Thats enough. Were approaching|heat barrier. Lets level off.
Recover One, this is Falcon.|Beginning descent now.
Roger, Daedalus.
Got you on the scope, Frank.
Miss October.
Bing. 1 10,000th floor,|ladies lingerie.
You catch that, Hawk?
Shes all right. Shes just|talking to me, thats all.
You trust me, dont you?
We re taking her down.|Thats an order.
Oh, here we go again.
Frank.
Look at that.
Thats where were going.
l dont know how|and l dont know when but....
Fly me to the moon|And let me play among the stars
Come on, baby.
You want to get out|and give us a push?
We got to eject!
At 1 1 2,000 feet?|Are you out of your mind?
No choice.|Were not riding this one out.
Call mayday!|Were popping! Were popping!
-lm not losing another ship.|-Dont think about it.
Just do it!
lll count down to one.|You ready? One.
Shit!
Crazy son of a bitch almost|landed like a bug on a windshield.
This is it!
First one down wins the prize!
Youve always got to push things|to the limit.
Thats what l do best, Frank.
Get off me!
Come on, you guys! Break it up!
Come on.
ls that smoke l smell?
Looks like a fire out by Ridgecrest.
We crashed the X-2.
My 4-million-dollar X-2?
ls that the X-2 youre referring to?
We did break both speed|and altitude records, sir.
And beat the free-fall mark|by 30,000 feet.
Three planes in ten months.|Thats bound to be a record too.
The engine failed. The aircraft went|in a flat spin. We couldnt recover.
But you made it.
Thats the important thing.
And you made it...
...just in time, Frank.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press...
...lm Major Bob Gerson, United States|Air Force, and l hold in my hand...
...a directive from the president|of the United States of America.
lt reads:
Effective immediately,|the Air Forces involvement...
...in outer atmosphere|testing and exploration...
...is hereby terminated.
A new civilian agency...
...the National Aeronautics and Space|Administration, is this day chartered.
Project Daedalus is now complete...
...and designated|Mission Accomplished.
The Air Force is out?
What about the pilots?
Who will be|the first American in space?
A decision has been made.|After an exhaustive search...
...weve identified who can best|carry out a mission of this magnitude.
This job calls for toughness,|both mental and physical toughness...
...and in the tradition of|the best of the Air Force...
...an ability to follow orders|to the letter.
Ladies and gentlemen,|ld like you to meet Maryanne...
...the first American|to cross into outer space.
Look, Frank.|She wants to shake your hand.
You bastard.
Shake her hand for the cameras, Frank.|That is an order.
lt just isnt responding.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is|mission director Sara Holland.
Shes been monitoring|the situation closely...
...and she assures me|that the problem is well in hand.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
As you may know, 1 1 days ago,|atmospheric tracking determined...
...that Russian communications|satellite lkon...
...has initiated orbital degradation.
Computer trajectory models|predict a steady acceleration...
...in sequence with|the gravitational constant.
Theres a systems failure in online|navigation and guidance avionics.
All redundant systems|are non-responsive.
Without active course correction|in the next 30 to 40 days...
...the satellite will reenter|the Earths atmosphere.
And crash?
General.
lkon has served you for 14 years.
That is in the performance range|of a communications satellite.
lt will probably crash in the ocean|or burn up in the atmosphere.
l think its best that we let it.
My countrys grateful for the efforts|of NASA and the State Department.
However, losing lkon is not an option.
lkon is not just a communications|satellite to the Russian Federation.
lkon is the communications satellite.
You are undoubtedly aware|of our restructuring programs.
Losing all telecommunications...
...until were able to replace lkon|could plunge us into chaos.
And perhaps...
...even civil war.
Hard to believe you fellas|only have one bird up there.
Couldnt we just|transfer the workload?
Gene. Excuse me, Sara.
We have a presidential mandate|to assist the Russians...
...our partners in|the lnternational Space Station.
And l assure you|that we will fix this problem.
lts just a glitch.
You are feeding these guys|bold-faced lies.
lts a waste of money|and my staffs time.
Sara, youre one hell|of an engineer...
...but you dont know jack-shit|about politics.
Helping the Russians save face|is an act of good faith.
How can you put a price on that?
This thing is dumb as a post.|lts dead in the air.
lKid, why dont you stop trying|to talk to the satellite?
You have the code.|Override the guidance system.
You want to figure that mess out?
The guidance system on this thing|is a dinosaur.
Even these guys dont understand it.
lts pre-microprocessor.|lts pre-everything.
Whoever designed this|Byzantine piece of shit...
...is probably chopping rocks|in Siberia.
Ethan, can l access the Skylab files|from here?
What does that have|to do with anything?
A damn fine politician, but you dont|know jack-shit about engineering.
This is the guidance system|from Skylab.
Thats not possible.
Maybe theres similarities,|but they cant be the same.
lm looking up the designer.
Hell. Dont bother.
lt was Francis D. Corvin.
ls he dead?
Only if lm lucky.
Would you like me to read|the instructions to you again?
Let me tell you something, my dear.
A fella in Japan wrote those|instructions when he made this thing.
They were probably translated|by some gringo...
...an expatriate American who|couldnt get a job in this country.
Then a Japanese guy probably|translated him to double-check on him.
We dont need these instructions.|Not at all.
Tear them up.
You know the door to the house|is locked, right?
Well, its no problem.
-You forgot the batteries?|-Yeah.
lve got you here in the garage.
The smell of gasoline, of fertilizer.
What do you say, baby?
lll push you up on this washer|and turn you a few cycles.
-lll turn this washer on....|-Help! Oh, help!
lm locked in the garage|with a dirty old man!
-Didnt we do this once 20 years ago?|-Yeah, l know.
Dr. Corvin?
Yes.
Excuse me, sir,|am l interrupting something?
-Yeah.|-Dr. Corvin, lm Sara Holland...
...and this is astronaut Ethan Glance.
Were with NASA.
lt was in your car.|l heard someone scream.
Thanks for saving the day.|Now what is it you want?
Could we have|a minute of your time?
You shouldve called ahead of time.|lm a very busy man.
Dr. Corvin, were here because a|satellite with your guidance system...
...is about to reenter the atmosphere.|The system is non-responsive.
You want to take a crack at it?
There seems to be an interruption|in the path here.
But the circuitry still works.|lts sending us data.
Youre losing your uplink.
There has to be a problem|in the manual routing drive.
l dont think so.
Thats the consensus|among the engineers.
Same engineers that sent you two here?
Sorry, does that bother you?
Yes, it does, actually.
Your design predates|all existing guidance systems.
lt was ahead of its time in 69|but this technologys obsolete now.
None of the current engineers|even speak the language...
...and the older guys are all...
-...are....|-Yeah.
lt wasnt designed for this|duration of duty, thats what.
lt was designed for the Skylab.
My advice is to capture it|and bring it home.
lts too big.
For the space shuttle?|What kind of bird is it?
lts a Russian|communications satellite.
What the hells my guidance system|doing on a Russian satellite?
Thats not our primary concern|at this time.
Wheres it orbiting? Or is that|not your primary concern either?
Rate of decay?
lts coming home,|five weeks at the most, l got.
NASAs calculations agree.|But here we are.
Doctor, you designed this system.
lf anyone can solve this problem,|its you.
For a minute there, l thought|you two might be Bob Gersons lackeys.
But your knowledge...
...and your knowledge of history|seems to make that impossible.
Gersons been taking credit|for my work since 58...
...when he replaced my ass|with a monkey.
You dont work for Gerson, do you?
Hes a project manager at NASA. Hes|one of many assigned to this problem.
l think its time for you two|to head on out of here.
-Dr. Corvin, your country needs you.|-Put a sock in it, sonny.
Cant fix it from down here and|cant get a team up there in time.
That satellites dying. ltll|come back. My only hope is that...
...whatever doesnt burn up in the|atmosphere lands on Gersons house.
lll give you two career advice: Stay|away from Gerson, as far as possible.
Apparently the buzz on yous correct.
And what buzz is that?
Youre not a team player.|Thats why you washed out at NASA.
Get out.
We have to brush up|on your hospitality skills.
l think l have a solution|for your problem.
Frank Corvin.
So how long has it been, Frank?
Probably not long enough, Bob.
Still havent lost|the Corvin charm, have we?
-Would you like a cup of coffee?|-Sure.
-Sara?|-No, thanks.
Miss Holland tells me youre|up to speed on our little problem.
Weve got one sick bird up there.
Apparently, theres some kind of|design flaw in the guidance system.
This is a hell of a way to get|the designer to help you out.
l heard all about your|initial response.
But dont you worry none.|lm sure well come up with something.
Dr. Corvin is here with a solution.
Well, praise the Lord and hallelujah.|We are delivered.
So...
...tell us about your solution, Frank.
Send my team up. Well fix|your broken satellite for you.
-Damn good cup of coffee.|-Do you want to run that by me again?
Team Daedalus.
Jerry, Hawk, Tank. Send us up.
-This is a joke. Am l right?|-lts no joke.
We were the best of the best.|Even youll admit to that.
How old are you, Frank?
Old enough to know|your ass is in a sling.
Sara,|would you excuse us for a minute?
This is about to become|a personal matter.
l know youre running out of options.|Otherwise youd have never come to me.
You sure as hell got that right.
Youve got a satellite thats gonna|come down in 34 days.
Too big to retrieve...
...and for some reason you dont want|it to crash in the atmosphere.
l did the design system.|lm the man to fix it for you.
l dont know how to break this to you,|but youre an old man.
Yeah?
This old mans all youve got.|You know that and l know that.
Hell, you sent up Glenn, didnt you?|lll be waiting to hear from you.
You became a senior citizen|five years ago.
Four.
Hell, Frank. For once in your life,|try to be a team player.
Train the crew if you want to.
But let the professionals at NASA|fix that design flaw.
There is no flaw.
How it got on a Soviet satellite|during the Cold War is the only flaw.
How did that happen, Bob?
l dont know.
This is a hands-on job and l dont|have time to train somebody...
...to come up in time.
So youll just have to|send up Team Daedalus.
-You can take it, or you can leave it.|-All right, all right.
You as a technical advisor, maybe.
But l cant fill up a space shuttle|with geriatrics.
You should be professional enough|to know that!
Hell, half those boys|are probably dead anyway.
Clocks ticking, Bob.|And lm only getting older.
Okay. You got it.
Sir.
Mr. Gerson would like you|to wait right here.
Okay, its a deal.
l want it in writing.
Okay.
Now hear my terms.
You and your entire crewll have to|meet the physical requirements.
Youll all train to fix that guidance|system side by side with my people...
...in case one of your boys|doesnt pass.
-l think thats fair.|-Youre damn straight it is.
lll enjoy watching you make|a complete ass of yourself.
lts gonna be a real pleasure|working with you again.
Romans...
...Chronicles. Chronicles. Ah, yes.
ln the 40th year,|Amariah begat Zadok...
...who begat Libni...
...the brother of Uzziah.
No, thats not it, either.
Just....
No....
Once upon a time, four of the best|pilots in the U.S. Air Force...
...trained to fly into space.
They flew at the speed of sound|to the very top of the sky...
...cheating death and free-falling|from 20 miles high.
Nice to see you, young man.
-And you, sir.|-Reverend.
lts nice to have|you young people here.
Hey, boss.
Excuse me, my former boss.
l bring glad tidings, Reverend Tank,|in the name of Team Daedalus.
lt seems there might be|resurrection after all.
Come in and lets talk about it.
l dont know, Frank.|Thats a very complicated proposition.
-l have a flock and grandchildren.|-Theyll be here when you get back.
Thisll give you material|for three or four more sermons.
-lll need to pray about this.|-Could it be a quick prayer?
Just wait a moment,|my stiff-necked brother.
lm receiving a word from on high.
And what is that word?
The word is, why the hell not?
There you go.
Good.
Second ones too fast.
Some little Johnny|will pass out on us there.
Now hes building roller coasters.|Thats perfect.
-Your fathers a gifted man.|-Hes gifted, all right.
Too flat.
Oh, boy. We have some work to do.
Hey, sweetheart.
-You did good.|-They didnt do what l--
Hey, Frank.
Holy cow. What are you doing here?
Finding out what youre doing|for the next month and a half.
NASA wants to send us into space.
l wondered which one of us|was gonna go first.
Senile dementia.
Frank Corvin, my associate, Cherie.
-Cherie.|-Hi.
Whatd you have for breakfast?
l had vegetarian huevos rancheros,|egg whites only, of course...
...and then some sort of|a filtered decaf cappuccino...
...that was filtered|through a jockstrap.
-What are you talking about? NASA--|-Right here.
Right here. Heres our contract.
You dont need those, do you?
No. Just to read. And go to movies,|drive, walk. You know.
-Holy cow. How on earth--|-Are you in?
Am l in? Hell, yeah.
l cant believe it. Team Daedalus.|We ride again.
Hawk mustve gone into orbit|when you told him.
l havent talked to Hawk yet.
l havent talked to Hawk|in a long time, Jerry.
When are the two of you gonna grow up|and stop acting like little boys?
lts my birthday and l want|the shit scared out of me.
l wanna do barrel rolls and loop-the|loops. All that kind of stuff.
We dont do that kind of flying.|lts dangerous and irresponsible.
-Yeah, too many lawsuits.|-Well, who does?
He does.
Sweet.
Hey, Hawk.
-This guy wants a scary ride.|-lts my birthday.
Happy birthday.
Oh, were upside-down! Oh, yeah!
Here comes the fun part.|Were going weightless.
l dont think that|thats such a good idea!
Youre crazy!
lm so sorry.
Whered you get the bright idea|to eat a big lunch...
...before you come out here|and went flying?
-lm sorry. lll clean it up.|-Thats all right. lll get it.
Congratulations!
You earned your wings today,|young man. My hats off to you!
Well done! Yes, sir.
-Splendid work.|-Thank you.
l surrender to you.
-l love you and being on the ground.|-Whats that smell?
You know what the worst day|of my life was?
The day Armstrong|set foot on the moon.
l was the only one that wanted|to commit suicide that day.
Thanks. We havent talked|in 1 2 years...
...and thats been|the big question on my mind:
What could make you commit suicide?
What are you doing here?
Filling a promise l made 40 years ago.
Was that the promise to kill me...
...or the one|to have both of my legs broke?
lt was the other one.
lm working on a little blackmail|with NASA.
Theyve got a satellite thatll crash|unless we fix it.
lm guessing you designed|that guidance system.
Yeah. Theyre desperate.|Even Gersons in on the deal.
l said ld do it if the original|Team Daedalus did the job.
Here it is, all in black and white.
Jerry and Tank are in and waiting|for us across the highway.
Old age just brings out|more of the Frank in you.
lm genuinely impressed.
But you dont need to put foolish|notions in the head of a fool.
Especially not a damned old fool.
You have a nice flight.
You werent one then,|but you are one now.
Say hello to Barbara for me.
Yeah, you say hello to Jackie.
l wished l could.
Jackie died on me, Frank.
Sorry. l didnt know that.
-He said no, huh?|-Hes not coming.
Maybe we should talk to him.
Hes the same stubborn jackass|he always was.
And you still drive slower than a|little old lady on her way to church.
That is enough to send the astronaut|miles and miles in space.
So what if l was to jump|on a trampoline in space?
You would go up and up and up...
...and youd never come down!
Could you hit a baseball to the moon?
Actually, you could.
Youd just have to knock it|halfway there.
Thats just about 100,000 miles.
And then the moons gravity|does the rest.
-Okay? Bye-bye.|-Thank you.
-Youre welcome.|-Thank you, Mrs. Holland.
lve never met a kid who didnt dream|of being an astronaut.
Ever meet a kid|that wouldnt grow up?
Sara Holland this is William Hawkins,|retired Air Force colonel.
The best pilot they ever had,|next to me.
The Hawk. lve heard of you.
Commander Jenkins told me a story|about you and him in Vietnam.
From Cliff Jenkins,|its guaranteed to be 100%%% bullshit.
lll guarantee you that.|Hows he doing?
Actually, hes dead.
While Hawk gets his foot out of his|mouth, lll introduce Tank Sullivan.
Hes a navigator.|The best one the Air Force ever had.
Hed find anything anywhere.|That is, till God found him.
Now more than ever.|A pleasure to meet you.
This is Jerry ONeill. Hes|a structural engineer and designer.
Jerry worked on the Stealth project.|You remember that.
No nickname for you?
Well, you can call me...
...anytime.
Okay.
lf you men are ready,|we have some work to do.
Would you like a banana, honey?
l dont need to remind you of|the consequences of failure here.
-Personal consequences.|-Thats the problem with you Russians.
With you,|the glass is always half empty.
These men you are sending up,|theyre not astronauts.
The last time they trained for a space|mission, cars had fins on them.
The truth is Frank Corvins|not going anywhere.
His teams not gonna pass|the physical trials.
This is supposed to reassure me?
What will you do then?
My best young astronaut|is training alongside Corvin...
...gaining proficiency|in that antiquated guidance system.
Until he does, Frank Corvins|gonna believe hes going up.
l dont know.
-We should consult--|-There will be no goddamn consulting.
No one, and l mean no one,|is to be in the loop...
...on our little problem.
Do l make myself perfectly clear,|general?
Good morning, all.
And welcome to STS-200 ops|overview briefing.
This is an unusual mission,|l think wed all agree.
Well get started|on the particulars here in a moment.
First, lets welcome the astronauts|selected for this mission:
The founding members|of Project Daedalus.
As you all know, these men|are the pioneers of this business.
They were around|when rockets were born.
Welcome, gentlemen.
STS-200 was originally slated|to deliver a structural payload...
...to the lnternational Space Station.
Circumstances have forced us to push|back that mission and undertake...
...an emergency rescue operation.
The average staging time for|a mission is 1 2 months.
Were doing this one in 30 days.
ln 1 986...
...the former Soviet Union launched|communications satellite lkon.
-lkon is a link...|-lll tell you about it later.
...in Russias|telecommunications chain.
Her orbit is rapidly decaying.
She will reenter|the Earths atmosphere in 30 days.
Your mission|is to intercept and capture her...
...using the shuttles grappling arm.
You will then have a 42-hour window...
...in which to repair|her guidance system.
From there shell be reconfigured|by Mission Control.
After that, youll shoot|her back into geosync orbit...
...using the payload assist|module rockets.
Any questions?
Question.
With all due respect to the guys,|why dont we just capture the bird...
...bring it home with a crew|trained in satellite retrieval?
lts too big, Gene.
Too big?
For the space shuttle?
How did you guys get it up there|in the first place?
There were modifications|post-deployment.
Listen up, people.
This system has to be fixed on-site.
Frank is the only engineer...
...proficient in|such obsolete technology.
Given the short amount of time...
...hes the only engineer|to do the job.
So Frank Corvins band of...
...Leisure World aviators|are going into space.
NASA agree to all this?|Did the Russians?
-Frank didnt give us a lot of choice.|-l figured that.
You hate each other way too much|to have cooked this up together.
Count me out.
l think you guys|need to get a new flight director.
You know, one thing|is driving me nuts, though.
How did a guidance system from Skylab|end up in a Russian bird?
l dont know, Gene, but apparently|lm the man who can fix it.
Grow up, will you, Frank?|Cant you be a team player for once?
Why cant you assist my astronauts|as an engineer?
lf l wasnt 100%%% sure that my guys|could do as well as your astronauts...
...l wouldnt go anywhere near it.
Still the same old Frank, huh?
Well, thats the consensus|around here.
So you fellas made a deal?|Fine. Heres my deal.
l am the flight director and|l can pull the plug on this one.
When its over, its over.
l am not turning over|a new space shuttle...
...to rookies with a months training.|Youre taking two of my guys.
Ethan, whos a brown-nosing snot|and Roger, whos a cocky little shit.
But theyre the two best astronauts.
They fly or the package|stays on the ground.
-Deal?|-Well, okay, Gene.
And if l sense for one second...
...that your team isnt cutting it|physically or mentally...
...youre off,|and my original team flies.
So lets see if you still|got it to go.
Suck it up, Frank.
-Genes the same guy l remembered.|-Yeah, hes an asshole.
-A prick.|-Some things never change.
Now just cough when l say, okay?
Cough.
And again, please.
Morning, gentlemen.
lm Dr. Caruthers.|lll be assisting Dr. Michaelson here.
Hi.
Nothing to be ashamed of.
Easy for you to say.
-Cover your eye and read the chart.|-Time me.
E, F, L, E, P, T...
...P, L, E, P, F, L, F, L, E...
...P, T, P, L, F, E, T, E...
...L, O, P, Z, D, D, E,|F, P, O, T, E, C...
...F, L, E, P, T, P, L, E, P...
...F, L, F, L, E, P, T, P, L,|F, L, T, M, A, D...
...in U, S, A.
Made in the USA.|Thats one for the economy, l guess.
You have 20/10 vision.
-lll be damned.|-And 14 seconds.
All right. E, F, L, E, P, T...
...P, L, E, P, F, L, E...
...L, E, P, T, L, P, E, F,|E, T, Z, E, T...
...T.
-20/20.|-And five seconds slow.
Good.
-Next.|-lm next.
-Five seconds, my ass.|-l wish l could be your next.
Get your fiance to take you to a|French brasserie and give you oysters.
-lf he wont, can l?|-Lets see how you do on your physical.
lll just do the bottom three lines.|F, L, E, P, T, P...
...L, E, P, F, L, F,|L, E, P, T, P, L, F, E, T.
Do you think oysters would be|too much for the first date?
-You have 20/10 vision, captain.|-These are just for looking at you.
l may be blind, Frank,|but my memorys perfect.
Next.
Colonel Hawkins.
You all right?
-lm just not too crazy about needles.|-Well, thats pretty common.
Make a fist|and pump it a couple times.
Okay, thats good.
-You dont remember me, do you?|-What?
My father was flight surgeon|at Beale Air Force Base.
Oh, yeah.
-Dr. Martin. The Goat.|-The Goat, yeah. That was my dad.
l met you when l was 1 2 years old.|l doubt you remember.
Now wait a minute now.
Pigtails, freckles|and knobby little knees.
-Was that you?|-That was me.
-How is old Goat?|-He passed away nine years ago.
You noticed how everybody|seems to be dead lately?
-Yeah.|-l hear that.
You guys ready to do some laps?
Sure.
-Well go easy today. Well do ten.|-Minutes?
Miles. Lets go.
Miles.
-Little prick.|-Frank.
-Thank you.|-Lets go.
Did he really mean miles?
-How far have we gone, Frank?|-Almost two.
-lm going to have a heart attack.|-Thats the point.
-What? To give us heart attacks?|-Hell, yes.
Suppose we didnt make liftoff.
Wed be the first country|to launch dead bodies into orbit.
lf we have heart attacks...
...NASA will want us|to have it right here on Earth.
-Get moving.|-lm an engineer, for crying out loud.
-l stopped running during Nixon.|-Your lady doctors watching.
-She is?|-Oh, no.
Do 225, colonel?
Oh, hell, yes.|Hell, yes. Spot me, tiger.
You got it.
-Ready? There we go.|-Yeah.
All right, let it go.|Let her go, Hawk.
Come on, you can do it. Thattaboy.
Thattaboy.
All right. Push, baby.|Push, push. Up.
All right, come on. Here we go.
Let her go.
Let her go. Push it, baby.
Come on. Yeah, you got it.
You the man. All right.|l got it. l got it.
All right now!
-Thattaboy.|-Oh, yes, sir.
Not bad.
You trying to do something|over there.
Anything worth doings|worth doing well.
lm going to go|to my room now and cry.
lm too tired to chew.
Try to look a little perkier,|will you, fellas?
You still want to go on with this,|Frank?
What do you want to do, quit now?|We just finished the tough stuff.
Now we start training for the mission.
-Everybody get a good nights sleep.|-Theres a real challenge.
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Goddamn...
...teeth wont stay in.
Damn, Jerry.
Jesus.
Gentlemen, a round of drinks|from your friends over there...
...who ordered you some goodies.|A little Ensure for you guys.
To old gummers in space.
Cheers.
l drink this stuff.
lts good for your libido.
-Race you the last lap.|-All right.
-Okay. Countdown to one?|-All right.
One!
Frank, hi. l was looking for Hawk.
Well, come on in. Come on in.
Hes right in there. Go ahead.|The coast is all clear.
-Go ahead.|-Okay.
l am so sorry.
No, its okay. lts okay.|lts all right.
What brings you to|the mens locker room?
Gene moved up the stimulator, l mean,|lm sorry, the simulator run.
Okay. To when?
Oh, right. That would be...
...1 1 :00.
There were some procedures|that l wanted you to be aware of.
This is very uncomfortable,|and lll be leaving now.
lm going to take you out for a beer.
lll be needing one.
Here we go.
Right on target.
Hi. Jerry ONeill.
Do you mind, lady?|You make me nervous.
Get used to it. Youll have a lot|more people watching you on TV.
Thank you. Very comforting.
-You dont make me nervous.|-Oh, Jerry.
l got a roller coaster thatll stop|your heart. l threw up on my helmet!
That was three Gs. As bad as it gets|during ascent and reentry.
l am so pleased.|lt was a piece of cake, guys.
Okay, thanks.
-First one to pass out buys the beer.|-Youre on.
This thing moving?
l dont know.|Doesnt seem to be moving to me.
Say, fellas, is yalls|equipment broke down?
Whats going on?
Makes them look younger, doesnt it?
-Youre a pushover.|-l do believe its moving now.
That sure will take the wrinkles out.
What the hells going on here!?
lm sure you think youre putting on|a great show, but this is not a toy!
Now which one of you idiots|wants to explain this?
Gene.
What?
Which one of us passed out first?
lm getting too old for this shit.
l can cook things you wouldnt|believe. l cook crab, lobster.
Thatll be seven dollars.
Hello?
lm sorry. Hes buying.
-We both passed out at the same time.|-Bullshit.
l saw you pass out just before|l passed out. l saw that.
But never mind. lll get this round|because of my confidence.
Absolute confidence in my superiority,|absolute superiority to you...
...in every human endeavor in life.|lKeep the change.
Well leave it up to the young lady.
Tell me, given the circumstances|which one of us...
-...would you take home tonight?|-You mean, like, to the home?
-Yeah.|-Like, the retirement home?
Seriously.|Would you choose this man...
...with his asymmetrical|sagging ass cheeks...
...love handles|the size of Nebraska...
...and his gross, old,|ugly ingrown toenails?
Or this hairy-eared son of a bitch|with a chicken gizzard neck...
...and a face like|Death Valley fire trails?
-Stop harassing the waitress.|-lm not. What are you talking about?
lm having a private conversation|that doesnt involve you.
Go back to your virgin pink daiquiri|and mind your own business.
Shes my friend who has to put up|with assholes like you.
-Tiny--|-But l dont.
lf you want to harass, harass me.
-l believe hes harassing you already.|-lll put you in the hospital.
l have Medicare.|Shoot your best shot.
-lll make your old lady a widow.|-Dont--
Wait! You cant do this! No,|youre going up into space in 22 days.
lf you break a bone|or sprain your ankle...
...your space shuttle seatll go to|that MlT weenie with blow-dried hair.
Well watch the launch on TV|at your damn house.
-What makes you think lll hurt myself?|-What about a space shuttle?
Youre gonna blow this for us again.|You and your mean-ass temper.
-Are you saying l blew it back in 58?|-Hell, yes, you blew it in 58.
You crashed every plane|the Air Force gave us.
All right. Were taking this outside.
lll whip your ass!|Get out there in that parking lot!
You wait here, Tiny.
-Lets go.|-l got ten on Frank.
Can l get your ass|out of a jam or not?
Did you see that guys face|when l said--
Just who got Team Daedalus canned,|Colonel Hawkins?
Damn, this is gonna be a long night.
Hawks pretty quick.|Franks got the reach, however.
That girl l was dancing with|was a database administrator.
Really?
Morning, partner.
-Morning, Hawk.|-Good morning.
-What happened to your eye?|-l fell in the shower.
Tell maintenance to put some no-slip|adhesives on that slippery floor.
Hows that right there?
Still ten megahertz,|maybe a little more.
Hows it going, Frank?
Fine. Fine.
Whats with the eye?
Slip in the shower?
How would you know that?
lll chat with the janitor.
Airspeed, 300.
Crosswind on our right, 14 knots.
Running a little hot.|Want to open up a speed brake?
Touchdown.
Nice landing, guys.
Lets put the rookies up front.|Simsupe, you on with me?
Simsupe. Go, Gene.
-lts gonna be tough to beat.|-l think so.
You up.
Standard package.
Lets throw them a Little League|kind of curve.
Hydraulic failure.|Switching to secondary.
lm going to manual control.
You cant do that, colonel.|The birds on a computerized track.
lm going to manual control.|Goddamn, boy.
You cannot do that!
Secondary hydraulic failure.
-Youll come in short.|-Like hell.
Shit.
Come on. You cant throw that|at them on the first run.
We got three weeks to send|four old farts into space.
This is flight school 101 stuff.
Look, this is not a stripped-down show|plane. You gotta do it their way.
l dont need a computer|to tell me how to land a plane.
lts not a plane.|lts a flying brick on approach.
-You got to use the on-board computer.|-What if it fails?
lts never failed.
Houston, Horizon.
Go, Horizon.
Request secondary landing, please.|Houston, Horizon.
Request on-board computer failure...
...on second landing.
All right, run it again.
-Horizon, stand by for 2nd approach.|-Sock it to them.
Pull up, sir. Youll lose it again.
Fire in Av Bay Two.|Youll lose avionics.
l dont need them anyway, this things|a flying brick on approach.
Wind shear off the nose|and the fire is contained.
Computers are down. Shes all yours.
Your airspeed is way too high.
Airspeed is four-niner-zero.|Coming in too high.
-Youll overshoot.|-You wont get it stopped.
lts easy. All you got to do is|tap on the brakes a little bit.
Not that much.|Youll put her into a stall.
-lm tapping on the brakes a bit.|-Drop the nose! Youll lose it.
lKnock it off!
Drop the nose.
-Whats the airspeed?|-200. Youre right on it.
What do you say we just|drop that nose a little bit...
...like that right there.
Smooth as a babys ass.
Thats impossible.
For a computer it might be.
Flying brick.
l like that.
Ladies and gentlemen, from your|teammates at the table over there.
Gerbers baby food.
And some training material|for you to look over.
Pictures for the bigger words.
A talking frogs worth something.
-40 percent.|-40 percent?!
You might nail it.|You might crash and burn.
-The odds are against you, colonel.|-Watch this.
Thats why l got out of|the astronaut program.
l knew my chances of getting on|a space shuttle were way less than 40.
But l was an astronaut, almost.
-Youd have been a damn good one too.|-Thank you.
You dont think like that. Youve|jumped out of planes 20 miles up.
You drove rocket sleds|at the speed of sound.
-Youre not afraid of anything.|-lve been afraid.
Oh, bullshit. When?
When l was 1 7 years old.
l was crazy in love|with this college girl.
She was beautiful. Oh, gorgeous.
And a ball of fire.
She, of course,|was crazy in love with--
-You.|-No.
Texas A&Ms all-American defensive end|Scott LeBeau.
And l mean, this cat|was six-foot-six if he was a foot.
Gary Cooper handsome.
One day, a bunch of friends and l|decided wed drink too much beer...
...and crash a big old|sorority cotillion.
You know, everybodys dressed up|in chiffon gowns and Daddys tuxedo.
There we are, looking like a bunch|of brush poppers and goat ropers.
-At the governors ranch too.|-lm beginning to get the picture.
So my friends tell me that they see|LeBeau entering the Port-a-Potty.
One of them little old|fiberglass shithouses.
l did a better tackle on that|fiberglass shithouse...
...than he ever did|on the football field....
...and the thing rolled|down a bluff into a creek.
Screaming and yelling|all the way down...
...except it dont sound like no|all-American defensive end.
-lts decidedly more feminine.|-Oh, no, you didnt.
The love of my life, rolling down|the bluff in a fiberglass shithouse.
lt was very, very sad.
-What happened then?|-l ran like hell.
-Joined the Air Force the next day.|-Afraid LeBeaud kick your ass.
Well, hell, no.|l wasnt afraid of him.
l was afraid, l mean...
...truly afraid of her.
Are you afraid of me?
l married her.
Four years later.
What? lm only 1 5 minutes late.
Oh, shit.
Extra, extra. Read all about it.
l dont know how this leaked out.|l swear.
NASAs been getting calls from|every tabloid in the country...
...asking me to verify that story.
Why cant we verify the story?
-Why?|-Yeah.
Because STS-200 is a delicate,|top-secret satellite recovery...
...thats why.
That makes it look like|a goddamn three-ring circus.
How do you think the vice president|felt this morning...
...when he opened his paper|and saw that?
lts easy for you to laugh.|You dont deal with him. l do.
Were going to simulate your|onboard living conditions...
...to familiarize you with|the new living environment.
Watch your step.
-What the hells this thing?|-ACM.
-Asshole Centering Monitor.|-Gentlemen, this is your funnel.
lt attaches to the hose here.
Before starting, make sure you have|a tight seal against your skin.
-ls that the only one you got?|-Yes, one size does fit all.
But just in case, theres a diaper|underneath your pressurized suits.
-lll use that.|-lm sure you will.
Anything else?
Youre having a bit of an acid thing.
-No, no, no.|-lts a flashback.
No, no. Seriously.
Avionics on this thing, some of them|are quite old. B-52-type stuff.
My next guests are the most famous men|in America. There they are on People.
USA Today calls them|The Ripe Stuff.
Please welcome Team Daedalus.
-How are you?|-Nice to see you.
Have a seat, guys.
Thank you, gentlemen.
lts an honor to meet you all.|This is a very exciting story.
You all come from varied backgrounds.
One of you is a Baptist minister.
Is that Tank? Can I call you Tank?|Tank Sullivan.
You may call me Tank.
What is that?|Thats a cross with a rocket on it.
What faith is that?|Im not familiar with it.
-Its mine.|-Lutheran?
-What is it? What is it?|-Its Baptist.
Which guy is the babe magnet?|That would be Jerry.
-Thats Jerry.|-Are you?
I keep telling these guys|its got nothing to do with me.
It depends entirely on the woman...
...and how willing she is to discover|her infiinite supply oforgasms.
-Really?|-Yeah, its true.
-Its the truth.|-You know, I think...
... women watching are going, No|mater their age, men never change.
-You all have a military background?|-Thats true. Thats true.
North or South? Which side?|Im teasing.
-You see-- Im sorry.|-Low.
I know, I know. You cant help it.
What did he do?
So the relay patch is the key?
Plain as the nose on your face.
-Howd you bypass the heat exchanger?|-l didnt bypass anything.
Youre not being very forthcoming|on the guidance system.
lKid, lve done everything|short of...
...calculus instructions to bring you|up to speed.
What do you want, a picture?|Connect the dots?
Excuse me. l hold two masters|degrees from MlT, Dr. Corvin.
Maybe you ought to|get your money back.
You were just brought up on|a different set of technologies.
Youre compromising this mission. lm|your backup on a need-to-know basis.
You dont need to know dick.|l dont need a backup.
Yes, you do.
More than you know.
Whats that supposed to mean?
What dont l know?
What dont l know?
You son of a bitch.|Youre setting me up again.
Heres one of our astronauts now.|What a semi-pleasant surprise.
-You had no intention of sending me up.|-lm in the middle of something now.
Well, now, thats great.
You hung up on the head of|our program: the U.S. vice president.
-What can l do for you?|-You had no intention of sending me up.
You screwed me over in 1 958|and youre screwing me over now!
l screwed you over?
What did l do, make a deal with you|anyway? A chronic liar!
What deal? l didnt make any deal|with you. You blackmailed me.
lf you want to stick by your|so-called deal, then you lost.
l dont have to send you up.
What is all this?
lt means someone on your team|didnt pass his physical.
One of you has cancer.
lts in his pancreas.
And its inoperable.
Does he know about it?
Dr. Caruthers talked to him|this morning.
Jesus.
No.
No. Were going to get another|doctor and get another opinion.
Not one thats on your payroll.|This is even low by your standards.
Youll do anything|to keep me from going up.
Oh, really?
So thats what this dramas all about.
This whole time l thought|it was about your friend Hawk!
But its really about your seat|on the space shuttle.
You can just back off, because NASA|will send you up in the space shuttle.
You, Jerry and Tank, regardless|of whatever deal you had with me!
-l dont understand.|-Come on. Youre front-page news now.
A genuine all-American hero. Youve|made NASA popular all over again.
Thanks to you, theyll get|their juicy budget infusion...
...theyve been drooling over.
Youre going up, all right.|The vice president insists.
l have to call the head|of the space program back.
Youve got a lot of work to do|before we leave.
And you shut the door!
This is my Blackbird.
l retired this very airplane in 1 990.
And now...
...here we sit.
lve never actually seen one before.
SR-71 . This is what|a planes supposed to be.
This is ugly on the ground, leaks like|a sieve, but up around Mach one...
...the seals all expand, she dries up,|flies like a bat out of hell.
l took her right to the limit.
Shes only happy...
...going fast. lts not meant to sit.
Thats a lousy way to die,|just sitting around waiting....
-ls eight months the best l can do?|-They dont know.
-Theres chemo, radiation.|-Shit.
l watched my wife go out that way.|l aint doing it.
The love of your life.
What is a pancreas anyhow?
l mean, l dont know what|the damn thing does for you...
...besides give you cancer.
What kind of odds would|you have give you and me?
Better than 40.
l know how much this flight|meant to you.
Looks like l crashed another one.|lm sorry.
They want to take Jerry|and Tank and me.
Thats great. You played them|fellas just right. Thats good.
-You said yes, didnt you?|-l didnt say anything.
You dont want to blow it again.|This is your last shot.
This isnt easy.
Easy, hell.|Dont whine to me about easy.
Put yourself in my shoes.
Youve been blaming me for 40 years.
Youre not laying this on me.|You choke this one, its on you.
-All on you.|-What would you do?
ld leave your ass on the ground.
lll bet you would.
To go into space? You bet your ass.
ln a heartbeat.
lKnow what the worst day|in my life was?
The day you put the idea in my head|l could pilot a ship in space.
l dont care what happens.|lf this gets out to the press--
lts not about the press right now.
But whether Roger or Ethan--
lm not going up. Not without Hawk.
-Youre gonna blackmail me again?|-No, no.
lll teach Ethan what he needs|to know. l dont go if Hawk doesnt.
-Any ideas, Miss Holland?|-Yes.
Even with the cancer,|he still passed his physical...
...so theres no reason he cant fly|the mission. Especially with backup.
You and Frank will put me|in the loony bin.
Colonel Corvin? Miss Holland would|like you to wait here, sir.
Team Daedalus, all of Team Daedalus...
...has a launch in 92 hours.
So lets get rested and prepped.
Okay. Yes.
Whats this?
Have a look.
UTMC-coated, 1 .66, super high index|lenses on a Flexon alloy frame.
-Your prescription.|-My prescription?
Holy cow.
Holy cow.
l had them made for you.
-You owe me dinner now.|-Youd go out with Spider-Man?
-lf hell buy me oysters.|-lll buy you pearls.
l feel like dancing.
Bring that man back alive!
No, thats against my better|judgement, Barb.
l wont let him die.
General Corvin, General Hawkins,|welcome to Daedalus.
-Were not generals, son.|-Just saying it like it ought to be.
Youre good to go, men.
See you back on the ground,|Team Daedalus.
Good luck.
Well, weve only waited 40 years.
What do you say, Reverend Tank?|ls a prayer in order?
l was just reciting|the Shepards prayer.
Alan Shepards prayer.
Oh, Lord, please dont let us|screw up.
-Amen.|-Amen.
-Amen.|-Amen.
Amen, Reverend.
Lets have a comm check.
-PLT.|-MS One.
-MS Two.|-MS Three.
MS Four.
Fido, go. Guidance, go.
EECOM, go.
lNCO, go.
T-minus 1 5 seconds.
T-minus ten, nine, eight, seven.
We have a go for main engine start.
Three, two, one. lgnition.
Liftoff of space shuttle Daedalus|and STS-200.
Hows it going?
Space will never be the same.
Houston, this is Daedalus.
Roll program.
Roger roll, Daedalus.
Thank you, God.
Stand by for throttles up.
Daedalus, you are go|at throttles up.
Roger, Houston. Go with throttles up.
Stand by for separation of SRBs.
Stand by for SRB sep.
Coming up to negative return.
Negative return.
Roger, Daedalus.|You are negative return.
Were just a dot.
Two engines tal.
Press to ATO.
Houston, do we have a go|for orbit ops?
Roger, Daedalus.|You are go for orbit ops.
Good work, guys.
Four hours to intercept.|Were right on schedule.
Thats not what lm worried about.
Relax.
Our man is up there with them.
lt was worth the wait.
-Yeah, it was.|-Thank you, Frank.
l owe you one.
Not a bad takeoff...
...for some rookies.
You guys are over, over the edge.|Youre in space.
-Welcome to the club.|-Thank you, Roger.
Okay, Daedalus has got lkon|on the scopes.
We should have a visual here|momentarily.
Range, 5000 meters.
Roger, Hawk, we have a visual here.
Stand by for a 1 5-second burn.
All right, get ready|to deploy the arm.
Deploying the arm.
Dead center.|Good driving up there, Hawk.
Lets light them up.
Stand by. T.l. burn in four,|three, two, one.
Hello, lkon. How we feeling today?
Activating floods.
Boy. Will you get a load of this?
Activating radar.
-Hes trying to get a tone on us.|-What are you saying?
Shut the radar down.|lts painting a target on us.
Radar off.
Were okay.
No wonder the damn things orbit is|decaying. lts got to weigh 50 ton.
Houston, this is Daedalus.|You see what we see?
Roger, Daedalus. We are...
...studying it from here.
Stand by for a decision.
lts got to have some kind of|self-defense mechanism.
Our radar mustve activated it.
Can you grab it?
l can get it if Hawk|can get us in there.
lm just worried about the mass.
lm worried about this thing|getting pissed again.
Does that look like a communications|satellite to you?
General, what sort of modifications|have your people made here?
That grappling arm cant|handle that much stress.
lts within operational limits.|Frank can latch on.
l dont know about this.
Our mission is to restore this|satellite. Lets get on with it.
l wont let this crew get killed,|you included.
Houston, Daedalus.|Were still standing by.
-Give them a go to capture.|-Daedalus, this is Houston.
You have a go for capture.
-Here we go, gentlemen.|-Roger, Houston.
We have a go for capture.|Pull it in, see what she looks like.
Give me a minute to get it stable.
Okay, how does that look?
Thats close enough for me.
-ls he as good as you say he is?|-Tank?
Hes the man.
All right. You can go for it.
Youre drifting left too far.
Hail Mary, full of grace.
Holy shit!|l got it!
You the man, Tank.
Houston, Daedalus. Weve got lkon.
Good work, fellas.
You boys look mighty sharp.
Welcome to space, Frank.|Youve waited a while for this.
Yeah. Only 40 years.
All right, cowboys. Lets round|them up. We got work to do.
A little light on the subject.
Well take a look at its brains.
l dont think thats the panel.
You dont, do you?
Holy cow, Frank.
This is some piece of junk.
This isnt a sightseeing trip, Frank.
-Abort activity.|-Frank, listen to me.
l said, abort activity. Now.
Whats going on, Frank?
Ethan, what the hells going on?|What is this damn thing?
A Russian communications satellite,|colonel.
Bullshit! You dont think l know a|nuclear launch platform when l see it?
Why are we helping the Russians|put a missile silo back into orbit?
Youre a genius. You figure it out.
Youre only here|as a publicity stunt!
You got what you wanted!|Youre in space!
Now finish the damn mission!
Go ahead, Frank.
Youre on a secure line now.
You were right to be concerned|about this thing coming out oforbit.
It happens to have six armed|nuclear warheads on board.
Whats he talking about?
l have no idea.
General, is there something|you want to tell us?
Yes.
lkon is a relic from the Cold War.
lt has floated dead in space|ever since the Soviet Union fell.
There are six missiles on board...
...targeted at strategic|American installations.
All, most regrettably...
...in large metropolitan areas.
lf lkon goes offline...
...it will assume that...
...there has been a catastrophe|and will initiate launch on its own.
You picked a hell of a time|for a confession, general.
Those are our boys up there.
And that is a treaty violation.|A goddamn big one.
You bastard.
Bob, you dont know how touched I am|that youre worried about our safety.
Why dont you ask your friend|the general...
...how my guidance system from|Skylab got aboard this six-gun?
lt was stolen by the lKGB...
...from Mr. Gersons personal files.
This is all news to me.
Youd have us put it back into orbit|fully armed and keep it a secret. ..
...just to save your ass?
People, we have a real problem here.
All right, huddle up.
We got a big-ass problem.
Were latched on to a 100-megaton|bomb traveling 1 7,000 miles an hour.
What about that shit heap? You think|we can get it out into deep space?
Four payload assist rockets? Just.
Maybe. I dont know.|Let me crunch some numbers.
Just okay, Frank.
Somebodys outside the ship.
Daedalus, you have an unscheduled|EVA you want to tell me about?
What?
Hes jammed the air lock door, Frank.
Remove the panel and override it.
Turn on the lights.
Ethan, what are you doing out there?
Ethan, what are you doing?
Your job, Frank.
Putting lkon back into geosync orbit.
You dont know what youre doing.|Come back. Thats an order.
You dont know the sequencing.
Get suited up. When the doors fixed,|get out there.
All right.
Ethan, do not connect those PAM|rockets. Do you understand?
How long?
l nearly got it.
Dont lock onto those PAM rockets.|You hear me?
Got it.
lts arming itself.
Oh, God!
Oh, Lord.
-Hawk.|-lm on it.
Shit, we got a fire in here.
We lost lkon and Ethan.
Rogers hurt, mid-deck.|Hes bleeding badly.
See what you can do for him.
Tank, contain the situation.|lKill the 02 switch.
lKilling it.
Hawk and l are going out.
l got it.
Status GBC.
Check.
Theyve got the fire contained.
Range, 100 feet. lts accelerating,|Miss Holland.
Theyre gonna lose it.
l assume you got a plan.
l think l can reconfigure the flight|control system for stabilization burn.
The only trouble is, l gotta do that|at exactly the right time.
Thats where you come in.
You gotta be my eyes|while lm in there.
Cue me when the satellite comes around|and lines up with the shuttle.
But what about the rate of descent?
lll fire a short burst from the PAM,|and thatll counter-thrust.
Just enable the PAM rocket|to accept my command.
Hell, l thought this|was gonna be hard.
Jerry, to make all this work...
...give me range and rate|of opening readings.
Frank, you have one shot, maybe.
You miss, youll never make it back.
lf those bombs hit the atmosphere,|it might not matter anyway.
Come on, lets suit up|and get out of here.
Thats the craziest thing|lve ever heard.
Holy cow. This is a bad idea.
Frank, by my calculations,|you got 1 5 seconds...
...to ignite that PAM.
-Speak to me, Hawk.|-Were almost there, Frank.
Five.
-On a count of one.|-Four.
-One.|-Three.
Two, one.
On my mark, Frank, shut her down.
Five, four...
...three...
Come on, Frank.
...two, one...
...mark.
Thats it, Frank. lts static.
Houston, this is Daedalus.|We ve arrested the fall.
Attaboy, Frank!
Oh, thank God.
Son of a bitch.
Hes out.
lll hook up the extra Payload Assist|Modules. You take Jonny Quest back.
Weve got a problem.|Weve only got one rocket left.
One PAMs got no chance of getting|that thing into orbit, Frank.
You got another problem.
Oh, no. Even if we get|this thing going...
...its not gonna have enough power|with two broken panels.
Take the kid back, lll handle this.
How will you handle it, professor?|Youre a pilot, remember?
lll need all the extra O2 modules|youve got.
What are you talking about?
No.
l love you, but why do you|have to be such a killjoy?
Besides, you ever see a prettier moon?
Whats he talking about, Frank?
Youd never make|a quarter of a million miles.
Oh, hell, yes, l will.
l just gotta go halfway.|The moons gravity will do the rest.
lll fire them into outer space|and let them...
...self-destruct.
Thats not a solution, Frank. One PAM|rockets not nearly enough thrust.
Lets everybody slow down.|Theres got to be another way.
There isnt.
No.
No.
Gotta be a winner in every race.|Looks like its me this time.
As usual, huh?
Oh, shit.
-He cant do that.|-Whats the status here?
Whats the status here?
One orbital engine gone,|primary and secondary guidance system.
Hydraulics are questionable.
Roger?
He has a concussion.
Oh, God.
With no Roger and no Hawk, Frank...
...youll have to pilot this bird|by yourself.
And youll have to do it dead-stick.
Dont look at me. lve flown nothing|bigger than a Cessna in 30 years.
Looks like lm getting the better part|of the deal here.
Stop laughing.|You used up all your oxygen, dummy.
Franks hot-wired it for you...
...but the trick is, those missiles|run out of fuel in 20,000 miles.
You launch them too soon...
...the warheads could find|their way back home to Earth.
Too late, theyd run out of fuel|and then youd be stuck with them.
ls this gonna work?
l dont know.
All right, fellas...
...lets shoot this baby to the moon.
Count down to one, right?
On a count of one.
One.
lkon has left our gravitational field.
Hawk was able to launch the warheads|into outer space.
Hows Daedalus?
We have a critical situation.
The collision left us with one good|orbital maneuvering engine...
...and its leaking fuel.
lf theres not enough fuel|for a de-orbit burn....
ltll burn up, or itll skip off.
What about guidance and avionics?
Well, the computers are unresponsive.
The only thing operating|at 100 percent is their air flow.
Theyre gonna have to reenter the|atmosphere and set her down in manual.
-Thats impossible.|-Well, its never happened before.
The only pilots alive whod even think|about it are Roger and Hawk.
-Rogers wounded and Hawks--|-Okay.
Lets get them as close as we can,|then abort the landing.
Theyll have to bail out.|What are the survival probabilities?
Zero if they try to set it down.|The birds dead.
l doubt it would even glide,|with its structural damage.
-You still have that thing?|-Yes. Shell dance all the way home.
Daedalus.
Stand by for Eugene Davis.
The judgement here is to go for Florida.
We ll get you as close to Kennedy|as we can.
Now, youre still inverted.|And youre flying tail-first.
Ordinarily, the autopilot would|do a de-orbit burn to right you.
-But we dont have a computer, right?|-Thats right.
You dont have much fuel left|in that engine, either.
Swell.
Stand by for de-orbit burn.
That wasnt enough. Flip us around|and use the forward RCS prop.
Shit.
All right.
Shit.
Easy, Frank. Shes not a fighter jet.
A flying brick.
l hope not.
lm gonna put her in a steep dive.
Make sure we dont overshoot.
lll make a series of tight turns.
Spill off some of this speed.
Jerry, clip everybody in. At about|10,000, we should be over Florida.
Pop the hatch and get|everybody out of here.
Ethan and Roger fiirst.
Tank, you and Jerry after that.
lll line her up for a ditch over|the ocean. You got that, everyone?
Come on, hold together.
Youre going in too steep, Frank.
Shell fall apart around us.
Hold together just a little longer.
Altitude 30 miles over Texas.
Come on, just a little longer.
Give me one more turn.
Hes trying to call, sir.
Hes fried his antenna.
Trajectory, where is he?
Hes on final, but way too hot.|Hell overshoot at this rate.
Coming up on 1 2,000.
Equalizing.
Jerry, blow that hatch.|Get everybody out of here.
Roger.
Blowing the hatch.
One gone.
Tank, you get going too.
What about you?
lll line her up for a visual,|then lm out.
Two gone.
Get out of here. Do you hear me?|Get moving.
What the hell you guys doing?
Were a team, Frank.
Get out of here. Thats an order.
Were staying.
Read out my airspeed, then.
This is Recover Five.|Youre way too hot.
Pull out now.
Negative, Recover.
All right, give me airspeed.
Gear down.
All right, theres nothing to this.|Just tap the brakes a little bit.
Hes gone into a stall.
Airspeed?
Speed?
What do you say we drop the nose?
Wheels stopped. Daedalus is home.
Just a walk in the park, Frank.
Hey, Gene.
-Yeah?|-Never mind.
l never doubted Frank Corvin|for a minute.
l brought him in on Project Daedalus|40 years ago and on this one too.
lll tell you this: For commitment,|courage and consistency...
...this group blows away|all the teams lve ever had.
Do you think he made it?
Yeah. l think he made it.
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words
Hold my hand
In other words
Baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forevermore
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words
Please be true
In other words
I love you