Capricorn One Page #2

MODULE AWAY FROM THE LAUNCH VEHICLE

AND WILL ACTIVATE A SYSTEM OF

CONTROL SHIFT AT 10.000 FEET.

THE FLIGHT CREW REPORTS ALL GUIDANCE

AND NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

FUNCTIONING PROPERLY.

THE RANGE SAFETY OFFICER REPORTS

ALTERNATING SYSTEMS ARE OPERATING.

THIS IS CAPRICORN CONTROL.

IT'S THAT BIG TALL WHITE THING OVER THERE.

YOU CAN'T MISS IT.

THIS IS PAUL CUNNINGHAM,

CAPRICORN CONTROL.

WE'RE AT T MINUS 1 MIN.

AND STILL COUNTING.

ALL SYSTEMS ARE GO.

ALL LIGHTS ARE GREEN.

WE SHOULD HAVE LAUNCH VEHICLE

POWER TRANSFER RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

ROGER, HOUSTON, WE READ

NOMINAL A.L.C.S.

ROGER, CAPITAIN.

WE'RE AT T MINUS 30 SECS.

AT THE PRESENT TIME, ALL SYSTEMS

ARE GO. ALL LIGHTS ARE GREEN.

GENTLEMEN, WE'RE GOING TO BE

A LITTLE WHILE.

YOU AND YOUR MEN MIGHT BE MORE

COMFORTABLE IN THESE.

WE'RE AT T MINUS 18 SECS.

FROM LIFT-OFF.

WE'RE T MINUS 15 SECS.

T MINUS 10 SECS., NINE, EIGH WE HAVE IGNITION.

SIX, FIVE WE HAVE OUTBOARD

ENGINES.

THREE WE HAVE INBOARD ENGINES.

ONE, ZERO.

WE HAVE A LAUNCH COMMIT. WE HAVE

A LIFT-OFF AT 35 MINS. AFTER THE HOUR.

ROGER. WE ARE STARTING YAW.

ROGER, ROLL PROGRAM COMPLETE.

VEHICLES ON TARGETS AND RUNNING

SMOOTHLY.

LOOKING GOOD, CAPRICORN.

WE'RE COMING UP ON TPLUS 40 SECS.

STAGING SHOULD BE IN THE NEX 300 SECS.

OUTBOARD CUTOFF SHOULD BE 10 SECS.

OBECO, CAPRICORN.

ROGER, HOUSTON.

HAVE OUTBOARD CUTOFF.

OBECO AT TPLUS 2 MINS. 29 SECS.

GOING FOR STAGING.

YOU ARE GO FOR STAGING, CAPRICORN.

ROGER, HOUSTON.

FIVE,

FOUR, THREE,

TWO, ONE.

WE REACHED STAGING.

WE COPY.

WE HAVE SEPARATION. CONFIRMED.

TPLUS 2 MINS. 43 SECS.

S-TWO IGNITION.

WE HAVE S-TWO.

WE HAVE SECOND STAGE IGNITION.

S- TWO IGNITION AT TPLUS

2 MINS. 46 SECS.

THE VEHICLE IS 47 MILES DOWN RANGE.

ALTITUDE:
43 MILES.

VELOCITY:
6.100 MILES PER HOUR.

MR. VICE PRESIDENT, PLEASE,

GIVE MY REGARDS TO THE PRESIDENT.

OH, YES, I'LL BE VERY HAPPY

TO DO THAT, HOLLIS.

I, UH, HOPE THAT WHATEVER PROBLEMS

HE FOUND SO IMPORTAN NOT TO BE HERE TODAY,

I HOPE HE HAS CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS

WITH THEM.

WELL, THAT'S REALLY VERY SPORTING

OF YOU.

I'M SURE THE PRESIDENT WILL BE VERY

PLEASED TO LEARN OF YOUR SUPPORT.

THE PRESIDENT WOULD GET CONSIDERABLE

MORE OF MY HUMBLE SUPPOR IF HE WOULD ONLY BE A LITTLE MORE

HELPFUL WITH THIS PROGRAM HERE.

NOW, HOLLIS, YOU KNOW THE PRESIDEN IS MOST INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM.

I AM MOST INTERESTED IN A LOT OF THINGS,

INCLUDING MY WIFE'S BRIDGE GAME.

THAT IS NOT THE SAME AS

SUPPORTING SOMETHING.

HOLLIS, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO FEEL

THAT WE HAVE PROBLEMS HERE, ON EARTH

THAT MERIT OUR ATTENTION

BEFORE WE SPENT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

ON OUTER SPACE.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO FEEL

THERE ARE NO MORE PRESSING PROBLEMS

THAN OUR DECLINING POSITION

IN WORLD LEADERSHIP.

IT WAS WONDERFUL SEEING YOU AGAIN,

HOLLIS.

THE PLEASURE WAS ALL MINE,

MR. VICE PRESIDENT.

THIS IS PAUL CUNNINGHAM,

CAPRICORN CONTROL.

YOU'RE AT TPLUS 2 HRS. 16 MINS.

INTO THE FLIGHT.

THE SPACECRAFT IS NOW

IN ELLIPTICAL ORBI WITH AN APOGEE OF

141 NAUTICAL MILES

AND A PERIGEE OF 122 NAUTICAL MILES.

MISSION CONTROL REPORTS FULL VOICE

CONTACT WITH THE FLIGHT CREW.

THIS IS CAPRICORN CONTROL.

WELCOME, COLONEL.

WOULD YOU PLEASE COME WITH US?

I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE TILL SOMEBODY

TELLS US WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON.

EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED TO YOU.

BULLSHIT, I WANNA KNOW RIGHT NOW!

COLONEL, I KNOW THIS SOUNDS STRANGE,

WE ARE ALL WORKING FOR THE SAME THING.

WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY.

PLEASE, WAIT HERE.

I SUPPOSE YOU'RE WONDERING

WHY I CALLED YOU UP HERE.

GOOD MORNING.

HI THERE, DR. KELLOWAY,

NICE TO SEE YOU.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED

ON THE WAY TO MARS.

WELL, WHY DON'T YOU ALL SIT DOWN?

WELL.

OKAY,

HERE IT IS.

I HAVE TO START BY SAYING THA IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER WAY,

IF THERE WAS EVEN A SLIGHT CHANCE

OF ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE,

I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING NOT TO BE HERE

WITH YOU NOW, ANYTHING.

BRU, HOW LONG HAVE WE KNOWN

EACH OTHER?

SIXTEEN YEARS, THAT'S HOW LONG,

SIXTEEN YEARS.

YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN YOURSELF THEN.

YOU SEEMED WALKED OU OF A WHEATIES BOX.

AND ME, ALL SWEATY PALMED AND

DEADLY SERIOUS.

I TOLD EVERYBODY ABOUT THIS DREAM I HAD

OF CONQUERING THE NEW FRONTIER

AND THEY ALL LOOKED AT ME

LIKE I WAS NUTS.

YOU LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "YES".

I REMEMBER WHEN YOU TOLD ME

KAY WAS PREGNANT.

WE EVEN WENT OUT AND GOT CROCKED.

I REMEMBER WHEN CHARLES WAS BORN.

WE WENT OUT AND GOT CROCKED AGAIN.

THE TWO OF US, CAPTAIN TERRIFIC

AND THE MAD DOCTOR

TALKING ABOUT REACHING THE STARS

AND THE BARTENDER TELLING US

MAYBE WE'D HAD ENOUGH.

SIXTEEN YEARS.

AND THEN, ARMSTRONG,

STEPPED OUT ON THE MOON

AND WE CRIED. WE WERE SO PROUD.

WILLIS, YOU AND WALKER, YOU CAME IN

ABOUT THEN, BOTH BRIGHT AND TALENTED.

LOOKED AT ME IN MY

WASH AND WEAR SHIRT,

CARRYING ON THIS HOT LOVE AFFAIR

WITH MY SLIDE RULE

AND EVEN YOU WERE CAUGHT UP

IN WHAT WE'D DONE.

I REMEMBER WHEN GLENN MADE

HIS FIRST ORBIT IN MERCURY.

THEY PUT UP TELEVISION SETS IN

GRAND CENTRAL STATION,

AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

MISSED THEIR TRAINS TO WATCH.

YOU KNOW, WHEN APOLLO SEVENTEEN

LANDED ON THE MOON,

PEOPLE WERE CALLIN' UP THE NETWORKS

AND BITCHIN'

BECAUSE RERUNS OF I LOVE LUCY

WERE CANCELED.

RERUNS, FOR CHRISSAKE!

I CAN UNDERSTAND IF IT WAS

THE NEW LUCY SHOW.

I MEAN, WHAT THE HELL IS

A WALK ON THE MOON?

BUT RERUNS?

OH, JESUS!

AND THEN, SUDDENLY,

EVERYBODY STARTED TALKING

ABOUT HOW MUCH EVERYTHING COST.

WAS IT REALLY WORTH TWENTY BILLION

TO GO TO ANOTHER PLANET?

WHAT ABOUT CANCER? WHAT ABOU THE SLUMS? HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

HOW MUCH DOES ANY DREAM COST?

FOR CHRISSAKE!

SINCE WHEN IS THERE AN ACCOUNTAN FOR IDEAS?

YOU KNOW WHO WAS

AT THE LAUNCH TODAY?

NOT THE PRESIDENT,

THE VICE PRESIDENT, THAT'S WHO.

THE VICE PRESIDEN AND HIS PLUMP WIFE.

THE PRESIDENT WAS BUSY.

HE'S NOT BUSY.

HE'S JUST A LITTLE BIT SCARED.

HE SAT THERE TWO MONTHS AGO

AND PUT HIS FEET UP ON WOODROW

WILSON DESK.

AND HE SAID, "JIM...

MAKE IT GOOD.

CONGRESS IS ON MY BACK.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A REASON

TO CANCEL THE PROGRAM.

WE CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER SCREW-UP!

MAKE IT GOOD!

YOU HAVE MY EVERY GOOD WISH."

HIS EVERY GOOD WISH. I GOT HIS

SANCTIMONIOUS VICE PRESIDENT,

THAT'S WHAT I GOT!

AND SO THERE WE ARE,

AFTER ALL THOSE HOPES

AND ALL THAT DREAMING.

HE SITS THERE WITH THOSE FLAGS

BEHIND HIS CHAIR

AND TELLS WE CAN'T AFFORD

A SCREW-UP.

AND GUESS WHAT?

WE HAD A SCREW-UP.

A FIRST-CLASS, BONAFIDE,

MADE-IN-AMERICA SCREW-UP!

THE NICE PEOPLE FROM CON-AMALGAMATE

DELIVERED A LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM

CHEAP ENOUGH SO THEY COULD MAKE

A PROFIT ON THE DEAL.

WORKS OUT FINE FOR EVERYBODY.

CON-AMALGAMATE MAKES MONEY,

WE HAVE OUR LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM,

EVERYTHING IS PEACHY!

EXCEPT THEY MADE A LITTLE BI TOO MUCH PROFIT.

WE FOUND OUT TWO MONTHS AGO,

IT WON'T WORK.

YOU GUYS WOULD ALL BE DEAD IN THREE

WEEKS. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

SO ALL I HAVE TO DO IS REPORT THA AND SCRUB THE MISSION.

CONGRESS HAS ITS EXCUSE,

THE PRESIDENT STILL HAS HIS DESK

AND WE HAVE NO MORE PROGRAM.

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