Marooned Page #2

...some 400 miles

south of Midway Island.

They are waiting now for confirmation

of retrofire. Standing by for contact.

Ironman One, Ironman One, this is

Houston CapCom, do you read?

Ironman One, Ironman One, this is

Houston CapCom, do you read?

After five months in orbit,

a mission termed...

...a successful prelude

to the long-term space voyages...

...that some day will be normal

and routine...

...astronauts Jim Pruett, Buzz Lloyd

and Clayton Stone...

...should be on their fiery way home

to the good Earth.

Ironman One, Ironman One, this is

Houston CapCom, do you read?

Ironman One, Ironman One, this

is Houston CapCom, do you read?

Ironman One, Ironman One,

this is Houston CapCom on UHF.

Do you read?

Ironman One, Ironman One,

this is Houston CapCom on UHF.

Do you read?

Ironman One, Ironman One, this

is Houston CapCom on S-band.

- Do you read?

- Go ahead, Houston.

Hey, you old bum. How's the run?

We have negative retrofire.

Say again, Ironman.

Negative, no burn.

Bailey, kill it.

- Ironman, wait one.

- What's wrong, Dick?

Don't know.

E-COM, GNC,

how does the data look?

A minute and 20 seconds

past retrofire.

Ironman, Flight. Would you check

your circuit breakers...

... and also your Delta V thrust

manual A and B switches?

Roger.

Glenn, would you punch up

channel six?

- All parameters are normal.

- Then why in the hell doesn't it fire?

- Houston, Ironman.

- Go, Ironman.

Circuit breakers are closed,

SPS switch is on.

Delta V manual A and B switches

are on.

Thank you.

We're affirming new target.

Suggest you try manual re-entry

on your next pass.

Roger, understand manual re-entry

using RCS backup system.

Negative, Jim. Negative.

We suggest you use

the primary system.

- We just told them it didn't work.

- Houston...

...we prefer using

the backup thrusters.

I'm afraid you don't have

backup thrusters.

- Say again?

- You've fallen too low in RCS fuel.

What about the lab?

There's oxygen in the lab.

Houston, do we have enough fuel

to re-dock with the lab?

Negative, Ironman. Negative.

- Well, what do you propose, Ted?

- You have insufficient RCS fuel.

You're going to have to try retrofire

with your primary engine.

Smart boys think your automatic

control system is out...

...but you'll be able to get ignition...

...from your primary engine

on manual command.

In other words, kick the box, Jimmy.

- Do you copy, Ironman ?

- Yeah, copy.

- Mr. Keith, BAO.

- No announcement.

We should say something, sir.

We've been off the air...

All right. Just keep it trivial.

Keep it routine.

- We may not have a problem.

- Yes, sir.

This is mission control, Houston.

We received word from Ironman

One of a malfunctioning switch...

...that has prevented retrofire

on their last orbit.

They'll bypass the switch. At their

next orbit we'll try manual retrofire.

This is Canon in Houston.

- Yeah, Canon?

- Unfreeze the dead, will you?

- Hold on a second.

- Are you ready now?

- Go ahead.

- Primary engine...

...did not fire on first pass.

The secondary thrusters are out.

Repeat, out.

If that big baby doesn't fire this time,

they're not coming back.

Motor, pitch two and yaw two

start, on.

Pitch two and yaw two start, on.

- One minute to burn.

- One minute to burn.

Translation hand controller, neutral.

- Hand controller neutral.

- Hand controller power, both.

- On.

- Direct RCS, on.

- Direct RCS.

- Delta V thrust, A and B normal.

- A and B normal.

- Thirty seconds to burn.

- Thirty seconds.

- Hand controller's armed.

- Hand controller armed.

- Hand controller's armed.

EMS Delta V, auto.

- Delta V, auto.

- Fifteen seconds to burn.

- Roger, 15 seconds.

- Acknowledge.

All right, you bastard,

fire, fire, fire!

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...

... five, four, three, two, one, retrofire.

Direct Delta V switch.

Ironman, this is Houston. Ironman,

this is Houston, do you read?

- Go, Houston.

- Do you affirm retrofire?

- Negative.

- Say again.

I said, we had negative retrofire.

Ironman, this is Keith, do you get any

indications from your event lights?

Boss, we got a little light here

that says we have retrofired.

It's green. We're gonna decorate it

for Christmas.

All right, Ironman,

we're going to work on it.

Roger.

Cabin pressurization on.

We'll be back in a couple of hours.

Get out of your hot suits.

- Roger.

- See you later.

We'll be here.

I want a complete tape dump from

all sites. I want it played back here.

And I want it in strip charts.

Call Sacco, tell him to put an engine

in the simulator.

Feed it all the TM we've got

and see what keeps it from firing.

Hard copies of everything

and an oxygen projection.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Keith?

- Forgot all about them.

- Ted, will you get them out of here?

- Ben, take this.

- Right.

No retrofire.

They're still up there.

It'll take a little time

to psych out the engine.

Well, I guess it's time to go home and

light the fires and mind the kids.

Do you need a lift?

- Did you talk to them?

- Yeah.

They're fine.

For how long?

- Well, we'll be in touch, Mrs. Stone.

- Thank you, but...

I'd also like to know

what's happening.

Teresa, Celia and I have been

in this business 10 years.

We learned the best thing is for us

girls to keep our feelings to ourselves.

And let the men get on with their jobs.

- Right, Celia?

- Wrong, Betty.

It's been 15 years.

Morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Sorry that I've kept you waiting.

- Dr. Keith, are you...?

- Mr. Keith.

- Are you on your way to Washington?

- No.

- Spoken to the White House yet?

- No.

Tell me, sir, who's responsible

for withholding the news?

- Oh, I'm the responsible officer.

- Do you have a statement, Mr. Keith?

No, but I would like to say that

approximately 15,000 people...

...are trying to isolate and correct

this malfunction.

Every resource of the NASA

and our industrial contractors...

...is being used to the fullest.

- Mr. Canon.

- Let me get this straight:

- The spacecraft is still in orbit, right?

- Yes.

Going around the world

every 94 minutes, right?

That's right, Mr. Canon.

How much oxygen does the crew have

for life support?

They're in no immediate danger.

- There's a rumor the men are dead.

- Not true.

Mr. Henry?

What happens if you can't

get the engine to retrofire?

We're prepared for every contingency,

Mr. Henry.

What happens if you can't

get the engine to fire?

Does the spacecraft continue

circling around the Earth...

...until orbital decay slows it down

sufficiently...

...for it to re-enter the atmosphere?

If so, does the spacecraft and

everything in it get burnt to a crisp...

...is that right?

- Well, what's your point?

How long before that happens,

five years?

Seven years.

Have you given up hope, Mr. Keith?

Certainly not, Mr. Canon.

Why should I?

If you'll excuse me now, please.

Strawberry cereal cubes.

Soup, corn, cream.

Jim, why are we just lying here

waiting, huh?

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