempted to launch her satellite with disastrous results.
The Soviet Union has sent a man into space
and brought him back alive.
The Soviets made the most of the flight
in their worldwide propaganda. Naturally, there was jubilation in Russia.
Recognizing the head start obtained by the Soviets,
I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out,
of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade
and do the other things, not because they are easy,
but because they are hard.
Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept,
one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.
Command Pilot. One, two, three, four, five.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Flame!
We've got a fire in the cockpit.
Let's get out! We're burning up!
Astronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee have been killed.
Press officials say because of the tragedy,
the Apollo 1 flight has now been postponed indefinitely.
I-- It's-- It's a groovy trip,
but there are a lot more important things to do first in the United States.
Maybe when all that's taken care of we can afford to go to the moon.
We find ourselves rich in goods but ragged in spirit.
Reaching with magnificent precision for the moon
but falling into raucous discord on earth.
We are caught at war wanting peace.
We're torn by division wanting unity.
This giant Saturn rocket
and the rest of the equipment here began as part of a race
to beat the Russians with the national goal
of putting a man on the moon in this decade.
But their trip will cost more than anyone thought it would.
And their chances of landing on the moon in the 1960s are increasingly slim.
First week as manager, Stu. Doesn't sound like it's going great.
So either our meters are off or there's a breach in one of the tanks.
But there's no protocol for this. And we can't source the leak
- because it's liquid hyd-- - Liquid hydrogen.
It's colorless and odorless. Everybody out! Let's go!
Reed, Kyle, pencils down.
It could be burning, and we wouldn't know it. Find a door.
Come on! Run, run! No walking.
What's he doing? Is he cleaning?
No, no. It's an-- It's an old-school leak detection process.
It's a broom.
Stu, you're better than this. Come on. Straw plus liquid hydrogen equals...
All right, we're good! Don't worry about it. Come on.
We got work to do. Let's go.
The new protocol is the broom method.
We need a new broom.
I for sure thought he was dead.
Come on.
It's still broke from the last time you were in a mood.
Yeah, I can see that.
- Boeing called again. - Call Congress, Henry, not me.
I don't have their number.
Every day, every day, something is breaking around here.
Or blowing up. We're underfunded, under-- understaffed.
But yeah, we're still expected to beat the pants off the Russians.
You mind telling me how the hell we're supposed to do that?
Could start by being a little nicer to the vending machines.
There it is!
- What? - There's a cat.
- So what? - It's a black cat, Henry. It's bad luck.
Okay, it's gone.
- All right. Thank God. - Okay. Let's go.
- Call security. - I won't.
- I will not. It-- - Yes, you will.
The last thing that we need around here is a black cat.
They don't deal with things like this.
Yes, they do. They do now.
- You're overreacting. - No, you're not overreacting enough.
Call 'em right now. Right now.
How do I look?
You're glowing. Good luck.
Good afternoon, boys.
Wrong room, sweetheart. We don't need dictation.
I'm Kelly Jones. I'll be running the meeting today.
You must be Phil Hunley, Neil Brown and--
Zack Tanner. You don't mind if I sit down, do you?
All due respect, Mrs. Jones, we're a progressive company.
We employ 16 women in our steno pool.
We're selling sports cars to men. We're selling a 300 horsepower--
355, 428 cubic inch V-8 beast is what you're selling.
You want to focus on the car's speed. Something like this.
Look familiar? Chevy Camaro. Pontiac Firebird. And Oldsmobile.
All from last month.
Thankfully, you have something that your competition doesn't have.
The Mustang Fastback. "355 horses for him. Seat belts for the family."
The seat belts? We only put them in because they might be mandatory next year.
Let's play a game.
Now I'm gonna guess what kind of car each one of you gentlemen drive.
Zack, Ford Mustang '66 convertible. It's poppy red.
No Mustangs for you husbands though. A Lincoln Continental for Neil.
A station wagon for poor Phil. Phil. You know what the best part of my day is?
When my husband Charlie comes home at night.
I can't even imagine what it would be like if one night he-- he didn't.
Now imagine the conversation
if someone told your wife that this car,
its 355 horses and 105 top speed,
this car is what brings her husband home safe to her family every night.
Now she wants you to have it.
She says the words every married man dreams of hearing...
"I'd feel so much better
if you bought yourself that Mustang, sweetheart."
How did you guess what kind of cars they drive?
What, bribe their secretaries or something?
Kelly, seriously?
Two packs of Virginia Slims and a bottle of Paco Rabanne.
Everyone has their price.
I'm just lucky that my water didn't break in there. Oh, God.
Hi, Ron. How's the wife?
Now, the baby bump, dry-clean only.
Yes, I have that noted. Also, Omega confirmed for next week,
I finished the Baskin-Robbins artwork,
and that guy from Palmex asked for your address to send roses,
but I gave him mine because I know
- how you feel about roses. - You know how I feel about roses.
Also, John called. Again. He wants to take you to dinner Tuesday.
Tell him I moved to LA. And call Bruce from Dow Chemical.
I hear they're looking for a new agency for Ziploc.
People should be boycotting Dow. They make napalm.
People say they're boycotting, but they're still buying sandwich bags.
They also sell Saran Wrap and Styrofoam.
Think people are going to stop using Styrofoam? What's your coffee in?
Now, I know you and your friends want to save the world,
and by the time you're running this place in 1984,
there's gonna be no nukes and equal rights for all.
But until then, we've got a job to do.
Kelly! Kelly! Kelly. Kelly. We've got a big problem.
I just stormed off set, and, yes, it was justified.
I cannot work with these Hoover people.
Apparently, they have issues with the way that I am shooting their commercial.
They actually said that. "Their." It's my commercial.
They make vacuums. I make art.
- Sorry, did we have a meeting set? - No. No.
I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to set a time
to speak to one of my dearest friends.
The last time we spoke, you fired me. And I don't work for you.
You know what, Kelly, I didn't come in here to be berated.
I came in to be agreed with!
You have that Nestlé pitch in ten. Very important.
That is a lie. Goodbye.
Lance, getting you this directing gig was a Christmas miracle.
It took me three weeks to convince them that you were stable
- after your Jell-O shoot from hell. - Jell-O was not my fault.
- That actor wa-- - Was five. You made him cry.
Well, I did that child a favor. Hollywood is no cakewalk.
What about the Heinz commercial? You went 40,000 over budget. It was about ketchup.
It was not about ketchup. It was about the promise of ketchup.
No one sees what I'm doing for their products.
I am elevating them.
I should be in film by now.
I passed on directing Valley of the Dolls.
- That is on me, but still. - Now, what do we call you, right?
- The Kubrick of commercials. All right. - Oh, my God. Stanley is a hack.
He does one good movie, and suddenly he's a genius.
You are a legend, right? Creative genius.
You're also hotheaded, mercurial and can't stick to a budget for shit.
- Oh, thank you. - That wasn't a compliment.
- It is when you stop listening. - If you quit Hoover, you'll be unhirable.
Okay.
Lance, why don't you march your ass back to set,
and you apologize for whatever fit you threw, okay?
Buy your boyfriend something nice for Christmas for putting up with you.
Get something for me too, okay?
- Merry Christmas, Lance. - Merry Christmas.
Can you get me a decent job, please?
Apollo 8 launched successfully this morning.
A much needed win for NASA. In Vietnam, more men were lost today.
...and 15 million miles...
I'll have another round, please, and a look at the dinner menu.
- Yes, ma'am. - Thanks.
Two specials tonight. Chicken potpie and Oysters Rockefeller.
We'll do the chicken. She's allergic to oysters.
And I'll take a shot of Macallan, a lemon and a cutting board.
- Yes, sir. - I'm sorry. Do I know you?
Seat belts in a sports car. I mean, that's a great angle.
Unfortunately, they're about to kill the account.
Why would they do that?
Because someone told them that you don't really have a bun in the oven.
Phil. Let me explain.
That's the last time I trust a woman.
I actually sent you a baby gift.
Which was so sweet, by the way. Let me just--
Neil, let me explain. If you--
What is this? Who do you work for, Ogilvy?
You can't outsell me, so you got me fired?
Just the opposite. I wanna hire you.
Name's Moe Berkus. I work for the president's office.
Of what company?
The president.
We need a marketing specialist, and word has it you are the very best.
So I did a little digging, and--
You have quite a colorful past, Kelly.
Or should I call you Jane? Stewardess from Chicago.
Or perhaps you would prefer Amy, the nurse from Ohio.
Face like that, who's gonna check references?
Page you're looking for isn't in there.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Sure you don't. And I get it.
Hey, I have dozens of IDs, and my real name's not Moe.
With all the names you could've picked, you landed on Moe?
You have singular talent.
Why waste it selling cars when you can think bigger?
Well, Moe, what's bigger than Ford?
You ever been to Florida?
- They want you to sell the moon? - The moon. The Apollo mission.
The whole thing.
And this Moe guy works for NASA?
Yeah. I mean-- Well, no. Kind of. He works for the government.
Which part?
Kelly?
Does this guy-- Are we working for Richard Nixon?
Because, Kelly, I will not work for Richard Nixon.
I'm a card-carrying feminist. I actually have a card.
I can't even believe he's going to be president.
I had no idea I disagreed with this much of the country.
We are working for NASA to sell the moon. Nobody disagrees about the moon.
No. You and I both know
that everywhere around us every day something terrible is happening.
Everywhere.
Except in space.
- I hate that this is working on me. - They definitely need our help.
Did you know of NASA's first 29 missions, only 48% have been successful?
That can't be. That's crazy.
Did you know the ratio of men to women in Cocoa Beach is 5-to-1? Wow.
As long as you got us a quiet place that's not on Frat Row.
The-- The guidebook said it's quaint.
You're fired.
Who are all these people?
It is a Wednesday. It's like they're on a different planet.
They call it Florida.
Please tell me you booked a room away from the pool.
- ...sixteen and 21... - Weather!
...Clear to partly cloudy tomorrow.
A few isolated thundershowers during the afternoon and early evening.
A low tonight, 65 to 75.
Currently 77 in the Moonport cities.
That's KO twenty-twenty news, sports and weather.
WKKO--
- Hey, Joe. - Evening, Cole. What'll it be?
Coffee. Black.
And whatever takes the least amount of time to put in a bag, my friend.
Miss, you're on fire.
Very original.
No, I do not wanna stop, drop and roll with you.
No, your book is on fire.
God.
Okay.
- All right. All right. All right. - Oh, my God.
- I'm sorry. Thank you. I just-- - Just as a rule of thumb,
alcohol and flames, they-- they like each other.
Yeah. Oh, gosh. I ruined your jacket.
No, this thing's seen worse.
- Been through worse. - Let me buy a drink for your troubles.
- That's not necessary. - I insist.
I don't drink. It's okay.
Oh, really? An astronaut who doesn't drink. That's very intriguing.
What makes you think I'm an astronaut?
Because you have an Apollo pin, and only astronauts get those.
So you know a thing or two about NASA.
Yeah, well, I'm a recent fan. I'm Kelly Jones.
I'm no astronaut. I just work at Kennedy. Cole Davis.
Well, what do you do there?
Look, the last thing I want to do is make small talk about my job.
Sorry. That didn't sound--
- I didn't mean it for it to-- - That's okay. No. You were being honest.
Order up, Cole.
I wasn't being honest. If I was being honest,
I'd have told you you're the most beautiful woman
that I've seen in longer than I can remember,
and I have a very good memory.
All I really want to do is just buy you a drink and talk to you for hours,
but I can't so I'm trying really hard to just forget that you're here.
It was nice to meet you, Kelly.
I really am sorry.
Welcome to Rockets Road,
also known as Alligator Alley.
You'll wanna keep your arms and legs inside the cart
if you wanna keep your arms and legs.
No, that's just a little joke. They mostly attack in the water.
Now, today's tour will take approximately two and a half to three hours.
So let's get comfy-cozy.
Now on the right is our testing facility.
State-of-the-art.
- It's on fire. - It is often on fire.
Up ahead, we have the vehicle assembly building.
That's where they assemble the rockets.
That is the tallest single-story building in the world.
You can fit four Statue of Liberties inside that building.
Wow. Life Magazine really doesn't do it justice.
This is so gre-- I'd love to go inside.
- It's highly restricted. I'm sorry. - Come on, let's get a closer look.
Oh, no, no. No. There's no entry here.
You need a special access badge to enter.
Oh, like-- like this one?
Yeah. That's-- Oh, no, no, no, that's-- that's my badge.
- Hey-- - Look at this place. It's enormous!
- It seems like it's much bigger-- - They took my badge!
I mean, look at this building.
- Hello? That's my badge. - Hello, sir. Hi.
Kelly Jones from NASA Public Affairs.
Here's our all-access pass for both of us. Thank you.
- Thank you. - Wait, wait. My card.
Now, this I can sell.
Hello. Boys, boys!
Hi. Kelly Jones.
I'm from the new NASA Public Affairs team.
Can I ask you two a few questions?
Name, age, and what's your job here?
I'm Stu Bryce.
One of the head engineers, and I'm 24.
- We'll say 35. - Yeah.
And you?
I'm Don Harper. I work for him, and I'm 23.
You guys are babies.
The average age at NASA is 26.
But we do know some old people that work here as well.
- Yeah, like, 32, 33. - Yeah.
I'll try not to kill both of you for saying that.
So, tell us, Stu, what brings you to join this great American mission?
Well, I saw a flyer in my college dorm.
- "A childhood love of the stars." - That's good.
- That's very moving. - That's very good.
- And you? - Excuse me?
What are you doing here?
Well, I-- I tracked you down to give you my phone number,
'cause I felt we had a connection.
- What? - Relax. I'm joking.
I work here now. Moe Berkus brought me on to revamp NASA Public Affairs.
So you're the killer from Manhattan.
And you must be the launch director. This is my associate, Ruby Martin.
Yeah, I don't care. Look. This building is completely off-limits.
Everything in here can burn you, freeze you, fry you,
poison you and crush you.
- So let's go. Out. - How long have you worked here?
A substantial amount of time.
- What are you writing? - Your quote.
That's not a quote. It was just a thing that I said.
I'll punch it up. Do you have time today for an interview?
And also, I need to sit down with your senior officers.
- The photogenic types first. - I can help with the selection process.
Look, my guys are too weird for interviews,
and they're actually busy doing life-and-death work.
Well, you know, I don't need your permission.
The Americans are over their long and expensive honeymoon in space,
and I'm here to remind them why they fell in love in the first place.
Is that right? Well, Americans should be very grateful
that these men are putting their lives on the line for the mission.
Well, you don't know much about American people, do you?
You don't know very much about your office I'm about to show you, do you?
Is this a storage closet?
Nope. Storage closet has a window.
Okay, so, instant coffee is in the break room.
Just run the tap for a minute to flush out the rust.
Do either of you know how to work a fire extinguisher?
No? Mkay. PASS method's pretty simple.
Just pull the pin, aim, squeeze, sweep.
If you need anything else,
maybe just go back to New York and get it. Have a good day.
- Well, at least he's easy on the eyes. - He's hard on the ears though.
Not a great welcome wagon. I thought you said they wanted our help.
Oh, no. I said they needed our help. And I do believe that now more than ever.
How are we supposed to do that if we can't talk to anyone
or look at anything?
It's a cat. It's a cat.
- It's a cat! - It's a cat.
You know what they say about black cats?
If they cross your path, they're probably going someplace else.
Okay, time to dig out the old Rolodex.
Let's get creative.
Apollo 11 will land our men on the moon,
and that makes us first.
If we do our jobs, we will launch right from there,
July 16, bright and early.
Between now and then,
we will piece together the biggest jigsaw puzzle
in the history of mankind.
Six million parts spread out around the country,
and we will assemble, test, and retest every single one
until we are certain that Apollo 11 will take off
without a hitch and head to the moon in--
Henry, sing it.
Seven months.
Please help me congratulate the astronauts of Apollo 11.
Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins.
Hey, hey! How'd you like the White House, boys?
Yeah, it was all right, except Neil wouldn't let me steal the china.
All right. Because in eight months, when this is all over,
and they need new history books to cover what we've accomplished here,
each and every single one of you will be able to say that
"I did the hardest thing that has ever been done." Yeah?
Yeah!
- Let's do it. - Let's get to it!
- Beautiful. Perfect. - Thank you.
- Yeah. - Sir,
you said to tell you when the new lady did anything you wouldn't like.
I'm here at the Kennedy Space Center
with Deputy Launch Director, Henry Smalls.
What's going on? That's my name. He's got my name and my job!
It's been a great time for all of us. You know, for me, this is very personal.
My father was an airman...
Who is that?
- It's not me. - ...he died in the line of duty
- when I was a child... - I'm not that handsome.
...so this is for you, Dad.
- That's it. - So sorry to hear that.
- Thanks for sharing. That must've been... - My dad's still alive.
Right. What is it that we can do to sort of make 6:00 p.m.? Yeah.
NASA Public Affairs, this is Kelly Jones.
Kelly, ABC wants next week's press reel.
They also want the best photo we have from the Apollo 8.
Tell them they can have it if they give us their 6:00 p.m. time slot.
- Got it. - If you air an animated segment,
- I can offer you an exclusive-- - Thank you so much.
Your father was a hero. You are a hero. We so appreciate you working at...
- That was the head of NBC News. - Yeah, I don't care. Who is that?
Thank you. See you on the moon.
To the world, that's Henry Smalls.
That's not Henry Smalls.
No, but you told me that your guys don't do interviews,
so I had to hire new guys.
You have two of the best engineers on the planet installing a window.
Phil, if you hammer one more time, I swear to God I'm gonna lose my mind.
Put down the hammer, take your stupid belts off
and get back to testing.
On the move. Here we go.
Can you believe that view?
- We got the first photos from Apollo 8. - It's better than mine.
The first shot of the earth from the moon.
Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?
- How'd you get this before me? - They're calling it "Earthrise."
It's going to be at the top of every news segment tonight.
I mean, '68 has been such a terrible year.
Assassinations, this heinous war, we've seen the worst of humanity.
Now NASA gives us this? A whole new way to see the world.
And I'm gonna make sure everybody sees it.
You can't just fake people!
Hey, I'm here for the casting.
- Who's he? - You. You're a juicy part.
So, here's the scenes and the character bio.
This is the man that you're playing, so you wanna up the charisma a bit.
- Can do. I'll up the-- - Okay? Okay.
- Sixty missions in Korea? - Yeah.
- It's an honor. - I flew 52 missions in Korea.
I rounded up.
"I flew 52 missions in Korea." How was that?
- What? - I'll work on it.
She has a fake me now.
- She got a fake me. - She got a fake me and a fake you.
- You can't fake me and you. - There's nothing here.
There's no Moe Berkus. I checked every spelling.
I have a Moe Berkus on the line.
- Do you want me to talk? - Oh, no, no. I'm gonna enjoy this.
This is gonna be the fastest firing in NASA's history.
- Hey, Moe. - Cole, I hear you're looking for me.
I am. Kelly Jones hired actors to play NASA engineers.
It is unacceptable. I want her desk cleared today.
Calm, calm, calm down, okay?
Washington watches TV. Apollo is now on TV.
Every channel, every day.
So, you want to get to the moon?
I suggest, focus on your job.
Let Kelly do hers.
If she's made you the belle of the ball,
why don't you just slip on your tutu and do some dancing?
She fired?
Are we fired?
Apollo 8, carrying astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders
was launched into space by a Saturn V.
Every single network is airing the Earthrise shot.
I mean, it's-- it's gonna be everywhere.
You know, I tried a little something on it,
- but I just don't think it's working yet. - It's not enough. We need a hook,
a way to weave the moon landing into people's everyday lives
without them realizing it.
Hi. Do you have anything close to a salad?
Pickles come on a burger.
It's gonna be a minute, though. Apollo news has business picking up.
All the tourists love to come in and see little pieces of history.
- Pieces of history? - Yeah, like-- like that pen.
John Glenn ate here every night in '61.
He would work on his flight manuals, and he'd use one of our pens.
That one ended up on Mercury 6.
You're at the only restaurant in the world whose name's been in space.
That's cool.
And right up ahead,
it's the famous Mercury rockets.
Be sure to get a picture here, but don't stand too close.
They might go off.
He recovered after that weekend.
Does it bother you that a room dies every time you walk into it?
You're supposed to stay on your side.
I missed you.
I'd like you to approve our new ad campaigns.
Why don't you just sidestep me like you did last time?
I wanna apologize for blindsiding you with the interviews.
I have a fix for our money problems.
Well, your apology is rejected, and so is whatever this is.
- Omega. - Look, this isn't Madison Avenue.
- We don't pay for this stuff. - No, it's cost-free.
The brands get a tie-in money can't buy,
and NASA works its way into the minds of everyday people.
A watch ad? That's your big idea?
Ready?
Toothpaste.
Tang. "The energy breakfast drink chosen for Apollo astronauts
- on their trip to the moon." - Moon coupons?
But, my personal favorite,
Fruit of the Loom. Right?
The guys gotta wear something under those big suits, don't they?
Nothing says NASA like Fruit of the Loom.
Look, I am not turning this ship into a flying billboard
no matter how much you want it to happen.
And by the way, we don't have time to test all this before liftoff.
We don't have to send any of this up into space as long as we say it went.
So you're gonna lie?
It's called selling. We're not lying to the customer.
- We're changing the way they think. - No, it's called lying.
Everyone is just a customer to you, huh?
Look, I know that you're a big old fancy ad shark and everything,
but NASA's not something that you sell with a jingle and a slogan.
You do not know who we are.
Yeah, okay. Who's Margaret Hamilton?
- Who? - She works here for you.
There are 400,000 people that are affiliated
- with this space program, Ms. Jones. - She's one of your engineers.
- Who's JoAnn Morgan? - She works in the firing room.
Did you ever ask her why she took this job in the first place? I have.
She says it's because she has rocket fuel in her blood.
And NASA's not just a logo, it's people.
People who wake up every morning
and commit to accomplishing the impossible.
And all while wearing the same underwear as the rest of us.
Ella, can I help you with anything at all?
Thank you.
So I ran the projections, and this is what you stand to make
if you accept key sponsorships.
We can't take private money.
It doesn't matter, okay?
I'm about to make NASA so popular
that Congress will finally turn the taps back on around here.
And all I have to do is just let Armstrong put on an Omega watch?
No. If we get the money flowing,
then you've gotta prove to me
that Cocoa Beach has a decent place to get dinner.
- Deal. I-- - Yes! Deal! Yes!
No, wait. I'm drawing the line at toilet paper though,
because the world does not get to know what our guys wipe their ass with.
Well, shit.
Would you like to go for a vacation when you come back to earth?
The situation being what it is now,
the place I would most like to go--
Lose the table next time, Walter.
Neil looks like he's giving GE's quarterly profit report.
That's always been our table--
TV brings them in to people's living rooms.
They should look like they belong there.
It'd mean that we succeeded.
You're still in charge, Walter. Don't you worry.
When I'm done helping though,
those men are gonna be bigger than The Beatles.
I'm getting to go 99.9% of the way there, and that suits me just fine.
- What's the name of that VP at Kellogg's? - I believe it's Harrison Driscoll.
All right, Harrison.
So instead of "Snap, Crackle, Pop," "Neil, Buzz and Mike." It's cute, right?
Cole!
- Make sure that doesn't rust, Henry. - Can you mark these?
- Hey, hey. - Did you see that?
You didn't see the cat?
Go closer on the Tang bottle.
Make the font bigger and put bacon with the eggs.
Let's not forget, we're selling America, here.
"Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Peanut butter that's out-of-this-world smooth."
"Hasselblad. See the world the way they do."
Larry, this is Omega's big chance.
On the back of every Speedmaster till the end of time,
"The first watch worn on the moon." Right?
Now we just gotta stand her up.
It's all gonna be worth it.
- Hey. Hey! You're in my spot. - We're setting up a shot for Kelly.
We've got three astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission.
There they are in front of three beautiful American cars.
Oh, this is great.
You gotta be in the test facility right now.
Talk to Kelly.
Kelly said we could take a Corvette home for a dollar.
- There you are. - A dollar?
I'm gonna need them for 15 minutes, but that's all.
I needed them 15 minutes ago, Kelly.
You know how expensive those suits are?
Don't worry. It's just the launch director.
This strange looking bird, the LEM, Mr. Kelly. How does it work?
Well, this is a spacecraft that's used
to take men down to the lunar surface.
And two of the three astronauts in the LEM...
Flight, we missed target and are drifting into the vast abyss.
- And we're dead. Again. - Yeah.
Ran out of fuel 30 seconds before touchdown.
Yeah, but the landing, though,
- it was smooth-- It was good. - Great pitch. Forward.
You're both bad liars.
Neil, Mike, Buzz, if I can get one more photo for Ms. Jones and Omega?
Who are you, man?
All right, watches up, boys.
And smile for Omega.
- Davis. - Am I interrupting?
- Always. - There should be a box in front of you.
Why don't you open it?
Omega thanks you for your service.
Your boys are all over TV,
the taps are flowing again. So... dinner?
Yeah. Canaveral Pier. Five o'clock.
Wear your watch.
3:00 p.m. is their best and final time slot to air the interview.
For an exclusive with Armstrong? 3:00 p.m. is for children and deadbeats.
They said they have breaking news from the war.
Unknown size enemy force.
Enemy casualties are unknown,
but you've seen how it really was.
So much for keeping Apollo back in the news cycle.
Heroism, danger, fear, all rolled into one.
Words don't describe it.
Richard Threlkeld, CBS News. Near the Cambodian border.
Thank you, Captain Scotty. Appreciate you.
Okay.
Well, you spare no expense on a lady.
Just try it.
Shrimp, mayo, bun.
And that happens to be the best meal in a hundred miles.
Told you.
How'd I not know about this place?
Not everybody likes to advertise.
Nice one. That's good.
That's where the rocket will launch out of. Right there.
That watch looks great on you. You wear it very well.
Thanks.
That night at the bar, what I said to you--
That you couldn't take your eyes off me,
and I was the most beautiful woman that you'd ever seen?
Yeah, that part. That-- Yes.
It was impulsive.
It was meant for a stranger, and we're working together now.
So, I just don't want you to think that I was--
Interested?
I just wanted to clear the air.
Well, the air was clear.
Good.
I had a thought.
Yeah. It was perfect for 30 seconds.
What are the networks covering night and day?
You think I have time to watch TV?
Vietnam. They're broadcasting straight from the action.
And people don't want to just hear the news anymore.
They wanna see it in the making.
Okay.
Why not let 'em?
You want to put a live television camera on the LEM?
Yes.
My guys are trying to survive up there.
They don't have time to figure out how to film a movie.
We'll figure it out for 'em. All they have to do is point and shoot.
You don't get it. It's a logistical nightmare.
There's power issues, storage, weight.
There's not even a camera that would work up there
'cause it's negative 200 degrees at night and over 250 degrees during the daytime.
Can you imagine seeing it?
No. I just said it's impossible.
Yes. That's the point.
It would be the greatest televised event ever.
Do you think this is a game show?
There is a very good reason
why the Soviets aren't broadcasting their space walks.
Because they're a tight-lipped dictatorship.
- Yeah, that's not us. - Wow.
When we succeed, we do it as a nation.
- And when we fail, we grieve as a nation. - Right.
That's what it means to be American.
Stop telling me what it means to be an American.
There's only one of us here that has served their country their entire life.
I'm sorry. We're not putting the camera on the LEM.
I mean it. We're not.
We are.
There's no way he can do it without more fuel.
- Have him run it again. - Yeah.
Okay. I'm on a tight schedule. What is it?
Kelly briefed me on the camera idea, and we like it.
We like it a lot.
She misspoke. We can't do it.
There is no such technology that even exists.
Actually it does. You know?
The Department of Defense designed this
to find downed fighter pilots in Vietnam at night.
Now, it's classified but the DOD is going to let you use it
as long as nobody knows what it is.
There's absolutely no space for equipment that heavy.
We are weighing screws for God's sake.
What-- I mean, what is this, 15 pounds?
Okay. So, just, like, lighter screws.
We're trying for another fuel cell.
So our men, when they get to the moon, they still have enough fuel to lift off.
Out of all her bad ideas, this one is the worst.
Actually, the president loves it.
So, now it's a great idea.
So, let me put it to you simply, Cole.
Find a way to put this on that.
This is an order. From the tippy top.
Don, Stu. Can you come in here, please?
Thank you. Let's not make everything so hard.
Please help Miss Jones strip this top secret camera down.
I don't want 'em to know it's top secret.
Well, now they do.
Please strip this top secret camera.
Mount it onto the LEM for live broadcasting.
Cole. One last thing.
Last week, a CIA spy plane took some surveillance photographs
of the new Russian N1 rocket.
And Congress saw it,
and some of the members are having cold feet
about the final round of funding.
We're months away from winning this thing.
I'm gonna send them down here,
and you're gonna convince them to sit tight.
No. I'm-- I'm gonna write up some talking points.
Don't take it personally.
Pilots fight gravity. It's part of their nature.
Henry?
Well, I'm-- I'm glad you're not Cole.
Yeah.
He don't like me smoking.
What, are you worried he's gonna ground you?
No. I... I had emergency bypass surgery last year.
Yeah. That son of a bitch. He's hell-bent on keeping me alive.
I'm sorry. I didn't know.
Yeah. Nobody here does.
Just Cole.
Yeah. He came to the hospital and held my wife's hand for three days.
Yeah. It's a long way from the day we met.
Kid had just got back from Korea.
The top pilot in the Air Force.
Silver Star. Flying Cross.
He was first in line at Edwards when they were looking for astronauts.
But he ended up not making the cut.
So, what got him? It was his temper.
No, no. His heart.
Doc found an A-fib.
A little thing but enough to keep him out of the program.
Cole Davis is the best pilot who will never get to space.
You know, I've been looking at this view every day for the last 15 years.
But lately, it's like I'm seeing it for the first time.
Apollo 1 cast a big shadow on this place.
It's nice to have some light back.
Okay.
Hey, I keep seeing Cole drive out there every night.
What's he doing?
Gardening.
- You ready? - Yeah.
All right. Look, we just-- We give the senator a tour.
We play nice for 30 minutes. We keep the lights on.
Okay. Fine.
- What? - She's just there.
- Don't run. - No, no.
- Just don't run. Don't-- - Wait. Shut up.
No. See, you scared it.
I just ate.
Henry, come on! Come on!
I hate that cat.
I see what you mean.
- That's an asshole cat. - Did you see the look it gave me?
It's just taunting me now.
- What is that? - That's cat food.
- Somebody's feeding that thing. - Who's doing that?
Find them. Find them immediately, and fire them immediately.
Mr. Davis. Sir, Senator Hopp is here.
All right. What? You look fine.
Senator.
- Hello, Mr. Davis. - Senator. What an honor.
- It's an honor and a pleasure. - Very nice to see you.
Well, the Apollo 11 capsule has arrived,
and next week, we will be attaching it to the Saturn V rocket.
And that gets us off the ground and out of earth's atmosphere.
Well, that's all very impressive, but I have to be up-front.
Georgia had some devastating floods this year.
And I'm voting to put this money toward our relief fund.
That seems a little selfish, don't you think?
- Excuse me? - That's a figure of speech.
- Here's what he means. - My voters mostly think
we are overspending on the moon.
That's funny, because--
Excuse me. Senator Hopp.
You probably don't remember me,
but you spoke at my sophomore year of college.
Georgia Tech. '55.
You're a Buzz?
- Yes, sir. - Of course I remember.
Your words inspired me that day.
You said, "Commitment means staying loyal to a cause."
Two years later, I graduated with honors. Now I run this department.
You know, in '62 you said that you would fight
for Kennedy's dream no matter what.
I know that the moon mission was more popular back then,
but it would be just a shame
if the man whose words inspired me to work at NASA
didn't live by those very same words.
- It would be a shame, wouldn't it? - Sir, you are just such a wonderful man.
Thank you so much.
You are a wonderful man.
Isn't she just a wonderful Georgia peach here?
- Oh, my. - Yes.
- You are so sweet. - Yes, I am.
Let me take you on the special VIP tour they didn't tell you about.
- I'd love that. - Wonderful.
Do you go on this tour with me?
I absolutely will.
That's so sweet.
She teared up. I mean, it's scary.
Wave and smile.
Bye-bye!
The space program is not only a bloated mess,
but Apollo flies in the face of our creator
and the true father of this country. I would remind you that we don't--
We landed Hopp. We need two more votes. Looks like it's not gonna be Vanning.
- Definitely not Vanning. - Next, we have Senator Cook.
Cook's a little scary. I'm not gonna lie.
He's a Cold War conservative.
He's worried that our budget takes away from weapons development at the DOD.
Now, Senator, with the N1 rocket,
the Russians still could land on the moon before us.
What we're about to show you is our most recent intel
on what they plan to build if they do.
- And these are photos? - No, sir.
Those are, renderings of a possible future.
Future photos?
Is that a laser?
It's going towards earth, sir.
- What are they calling it? - "Killer Lunar Laser Eliminator," sir.
- "Killer Lunar Laser Eliminator"? - Yes, sir.
Damn it. That's good.
And, finally, we have Senator Hedges.
Now, he's always been a fan of Apollo,
but he's getting pressure from his state party not to fund.
He can't take in oxygen without a camera pointed at him,
and we're about to have a few of those around here.
Any questions?
No, ma'am.
Well, let's get him then.
Hello, everyone!
Gentlemen.
It's-- It's-- It's great to be back, everyone.
You know how much I love the Apollo program.
Senator. Apollo 10 will just be orbiting the moon.
But it's gonna get us information critical for the touchdown of 11.
- Like landing conditions and location. - Amazing.
And we've a special seat for you here, Senator, amongst your fans.
For me? Thank you.
Apollo launch control,
and we are go on the countdown
for the Apollo 10 lunar mission at this time.
We have ignition sequence start.
Five, four, three, two...
All engines running.
Liftoff. We have liftoff.
Forty-nine minutes past the hour.
Tower clear. Tower clear.
Houston, she's all yours.
Glorious launch. Can't wait to be right back here for Apollo 11.
We cannot thank you enough for your support, Senator.
It's gonna cost you more than a pair of binoculars.
I owe a favor to the news fellas back home.
I'd like you to give them an on-camera interview.
Senator, I'm the very last person that you want in front of a camera.
I-- I don't do interviews.
Except for you, Senator Hedges. We would be delighted.
Smart lady.
- Good night. - Good night.
Kelly?
It's okay.
Got it all under control.
- Hey. - Hey.
You're entitled to a night off too, you know.
If I am, it's to sleep.
You actually have a house?
I thought you slept at the office.
Well, yeah. Usually. But... Well, I mean, sometimes I sleep with Jenny.
Oh, yeah. Right. I'm sure she's great.
Jenny? Yeah. She-- She is.
You wanna meet her?
- Yeah. - Yeah. She'll love you. Come on.
Jenny.
Jenny, this is Kelly.
Kelly, meet Jenny.
She's just like the one I flew in the war.
Keep her here so I can get my flight hours on the weekends. Saves time.
She's quite a lady.
Yeah. She is.
- Wanna go up? - No.
- You sure? - Yeah.
Okay. Come on.
Show you the second-best view.
- You see those dark parts there? - Yeah.
We call them the seas.
The gravity is stronger in the seas, so...
We've looked to land in, pretty much every single one of them.
You got the Sea of Serenity.
Sea of Crises. We crossed that one off the list pretty quick.
Yeah. That's bad PR.
And then we finally settled on, the Sea of Tranquility.
That's the sweet spot.
You know, come to think about it, I-- I know a lot more about the moon
than I know about you by a long shot.
I don't even know where you're from.
Kansas.
Kelly from Kansas.
How'd you get into advertising, Kelly from Kansas?
Well, I was four when my dad left, and my mom lost the house.
We lived in a car.
And a church gave her a job selling cookie tins.
So, she had this idea that we'd sell more if it was me going door-to-door.
Oh, yeah. Smart lady.
Cookie tins, then it was vacuums, then beauty goods when I got older.
Yeah. Traveling the country, me and my mom.
It's how we got back on our feet.
Well, I'm sorry you went through that.
Well, don't be. I...
Yeah. I learned early on how to survive.
Plus, we all have our share of tough breaks.
Henry told me about the A-fib and you getting kicked out of the program.
I'm gonna have to have a little conversation with Henry.
You know, I don't totally agree with you though.
- How's that? - Well, I just don't--
I don't think that our sad stories are supposed to
teach us how to survive the world.
I think they're supposed to make us wanna change it.
Cole!
Buzz is trying to hot-wire your Camaro!
Come on, man.
Well...
You better go stop him.
Yeah.
Jesus!
We need to talk.
You have done outstanding work, Kel.
Public interest is way up.
You landed the senators and secured the launch.
And that's why you broke into my motel room?
As a thank you?
Now that we know the whole world will be watching,
we can't afford to lose.
We need to be prepared to present an alternate version
of the moon landing.
An alternate version?
The... Artemis version.
She was the twin sister of Apollo, you know, the backup.
So we just need to be ready to shoot a little picture.
Something showing us, you know, up there walking around,
waving at the camera.
- You mean, to fake it? - All goes well, we never use it.
But if not...
You know why I never went to prison?
Probably, but humor me.
'Cause I quit while I'm ahead.
Can't keep a secret this big. Thousands of people work here.
Well, thousands of people work at a classified location in the desert
that experiments on a fleet of extraterrestrial pods
that we found at the bottom of the ocean.
And you never heard about that, did ya?
Come on, that's not true.
Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
But the one thing you can be sure of
is that the world will watch Americans plant an American flag on the moon.
And you are telling me that President Nixon supports this?
He probably would. He doesn't know about it
in the same way that Cole Davis will never know about it.
And that shouldn't be a problem
considering what else you haven't shared with him
while you've grown closer.
I mean, what would a clean-cut guy like that think about--
You made your point.
No one can outrun their past.
But I can make it go away. Forever.
No more running.
I'm gonna need my assistant.
Of course.
And we'll get you a team of secure agents.
Now, who's the best director you've got that no one's ever heard of?
You're gonna love him.
This is the most remote hangar on the base.
No one can go in or out without my permission.
Wait, no one? Not even Cole?
Especially not Cole.
Unbelievable, Kelly.
You have me forced onto a plane,
and brought to godforsaken Florida!
Do you mind?
I'm a member of the DGA.
I will not be treated this way.
- I am calling my agent. - You can't.
Watch me.
Remember we talked about this. This is a high-security government job.
- I'm doubling your quote. - Okay.
With a bonus.
Yes. The only caveat being that no one can ever know what we're doing.
- I cannot accept that. - They will shoot you.
What is my budget?
Your budget is whatever it costs to turn this into the moon
for two-and-a-half hours.
It's shorter than Ben-Hur.
I will need a fridge full of Tab over there.
And an army of minions who don't ask questions.
Kelly, these aren't real actors.
Well, this is the best you're gonna get.
Neil's 5'11". Anybody 5'11"?
Okay. The rest of you are dismissed.
- Take your pick. - Hold on. You.
You're gonna be my personal assistant.
I'll just call you Joseph so you can't take things personally.
Go stand somewhere.
All right. Can we take these sunglasses off, please,
so I can see your eyes and believe your truth?
Now, I want each of you to do a monologue.
Preferably something classical, and by God,
don't make me watch seven Hamlets.
You're not gonna see their faces. They're wearing helmets.
Wh--
All right, how do I convey
the gripping fear of being on the moon for the first time
if we can't show a human face?
Acting is a sport, Kelly.
- It is energy, body, bu-- - Where do I set up?
Edvard?
- How did you get in here? - I just walked through the door.
What part of "talking about this is gonna get us killed" do you not understand?
- And he's the slowest DP in New York. - I pick the cinematographer.
- It's in my contract. - What? You don't have a contract.
He's the best, and all DPs are slow.
What we need to have a serious conversation about, Kelly,
is production design.
What materials are we using to recreate the lunar surface?
It's just a big rock, right?
I can't work like this, Kelly.
You know this about me.
I need details.
We need details. Specifics.
Is it dusty, rocky, windy? What is the light source?
- It's the sun. Big light. - Do not smart-mouth me, Edvard.
And what is the sun's position in relation to the landing area?
And are we building a replica? Do we have a plan?
Do we have suits, and how do people move in those suits?
And what, Kelly, does space even look like?
You know, I gotta-- I gotta lie down.
Where is my trailer?
We need to find a way to copy everything in that simulation room.
- Okay. - ASAP.
Wait a second. Do I even have a trailer?
Your silence tells me what I already know.
You haven't thought about how to recreate the moon,
- why would you think about a trailer? - I think we should've gotten Kubrick.
We've got to get this new ship right.
I mean, Armstrong, he was pissed off
- and we can't have that again. - Sorry.
Buddy, buddy.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. This is sensitive material.
- Henry. Henry. - You can't be here.
These photos are for the archival book that Penguin is doing.
- What book? - Yeah, didn't you get the memo?
- No. - What? You're writing the foreword.
- I-- I'm writing the foreword? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Me? - Yes, of course.
- I've never written a foreword. - The editor wants to hear from you.
- We all do. - He wants me to write it?
Don't be so humble, all right? Let's get a photo of you with the--
- with the LEM. - I mean, I can do it, but--
Say, "we're going to the moon."
- We're going to the moon. - There you go!
Aldrin and Armstrong will practice every single movement that they make
right here for months.
- That is incredible. - Yeah.
So, this is, like, the surface of the moon?
- Well, yeah. It's-- - Yeah.
It's our best approximation.
This just looks like a dirty beach. I don't believe it. No.
- It is-- It's based off sediment we got. - Joseph.
It's from NASA--
Wait. I do not believe this is what NASA uses
to go to the moon. You cannot tell me-- No.
Want you to walk as if you're carrying your mother across the desert.
She's frail but also heavy.
Whoa. Hey.
- So sorry. Hey. Sorry. - Oh, no, no. No.
- This is classified. You're not allow-- - Stu, we're good.
- Very classified. - We're good here. This is for the book.
No, you'll hear about it.
I'm doing the foreword,
- so you'll hear about it soon. - Okay.
My Armstrong is a whiny, little bitch. We have to recast.
No-- We're not recasting.
All right. Well, mediocre it is.
Edvard! Where is my sun?
Nice!
- Very nice. - A countdown at least.
Okay. Try it again.
- Gonna try it again. - Do a three, two, one!
- Come on! - Happy?
Joseph, bring me my Tab.
You're gonna have to find me 'cause I can't see a thing.
Come on. How long does it take to give someone a Tab?
My hand's right here.
This will be great. You guys should all come around
- and we'll do a shot for the book. - Great?
Hey, how about this? Everybody, "We're going to the moon!"
We're going to the moon!
My eyes might have been closed. You wanna do one more?
I haven't seen you around lately.
Well, I can say the same thing about you.
How do you do it on the first try?
It's not rocket science. Okay. You good?
- About the questions, I-- - Yes.
I went over them. Nothing about Apollo 1. They promised me. Okay?
You're gonna be great. Okay?
Go on.
- Okay. - Go.
Mr. Davis. You are what we call "a tough get."
Ha! No. Thank you.
Is there any legal importance to what we'll be watching
when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the lunar surface?
Will the area they land on be considered property of the United States?
We're sending a plaque that says, "We came in peace for all mankind."
And that is precisely what we mean.
What else will NASA leave behind?
Footprints, an American flag and 12 bags of feces
that I was told many times that I should not bring up, but...
Should've put him in front of a camera sooner.
You wear an Apollo pin.
I do.
The wives of Apollo 1's men,
after we lost them, they gave me this.
You were launch director on that tragic day.
What went wrong with Apollo 1?
In your own words, what happened?
Take me back.
Okay. Here's some facts for you.
The New York Times reported
there were 20,000 safety reports filed about that ship.
So many, that Gus Grissom hung a lemon outside it.
All right, crew. To be confirmed. Location.
Flame!
We've got a fire in the cockpit.
Let's get out!
Mr. Davis? Did you read those reports?
Pad leader, get in there and help 'em.
Pad leader, stay on C3.
Mr. Davis? Did you read those reports?
- Did you read those reports? - Of course I read the reports.
I read every single one of them.
Overpressured oxygen and a bad wire on a "plugs-out" test.
I was supposed to catch everything, and I missed it. And I failed them.
And I will live with that every single day for the rest of my life.
Is that the quote that you were looking for, you piece of shit?
Get me on the phone with your boss. Now. Now!
Wait. What are you doing? We have another 20 minutes.
Go to hell.
Don't be angry with me. I'm not the reason three astronauts are dead.
- Say one more thing about the astronauts. - Hey, hey, hey! Whoa!
Get off me. Let me hear you say one more thing--
Let me hear you say one more thing about them!
You don't know those men! You don't talk about those men!
Get off me! Get off!
Get off!
Do you understand me?
So, I spoke to the producers, and they've agreed to seal the film
if we give them the exclusive with Armstrong after he lands.
We lost Hedges though. He's voting no.
- You said they wouldn't ask about it. - Yeah. Well... they lied.
You know, people do that sometimes, Cole.
You could have done yourself and this program a favor
and maybe tried it yourself. Right?
Blame NASA.
Blame the system.
I mean, there was half a billion dollars worth of funding on the line.
Lying must be so easy for you when you do it all the time.
It's just always an option.
- What you should try is the truth. - What is this sanctimonious bullshit?
I'm never going to lie about those men or that day.
Do you understand that?
You think what you want about me,
but I didn't cost the world a dream because I lost my goddamn cool.
This is Launch Complex 34, where the Apollo 1 tragedy occurred.
This is a tribute to our fallen heroes,
the brave men who paved the road to our success.
Please, let's take a moment of silence for them.
Edvard, that looks incredible.
I can't see the wires at all. How did you do that?
I just put a flag. It's very simple.
Old school.
No. Again. From the top.
And maybe let's get some more bounce this time.
You are on the moon.
Good.
- Oh, my God. - I can't. I can't with this day.
- Oh, dear. Okay, hold on. - Joseph, there's a fire.
I got it.
Don't forget to PASS.
Okay. Can you bring them down? Actually, leave them up.
Let them think about what they did.
I give up. I'm taking lunch.
You see what you did? You made her take lunch early.
That's on you.
I'll bet you $5 you're bad at apologies.
I've been looking all over for you.
- You owe me five bucks. - I got an idea.
What?
Come on. I'll tell you on the way to Louisiana.
No. You wanna take a shot at Vanning?
I got us a dinner invite, for tonight. Come on.
Tonight? We're never gonna make it. It's 500 miles away.
We're gonna make it. Come on. You gotta trust me.
Wait. No.
- No, no, no. - What do you mean, "no"?
- We don't-- There's other-- We could-- - Do you want Vanning or not?
- No. I don't-- - Come on. Let's go.
I think we could just take a commercial flight. If we left--
Nope. No commercial flights are flying right now.
Come on. Just hop on in.
This is it. This is all you gotta do. You can hop up, you can get in.
- Put your foot there. - Okay, well, take these.
- Look, we gotta go. - All right.
Hold on. Hold on.
- Perfect. - Hold on.
We're good.
You enjoying the view?
Wow! It's stunning!
I bet your eyes are closed.
No.
So, I'm betting you have some other Southern accents
in that bag of tricks of yours. Can you do Louisiana?
Yeah. New Orleans or Baton Rouge?
- Wherever his wife's from. - Okay.
Cole Davis.
And you must be Miss Kelly Jones.
Please come in, y'all.
Thank you so much for having us for dinner.
Now, I was told you were a New York City type.
Oh, God, no. I just work there. I'm from Louisiana.
Born and raised and, one day, buried.
- I'm from Virginia. - No? We're family.
You know, Tex Ritter always said Virginia was the mother of Texas.
Well, we never knew who the father was. We always suspected it was Louisiana.
My mother loves that one.
- She was the one that came up with it. - Just so colorful.
- You're fun. - This is a beautiful home.
So, how is the campaign going, Senator?
Truth be told, politics is more of a hobby to me.
Serving Christ, that's my full-time job.
You know, there's a war on religion in this country.
And some say science is to blame.
Well, science is what brought us to this table.
You learned a little lesson on the provocation of pride
on Apollo 1, now, didn't you, Cole?
Science has actually brought me closer to God, sir.
Took the Lord six days to put forth everything that we know as creation.
And on that sixth day he gave us dominion over it.
And, personally, I take that as a responsibility.
You sound like a man who knows his way to church.
Well, I can't think of a greater act of faith
than pursuing the stars.
"The heavens declare the glory of God. And the firmament shows us his handiwork."
That's one of Jolene's favorite Psalms.
You see, our men, when they come back from space,
they believe more in God, not less.
But when we land on the moon,
and thanks to Miss Jones here, the world watches us do it.
And it's my hope that people everywhere feel the presence of that divine.
Well...
...you've certainly given me a lot to think about, son.
You really sold the hell out of that.
I wasn't selling.
For the record, you can win people over just by being who you are.
You know, we're not in a rush, so we don't really have to fly home.
That wasn't flying.
Come on. Open your eyes.
You trust me?
Hold tight.
Now, this is the fun part. Just slide off.
Perfect.
I've had my disagreements
with the NASA program in the past.
But after a great deal of thought, and prayer,
I've decided to vote yes.
Come on.
I have something that you need to see.
- What-- - Follow me.
I didn't know which way it was gonna go,
'cause you can't tell with these guys.
I never liked that guy before,
but I like him now.
All right!
- It's so dark in here. You-- - Almost there.
- I'm a little scared. - Yeah, it's right around here.
We wanted to show you our appreciation.
- Oh, my gosh. This is too much. - Thank you.
- I can't believe it. - It was all Walter.
Walter? I know that you did all of this, didn't you?
- A little. That's all. - Yeah, I know you did.
- They all helped. - Not too bad, huh?
Before I forget. Here.
It's a list of things for you to say when you take your first step.
I-- I know everybody's asking you. I thought I'd give you some options.
Well, I was just gonna say,
"Look at all those cool rocks," or something.
- I got this one, Kelly. - Okay.
And thank you, though.
And I mean it. For-- For everything.
You know, I don't think anyone cares about this program more than Cole Davis.
It's nice to see he's found something else to care about.
I know I'm no, astronaut, but can I steal you for a dance?
- Yes. Yes. - Yeah? Come on.
So, you just counting down the days until you can get back to Manhattan?
Not really.
Good.
Up, up, up. Perfect. Right, now, move the light in.
All right, keep going. Don't be shy.
Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Milk it. Good.
Ladies, what do we think?
- Lance, it's incredible. - It's great.
I think it needs a little more dust and better actors,
but I lost that battle.
I will let it go.
And, stop. Okay.
We've got our sun.
I always went along with every web you spun
because it was fun or, like, we were pulling one over on the bad guys,
but this feels--
I know.
We're almost done.
This is from me.
It is for launch day.
Promise you will wait until then.
- I promise. - Okay.
Remember, you're not monsters.
Are they gonna be that high?
I just need to give them any length
that looks like they're on the moon. But thank you for the note.
Buzz, take it down some.
And, Armstrong, stop looking at me for approval.
- Just be on the moon. I'm not here. - He's having fun. He's having fun.
He keeps locking eyes with me. Stop flirting and be on the moon.
Yesterday's science fiction is today's fact.
The methods are different,
but the important thing is that tomorrow morning,
man will lift off toward the moon.
Good evening. I'm Walter Cronkite.
And on this eve of man's first flight toward a landing on the moon,
all preparations go smoothly.
The weather prediction,
along with the health of astronauts, Neil Arm--
Yes?
Well, you know how to hurt a fella.
No courtesy call?
Well, I don't have your number.
You ran.
That's what you do best.
Your alternate version is wrong. I never should've been a part of it.
I quit.
Sit.
So, who are we gonna be today?
Let's see.
Helen Parker.
I bet you do a killer British accent.
You wanna take off and be Helen? Go ahead.
Helen doesn't have to look over her shoulder.
No one is coming for you.
Unless?
Unless you ever tell anyone that Project Artemis was real,
and the moon landing was fake.
On that score, change of plans.
We're going to air the alternate version.
No matter what.
You were never gonna broadcast the real thing.
This isn't just a race for the moon.
It is a race for which ideology gets to run things.
I got one of my men to rig the LEM camera so that it just beams back audio.
We're gonna sync with their sound and use your fake stage broadcast,
start to finish.
Let me be the first to thank you on behalf of America.
Come on, don't feel bad. Everybody gets what they want.
You get a new life with no past to run from.
And the world doesn't have to sleep under a communist moon.
Okay. Panama beckons.
You better hurry. You're going to miss your flight, Helen.
This is a typical meal served to astronauts
aboard Apollo space flights.
Oatmeal, toast,
and a special zero-gravity pouch. Tang, the energy breakfast drink.
And more vitamin C than orange juice.
Energy Tang, for spacemen and Earth families.
CBS News presents Man On the Moon.
The epic journey of Apollo 11
on the eve of that historic event.
Sponsored by Western Electric,
manufacturing and supply unit of the Bell System.
And by the International Paper Company, where good ideas roll on...
What are you doing here?
I need to show you something.
It was supposed to be a contingency plan.
That's how he sold it. It was an insurance policy.
In case we failed.
It's good to know...
...that you never believed in us.
I know you're upset.
- I understand-- - What do you understand?
Please tell me what you understand.
'Cause you don't understand shit about truth.
If you fake this mission-- If you fake this mission,
every single thing that we have sacrificed will have been for nothing.
I know I messed up. I know that.
But you know you couldn't have made it to this day without me.
I could've walked away last night, but I didn't.
I came back to fix this.
Fix what?
Moe cut the LEM camera, and if we don't fix this together
then this is gonna be the version that the world sees.
It's not a contingency.
God, you're so good at leaving me no options.
Fine, let's fix it.
But when this is over, I never wanna see your face again.
This is what happens when you work for Richard Nixon.
I got your book, Ruby.
You opened it early.
It came at just the right time.
...proper atmosphere for launch
which is a combination of oxygen and nitrogen.
Sixty percent oxygen and 40% nitrogen atmosphere.
Of course, the astronauts themselves are breathing pure oxygen
through their space suits.
Coming up shortly will be another key test
in which both the launch crew for the--
the launch vehicle crew and the spacecraft team,
combine together with the commander, Neil Armstrong,
to make a thorough check of the Emergency Detection System.
This is the system...
We're live from the Cape, where it's a beautiful day to make history.
We'll be handling the launch portion of the broadcast from here,
and our counterparts in Houston
will be covering Apollo 11's historic flight,
guided by Mission Control.
Guys!
It's busted.
The camera's video preamplifier.
- It's destroyed. - Okay, can you fix that?
I could maybe repurpose a part from a TV, but--
Well, that's fine. There's plenty of TVs around here.
NASA's TVs-- They are all too old.
I mean a brand-new solid-state color TV.
Well, how fast can you get one?
How fast can you get me to an electronics store?
- Me? - In the worst traffic in Florida history.
I can't. I have to prep the guys.
Give me the keys.
Fine, I'll stall.
Hurry. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
Hotels are at capacity.
Kennedy Space Center is so crowded,
we're hearing it's nearly impossible to get in or out.
Kelly, slow down.
Are you guys good back there?
- Yes. - No.
Please, please stop. Please stop.
There it is. There's the store.
- No! - They're closed.
- What?
No, no. No, they are not.
- Kelly. - Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa!
What are you waiting for? Go!
- Yeah, yeah. - Okay.
Okay.
Okay--
- Yes, this one. This is great. - Yeah, okay.
- I would help. I'm just not tall enough. - Come on, Don. All right.
- All right. Slowly, all right. - Guys, come on.
Oh, my God. I can't go to jail.
Let me handle this.
She's good.
Yeah.
Have a good ride, boys.
In a matter of five minutes or so
we'll be ready for the spacecraft commander, Neil Armstrong,
to come across the sill at the 320-foot level.
- The trip in the transfer van... - Come on!
...could take some 15 minutes or so to reach the pad.
At which time the astronauts will board, the first of two elevators
for the trip to the 320-foot level at the launchpad,
where they will then proceed to ingress the spacecraft.
Whoa. We are locked and loaded, kid.
No, no. Flight Deck wants this on the ship.
- This is Flight Deck. Let him through. - Got it.
Go.
Okay, we need to initiate prelaunch, or we lose the window.
Just give him one minute.
...320-foot level,
all three astronauts now aboard the spacecraft.
A few minutes ago, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, came in and took the center seat...
I'm hearing the cabin's now being sealed. Countdown has begun.
These are the positions they will fly at liftoff.
CDR, STC, how do you read?
STC, loud and clear.
- Good morning, Neil. - Gantry is cleared.
Welcome aboard.
Apollo 11 is a go for launch in T-minus ten minutes.
Okay.
He's here.
It's connected.
At least I think I connected it.
Stu, what the hell does that mean?
I only had a few seconds. I didn't have time to stress test it. I--
Okay. Sit down.
All right, listen up!
Whatever happens here today,
I will stand by every decision that you make.
Over 400,000 people have worked on this program for nearly ten years.
All to keep one man's promise to the world.
So, let's keep it.
All right. Give me, "Go/No go" for launch.
Roger. All stations, stand by for final "Go/No go."
- MACE. - Go.
- ECS. - Go.
- EPS. - Go.
- Sequencer. - Go.
- GNS. - Go.
- SCS. - This is the best part.
They go down the line and every single--
every single technician has to say, "Go," or, "No go," for launch.
Any one of them can stop it.
CFAT. CSE, can you give me a "go" now?
CSE is go.
Okay. Eagle is go.
CBTS, this is CSA 9.
Twenty seconds and counting.
T-minus 15 seconds. Guidance is internal.
...Twelve, eleven, ten, nine...
Ignition sequence starts.
Five, four, three, two, one.
All engines running.
Liftoff. We have liftoff.
Tower clear.
Houston, she's all yours.
Moe Berkus is here. For both of you.
Apollo 11 is on the way.
250,000 miles away,
where the moon is waiting for man's first arrival.
Flight to take three days.
And the spacecraft to reach there...
Kelly told me everything.
The landing to take place on Sunday.
And Neil Armstrong to set...
Bravissimo.
- Shove it. - That was history.
Hi, Helen. Sorry, Kelly.
I heard you came back, so I came back too.
I-- I took a little peeky-poo at the moon set,
and it is perfection.
Great job.
If you think that I'm gonna let you broadcast some fake version of this,
I'll go to the press right now.
Cole.
Cole. Cole.
You-- You go to the press. Bring 'em by the moon set,
but just know that no one will ever trust the legitimacy of NASA again.
This is a matter of national security.
This broadcast must take place in a controlled setting.
You of all people must understand that.
The mission isn't about landing on the moon anymore.
It is about the world watching America beat Russia on TV.
I got a flight to catch.
I'll be back in time for the lunar broadcast.
I thought I'd watch it here.
With you, Kelly. On the moon.
Hey. We're making history.
Everything you said about me is true.
I'm a con artist, and I always have been.
My real name is not even Kelly.
All those stories that I told you
about my mom and I selling products door-to-door,
those were true.
They were all scams.
And we started out small, and then they got bigger.
Like real estate and insurance.
And...
when I was 16, a guy in North Dakota pulled a gun
and my mom pulled hers out first and she killed him.
And she told me to run and I did.
And she went to prison and I never saw her again.
And I forged documents and used fake names to get jobs.
And when I went to New York, I found advertising.
And that was like the scams that my mom taught me, but it was legal.
And I lied to so many people.
The worst lies were the ones I told myself.
That everybody does it. You know. It's just a big game.
But then I came down here...
I met you.
I learned what it was like to be a part of something real.
Moe offered me a way to erase my past.
I thought that's what I wanted, but...
I don't wanna run anymore.
Moe is a worthy opponent, but he has met his match.
I promise this is the last time I will trick anyone into getting what I want.
I promise.
Do you think you can do it without lying?
- Absolutely not. - Yeah, I didn't think so.
So, what's the plan?
Why are we meeting out here?
Because Moe bugs everything. The guy's like Houdini. He's everywhere.
Okay, so, Moe doesn't know that we fixed the LEM camera.
We build a plan around that.
All we have to do is convince him that we are broadcasting the fake moon landing,
when in reality we're broadcasting the real one.
Is there a way that we could rig the equipment
so that it actually sends out the real LEM video feed?
Come on, boys.
You figured out how to land on the moon. Give me a hypothetical.
Okay, hypothetically, we could rewire it.
So that it only picks up the broadcast signal from Mission Control.
- Sure, then sync it with our feed. - Right.
Hey, fellas.
Moe Berkus sent these guys to test the broadcast feed.
- Moe-- Moe Berk-- Yes. - Moe Berk-- Moe Berkus.
Telling me none of you got the phone call?
Great. All right, where's the camera?
Are you okay?
Can you guys hurry up, please?
Don, maybe just take the cigarette out.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I've just never smoked a cigarette before.
I don't like it.
...11, this is Houston.
You are go for LOI. Over.
Confirmed. On track for the moon.
Apollo 11, this is Houston.
All your systems are looking good. Going around the corner.
We'll see you on the other side. Over.
And we've had loss of signal
as Apollo 11 goes behind the moon.
It's now 3:30 Eastern Daylight Time.
At 3:46 we should be getting the first signal from the Lunar Module.
The estimated audience: hundreds of millions.
Perhaps 400 million persons or so are watching
this broadcast today of the greatest event...
Boys.
All right. Let's go.
A little bit more. Well done, guys.
Boys, when you hear my voice, you hear God.
Now, this is a fake moon,
- but to the world, it's real. - It's showtime, folks.
It needs to-- Remember where I left off.
Your government thanks you for the work you're about to do.
Now, don't fuck it up.
What is this nasty shit doing here?
- God. - Excuse me.
This is a Tab set, and that is my chair.
- Kelly, let's deal with this. - Lance, thank you so much.
So, these screens-- This is our feed.
Yeah.
Okay. And then--
And the TV's a live broadcast. Okay.
Right.
Joseph, I'm sitting.
Oh, my God. Are you real?
I am the director, Lance Vespertine.
Stay out of my way, will you?
All right, I'd say it was nice to meet you, but so far, it is not.
The pigeon's in the coop.
Copy that.
Okay, you should have him now, Houston.
Eagle, we've got you now. It's looking good. Over.
We've got the Earth right out of our front window.
Flight, we are go for landing.
Roger. Understand. Go for landing. 3,000 feet.
Eagle, looking great. You're go.
Position checks downrange show us to be a little long.
1,400 feet. Still looking very good.
P30.
Six plus two-five.
Looks like about 820.
Throttle down.
Flight, this is Eagle.
Sea of Tranquility is rockier than expected.
We're gonna have to extend another thousand feet.
Hey, boys.
Where does that put us?
- It'll give 'em 15 seconds of fuel left. - They're gonna wanna abort.
Neil can do this, they just gotta let him.
Stand by, Eagle.
We are calculating what that will do to our fuel reserves.
EECOM puts that within 15 seconds. Prepare for abort.
Flight...
...we have run successful tests within that range. Let 'em land.
Thirty. Thirty seconds.
- That's a lie. - You lied.
I've learned some new tricks. Sit down.
Okay, the only callouts from now on will be fuel.
Come on.
Eagle, looking great. You're go.
1,400 feet. Still looking very good.
350 feet, down at four.
Thirty. Thirty seconds.
Down two and a half. Forward.
- Forward. Good. - Roger that.
Eleven forward. Coming down nicely.
200 feet, four and a half down.
Five and a half down. Five and a half down, nine forward.
That's good.
Contact light.
Engine stop.
Flight.
Tranquility Base here.
The Eagle has landed.
Roger, Tranquility, we copy on the ground.
You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.
Boy.
We're going to be busy for a minute.
All right, all right, all right. Come on.
Let's focus. We're only halfway there.
Yeah, we've got it from here. Thank you, guys.
Places. Places, everyone. Look sharp.
Let's look sharp!
Edvard, Edvard, off the stage. You're killing me.
Edvard, we are done. Uh-uh. You're done. No more tweaking.
- What are you, the repeater? - No, I'm not the repeater.
This is the system we created before you got here.
Camera is coming down.
Three, two, one, and action.
And we're getting a picture on the TV.
You got a good picture, huh?
There's a great deal of contrast in it.
Roger, TV circuit breaker's in,
and read you loud and clear.
Roger.
Okay. Will you verify the position
the opening I ought to have on the camera?
Stand by.
Armstrong, prepare to disembark.
Your visor.
I am opening the door for egress.
Okay, Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.
Okay, left.
And right.
Left and right.
Now, left foot off. Left foot off.
Easy. Easy. Step down.
And land.
How do you know what he's gonna do ahead of time?
NASA rehearsed all of this, and Kelly appropriated it.
Stole it.
I knew I hired the right people.
Okay, here we go.
It's seamless. It's incredible.
I'm at the foot of the ladder.
The LEM footpads are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches,
although the surface appears to be very, very fine-grained as you get close to it.
It's almost like a powder. Down there, it's very fine.
I'm gonna step off the LEM now.
That's one small step for man...
one giant leap for mankind.
We could have spent years coming up with something that good.
Yeah.
Was that in the script?
No.
That's a good line.
It's a very simple matter to hop down from one step to the next.
Neil is now unveiling the plaque.
"Here man, from the planet Earth,
first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 AD.
We came in peace for all mankind."
You ready for the camera?
Neil, this is Houston. The field of view is okay.
We'd like you to aim it a little bit more to the right. Over.
Okay.
Too much to the right.
Can you bring it back left about, four or five degrees?
Okay. That looks good, Neil.
Columbia, Columbia, this is Houston, AOS. Over.
Neil Armstrong has been on the lunar surface now
almost 45 minutes.
Tranquility Base, this is Houston.
Could we get both of you on the camera for a minute, please?
The President of the United States would like to say a few words to you. Over.
That would be an honor.
All right, go ahead, Mr. President.
This is Houston. Out.
Hello, Neil and Buzz.
I am talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House...
They have Secret Service all over this place.
...and this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made.
And as you talk to us...
He actually reminds me a lot of you.
Do not say that. No, don't even joke about that.
We're still holding while the president drones on. Don't move.
Armstrong, I'm watching you the most.
For one priceless moment in the whole history of man...
Kennedy, let's go direct.
Cole, are you receiving picture?
The video feed light isn't on up here.
What do you mean, Neil? It's not working?
You tell me. Do you see picture?
We're getting a power surge warning on the camera.
I think it crapped out. Can you still see us?
Yeah, I can still see you.
One second, Neil.
Neil's saying the video feed light isn't on up there.
Are you sure that camera's working?
I installed the new part. It should be working just fine but--
- But what? - But I-- I was in a rush.
Shit.
What's wrong?
We're not sure that the camera on the LEM is working.
I think that's your feed broadcasting.
Does the feed on your TV look like your set?
I-- I can't tell if it's us.
Test it. Have one of your agents give a little wave or something.
I can't. Everyone is here.
- What the hell is that? - I don't know.
He is two inches away from being on that screen.
It's-- It's one inch.
Is that in your goddamn script?
Joseph, were there new pages?
...representing not only the United States
but men of peace of all nations...
Mischief! Oh, God. Kitty, kitty! Pss, kitty, kitty, kitty.
Mischief! Mischief!
Where are you going?
- Mischief. Mischief. - K-- Kelly.
- Come here. - The cat?
Come here. Come here. Come here.
Do you know this cat?
Kitty, kitty, kitty!
Come here, you sweet-- Come here, you little bitch.
Kitty, kitty, kitty.
- Come here, you! - No!
Kelly, what the hell is going on over there?
Kelly? Kelly?
Go round the back!
Mischief! Mischief!
Kitty, kitty, kitty!
Catch him! Catch him! Go, go.
Let's go! Come on.
Come here. It's okay.
Mischief. Just come here.
Just shut up. Just shut up!
Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Come here, little baby. You know me.
No!
And thank you very much
and I look forward, all of us look forward,
to seeing you on the Hornet on Thursday.
I look forward to that very much, sir.
Those are your guys, Cole.
Yes! Those are our guys!
Yes. I know you know that.
Just reminding everybody what we're doing here today.
Those are our guys.
Carry on.
What am I looking at here?
That's the moon.
Neil, this is Houston.
Did you get the Hasselblad magazine...
That's really the moon?
Yes, I did. And we got about...
- Jesus, it looks fake. - ...I'd say 20 pounds of...
...carefully selected, if not documented samples.
Houston. Roger. Well done. Out.
Unofficial time off the surface at 111:37:32.
I never thought I would see the moon up close.
Me neither, Walter.
- I didn't get it. Oh, my God. - Sorry.
- Not like last time. - No. Don't point it at us.
In Polish, we call it "na zdrowie."
- All right. Na zdrowie. - Okay, okay, okay. Kelly.
- Kelly. Kelly. - It's getting a little better.
- Yes? What? - Christ, just say it. Just say it once.
You are the best director I know.
I am. Now, I know we're not supposed to talk about this,
but, Kelly, this would be so great on my résumé if I-- Just feels--
Anyone mentions this to anyone,
you will spend the rest of your life in a dark, dank prison cell
on a nameless island.
Now, to wash down the bubbly,
on behalf of the US government, have a little scotch.
Edvard.
I'll take one of those.
I had a billion-dollar TV show for an audience of one.
Hope you enjoyed it.
- Cheers. - It was a perfect failure.
- That's right. Cheers. Cheers. - Cheers.
Can I talk with you a moment?
Not many people have gone against my orders
and lived to talk about it.
Then again, not many people have saved my ass.
It would've been a real doozy to explain how the cat ended up on the moon.
You're a goddamn American hero.
Great job.
Now, this place is crawling with press.
So, we can't really clear anything out until after splashdown.
In the meantime, shred any documents associated with the shoot.
Your name will be wiped from the history books.
The story, rewritten.
- Then I'm free to go. - You are.
Although, I could use someone like you for an upcoming project.
No, thanks.
Suit yourself. Hard to get, but okay.
If you ever need me... just holler. I'm probably listening.
Moe.
Are there really aliens out there?
They walk among us.
Fly me to the moon
Let's play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
A quarter of a million miles.
Just think of it as, Neil Armstrong said,
the first words as man stepped foot on the moon,
"A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind."
And a day that can never come again.
A day that shall forever live in history, as will those words,
which will be memorized by schoolboys...
Armstrong, you've got a future. Not in acting. My God, no.
Well, Kelly, Patty-- Patty, right?
- My name is Ruby. - Uh-huh.
- We did it. - No, we didn't.
This is landward here.
Swim One has Apollo visual.
Well, if it's coming down nine miles away,
that's just going to be at the outer limit of visibility...
Come on. Come on, baby. Come on, baby.
They're back from the moon.
Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins
landing in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of Hawaii.
I guess you deserve a cigarette.
- Buddy. - Yeah, yeah. I...
I didn't wanna lose it in there. You know?
You know, I know you didn't want the camera up there,
but, man, seeing that was...
It was life-changing.
- We did it. - We did. We did, man.
Hey, it's 1969, right? We got it in before the decade.
- I know. Not a moment to spare. - Yeah, we did.
- Look who it is. - Hey.
- Go. Get out of here. - Yeah.
Listen, it's not too late for you either, kid.
- Thank you, Henry. - All right.
Hey.
We did it.
Hey, guys.
Sent a man to the moon.
You know...
I never did catch your name.
Winnie.
Winnie. Nice to meet you, Winnie.
You know, the Russians, they-- they're saying
that we shot the whole thing on a soundstage.
I wonder where they got a crazy idea like that.
Who cares what they think?
Truth is still the truth even if nobody believes it.
Lie is still a lie even if everybody believes it.
You know, you really nailed this.
All the way down to the lunar dust.
Too bad it's all fake.
Was that fake?
No, that felt very real.
Twelve, eleven, ten, nine... Ignition sequence, five...