JAG

Control, this is Recovery One.

A.P.U. pre-start complete, over.

Roger Recovery One.

Power A.P.U.s now.

A.P.U. FUEL TANK VALVES OPEN.

ROGER. FUEL TANKS OPEN.

RUN A.P.U. CONTROL ONE.

ROGER. A.P.U. ONE, START.

T MINUS TWO MINUTES.

ALL SYSTEMS GO.

H-2's PRESSURIZING.

GO FOR LAUNCH.

RECOVERY ONE, THIS IS CONTROL.

YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD AND ARE GO FOR LAUNCH, OVER.

Roger. Go for launch.

YOU EVER WONDER WHAT IT'S LIKE SITTING ON TOP

OF SIX MILLION POUNDS OF THRUST?

READING SEAL FAILURE IN E.T.

LIQUID HYDROGEN LEAK IMMINENT.

ABORT LAUNCH.

RECOVERY ONE, YOU HAVE EXTERNAL TANK FAILURE.

ABORT IMMEDIATELY.

I REPEAT, ABORT IMMEDIATELY, OVER.

ROGER, ABORTING, OUT.

ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE, LET'S MOVE!

30 SECONDS TILL TANK RUPTURE.

WHAT'S HE WAITING FOR?

HIS SHUTTLE COMMANDER.

GO! GO! GO!

NO!

OH, MY GOD...

Meg: YOU FLY LIKE THAT EVERY TIME YOU GO UP, SIR?

OR WERE YOU JUST SHOWING OFF?

YOUR FIRST TIME SUPERSONIC, LIEUTENANT?

NO, SIR.

JUST MY FIRST TIME WITH A LAWYER.

HOW DO I RATE?

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT THE SNAP ROLLS.

I HAD TO LEAVE AN IMPRESSION.

YOU COULD HAVE USED A LITTLE MORE RUNWAY.

YOU WANT LONG ROLL-OUTS, FLY THE AIR FORCE.

CAREFUL, HARM. WE'RE IN THEIR TERRITORY.

THERE ARE A LOT OF FRIENDLIES AROUND HERE, MEG.

THE SPACE PROGRAM LIKES NAVY PILOTS.

WE MAKE THEIR BEST ASTRONAUTS.

RIGHT. I THINK I READ THAT SOMEWHERE

IN KEPLER'S LAWS OF PLANETARY MOTION.

ALL I NEED TO SAY IS THE FIRST AMERICAN

IN OUTER SPACE WAS NOT AN AIR FORCE JOCK.

THEY PUT UP A MAN WHO KNEW HOW TO MAKE A TRAP.

THEN WHY WAS THE FIRST MAN IN ORBIT A MARINE?

I DIDN'T KNOW THE NAVY HAD SUCH A BUDGET SURPLUS.

THEY TRANSPORT THEIR JAG OFFICERS IN JET FIGHTERS.

OUR ADMIRAL TOLD US TO GET HERE ASAP, SIR.

YOU TAKE A JOY RIDE BACK AND TELL HIM WE'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL.

CAN'T DO THAT.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER ATKINS WAS NAVY.

ASSIGNED TO THE MILITARY SPACE AGENCY.

I UNDERSTAND THAT, COLONEL

BUT INVESTIGATING HIS DEATH STILL LIES WITHIN OUR JURISDICTION.

WE TRY TO AVOID POLITICS, COMMANDER.

THAT'S WHY WE USE VANDENBERG TO LAUNCH MILITARY MISSIONS.

UNDERSTOOD, SIR, BUT I HAVE MY ORDERS.

ALL I CAN TELL YOU

COMMANDER, IS THAT ATKINS FELL TO HIS DEATH

DURING AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILL

WHEN THE CABLE FAILED.

WE ADJUSTED THE CAPTURE BAR.

IT WAS AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM.

GOOD.

HAVE YOU CONCLUDED WHY THE CABLE FAILED, SIR?

NOT YET.

MR. GALLANT IS ANALYZING THAT.

WHICH REMINDS ME

I NEED TO CHECK ON THE STRESS TEST RESULTS.

I'M ON AN ACCELERATED SCHEDULE.

SO IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME

I HAVE A LAUNCH IN 48 HOURS.

YOU'RE GOING AHEAD WITH THE LAUNCH?

MUST BE AN AWFULLY IMPORTANT MISSION.

NEED TO KNOW, COMMANDER.

THE BACKUP PILOT PASSED HIS PHYSICAL, SIR.

GOOD, LET HIM KNOW... HE'S ON.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN DIRECT TO MY ASSISTANT, CAPTAIN TANG.

SIR. LIEUTENANT.

LOOKS LIKE I GET TO DELIVER SOME GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE.

WHERE ARE THEY?

FINAL APPROACH.

Initiate pre-flare.

Roger.

Adjusting glide slope.

Looking good.

Meg: THAT'S A STEEP APPROACH.

IT STARTS AT 19 DEGREES...

ABOUT SIX TIMES STEEPER THAN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

AND THERE ARE NO PULL-UPS.

IT'S A 200,000-POUND GLIDER.

WE CALL IT...

THE FLYING BRICK.

YES, SIR.

I'D LIKE TO GO UP

TO THE LAUNCH STRUCTURE, LOOK AT THE EGRESS SYSTEM

YES, SIR, I'LL ARRANGE SOMETHING FOR THIS AFTERNOON.

RECOVERY ONE, GEAR DOWN, OVER.

Gear down and locked, over.

I KNOW THAT VOICE.

HE'S GOOD.

HE MUST FEEL LIKE

A BACKUP QUARTERBACK CALLED INTO

THE SUPER BOWL...

YOU TRAIN ALL SEASON BUT NEVER EXPECT TO PLAY.

RECOVERY ONE, MAIN GEAR AT TEN FEET.

THEN SUDDENLY IT'S "OKAY, LOWREY

YOU'RE UP. PULL IT OUT FOR US."

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER MARK LOWREY.

YES, SIR. YOU KNOW HIM?

TWO FEET... ONE...

TOUCHDOWN.

PERFECT.

I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT.

NAVY DOES MAKE THE BEST ASTRONAUTS.

EXCUSE ME, SIR.

YOU'VE PASSED YOUR PHYSICAL.

CONGRATULATIONS.

THANK YOU.

COMMANDER?

LIEUTENANT RABB...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

ACTUALLY, IT'S LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.

SO IT IS.

CONGRATULATIONS.

THANKS. YOU TOO.

SORRY IT COULDN'T BE UNDER BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES.

I SEE YOU'RE STILL FLAPPING YOUR WINGS

OR DID SHE FLY YOU IN?

NO, I MANAGED

ALL RIGHT ON MY OWN.

SO HOW'S JAG?

KEEPS ME BUSY.

I BET.

ALL THOSE LEGAL BRIEFS TO FILE.

YOU HAVE TO EXCUSE ME.

I'VE GOT A MISSION TO PREP FOR.

CERTAINLY.

WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?

WHAT?

COME ON, HARM.

I KNOW A COCKFIGHT WHEN I SEE ONE.

HE WAS IN MY FIRST TOMCAT SQUADRON.

WHAT'D HE DO?

OUTFLY YOU?

NEVER.

OH, SENSITIVE.

HE'S A HOTSHOT.

COCKY, AGGRESSIVE, HYPER-COMPETITIVE...

KIND OF LIKE YOU?

SIR.

WHY WOULD M.S.A. LET HIM FLY THE SHUTTLE?

MAYBE 'CAUSE HE'S GOOD AT IT.

WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT WE'D BE THIS CLOSE TO IT?

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, LIEUTENANT.

JULY 20, 1969.

THE APOLLO MOON LANDING?

YEAH. I WATCHED IT WITH MY MOM.

I REMEMBER SEEING ARMSTRONG ROAMING AROUND UP THERE

AND WONDERING IF HE STOPPED RIGHT THEN AND LOOKED UP AT THE EARTH

HE'D SEE ME AND MY DAD IN VIETNAM AT THE SAME TIME.

I BET THERE WERE A LOT OF FUTURE ASTRONAUTS RECRUITED THAT NIGHT.

YEAH, I BET THERE WERE.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT IT?

NOTHING.

I WAS A BABY.

Tang: LIEUTENANT COMMANDER RABB, LIEUTENANT AUSTIN

THIS IS OUR MISSION SHUTTLE COMMANDER, MAJOR RUSSELL.

HE WAS THE CLOSEST MAN TO ATKINS WHEN THE CABLE BROKE.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, MAJOR.

I HOPE WE'RE NOT TAKING TOO MUCH OF IT.

IT'S A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD SYSTEM...

STEEL BASKETS CONNECTED TO THE SLIDE WIRES.

THE ASTRONAUTS JUMP IN, RELEASE THE BRAKE

SLIDE TO THE ENTRANCE OF UNDERGROUND BUNKERS AT THE LANDING ZONE.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW COMMANDER ATKINS WAS IN TROUBLE?

I DIDN'T.

I WAS LATE COMING OUT OF THE HATCH.

ATKINS WAITED UNTIL HE SAW ME

BEFORE HE STARTED DOWN.

I WAS AT MY BASKET WHEN I HEARD THIS SNAP

AND I LOOKED UP, HE WAS ALREADY FALLING.

DID THE CABLE SHOW SIGNS OF STRAIN BEFORE?

IT WAS BRAND-NEW.

THEY PUT IT UP AFTER THE BLUE TEAM'S RUN-THROUGH

THAT MORNING.

JUST THIS ONE?

APPARENTLY, IT WAS FRAYED AT ONE END.

WHO NOTICED IT?

I BELIEVE IT WAS LIEUTENANT COMMANDER LOWREY.

Go! Go! Go!

IT'S NOT AS HIGH PROFILE AS THE CHALLENGER ACCIDENT

BUT THE END RESULT IS THE SAME...

AN ASTRONAUT DIES.