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.
Jesus, that's gotta be like…
Like 20,000 a person.
And we have beat the world's superpowers at their own game!
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.
All right!
-All right. -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.
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 I did warn ya.
Being first isn't everything, Dad.
Well, you keep her safe, Danielle.
And thanks for a great race. 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.
Skipper, I'm getting an odd broadcast from Sojourner.
They've totally lost it.
Stevens.
Monitor their vector telemetry and patch in the NASA video feed.
-I want eyes on that ship. -Copy.
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.
Sojourner copies. Go for Jolly Roger.
Mr. Halladay, hoist the mainsail.
Aye, Captain.
Jesus, that solar sail's gonna pick up
enough photon radiation pressure to give Sojourner constant acceleration.
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 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--
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.
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.
All right, Mr. Speaker, let's cut to the chase here.
What's this all about?
Well, Madam President,
unfortunately, the Congress
will not be able to support your fiscal year budget proposal.
You've gotta be kidding.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Could you all give us a minute?
Thank you.
Thanks.
How you doing?
You remember the first day we stepped into this office?
Of course.
Everything felt possible…
like we could really change things.
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.
Okay, so let's go.
-To JSC? -Yeah.
You haven't been back since the election.
You can congratulate everyone 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.
Yeah.
I guess we could.
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.
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.
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 rather not think about.
Caesar salad?
Good as you're gonna get up here.
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.
Switching to channel two now.
Switching to Ka band. How do you read?
Five by five with Ka band.
Copy.
Loud and clear. Good on delta as well.
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--
…part of a complete breakfast.
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.
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.
What's up, little man?
Watch over Rolan, Will. He needs supervision.
Say goodbye, Peter.
-Bye, Daddy. Bye, Will. -Goodbye.
My family likes you more than my family likes me.
Well, I'm twice as smart and extremely handsome, so…
Yeah, true.
Feeling parched up here. Can somebody grab me a juice pouch?
Copy, Skipper. I think we can remedy that.
I'll just borrow this.
Terrorist.
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.
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…
made me happy.
Orbital mechanics don't lie.
We're fucked.
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.
"I say we nuke the entire site from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure."
What is that, Wrath of Khan?
No, you idiot. It's from Aliens.
Oh, God. All right. Here we go.
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
Yes.
Oh, no.
Oh, man.
My food.
Do that bit from that film--
What was it called? Love in the Sky.
-Right. Wait, okay. -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."
"How'd you like a flying lesson, sweetheart?"
Hey, guys. What's going on?
Nothing. We're just shooting the shit.
Hey, Nick. You got a minute?
Sure, Danny.
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."
"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-- -Nick.
Don't you have some reports to generate?
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, 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.
We talked about this.
You've got to learn how to control your temper.
Believe me. 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.
Let's do it for sure. Soon.
Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
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!
Save our jobs! Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
Hey, aren't you Jimmy Stevens? Son of Tracy and Gordo Stevens?
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.
I'm Sunny, by the way.
Hey, so me and my friends are just gonna hang out after this,
grab some beers.
You wanna come?
Yeah.
Cool.
Save our jobs! Save our jobs! Save our jobs!
-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.
Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
Hello.
Thank you. 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.
Thank you, sir. Thank you.
Madam President.
Welcome back to Houston. We've missed you.
Thank you, Margo.
It's good to be home.
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--
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. -Fuck you, NASA.
Fuck you, NASA.
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? -Yeah.
She trained me on the LSAM.
Let me tell you, she was one tough SOB.
Yeah.
Were you up there when--
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.
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. -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?
Kelly's request hotline, what do you wanna hear?
I have problem.
There is big problem.
Who is this?
Mars-94?
I'm on Russian ship.
What? I'm having trouble hearing you.
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.
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--
-Hello? Hello? -I have to go. I have to go.
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…
Do you one better.
Incubated duck egg, all feathery and beaky so that the bones have a nice crunch.
Jesus. What is wrong with you people?
-What do we got? -Telemetry from the Russians.
Their delta V just took a big jump.
They're changing their heading.
Flight.
Yeah, Russian telemetry is consistent with a midcourse burn.
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.
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.
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.
Good luck.
The Soviets will never admit if they've had an engine failure.
I know.
-Okay. -Thank you.
Mr. Ambassador.
All right, here's the latest.
The Russians have admitted
that their nuclear engines are in meltdown.
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.
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.
All right. You take the ball this time, Ed.
Hey, at least you already know I kicked your ass.
So nothing's lost there.
Anything you need.
Fair winds. Phoenix out.
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.
I know how disappointing this is for everyone.
But bringing those folks home safe and sound
is more important than mission success.
Okay…
we'll be ready to go by the time we get your response.
Phoenix out.
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?
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?
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?
Well, that settles it.
Tim, put in a call to Margo Madison. Let me know when you have her.
Hey, if they do this rescue,
NASA's not gonna have enough fuel to make it to Mars.
Your point being?
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.
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?
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."
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.
Software update came in with the last message from ground.
Software update.
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--
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. -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?
Whatever it takes.
Sometimes you have to ignore the politics and do the right thing.
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. -We're government employees.
We never would've seen that prize money anyway.
But there might have been a handsome plaque.
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 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. -Aye, aye, Skipper.
Cosmonauts will not like being rescued by a defector.
Hey, don't worry. I got your back, Rolls.
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.
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.
Mars-94, this is Commander Danielle Poole of Sojourner.
We are commencing our final approach for the rescue operation.
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.
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.
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.
First cosmonauts are hooked up to the tether and heading across.
Stay frosty, everybody.
Moving along tether, but slow.
We read you, Commander.
Clarke, how's our separation from Mars-94?
The vector is holding steady.
I've got eyes on the LH2 valve. Begin video transmission to Houston.
Roger, Syl.
Beginning downlink.
Picture looks good.
First cosmonaut in the air lock. Four to go.
Welcome aboard, Dimitri.
Dog of a defector.
Two down, three to go.
Taking video of the aft propulsion section.
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.
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.
Roger, Flight. On it.
They won't even get the warning for another five minutes.
Fuck.
They're on their own.
Four down, one to go.
Rotation control difficult. Major problems.
Commander, we're losing separation!
Shit.
Everybody clear the port side. Do it now!
All hands, brace for collision.
All hands, clear to starboard. Clear! Clear! Clear!