ロケットガール

An express train will be passing momentarily on track #1.

Please stand behind the white line.

T minus 20 minutes.

This is the 6th SRB ignition and separation test,

...as well as the firing test of the SR-7 main booster's first stage.

Terminal countdown operations are proceeding smoothly.

ACS flight slew test completed!

Radio and electrical systems show all green.

I think you all know this, but summer jobs are strictly prohibited.

Yes, ma'am!

Yukari!

We're on our way to Shibuya.

-We're gonna buy new swimsuits. -Wanna come?

Count me in!

I want something with a ton of frills!

So anyway, you should have seen the look on that horndog's face when l...

H-Headmistress!

Nerisu Girls' Academy Regulations Section 3, Clause 17!

"Students are to proceed down stairs and hallways in an orderly fashion"!

Clause 1!

"Maintaining proper etiquette is paramount"!

Have a good summer, Headmistress!

Yukari Morita.

Ma'am?

What was this about a "horndog"?

I-It was from a television drama, ma'am.

That's that first-year whiz-kid, Akane Miura.

She's the headmistress' pride and joy. They're always together.

Refrain from chit-chat in the halls!

Miss Miura. Let's go.

Yes, ma'am.

That's good. There doesn't seem to be any wind.

I wonder if it's the wind that causes your rockets to explode, Director Nasuda.

What is this, the sixth? I wish you'd pull off a successful launch, already.

When working out the kinks of any new technology, failures are part of the process.

I'd rather that you took a long-term view of these things.

Civic groups and tabloid TV shows are going to start to notice soon.

This waste of taxpayer money.

We're launching a communications satellite...

...that will provide modern educational resources to all 700 of the Solomon Islands.

I'd call that a fine example of international cooperation, wouldn't you?

Anyone would get angry if five of the things blew up.

Besides, why all this obsession with manned spaceflight?

And why all the way down here in the Solomons?

Acting Manager.

That was our official position. Here is our real goal.

Satellites are incredibly expensive, yet 100% of them are discarded.

What would happen if the SSA, the Solomon Space Association,

...were to achieve manned space flight?

To keep those expensive satellites running for years,

...our people would go up and maintain them.

This is a feat that not even NASA or the Russians do!

This would be our niche.

He who controls space controls the world.

Director Nasuda.

I came here today to deliver this message from METI.

I'd like you to think of this as an ultimatum.

The latest weather report for the launch pad.

Everything looks good.

Kinoshita says he bets 500 Solomon dollars on a successful launch.

LS-7-6 Betting Pool

LS-7-6 Betting Pool That's the Launch Director for you. He'd never bet on a failure.

That's the Launch Director for you. He'd never bet on a failure.

That's terrible, Satsuki! You're putting down $1,000 on a failure?

Why are you complaining? If it works, you and Kinoshita will split the pool.

The way you sound so certain is a bit irritating...

You built this rocket, didn't you? Have a little more confidence in it.

All this responsibility is killing me...

Until my LS-7 booster works, our manned space program is on hold...

If this one fails, we might get driven out of paradise.

Driven out of paradise? You mean the project might get cancelled?

Exactly.

You're kidding!

If that happens, you won't be an astronaut anymore, Yasukawa!

I don't really mind, Mukai.

Their "glorious astronaut" sweet talk got me down here from Chitose's JASDF base.

But the rockets I need for the job blow to pieces in each and every test.

Satsuki's tortures get worse day by day, too.

I've had all I can take.

It's not torture. It's training.

Then what was that the other day, Satsuki? You hit me with 20 g's in the centrifuge.

T-Twenty g's?

I saw that look on your face.

You were up in the control room, grinning away.

Nobody can top the dynamic visual acuity of you JASDF pilots.

That's not the point, and you know it!

Next time, let's shoot for 25 g's!

Flight program rate resetting completed.

Security Chief, perform final launch pad check.

Launch Site Guard Group here. Launch pad is clear.

Now evacuating!

Hear me, everyone!

Today is the day the Japanese will show us their fireworks!

Let's enjoy the show!

T minus 100 seconds. Turbopump monitor, check.

He said "T minus 100"!

I know! Don't sweat the small stuff!

This is the life!

Twenty-five. Twenty-four. Twenty-three.

Twenty-two. Twenty-one.

T minus 18 seconds. Flight mode, on.

Flight mode, on. All systems ready.

-Five. Four. Three. -Main engine start.

Two.

One.

Ignition!

We have SRB ignition. Liftoff.

Launch site, clear.

One minute to SRB burnout.

Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen.

Nineteen. Twenty.

Go, go, firework!

Go, go, firework!

Go, go, firework!

Go, go, firework!

Go, go, firework!

It worked!

It worked!

That was a pretty one!

No signal from rocket telemeter.

That much is obvious.

Morita

I'm home...

You have one new message. 6:53 PM.

Hello? Yukari? Sorry, I won't be able to make it home today.

The convention is next week, remember? We're really swamped here.

I tried calling your cell earlier, but didn't get through.

Where were you girls goofing around?

Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Come to think of it, you're heading down to the Solomons tomorrow, right?

Personally, I don't see what the point is after all this time.

But if that's what it takes to give you some peace, I suppose I'm okay with it.

Be careful while you're down there.

Whose fault do you think it is that I need to go there in the first place?

Akushio Island...

Back at Honiara, they said there were lots of Japanese people on this island.

First things first... I guess I should start by asking at the police station.

Huh? Oh, um... Sorry.

Let's see... I should hit Main Street after passing through the market.

This map is impossible to understand.

Miss!

You come here from Japan?

Yes! That's right!

Japanese people all make happy by my food!

Miss, you should have something to eat, too!

Japanese people eat at your restaurant?

Yes! I no tell you lie! Come inside!

-You know, you're close! -H-Hey, wait! I'm not...

Oh, you're Japanese? We get lots of people from the base here.

Base?

Yes, rocket base! It on the far side of the mountains!

It all Japanese people over there!

How can I get there? Train? Bus?

Conference Room

Conference Room Ladies and gentlemen.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The LS-7 booster, which blew itself to pieces in the sky yesterday,

...was the Solomon Space Association's passport to carry humanity into space.

However, due to the failure of this last test, our sponsors at METI have expressed...

...their intention of closing the Solomon Space Base by year's end,

...and completely divesting themselves from our manned spaceflight project.

This is my ticket back to Chitose!

Don't be so quick to give up, Yasukawa!

Year's end is still six months away.

We just need to perfect manned space flight by then.

Yes, but can we work out the LS-7's bugs by then?

To meet man-rating requirements to carry human passengers,

...we need a reliability factor of 99.99%.

We won't be using the LS-7.

We will use the LS-5. It has less thrust, but it has a proven track record.

But that's crazy!

We designed the LS-7 because the LS-5 didn't have enough thrust!

If we shave off as much weight as we can, it will be doable.

We'll remove all redundant systems we can spare,

...and we'll reduce the breaking load index down to 1.05.

Will we be able to achieve 99.99% doing that?

As long as the first stage doesn't explode, that should get us into space.

Well, if those are your orders, we'll do it, but...

All those experiments were for nothing?

- Satsuki. - Yes?