Marooned Page #3

For Ground to analyze

the entire telemetry.

So some smart-ass engineer

can tell us we're out of luck?

Why not go EVA?

We'll check the engine ourselves.

Maybe one of the fuel valves is frozen.

No, Ground could tell that.

Maybe we took a meteor strike. Maybe

something hung up on separation.

Just relax.

Eat your chicken while it's hot.

What are you looking at, Stoney?

A disturbance in the inner-tropical

conversion zone.

Somebody's gonna have a hurricane.

- Where's the center, Stoney?

- It's just northeast of Cuba.

Yeah, nice thick clouds,

good east-west slope.

Looks like clouding circulation's

just beginning.

She's gonna be a big beast.

Alma, first of the season.

Houston, this is Simulator.

We have on the stand SPS

engine unit H37 modified block four.

This unit is an exact

one-to-one duplicate...

... of the primary equipment

in Ironman One.

We have analyzed

the engine telemetry.

And we're attempting

to construct a configuration...

... which will reproduce the conditions

that prevented ignition.

Three, two, one.

Firing the engine.

I say, apparently we have failed

to prevent ignition.

But we'll keep working on it.

All right, the president's waiting

for our recommendations.

All right, the president's waiting

for our recommendations.

One, a statement to be issued at the

conclusion of this meeting:

"Every effort is being made

to discover...

...and correct

the spacecraft malfunction...

...in accordance

with contingency plans...

...designed to meet

such emergencies."

Two, a report to be issued

Tuesday morning...

...by the director

of manned space flight.

Emphasizing the high degree of safety

and success in the program thus far.

The accident will be compared to

the failure of an experimental aircraft.

It'll be noted that in the development

of such aircraft...

...a 10 percent pilot loss

is considered acceptable.

Now, Wednesday morning,

if necessary...

...the president will issue

an appropriate message to the nation.

Emphasizing the courage

and determination of the crew.

And their final wish, that the program

be continued without pause.

Discussion?

Yeah, I have something.

I want to talk about a rescue mission.

I'm speaking for the pilots

and some of the Air Force boys.

We propose launching a rescue craft

using one of their boosters.

Rendezvous with Ironman,

transfer crew and return to Earth.

Dougherty, you haven't

been listening.

Courtney, will you repeat

that trend data...

...on oxygen consumption

in the spacecraft?

As of now, they're going to live

another 42 hours.

Plus or minus two percent. Now, that

takes us up to 10:30 Monday night.

There's a launch window for a shot

at 8:
48 Monday night.

Nothing to put in that window.

An Air Force Titan 3C left Denver

for the Cape one hour ago.

Oh, actually it was already in the pipe.

And also the XRV lifting body

from Edwards.

Can you get the Titan

and an XRV...

...on the pad ready to go in 42 hours?

- Some of our boys think they could.

A non-man-rated booster

and a craft that's never flown.

Oh, it'll fly all right, and Dougherty

here has all the qualifications.

Proposal is rejected.

Anything else?

Yeah, what do I tell the pilots?

Tell them that the request is outside

the area of their competence.

- We've got three men dying.

- They're professionals.

If they were here they'd say,

"Take what you've learned.

Get on with the next mission."

I don't give a damn

about the next mission!

There's no room in this program

for a chief astronaut...

...who cannot look

at the whole picture.

Then you fire me.

You want to launch a rescue mission

in 42 hours...

All right.

One:
Assemble and check out booster

stage one, stage two and trans stage.

How long, on past performance?

Well, on past performance, 12 days,

but if we were...

Twelve days.

Two:
Build up and strap on

solid fuel stacks.

- Four days, but we can...

- Four days.

Check launch weather for Monday

night. There's a hurricane out there.

and headed out to sea.

Well, you're in luck. Three: Make

the vehicle to the bird...

...and check out configuration.

How long, colonel?

- Bob?

- We haven't any accurate way...

...to determine the minimum time...

- Couldn't do it under five days.

Four:
Compute navigation

and guidance tapes...

...for first apogee rendezvous,

...three weeks.

- We'll go without a computer.

- We'll go without a checkup.

- And crew training in a craft...

...which has not been man-rated,

which cannot be flown by one pilot...

...and which has not been modified

to hold four men.

How about that one?

They'll do it in 42 hours.

While you're assembling

your rescue ship in 42 hours...

...and spending...

How much would that cost, Fisher?

- Fifty million.

- So what?

Plus how many deaths?

- Jimmy?

- In a program of this magnitude...

...in which all nominal safety factors

are disregarded...

...I calculate.02 percent

of the workforce...

How the hell do you know

how many people will die?

Think we haven't considered rescue?

Here it is.

Rescue and every other contingency.

Reduced to digitals

and computerized.

You helped to write it.

- A rational approach.

- Well, screw your rational approach.

Three of your pilots are in trouble.

And if you don't try to get them down,

well, God damn you!

Well, you have feelings. Good.

I have feelings.

That's why we live by the rules.

Wheeler. Courtney.

Fisher. Klein.

Degrote.

Those men up there

are your friends.

Can you launch a rescue mission

in 42 hours?

- Yeah, all right.

- Are you ready to talk to him now?

- We're ready at this end.

- The president will take your call...

- ... at 7:
00 our time.

- Very good.

The president will take the call

at 7:
00 his time.

That leaves us an hour

and 15 minutes.

- Your license, please...

- Officer, I'm a government official.

- I'm in a hurry.

- I can see that.

Here's security, Q clearance,

top secret.

You've got a lot on your mind,

all right. That's how it happens.

- You forget where you are and wham.

- I've got to get to a telephone.

Shut off your engine.

I'm Charles Keith, head

of Manned Space.

I know who you are.

BS G-2896553, another code three,

Charles Raymond Keith.

You have no brake lights.

Your license is expired.

You may get to the moon,

but you're a menace on the road.

- Are you Charles Raymond Keith?

- Yes!

Somebody named Olympus

wants to talk to you.

Can you patch me into command

network, Baker to Olympus?

Keith, where are you?

Mr. President, I have a sort of

a problem here.

What do you have for me?

Well, we're analyzing

the engine telemetry.

We've got a contractor

running a similar engine...

...in a failure mode,

and we're running down the history...

...of all the hardware

in the spacecraft.

What else can you do

besides what you're doing?

I don't think there's anything else.

Have you fellas considered rescue?

Yes, we've discussed it, of course.

What do you think?

Well, sir, it's a very,

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