The Astronaut Farmer Page #6

Grandpa, here's a doughnut.

Grandpa, here's a doughnut.

- Grandpa no wake up.

- What, sweetie?

Grandpa no wake up.

Dad?

Oh, Dad.

There are no stop signs up there.

There is no defining space.

We have always defined our space.

A wall here, a room there.

A hallway, a road.

We have this way of dividing our space

until it equals a direction.

We even created a space for the dead.

Space is a difficult thing to grasp.

Man, Farmer...

...you have the most abstract thoughts.

They don't make any sense at all.

I'm just waiting for the other thoughts

to string all this mess together.

Hey, who's that out there?

Maybe one of Hal's long-lost friends.

How you doing?

How many head of cattle

do you run out here?

Enough to suit me.

You are the property owner?

Yeah.

- Charles Farmer.

- Correct.

I'm appraising your land

for First National Bank...

...who's actively seeking a foreclosure.

What was your name?

Sir?

- What was your name again?

- Robert Wilson.

Robert, nice to meet you.

You know, I own 352 acres.

Did you ever try to find a body

on that much land?

I'm not the bad guy here, mister.

Well, you're not the good guy either.

Shep, look here. I think I've figured out

another way to make our fuel.

We combine kerosene with hydrazine.

Are you sure, Dad?

Son, I don't know another way to do it

unless we completely modify the engine.

Plus, we got all the stuff

right here in the barn.

The fuel will still be pumped in

at a high pressure...

...and it'll burn in the chamber...

...create the same exhaust gases

as the high-grade rocket fuel.

That should provide enough thrust

to send me into orbit.

Make sense?

Yeah. Yeah.

Farmer?

- Yeah, I'm down here in the engine room.

- Hey.

- They made a ruling yet?

- Why do you think I'm here?

The committee wants 60 days

to make a ruling.

But I don't have 60 days.

The bank's gonna foreclose in a week.

I'm aware of that.

- I just don't have that kind of time.

- That's their plan.

Do you think they want you

to launch this?

They'll stall, stall, stall.

And then there'll be appeals.

This'll go on forever.

- Yeah.

- Are you ready for that?

I'm sorry about the ruling, Farmer.

Yeah.

You know, my father loved ranching.

He loved it with all his heart.

It was his dream.

Then when it got tough...

...and he knew they were gonna

try to take it away from him...

...he put a gun to his head...

...before they could.

And that bullet's still traveling.

It just keeps on going.

And now it's headed

straight for my dream.

Just promise me

you're not gonna do something stupid.

- Like what? Build a rocket?

- No.

You know better than that.

I've walked away before...

...and I can't walk away again.

Charles?

I can't just keep failing.

I hope you understand that.

I promise you everything will be okay.

No.

Shepard!

Come on.

Damn!

Charlie.

Charlie, can you hear me?

No, don't move. Don't move your body.

Don't move it, sweetie.

Oh, my God.

Don't you dare leave this family.

You stay with me!

Six broken ribs. Broken left wrist.

Compound fracture to the fibula.

Severe head trauma.

Multiple lacerations to the face.

Is there any good news?

He's alive.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

You gotta be strong

for your daddy, now, okay?

Now, he wants to hear how much

we love him, okay? It's really important.

You okay?

Yeah? How about you?

You all right, sweetheart?

Stanley?

Come here, sweetheart.

Why don't we go get

something to drink.

Will you stay with him, honey?

Stanley? Stanley. Honey.

Dad?

It's Shep, Dad.

I was looking in the barn today...

...and we can build another one

just like it. I swear we can.

We have everything

right in there in the barn.

We could build everything.

I swear, we can build another one

just like it. We just need you back.

You can't give up. You can't give up.

And, children, when they say,

"Don't try this at home," they mean it.

Okay. Go ahead. Yeah. What? Okay.

Ask them how long they want us

to stay here. Ask them.

Okay. Yeah. All right.

They told us to hang tight.

Grab a couple of these mugs.

They make good souvenirs.

There's no logo on them.

The blending of high-test rocket fuel

is clearly not a project for amateurs.

This is why we have such strict rules

and regulations in place.

Space flight is a serious endeavor,

not to be taken lightly.

We can only hope

that through this near-fatal tragedy...

...other space enthusiasts

get the real message...

...displayed by Mr. Farmer here,

and not the one hyped up by the media.

No further questions.

How stupid I am.

This a lecture

that you want me to hear?

No.

You're alive, stupid.

They gotta get me some cereal.

I'm going to the moon,

and I'm bringing--

Oh, sweetie, let's not

play that game tonight, okay?

But why?

Because she said so.

Please, honey.

It's okay.

Shepard, you gotta give him some time.

Daddy's real tired, you know?

He needs to-- He needs to get some rest.

Albeit handwritten, your dad's will

is pretty straightforward.

Three trust funds for the kids.

After that, 200,000 in assets.

Another 100,000 in cash.

Some stocks and bonds.

It's all yours.

Troubles with the bank are over, anyway.

Thank you.

- Look, I found one!

- Look, I found one!

That's good, baby.

- Look, I found one again!

- Look, I found one again!

Have them come get that rocket

and take it to the junkyard.

- Charles.

- Audie, it's already hurt them enough.

I don't want it

to hurt this family anymore.

Well, everything is now current

and up-to-date.

I have stopped the foreclosure.

No worries.

Thanks, Arnie.

You did the right thing.

Oh, boy.

Did Farmer have us all believing

he was going off into outer space.

How stupid do we look?

What?

When we took our vows...

...we promised to love each other

in sickness and in health.

Did that mean mental health?

Because you are crazy.

I mean, when you first said you wanted

to go into space, I thought:

"Well, what man doesn't say

he wants his space?"

The difference is, now...

...we have a family.

A beautiful family.

And I see how the girls look at you.

They adore you.

They love their daddy

who wants to go into space.

I don't wanna be responsible

for killing that hope in their eyes.

And what kind of message

would you be sending to Shepard?

I want his dad to show him

how it's done.

Now, look.

There's enough money in there

for you to do whatever you need to do.

Without the rocket...

...we're just a dysfunctional family.

We'll rebuild the rocket

to the exact specifications as the original.

I've inventoried all materials on hand.

Awaiting delivery on...

Three spherical oxygen bottles.

- Three thousand linear feet of 20-gauge...

- Unlike the first launch...

...this fuel will burn evenly...

...giving us the right amount of thrust

needed to launch...

- Twenty MCM submodule components.

- Lithium hydroxide canisters...

- There are plenty of alternative fuels.

- We have to find them legitimately.

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