Red Planet

By the year 2000, we'd overpopulated, polluted and poisoned our planet... ...faster than we could clean it up. We ignored the problem for as long as we could but were kidding ourselves. By 2025, we knew we were in trouble... ...and began to desperately search for a new home: Mars. For the last 20 years, we've sent unmanned probes with algae... ...bioengineered to grow there and produce oxygen. We'll build ourselves an atmosphere we can breathe. And for 20 years it seemed to work. It looked like we'd pulled it off. Then all of a sudden, oxygen levels started to drop. We don't know why. The international community has thrown all its resources behind us. It's the greatest undertaking man has ever attempted. Our ship, Mars-1, is too massive to launch from the surface of the planet. We've shuttled to the high-orbit space station... ...for a low-gravity launch to begin our six-month trip: The first manned mission to Mars. The hope and survival of mankind rests on us. But I know we'll solve the problem. Because the best scientific minds are going there to find the answer. And I'm leading the mission. I'm Bowman, pilot and mission commander. Chantilas, chief science officer and the soul of the crew. Santen, a hothead, but a fine copilot. Gallagher, our mechanical systems engineer. Maintenance. Frankly, not my first choice. The two civilian members of the team are: Burchenal, one of the world's leading bioengineers, his own greatest hero. Pettengil... ...terraforming expert and last-minute replacement on the science team. And packed away in her box, AMEE: Autonomous Mapping Exploration and Evasion. A multi-task robot on loan from the Marines. In other words, our Mars surface navigator. We're the first travelers to another planet. It's another giant leap for mankind... ...and if we don't find out what's wrong on Mars, it could be our last. Alpha Mach lndicator. -Clear. -Confirmed. That concludes the primary systems checklist, commander. -Thanks, Lucille. -You're welcome. Gentlemen... ...take over. -Can't believe we're doing this. -Just follow the routine. Secondary systems. OHS/RCS. -Clear. -RCS, confirmed. -Optical alignment sight. -Op sight, rate 19. How many hits you get on your website yesterday, Pettengil? -l got 500,000. -That's great. How many did you get? ATU, 13.6 degrees. All from your mother? You know, it's strange. It's gone. Yesterday l could see it. Today l looked and l couldn't find it. So what? You think the Earth just vanished? lt's gone forever? -lt's weird not being able to see it. -Yeah, so it's weird. You'll get over it, or you won't. Just something l wasn't expecting, that's all. Up for a couple of turns around the campus? My grandfather taught me to sail when l was a kid. Taught me to read the stars. ''Just in case all the GPS satellites fell out of the sky, '' he said. He said, ''Any man who puts his life... ...in the hands of a bunch of batteries is an idiot.'' A real Yankee. No, he just wouldn't approve something he couldn't build with his hands. -He wouldn't have approved of this. -Going to Mars? He'd say we were headed for trouble. Say we didn't try. We just finished poisoning the Earth... ...and everyone was dead in 100 years. Then what was the point of any of it? Art, beauty, all gone. The Greeks. The Constitution. We've been dying for freedom, ideas. None of it meant anything? And what about religion? Do we give up on God too? You didn't just give up being a scientist one day, did you? l realized science... ...couldn't answer any of the really interesting questions. So l turned to philosophy. Been searching for God ever since. You're talking to a classroom of second graders from lowa. At 14:30. Wait a minute. lt's your turn to do the kiddies. Oh, no. lt is your turn, and you know it. Besides... ...l outrank you. l could order you to do it. Just because they promote faster in the Navy. Of course they do. You have to when you deal with the best people. 14:30, with a smile on your face. This mean you're pulling rank for the shower too? No, not rank. Gender. Ladies first. Could you pass me the towel, please? Sure. Sorry. Just pretend l'm your sister. l have two sisters. They don't look like you. This only works if we both believe it doesn't matter. -So l should pretend you're Burchenal. -lt could matter more than that. Why don't we practice? You can get back in the shower naked... ...and come out, and l'll pretend it doesn't matter. Why don't you go fix something? Yes, sir. Ma'am. -MEV systems check confirmed. -l'll be on the deck with Bowman. -Yep, sure. -500,000. 832. Tighten up. Get ready, boys. l hate him. lt's like high school. There's the jocks and then us. You watch my back, l'll watch yours. Do you want to help me with AMEE? lt's time for her prelaunch diagnostics check. Hang on. Who are you kidding? You're a jock. You did the NASCAR circuit, right? l was just tuning cars. Wasn't really jock stuff. -lt's heavy. -Ears are still ringing. What powers this thing? A helium nuclear power cell. Size of a beer can, runs her for eight months. Hey, sweetie. Sweetie? ls she our navigator or your girlfriend? -Been a long flight. -Certainly has. lt's looking good. Let's check your Tl. Tighten up! So the military removed her reflexes? That should make her your kind of girl. Gut him like a fish. Kill him. That's my kind of girl. That's real damn funny. -Activity strictly prohibited. Cease. -She could've hurt me. They took away her knife, but inside she's all Green Beret. Back in navigator mode. You'll dig Mars. So have a good time... ...and I hope to see you back on Earth soon. Good luck. We miss you. Bye. 209 web messages remaining. Hey, Teddy. Remember me? Sure hope you haven't forgotten your old friends... ...now that you're a big hotshot astronaut. Just letting you know I'm thinking about you. I sense an irregular humidity mixture. How you doing? Fine. Soon as someone explains to me... ...why a flight deck indicator says the temperature is above normal. About 10 degrees. Fahrenheit or centigrade? He's teaching me about biology. -l've developed an interest in-- -Fermentation? A billion dollars in this mission, and you use the lab equipment as a still? No. l'm.... l'm sterilizing. And how do you propose that l explain to Houston... ...that two of my crew went blind drinking moonshine vodka? Very carefully? So, what? Doesn't this establishment serve women? Allow me. Commander Bowman. l learned how to drink in the Navy, boys. Chantilas, there were frogs around when you were a kid, right? Lots. And then we killed them. Every last one. Now, since frogs breathe through their skins... ...they react to the toxins in the environment more rapidly. That should've been a warning. Don't you think? Your point? Man's a party animal. lf he's doing okay, then nothing else matters. That won't change. Unless there are larger forces at work than biology. We're going to talk about God now? lf we are, l'll need another pop. Not God... ...faith. l had a girl named Faith. Cheated on me with a girl named Chastity. You wouldn't be riding 309 million kilometers... ...into outer space and back... ...in a rocket ship that nobody ever tested properly... ...without having a little faith. Let's forget all the hypotheticals for a second, okay? l say... ...to hell with humanity. l say, Commander Bowman... ...when we get to Mars, we just take it. We just take it over for ourselves. Call Earth, tell them it sucks and don't bother coming? Yeah. Whatever keeps out the riffraff. You can do the religion thing. Gallagher, you can keep the space john working, and... ...Pettengil's passed out... ...and l can handle pretty much everything else, you know. King. What about me? Well, you'll be my queen. Propagation of the species. lt's just a.... lt's just a joke. Commander Bowman, it was a.... And on that note, gentlemen, l suggest we retire. Mars-1, Houston. You have acquired orbit. Congratulations on 182 days of smooth sailing. And welcome to Mars. Houston out. Found a good parking space? Yep. Right between Phobos and Deimos. l prefer one moon, you know? That way, you know what to call it. The moon. More color commentary from the janitor. The correct term is mechanical systems engineer. -But he will accept space janitor. -To hell with the chitchat. After six months, l'm ready to get out of this hamster cage. Bowman? Lucille, initiate all pre-launch systems checks. -Yes, commander. -Finally. We'll eat dinner on Mars. Sounds good to me. Mars entry vehicle launch in two hours. HAB 3-D model online. lt'll be nice to live on the ground. Even if we are exchanging one hamster cage for another. lf all's gone well, hydroponics have been online for six months. We'll have fresh tomatoes tonight. That's one requirement for my dream house. Bet you want a white picket fence, right? l wouldn't mind. -Lucille, can we see our new home? -Yes, commander. Locking in on HAB. LZ 56. Sure is desolate. -Gamma burst. -Latch up. Free flow. We'll lose chips. Shut it down! Now! SEP, some kind of massive solar flare. Radiation alert. Level 5 EMP. Radiation alert. Safe area. Go, guys! Go! -You too, lieutenant. -l'm not going anywhere. -You need me here. -l want you back there now! Lieutenant, now! Go. Massive gamma ray penetration. The solar flare has passed, commander. Power levels are below operating minimums. Shit! Bowman, we copy. We're all okay. Damage to the ship? -We're dead in the water. -Main power unit offline. She's holding now but could fall apart at any moment. Auxiliary power unit failure. Power level still dropping. Primary systems will shut down in six minutes. Change of plans, boys. We're launching now. Suit up. I'll secure the ship. I'll try to get more systems online and then I'll join you. Chantilas, suit voice activated. Gallagher, suit voice activated. Power level still dropping. Primary systems will shut down in five minutes. Suit computer, online. Dr. Burchenal, your EVA systems are 100%. MEV LP lock. Commence MEV systems check. AGF online. Apogee kick motor online. Anti-inertial thrusters initialized. Auto-launch program online. I'm arming it now. Clock de-lock 9K open. IMU online. DCM flat. A VVI engaged. -Launch release system not responding. -That's not good. -No, it isn't. -Let's try it another way. LRS not responding. -Failure to engage. -Come on. Launch release system not responding. Lieutenant Santen, suit seal 100%. Air supply 100%. Ignition systems go. MEV landing system check. I'm sorry. Launch release system not responding. Listen up. No power to the launch release system. l'll have to stay back and arm it manually. Commander, with all due respect, we're not leaving without you. It's not up for debate. Cut auto-guidance and try to reboot the arm. No, we don't have time. You're in charge. I hope you like the saddle. Lock it up, gentlemen. MEV launch systems ready. Launch on your command. -Crew secure? -Secure. -Secure. -Secure. Secure. The MEV guidance system is scanning for the HAB transponder. MEV launch sequence initiated. We're green across the board. Boosters online. Fueling D tanks. God, l hope she makes it. Commander, primary system shutdown in 50 seconds. Launch. Auto-guidance out. Flare must've cooked a chip. l thought MEV was shielded. Complain later. l'm going to manual flight. Commander, five seconds. Primary system shutdown. Artificial gravity failure. Shit. We have an electrical fire in access tube four. Smoke warning in sphere six. The solar radiation damaged the auto fire extinguishers. -Caution, commander. -Later, Lucille. This is a zero-gravity fire, commander. I tried warning you. Deploying chutes. Smoke warning in sphere six. Brace yourself this time. Commander, we have additional fires in spheres three and five. We're off-target. Terrain's crappy. -l'm dumping the landing gear. -AMEE's in there. No choice. We now have fire in spheres three, seven and eight. l'm deploying bags. Biosystems indicate increasing air toxicity. Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown Flames now consume 80%of the ship. This exceeds our fire-extinguishing capacity. All fires are extinguished. O-2 levels 0%. Take him easy. Here. Good. Help him up. Here, sit down for a minute. Nice and easy. There you go. Init, terra, Mars, alpha. Compiling mission itinerary. You don't appear to have any compound fractures. Doesn't look like you broke anything. Reserve power supplies are failing. Auxiliary power unit, 20%. Reroute the main power supply through the B-chip, Lucille. This violates operating parameters. l won't take no for an answer. You got that?! Do it! Now! Yes, commander. Alpha processor discharged. Power sent to beta chip. Main power unit 15%. Main power unit restored. Well done, commander. -Artificial gravity restored. -No shit. Artificial atmosphere systems restored. O-2 level 2%and increasing. Where the hell is HAB? lf you hadn't dumped our navigator, we'd know. Can't get a visual on AMEE, but maybe l can fix this radio. How long? Don't know. These repairs'll take a while. Science package is K O'd also. -Shit. There goes the mission. -Mission's not over yet, Pettengil. Really? Did you miss something? We lost the science package. -We can't do what we came here for. -Quit whining. You did park us on the rocks. And you knew there were risks. Right now, gentlemen, locating HAB is what matters. Exterior atmosphere indicator is disabled. -l think we're somewhere downrange. -Calculating landing ellipse. Based on our last uncorrupted nav state... ...l'd say we're somewhere in this 60 by 120 kilometer ellipse. The mission data's here. We need to close in on the downrange variables. lt's about the math. This is it. That moment they told us about in high school... ...where one day, algebra would save our lives. Shut up. Sorry. Warning, AMEE not responding. Mars-1 comm initiation unsuccessful. T-ray imaging. Oh, man. System memory, bring up a panoramic shot from the HAB. Ocular mach 1-X panoramic mode. Reverse? Downrange charging. Hey, guys. Look at this. What, Gallagher? l don't think it's about the math. l think it's about the picture. What picture? This one. We're not in that picture. lf we were, we'd know where HAB was. l know, but if this rock is HAB and it's in the line about 30 degrees... ...it sees these two peaks, but reverse, as it's on the other side... ...and at 180 degrees, it sees those two peaks. Which puts us on a line about here... ...which makes the line to the HAB about there. He's right. Nice work, space janitor. We only have seven and a half hours of air left. Let's get moving. I realized science... ...couldn't answer any of the really interesting questions. So l turned to philosophy. Been searching for God ever since. Who knows? l may pick up a rock and it'll say underneath, Made by God. Universe is full of surprises. That would be a big one. You ready, sir? Unfortunately, l'm staying here. What? My spleen's ruptured. There's significant internal bleeding. l wouldn't get very far. We have emergency medical gear at HAB. We can lock out the spine impulse. You can walk us through the surgery. Carrying me will slow you all down, enough to deplete everyone's oxygen. This is no time for misguided heroics. l won't let you die here. What we came here to do is more important. The four of you must carry on with the mission. lt won't be easy, but l know you can do it. Get going. You heard the man. l got to see Mars. Come on, give me a red light. Give me juice. Come on, don't do this to me and my team. Give me a goddamn red light. Communications online. See? All you needed was an attitude check. Thank you, commander. Mars ground crew, this is Mars- 1. Can you hear me? Over. Mars ground crew, this is Mars- 1. Do you copy? Over. Terrascan has nothing to report. No life form trace apparent. lt's weird. There's nothing here. lt's Mars. No, l mean there's not one sign of the algae we sent up here. Even if it all died, there should be something. Dried algal mat, traces-- He's right. They're not just dead, they're gone. Like they were scoured off. This says there was nothing here. lmpossible. Maybe there was never anything in this valley. lf we are where we think we are... ...this area was covered with blue algae just a month ago. The valley before this should've been blazing with red-orange chloroflectic. All this talking's burning up oxygen. Move out. We know what happened to the oxygen. Nothing here to make it. You done? l said, move out. Ten minutes until we exit the day side. Okay, where are the boys? Grid tracking. De-lock. -Boys, where are you? -LZ topography. Six degrees tracking, three minutes tracking. LT lock. MEV landing zone. LZ 56. Why aren't you at the LZ? Five minutes until we exit the day side and lose visuals. 1-4-4-X. Azimuth HZ 4.99. Boys, where are you? MEV LP lock. Oh, shit. Find HAB for me, Lucille. There it is! -We made it. -26 months of food, air and water! We made it! Food! God help us. lt's all chewed up. What happened? -lce storm couldn't have done this. -No way. Every HAB stood up to an F-5 in tornado alley. This isn't weather-related. Okay. What are we going to do? Start looking for O-2. Houston, this is Mars- 1. We've experienced a massive proton field upset sequel to a solar flare. Mars- 1 systems at below 70%, orbital path degraded by fire-control air purge. Engine function zero. MEV launched with a crew of five. l have visual on crash site. l can see one person down. l have absolutely no radio contact with them. Houston, visuals confirm that HAB-1 is tango-uniform. l repeat, HAB-1 has been destroyed. Even if the rest of the team is alive, they have no way to survive. l'm uploading telemetry and video data to you now. Data unit relay. l don't see anything. No food, no air, no water. -What are we going to do? -Nothing we can do. We're out of time. We're out of time when we're out of air. 16 minutes. What do you got left? A little less. Some final entry for the bio. ''Disappointed 12 billion people, not counting the ex-wives.'' l hope Bowman made it. You know, l had a thing for her... ...from the start. l thought they chose me because l was single... ...in case l died. Short time to live. Long time to wait. God, it really is beautiful, isn't it? l was planning on getting engaged when l got back. Yeah, well, l'm going to miss a lot of girls. A lot of girls are going to miss me. l was never supposed to be here. l was just the next lucky guy on the list. Well, my flying ability isn't an issue now. With HAB destroyed, it makes no difference where we landed. You're calculating excuses. Nothing to excuse. lt's moot. No impact. -But Chantilas? -Moot. He'd have died here anyway. Just like us. You're amazing, Mr. Santen. Your life is about to end, and you still can't accept defeat. l can come across as a hard-ass. l know that. But technically... ...l didn't fail. Look, what's done is done. -l came up here to forgive you. -Yeah? Well, screw you. l don't need forgiveness from a pussy like you. Get out of here. Go away and die like a man if you can. Oh, my God. Oh, Jesus. Mars' polar ice is mostly CO-2. We use low-order nuclear detonations to melt the ice. That releases CO-2. CO-2 buildup creates a greenhouse effect. Mars starts to warm up. Now, when it's hot enough... ...we seed down some algae. The algae grows and emits oxygen. You want me to just shut up and let you die quietly? No. Kind of peaceful. Okay. So, they sent us here... ...to figure out what happened to the oxygen. Question is... ...what happened to the algae? You know? Santen's dead. He threw himself off a cliff. l tried to stop him. Gallagher, replace your O-2 canister immediately. l'm under a minute. What's it going to be like? Hypoxia? Dizziness. Skin will tingle. Vision narrows. Then shock, convulsions... ...acidosis.... ls it going to hurt? Yeah. l'm going to.... l'm going to... ...go over here. Take a walk. Gallagher, oxygen supply depleted. Burchenal. Replace your O-2 canister immediately. Pettengil, replace your O-2 canister immediately. l can breathe. l can breathe. lt's like being in high altitude. l don't know how we can breathe, but we can breathe. We can breathe! l don't know what the hell this is. But l'll take it. l can breathe. This can't be possible. What the hell is going on here? lf Santen waited a few more minutes.... We can breathe, Santen. We can breathe. Attention, commander, incoming relay. Mars-1, this is Houston. We got your message and are glad to hear you. Analysis of your telemetry... ...indicates Mars-1 orbital failure in 31 hours. The good news is, we'll have you out of there by then. We believe we can restore engine function for a main engine burn... ...and exit from Mars' orbit. Ground crew is presumed End of Mission. Houston out. Terraforming didn't even come close to creating breathable air up here. Right? The oxygen levels were already dropping when all the sensors died. So how can there be more O-2 now than ever before... ...and no algae to make it? Sorry, commander. No response from ignition systems. Houston, Mars- 1. No joy on all scenarios for engine ignition. That includes hitting the console. What next? Over. God, l wish l didn't have to wait 40 minutes to hear your answer. Hey, guys. Here's the radio. We're not going to be calling Bowman on this. Wait a second. l saw something when we were trying to locate HAB. That little rover they sent up here back in '97. That must have a radio, right? -Yeah. -Hang on. lt's 4 kilometers from here. Going to get dark real soon. lt'll be too cold. We'll go first light. This thing still has enough rocket fuel to keep us warm. Here comes a billion-dollar campfire. At least it's good for something. lf the radio at the rover works... ...we can contact Bowman... ...tell her there's breathable air. But that isn't gonna help us, is it? Must have been hard watching Santen go like that. Yes, it was. l bet. lt's your girlfriend. She made it. AMEE. l thought you were dead. Hi, sweetie. Good to see you. You're kind of banged up. Knew you'd make it. Hey, are you a little out of whack? Flip over for me. Shoot. The processor's damaged. -Can she still navigate for us? -Yeah, till she breaks down for good. We wait till she breaks down, the drone'll crash. Let's yank her Mars positioning system now. MPS hard drive's modular. lt's self-powered. We can run it through an HHC. That would give us control of the drone... ...but then, that'd be killing her. Yeah? You want me to do it? No, l'll do it. Shit! No. No. Gallagher, what's going on? She's in military mode. Crash must've flipped her. -Why did she turn on us? -We tried to kill her. -Made us the enemy. -Son of a bitch. -You okay? -Then override her. l tried. She won't respond. lt's a broken rib. Why did she let us live? She had us. She's playing war games. Guerilla tactics. lt's an old trick. Wound one of the enemy. The others have to help out. Slows them down. Sooner or later, she'll play search and destroy. Then she'll come and kill us. One by one. You all right? AMEE jammed the transmitters so we won't know where she is. You all right? Only hurts when l breathe. Sun's going to come up soon. Might as well get going. Give me a hand? Sure get some high arc in this low gravity, huh? Watching this, AMEE? Taking the first piss on Mars. Boosters online. AMI confirmed. Ignition system operable. Awaiting burn instructions. Houston, green light for engine ignition. l repeat: l'm a go for engine ignition. Thank you, guys. Thank you for busting your asses. l have some time before l have to punch. l'll take another look for the crew at daybreak. l know they're End of Mission, but it's something l got to do. Over. Relayed. -You know what you're doing, right? -l always know what l'm doing. Charming. lt's a 50-year-old off-the-shelf computer modem... ...on a frequency we're not using on our mission... ...but it beats shouting for help. l got it. Seek lock off. 1-4-4-X. HZ lock. Houston, Mars- 1. l'm configuring Mars- 1 for a final slingshot around the day side. And l will be returning to Earth. Relayed. Let's do it. Test, test. Does it work? l don't know. The little green light's on. Houston, Mars- 1. l've acquired elliptical orbit. l'm commencing engine ignition sequence for Earth return. This is Mars- 1 ground crew. Do you copy? This is Mars- 1 ground crew. Do you copy? This is Mars- 1 ground crew. Do you copy? Hello? We're the guys on Mars. Come on. Someone talk to us. Try again. This is Mars- 1 ground crew. Do you copy? This is Mars- 1 ground crew. Do you copy? Maybe they'll hear us back in 1997. lt's been two hours. Mars-1, Houston. We've picked something off a radio telescope pointed in your direction. You won't believe this. You'll have to tune to a frequency we haven't used in 50 years. Yeah, well... ...it was worth a shot. Mars ground crew, this is Mars-1. Do you copy? Mars ground crew, this is Mars-1. Bowman! Gallagher? You're alive. Yeah. Holy shit, you made it too. l know that HAB is wrecked. What is your status? We're down here at the little rover with Burchenal and Pettengil. Got no food and water, AMEE's gone mustang... ...and, oh, yeah, we can breathe. How can that be? The oxygen levels are.... That is impossible. I don't know. But we're doing it. I saw a body back at MEV. Who was it? That was Chantilas. Santen's gone too. What happened? Pettengil says he threw himself off a cliff. Anyway, that's the news. We won't make it much longer. l hope you got an idea, because we're fresh out. Let me work on it. l'll get back to you. l hope she has a magic wand. Houston, we have three men alive and breathing on Mars. Let's bring them home. You just can't get around it, can you? l still can't figure out this algae and oxygen business. You hate not knowing. -Given time, believe me, l'll know. -Yeah, maybe. Maybe life's just more mysterious than you think it is. You know, you spent too much time with Chantilas. But if you want to take the God route... ...the easy way, that's up to you. There's nothing easy about a spiritual life. lt's a lot more difficult than just being intelligent. l think you're just ignoring the facts. Facts. l bet you were no fun at Christmas. l bet your mom told you there's no tooth fairy when you were 4. l'm a geneticist. l write code. Okay? A, G, T, P in different combinations. Hacking the human genome. Okay? l choose what, l choose where... ...and either your kidneys work or you grow a sixth finger. l do that! Now, you spot God... ...you let me know. Until then, l'll trust my Ph.Ds. It might sound crazy, but it's the only choice you got. We walk 100 kilometers to a 30-year-old Russian rock probe... ...that failed to launch and try to jump-start it. Gee, why couldn't you make it tough? The probe's called Cosmos. Houston found the designer, name's Borokovski. Owns a deli in Brooklyn. He thinks you can start the launch sequence right there on site. Former rocket scientist who now specializes in... ...making sandwiches. Terrific. Here's the hard part: You got just under 19 hours to get there and get it off the ground. Then l take back what l said about it being tough. l got to ditch the B tank and use more fuel from A to hold orbit that long. l can't burn much after that or Mars- 1 won't have enough fuel to get home. l need a heading. Which way should l go? Okay, you want to go to your 5:00. -There you go. -Okay, we're set. l got some work to do, then l'll be in blackout on the dark side. So l'll call you when l get back. Roger. Thanks. Sorry it's not more. Hey, it's something. Give me a hand. It's nice just to know you're still up there. Well, l don't mind dying. l just hate being alone... ...so get your asses back here. Talk to you later. Thanks. My rib feels like it's through my lung. Gallagher, what do you think? I think it's very distracting seeing you get out of the shower. l started to lock the door after that. No, you didn't. -Yes, l did. -No, you didn't. Good night. What's that? Over there. Looks like the ground's moving. l didn't see anything. lt's gone now, but l definitely saw something. Hey, Bowman. How you doing? Need a headings check. You're right on target. Listen, l need to talk to you. Took the comm off. What's the matter? The only place to ride the Cosmos is in the rock sample container. Sounds comfy. It's very small. Borokovski and Houston... ...have been trying to figure out how to cram three people in... ...and it only fits two people. Two people, barely. How we doing? Good. Great. l'm sorry. Yeah, right. l'll talk to you later. Let's patch you up. lt'll help with the pain. l can barely breathe. This air's too damn thin! You're going to be okay. Put your arm over. That's right. Left foot. Right foot. That's right. Hop like a bunny. Just go. Here it comes, here it comes Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown What are you doing? lt's a song my grandfather sang. The Rolling Stones. Come on, sing it. Here it comes Here it comes Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown Commander. A massive low-pressure system is approaching the crew. Atmospheric pressure 820 millibars. A big ice storm's coming straight for you. lt's the size of Montana, and it's moving fast. l'm going into comm blackout. You need to find shelter immediately. Now. Where can we find shelter around here? Over here! There's an opening! Maximum sustained winds: 111 miles per hour. Temperature: negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Hurry. Shit! Houston, this is Mars- 1. How far is Cosmos from here? What? Cosmos. How far you think it is? Five or six hours. Say five. That leaves us four hours to try and launch... ...not counting whatever time we lose here. This Borokovski better have a good memory. Won't be time for plan B. Only two of us can go on Cosmos. What? There's only room on Cosmos for two people. You two will both go. You carry on with the mission. Tell people what they need to know, about what you learned here. When we get to Cosmos l'll help you rig it, and then... ...we'll say goodbye. Probably won't even launch. lt is Russian, after all. Ten feet off the ground, it'll explode. l'll live longer than both of you. You're a rare man, Gallagher. But somehow l don't quite believe it. What are you talking about? He thinks l'm responsible for Santen's death. What do you think, Gallagher? You trust me? Do you? l'll watch your back, you watch mine? Shit, l know l don't trust you. But you're going to leave your buddy here behind... ...and take off with me? Yes, that's... ...that's what he's going to do. Mars-1, this is Houston. We don't know about your clock, but ours is running out of time. Your team's been out of contact over three hours. They did a great job getting this far... ...but that's a killer storm no one can survive. So here's where we are: If you haven't heard from your crew by the time you receive this... ...you're ordered to return home. Houston out. Gallagher, come in. Gallagher, can you hear me, please? Shit! -He's gone. -What? He took the radio. Aw, shit. Shit! lt's AMEE. She wants us to watch. She's got him. He was afraid we'd leave him here. He made it come true. We got to get that radio or we're both dead too. We lost three hours. At least Pettengil's heading in the right direction. -How do you know? -l took a heading before the storm. And lined it up with the stars. We're okay. Hold on. This is algae. There's algae here. Why is it here and nowhere else? No time for that now. There's Pettengil. At least he didn't drop the goddamn radio. AMEE really tore him up. Little shit's got a death grip on it. Give me the radio. l'll call Bowman. Why'd he close his visor? He didn't have any air left. Bowman, it's Gallagher. You up there? Bowman, it's Gallagher. Must still be on the dark side. Jesus! Some kind of nematode. The sparks ignited them. They're feeding on the algae. That's where it went. They're feeding on the algae. Come on. Son of a bitch. Got it. -Thought there wasn't any life here. -l was wrong. Where there's water and air, there's life. Think it's so smart to take those things with us? -You don't get how important this is. -l'm the janitor, remember? Earth's losing oxygen. See how those things burned? They eat algae, and they make O-2. l finally get it. l told you l'd solve this damn thing. Why are the nematodes here? Because there's something left to eat. Hang on. l haven't seen green fields like this since l was a kid. They're eating through my suit. Stay there. You'll need my air. For the launch. Take this back, Gallagher. Accomplish the mission. lt's up to you now. Better put your helmet on. l'm not going out like Pettengil. Commander, there is a disturbance on the surface of Mars. Oh, God. Mars ground crew, this is Mars-1. Can you hear me? Over. Mars ground crew, this is Mars-1. Do you copy? Over. Gallagher, what's going on? What's happened? Mars ground crew, this is Mars-1. Can you hear me? Over. I can't go back. There was some kind of oxygen burnoff. It was like a blowtorch. Burchenal's gone. He sacrificed himself. Gallagher, where are the others? I've got to rest. Where are the other guys? Dead. All dead. -I'm the only one left. -Stop and listen to me. It's over. l don't know what happened tonight... ...but you have come too far to give up now. You are going to accomplish the mission. l can't. Burchenal sacrificed himself for you. You want to make that for nothing? l want you to stand up and l want you to start walking. If you can't do it for him, Gallagher.... l can't. Do it for me. You have to keep going. Okay. 55 minutes until we need to leave orbit, commander. -Time? -52 minutes to go. Should be there. You're almost there. l could have screwed up the celestial nav. -Could be off-course. -Trust me, you're there. -Could've run right past it. -Shut up and keep moving. l found it. Okay. What do l do now? Get rid of the sample return tray. Okay. What next? There's an infrared maintenance port. lt should be marked. Marked. Yeah. ln Russian. All right. Got it. Now what? Connect the radio to Cosmos. l'll download what you need through the modem. Still works. Go. Okay, you should be able to run diagnostics now. All green. This thing has two settings: on and off. Right now, on sends it all the way back to Earth. As you lack air, food and water, that would be bad. We want power to reach orbit. l've recalculated for the weight of one. Take two liters out of each fuel tank. There's a central purge. Russians couldn't add a gas gauge? l'm going into comm blackout soon, we're down to 49 minutes... ...so shut up and get to work. Okay. What now? Launch diagnostics. Avoid pressing anything that says ignition. Battery's dead. There's not enough power to launch. Not enough power to launch. -Anything else you can use? -I don't know. Let me look around. See if l see any alternate high-voltage sources. No. lt's just rocks. l'll die on this planet. l'll stay up here and we'll find another way. You can't stay there without burning more fuel to hold orbit. You got to go. How much time till blackout? About a minute. Okay. There's a couple things I got to tell you. There's life here on Mars. The guys couldn't figure how they got here, but they ate the algae... ...and they ate HAB too. The important thing... ...is that they make oxygen. Don't know how... ...but Burchenal said it might be able to save Earth... ...so get some guys up here quick. Just tell them to be safe. They eat everything. Thirty seconds, commander. Well, that's about it. l.... l really hate this planet. l really miss Earth. l really miss a lot of things. l'm going to miss you. Won't you say anything? l should have kissed you. Yeah, you should have kissed me. Comm frequency lost, commander. Goodbye. Here it comes Here it comes Alternate high-voltage energy source. Come and get me. l'm going to steal your batteries, sweetie. Bye, sweetie. l'm going home. Fuck this planet. Oxygen supply is low. Warning. Object in orbital path. Oh, my God. Gallagher. Abort! Re-route orbital maneuvering. l need pitch. Roll! Ten-millimeter bursts. Seal this level. Level sealed. Open the dock. Targeted object .3 kilometers. We only have five minutes before Mars-1 leaves orbit, commander. Hook me up, Lucille! Line release! Full velocity! Gallagher! Retract. Ninety-millimeter bursts! Seal! Emergency atmosphere now! Atmosphere restored. Linking to suit computer. Gallagher's vital signs are negative. Bioscan indicates cardiac arrest. Come on! Come on! Stand him up, commander. Come on. Aw, man. l saw Elvis. Let's go home, Lucille. Organism bioscan. DNA mapping. Hard to believe they're the good guys. Do you think it was worth it? Houston thinks so. On Earth, they're calling you a hero, Gallagher. God works in mysterious ways. A memento? lt's for Chantilas' granddaughter. He had faith. You are not who l thought you were. Nothing went the way it was supposed to. But the team, mankind at its best and its worst... ...accomplished the mission. Maybe Chantilas was right. Maybe it isn't just the science. I sure don't know. But whatever forces were at work, we triumphed. And me? I've got six months before we get home. I guess I'll get to know the janitor. Gelula/SDl