For All Mankind

Our figures match yours, Helios.

There is no way those other ships can overtake us.

I guess it's time to break out that champagne!

Outstanding.

And I'm sure it's especially sweet to you that NASA will reach Mars dead last.

Roger that.

I think we got that Interstellar Exploration Prize sewn up for you, Dev.

It's not for me.

The day we win...

I'm giving the entire Helios team an equal slice of that prize money.

Jesus, that's gotta be like...

Like 20,000 a person.

And we have beat the world's superpowers at their own game!

Look at that.

A lone ember in the night sky.

Compared to the sun, infinitesimally small.

We built that fire...

all of us, together.

And that fire...

will take us all the way to Mars.

All right!

- All right. - Phoenix, Sojourner 1.

Phoenix, Sojourner 1. Over.

Sojourner 1 , this is Phoenix.

Welcome to deep space, Danielle.

I gotta hand it to you, Ed.

After we left lunar orbit, we pressed the pedal to the metal.

But our nukes would've sucked up too much prop to get us to Mars ahead of you.

What can I say?

Innovation and out-of-the-box thinking wins the day every time.

You're right about that.

How's my daughter?

- I'm good. - That's good to hear, kiddo.

I'm just sorry your old man had to whup you so bad.

But I did warn ya.

Being first isn't everything, Dad.

Well, you keep her safe, Danielle.

And thanks for a great race. You pushed us to excel.

It was my pleasure, bud. Sojourner out.

Mr. Halladay.

Standing by, Captain.

Beat to quarters.

To quarters. All hands!

Clear the decks!

Batten down the hatches!

Cut the jib, you scalawags.

Ms. Baldwin, I believe we're in need of a chantey.

Aye, Captain.

Skipper, I'm getting an odd broadcast from Sojourner .

They've totally lost it.

Stevens.

Monitor their vector telemetry and patch in the NASA video feed.

- I want eyes on that ship. - Copy.

Helios Control, Sojourner's up to something.

Keep eyes on them.

Sounds like they're ready to rock and roll. Are we?

Affirmative. Jolly Roger systems show ready in all respects.

Then let's do this thing.

Sojourner 1 , Houston. How's the wind up there?

Steady nor'easter.

Then grab it.

Sojourner 1 is go for Operation Jolly Roger.

Sojourner copies. Go for Jolly Roger.

Mr. Halladay, hoist the mainsail.

Aye, Captain.

Jesus, that solar sail's gonna pick up

enough photon radiation pressure to give Sojourner constant acceleration.

They're gonna beat us by eight days.

What can we do to retake the lead?

I'm sorry, but the math says it's just not possible.

So we dump mass. What about pulsed burns?

There's broken plane maneuvers or a comet flyby--

Those are all incredibly dangerous.

Look, Dev, I know that getting there first is important,

but getting there in one piece is more important.

First is what matters, Karen. It's the only thing that matters.

First is what changes things.

We dump their propellant reserves if we have to.

Phoenix can just make more fuel once they get to Mars.

No, even if we had enough propellant to overtake Sojourner ,

we wouldn't have enough to slow down to enter Mars orbit.

Yeah, we're pushing a hotel out there. It's too much mass, not enough--

Phoenix, Sojourner 1.

Ed, I wish I could see the look on your face

when you run the numbers and realize we beat your ass to Mars.

Well played, Danielle.

I learned from the best. Sojourner out.

NASA's surprise unveiling of a solar sail has upended the race to Mars

and will likely bring the American craft to the Red Planet

a full week before its competitors.

Director of Roscosmos, Lenara Catiche,

has accused the United States of playing dirty tricks,

but still insists that the Soviet Union can and will win the race.

A lot of folks here at home are cheering on NASA,

but there's also a vocal and growing minority

calling out the space program and President Wilson.

What's their gripe?

This so-called clean energy of helium-3 nuclear fusion.

President Wilson hailed it as a miracle fuel

that will save us from global warming.

But it is the blue-collar workers, the coal miners, the oil workers

who are now bearing the price for this progress.

Last month, the Wilson administration introduced a new jobs bill

with great ballyhoo.

Wilson claimed it would equip displaced fossil fuel workers

to compete in the new economy.

But I'm not buying it.

All right, Mr. Speaker, let's cut to the chase here.

What's this all about?

Well, Madam President,

unfortunately, the Congress

will not be able to support your fiscal year budget proposal.

You've gotta be kidding.

I wish I were.

You sat on that very couch last week and agreed to these budget cuts.

I said I was open to exploring them.

No, you promised that if we raised taxes, you would support them.

So what changed?

My members have been getting a lot of blowback from their constituents.

Do you have any idea how much incoming we're taking from Gingrich?

Dick, we have a historic opportunity

to strike a grand bargain and balance the budget

and show the American people that bipartisanship can work.

And I believe we can strike that bargain,

if you're willing to explore other avenues.

- Such as? - NASA.

What about it? NASA's self-funding.

It's a good deal more than that.

Margo Madison has built an oligarchy

that generated $75 billion in profits last year,

and she doesn't like to share.

If we could tap into that revenue--

Absolutely not. That money finances our Mars program,

which, if you haven't noticed, is on track to make history.

Madam President,

the Mars race plays great on cable news and at DC cocktail parties,

but there's a lot of people out there in the heartland

wondering what Mars has to do with them.

Coal, oil and natural gas industries are in free fall.

So now you care about the oil industry, huh?

I care about all of America, Jim.

Whole towns in Texas and Appalachia are closing down, wiped out by helium-3

and the other advances brought on by the space program.

You've seen the protests. These people are fed up.

I'm not tapping NASA.

I step foot on that slippery slope,

and Congress will drain the agency of all its cash.

That's a shame.

As I'm sure you're aware,

if we don't find a compromise in the next two weeks,

you'll have to shut down the government.

If we do, the public will blame you.

I wouldn't be too sure you can close that sale.

People look to their president to solve these difficult problems.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do, Dick,

with or without your help.

Well, I thank you for your time, Madam President,

and look forward to speaking with you again.

I'll see you out.

Fatuous bastard.

Who the hell does he think he is, issuing an ultimatum like that?

Could you all give us a minute?

Thank you.

Thanks.

How you doing?

You remember the first day we stepped into this office?

Of course.

Everything felt possible...

like we could really change things.

Now it just feels like a job.

We are changing things. It just takes time.

I mean, an American is about to be the first one to set foot on Mars.

And you made that possible.

I wish I could've been there...

when they unfurled that sail.

Okay, so let's go.

- To JSC? - Yeah.

You haven't been back since the election.

You can congratulate everyone on a job well done.

And I think it'd be good for you too, you know.

Get back to your roots.

It does sound nice, actually.

Not to mention it'll be a great photo op.

- Larry. - What?

We could use all the positive coverage we can get.

Yeah.

I guess we could.

Good morning, outer space.

You're listening to the first and only pirate radio station

exclusively serving the inner solar system.

If you're listening out there, I'm your DJ, Kelly Baldwin.

Hope you're enjoying the tunes.

As the only humans for about a million miles,

there's nothing like a little music to bring us all together.

And as always, if you have any requests,

you can reach me on my private radio frequency, 6.8 megahertz.

Now, why don't we go around the horn?

The temperature in Houston today is 18 degrees Celsius.

At Shackleton Crater, it's minus 157.

Venus will hit a balmy 482 degrees by late afternoon.