The Right Stuff Page #9

Roger, Friendship 7.

Will you correlate the actions

of the surrounding particles...

with that of your control jets?

Negative.

I do not think they were coming

from my control jets.

I'll tell you what I'll try to do.

I'll try to get some pictures

of these little guys.

Sounds like a good idea.

You guys probably think I'm nuts.

They're very beautiful.

Look like fireflies on a summer night.

They just dance around.

Get out of here!

Get out of here, you gadgets!

Heading into daybreak now. Another day.

Leaving the fireflies behind.

I have no idea what they were.

This is Friendship 7.

That was some night.

That was really exciting.

He's going into his third orbit.

How much longer are you going

to keep him in the dark?

What do we tell him?

He's a pilot.

Tell him the condition of his craft.

Glenn is in his third orbit...

and the flight is going

pretty much as planned.

No human individual...

has ever been so well prepared.

So far the keyword

on this textbook flight is "operational."

Everything is A-okay.

We haven't been too lucky

with the Atlas rocket.

Some say we haven't taken all

the safety precautions we'd like to.

Is this true?

No, it's absolutely not true.

The only critical point is the re-entry.

If the capsule is not at the correct angle...

with the blunt end and heat shield down,

it will burn up.

There is only one hope.

It might be possible to leave

the retro-rocket package...

which covers the heat shield, on.

The straps may be strong enough

to hold the heat shield in place.

But if this fails...

John, you're going to

fly-by-wire for re-entry.

We recommend you do the best

you can to keep a zero angle. Over.

Re-entry only three orbits? Over.

That is correct. Over.

Do you have a reason for this? Over.

Not at this time.

This is the judgment of Cape Flight.

Roger.

Do you have a time for going

to jettison retro? Over.

We are not sure your landing bag

is deployed.

We feel it is possible to re-enter

with the retro-package on.

We see no difficulty at this time

with that type of re-entry.

Do you read?

Roger.

Understand.

I'll start lining up as carefully as I can

in a minute.

See whether scanners will pick up

and correct it for good retro-fire attitude.

If not...

I'll correct it myself.

Roger, Friendship 7.

We're lined up.

Here we go.

What's that sound?

Humming. It's him.

It's all right. He does that.

- John...

- He can't hear you.

He's hit the ionization blackout.

No communications are possible

for a few minutes.

Then we'll know.

Friendship 7, this is Cape. Do you read?

This is Cape. Do you read?

Friendship 7, this is Cape. Do you read?

Automatic systems are not functioning.

He's in fly-by-wire...

Finally showed up.

The one with the big engine.

Boy, if we'd only had

one of those a few years back.

The bad news is the entire program's

probably going to be scrapped.

From now on, the astronaut boys

in Houston have got the only ticket.

Barring, of course, some unforeseen event.

The Russians set a new record

of 114,000 feet...

going straight off the ground.

Nobody cares about

that kind of record anymore.

All they want now

is capsules up in outer space.

I get a feeling this plane might be able

to beat that Russian record.

You might be right.

And here they come!

Looky here what I brought you!

Mr. And Mrs. John Glenn.

Alan Shepard.

Gus Grissom.

Scott Carpenter.

Deke Slayton.

Wally Schirra.

Mr. And Mrs. Gordon Cooper.

Smile, hon.

My fellow citizens...

America's Mercury astronauts!

Welcome to Houston, your new home.

Your neighbors here and I,

we'd like to give you this little barbecue...

Texas style!

Since you're relocating here,

to show appreciation for all you've done...

Mr. Sharp is contributing the land...

the contractors the homes...

and the department stores,

all the furnishings.

- That's wonderful.

- Thank you.

- Which one are you?

- Shepard.

Which one's Glenn? I want to meet him.

He's over there.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, too.

I'm going to the moon,

I swear to God, I'm on my way.

Hi, little gal.

Damned glad to meet you, too.

I heard an awful lot of good things

about you, gal.

- Howdy.

- How are you?

I want to meet you, too.

Sorry, little lady.

We got it.

Steak. All the trimmings.

Just like Pancho's.

Steak tastes about the same...

only there's a lot

more trimmings now, Gus.

You know, it's funny.

Here I am, I got $25,000 a year

for a magazine contract.

I got a free house with all the furnishings.

Got me a Corvette.

I got a free lunch from one end of America

to the other...

and I ain't even been up there yet.

I noticed that.

Oh, you noticed that?

You noticed I hadn't been up there yet?

They're saving the best for last.

Yeah, I guess so, Hot Dog. I guess so.

Just watch you don't screw the pooch.

We're talking to Gordon Cooper.

He will be the next to orbit the Earth.

Since you're the last of the original seven

and the least well known...

could you begin by telling us

who was the best pilot you ever saw?

Who is the best pilot I ever saw?

Who is the best pilot I ever saw?

I'll tell you.

I've seen a lot of them, and

most of them were pictures on a wall...

Excuse me, what'd you say?

I said, "pictures on a wall,"

back at some place that...

doesn't even exist anymore.

Some of them are...

right here in this room.

And some of them are...

they're still out there somewhere,

doing what they always do.

Going up each day

in a hurtling piece of machinery...

putting their hides out on the line...

hanging it out over the edge...

pushing back the outside

of that envelope and hauling it back.

But there was...

one pilot I once saw who I think

truly did have the right...

How close did you ever come

to not hauling it back?

Who is the best pilot I ever saw?

Well, you're looking at him.

Hey, Ridley!

You got any Beemans?

I might have me a stick.

Loan me some. I'll pay you back later.

Fair enough.

Think I see a plane over here

with my name on it.

Now you're talking.

Hey, what's that?

Anyone got clearance?

What kind of a plane is that?

Aircraft on ramp, did you file a flight plan?

Aircraft on ramp, did you file a flight plan?

I'm taking her up to wring her out a bit.

Any objections?

It's Yeager.

No objections.

You are clear to taxi.

He must have clearance. Right?

Yeah. Sure, he must.

It's here someplace.

Now, in honor of...

these, the greatest pilots

in the history of mankind...

it gives me great pleasure, great pride,

to present to you...

Miss Sally Rand!

Stretch it! Stretch it!

You can do it!

Just a little bit more. 104,000, here you go.

Christ Almighty!

Sir, over there.

Is that a man?

Yeah, you're damn right it is!

We hate to disturb you, buddy, but...

we've got a launch.

There's millions of people watching,

and we thought maybe...

Yep. Well, no sweat. Let's go.

I'm ready when you are, John, 100 percent.

Ten, nine...

Go.

Go, Hot Dog, go!

"Up we go into the wild blue yonder."

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