Gravity Page #3

MATT:

Hmmmm. Terrific.

Ryan inspects a panel inside the telescope, studying it with a

small mirror.

RYAN:

Houston, from first inspection comms

panel appears to be dead. Am I a go

to cut link to auxiliary?

MISSION CONTROL:

You’re the expert, doctor. It’s your

call.

Ryan takes out the small mirror and Matt stretches his arm,

offering assistance, but-

She does not want any help and puts the mirror away in her

toolbox, leaving Matt with his arm outstretched.

Ryan starts looking for another tool, but Matt is one move ahead

of her, offering her a pair of tweezers.

Ryan hesitates and takes the tool. She starts working on the

panel.

MATT:

Houston, I have a bad feeling about

this mission.

MISSION CONTROL:

Please elaborate.

MATT:

It’s the same feeling I had at Mardi

Gras in 1987...?

He waits, letting the moment hang knowingly. Then:

MISSION CONTROL:

That is affirmative. Surprisingly,

control hasn’t heard the Mardi Gras

story. Please proceed.

MATT:

Well, it’s day one and I’m bumping my

way down Bourbon Street looking for

the sister of a friend of mine. The

streets are swimming with people, I’m

thinking there’s no way I’m finding

this girl...

Ryan rolls her eyes and mumbles to herself-

RYAN:

Proceeding to over ride.

Matt continues his story without missing a beat-

MATT:

Then all of a sudden I look up and -there

she is.

(MORE)

MATT (CONT'D)

I am about to yell out when I notice

she’s holding hands with a short hairy

guy in board shorts and a

Margaritaville T-shirt. Then I

realize, the guy’s no guy. My sister’s

friend is holding hands with a--

Mission Control interrupts on the radio.

MISSION CONTROL:

(on radio)

ISS, this is Houston.

SPACE STATION CAP

(on radio)

Zlotze Houston.

Ryan inserts the plate into the Hubble.

MISSION CONTROL:

(on radio)

Explorer, this is Houston.

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

Go ahead Houston.

MISSION CONTROL:

(on radio)

Mission abort. Repeat: mission abort.

Initiate emergency disconnect from

Hubble.

All the astronauts stop what they’re doing and anxiously await

further instructions, except for Ryan who keeps working.

MISSION CONTROL (CONT’D)

(on radio)

Begin re-entry procedure. Start

Deorbit Prep for PLS at Kennedy. ISS,

initiate emergency evacuation.

Matt is immediately flung into action and rapidly unharnesses

himself from the Hubble.

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

Copy all Houston, and in work.

Matt, immediate return to Explorer.

Repeat, immediate return to Explorer.

MATT:

Roger. Explorer, prep airlock!

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

Airlock engaged--ready to receive.

Ryan is working on the panel.

MATT:

Houston. Elaborate.

MISSION CONTROL:

(on radio)

Debris from the impact has caused a

chain reaction, hitting other

satellites in its path and creating

new debris. Norad reports that orbital

and ballistic effects are driving the

cloud of debris up toward your

altitude. How copy?

MATT:

Copy all Houston.

(to Ryan)

Put a bow on it Dr. Stone.

RYAN:

I can't. If I turn it off now we'll

lose the whole system.

She keeps on furiously tweaking.

MATT:

I’m not going to ask you again.

RYAN:

One second-

MATT:

Not one second. Now! Shut it down!

THAT’S AN ORDER!!!

She looks up, sees Matt glaring. Looks him in the eye.

RYAN:

Sorry. I'm sorry. It's done.

The ROBOTIC ARM slowly withdraws, carrying Ryan back towards the

Shuttle.

Matt watches her go, then:

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

Kowalsky, initiate emergency

disconnect from the Hubble.

MATT:

Alright Shariff, let’s do this.

SHARIFF:

Roger.

Shariff turns and heads toward the base of the telescope holding

onto the hangar’s handrails.

MATT:

Houston. Update.

Matt PROPELS himself to the base of the Hubble using the

propelling unit on his back.

MISSION CONTROL:

We have a full on chain reaction. It’s

been confirmed that it is the

unintentional side effect of the

Russians striking one of their own

satellites.

Shariff arrives to the base of the telescope.

SHARIFF:

They shot down their own satellite?

MATT:

Right of disposal. Most likely a spy

sat gone bad. Now it’s space junk.

Matt grabs onto the base of the telescope-

MATT (CONT’D)

Explorer, ready to disengage HST.

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

Locks releasing in three... two...

one...

The locks attaching the Hubble to the Explorer release. Matt and

Shariff give the Hubble a push away from the hangar. Pushing the

huge telescope is not a difficult task in zero gravity.

MISSION CONTROL:

Explorer, new data coming through.

As it floats away, Matt gives the telescope a small spin.

MATT:

What’s the blowback, Houston?

MISSION CONTROL:

It’s not good. Most of our systems are

going down. Debris chain reaction is

out of control and rapidly expanding.

Multiple sats are now down and they

keep on falling.

Matt eyes the arm as it slowly retracts, carrying Ryan back.

MATT:

Define “multiple” sats.

MISSION CONTROL:

Most of them. Telecomunications

systems are gone. Expect a

communication blackout at any moment.

RYAN:

Kowalsky, visual of debris at nine

o’clock.

Matt’s eyes shift, watching a LARGE OBJECT, a piece of a BSE

SATELLITE, spiral toward them.

MATT:

Half of North America just lost their

Facebook.

The sat glides by at tremendous speed.

MISSION CONTROL:

You're a go for TH1138. Repeat You're

a go for TH1138 procedure.

EXPLORER CAP:

Copy that Houston.

MATT:

Explorer, this is Kowalsky. Confirming

visual contact with debris. Debris is

from a BSE sat. To repeat--

SHARIFF:

Heads up!

MATT:

To repeat I have-

ANOTHER OBJECT, part of a WEATHER SATELLITE, hurls by them, a

little bit closer than the previous one.

RYAN:

Dr. Stone requesting faster, faster

transport.

It is followed by a SMALL PIECE OF DEBRIS. It zooms by faster

than the previous ones and hits the BSE SATELLITE.

The satellite EXPLODES into hundreds of pieces and-

A CHAIN REACTION takes place.

MATT:

We have to go. Go, go! Go!

The DEBRIS from the BSE satellite hits the WEATHER SATELLITE,

and it EXPLODES, sending debris in all directions.

MISSION CONTROL:

Attention. New data suggests immediate

evacuation absolu...

A high frequency of interference and-

THE COMMUNICATION IS LOST.

THE ARM transporting Ryan is moving very slowly.

RYAN:

Dr. Stone requesting faster transport

to the bay area. Explorer get me down.

MATT:

Explorer permission to retrieve Dr.

Stone.

EXPLORER CAP:

(on radio)

You are a go, Kowalsky.

Matt thrusts himself over to Ryan.

EXPLORER CAP (CONT’D)

(on radio)

Houston, this is Explorer. Copy?

But there’s no answer.

EXPLORER CAP (CONT’D)

(on radio)

Houston, this is Explorer. Copy?

Still no answer.

EXPLORER CAP (CONT’D)

(on radio)

We lost Houston!

Matt stops next to Ryan.

MATT:

Unstrap! You can’t tune out the world

up here.

She reaches for the last clip and begins to undo it.

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