Mission To Mars Page #3

The Saturn imaging probe.

It's gonna slingshot around Mars

on its way through the solar system.

It could be retasked to take pictures,

read radiation levels

of Mars One base camp.

Wait, wait, wait.

We are getting ahead of ourselves.

You're forgetting the bigger problem.

The orbits are all wrong.

Our first decent launch window

is almost eight months from now.

Yes, but we can go earlier

and get there faster...

if we reconfigure the payload

for extra fuel.

- We've modeled that, Ray.

I've modeled it.

- On paper, yes.

But those stresses have

never been tested in space.

- The ship can take it.

- Oh, "ship can take it."

I wasn't thinking of

just the ship.

You're right.

I know the protocols for a Mars

recovery mission better than anybody...

because I designed them.

And I'm telling you,

these guys can do it.

He's right, Ray.

We've got a real shot here.

Hmm.

Well. Give me an updated

mission plan by 0800 tomorrow.

You'll have it by 0600.

Let's go to work.

Chief, can I have a word?

Go ahead.

- I no longer have the right crew.

- What do you mean?

- Bjornstrom can be up here

on the next shuttle.

- Bjornstrom is a geologist.

He's good, but not for this. My people

just lost eight months of training.

This is a different mission

with a different objective.

- I haven't approved the mission yet.

- Yes, but when you do,

it ought to be given

its best chance for success.

I want McConnell

to fly right seat.

Oh.

Jim McConnell is no longer

on mission status.

- Yeah, because you washed him out.

- He washed himself out.

He only had to pass

a few more psych evaluations,

but... he refused

to take them.

His wife was dead.

He didn't want to lay on the couch

and share it with strangers.

That was his call,

but I had to make one too!

It was tough as hell,

but I'd do it again!

For Christ's sake, Ray.

She wasted away in front of his eyes.

What was he supposed to do,

suck it up? Get with the program?

What was his crime?

That he showed a little emotion?

I couldn't trust him!

When Maggie died,

it knocked the hell out of him.

It knocked the hell

out of all of us.

But you know and I know

he's still the best we've got.

He and Maggie

wrote the book on Mars.

He's had more hours in the sims

than the rest of us put together.

We can do this. You give me McConnell

as copilot, and we will bring Luke home.

It's a promise.

Hey.

- What's that?

- That is the exact

genetic composition...

of my ideal woman.

Hmm.

Hey, hey, hey. Hey.

My baby.

- Now what is it?

- A frog?

- Hey, skip.

- Hey. Take a look.

Damn.

What do you make of that?

Dust storm.

Southern hemisphere,

coming from the east.

Big fella too.

- Headed straight for Mars One base camp.

- Yep.

- Could get a little hairy

right about landing time.

- Yeah.

Listen, we're gonna have to be able to

move fast. Maybe even advance our E.T.A.

These bad boys can cover a whole planet

and last up to a year.

- When does SI MA do her flyby?

- Tomorrow morning, 0600.

That's when we find out whether

we've come all this way for nothing.

My money's on Luke.

All those interested in dance lessons,

please report

to the promenade deck.

- And what, may I ask, brought this on?

- Zero "G," my friend.

My last chance

to be graceful.

Once we're in Mars' gravity,

it's back to shuffling my feet

and grabbing her butt.

Incoming packet.

Incoming packet.

It's SI MA.

Enhanced look at base camp.

- It looks deserted.

- It's still standing, though.

So's the E.R.V.

And look, there's the greenhouse.

Well, we know Luke survived

for at least a few hours.

Now, are there any signs

of recent activity?

There. Scan northeastern

quadrant of base camp.

What the hell are those?

Graves.

Wait a minute.

There's only three of them.

- That means Luke's still gotta be alive.

- Phil, no, no.

It just means there was

no one left to bury him.

- Check the radiation levels.

- Check rad levels.

Normal.

- Go to disaster site.

- Go to 41 by 9.

- What's wrong?

- I don't know.

Magnetic interference?

- Go infrared.

- Switch to infrared.

It's gotta be a problem

with SI MA.

I don't see how an earthquake six months

ago could cause this kind of distortion.

That was no quake.

We are going to continue

analyzing this data...

and try to determine what

the problem is with those images.

We agree that the evidence

of the graves is, uh,

inconclusive...

and that a ground search

is advisable.

Frankly, we are as stumped

as you guys, but we'll keep on it.

- Beware there are little

sandstorms kicking up...

- Bureau babble.

near Mars One base.

But the big one you spotted

is turning south.

It shouldn't be a factor.

We are all pretty excited

around here,

and we are sure you must be

feeling the same.

- Enjoy your meal,

and get a good night's sleep.

- Say it.

- We anticipate...

- Say it.

- that tomorrow morning...

- Say it.

you will be go.

Yes! Yes!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hooray for baby Jimmy!

Yes, Jim's first spaceship

was seriously underpowered.

Maggie was

always a little starstruck.

Show us those beautiful teeth.

I am gonna get you guys for that!

When they met at

the Air Force Academy, it was

love at first flight. Woody's line.

Later, during NASA training,

things got a little tough.

Yes, Maggie always did

keep Jim on a short leash.

Jim was always trying

to explore a heavenly body.

- Where are they going?

- Ten thousand mile-high club.

Until...

- Mission accomplished!

- Oh!

- Man, what a fun wedding!

I was so whacked.

Uh, I'm going in. T-minus three,

T-minus two, T-minus one,

contact.

Oh. Okay, we can stop there.

Stop it there.

Fast forward.

Okay, you guys.

They are adding a wonderful chapter

to their incredible story,

and it's

a pretty historic one.

- To the newly appointed co-commanders

of Mars One, Jim and Maggie!

- Hear, hear!

I will drink to that.

- Thank you.

- Hold it. It's not over.

- Show 'em, show 'em.

- Yeah, we got a little addendum.

- Check this out, guys. Here we go.

- It's Phil's best work.

Look, it's Mars.

You can pick up these postcards

at your local NASA souvenir shop.

When you two land up there,

it will prove once and for all...

- that there really is

no intelligent life on Mars.

- All right, touch.

- You're gonna eat those words.

- I don't think so.

- Give me the camera.

- Uh-oh, here we go.

- What if I'm right?

- What if she's right?

You okay?

Can't it just be about science?

- We'll do the science,

and do it really well,

- Yeah.

because that's what

we've trained for.

But what if there's more?

In all our myths,

in every human culture, Mars has

always held a special attraction.

I mean, what if

that means something?

The universe is not chaos.

It's connection.

Life reaches out for life.

That's what we

were born for, isn't it?

To stand on a new world

and look beyond it to the next one.

It's who we are.

You know,

she may have been right.

If that wasn't a quake down there,

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