Mission To Mars

T-minus ten,

nine, eight, seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one,

zero, ignition.

Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six, five, four,

- three, two, one, blast off!

- Guys, guys, please, please!

This is very risky stuff here, and I'm

a highly-trained professional astronaut.

Now, Uncle Phil will launch

another rocket just as soon as

he completes his fuel intake.

Thanks, darlin'.

Now, you know, it takes

six months just to reach Mars.

Then a year on the surface,

six months back.

That's, like, two years,

you know?

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying

to say here is that, um,

you know, this being

my last night on Earth and everything,

this could be a very

precious memory for me.

Nice try.

William, get that thing

out of your nose.

Don't you

talk back to Mommy.

- Hey, Woody.

- Yeah?

Our Mars One crew won't

be heading back to Earth...

till ten days after you guys land

at our base camp with Mars Two.

Thank you, Renee. That's a pretty

long rendezvous, don't you think?

What are you

suggesting, Sergei?

- I think maybe you should

bring a baseball bat.

We will play American baseball

on Mars. Our two crews.

- Oh, please.

- We could have ourselves

a Solar System Series.

- Half you guys are foreigners.

We'd crush you.

- No, no, no.

Because we have equal crews. We have

three men, one woman, same handicap.

Easy now. That's my wife

you're talking about.

Terri just happens to be

one hell of a shortstop.

Fast-pitch, no steals,

batter calls his own strikes.

- Thousand bucks make it interesting?

- Winner take all.

Good.

You bring the balls.

The best thing about our mission...

On Mars Two, technically I outrank her.

So for the first time in our marriage,

she's gonna have to do

everything I say, right?

- Yes, honey.

- "Yes, honey, sir,"

with a little salute helps.

- Yes, honey, sir.

- Yeah. I like it. It's good.

- Take that corn up there, all right?

- Yes, sir.

I'm not sure how I feel

about NASA allowing couples...

to go on this type

of mission together.

Nothin' personal, Terri. I mean...

It's just that it's a funny feeling

for those of us staying behind.

Yes, but all the research shows

that marriage will provide stability...

on these

long-duration trips.

Then they haven't studied

some of the couples I've known.

Luke. Come on, baby.

He's not coming.

This isn't right.

I mean, Jim deserves this too.

All of his friends are here.

- I know.

- It's my last night here.

Hey! It's your last night

with us too.

- I know. I'm sorry, baby.

- Mm-hmm.

I love you, Deb.

I love you too.

Maybe you should

spend some time with Bobby.

- Yeah, where is he?

- Up in his fort.

Oh. Okay.

Millions of miles away.

Deep space.

So lonesome, so cold.

So lame, Nick.

Knock, knock.

Bobby?

Your friends are

out there playing.

What are you doing

up here?

Who's gonna read

to me now at bedtime?

Your mother will.

But... I like

when you do it.

- Now we're never gonna finish our book.

- Bobby.

Listen, I've been thinking

about that too, okay?

And what I figured out was...

How about if I bring along

my own copy?

Then, every night, wherever I am,

I'll read a little bit more of it.

And you and Mommy can read a little bit

more of it wherever you are.

It'll be kind of like we're reading it

together. 'Cause I don't know about you,

but I'm kind of anxious

to find out how old Ben Gunn

got marooned on that island.

You think that's

a good idea?

- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

- Yeah? Yeah?

Okay.

Well, we were afraid

you wouldn't come.

I caught a whiff of your barbecue.

Uh-huh.

- After that,

- Yeah?

I was, uh, helpless.

Tsk. All the way

out in Galveston?

- Something like that.

- Mmm.

It's his night, Deb.

I didn't want to spoil it.

"Spoil it"? He has been

going crazy looking for you.

Don't ever do that to me again.

- How ya doin'?

- Hey, I'm doin' good.

- Here.

- Thanks, man.

- A lot of people are gonna be

glad to see you, you know that?

- Yeah.

Come on.

Let's go in.

You remember him?

- Just let that go.

- As soon as you admit that

it was a no-go situation.

- It was a go situation.

- Three months, no data stream,

- you're gonna land the ship?

- Just 'cause you keep bringing

it up doesn't make you right.

- Just because you get loud

doesn't make... Jim, settle it.

- No, don't...

- Just because you get loud

doesn't make... Jim, settle it.

- No, don't...

- Settle it.

- Don't look at me.

- It was a go situation.

- This is exactly what I'm talking about.

- It's hard to admit, I know that.

Three commanders, one ship.

I don't think that's gonna work.

There's not enough rocket fuel

in the world to get those egos

off the ground. Come on.

Ah, we would've made

a great crew.

Maybe. If this man

was left seat.

- Yeah.

- Guys, come on.

I'm a pretty good stick jockey.

Call me if you want a flight test.

- What is a stick jockey?

- "I'm a pretty good stick jockey."

Come on, Mr. Cover

of Time Magazine.

- The guy who landed

the crippled Block II shuttle.

- Yeah.

- That's the stick jockey.

- The stick jockey did that.

- Yeah, Mr. StickJockey.

- Okay, I made a little noise,

but putting the first

footprints on Mars?

That's for guys who wrote their Ph.D.

thesis on how to colonize the place...

and for guys who read too much

science fiction as a kid...

and still wear these little Flash Gordon

rocket ships around their necks.

- Very mature.

- You read every damn

science fiction book I did,

and you're just not man enough to wear

jewellery, that's all there is to that.

- Yeah.

- You know you want Flashy.

Ain't gettin' him!

Maggie would have loved to see

you two clowns just one more time.

I'm gonna go

and get a beer.

I don't know, Woodrow.

I think it's about time

you donated this baby to the museum.

- Internal combustion, boys.

Accept no substitutes.

Jim, listen.

If there's, um...

If there's anything Terri and I can do,

you call us, all right?

- I'm okay. Really. Thanks.

- All right. Luke.

- Yeah?

- I'll see you when I get to Mars.

Listen, don't solve all

the mysteries of the universe.

- Leave a little something

for the next guys.

- I'm not promising anything.

- Just bring some expensive beer.

- All right.

Will do. Godspeed.

Thanks, buddy.

It should've been

your mission, Jim.

Yours and Maggie's.

Nobody ever wanted Mars the way

you two did, not even Woody.

You two were 12 years training for

this thing, hoping for this assignment.

Well, that's...

that's all over now.

If Maggie hadn't gotten sick,

if you hadn't pulled yourself...

- out of the rotation

to take care of her, you...

- Luke...

No, Jim. Wait a minute.

I wanna say this.

Look, I wanted

this assignment, all right?

But not like this, Jim.

I would give all of this up in a second

if it would bring Maggie back to us.

I know that.

Look, all the years of training

and planning for this mission

have been a privilege.

Mars is yours now.

Go get it.

I will.

You take care

of yourself, Jim.

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