03x05 - Seven Minutes of Terror

Episode transcripts for the TV show "For All Mankind". Aired: November 2019 to present.*
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Sci-fi series that explores the twist of what would have happened if the global space race had continued?
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03x05 - Seven Minutes of Terror

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[DANIELLE] Dr. Martin
Luther King observed


that there is democracy in death.

We all die...

whether we're old or young,

rich or poor,

innocent or guilty.

But we need not despair.

Because death is not the end.

It's only the beginning.

Commander Kuznetsov, if
you'd like to say anything?

Grief, though it is
difficult, can also be a gift.

Yes, we have lost Oleg Sidorov's body,

but we have what he has left
behind to mark our loss.


And now we have been
granted this moment to say,


"Goodbye.

Farewell, dear comrade. Farewell."

[IN RUSSIAN]

... and honor the sacrifice
of three brave souls.

It is with profound sorrow that we...

[REPORTER] In a somber ceremony,

President Wilson led the
nation, and the world,


in mourning those who were
lost during the rescue.


Representatives of the Soviet
space agency, Roscosmos,


are arriving in Houston today

to work with NASA on
their now-combined mission


as the former rivals have
become unexpected partners.


[SHUTTERS CLICKING]

Welcome to Johnson Space
Center, Director Catiche.

Thank you, Margo.

I think we can make a lot of this work.

There is another issue that is
not in these official proposals,

with which we will need your help.

Outside of official channels.

And what would that be?

Well, once our two countries
land together on Mars,

we want for our cosmonauts to resume

some of their original
mission objectives.

But to do so, we will need to
utilize some of your resources.

Drones, rovers, laboratory equipment,

perhaps re-tasking a satellite or two.

What exactly are these
mission objectives?

[CHUCKLES]

I am unfortunately
not at liberty to say.

Nonetheless, we will
require your assistance.

We have seen how cooperative you can be

under the most difficult circumstances.

I was told...

I was assured that there
would be no more requests.

Circumstances have changed.

Okay.

You want my help, you're
gonna have to help me.

I'm listening.

Sergei Nikulov.

I will work with him and only him.

Margo, you have to know
this is not possible.

Why? What happened to him?

Why have I been unable to reach him?

He was the director of
Roscosmos for over ten years...

your mentor,

the reason you even have a Mars program.

And then he just disappears?

He was given another assignment.

[SCOFFS]

Bullshit.

Margo, I really cannot...

- Okay, here's the deal, Lenara.
- ... have this discussion with you.

If you want my help,

then I want Sergei here in
Houston in two weeks or less.

Otherwise, no satellites,
no equipment, nothing.

- Okay, Louisa. Hit it.
- Executing now.

- [BEEPING]
- Good.

Good. Go ahead, Danny. k*ll it.

- [CLICKS]
- [BEEPING STOPS]

So, how are we doing?

Well, th time's the
charm. Right, Skipper?

- [BEEPING]
- [ALARM BLARES]

- Just lost my nav screen.
- Propulsion control is dead.

And?

And? [SIGHS]

[CHUCKLES]

Propulsion's coming back.

- Nav's reloaded.
- [NICK] We're in control, sir.

Ship is back in our hands.

Good. How do we make sure
it doesn't happen again?

Well, I fooled the computer into
thinking Dev's new system was corrupt.

So, we installed the older backup
version when we went into safe mode.

Which doesn't have Dev's overrides.

Exactly. I also cut the command
uplink receiver line to the antenna.

- Right, so we're good?
- Yeah. Yes, sir.

Okay. Let's go to Mars, people.

But first, I gotta send a message.

[HELIOS EMPLOYEE] Message from
Phoenix.
Patching it in now.

Dev, as I'm sure you've realized,

I have retaken control of my ship.

From now on, I'm calling the sh*ts.

You've dishonored this
crew, this ship, and Helios.


I intend to wash that stain
clean.
Phoenix out.

[EMPLOYEES CHATTERING]

[DOOR OPENS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

So we said we have
landing sites C, A, B.

All right. And once they land,

it's imperative that
the camera be positioned

from two different
angles to maximize the...

Uh, Karen, hold on a second.

Will you excuse us?

You wanna resign?

Yeah. Ed was right.

You should have let
him rescue the Russians.

It was the group's decision.

Don't. You orchestrated
that entire decision.

I asked for everybody's opinion.

[SIGHS] Yes, and everybody
in that room worships you.

So all you had to do was telegraph
the decision that you wanted

and they just delivered it.

So now I'm some kind of Svengali

with supernatural mind control powers.

Pretty much.

My daughter is on Sojourner,

and she could have been k*lled.

- But she wasn't.
- But three other people were.

And those people have mothers
and fathers and children

who are now heartbroken,

trying to figure out how they're
gonna find the strength to go on.

And I feel bad for them. I do.

- Really? [SCOFFS]
- Absolutely.

But I didn't ask anybody to
move their launches up to ' .

And I didn't ask the Russians to
push their engines past their limits.

I'm not letting you quit.

No? Watch me.

- You're in breach of contract.
- So sue me.

Karen. Karen, let's talk about this.

Karen.

[COSMONAUT] LH quantity at %.

Propellant transfer nearly complete.

[KELLY] Copy.

Approaching fill drain valve

and will standby to
disconnect transfer hose.

I'm still impressed Moscow could recover

attitude control of your ship remotely.

[COSMONAUT] I am impressed as well

with how well you
maneuver in that device.

[KELLY] Float like a
butterfly, sting like a bee.

[BEEPING]

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS] sh*t.

What's problem?

[SIGHS, SPEAKS RUSSIAN]

[IN ENGLISH] I can
help. It's no problem.

[SPEAKS RUSSIAN]

[IN ENGLISH] No.

Thank you.

What for?

For coming to our rescue.

I knew you could be trusted.

It was you who called.

I won't tell anyone.

Promise.

[SWITCHES CLICKING]

[BUTTON CLICKS]

[GRUNTS] Surprise!

[CHUCKLES] It's me.

Dad's still at work. I miss you.

[CHUCKLES] Yeah, I said it.

[CHUCKLES]

Dad says you're having a
real tough time up there.


And I was remembering the first time

I took the SATs and did so terrible.

Remember? [CHUCKLES]

I thought I was never
gonna get into college,


and I was gonna work at
Pizza Hut my whole life.


[CHUCKLES]

And I was sulking in my room,

and then you came in and you
told me that "That's in the past.


Focus on what you can do now."

It was good advice.

Anyways... [SIGHS]

- I love you.
- [INHALES DEEPLY]

[SIGHS]

[ALEIDA] Once is happenstance.

Twice is coincidence.

Three times is enemy action.

Hey, can you check...

Margo, those Russian
pricks stole my design.

Keep your voice down.

It's not unusual that they
came up with similar solutions

for a nuclear-thermal engine.

Similar.

Margo, these expansion
ratios match within . %.

Look, we should've known
the second we could refuel.

Their LH drain coupling mated exactly

with our in situ propellant hose.

The odds of that being
a coincidence are insane.

What are you telling me?

I should walk down there to Miss Catiche

and throw a monkey wrench into a
historic international space mission

because of some measurements
you took off a TV screen?

Yeah, I would.

I know you would. But
I need you to focus.

Sojourner is about to
make the final burn for Mars.

[DANIELLE] Checklist verified.

Five, four, three, two.

Initiate burn for Mars.

- [RUMBLING]
- [BEEPING]

Engine number one showed a .
bar drop in chamber pressure.

That's not good. It could
be a turbopump malfunction.

The FCC is pushing engine
two harder to compensate.

[DANIELLE] Engine one might have
been damaged in the collision.

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

Burn complete.

- [THUDS]
- [BEEPING STOPS]

Shutdown sequence initiated
on both main engines.

[DANIELLE] Prepare to
deploy the solar sail.

[WILL] Uh, we've got good
delta-v. We are on track for Mars.

Expect orbit entry three days
after Phoenix gets there.

Will, I want a full
diagnostic of engine one.

[SIGHS] We gotta get it
back up to rated thrust

in order to enter Mars orbit.

Do any of you have background in
nuclear thermal propulsion theory?

- No.
- Then Poletov will operate the engines.

He has the best Soviet training.

I don't know...

You'd rather fail and die, risk
your crew, than trust a Russian?

[SIGHS]

Will, run Comrade Poletov
through our procedures.

[POLETOV] Baldwin has better Russian.

You all right with that, Kel?

Yeah.

[SIGHS]

Hi, Ed. [SIGHS]

I, uh... I have a lot to tell you.

Uh... First, I wanna say, watching
you stand up for what was right

made me so proud.

It did. And... In fact, it inspired me.

I resigned from Helios.

Yep. [SIGHS] I am
officially unemployed again.


[ED LAUGHS]

[CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY ON HEADPHONES]

[ED CHUCKLES]

[CREW CHATTERING]

[ED LAUGHS]

[CREW CHATTERING]

Hey, Nick.

Hey. Hey, Danny.

Some real whiz-bang computer
geeking you pulled off last week.

Oh. Uh, thanks.

Yeah, didn't much like having guys

million miles away steering our ship.

No. Uh, it definitely
kinda ruins the whole, uh,

"master of our fate" type thing.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

How'd you finally get
past Dev's lockout?

Uh... [CHUCKLES]

Well, basically I kept giving
the flight control computer

things that can choke it like, uh,
recursive Fibonacci calculations

- until it locked up...
- [CLICKS FINGERS]

... and then rebooted in safe mode.

But you still had to get
past security, didn't you?

Well... Okay, so that's the fun
part. So, safe mode has a back door

which allows everything to run on
the password you used at launch.

- Which was?
- Rainbow. [CHUCKLES]

Rainbow. Great. Nice, Nick.

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS] Hi, Ed.

[SIGHS]

My goodness, I have a lot to tell you.

Um, first, I... I wanna say,

watching you stand up for what was right

made me so proud.

It did. In fact, it inspired me.

I resigned from Helios.

Yep. [SIGHS] I am officially
unemployed again.


I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do.

I just, you know, pulled
another Ed Baldwin.


I leapt first, and I'll
figure out the rest later.


[CHUCKLES]

I have to say, it
is... it is liberating.


[ALEIDA] As the reactor heats up,

the coolant pump comes up to
, rpm, which...
[INHALES SHARPLY]

... well, you don't need
to know those numbers,


because the software
manages the flow rate.


But then during thrust
buildup in retreat,


ensure CTRR does not exceed ,

plus or minus kelvin.

Why does she talk so fast?
I get everything up to CTRR.

It's short for chamber
temperature ramp rate.

[SPEAKS RUSSIAN]

Ah. You know, your NERVA is very
similar to our Russian engines

-once you get past these terrible...
-[SPEAKS RUSSIAN]

[LAUGHS] Where did you learn Russian?

Annapolis. Where did you learn English?

[SIGHS]

"I'm expressing with
my full capabilities

and now I'm living in
correctional facilities,

'cause some don't agree
with how I do this,

- I get straight, meditate...
- [CHUCKLES]

... like a Buddhist."

[CHUCKLES] You like N.W.A?

The way they use the
language, it is amazing.

And they paint very vivid
picture of life in America.

Have you been to Compton?

That is where people of color
live, no? In the ghettos.

I'm a person of color, and
I don't live in a ghetto.

Uh, you're from Vietnam.

Yes. But I left when I was very young.

You should go back one day,

see how a Marxist society
takes care of its citizens.

There are no poor people there.

Maybe because they were all k*lled.

- You get this from your father?
- [COMPUTER CHIMES]

No, I get it from history books.

Yes, but those books were written by...

You've got another vidmail from your
NERVA instructor, Comrade Trotsky.

[PIANO PLAYING]

[SIGHS]

[METRONOME TICKING]

[MUSIC STOPS]

[TICKING STOPS]

[KNOCKS]

[NURI] They're here.

As promised.

I am glad I was able to clear
up that little misunderstanding

about your security clearance, comrade.

Give us the room, Lenara.

I wasn't...

Five minutes.

I will be right outside.

[SIGHS]

Are you okay?

Okay, yes.

[GRUNTS]

[WHEEZES, COUGHS]

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

[SERGEI BREATHES SHAKILY]

When they told me you were
replaced as director of Roscosmos,

I tried to get ahold of you.

You just disappeared. No one
would tell me where you were.

[SIGHS] Lefortovo. [CLEARS THROAT]

The KGB prison?

Christ.

They discovered I had been giving you

more information than was permitted.

And then... then, after London,

I refused to... [COUGHS]
... to continue with...

[COUGHING]

Sorry.

[COUGHING CONTINUES]

Thank you. [COUGHS]

Ah. [SNIFFS] Thank you.

Ah. [SNIFFS] Ugh.

Were they... I mean, did they...

Yes.

But they did it very intelligently.
Without anger, you know?

They were very careful not
to break my nose, my teeth.

Instead, they work on my lungs...

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

... kidneys.

I thought that kind of thing
ended when Gorbachev came to power?

Not even Gorbachev can control the KGB.

[CHUCKLES] It's like trying
to keep a rabid dog on a leash.

[CHUCKLES, COUGHS]

[SERGEI BREATHES SHAKILY]

[SIGHS] Margo. I'm
so sorry for what I...

I didn't know what to do.

I tried to hold them off,

but they threatened my
father, my mother, my sisters.

I could not escape.

I lied to you.

You did. And I was very angry.

I still am. But I know
it was your only choice.

[STAMMERS, SNIFFS]

I'm sorry. [SOBBING]

And now, you're gonna help me.

I'm gonna get us out of
this, Sergei, both of us.

They've had us under their
thumb for long enough.

I'm gonna talk to the right
people and get you asylum.

No, no. Margo, no.

No. The... The KGB will
retaliate against my family.

You don't know what they
are... [COUGHS] Sorry.

You can't go back there,
not after what they did.

[COUGHING]

[ED] Helios control, Phoenix.
MOI burn complete.

Phoenix has now entered Mars orbit.

[HELIOS EMPLOYEES APPLAUD, CHEER]

We are on schedule for our first
landing attempt in a few hours.


They're in a stable orbit.

And NASA is still days behind us.

Phoenix out.

All right. Let's get Popeye
spun up for descent.

I got a wrinkle for you, Cap.

That dust storm we've been
tracking has gotten even bigger.

A real lulu.

How bad are things at our landing site?

Uh, visibility is less than ten
meters across the entire region.

And their forecast?

More of the same,

at the alternate landing sites too.

[SIGHS] All we can do is wait it out.

g*dd*mn it!

Our landing got delayed.

Sucks.

I really want to get this one for Dad.

He always regretted not
landing on Apollo .

Remember how he used to tell us...

he was so close he could just...

reach out and grab a
handful of moondust.

[BREATHES SHAKILY]

Been thinking about him a lot lately.

[SIGHS] It's been
harder than I thought...

especially with Ed around all the time.

You know, sometimes he talks
about Karen, and I feel so guilty.

But then, he puts his arm
around me or calls me "kid,"

and I just... I wanna strangle him.

He's got no f*cking idea.

Just looks at me with
that big, dumb grin.

I thought I'd be able to handle
it, but maybe you were right.

I guess I was just hoping that...

I... I don't know...

I could put it all behind me.

Anyway, you don't wanna
hear this sh*t. [SIGHS]

Do me a favor.

Sneak Avery some chocolate for
me when her mom's not looking.

[CLICKS]

[SIGHS]

[POLETOV] It's ridiculous. I have
doctorate in nuclear physics.


I will not be treated like a child
by an arrogant, self-taught Yankee.


She's right. You need to have
these emergency procedures down.

Rosales is just making sure you
know, and that we know you know.

She's trying to make me look
like a fool in front of you.

Why would you care what I think?

I'm just a stupid, fascist reactionary.

No. Not stupid. I never said that.

You are extremely bright,
beautiful, fascist reactionary.

Beautiful?

Well, f-for an American.

[CHUCKLES]

[CREW WHOOPING, CHEERING]

- [DANIELLE] Yes!
- [CREW LAUGHING]

[KELLY] What is it?

- Helios can't land.
- Why not?

Well, the dust storm is getting worse.

If it'll last just a few more days...

Me hearties, I think
we're still in this race.

- Yeah!
- [CHEERS IN SPANISH]

[CREW LAUGHING, CHEERING]

[WAYNE] Then you grind the
buds into a fine powder.

[GRINDER WHIRRING]

- [WAYNE] Pretty good, right?
- Mm-hmm.

Mmm, that smells good.

Humboldt County. Premium blend.

- Ah.
- Okay.

Make sure you don't lose any.

Now spread it evenly
over the melted butter.

Mm-hmm.

And then simmer for two hours.

- [KAREN] Mmm.
- [WAYNE] Whoo!

[LAUGHS] Well, thank you, Julia Child.

[CHUCKLES] Bon appétit!

- [CHUCKLES]
- I'm ready!

- Oh, it's a good batch.
- [LAUGHING] Yeah?

Okay.

Mmm. Wow!

[WAYNE] Right?

- Mmm.
- Molly and I call them goo balls.

Oh, my God.

Brace for impact in about minutes.

[KAREN] Mmm.

Mmm.

It is really peaceful out here.

Yeah. It is.

I haven't really had a
chance to enjoy it until now.

You really gonna quit?

I have. It's done.

Mm-hmm.

What?

It's just funny. It's like...

There's this writer, Ken Kesey,

and he said each of us is
like the star of our own movie.

Okay. Maybe your goo ball is kicking
in. Explain to me what that means.

Well, think about it. A cop sees
himself as the star of a crime thriller.

The criminals, his partner,
they're all supporting players.

Or an astronaut sees herself in .

The question is, what
would, uh, Karen's movie be?

Don't you dare say The Graduate.

Oh, okay. Well, look,

- your sordid past is safe with me.
- Mm-hmm.

That one's a little too on the nose.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Okay, what movie?

I don't know. I don't know.

I'd stumbled into it 'cause
I wanted to help Ed, so...

All right. So, your movie
is Saint Karen,

- the, uh, altruistic, uh, martyr...
- [SCOFFS, CHUCKLES]

- ... who went to save her hapless ex-husband...
- Yes.

- ... from abject failure.
- Uh-huh.

- Such a selfless...
- Shut up.

- ... magnanimous humanitarian.
- Yes, I... I get it. I get it.

I did it for me too.

But why?

I remember the day so clearly...

[CHUCKLES]

... that Tracy told me she
was chosen to be an ASCAN.

I was angry with her, with all of them.

I felt like they were judging me.

Because they were
doing what you couldn't?

No. God, no. I don't wanna go
to space. I f*cking hate space.

Oh, me too. [CHUCKLES]

But they had the nerve to... to try.

You know? To change their life, and...

Took losing Shane for me to do that.

Right.

I think sometimes our best
moments come from our worst.

Like Molly. She was a mess after NASA.

No idea what to do with herself.

And then, one day, she picks
up one of my paintbrushes

and starts painting.

And she came alive.

- I'm sorry, Molly Cobb's painting?
- Molly... Yes! She loves it.

And of course, being
Molly, she's good at it too.

How? She can't even see.

No, no. Hey, look, Monet could
barely see by the end of his career.

Well... [SIGHS] ... I am no artist.

All right. Okay.

So, what are you? What does Karen love?

I love taking risks. Love negotiating.

I love building things
from the ground up.

And I'm damn good at it.

Yes, you are.

- Wow.
- What?

Do you see the way the
sunlight hits the water?

It's, like, liquid art.

[CHUCKLING] Welcome to the goo.

- Oh, God. [LAUGHS]
- I told you.

[LAUGHING]

Okay. Okay. Okay, okay. I'm...

[STAMMERS] I'm stoned.

[LAUGHING] I'm very stoned.

Oh, my God.

Wayne came over and he
taught me how to make...


We made... [WHISPERS]
... marijuana desserts.

Goo balls! He taught me
how to make goo balls.


[LAUGHING] I mean, what's next?

[GROANS]

I'm... I'm just happy for you.

I'm so happy for you. I mean,
you're going to Mars, Ed.


Mars. Can you hear me?
You are going to Mars, Ed!


Mars. Holy sh*t!

You're... [SIGHS] ... going to Mars.

I... I'm so proud of you.

[LAUGHS]

[TAPS KEY]

[LAUGHS]

What are you doing?

I-I may just have to try
one of those desserts.


- Just don't tell Kelly, or I'll...
- [KNOCKS]

- ... never hear the end of it.
- [ED] Danny, you up?

[VIDEO STOPS]

My cabin.

I'm glad we're finally doing this.

I've been thinking a lot about
Apollo the past few days,

about me and your dad.

[SIGHS] Could've been
me and him sittin' here.



Or if things had...

It might've been you and Shane.

He always wanted to be
an astronaut like you.

[SIGHS]

It still hurts.

Even after all these years,

I keep hoping that with more
time it'll get easier, but...

it doesn't. [SIGHS]

Sometimes it feels like
it's getting harder.

It must've been tough on Karen too.

Yeah.

I gotta say, I'm amazed
at how far she's come.

[SIGHS] I'm not. That
woman's a force of nature.

God help anyone who
tries to get in her way.

Oh, yeah. [CHUCKLES]

- I've seen that side of her.
- When?

The, uh...

[INHALES SHAKILY] The... The...
The summer I worked at the Outpost.

God pity the supplier
who screwed up an order.

[CHUCKLING]

Yeah. [CHUCKLES] I've seen that.

[CHUCKLES] You and her seem
to be getting along well.

Uh, I don't know if it's that
so much as us just realizing,

you know, how close we've always been.

Even in the tough times, you know?
Especially in the tough times.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's why I gotta say,
I was surprised when you...

you know, got divorced.

I mean, that was a shocker.

- Yeah.
- What happened exactly?

Oh, um... there was a lot of things.

Did you, uh... Did
you f*ck around on her?

No. I'd never do that.

So, what happened?

Oh, my God.

Karen?

Really?

[CHUCKLES] I can't believe it.

It was a onetime thing, you know?

M-More about us than the other guy.

Yeah, right. That's
the standard bullshit.

It's not.

She took a vow before
God to always be faithful,

then broke it.

You're a kid.

I used to think like
that when I was your age.

Saw everything in black and white,

good or bad, and nothing in-between.

But the older you get,

the more you start to realize that
things aren't always that simple.

Forgiveness...

is a long, hard road, Danny.

But at the end is grace.

She... She ever tell you who it was?

Doesn't matter.

Yeah, I guess not.

But if you, uh... If
you ever found out...

think you could forgive him?

If I ever found out who it was,

there'll be nothing left of him
but a greasy spot on the carpet.

[DANIELLE] Houston, Sojourner.
We are nearing Mars orbit.

Our telemetry shows
Phoenix is just ahead of us.

We are beginning
preparations for landing,


based on the new descent
trajectory you sent us.


[CHATTERING]

- [SIGHS]
- [ENGINEERS SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

[SIGHS]

I was right there when
Apollo landed on the moon.

We weren't sure if they
were gonna make it back.

Twenty-five years later and I
still have the same butterflies...

[INHALES SHARPLY] ... in my stomach.

- [CHUCKLES]
- [CLEARS THROAT]

Of course. Uh, Mars
is much more difficult,

much more dangerous than the moon.

Of the first probes we sent,

we lost all but two
during descent and landing.

We lost three out of our first
nine. Entry, descent and landing.

The seven minutes of terror.
That's what we call it.

[CHUCKLING] That's...
That's a good name.

[SIGHS]

For what it's worth, I... I
have a good feeling this time.

It's good to see you smile again.

Excuse me. Director Madison?

- I thought I told you to let this go.
- I couldn't.

- Listen, we...
- Alexei's a quick study, but he is too quick.

All the procedures he
used on the Russian engines

are the same that we use on ours.

They left their documents
aboard Mars- ,

yet he had the "never
exceed" parameters memorized.

He'd have to. You don't have time
to look those up in an emergency.

Right, so... Please,
Margo, just look at this.

Okay, Russian combustion
chamber overtemperature redline


- was , kelvin.
- " , kelvin."

Chamber overpressure redline

- is . bar.
- " . bar."

[POLETOV] Turbopump
overspeeds at , rpm...


" , rpm." And he
goes on, but the point is,

all of his values
match up with our NERVA.

He's gotta be using our numbers

- to keep from revealing his own.
- Can't be.

These don't come from the engines
currently on Sojourner.

These numbers...

are from ' .

These are our current numbers.

Why would Alexei
memorize our old numbers?

Where would he get
them in the first place?

From a rivet-by-rivet copy of
our engines from two years ago.

[SIGHS]

Margo, it's the only way.

Somebody at NASA must've
given them our design.

Right now,

we need to focus on getting our
astronauts safely down on Mars.

But...

once we've done that,

I will take this to the DOJ.

But you need to stop
obsessing over this.

[SIGHS]

Thank you, Margo.

Just leave 'em.

[DOOR CLOSES]

With Phoenix just
minutes ahead of Sojourner

it remains anyone's race to
win as the whole world waits

to see who will land first
on the surface of Mars.

The massive dust storm that has
obscured both ships' landing sites

for the past several days is
being constantly monitored.

As each ship nears the
landing decision point,

what they call their "go/no-go,"

each commander must decide whether
the dust storm has cleared enough

to proceed with a safe landing.

If they make the decision to not land,

the ship will make
another full orbit of Mars

until they come back around to
the very same decision point,

an orbit that would take over two hours.

But at that point, they may have
already lost the race for Mars.


The stakes could not be
higher for both crews,


as years, even decades, of
preparation and planning


comes down to this moment.

Come on, people. This
clock is ticking here.

What have we got?

That looks exactly like
the one from yesterday.

Yes, but when you A/B the two...

Dust is thinning.

We should confirm it on
our next satellite pass.

Then we'd be committed to another orbit.

By that time, Sojourner
will already be on the ground.

[LOUISA] It would be a very
high-risk landing, Commander.

What do you say, kiddo?

- Let's go for it.
- Attaboy.

Prep Popeye for launch.

[DANIELLE] Houston, Sojourner.

Main propulsion system
configured for landing burn.


[SIGHS] Okay.

In six minutes, we either enter
orbit or go for the ground.

Round the horn. EECOM?

EECOM is go for direct
entry, descent and landing.

Props?

Pressure in propellant
tanks, reactor values nominal.

Guidance?

Sojourner's configured for entry,

descent and landing.

Ready in all respects, Commander Poole.

Okay, Rolan, what are
we looking at down there?

Site relay's saying wind - - at .

Visibility . Ceiling unknown.

[SIGHS]

[DANIELLE] Too risky.
Visibility's still below minimums.

We'll try again for landing when
we come back around in two hours.

Are you ready, Mr. Stevens?

Yes, sir.

Then let's roll.

Phoenix, Popeye is go for Mars descent.

Roger, Popeye. Godspeed.

New radar contact separating
from Phoenix.

- It's their lander.
- Jesus. Ed is going for it, even in this.

They feel us breathing down their necks.

If we go down direct,
we could b*at them.

We only get one sh*t at this,

and I do not intend to risk
this crew or this mission

on a low-percentage attempt.

Again with the caution. Helios is
going to set down in minutes.

For the honor of our two
nations, we cannot wait.

If Ed can't see, he doesn't have
the gas to hang around and wait.

He's gonna need a miracle
to get through this.

I'm telling you, land now.

Mr. Kuznetsov, I am the
commander of this vessel.

From this moment on, your
unrequested opinions are not welcome.

Rolan, if you hear one more peep
out of that guy, k*ll his mic.

With pleasure, Commander.

[LANDER RATTLING]

[MISSION CONTROL] Popeye entry,
descent, and landing systems


- functioning nominally.
- Here we go.

Telemetry from Sojourner
indicates no burn.

Still approaching their go/no-go point.

[EMPLOYEE ] Atmospheric
entry altitude confirmed.

[WILL] Commander, we've got seconds

until our landing decision point.

What do you want to do?

[DANIELLE] Rolan, are you
seeing what I'm seeing?

Wind -niner- at . Visibility .

It's clearing up.

[ROLAN] Yes. Visibility's improving.

Range to touchdown , .

Go or no-go in eight
seconds. Seven, six...

Button up, people.
We're going straight in.

Get ready for a bumpy ride.

Execute!

[RUMBLING]

[LOUISA] Sojourner has
started their Mars descent.


They are right on your heels.

Altitude , meters.
Range . klicks.

- [BEEPING]
- Warning. GPS nav system failure.

[DANNY] We've lost the Mars GPS signal.

[LOUISA] Ed, without GPS, you
don't have precision navigation.


You might want to consider aborting.

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

Descent command engine override off.

Descent command engine override off.

[DANNY] Altitude ,
meters. Speed .

[BEEPING STOPS]

Continuing descent.

[DANIELLE] Get ready for
a bumpy ride. Execute!


Sojourner has begun
direct descent, Flight.

She's got this.

She's got this.

[DANIELLE] How's the weather, Rolan?

Wind -niner- at .

- [DANNY] , meters. . klicks.
- Warning. System failed.

Speed , coming
down at , a minute.

[COMPUTER ALERT, BEEPING STOP]

Come on.

Descent engines.

Doors opened. Engines armed.

Alexei, you're up.

Decent engines' pre-valves open.
Propellant pressure nominal.

Light 'em up!

, meters. Down to .

[BEEPING RESUMES]

[DANNY] I've lost altitude info.

The altimeter can't
see through the dust.

And we aren't gonna know how
close we are to the ground.

Switching to manual.

Gonna arrest our descent here
and just feel our way down.

Come on.

[DANNY] No visual
reference. Dust is too thick.

Still looking.

[ED] Keep your eyes out
the window for the horizon.

Come on!

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

Starting the abort sequence.

[DANNY] Are you kidding? No.

Phoenix, Popeye aborting to orbit.

No, give me control. Give me
control. I will get us down.

My decision is final!

[KELLY] Altitude radar's losing
lock. We're landing blind.


[DANIELLE] Gear down.

[WILL] Gear down and
locked. Down in ten.


Five.

[DANIELLE] Still too fast!

[DANIELLE] Houston, Happy Valley base.

Sojourner has safely landed
eight human beings on Mars.


[CHEERING, WHOOPING]

- Yeah!
- [LAUGHS]

Yes! [LAUGHING]

Yes!

[SPEAKS RUSSIAN, LAUGHS]

[IN ENGLISH] Yes!

- We did this.
- [CHUCKLES] Yes.

- We made this happen.
- Yes, we did.

We... We did. [CHUCKLES]

And now we're gonna
finish what we started.

I'm gonna get you and your family
over here, whatever it takes.

[COUGHING]

[CHEERING CONTINUES]

[SOFTLY] Well done.

[NEWSCASTER] This is a landmark day

in the long saga of the human race.

The now-combined American and
Soviet crew of Danielle Poole,


William Tyler, Rolan Baranov,

Kelly Baldwin, Grigory Kuznetsov,

Dimitri Mayakovsky, Isabel
Castillo and Alexei Poletov


are the first human beings
to land on another planet.


Let's go to the White House

where President Ellen Wilson
and President Mikhail Gorbachev


are about to address a crowd
of reporters and well-wishers.


Today, we did one of the
hardest things imaginable.

And this time, we came not alone,

but with our former rival,

working together as true partners.

[BEEPS]

Okay. The EVA ramp is fully lowered.

Good. Now, once we step out,

let's all take a moment to j...

Hey, what the hell are you doing?

Going onto surface.

No, I'm goin' first. That was the deal.

[PUSHING BUTTONS]

I remember no such deal.

If you don't step your commie
ass back from that hatch,

I'm gonna come over
there and smack you down!

Move it. Damn it!

[NEWSCASTER] And there it is,

our first images from
the surface of Mars.


We're waiting to see the first
human set foot on the Red Planet


as Aleksei Leonov did on
the moon years ago.


- There's some movement.
- [CROWD CHEERING]

It looks like a cosmonaut
and an astronaut.


Which one will take the...
Wait. They're going together!


How inspiring.

["I CAN SEE CLEARLY" PLAYING]
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