2001: A Space Odyssey Page #13

BOWMAN:

(softly) What the hell is going on?

POOLE:

I don't know. Hal said he thought

it might be the assembly procedure.

BOWMAN:

Two units in four days. How many

spares do we have?

POOLE:

Two more.

BOWMAN:

Well, I hope there's nothing wrong

with the assembly on those. Other-

wise we're out of business.

12/13/65 c72

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C69

IN POD BAY BOWMAN

OBTAINS ANOTHER:

COMPONENT FROM:

THE WAREHOUSE:

GOES OUT IN THE:

POD AND REPLACES

IT.

POOLE WORKS IN THE

COMMAND MODULE.

THIS WILL BE A:

CONDENSED VERSION

OF THE PREVIOUS:

SCENE WITH DIFFERENT

ANGLES.

THE SETS WILL CONSIST

OF POD BAY, COMMAND

MODULE, POD INTERIOR.

12/1/65 c74

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C70

POD BAY. BOWMAN

AND POOLE LEANING

OVER THE FAULTY:

COMPONENT, AGAIN

WIRED TO TESTING

GEAR.

BOTH MEN STARE IN

PUZZLED SILENCE.

SEE DISPLAYS FLASH

EACH TESTING PARA-

METER.

BOWMAN:

(after long silence) Well, as far as

I'm concerned, there isn't a damn

thing wrong with these units. I

think we've got a much more serious

problem.

POOLE:

Hal?

BOWMAN:

Yes.

12/14/65 c75

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C71

DISCOVERY IN SPACE.

12/1/65 c76

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C72

COMMUNICATIONS AREA.

MISSION CONTROL:

I wouldn't worry too much about

the computer. First of all,

there is still a chance that he

is right, despite your tests,

and if it should happen again,

we suggest eliminating this

possibility by allowing the unit

to remain in place and seeing

whether or not it actually fails.

If the computer should turn out

to be wrong, the situation is

still not alarming. The type

of obsessional error he may be

guilty of is not unknown among

the latest generation of HAL

9000 computers.

It has almost always revolved

around a single detail, such as

the one you have described, and

it has never interfered with the

integrity or reliability of the

computer's performance in

other areas.

No one is certain of the cause

of this kind of malfunctioning.

It may be over-programming,

(con't)

12/1/65 c77

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C72

CONTINUED:

MISSION CONTROL (con't)

but it could also be any number

of reasons.

In any event, it is somewhat

analogous to human neurotic

behavior. Does this answer

your query? Zero-five-three-

Zero, MC, transmission concluded.

12/1/65 c78

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C73

DISCOVERY IN SPACE

c79

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C74

CENTRIFUGE.

BOWMAN SITS DOWN

AT THE COMPUTER.

PUTS UP CHESS:

BOARD DISPLAY.

HAL:

Hello, Dave. Shall we continue

the game?

BOWMAN:

Not now, Hal, I'd like to talk to

you about something.

HAL:

Sure, Dave, what's up?

BOWMAN:

You know that we checked the two

AO-units that you reported in

imminent failure condition?

HAL:

Yes, I know.

BOWMAN:

You probably also know that we

found them okay.

HAL:

Yes, I know that. But I can

assure you that they were about

to fail.

12/14/65 c80

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C74

CONTINUED:

BOWMAN:

Well, that's just not the case, Hal.

They are perfectly all right. We

tested them under one hundred per

cent overload.

HAL:

I'm not questioning your word, Dave,

but it's just not possible. I'm not

capable of being wrong.

BOWMAN:

Hal, is there anything bothering

you? Anything that might account

for this problem?

HAL:

Look, Dave, I know that you're

sincere and that you're trying

to do a competent job, and that

you're trying to be helpful, but

I can assure the problem

is with the AO-units, and with

your test gear.

BOWMAN:

Okay, Hal, well let's see the

way things go from here on.

12/14/65 c81

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C74

CONTINUED:

HAL:

I'm sorry you feel the way you do,

Dave. If you'd like to check my

service record, you'll see it's

completely without error.

BOWMAN:

I know all about your service

record, Hal, but unfortunately

it doesn't prove that you're right

now.

Hal

Dave, I don't know how else to

put this, but it just happens to be

an unalterable fact that I am

incapable of being wrong.

BOWMAN:

Yes, well I understand you view

on this now, Hal.

BOWMAN TURNS:

TO GO.

12/14/65 c82

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C74

CONTINUED:

HAL:

You're not going to like this, Dave,

but I'm afraid it's just happened

again. My FPC predicts the

Ao-unit will go within forty-eight

hours.

C75

DELETED:

C76

DELETED:

12/14/65 c83

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C77

DISCOVERY IN SPACE

12/1/65 c84

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C78

CENTRIFUGE:

BOWMAN KEYS FOR:

TRANSMISSION.

BOWMAN:

X-ray-delta-zero to MC, zero-

five-three-three. The computer

has just reported another

predicted failure off the AAC-

unit. As you suggested, we

are going to wait and see if it

fails, but we are quite sure

there is nothing wrong with

the unit.

If a reasonable waiting period

proves us to be correct, we

feel now that the computer

reliability has been seriously

impaired, and presents an

unacceptable risk pattern to

the mission.

We believe, under these

circumstances, it would be

advisable to disconnect the

computer from all ship

operations and continue the

mission under Earth-based

computer control.

12/1/65 c85

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C78

CONTINUED:

BOWMAN (con't)

We think the additional risk caused

by the ship-to-earth time lag is

preferable to having an unreliable

on-board computer.

SEE THE DISTANCE;

TO-EARTH TIMER.

BOWMAN (con't)

One-zero-five-zero, X-ray-delta-

one, transmission concluded.

POOLE:

Well, they won't get that for half an

hour. How about some lunch?

DISSOLVE:

12/14/65 c86

------------------------------------------------------------------------

C78a

CENTRIFUGE:

BOWMAN AND POOLE

EATING.

DESSOLVE:

C79

BOWMAN AND POOLE

AT THE COMMUNICATIONS

AREA.

INCOMING COMMUNI-

CATION PROCEDURE.

MISSION CONTROL:

X-ray-delta-one, acknowledging

your one-zero-five-zero. We

will initiate feasibility study

covering the transfer procedures

from on-board computer control

to Earth-based computer control.

This study should...

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