Space Cowboys (2000) - full transcript

When a Russian satellite orbiting the Earth starts to veer off course. It seems like the guidance system in the satellite is of American origin. It's important to try and fix it before it comes into the atmosphere. The NASA man, Bob Gerson tries to find out who designed it and discovers that it was designed by Frank Corvin, an Air Force pilot who 40 years ago was part of the team who was originally suppose to go to space but when NASA was formed and Gerson's influence they were dropped. Gerson asks Frank to help but Frank still holds a grudge. But after some prodding he agrees but only if he and his team can go there so he can fix it. Gerson reluctantly agrees so Frank recruits his former team members, Tank Sullivan, Jerry O'Neill and Hawk Hawkins to join him. After some strenuous tests, they're cleared. And they go up with two other astronauts and check out the satellite and discover that they weren't told the whole truth.

Whoo-hoo.

100,000. Shall we poke our
nose into space, Frank?

That's enough. We're approaching
heat barrier. Let's level off.

Recover One, this is Falcon.
Beginning descent now.

Roger, Daedalus.

Got you on the scope, Frank.

Miss October.

Bing. 110,000th floor,
ladies' lingerie.

You catch that, Hawk?

She's all right. She's just
talking to me, that's all.

You trust me, don't you?



We're taking her down.
That's an order.

Oh, here we go again.

Frank.

Look at that.

That's where we're going.

I don't know how and I
don't 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 112,000 feet? Are
you out of your mind?

No choice. We're not
riding this one out.

Call mayday. We're
popping. We're popping.

- I'm not losing another ship.
- Don't think about it.



Just do it.

I'll count down to
one. You ready? One.

Oh, shit.

Crazy son of a bitch almost landed
like a bug on a windscreen.

This is it.

First one down wins the prize.

Whoo-hoo.

112,000 feet and I feel fine.

You've always got to push
things to the limit.

That's what I do best, Frank.

Get off me.

Come on, you guys. Break it up.

Come on.

Is that smoke I smell?

Looks like a fire
out by Ridgecrest.

We crashed the X-2.

My 4-million-dollar X-2?

Is that the X-2
you're 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.
That's bound to be a record too.

The engine failed.
The aircraft went

in a flat spin. We
couldn't recover.

But you made it.

That's the important thing.

And you made it...

just in time, Frank.

Ladies and gentlemen
of the press...

I'm Major Bob Gerson,
United States

Air Force, and I
hold in my hand...

a directive from the President
of the United States of America.

It reads: "Effective immediately,
the Air Force's 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...

we've 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, I'd
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.

It just isn't responding.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is
mission Director Sara Holland.

She's 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, 11 days ago,
atmospheric tracking determined...

that Russian communications
satellite Ikon...

has initiated orbital degradation.

Computer trajectory models
predict a steady acceleration...

in sequence with the
gravitational constant.

There's 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 re-enter
the Earth's atmosphere.

And crash?

General.

Ikon has served you for 14 years.

That is in the performance range
of a communications satellite.

It will probably
crash in the ocean

or burn up in the atmosphere.

I think it's best that we let it.

My country's grateful
for the efforts

of NASA and the State Department.

However, losing Ikon
is not an option.

Ikon is not just a communications

satellite to the
Russian Federation.

Ikon is the
communications satellite.

You are undoubtedly aware of
our restructuring programs.

Losing all telecommunications...

until we're able to replace Ikon
could plunge us into chaos.

And perhaps...

even civil war.

Hard to believe you fellas
only have one bird up there.

Couldn't we just
transfer the workload?

Gene. Excuse me, Sara.

We have a presidential mandate
to assist the Russians...

our partners in the
International Space Station.

And I assure you that we
will fix this problem.

It's just a glitch.

You are feeding these
guys bold-faced lies.

It's a waste of money
and my staff's time.

Sara, you're one hell
of an engineer...

but you don't 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. It's dead in the air.

Kid, why don't 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 don't
understand it.

It's pre-microprocessor.
It's pre-everything.

Whoever designed this
Byzantine piece of shit...

is probably chopping
rocks in Siberia.

Ethan, can I access the
Skylab files from here?

Yeah.

What does that have
to do with anything?

A damn fine politician,
but you don't

know jack-shit about engineering.

This is the guidance
system from Skylab.

That's not possible.

Maybe there's similarities,
but they can't be the same.

I'm looking up the designer.

Hell. Don't bother.

It was Francis D. Corvin.

Is he dead?

Only if I'm 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

couldn't get a job
in this country.

Then a Japanese guy probably

translated him to
double-check on him.

We don't need these
instructions. Not at all.

Tear them up.

You know the door to the
house is locked, right?

Well, it's no problem.

- You forgot the batteries?
- Yeah.

I've got you here in the garage.

The smell of gasoline,
of fertiliser.

What do you say, baby?

I'll push you up on this washer
and turn you a few cycles.

- I'll turn this washer on...
- Help. Oh, help.

I'm locked in the garage
with a dirty old man.

Didn't we do this
once 20 years ago?

Yeah, I know.

Dr Corvin?

Yes.

Excuse me, sir, am I
interrupting something?

- Yeah.
- Dr Corvin, I'm Sara Holland...

and this is astronaut
Ethan Glance.

We're with NASA.

It was in your car. I
heard someone scream.

Thanks for saving the day.
Now what is it you want?

Could we have a
minute of your time?

You should've called ahead of
time. I'm a very busy man.

Dr Corvin, we're here because a

satellite with your
guidance system...

is about to re-enter
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. It's sending us data.

You're losing your uplink.

There has to be a problem in
the manual routing drive.

I don't think so.

That's 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.

It was ahead of its
time in '69 but

this technology's obsolete now.

None of the current engineers
even speak the language...

and the older guys are all...

- are...
- Yeah.

It wasn't designed for this
duration of duty, that's what.

It was designed for the Skylab.

My advice is to capture
it and bring it home.

It's too big.

For the space shuttle?
What kind of bird is it?

It's a Russian
communications satellite.

What the hell's my guidance system
doing on a Russian satellite?

That's not our primary
concern at this time.

Where's it orbiting? Or is that
not your primary concern either?

1,000 miles.

Rate of decay?

8,000 metres per day
and accelerating.

It's coming home, all right.
Five weeks at the most, I got.

NASA's calculations
agree. But here we are.

Doctor, you designed this system.

If anyone can solve
this problem, it's you.

For a minute there, I thought you

two might be Bob Gerson's lackeys.

But your knowledge...

and your knowledge of history
seems to make that impossible.

Gerson's been taking credit
for my work since '58...

when he replaced my
ass with a monkey.

You don't work for Gerson, do you?

He's a project manager
at NASA. He's

one of many assigned
to this problem.

I think it's time for you
two to head on out of here.

Dr Corvin, your country needs you.

Put a sock in it, sonny.

Can't fix it from down here and
can't get a team up there in time.

That satellite's dying. It'll come
back. My only hope is that...

whatever doesn't burn up in the

atmosphere lands
on Gerson's house.

I'll give you two career advice:

Stay away from Gerson,
as far as possible.

Apparently the buzz
on you's correct.

And what buzz is that?

You're not a team player. That's
why you washed out at NASA.

Get out.

We have to brush up on
your hospitality skills.

I think I have a solution
for your problem.

Frank Corvin.

So how long has it been, Frank?

Probably not long enough, Bob.

Still haven't lost the
Corvin charm, have we?

- Would you like a cup of coffee?
- Sure.

- Sara?
- No, thanks.

Miss Holland tells me you're up
to speed on our little problem.

We've got one sick bird up there.

Apparently, there's some kind of

design flaw in the
guidance system.

This is a hell of a way to get
the designer to help you out.

Yeah?

I heard all about your
initial response.

But don't you worry none. I'm sure
we'll 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. We'll 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 I right?
- It's no joke.

We were the best of the best.
Even you'll 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.

I know you're running
out of options.

Otherwise you'd have
never come to me.

You sure as hell got that right.

You've got a satellite that's
gonna come down in 34 days.

Too big to retrieve...

and for some reason you don't

want it to crash
in the atmosphere.

I did the design system. I'm
the man to fix it for you.

I don't know how to break this
to you, but you're an old man.

Yeah?

This old man's all you've got.
You know that and I know that.

Hell, you sent up
Glenn, didn't you?

I'll 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?

I don't know.

This is a hands-on job and I don't
have time to train somebody...

to come up in time.

So you'll 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 I can't fill up a space
shuttle with geriatrics.

You should be professional
enough to know that.

Hell, half those boys are
probably dead anyway.

Clock's ticking, Bob. And
I'm only getting older.

Okay. You got it.

Sir? Sir? Sir.

Mr.Gerson would like you
to wait right here.

Okay, it's a deal.

I want it in writing.

Okay.

Now hear my terms.

You and your entire crew'll have
to meet the physical requirements.

You'll all train to
fix that guidance

system side by side
with my people...

in case one of your
boys doesn't pass.

- I think that's fair.
- You're damn straight it is.

I'll enjoy watching you make
a complete ass of yourself.

It's gonna be a real pleasure
working with you again.

Romans...

Chronicles. Chronicles. Ah, yes.

In the 40th year,
Amariah begat Zadok...

who begat Libni...

the brother of Uzziah.

No, that's not it, either.

Just...

No...

Once upon a time, four of the best
pilots in the US 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.

It's nice to have you
young people here.

Hey, boss.

Excuse me, my former boss.

I bring glad tidings,
Reverend Tank,

in the name of Team Daedalus.

It seems there might be
resurrection after all.

Come in and let's talk about it.

I don't know, Frank. That's a
very complicated proposition.

I have a flock and grandchildren.

They'll be here when you get back.

This'll give you material for
three or four more sermons.

- I'll need to pray about this.
- Could it be a quick prayer?

Just wait a moment, my
stiff-necked brother.

I'm receiving a word from on high.

And what is that word?

The word is, why the hell not?

There you go.

Good.

Second one's too fast.

Some little Johnny will
pass out on us there.

35 years of designing supersonic
aircraft for the military.

Now he's building roller
coasters. That's perfect.

- Your father's a gifted man.
- He's gifted, all right.

Too flat.

Oh, boy. We have some work to do.

Hey, sweetheart.

- You did good.
- They didn't do what I...

Hey, Frank.

Holy cow. What are you doing here?

Finding out what you're doing
for the next month and a half.

NASA wants to send us into space.

I wondered which one of
us was gonna go first.

Senile dementia.

40-year-old memories are sharp but

you can't remember your breakfast.

Frank Corvin, my
associate, Cherie.

- Cherie.
- Hi.

What'd you have for breakfast?

I 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. Here's our contract.

You don't 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 I in? Hell, yeah.

I can't believe it. Team
Daedalus. We ride again.

Hawk must've gone into
orbit when you told him.

I haven't talked to Hawk yet.

I haven't talked to Hawk
in a long time, Jerry.

When are the two of you gonna grow

up and stop acting
like little boys?

It's my birthday and I want
the shit scared out of me.

I wanna do barrel rolls and loop
the loops. All that kind of stuff.

We don't do that kind of flying.
It's dangerous and irresponsible.

- Yeah, too many lawsuits.
- Well, who does?

He does.

Sweet.

Hey, Hawk.

- This guy wants a scary ride.
- It's my birthday.

Happy birthday.

Oh, we're upside-down. Oh, yeah.

Here comes the fun part.
We're going weightless.

I don't think that
that's such a good idea.

You're crazy.

I'm so sorry.

Where'd you get the bright
idea to eat a big lunch...

before you come out
here and went flying?

- I'm sorry. I'll clean it up.
- That's all right. I'll get it.

Congratulations.

You earned your wings today,
young man. My hat's off to you.

Well done. Yes, sir.

- Splendid work.
- Thank you.

I surrender to you.

I love you and being
on the ground.

What's that smell?

Hey.

Hey.

You know what the worst
day of my life was?

No.

The day Armstrong set
foot on the moon.

I was the only one that wanted
to commit suicide that day.

Thanks. We haven't
talked in 12 years...

and that's been the big
question on my mind:

What could make you
commit suicide?

What are you doing here?

Filling a promise I
made 40 years ago.

Was that the promise to kill me...

or the one to have
both of my legs broke?

It was the other one.

I'm working on a little
blackmail with NASA.

They've got a satellite that'll
crash unless we fix it.

I'm guessing you designed
that guidance system.

Yeah. They're desperate. Even
Gerson's in on the deal.

I said I'd 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.

I'm genuinely impressed.

But you don't need to put foolish
notions in the head of a fool.

Especially not a damned old fool.

You have a nice flight.

You weren't one then,
but you are one now.

Say hello to Barbara for me.

Yeah, you say hello to Jackie.

I wished I could.

Jackie died on me, Frank.

Sorry. I didn't know that.

- He said no, huh?
- He's not coming.

Maybe we should talk to him.

He's 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 I was to jump
on a trampoline in space?

You would go up and up and up...

and you'd never come down.

Could you hit a
baseball to the moon?

Actually, you could.

You'd just have to knock
it halfway there.

That's just about 100,000 miles.

And then the moon's
gravity does the rest.

- Okay? Bye-bye.
- Thank you.

- You're welcome.
- Thank you, Mrs.Holland.

I've never met a kid who didn't
dream of being an astronaut.

Ever meet a kid that
wouldn't grow up?

Sara Holland this is William

Hawkins, retired
Air Force Colonel.

The best pilot they
ever had, next to me.

The Hawk. I've heard of you.

Commander Jenkins told me a story
about you and him in Vietnam.

From Cliff Jenkins, it's
guaranteed to be 100% bullshit.

I'll guarantee you
that. How's he doing?

Actually, he's dead.

While Hawk gets his
foot out of his

mouth, I'll introduce
Tank Sullivan.

He's a navigator. The best
one the Air Force ever had.

He'd find anything anywhere.
That is, till God found him.

Now more than ever. A
pleasure to meet you.

This is Jerry O'Neill. He's 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.

If you men are ready, we
have some work to do.

Would you like a banana, honey?

I don't need to remind you of the
consequences of failure here.

Personal consequences.

That's the problem
with you Russians.

With you, the glass
is always half empty.

These men you are sending
up, they're not astronauts.

The last time they
trained for a space

mission, cars had fins on them.

The truth is Frank Corvin's
not going anywhere.

His team's 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 Corvin's
gonna believe he's going up.

I don't know.

We should consult...

There will be no
goddamn consulting.

No one, and I mean no one,
is to be in the loop...

on our little problem.

Do I make myself perfectly
clear, General?

Good morning, all.

And welcome to STS-200
ops overview briefing.

This is an unusual mission,
I think we'd all agree.

We'll get started on the
particulars here in a moment.

First, let's 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 International
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 12 months.

We're doing this one in 30 days.

In 1986...

the former Soviet Union launched

communications satellite Ikon.

- Ikon is a link...
- I'll tell you about it later.

In Russia's
telecommunications chain.

Her orbit is rapidly decaying.

She will re-enter the Earth's
atmosphere in 30 days.

Your mission is to intercept
and capture her...

using the shuttle's grappling arm.

You will then have a
42-hour window...

in which to repair
her guidance system.

From there she'll be
reconfigured by Mission Control.

After that, you'll shoot her
back into geosync orbit...

using the payload
assist module rockets.

Any questions?

Question.

With all due respect
to the guys, why

don't we just capture the bird...

bring it home with a crew
trained in satellite retrieval?

It's 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...

he's the only engineer
to do the job.

So Frank Corvin's band of...

Leisure World aviators
are going into space.

NASA agree to all this?
Did the Russians?

Frank didn't give
us a lot of choice.

I figured that.

You hate each other way too much
to have cooked this up together.

Count me out.

I 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?

I don't know, Gene, but apparently
I'm the man who can fix it.

Grow up, will you, Frank? Can't
you be a team player for once?

Why can't you assist my
astronauts as an engineer?

If I wasn't 100% sure that my guys

could do as well as
your astronauts...

- I wouldn't go anywhere near it.
- Yeah, sure.

Still the same old Frank, huh?

Well, that's the
consensus around here.

So you fellas made a deal?
Fine. Here's my deal.

I am the flight director and I
can pull the plug on this one.

When it's over, it's over.

I am not turning over a
new space shuttle...

to rookies with a
month's training.

You're taking two of my guys.

Ethan, who's a
brown-nosing snot and

Roger, who's a cocky little shit.

But they're the two
best astronauts.

They fly or the package
stays on the ground.

- Deal?
- Well, okay, Gene.

And if I sense for one second...

that your team isn't cutting
it physically or mentally...

you're off, and my
original team flies.

So let's see if you
still got it to go.

Suck it up, Frank.

Gene's the same guy I remembered.

Yeah, he's an asshole.

- A prick.
- Some things never change.

Now just cough when I say, okay?

Cough.

And again, please.

Morning, gentlemen.

I'm Dr Caruthers. I'll 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. That's one
for the economy, I guess.

You have 20/10 vision.

- I'll 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.
- I'm next.

- Five seconds, my ass.
- I wish I could be your next.

Get your fiance to take you to a

French brasserie and
give you oysters.

If he won't, can I?

Let's see how you do
on your physical.

I'll 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.

I may be blind, Frank,
but my memory's perfect.

Next.

Colonel Hawkins.

You all right?

I'm just not too
crazy about needles.

Well, that's pretty common.

Make a fist and pump
it a couple times.

Okay, that's good.

- You don't 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.

I met you when I was 12 years
old. I 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.
- I hear that.

You guys ready to do some laps?

Sure.

We'll go easy today. We'll do ten.

Minutes?

Miles. Let's go.

Miles.

- Little prick.
- Frank.

- Thank you.
- Let's go.

Did he really mean miles?

- How far have we gone, Frank?
- Almost two.

I'm going to have a heart attack.

That's the point.

- What? To give us heart attacks?
- Hell, yes.

Suppose we didn't make lift-off.

We'd be the first country to
launch dead bodies into orbit.

If we have heart attacks...

NASA will want us to have
it right here on Earth.

Get moving.

I'm an engineer, for
crying out loud.

- I stopped running during Nixon.
- Your lady doctor's 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.
I got it. I got it.

All right now.

- Thattaboy.
- Oh, yes, sir.

Not bad.

You trying to do
something over there.

Anything worth doing's
worth doing well.

I'm going to go to
my room now and cry.

I'm 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 night's sleep.

There's a real challenge.

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Goddamn...

teeth won't 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.

I drink this stuff.

It's good for your libido.

- Race you the last lap.
- All right.

- Okay. Countdown to one?
- All right.

One.

Frank, hi. I was looking for Hawk.

Well, come on in. Come on in.

He's right in there. Go ahead.
The coast is all clear.

- Go ahead.
- Okay.

I am so sorry.

No, it's okay. It's
okay. It's all right.

What brings you to the
men's locker room?

Gene moved up the stimulator, I

mean, I'm sorry,
the simulator run.

Okay. To when?

Oh, right. That would be...

11:00.

There were some procedures that
I wanted you to be aware of.

This is very uncomfortable,
and I'll be leaving now.

Sara.

I'm going to take
you out for a beer.

I'll be needing one.

Here we go.

Right on target.

Hi. Jerry O'Neill.

Do you mind, lady?
You make me nervous.

Get used to it. You'll have a lot
more people watching you on TV.

Thank you. Very comforting.

- You don't make me nervous.
- Oh, Jerry.

I got a roller
coaster that'll stop

your heart. I threw
up on my helmet.

That was three Gs. As bad as it
gets during ascent and re-entry.

I am so pleased. It was
a piece of cake, guys.

Okay, thanks.

First one to pass
out buys the beer.

You're on.

This thing moving?

I don't know. Doesn't
seem to be moving to me.

Say, fellas, is you all's
equipment broke down?

What's going on?

Makes them look
younger, doesn't it?

- You're a pushover.
- I do believe it's moving now.

That sure will take
the wrinkles out.

What the hell's going on here?

I'm sure you think
you're 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?

I'm getting too old for this shit.

I can cook things you wouldn't
believe. I cook crab, lobster.

That'll be seven dollars.

Hello?

I'm sorry. He's buying.

We both passed out
at the same time.

Bullshit.

I saw you pass out just before
I passed out. I saw that.

But never mind. I'll get this
round because of my confidence.

Absolute confidence
in my superiority,

absolute superiority to you...

in every human endeavour
in life. Keep the change.

We'll 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.

I'm not. What are
you talking about?

I'm having a private conversation
that doesn't involve you.

Go back to your
virgin pink daiquiri

and mind your own business.

She's my friend who has to put
up with assholes like you.

- Tiny...
- But I don't.

If you want to harass, harass me.

I believe he's
harassing you already.

I'll put you in the hospital.

I have Medicare. Shoot
your best shot.

- I'll make your old lady a widow.
- Don't...

Wait. You can't do
this. No, you're

going up into space in 22 days.

If you break a bone or
sprain your ankle...

your space shuttle seat'll go to

that MIT weenie with
blow-dried hair.

We'll watch the launch on
TV at your damn house.

What makes you think
I'll hurt myself?

What about a space shuttle?

You're gonna blow
this for us again.

You and your mean-ass temper.

Are you saying I
blew it back in '58?

Hell, yes, you blew it in '58.

You crashed every plane
the Air Force gave us.

All right. We're
taking this outside.

I'll whip your ass. Get out
there in that parking lot.

You wait here, Tiny.

- Let's go.
- I got ten on Frank.

Can I get your ass
out of a jam or not?

Did you see that guy's
face when I said...

Just who got Team Daedalus
canned, Colonel Hawkins?

Damn, this is gonna
be a long night.

Hawk's pretty quick. Frank's
got the reach, however.

They'll never grow up.

That girl I was dancing with
was a database administrator.

Really?

- Morning, partner.
- Hey Gene.

- Morning, Hawk.
- Good morning.

- What happened to your eye?
- I fell in the shower.

Tell maintenance to
put some no-slip

adhesives on that slippery floor.

How's that right there?

Still ten megahertz,
maybe a little more.

How's it going, Frank?

Fine. Fine.

What's with the eye?

Slip in the shower?

How would you know that?

I'll chat with the janitor.

Airspeed, 300.

Crosswind on our right, 14 knots.

Running a little hot. Want
to open up a speed brake?

200.

100.

Touchdown.

Nice landing, guys.

Let's put the rookies up front.
Simsupe, you on with me?

Simsupe. Go, Gene.

- It's gonna be tough to beat.
- I think so.

You up.

Standard package.

Let's throw them a Little
League kind of curve.

Hydraulic failure.
Switching to secondary.

I'm going to manual control.

You can't do that, Colonel. The
bird's on a computerised track.

1000 feet. Your
airspeed's too high.

Stick to their protocol, will you?

I'm going to manual
control. Goddamn, boy.

You cannot do that.

Secondary hydraulic failure.

- You'll come in short.
- Like hell.

Shit.

Come on. You can't 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.

I don't need a computer to
tell me how to land a plane.

It's not a plane. It's a
flying brick on approach.

You got to use the
on-board computer.

What if it fails?

It's 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.

3000 feet. Coming in too steep.

Pull up, sir. You'll
lose it again.

Fire in Av Bay Two.
You'll lose avionics.

I don't need them anyway, this

thing's a flying
brick on approach.

Wind shear off the nose and
the fire is contained.

Computers are down.
She's all yours.

500 feet. You're almost lined up.

Your airspeed is way too high.

Airspeed is four-niner-zero.
Coming in too high.

- You'll overshoot.
- You won't get it stopped.

It's easy. All you got to do is
tap on the brakes a little bit.

Not that much. You'll
put her into a stall.

100 feet. You know what
you're doing, right?

- I'm tapping on the brakes a bit.
- Drop the nose. You'll lose it.

Knock it off.

Drop the nose.

- What's the airspeed?
- 200. You're right on it.

What do you say we just drop
that nose a little bit...

like that right there.

Smooth as a baby's ass.

That's impossible.

For a computer it might be.

Flying brick.

I like that.

Ladies and gentlemen, from your

team-mates at the
table over there.

Gerber's baby food.

And some training material
for you to look over.

Pictures for the bigger words.

A talking frog's worth something.

- 40 percent.
- 40 percent?

You might nail it. You
might crash and burn.

The odds are against you, Colonel.

Watch this.

40 percent.

40 percent for you, you nail it.

40 percent for me, I'd
have missed by a mile.

That's why I got out of
the astronaut program.

I knew my chances of getting on a

space shuttle were
way less than 40.

But I was an astronaut, almost.

You'd have been a
damn good one too.

Thank you.

You don't think like that. You've
jumped out of planes 20 miles up.

You drove rocket sleds
at the speed of sound.

- You're not afraid of anything.
- I've been afraid.

Oh, bullshit. When?

When I was 17 years old.

I 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&M's all-American
defensive end Scott LeBeau.

And I mean, this cat was
six-foot-six if he was a foot.

Gary Cooper handsome.

One day, a bunch of friends and I

decided we'd drink
too much beer...

and crash a big old
sorority cotillion.

You know, everybody's
dressed up in

chiffon gowns and Daddy's tuxedo.

There we are, looking like a bunch

of brush poppers and goat ropers.

At the Governor's ranch too.

I'm beginning to get the picture.

So my friends tell
me that they see

LeBeau entering the Port-a-Potty.

One of them little old
fibreglass shithouses.

I did a better tackle on
that fibreglass 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 don't sound like no
all-American defensive end.

- It's decidedly more feminine.
- Oh, no, you didn't.

The love of my life,
rolling down the

bluff in a fibreglass shithouse.

It was very, very sad.

- What happened then?
- I ran like hell.

Joined the Air Force the next day.

Afraid LeBeau'd kick your ass.

Well, hell, no. I
wasn't afraid of him.

I was afraid, I mean...

truly afraid of her.

Are you afraid of me?

I married her.

Four years later.

What? I'm only 15 minutes late.

Oh, shit.

Extra, extra. Read all about it.

I don't know how this
leaked out. I swear.

NASA's been getting calls from
every tabloid in the country...

asking me to verify that story.

Why can't we verify the story?

- Why?
- Yeah.

Because STS-200 is a delicate,
top-secret satellite recovery...

that's 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?

It's easy for you to laugh. You
don't deal with him. I do.

We're going to simulate your
on board living conditions...

to familiarise you with the
new living environment.

Watch your step.

- What the hell's this thing?
- ACM.

- Asshole Centring Monitor.
- Gentlemen, this is your funnel.

It attaches to the hose here.

Before starting,
make sure you have

a tight seal against your skin.

- Is that the only one you got?
- Yes, one size does fit all.

But just in case, there's a diaper

underneath your pressurised suits.

- I'll use that.
- I'm sure you will.

Anything else?

You're having a bit
of an acid thing.

- No, no, no.
- It's 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.

It's an honour 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? That's a
cross with a rocket on it.

What faith is that? I'm
not familiar with it.

- It's mine.
- Lutheran?

- What is it? What is it?
- It's Baptist.

Which guy is the babe magnet?
That would be Jerry.

- That's Jerry.
- Are you?

I keep telling these guys it's
got nothing to do with me.

It depends entirely
on the woman...

and how willing she is to discover

her infinite supply of orgasms.

- Really?
- Yeah, it's true.

- It's the truth.
- You know, I think...

women watching are going, "No

matter their age,
men never change."

You all have a
military background?

That's true. That's true.

North or South? Which
side? I'm teasing.

- You see... I'm sorry.
- Low.

I know, I know. You can't help it.

What did he do?

These go in the other pile.

So the relay patch is the key?

Plain as the nose on your face.

How'd you bypass the
heat exchanger?

I didn't bypass anything.

You're not being very forthcoming
on the guidance system.

Kid, I've done
everything short of...

calculus instructions to
bring you up to speed.

What do you want, a
picture? Connect the dots?

Excuse me. I hold two master's
degrees from MIT, Dr Corvin.

Maybe you ought to
get your money back.

You were just brought up on a
different set of technologies.

You're compromising
this mission. I'm

your backup on a
need-to-know basis.

You don't need to know dick.
I don't need a backup.

Yes, you do.

More than you know.

What's that supposed to mean?

What don't I know?

What don't I know?

You son of a bitch. You're
setting me up again.

Here's one of our astronauts now.
What a semi-pleasant surprise.

You had no intention
of sending me up.

I'm in the middle
of something now.

Well, now, that's great.

You hung up on the head of our
program: the US Vice President.

What can I do for you?

You had no intention
of sending me up.

You screwed me over in 1958 and
you're screwing me over now.

I screwed you over?

What did I do, make a deal with
you anyway? A chronic liar.

What deal? I didn't make any deal
with you. You blackmailed me.

If you want to stick by your
so-called deal, then you lost.

I don't have to send you up.

What is all this?

It means someone on your team
didn't pass his physical.

One of you has cancer.

It's in his pancreas.

And it's inoperable.

Does he know about it?

Dr Caruthers talked
to him this morning.

Jesus.

No.

No. We're going to get another
doctor and get another opinion.

Not one that's on your payroll.

This is even low
by your standards.

You'll do anything to
keep me from going up.

Oh, really?

So that's what this
drama's all about.

This whole time I thought it
was about your friend Hawk.

But it's 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.

I don't understand.

Come on. You're
front-page news now.

A genuine all-American
hero. You've

made NASA popular all over again.

Thanks to you, they'll get
their juicy budget infusion...

they've been drooling over.

You're going up, all right.
The Vice President insists.

I have to call the head of
the space program back.

You've got a lot of work
to do before we leave.

And you shut the door.

This is my Blackbird.

I retired this very
aeroplane in 1990.

And now...

here we sit.

I've never actually
seen one before.

SR-71. This is what a
plane's 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.

I took her right to the limit.

128,000 feet.

She's only happy...

going fast. It's not meant to sit.

That's a lousy way to die,
just sitting around waiting...

Is eight months the best I can do?

They don't know.

- There's chemo, radiation.
- Shit.

I watched my wife go out
that way. I ain't doing it.

The love of your life.

What is a pancreas anyhow?

I mean, I don't 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.

I know how much this
flight meant to you.

Looks like I crashed
another one. I'm sorry.

They want to take Jerry
and Tank and me.

That's great. You played them
fellas just right. That's good.

- You said yes, didn't you?
- I didn't say anything.

You don't want to blow it
again. This is your last shot.

This isn't easy.

Easy, hell. Don't whine
to me about easy.

Put yourself in my shoes.

You've been blaming
me for 40 years.

You're not laying this on me. You
choke this one, it's on you.

- All on you.
- What would you do?

I'd leave your ass on the ground.

I'll bet you would.

To go into space?
You bet your ass.

In a heartbeat.

Know what the worst
day in my life was?

The day you put the
idea in my head

I could pilot a ship in space.

I don't care what happens. If
this gets out to the press...

It's not about the
press right now.

But whether Roger or Ethan...

I'm not going up.
Not without Hawk.

- You're gonna blackmail me again?
- No, no.

I'll teach Ethan what he needs to
know. I don't go if Hawk doesn't.

- Any ideas, Miss Holland?
- Yes.

Even with the cancer, he
still passed his physical...

so there's no reason he can't 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 let's get rested and prepped.

Okay. Yes.

What's 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.

I had them made for you.

- You owe me dinner now.
- You'd go out with Spider-Man?

- If he'll buy me oysters.
- I'll buy you pearls.

I feel like dancing.

Bring that man back alive.

No, that's against my
better judgement, Barb.

I won't let him die.

General Corvin, General
Hawkins, welcome to Daedalus.

We're not Generals, son.

Just saying it like
it ought to be.

You're good to go, men.

See you back on the
ground, Team Daedalus.

Good luck.

Well, we've only waited 40 years.

What do you say, Reverend
Tank? Is a prayer in order?

I was just reciting
the Shepard's prayer.

Alan Shepard's prayer.

"Oh, Lord, please don't
let us screw up."

- Amen.
- Amen.

- Amen.
- Amen.

Amen, Reverend.

Let's have a comm check.

- PLT.
- MS One.

- MS Two.
- MS Three.

MS Four.

Fido, go. Guidance, go.

EECOM, go.

INCO, go.

T-minus 15 seconds.

T-minus ten, nine, eight, seven.

We have a go for
main engine start.

Three, two, one. Ignition.

Lift-off space shuttle
Daedalus and STS-200.

How's 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.

We're 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.
We're right on schedule.

That's not what I'm worried about.

Relax.

Our man is up there with them.

Ah.

It was worth the wait.

- Yeah, it was.
- Thank you, Frank.

I owe you one.

Not a bad take-off...

for some rookies.

You guys are over, over the
edge. You're in space.

- Welcome to the club.
- Thank you, Roger.

Okay, Daedalus has got
Ikon on the scopes.

We should have a visual
here momentarily.

Range, 5000 metres.

Roger, Hawk, we
have a visual here.

Stand by for a 15-second burn.

All right, get ready
to deploy the arm.

Deploying the arm.

2200 feet.

Dead centre. Good
driving up there, Hawk.

Let's light them up.

Stand by. T.I. burn in
four, three, two, one.

Hello, Ikon. How we feeling today?

Activating floods.

Boy. Will you get a load of this?

Activating radar.

- He's trying to get a tone on us.
- What are you saying?

Shut the radar down. It's
painting a target on us.

Radar off.

We're okay.

No wonder the damn
thing's orbit is

decaying. It's 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.

It's got to have some kind
of self-defence mechanism.

Our radar must've activated it.

Can you grab it?

I can get it if Hawk
can get us in there.

I'm just worried about the mass.

I'm 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 can't
handle that much stress.

It's within operational
limits. Frank can latch on.

I don't know about this.

Our mission is to restore this
satellite. Let's get on with it.

I won't let this crew get
killed, you included.

Houston, Daedalus. We're
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?

That's close enough for me.

- Is he as good as you say he is?
- Tank?

He's the man.

All right. You can go for it.

You're drifting left too far.

Hail Mary, full of grace.

Holy shit. I got it.

You the man, Tank.

Houston, Daedalus. We've got Ikon.

Good work, fellas.

You boys look mighty sharp.

Welcome to space, Frank. You've
waited a while for this.

Yeah. Only 40 years.

All right, cowboys. Let's round
them up. We got work to do.

A little light on the subject.

We'll take a look at its brains.

I don't think that's the panel.

You don't, do you?

Holy cow, Frank.

This is some piece of junk.

This isn't a sightseeing
trip, Frank.

- Abort activity.
- Frank, listen to me.

I said, abort activity. Now.

What's going on, Frank?

Ethan, what the hell's going
on? What is this damn thing?

A Russian communications
satellite, Colonel.

Bullshit. You don't think I know a

nuclear launch platform
when I see it?

Why are we helping
the Russians put

a missile silo back into orbit?

You're a genius.
You figure it out.

You're only here as
a publicity stunt.

You got what you wanted.
You're in space.

Now finish the damn mission.

Go ahead, Frank.

You're on a secure line now.

You were right to
be concerned about

this thing coming out of orbit.

It happens to have six armed
nuclear warheads on board.

What's he talking about?

I have no idea.

General, is there something
you want to tell us?

Yes.

Ikon is a relic from the Cold War.

It 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.

If Ikon 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 don't know
how touched I am

that you're worried
about our safety.

Why don't you ask your
friend the General...

how my guidance system from
Skylab got aboard this six-gun?

It was stolen by the KGB...

from Mr.Gerson's personal files.

This is all news to me.

You'd 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.

We're latched on to a 100-megaton

bomb travelling
17,000 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 don't know. Let
me crunch some numbers.

Just okay, Frank.

Somebody's outside the ship.

Daedalus, you have an unscheduled
EVA you want to tell me about?

What?

He's 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 Ikon back
into geosync orbit.

You don't know what you're doing.
Come back. That's an order.

You don't know the sequencing.

- Roger.
- Yeah.

Get suited up. When the
door's fixed, get out there.

All right.

Ethan, do not connect those PAM
rockets. Do you understand?

How long?

I nearly got it.

Don't lock onto those PAM
rockets. You hear me?

Got it.

It's arming itself.

Oh, God.

Oh, Lord.

- Hawk.
- I'm on it.

Shit, we got a fire in here.

- We lost Ikon and Ethan.
- What?

Roger's hurt, mid-deck.
He's bleeding badly.

See what you can do for him.

Tank, contain the situation.
Kill the 02 switch.

Killing it.

Hawk and I are going out.

I got it.

Status GBC.

Check.

They've got the fire contained.

Range, 100 feet. It's
accelerating, Miss Holland.

They're gonna lose it.

I assume you got a plan.

I think I can
reconfigure the flight

control system for
stabilisation burn.

The only trouble is, I gotta do
that at exactly the right time.

That's where you come in.

You gotta be my eyes
while I'm in there.

Cue me when the satellite comes

around and lines up
with the shuttle.

But what about the
rate of descent?

I'll fire a short burst from the
PAM, and that'll counter-thrust.

Just enable the PAM rocket
to accept my command.

Hell, I 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, you'll
never make it back.

If those bombs hit the atmosphere,
it might not matter anyway.

Come on, let's suit up
and get out of here.

That's the craziest
thing I've ever heard.

2200 feet.

Holy cow. This is a bad idea.

Frank, by my calculations,
you got 15 seconds...

to ignite that PAM.

- Speak to me, Hawk.
- We're 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.

That's it, Frank. It's static.

Houston, this is Daedalus.
We've arrested the fall.

Attaboy, Frank.

Oh, thank God.

Son of a bitch.

He's out.

I'll hook up the
extra Payload Assist

Modules. You take
Jonny Quest back.

We've got a problem. We've
only got one rocket left.

One PAM's got no chance of getting
that thing into orbit, Frank.

You got another problem.

Oh, no. Even if we get
this thing going...

it's not gonna have enough
power with two broken panels.

Take the kid back,
I'll handle this.

How will you handle it, professor?
You're a pilot, remember?

I'll need all the extra
O2 modules you've got.

What are you talking about?

No.

I love you, but why do you
have to be such a killjoy?

Besides, you ever see
a prettier moon?

What's he talking about, Frank?

You'd never make a quarter
of a million miles.

Oh, hell, yes, I will.

I just gotta go halfway. The
moon's gravity will do the rest.

I'll fire them into outer
space and let them...

self-destruct.

That's not a solution,
Frank. One PAM

rocket's not nearly enough thrust.

Let's everybody slow down.
There's got to be another way.

There isn't.

No.

No.

Gotta be a winner in every race.
Looks like it's me this time.

As usual, huh?

Oh, shit.

- He can't do that.
- What's the status here?

What's 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...

you'll have to pilot
this bird by yourself.

And you'll have to
do it dead-stick.

Don't look at me.
I've flown nothing

bigger than a Cessna in 30 years.

Looks like I'm getting the
better part of the deal here.

Stop laughing. You used up
all your oxygen, dummy.

Frank's 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, they'd run out of fuel
and then you'd be stuck with them.

Is this gonna work?

I don't know.

All right, fellas...

let's shoot this baby to the moon.

Count down to one, right?

On a count of one.

One.

Ikon has left our
gravitational field.

Hawk was able to launch the
warheads into outer space.

How's Daedalus?

We have a critical situation.

The collision left us with one
good orbital manoeuvring engine...

and it's leaking fuel.

If there's not enough fuel
for a de-orbit burn...

It'll burn up, or it'll skip off.

What about guidance and avionics?

Well, the computers
are unresponsive.

The only thing operating at 100
percent is their air flow.

They're gonna have to re-enter the

atmosphere and set
her down in manual.

That's impossible.

Well, it's never happened before.

The only pilots alive who'd even
think about it are Roger and Hawk.

- Roger's wounded and Hawk's...
- Okay.

Let's get them as close as we
can, then abort the landing.

They'll have to bail out. What
are the survival probabilities?

20 percent at best.

Zero if they try to set
it down. The bird's dead.

I doubt it would even glide,
with its structural damage.

20 percent is better than zero.

You still have that thing?

Yes. She'll 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, you're still inverted.
And you're flying tail-first.

Ordinarily, the autopilot would
do a de-orbit burn to right you.

But we don't have a
computer, right?

That's right.

You don't have much fuel
left in that engine, either.

Swell.

Stand by for de-orbit burn.

That wasn't enough. Flip us around
and use the forward RCS prop.

Shit.

All right.

Shit.

Easy, Frank. She's
not a fighter jet.

A flying brick.

I hope not.

I'm gonna put her in a steep dive.

Make sure we don't overshoot.

I'll 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 first.

Tank, you and Jerry after that.

I'll line her up for a ditch over

the ocean. You got that, everyone?

Come on, hold together.

You're going in too steep, Frank.

She'll 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.

He's trying to call, sir.

He's fried his antenna.

Trajectory, where is he?

He's on final, but way too hot.
He'll overshoot at this rate.

Coming up on 12,000.

Equalising.

Jerry, blow that hatch. Get
everybody out of here.

Roger.

Blowing the hatch.

One gone.

Tank, you get going too.

What about you?

I'll line her up for a
visual, then I'm out.

Two gone.

Get out of here. Do you
hear me? Get moving.

What the hell you guys doing?

We're a team, Frank.

Get out of here. That's an order.

We're staying.

Read out my airspeed, then.

500. Bring her up.

This is Recover Five.
You're way too hot.

Pull out now.

Negative, Recover.

All right, give me airspeed.

300. Gear coming.

Gear down.

All right, there's
nothing to this.

Just tap the brakes a little bit.

He's gone into a stall.

Airspeed?

220.

210.

200.

185. She's gonna stall, Frank.

Speed?

175. Drop the nose.

What do you say we drop the nose?

Wheels stopped. Daedalus is home.

Yeah.

Just a walk in the park, Frank.

Hey, Gene.

- Yeah?
- Never mind.

I never doubted Frank
Corvin for a minute.

I brought him in on
Project Daedalus

40 years ago and on this one too.

I'll tell you this:
For commitment,

courage and consistency...

this group blows away all
the teams I've ever had.

Do you think he made it?

Yeah. I 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 ♪