The discovery of a subterranean reservoir of liquid water
on a ridge above Valles Marineris has reshuffled the decks on the Red Planet
as a new joint mission
between the Soviets and Helios Aerospace is now underway.
A large specialized drill will be flown down autonomously
from the Helios ship, Phoenix.
Once the well is established,
its water could fuel the growth of a more robust colony on Mars,
long a dream of Helios founder, Dev Ayesa.
The Soviet Union has already begun planning the first steps
of the drilling operation with their new partners.
Questions remain about how NASA will respond,
as the Russians have excluded them from participating in the new venture.
But once you get settled at Helios, we'll figure out how to keep in touch
while everything gets, you know--
I'm not going to Helios.
What do you mean?
I'm being sent back to Moscow.
Now that your cooperation is no longer necessary,
I am also no longer necessary here.
But I need more time.
At least a few more days to get things--
Margo, they are taking me to the airport now.
What?
No. That's not--
-No. -Margo.
I appreciate everything you have tried to do.
If…
If we do not see each other again…
We will.
We will see each other again.
Yes.
Goodbye, Margo.
Mr. Wilson, the Gettysburg Address is 272 words.
Declaration of Independence is 1,322 words.
Your statement on the authorization of the Rocketdyne contract alone is 27,000.
I was asked to provide the details of my consultancy with Rocketdyne
from 1981 to 1987, and that's exactly what I did.
Having nothing to hide-- It ran a little long.
Mr. Wilson, you're here because we believe
that you have used your position as the First Gentleman
to influence the outcome of NASA partnerships with independent contractors
that you have personal connection to.
Oh, no, sir. I'm here because you have it out for my wife,
and you have since the day she was elected.
President isn't under oath here today. You are.
And the return on some of these contracts, Rocketdyne, Aerojet, FIP Systems.
L&M Labs alone is high enough to make the Jolly Green Giant blush.
Isn't that right, Mr. Wilson?
Never having had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Giant,
I'm afraid I can't answer that, Congressman.
One last thing, Mr. Wilson.
Let me guess. "Have I ever met the Pillsbury Doughboy?"
A source has informed our committee that
someone in the White House is currently having an affair
with a member of your wife's staff.
Do you know anything about this?
A source? What source?
Are you aware of any such affair?
No, Congressman. And I'm not sure what this has to do with NASA contracts,
which is the subject of this hearing.
I'll determine what's appropriate for this hearing, Mr. Wilson.
This is ridiculous.
Are you, Larry Wilson,
having a secret affair with a White House aide?
And let me remind you,
you're under oath.
I hope you haven't been waiting. I came as soon as I got your message.
Who have you been talking to about our relationship?
No one.
-I swear! I haven't told-- -It's okay. It's-- I'm not mad.
Just-- We need to figure out who it is.
-Did you mention anything to your mom? -We don't talk. You know that.
I haven't spoken about us to anyone.
Willie Baron asked me today if I was having an affair with you.
With me? Did he actually say my name?
"White House aide."
-Maybe he doesn't know it's me. -It doesn't fucking matter.
I lied to Congress,
which we both know is a felony.
So let's take a beat…
-Oh, my God. -…and tr--
Shit. Okay, I told one person, but he swore--
I'm so sorry, Lar.
-What did you tell him? -Nothing. Just--
-How I feel about you and-- -Oh, Christ.
-But he doesn't have proof. -Who is it, Jeremy?
You don't know him. He's just a friend from college.
It's gotta be this "Uniform First" thing. He seemed pretty upset about it.
Well, this is what I want you to do.
I want you to call your friend,
and I want you to tell him that you were lying.
You were drunk, and high on drugs, and you made up a story.
-He's not gonna believe me. -Make him.
Check into rehab if you have to.
-You're cutting me loose, aren't you? -Just call him.
"Sources say that President Wilson and the US
were kept in the dark about the deal until the discovery was confirmed."
That's A1 leadership right there.
They say the fish rots from the head down.
Worst president in history.
-In all of history? -Yep.
Is that because she's a she?
-Because she's objectively terrible. -Yeah.
She used to come to my house every Fourth of July.
Ellen and my mom trained together.
"Ellen"?
Take a look at this guy.
On a first name basis with the President of the United States.
-What's she like? -Don't know.
She never seemed interested in talking to me.
Well, that's her loss.
She really stepped in it with that gay thing, huh?
Yeah. What does that even mean, "Uniforms First"?
Problem is they can't keep their uniforms on.
This guy!
Afternoon, Mrs. Stevens.
Hey.
Jimmy, have you seen Avery's Silkie?
-No. -Hi.
Sorry.
-Hi, Avery. Hello. -Hey.
She's so pretty.
Thanks.
Come to me.
So, Jimmy, you ready?
I don't know.
It's easy-breezy, in and out.
I mean, you were practically born there.
I know. It's just--
I'm not good at this type of thing.
Well, that's why Sunny's going with you.
We're gonna have some fun.
Listen up, people.
The samples our geologist, Cosmonaut Castillo, took on the ridge
have come back.
They are free of biosignatures, and we are approved for drilling.
And Helios Control has designated an ideal spot for the well.
And the BAD is being remotely flown from Phoenix to Gagarin Ridge as we speak.
-"BAD"? -Big-Ass Drill.
We'll be commencing drilling in two sols.
I'll be piloting the MSAM to the top of the ridge, and Stevens…
Stevens?
-Stevens? -Yes, sir.
-You got right seat. -Aye, aye, sir.
Mueller, you'll be in command of Helios Base while I'm gone.
And Corrado, you'll be controlling the CO2 compressor
and the drill pressurization system. Copy?
-Yes, sir. -Aye, aye, skip.
Myself and Cosmonaut Castillo will be overseeing
the drilling operation on the ridge.
There is much to do to prepare, so let's work together.
Well said. Let's get ready to Jack and Jill, peoples.
Your father, he still…
I think, does not care for me.
He's just--
He's like a cactus fruit.
Prickly on the outside, mushy on the inside.
Mushy?
This is difficult for me to imagine.
Give him some time.
He is very effective commander. Focused, intelligent.
-Drilling mission is on target. -Wait.
What do you mean, "drilling mission"?
Tomorrow, we head up to Gagarin Ridge to begin.
But I haven't finished my tests on the core sample yet.
I thought you spoke with him.
-No, I didn't. -Wha--
Now, before you-- Kelly, no! D--
Wow, this is…
-Crazy, right? -Yeah.
I figure it's gotta be one of the people who worked in my department.
The Russians got their hands on an early version of the design,
and these people are the only ones who had access to it.
But every time I feel like I found the right answer,
there's another piece of data that doesn't fit.
I've probably gone through that like a hundred times already.
It's tricky.
I don't know. Let me think about it.
It's not your basic Gaussian elimination.
This involves human-behavior variables and random external factors, and--
-Yeah, I know. -Yeah.
Thank you for taking a look at that, by the way.
I didn't really know who else I could talk to about it.
Yeah, of course. I'm happy to help. Yeah.
Where does he get all that energy from?
I'm tired just watching him.
Well, you know, we should probably get going.
Okay.
Here's his stuff. I put his eardrops in the side pocket.
Yeah.
Unless--
Did you wanna come over for dinner? Papa's making machaca.
I do love his machaca.
I know you do.
But I…
I sorta promised Javi I was gonna take him to go see the Astros tonight.
Right. No, of course.
He'll love that.
How is he, by the way, your father?
Some days are better than others.
We've gone through four nurses at this point.
This one smells weird, that one's stealing from him.
-You know the deal. -Yeah.
Come on, Daddy, let's go!
All right. Come on. Let's go.
Okay. Come here.
You have fun at the game. I'll see you Sunday, okay?
Okay. Bye, Mommy.
-Bye, baby. -Okay, come on.
About your work thing,
maybe there's some data points you're not considering.
Trust me, I've looked at everyone who's worked for me.
I know, but…
maybe it's not someone that worked for you.
I don't know. Just saying.
Come on.
You couldn't keep it in your pants for one term, Larry? One term!
I know I messed up.
But if Baron had more, he would've used it.
It's gonna blow over. It'll be fine.
Fine?
You lied under oath. Don't you get that?
But they set me up. I mean, plain and simple. It was a trap.
They didn't force you to sleep with him, did they?
Fuck.
What--
What is so special about Jeremy Zielke that you're willing to throw away
everything we've worked our entire lives
to build-- our careers, our family, us?
Nothing. There's nothing.
-He just-- He-- -He what?
He likes me.
For fuck's sake, Larry.
For fuck's sake. You can't be serious.
It's not easy sometimes, you know, being your husband.
I mean, I'm a national punch line.
"How are you gonna decorate the White House, Mrs. Wilson?"
"What are you making Ellen for dinner tonight?"
Give me a break.
And since when do you care about what other people think?
It's not about that. It--
Look, I know it's--
This may be hard to understand, but my entire life,
I've tried to be logical.
Make the smart move, the right move, but lately, I just-- I keep feeling--
I d--
I don't know.
Larry.
Please don't take this the wrong way, El.
I'm so proud of everything that we've done.
But the sacrifices that I've had to make, that you've had to make,
that everyone close to us has had to make.
Your parents, your brother,
Tom, Shirley, Pam, my family, my sisters.
All so that you could get here.
What do you mean, Pam? What are you talking about?
Nothing. I didn't--
All I was saying was that we've all sacrificed.
Pam left me for Elise.
Forget it. That wasn't my point.
What do you mean Pam sacrificed for me?
She did for you what you couldn't do for yourself.
What are you talking about?
She knew it was her or your career, that you couldn't have both.
-Did you… -No.
-Did you tell her to leave? -No! J-- Of course not!
It was her decision.
But you knew about it, and you didn't tell me.
Spare me the sanctimonious bullshit.
Don't pretend like you're some passive participant in all this.
You lied to me,
both of you!
And how dare you make decisions for me, for my life?
Nothing was gonna stop you, Ellen. I knew it, and Pam knew it.
I can't believe this.
So, those are your parents?
Yeah.
I mean, the facade of it all.
To build a statue for something that didn't even happen
just to perpetuate this lie.
It's fucking…
Diabolical.
Come on. You ready?
You get right over here right this second.
Hi, Mrs. Meineke.
Let me look at you.
Oh, goodness. You look just like him.
How's your brother?
Good. I guess. On Mars.
Well, next time you talk to him,
you tell him Mrs. Meineke says hi and that she's awful proud of him.
I'll try to remember.
And who is this young lady?
This is--
I'm his girlfriend, Sunny. Jimmy said he would give me a tour.
Well, isn't that darling?
I'm worried about him.
He almost never leaves his room.
And on the rare occasion he does, he's just rude and distant,
even to Avery.
And he's been hanging with these new friends of his.
They're always in the backyard. I don't know.
He's been saying weird things.
Like, hinting at how maybe your parents didn't die
the wayeveryone thinks they did.
It doesn't make any sense.
Sorry to throw all this at you.
It doesn't make any sense.
Bye.
Rough night?
Yeah, sorry. Just watching a video from Amber.
I gotta get in a call with Kel.
It's time to get packed up for transport. We leave at 0800.
All the gear's in Hab 2, so hop to!
Aye, aye, sir.
Come on, PJ! Come on!
You can do it. Little further.
I got a treat for you.
Come on, PJ! Good boy. You want a little treat?
Come on. Make it to me. Yes!
Good boy.
Yeah.
Is he yours?
No, he's Sandy's.
But I have adopted him while she's up on Phoenix.
Dogs make the best friends.
You speak Spanish?
No. I backpacked through Guatemala.
I would love to go to Cuba one day too.
I think we should get back to work.
Sí. Yeah. Right, work. Of course.
Hey, bud. You wanna go for adventure? Okay.
Don't have too much fun without me, okay?
Go on, PJ.
-Hey, guys. -Hey!
-Hi. -How's it?
Hey, Danny. Say hi to PJ.
Nick. Could you get this thing away from me, please?
It's not a thing. It's PJ.
Don't worry. I mean, he's not gonna bite you.
Not a big animal lover?
That's not an animal.
Don't you listen to him, Peej, huh?
You are absolutely an animal. He's just a sourpuss.
Come have fun.
This is so--
It's fucked up, Dad.
-Oh, come on. -You can't do this.
I analyzed the core sample you sent me, and I still don't think we know enough
to definitively rule out the presence of microbial life in that water.
Kel, we did all the required tests here.
Hell, NASA was the one that came up with the requirements in the first place.
Look, we've checked all the boxes here.
But the science is evolving.
The work I did in Antarctica shows that the methods--
Kel, we both know those methods are not widely accepted.
Look, you're losing sight of the bigger picture here.
This aquifer's gonna change everything up here,
pave the way for more human settlement.
A real viable colony.
Manifest destiny, huh?
Everything on Mars is just ours for the taking.
Here we go again.
Well, you always wanted to be the first at something, Dad.
Now, maybe you'll be the first man to kill life on another planet.
Oh, come on. Kel!
Damn it!
It's a cliff, into a-- This wild cave
that's like an old stalactite cave. So it's just filled with…
What the fuck, Danny?
Danny, stop!
What is wrong with you?
I just thought it would be more people building spaceships everywhere and stuff.
No, it's pretty boring. Well, except for Mission Control.
Can we go there?
Not really. You need special clearance.
Visitor badges won't get you in.
-What's in there? -Training Department.
-I think.
What's over there?
I don't know. More offices, I think.
-Now that seems promising. -Wait.
Everybody's staring at us.
Well, that's 'cause you're space royalty.
Well, this is what the FAO told us though, right? So…
Yeah, but if you're gonna have to adjust the parameters,
it requires a time frame.
What are Banana Twins?
Sponge cake filled with whipped cream, I think.
-Maybe we should get going. -Let's see.
Holy shit. That's amazing.
Yeah?
I might have to steal a few more of these.
-Whoops. -I am so sorry. Crap.
-Yep. Let me help you with that. -Sorry about that.
Thank you so much.
Gravity sucks, right?
-That's so funny. I'm all thumbs today. -Yeah.
-Had my mind on sweets. -There we go.
-Thank you so much. -Enjoy.
Sorry. I think we better go. I told you I'm not good at this kind of thing.
Come on, I know you're having fun.
-I can see a smile. -No, you don't.
Really? Well, I saw it for a second.
Jimmy Stevens.
Hey, Mr. Rossi.
I've told you before. Call me Al.
What are you doing here?
Finally giving in to the family business?
Just showing a friend around. Yeah.
Sunny.
Jimmy promised me that there would be some great snacks hidden in here.
But I think I may have been misled.
I keep my Oreos stashed behind the granola bars in the cabinet.
No one ever looks there.
Thanks for the tip.
So is this a friend of the romantic persuasion?
That's great, kid.
So how are you doing otherwise?
You still into-- What was it you do again? Computers, right?
Yeah. We--
We overhaul systems and repair IT peripherals.
Stuff like that.
-Sounds exciting. -Yeah.
-Hey, have you seen it? -Seen what?
Over here.
Pretty cool, huh?
"Dear Ms. Stevens, I am your biggest fan.
I hope you are who they pick to go to the moon.
My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted growing up.
But I never really believed them until now."
She was something else, your mom.
Yeah.
To be honest, when I first met her up on Jamestown, she was struggling.
But after a while, she really settled in.
She found herself.
Except for when she was sneaking those goddamn cigarettes in the air lock.
I snuck those up to her.
You did?
Yeah.
I ought to report you to NASA security.
Anyway, I thought you might like to see this.
Thanks.
See you around, Jimmy.
There you are. I was looking everywhere for you.
I couldn't find a badge to save my life. I even tried--
Oh, my God.
You're amazing. Let's go.
Senator, we sat right here in this office
and spoke of partnership and cooperation.
I'm sorry, Madam President.
Unfortunately, I can no longer support the jobs bill.
Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, John.
And somewhere between Tallahassee and Birmingham, we stop for breakfast.
Lee orders cornflakes. And then he pours Tabasco all over them.
And I'm sitting there,
"What the hell are you doing?"
And he says, "Karl, it's the only way I can taste the damn things."
A man ahead of his time. We wouldn't be here without him.
None of us would. God rest his soul.
But we're not here to talk about Lee Atwater.
We're here to talk about this situation.
Well, first of all, it's a bunch of hogwash.
Total fabrication. Never happened.
Democrats have never gotten over losing in '92,
and now they're doing whatever it takes to torpedo my presidency.
This is an organized assault on us, on what we represent.
Now that our poll numbers have taken a hit, it's open season.
That's all well and good.
But the fact remains, they're gonna come at you with this.
And the second it's out in the media, it's a truth, whether it's true or not.
But that's insane. I mean, the truth…
The truth has to have some meaning, doesn't it?
Truth is not what they're after.
If it were, why would they be using a sham hearing on NASA contracts
to bring up a personal matter in a marriage?
A marriage that has lasted over 20 years, through thick and thin.
It's absurd.
Absolutely absurd.
What is true is they will stop at nothing.
They will find any crack, any fissure, and they will crawl down
and dig in the dirt until they find something they can chew on.
Heck, we'd do the same. You know Lee would.
Then how do we kill this before it starts?
Baron's the key.
Ever since he had his sex scandal, he's been itching for a payback.
And you really think he'll listen to reason?
I guarantee you, he's got a few more skeletons in his closet
he doesn't want seeing the light of day.
Yeah. That's a great idea. I mean, really put the screws to him.
I will.
But honestly, the best defense we have is what I'm looking at right now.
You are everything America is supposed to be.
The question on many experts' minds is,
"Will this lead to more American companies
making deals with the Soviets?"
That's the fear on Wall Street today as word of the Russo-Helios announcement
has shocked the financial sector--
James, take me to Andrews, please.
Madam President, the fundraiser is still--
Just tell them I'm under the weather and I'm going back to the White House.
We'll take the 707. No press.
Yes, ma'am.
Stevens, I need a word.
What's up?
I'm taking you off the flight to the ridge. Louisa will take your seat.
Oh, yeah? How come?
Look at you. You can't focus your eyes. Can't stand still.
You don't think I've seen a pilot on go pills before?
Don't know what you're talking about, sir.
Bullshit, you don't.
Nodding off one minute, talking a mile a minute the next.
I mean, you're a fucking mess.
And now you're stomping on dogs.
What? You mean that-- What, that toy?
Yeah. I cut you a lot of slack, more than most, but now you're on notice.
I made that mistake once with your dad, and I'm not gonna do it again.
-Yeah, well, I'm not my dad. -You got that right.
Louisa, you're now taking right seat on the flight to the ridge.
Nick, you're in charge of Helios Base while we're gone.
And, Danny, you can help him out with communications.
-You think you can handle that? -Yes, sir.
You fuck up one more time, and I mean once,
and I'll confine your ass to quarters on Phoenix until we return to Earth.
-You got that? -Yeah, whatever.
-"Whatever"? -Whatever you want, boss.
What happened to "sir"?
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Thank you, sir.
Watch it.
Whatever you say… sir.
-I said watch it! -Or what?
What are you gonna do? You're a tough guy now?
Huh?
Come on, Danny. Come on.
Hit me.
Is that what you want? Hit me. Come on.
Hit me! Be a man!
That's what I thought.
Fucking pathetic.
Good.
We need to discuss this new water ice site.
It looks promising, but it's a few kilometers from--
What?
-I know who it was. -Who who was?
Who gave my engine design to the Russians.
-Aleida, I'm-- -It was Emma.
Emma?
She's the only one that makes sense.
You think…
You think Emma Jorgens is working for the Russians?
Yes.
Okay.
No.
All the plans, all the designs, they all came across her desk.
I've worked with her for 20 years.
She's devoted her life to this program.
There is no way she would ever do what you're accusing her of.
Yeah, I know. I thought the same thing. But then, look at this.
-What is this? -A credit report.
-You ran her credit report? -And she's in debt.
Like, $40,000 in debt.
Aldrich Ames owed less than half of that.
Do you know why she owes so much money?
No.
Because her sister has breast cancer, and Emma is paying for her medical care.
Just because her sister is sick does not take her out of the running.
Secretaries are usually the first to turn
because they have all the access and none of the power and--
That's enough!
Aleida.
Goddamn it, I told you to leave this alone.
You're the lead engineer
on the mission that landed the first human beings on Mars.
And instead of doing your job, you're up all night
playing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
I'm still doing my job.
Really? Because, to me, it looks like you're in here
casting suspicion on people, innocent people.
You, of all people, should know how damaging false accusations can be.
Maybe you need to take a break.
A break?
A vacation, a sabbatical. Whatever you want to call it.
Since when does Margo Madison give breaks?
This has clearly all been too much for you, Aleida.
The stress, the pressure.
I know you've got a lot going on at home too.
-I'm not taking a break. -Then you need to stop with all this…
this nonsense.
Or it may not be up to you.
This is Sunny. You know what to do.
Hey. It's me.
Jimmy Stevens.
I was thinking it wasn't the best thing to do.
The badge, I mean.
I think we should just go back
and leave it somewhere, and they'll find it.
Okay?
Call me back.
Bye.
Hey, Sunny.
It's Charles.
-Hey. -Come outside.
-Outside, like-- -Outside your house.
Okay.
Hey.
-What's up? -Sorry it's so late.
Worked like a charm.
-Just came from a little adventure at JSC. -What'd you do?
We took 'em back.
They're yours again, brother.
So? What do you think?
I think I'm gonna have to figure out where to put this fucking thing.
Yeah.
Hi.
Can I come in?
I wonder what this valley will look like in ten, 20, a hundred years.
And how many people will be able to make a life here
because of what we're doing right now.
We have good pressure.
We are ready to drill. Surface casing pressurization holding.
We've got good torque on our drill.
Slips are engaged. Alignment is still good.
Okay, take your time. Let's do this right.
Get ready for the next casing segment.
Hand me the C spanner.
Yeah, let's crank up the rotary speed a bit.
Watch the CO2 pressure.
Watch the drill housing pressure.
We must be in pressure window when we penetrate into the reservoir.
If pressure is too low,
the water will boil off and come up the shaft at very high pressure.
The geological structures are holding up well.
The water table's looking good.
I estimate another 60 meters to reservoir penetration.
700 meters deep.
Drill housing pressure's rising.
Helios Base, gonna need you to boost CO2 compressor speed
to keep tank pressure within the window.
Copy, skip. Increasing compressor speed.
Hey. Keep an eye on the drill housing pressure.
Yeah.
710 meters.
Pressure readings back to nominal.
Copy.
Looking pretty stable.
Copy that, Helios Base.
I gotta go off-line
and run these numbers before we penetrate the reservoir.
Should have another 30 meters or so.
So, you're on.
Keep an eye on that pressure gauge.
Louisa…
Get the drill bit extension ready.
Next well casing is prepped and ready for insertion.
730 meters.
The drill is starting to speed up earlier than we thought.
We could be approaching penetration depth.
740 meters.
I'm easing off on the throttle. Drill's bucking too much.
Housing pressure's rising.
Nearing penetration.
-Watch pressure window. -Watching.
Helios Base, come in.
Drill housing pressure is rising.
I need you to boost compressor speed to maximum this time.
-Watch pressure window. -Keep an eye on that pressure gauge.
-Hold depth steady. -Watch pressure window.
The drill is under too much stress.
Take it off. Helios Base, come in.
We need you to increase the compressor speed now.
Helios Base, do you read?
You don't think I've seen a pilot on go pills before?
-I can't back it off. -Helios Base, come in.
Keep an eye on that pressure gauge.
Hit me!
Come on. It's about to break off.
-Shit. -Housing pressure's rising.
The housing is really vibrating. It's a gas kick!
-Mayday! Mayday! -Housing pressure is rising too high.
-It's a gas kick! -Push the compressor speed now!
Get out of there!
Something's wrong with the comms.
Are you getting any audio?
Jesus Christ.
Mayday! Mayday! At least two injured.
The drill-- Oh, God, it just came apart.
Louisa, say again? Status report.
We are loading them into the MSAM.
-Get the med-bay ready! -Alert Dr. Mayakovsky.
The shrapnel went into his stomach.
What did you do?
Mayday! Mayday! Inbound from the ridge. Two injured.
Stay with me, Ed.
Roger. What's your ETA?
Thirty seconds till landing.
Isabel, what's your status?
My suit pressure is dropping.
The puncture is bad.
Calm down and keep your hand on it.
Mayakovsky's prepping the med bay in Hab 2.
We are almost to the Habs.
Copy that. We'll meet you at the landing site.
I've got Ed.
Take him to Hab 2.
I'm going to run ahead to the med bay and help Dimitri prepare.
-Louisa. Secure the MSAM. -Copy, Nick.
-You okay, Isabel? -She needs to get to the med bay.
Alexei, take one of her arms. Help me get her into Hab 2.
Is, let's go.
It's gonna be okay, Ed.
Oh, my God.
Run!
Everybody, run!
Heading for Hab 1. It's closer.