[woman moaning in pain]
[moaning in pain]
[machine beeping]
[woman speaking Mandarin]
[doctor] Go, go, go, go!
[screaming in pain]
[in Mandarin] Your wife is stable and recovering.
And the child?
You have a healthy baby girl.
A girl?
Yes.
-Are you sure? -Of course.
Have you decided on a name?
I told my wife that was a mistake.
I'm sorry?
That we would jinx the birth by choosing a boy's name before...
The child's name is Lu.
[clicking]
[ratcheting]
[rumbling]
How's it looking?
[Misha] You ask the blind guy how it's looking?
Not your best joke, Emma.
-I didn't mean it like-- -She meant, how's it feeling?
Eh, no, it doesn't feel good.
Feels like a car engine about to go "ka-chunk."
Three weeks. Just keep it running three more weeks,
and we'll have a brand-new water system waiting for us on Mars.
-Why would you say that? -Excuse me?
Pegasus doesn't even land for another hour,
and you're just assuming it's safely on the ground.
-No, I wasn't assuming-- -You're gonna jinx it.
No one's jinxing anything.
Quite frankly, all I've been thinking about for weeks now
is that freighter ship waiting for us when we land.
[sighs] Can you imagine? No more water rations.
Oh. Sorry, Lu. I didn't mean to...
It's all right.
I'm actually fantasizing my first cup of tea.
And enough hot water for some coffee.
Enough water for my plants to come back to life.
Personally, I'm looking forward to a long, hot shower.
I think we're all looking forward to you having a hot shower.
[laughing]
And what of you, Commander?
What are you looking forward to?
Oh, she is not looking forward to anything.
What the hell, Lu?
You made it very clear that you didn't wanna be here.
That you only wish you were home.
Lex, it's breakfast!
[Alexis] Coming!
Dad, how am I gonna eat all of this?
Melissa and Cassie are supposed to be here in, like, five minutes.
Well, you can take it in the car. There's enough for them too.
It's an important day for your mom, and you know this is tradition.
[sighs] Yeah, but it's not like she's launching.
Pegasus landing can be just as stressful as a launch.
And you need to eat if you're feeling jittery.
All right? You need to be full, grounded.
[chuckles] Yeah, okay.
Tell that to the entire school if they see me puking at assembly.
Yes, the whole school will be sitting in the gym
watching NASA's live feed.
If you're worried about me seeing Isaac, don't be.
-What does that mean? -Nothing.
We just haven't been talking much lately.
Since when?
Since the accident, I guess.
-I thought you'd be happy. -Why would I be happy?
Dad... [sighs]
...you wanted to kill him after I got hurt.
Yeah, I was scared out of my mind, Lex. You could have broken your neck.
Look, I don't want you to end up like...
Um...
I still might.
What?
End up like you.
If I carry the gene.
Have you been thinking about this a lot?
No.
[sighs] I don't know.
[car horn honking]
Uh...
I should go. I don't wanna make Cassie late. [sighs]
Sweetie, we can talk about this.
Can we please just focus on Mom?
You know, one... nerve-wracking thing at a time. Okay?
All right, people. Let's make a little more history.
[Darlene] Public feed is going live...
now.
Jack, you have the conn.
Good morning, everyone.
Thank you for joining us here on this momentous day
at the Johnson Space Center.
[Jack] We are 21 minutes away from entry interface,
good for touchdown on the Martian surface at 9:54:15 Central.
[Jack] Pegasus is carrying most of the supplies
that the crew will need to set up camp on Mars,
including their new water and life-support systems...
Why didn't they bring that stuff with them?
Uh, it's too heavy, hon.
So they sent a different rocket that's landing today,
and then Emma will land Atlas right next to it.
All their things will be waiting for them there,
just like a... a big present on Christmas morning.
I bet your mom is so excited. Are you excited?
Totally.
[Jack] Our friends at JPL sometimes call the perilous descent to Mars
"seven minutes of terror."
[ethereal music playing]
[tablet chimes]
Stand by on an update from Jack.
[Kwesi] Seems a bit cruel, doesn't it?
We're a hundred times closer to Pegasus than Mission Control,
yet they get to learn its fate before we do.
Well, if it's of any consolation, when we land on Mars,
we'll know our fate before them.
Okay, wait. Here we go.
[Emma] All systems looking good.
Pegasus on course for entry interface in 21 minutes.
And of course, it would have taken roughly 20 minutes
for us to receive that message, so in reality...
Pegasus is about to enter the atmosphere.
[deep breath]
What would you say is the most likely thing
that could go wrong here?
I know a lot of people would say angle of entry.
Pegasus comes in one degree too shallow, it'll skip right off the atmosphere.
But...
I gotta go with parachute deployment.
That puppy opens a split-second too late and...
poof.
Freddie...
You're thinking heat shield malfunction?
I'm thinking we watch this in silence.
[Freddie] Oh. Speaking of...
Plasma blackout is likely during peak heating,
and we could lose radio contact for up to two minutes.
[phone chimes]
Radio contact has been interrupted, as expected.
Hold for two minutes.
[tense music playing]
[clock chiming]
[indistinct radio chatter]
[tense music continues]
Hopefully, any second now.
Radio Science, have you regained contact with Pegasus?
[man] Negative. Please stand by.
Copy that. Standing by.
-It's been two minutes. -Yeah, I know, hon.
They said they'd hear in two minutes.
I know.
-What does this mean? -Nothing yet.
[clock chiming]
Try them again.
-[Jack] Radio Science? -[man] Please stand by.
Come on, God damn it.
[clock chiming]
[man] Houston, Radio Science. Do you copy?
Copy that. Tell us you have a signal.
[man] That's a negative, Houston.
Radio Science, say again.
[man] All communication with Pegasus has been lost.
I repeat, all communication with Pegasus has been lost.
[computer chimes]
That means it just landed, right?
If everything went according to plan,
then yes, Pegasus just touched down on Mars.
All right.
Let's hope everyone in Houston is cracking open champagne.
[chatter]
Let's run... Let's run another diagnostic.
We should all meet in the conference room as soon as possible. No...
[phone ringing]
[Alexis sighs]
-[Alexis] Dad? -[Matt] It's gonna be okay, Lex.
But what if Pegasus really is gone?
-What if it blew up? -We don't know that's what--
[Alexis] Isn't that the stuff they need to live on Mars?
There's always a backup plan, okay?
And they can land and live on Atlas if they have to.
But you said they're already on the backup water system.
And that system's still working. They can continue on rations.
For how long?
And why didn't they send Pegasus a year ago?
They couldn't leave it in the dust and storms,
and there's already another Pegasus on the way.
Not for months.
They can make it that long if they have to.
But again, we don't know yet--
Exactly.
We don't know anything.
We don't know if Pegasus is sitting on the ground
or exploded into pieces,
or if the backup system is even going to last,
or if Mom's gonna survive.
[tablet chimes]
[Kwesi] Commander?
Emma?
"Signal uplink unsuccessful.
Attempting reboot. Please stand by."
[clears throat]
Uh, let's not get ahead.
All we know right now is the signal was lost,
but there's a hundred engineers in Houston working right now to get it back online.
-They won't. -Come on. Let's...
let's just let them do their job.
[Ram] Emma,
I... I appreciate what you're trying to do here,
but let's be honest, you know as well as I do
when a plane goes off radar,
that pilot isn't coming home.
[Kwesi gasps]
[Lu] Don't cry, Kwesi.
We can't spare water on tears.
Let's... let's talk water.
[Emma] If Pegasus really is lost, we know the contingency.
We land on Mars,
and we live on the Atlas until the next freighter arrives.
Well, that's not for another five months.
[sighs] Misha, I know you said it was a miracle
if the backup lasted more than three and a half weeks, but is there any--
Very unlikely.
But that's not even our biggest problem.
What are you talking about?
Let's say backup makes it that long,
which it won't, but let's say it does.
Even if we move to the most extreme rations,
we still consume more water than the backup can recycle.
Sooner than later,
we run out of water.
-How soon? -What's the best-case scenario?
Eight...
...ten weeks.
Which means we'll die of thirst
two months before the next freighter arrives.
Our attempts thus far to reboot the system have been unsuccessful.
[Darlene] We're not giving up, but we have to move forward
assuming Pegasus is lost and discuss next steps.
Nothing to discuss.
They land and live on Atlas.
Their water system isn't gonna last that long.
And whose fault is that? If your commander hadn't...
No. Wait a minute. You're gonna point fingers now?
-...system and insisted on backup... -After your cosmonaut
lied about his vision? Really?
[speaking Russian]
[in English] Is there no way to get a visual
and see if Pegasus landed?
What about using one of the rovers?
Not a chance. The nearest rover is over 1,000 miles from the landing site.
[speaking Mandarin]
[in English] She says nothing has changed.
[speaking Mandarin]
[in English] The primary objective of this mission
has always been to land a crew on Mars.
[Darlene] And return them safely home.
[speaking Mandarin]
-[in English] That's no longer an option. -Yes, it is.
Best-case scenario, they got ten weeks' worth of water, right?
If that, and the next freighter doesn't land on Mars for 20.
-But they're not gonna meet on Mars. -[Ryan] What?
-Can I borrow your tablet? -Yeah, of course.
[chatter]
So, right now, Pegasus 2 is roughly here,
but if we slingshot Atlas around Mars...
Atlas gets a gravitational assist from Mars.
[Matt] Picking up speed
and meeting with Pegasus 2 in...
I'd have to do the math, but it's definitely under ten weeks.
You're suggesting Atlas and Pegasus 2 dock in transit?
Both vehicles have docking capabilities. There's no reason why they can't.
The reason is they'd be flying at each other
at 32,000 kilometers an hour.
You're talking about a crew with no sleep, on minimal rations,
doing an impossibly complex task.
I'm talking about getting our crew back alive.
[speaking Mandarin]
[translator in English] Without ever landing on Mars.
[speaking Mandarin]
[in English] We had an agreement.
[speaking Mandarin]
[in English] Our great taikonaut will be the first human
to set foot on the Red Planet.
Circumstances have changed.
You really want the first humans on Mars digging their own graves there?
I would rather she die a hero on Mars
than return home a coward.
[clears throat]
[tablet chimes]
[in Mandarin] Dear Father...
I am hoping Mother will read you this message.
I know that sometimes you can get confused.
Delete "I know that sometimes you can get confused."
Dear Father...
perhaps you have heard the news
about our freighter ship by now.
Another spaceship is on its way.
I think...
And I wanted to assure you that...
[tablet chimes]
[sobs]
[crying]
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[tablet chimes]
And I wanted to assure you that...
...we are still on course to land in three weeks.
Your daughter will be the first person
to set foot on Mars.
Something no man has ever done before.
Respectfully yours,
Wang Lu.
[tablet chimes]
[tap water running]
[sighs]
-[water stops] -[sniffles]
[phone ringing]
[sighs]
Hey.
[Isaac] Hey. Lex, where are you?
I'm at Melissa's.
Did you see what happened?
Do they know for sure that Pegasus is gone?
They don't know anything for sure,
but most likely it blew up entering the atmosphere.
Could you come here?
What? You mean, like, now?
To Melissa's?
I'm really freaking out.
Melissa said she would kill me at the hospital.
She didn't mean that.
You've been really weird to me since the accident.
It really messed me up.
My accident messed you up?
I just keep thinking about how ashamed my dad would be
that I put someone without a driver's license on a bike.
You didn't put me on that bike.
What are you trying to say, Isaac?
I don't know.
Maybe we should just chill for a bit,
until things calm down.
Yeah. Okay, whatever.
-Uh, Lex-- -No, I...
I have too many unknowns in my life right now. [sighs]
[phone beeps]
[Melissa] The hardest part is not knowing. You know?
[Cassie] I hope she's okay.
[Melissa] You okay?
Was that your dad again?
No, it was Isaac.
He says he wants to chill.
-Whatever that means. -[sighs]
[Alexis sighs]
I should have killed him when I had the chance.
Mom!
[Melissa chuckles]
I just...
feel like my life is this big mystery right now. [sighs]
I don't know if my mom's gonna be okay.
I don't know if my dad will ever walk again.
I don't know if Isaac will ever talk to me again.
And I really, really liked him.
Oh, sweetie. Come here.
[Melissa] I'm sorry.
But there is one answer I could get.
Okay, that's good.
You need an answer, let's get you an answer.
My dad's not gonna like it.
[Melissa] Well, what is it?
[ethereal music playing]
[computer chimes]
[Emma's voice] All efforts to reestablish contact with Pegasus
have been unsuccessful.
However,
Ground has come up with a way for Pegasus 2 to reach us
within the ten-week window.
-How's that possible? -It's not.
[Misha] Unless Pegasus 2 has secret nuclear boosters,
in which case...
fire them up, baby!
No, that's not what she's saying.
They're sending us home.
What?
Ground is recommending we slingshot around Mars
and dock with Pegasus 2 in transit.
Ground is recommending or...
Matt is recommending?
-Excuse me? -This was your husband's idea.
-What? No, it wasn't. -[Lu] He's just like you.
-Willing to undermine the mission... -Lu...
-...so long as his wife comes home. -That's enough.
I said one time, "I wish I was home,"
and I was dehydrated out of my mind when I said it.
And I'll be goddamned if I let my crew die of thirst
when there are other options on the table.
Now, your orders are clear.
You're to assist Misha
while he does everything he can to keep that backup running.
Ram, Kwesi, you're with me in the command module
while we chart out a new flight path for a slingshot home.
For the record, Matt's not even allowed on the Mission Control floor.
He had nothing to do with this decision.
And it's pathetic
that you'd make this personal and suggest he did.
-[computer chimes] -[Matt] Hi.
I can only imagine what you're going through up there.
Knowing you as well as I do...
...I bet it's pretty damn complicated.
On one hand...
...I'm sure you're scared out of your mind.
And on the other, you can see Mars right out the window...
...closer than it's ever been.
[Kwesi] You can almost see where we would have landed.
See Hellas crater?
Follow me north over Hesperia plains,
just to the west of Elysium Mons.
There.
The edge of Utopia basin.
That's where I would have planted my garden.
I believe Mars was a garden once.
Those canyons didn't just make themselves. There had to have been great rivers there.
Mars was as rich and full of life as Earth is now.
And if we're not careful,
our planet will look like that someday soon.
Forgive me.
This might sound a little foolish, but...
...I thought that...
if I could bring life back to Mars,
then I could show people that it is not too late to save Earth.
I thought this was God's plan for me.
Surely God's plan wasn't for you to die.
Well... traditionally speaking,
God's a bit unforgiving
when it comes to his disciples sacrificing their lives.
I would have wanted to land on Mars eight months ago,
even if it meant certain death.
It's what I promised my brother.
[computer chimes]
Is that an update from Ground?
Message from Matt?
Um...
-I'll listen to it later. -No, go on.
-We can handle this. -I appreciate that. But let's--
Commander, we're just plugging in numbers. Go on.
And don't worry. You can come back and check the flight path coordinates.
[Emma chuckles]
You sure?
Yes. He's probably just found out you're coming home to him alive. Go.
Okay. You two let me know if you need anything.
[clanging]
Did Emma just fly by?
How did you know?
Your entire body went... [inhales sharply]
[sighs]
You'll have to forgive her, you know?
Why should I?
You've been working with Matt for weeks.
You think I'm wrong that this was his idea?
I don't know.
And frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
How can you say that?
Because I wanna live.
Yeah. Yeah, I know I'm not supposed to admit it.
I am Misha Popov.
Hero Russian cosmonaut. Space is my home.
But I wanna see my grandchildren again.
Maybe...
Maybe have my daughter forgive me before I die.
I, um...
How about you?
You don't wanna see your kid again?
Of course. Yes.
And the woman you love?
Yes.
Then on some level, you're not relieved we're going home?
No.
Why?
Because I didn't come here to fail.
Yeah.
[Misha breathes deeply]
Hammer.
Thank you.
[hammering]
[grunts]
[water burbling]
Much better.
I just don't entirely get your method.
My method? What? I... I'm doing diagnostic.
Okay, here. Give me your hand.
[Misha sighs]
[Misha] Here.
Can you feel that?
[soft rumbling]
Yes or no?
-Oh, sorry. Yes. -Yes. Okay.
So, to make this grumble,
what needs to be happening inside the machine?
I don't need to open it. Right? I... I can feel it.
I can listen to it.
Your doctor, he listens to your heart. He doesn't open you up, right?
Plumber listens to pipes.
Engineer, same thing.
[Misha groans]
Eyes are not the only way to see.
-[tablet chimes] -[Matt's voice] Hi.
I can only imagine what you're going through up there.
Knowing you as well as I do...
...I bet it's pretty damn complicated.
On one hand, I'm sure you're scared out of your mind.
And on the other, you can see Mars right out the window...
...closer than it's ever been.
Our life's work. Your life's work.
Life's work of your entire crew...
just within reach.
But I had to get you home.
I've given Ground Control a plan to get you back safely.
I'm sure you've gotten the instructions by now
and are planning your flight path. Soon you'll be home with Lex...
and me.
[tablet chimes]
[Matt] What's wrong, Em?
Lu was right.
Yeah, you probably should have figured out the slingshot was my idea.
No, not about that.
When I thought we were gonna die...
When I thought there were no other options left,
all I wanted was to be home...
...with you and Lex.
[sighs]
I failed, Matt.
No, you didn't.
You did not fail.
We're aborting the mission.
You're saving your crew.
Even if they don't wanna be saved?
What do you think would happen if the five of you went to Mars
and, within weeks, died terrible deaths?
You think anyone else ever goes again?
That's it. It's over.
You've shown the world this is possible.
You've gone farther than anyone else has ever gone.
Do you really think we have another shot at getting to Mars?
Next time we'll get it right.
But in the end, this isn't why I did this.
I just couldn't let you die on me.
I love you.
And we'll see you real soon.
[clicking]
That should be the last one. [sighs]
As soon as Emma confirms the coordinates...
...our course is set.
We're going home.
[Misha] Wait! Wait!
-[Ram] What? -[Misha] Hold on!
-What? -Okay.
Pegasus may still be alive,
and Lu knows how to find it.
[Ram] What are you talking about?
InSight.
We can use InSight to find it.
Lu, everyone on Earth is using whatever insight they have.
No, not that insight. InSight, the old Martian rover.
Technically, it was a lander and probe.
Well, I thought all the rovers were too far away to get a visual.
No, not a visual.
InSight might have heard Pegasus. Actually, might have felt it, right?
InSight had a seismometer
to measure Martian earthquakes.
That seismometer could detect the flap of a butterfly's wings in a room.
Why couldn't it register the shock waves
from Pegasus's entry?
From its sonic boom?
-But I thought it went offline years ago. -[Lu] No, no, no.
Just the satellite used to relay the signal.
Okay, but, uh, how are we gonna hear it?
We are not millions of miles away.
[Lu] We can listen to it on the UHF,
like a radio station that's come into range.
Right, but if we do hear the sonic boom, does that mean Pegasus landed intact?
-[Ram] Not necessarily. -[Misha] No, that means
Pegasus broke the atmosphere.
Yeah, but, Misha, it could have exploded on impact.
It could have caught fire.
It could have landed a thousand miles off course.
Exactly.
So if we hear no sonic boom, we know Pegasus is gone.
[Lu] Yeah, either way,
we cannot listen to it without command codes from Ground.
Command codes are issued to commanders.
And to her second.
No. You need to speak to Emma about this.
Well,
at this stage...
[Lu] Ram,
it's better we come to you.
Hey, Matt?
Can you come out here a sec?
[Alexis] I need to know if I have CCM.
I hadn't even realized how much it's been in the back of my mind.
I know you're afraid.
Afraid that I have it,
and that means that it's your fault, but...
it's not, Dad.
It's no one's fault.
I just need to know.
Okay.
[sighs]
Got it.
Lulochka, um...
...don't let it go to your head, but this idea of yours about InSight...
Genius. Really.
I got it from watching you.
No, you don't have to say that.
I know you think you're less than you used to be,
but I do not.
Even if you are an idiot
when it comes to your daughter.
Excuse me?
Always asking for forgiveness.
Okay. What's your idea, genius?
Tell her...
she makes you proud.
That's all she wants to hear.
[TV playing in Mandarin]
[in Mandarin] We received a message from Lu today.
[speaking Mandarin]
A message. From Lu.
Who?
Our daughter.
Whose daughter?
-I don't have a daughter. -Okay.
What are you talking about?
Whose daughter?
No one's. Take a breath.
[in English] What about the radio frequency?
-I have that memorized. -You memorized the frequency for InSight?
I've always had a fondness for the robots on Mars.
When I was young,
my father gave me a book on the first rover.
In his mind, he's teaching me science.
In reality, I would read about Sojourner
and imagine I was up there with it,
watching a sunset that's blue instead of red.
[Lu] There.
We're ready.
What the hell's going on here?
Emma, Lu came up with a brilliant idea
to use InSight to detect if Pegasus landed.
-InSight? -The old probe.
I mean, it's got a working seismometer, so...
[Ram] Well, in theory--
It could detect if there was a sonic boom.
Exactly.
But you wouldn't even be able to activate it without...
You went to Ram for the codes.
[Emma] Lu, I expect this from you right now,
but... Misha?
-[Emma] Kwesi? -Commander, I'm sorry,
but I knew you wouldn't risk the life of your crew,
even if we wished for it to be risked.
And you...
I have to say, this stings the most coming from you.
But, Emma, it wasn't just once.
What?
You told me yourself, in private, that...
...you wish you'd gone home.
And we probably still will.
If there's no sonic boom, there is no Pegasus,
we're going home, just like Emma said.
And if there is a sonic boom?
Then we go to Mars.
Oh, I get that you wanna go to Mars even if it means certain death.
What I want...
is my commander to lead.
I am leading,
and if Ground tells us that a sonic boom
means that there's even a decent chance that Pegasus is down there intact,
then hell yes!
Full speed ahead.
But we all know they're not gonna say that.
They're gonna say exactly what you said, Ram,
that if a plane disappears from radar, its pilot isn't coming home.
And the only thing a sonic boom gives us is a very faint and dangerous hope.
And that's all this mission is.
Lu...
And when did you forget that?
Where is the woman...
who stood on the Moon
and asked the whole world to believe in impossible things?
Who leapt off the side of a spaceship
with nothing to cling to... but hope?
Who went into her crewmate's room when he was sick,
and stood outside of my door
and told me it was okay to love?
Hope has never been my North Star.
Honor,
discipline,
duty.
Never hope.
Until I met you.
You...
Emma,
I don't wanna die.
I really don't.
But I'm willing to die
for hope.
Turn it on.
Right, it was scheduled to land at 9:54 Houston time,
and we lost contact at 9:48.
[computer chimes]
There's the seismometer feed. Nothing so far.
[tense music playing]
[thud]
-Holy shit. -That was it.
-[Kwesi] That... that has to be it. -Go again.
Shh. Shh.
[computer chimes]
[thud]
It broke the atmosphere.
There would be no boom if it had bounced off.
Again.
[computer chimes]
[thud]
It didn't blow apart.
[Misha] There would be more than one boom.
Play it again.
[computer chimes]
[thud]
[computer chimes]
[thud]
["Ship of Fools" by Grateful Dead playing]
[computer chimes]
♪ Went to see the captain ♪
♪ Strangest I could find ♪
♪ Laid my proposition down ♪
♪ Laid it on the line ♪
♪ I won't slave for beggar's pay ♪
♪ Likewise gold and jewels... ♪
Hey, guys.
Um...
It's been a really big day.
Lex,
I am so proud of you for facing your fears.
And having the courage to...
tell your dad what you need.
Now, um...
Now we wait.
But I have... no doubt that whatever comes next,
we can take it on together...
...as a family.
And I know this because...
...today I was reminded what got me here.
[Emma] It's the same thing I saw in you, Matt...
...that made me know...
...you are my soulmate.
It's the same thing that makes you the person you are, Lex.
Brave enough to get that test.
Hope.
Hope made us the people we are.
People who can chart voyages to the Moon...
and walk amidst the stars.
People who might inspire others to cure cancer
and CCM,
and end wars and...
...all the other things we wish we could change
in this crazy, crazy world.
Because the thought,
the mere possibility,
the hope that we might succeed is enough for us to keep trying.
[Emma's voice] Matt.
Matt, my love.
I want you to hear what we heard today when we woke up InSight.
[thud]
[Matt laughing]
[Emma's voice] You see what I'm talking about?
So, we're not coming home yet.
We will, soon.
But first, we're going to Mars.
♪ Sail away from me ♪
♪ It was later than I thought ♪
♪ When I first believed you ♪
♪ Now I cannot share your laughter ♪
♪ Ship of fools ♪
♪ It was later than I thought ♪
♪ When I first believed you ♪
♪ Now I cannot share your laughter ♪
♪ Ship of fools... ♪