Original subtitles

CDR panel 1, ROT controller power.

Direct 1 and 2 switches.

Access arm in standby position.

Spacecraft, internal power.

Prepare to initiate firing command, automatic sequence.

Roger. Auto sequence initiated, flight.

CDR panel one, rate switch high.

Rate switch is high.

All right. CDR and CMP, arm your ROTs and verify.

CMP verified.

CDR, panel 1, ROT controller power.

Direct one and two switches to Main A, Main 8.

All right. CDR panel 7, TVC servo power 1 to AC 1 Main A.

TVC servo power 1 to Main A.

Two AC to Main 8.

Two AC to Main 8.

STC, Houston flight voice checks complete. Go.

Roger. We read.

Panel 9 on. SRO. SRO is on.

We verify.

Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three,

two, one.

We have ignition.

At this time, we bring you an address

by the President of the United States.

My fellow citizens,

as you all know, a few moments ago, an Apollo spacecraft

was successfully launched from Cape Kennedy,

and I have asked to speak to you

because, as you also know, that spacecraft has a special mission,

which has been the subject of considerable controversy.

But it is my hope that with your approval,

that mission may be the beginning of an entirely new society,

a nation in orbit,

dedicated to helping us here on Earth

put an end to such things as hunger,

pollution, disease and natural disasters,

and further dedicated to helping us discover new supplies

of vital natural resources,

but to do so for the whole Earth, impartially,

without prejudice or favor,

it must be independent of any one nation.

Only then can it ask for and receive

the trust of all nations.

And that's why the men who conceived this idea

want to make that spacecraft into a free nation.

Independent of all others, to be known as Earth II.

Now I think Earth II should be established.

However, I'd like to have the support of the American people in this,

and science and technology

have provided a unique new way of polling public opinion.

Tonight at 3:00 am. on the East Coast of the United States,

midnight on the West Coast,

the spacecraft will pass across the nation.

Now, if you agree that Earth ll should be established

as an independent nation,

|eave on any lights

that would normally be out at that hour.

Sensing devices in the orbiting vehicle

will read the changes in light intensity

and compute the results.

As your president,

but more importantly, as another citizen

of this struggling planet,

I urge you to join me

in supporting this bold new experiment,

for the sake of all mankind.

Thank you.

Well, we're right on.

We'll cross the country west to east to the next pass.

- That should be in about... in about eight minutes. - Mmm-hmm.

Is the big brass going to be here for this?

They'll be here.

You know, Frank, if this goes well, Earth II will be happening.

A lot of the thanks has to go to you.

Oh, forget it, Walter.

I just launch whatever they put on the pad.

It's my job.

It's you and Seville who deserve the credit.

You're the ones who pushed it through.

I'm just as much against it as I ever was.

Dietrich.

- Africa clear, flight. - Roger.

LMP on panel 2. Your secondary coolant loop pump to off.

- Roger. - Roger.

That was security.

We just had a report from the Coast Guard.

That diver who tried to blow up the vehicle had a SIRET taped to his arm.

Did they say what kind of SIRET?

Yeah. The type manufactured in Albania.

It's been known to have been used by the Red Chinese agents.

It begins.

But sooner than I thought.

How do you do, Mister President?

Mister Carter.

- Nice to see you, sir. - Walter.

- Mister President. - Where are they now?

Just coming up on the West Coast, sir.

Please, have my seat.

Thank you very much.

Secondary fuel pressure, 190.

On my mark.

One minute to begin scan.

High speed playbacks are on.

Recorders are on.

Digital analog converters on.

Data input on.

Reorient to an east west plane.

Let's take a closer look.

Excuse me, sir.

Okay, flight.

Flight verifies.

Okay, 547 verified.

We read coming over the California coast, flight.

Mark.

We're transmitting.

Loren, switch to a wider angle scan, please.

Roger. Switching to wider angle.

All right, looking real good, flight, over Salt Lake.

Heat and luminosity levels.

Nominal scans.

All right, let's have another weather overlay.

Now you're passing over Kansas City, flight.

We're just passing over Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, that area.

It sure seems bright.

Coming up on New York and you're looking good, flight.

That's it. We're over the Atlantic.

Could we see the results on the big screen?

Right away, sir.

Better get this message off to David Seville, please.

The government of the United States

wishes to officially recognize

the sovereign state, Earth II, and to wish it well.

Tomorrow morning, our ambassador to the United Nations

will recommend Earth II

for membership in that organization.

And add my personal congratulations.

From now on, that speck of light

represents a new hope for this planet.

In a few short years, it will be a giant orbiting space station

that may well be man's best hope for survival.

Earth II.

May I have your attention, please?

With the exception of Frank, Lisa and Matt Karger,

you've all been cleared to the V3 domiciliary unit.

This is Sheila Johnson.

She will direct you.

If you will just follow me, please.

Excuse me, ma'am, could you tell me what the problem is?

I'm sure it's nothing.

We have a temporary hold on you and your family from our customs people.

Is there anyone in customs that I can talk to specifically about this?

- Frank. - Oh, hiya, Jim!

Welcome to Earth II.

- Thank you. Good to see you. - Yeah.

Hi, Jim.

Hi, Lisa.

- Hey, Matt. How you doing? - Fine, Jim.

What's the problem, Jim?

It's nothing important. Seville asked me to come down and meet you,

and when I got here, they said you're being held by the customs.

So I checked and I found out it was this.

That's my gun.

Mom!

Easy, Matt.

All right.

There.

Listen, Matt. There's a trick with walking on zero gravity floors.

You always have to make sure you have one foot on the magnetized floor.

See, otherwise, if you run and you jump, then you end up hitting

your head on the ceiling and bouncing all over the place.

Can I have my gun back?

I'm sorry, Matt.

There's no weapons allowed on Earth II, not even toy ones.

Come on, Jim. You're not serious, are you?

I think it's marvelous.

I want my gun.

Hey, we've got things to play with up here you never even dreamed about.

Come on. I'll show you.

Hey, watch this.

Can I have it?

It's all yours. That's it.

Hey, Mom! Dad, look!

Well, well, the magic of zero gravity.

Come on. I'll take you to your apartment.

So by the end of the year, we'll have a pediatric service

completely independent of the adult facility.

What about Stan?

I've got applications of over 100-- -

- Excuse me. - Mmm-hmm.

Seville here.

CMC, David.

Pelican Beach just relayed a launch report from Air Defense Command.

What have you got on it?

ICBM or larger off the Chinese mainland.

Is that confirmed?

Yes. We just got confirmation from Soviet radar at Irkutsk.

Tell Pelican Beach to stay with it.

Are we getting anything on it yet?

It's still behind Earth from us.

We should pick it up in about 20 minutes.

All right, keep me posted.

If you need me, I'll be in Frank Kerger's apartment.

There a problem?

Yeah, could be.

Well, I've got a cardiac patient who came in on Kerger's flight.

I better get down there.

Thanks, Loren.

That's the first element of the Mars vehicle.

Well, that's the one that North American Rockwell

- is going to build up here, isn't it? - That's the one.

Take a look at this, Matt.

How about that? Isn't that a beauty?

That's the one Daddy's going to work on.

I'd say it's got a great chance of getting where it wants to go.

Isn't that a beauty?

Are we gonna walk right up that wall?

That's right.

What happened?

This is an artificial gravity area, Matt.

That means that people, things like water,

they react the same way they do on Earth.

Here, honey.

Hey, Matthew, look at this.

It looks sort of like a farm.

It is, honey. Probably as much farm as we'll ever see around here.

There's a poultry farm and hydroponic gardens

through the door at the end.

You're in Domiciliary Unit BS.

- It's one of the new ones. I think you'll like it. - Good.

Viviana, what are you doing up here?

You weren't due for two weeks.

I had a little pain.

Dr. Jamila thought a few hours in zero gravity would help.

Hmm. What a kicker.

Did your Anton ever play soccer?

Not before we were born.

We might as well get one thing straight between us now, David,

they should never have let you turn this into an independent nation unarmed.

I've heard the proposition of international trust a hundred times.

Earth II is too valuable, and it's too big a prize

for this to remain the paradise of peace that you're trying to make it.

Frank, unless my memory is going to pieces,

you applied for citizenship and permanent residence here, right?

- That's right. - I don't quite understand why, if you feel like this.

Well, frankly, David, I realized there wasn't much I could accomplish,

just grinding my teeth back on Earth.

Up here as a citizen, I might be able to change things.

I understand you run a very democratic society up here.

Completely.

And your opinions are as welcome as your skills, Frank.

Which reminds me, Lisa,

I assume you plan to get to work right away.

As soon as we get settled.

Good. We've got some great camera equipment up here.

In that case, we'll get settled fast.

David Seville, please.

Seville.

Could you come over to CMC, David?

We're getting some additional data on that launch report.

- I'll be right there. - Thanks, David.

Excuse me, Matt.

I've got to go to CMC, Frank.

Why don't you come along?

I'd like to get you into harness as soon as possible.

Fine. Fine. I'm ready.

So long, Matthew.

Bye, Dad.

- Bye, honey. I'll see you later. - Bye.

We've picked up that launch.

- What is it? - A fast moving, low mass body.

But we have no identification on it yet.

Can radar ranging run a time-bearing plot on it?

We're locking on now.

Well, you might as well punch up

a spectroscopic and an electromagnetic analysis.

And Anton, do a heat study at the same time.

Take a minute to meet Frank Kerger here.

He helped us launch the first elements of Earth II, and he's with us now.

How do you do?

Well, Anton, we'll be in Analysis and Decision.

Feed the data into us there. Come on up in here and set up.

- Okay? - Mmm-hmm.

All right. Come on, Frank.

He's a Russian, isn't he, David?

No, he's a citizen of Earth II.

Anything more than inclined elliptical orbit it's on?

Perigee is over Earth.

Coordinates, 56 degrees.

Thirty minutes north latitude.

Anything significant about that latitude?

Yes.

Moscow.

What about traces of radioactivity?

Could be a lot of things, but it's probably a thermonuclear warhead.

And it will pass within 150 miles of us every day.

Leon, you said it could be a lot of things other than a nuclear warhead.

Like what?

A small atomic power plant, I suppose.

But that's a lot of radiation spillage for a manned vehicle.

Well, it's simple. We've got to know a lot more about it.

I'm gonna ask Capa to go out and get pictures of it in its next pass.

- Frank, I'd like Lisa to take those pictures. - Certainly.

It looks like we're getting in pretty close.

We should have enough there.

We'll go around the other side and have a look.

We could see the Chinese character stencil here on the inspection plate.

And aft on the expansion nacelle.

It looks like a modification of the Voltov 797.

Exactly.

Several of which your country gave to the Chinese.

Well then, it's a virtual certainty.

It's an MIRV nuclear war.

Aimed directly at Moscow.

Could you refresh me on the legal aspects of all this?

It's utterly illegal,

by virtue of several overlapping international agreements

guaranteeing the peaceful use of space.

Yes, Hannah, but isn't it true that only member nations of the UN are signatories?

Yes.

But China is not in the UN.

David, do you remember the day we launched the first element of Earth II?

Of course I do.

Well then, you also remember the coast guard killed a man that day.

A man who was trying to blow up the launch vehicle with a rifle bullet.

That man was later identified

as an employee of the Red Chinese.

Now, David, think about this.

It would probably take the Red Chinese

about as long to blueprint and build an MIRV,

as it has taken you to bring Earth II to where it is today.

Meaning?

Well, meaning that they knew back then

what they had in mind for near-Earth space,

and they didn't want Earth II in the way.

Hannah, get on the communications.

Have them get ahold of Dietrich at Pelican Beach.

Ask him to arrange a meeting with the Red Chinese.

I should hope they'll know why.

Fine. I'll get on that right away.

It was their idea to have the meeting in Switzerland.

You have any idea why?

Probably because they anticipated

the Russian demand to be included.

The Russians aren't welcome in Red China these days.

On further investigation,

we concluded that the vehicle was indeed of Chinese manufacture.

Later, using thermal scan techniques,

we were able to pinpoint the launch site at the space center

in the Shanxi Highlands.

We have also proved, as you can see in the data here,

that the vehicle was clearly of a warlike nature,

carrying no fewer than three warheads of a thermonuclear type.

It's not enough to say that the Republic of China

has undertaken to commit a wholly irresponsible act,

but an act that is in direct violation of international agreements.

An illegal act.

It is the contention and belief of the People's Republic of China

that as an independent nation,

we have acted in our own defense

and have committed no illegal acts.

And we cannot tolerate a weapon of war so close to our national space.

It must be removed.

The Soviet Union also demands removal of the warhead.

We cannot allow thermonuclear weapons

to remain in orbit over our capital city.

The limitless reaches of space belong equally to all men.

The device put into orbit by the People's Republic of China will stay in place.

And we would ask you to bear in mind this injunction,

if any attempt is made to interfere with it,

the results could be most unfortunate.

Detonation of the thermonuclear devices in that vehicle

would be considered an overt act of war by the Soviet Union,

necessitating immediate

and appropriate retaliation.

The People's Republic of China does not seek war.

But no threat or intimidation by any nation

will change our position in this matter.

There is nothing further to say.

Gentlemen.

Well, what do we do now?

We do nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

You mean faced with a bomb

that could completely obliterate this place

every time it passes us, which it does daily,

you tell me we're going to do nothing?

What should I do, Frank?

Risk starting World War III on Earth,

and in the bargain, bring on the destruction of Earth II?

Hardly makes any sense.

We have to show the Chinese and the rest of the world

that we cannot be stepped on, David.

Now, if we don't, and now, this will only be the beginning.

This place to you stands for peace.

But the power-hungry see a weapon here,

and I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, David.

It had better be our weapon before it's too late.

Frank, who could possibly count the number of ICBMs on Earth,

in silos, ready to pass through space to kill?

In this case, it just so happens

the Chinese have theirs parked in orbit instead of a silo.

I don't see any difference.

If you can't see the difference,

I'm not going to try to show you, David.

As a citizen of Earth II who disagrees with the policy of government,

I have the right to call for a D and D.

Uh, discussion and decision, right?

That's how it works.

Consider this an official request.

As you know, there are certain facts that as chairman,

I must place on the record at this time.

As provided for in the statements

of self-government for Earth II,

a discussion and decision has been requested.

Five citizens, myself among them,

were selected at random by computer

to decide the initial disposition of the question.

However, our final decision will be a total population D and D.

The adult population of Earth II has been notified,

and 92% are at monitor and voting stations.

Voting will be by the customary "Ay" and "Nay" button system,

with fingerprint identification automatic.

We will begin as is customary

with a statement from the challenge position.

In this case, Mr. Frank Karger.

Thank you very much.

Now ladies and gentlemen, as you all know by now,

the Republic of China has placed an orbit

of multiple warhead thermonuclear.

Well, let's call it what it is.

A thermonuclear bomb.

A bomb which passes within 150 miles of Earth II.

Now, when we asked the representatives of the Chinese Republic

to remove this threat,

they countered with more threats.

Any attempt to go near the bomb

would cause them to detonate it.

My reason for asking to be heard is very simple.

I disagree with the way we are handling these threats.

But to my mind, there is only one course of action.

We must show that we are not weak.

And that we cannot this easily be bluffed.

We must remove this threat to Earth II,

this threat to our very survival.

Thank you, that's all for now.

David Seville?

Yes, thank you.

Frank has only told a part of the story.

In our meeting with the Chinese, we were joined by the Russians,

and they insist that if we detonate the bomb,

they will consider this an act of war,

and they will, in fact, retaliate.

So, we're talking about bluffing in a game

in which mistakes may be the beginning of World War III for Earth,

one that has to bring on our own destruction.

Earth II is dedicated to peace.

And this dedication must manifest itself in deed, as well as words.

We can't force the Russians or the Chinese

into an either or situation.

Thank you.

Is there corroborative testimony for the challenge position?

Yes, there is.

IIyana Kovalefskii.

In a few days, perhaps a few hours,

I shall bring a child onto this place, Earth II.

I want that child and all of the children of the future

to have a safe haven.

One free from threat and intimidation.

Anton Kovalefskii.

This bomb, as you know, is aimed directly at Moscow.

It is hard to totally forget one's own roots.

And so of course, I am troubled by this.

I think perhaps if it were aimed at Washington,

or London or Brasilia, some of you might feel as I do.

Also, I know through my work,

the horrible power of such a nuclear device.

Its presence, to me, it seems, is unthinkable.

Miss Hannah Young.

Frank has asked me to outline some of the legal ramifications of this situation.

First, there is ample precedent in the law

to indicate that though they are not signatories

to the agreements guaranteeing the peaceful use of space,

the Chinese Republic must nevertheless honor them.

In addition, there is ample precedence

of our interfering in our own interests.

The best example of this being the US posture in the Cuban missile crisis.

Have you any questions?

Hannah, in 1968, you prepared a paper at Harvard Law School

on the Cuban missile crisis, right?

And in it you stated,

"This adventure which brought the world closer to nuclear Holocaust

than it ever has been and hopefully ever will be,

could best be characterized as a poker game.

Two brilliant players, neither of whom held a decent hand."

Is that correctly stated?

That's what I said.

Was this paper characterized as critical of the bluff that was run then?

It was, yes.

Have you corroborative testimony?

Yes, I have. Loren Huxley.

As a doctor, David has asked me to comment

on the dangers of the radiation leaking from the vehicle.

Although I've had only a relatively short time for tests,

I find no measurable problem at present.

Well, thank you, Loren.

Uh, Walter Dietrich, next, please.

Well, since the Geneva meeting with the Chinese,

I've been carrying on a running dialog with their representatives.

They remain adamant.

Any attempt to come near the bomb will result in detonation.

The Russians, on their part, insist they'll retaliate.

It's certainly not an exaggeration to say

we're playing brinksmanship with nuclear engagement.

Thank you, Walter.

Lisa Karger, please.

IIyana told us of her hopes for her as yet unborn child.

Well, my child is already with us.

He's seven.

He's probably watching me right now.

We brought him to Earth II because here we found an atmosphere of peace

we had so long searched for on Earth.

Here, peace is total.

We live it.

Its meaning is the meaning of our lives.

We cannot carry a big stick and still live for peace.

The stick means we are ready to fight for peace.

On Earth, the people are always ready to fight for peace.

We must show that there's another way.

And that it works.

I love my husband very much.

And whatever happens, I'll be at his side.

But in this I think he's wrong.

Questions? Frank?

Um...

Yes, I, uh...

I do have one question.

Loren, you said that you see no measurable radiation problem at present.

Does this mean that it's absolutely impossible

that there is no danger of radiation?

Absolutely.

Not even if it were detonated?

Well, of course, in that eventuality.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I declare this meeting to be closed.

As is customary,

voting members of the population will have 30 minutes

in which to make their decisions and record their votes.

Thank you all for your presentations.

I'd better be over there when the results come in.

Anton, you're probably best qualified for the defusing.

Jim, I want you to fly the tub, get all the pictures you can.

We'll need some sort of evidence for the UN.

Frank, my guess is you've already computed the launch time, right?

From now, it'll be exactly 45 minutes.

Earth II, this is EV-4.

I'm locked on target.

Relative closure 17.03 per second.

Time to parallel orbit, zero niner six.

Ilyana?

Would it be all right?

I mean, would I be in the way if I waited here?

Um...

Just until I know Anton has completed what he has to do.

Come on, let's get some coffee.

Every long range radar station on Earth is looking over our shoulder.

Especially Red China's.

David, better have a look at this.

It's a relay from Pelican Beach, Walter.

The Red Chinese have just issued a warning

that if we violate their rights in space,

the People's Republic of China will consider that an act of aggression.

Resulting in immediate retaliatory action.

Meaning they'll detonate it.

Well, come on now, Walter. They're bluffing.

They're just bluffing. They wouldn't dare.

And what the devil did we expect them to say?

They've got to play their hand out.

I'd do the same thing.

So would you.

I hope you're right, Frank.

EV-4.

EV-4, do you read me?

EV-4.

Hey, Jim, we just got word from the Red Chinese.

They're not too happy about your being there.

How long do you figure it will take you to get to the control relay?

If it is where I think it is, two or three minutes.

I sure hope they realize all we're doing is getting a radiation count.

I mean, I hope they don't think

we're gonna mess around with this thing,

and I'd hate to get 'em all nervous

and do something ugly, like, like set it off.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, I know what you mean.

I just hope they're monitoring us now and that they believe you.

Well, who knows? They just might.

Look, at what point will they know I was trying to con them?

Once I start to work,

the gyro will show any attitude change, however slight.

And they'll know. The trick will be to get to the fuse

without causing the slightest movement of the missile.

And how do you plan to do that?

With great care.

It's all yours.

Right.

Don't forget that gyro.

I'm not likely to.

And after you've disconnected the control relay,

you have about 45 minutes left to deactivate the warheads.

Is that enough time?

Yes.

Once that relay is disconnected and can no longer detonate, I can work quickly.

- Anything? - Their radar hasn't let up.

There's still plenty interested.

It's no good. They know what we're doing.

I'm going to try to disconnect the relay

before they can set this thing off.

Go ahead. It'll take them a minute or two to make the decision.

Kovalefskii.

Anton, do you read me?

Kovalefskii, come in.

Anton?

Anton!

Anton, do you read me?

Come in. Do you read me?

EV-4 to Earth II, emergency.

Yeah, Jim, Go ahead.

They tried to set it off.

What's your situation?

Kovalefskii's in bad shape.

He got the control relay disconnected,

but the warhead's still not defused.

I'm gonna pick it up now.

Jim, return at Inclination 176.

Disengage missile

at propellant loading Airlock Number Two.

Dock at Port Three, Port Three.

Huxley will be there to help receive Anton, over.

Confirmed.

ETA, 036.

Correct yaw by five seconds of arc.

Very good. Hitch correction.

Just take this thing off my hands.

Do it. He's got an injured man in there with him.

Jirei, I want to go in there as soon as you can establish an atmosphere.

By the time you get to the access door, you'll have an atmosphere.

Thank you.

Okay.

Wait a minute. I'm gonna talk to him.

I want to go to him. I want to be with him.

IIyana, listen to me.

Anton's got a chance.

What I mean is...

there's a chance we can keep him alive.

Oh, thank God.

Thank God.

I said alive, IIyana.

Just alive, nothing more.

What are you saying?

He needs surgery.

Now there are two procedures possible.

One, he might make it, but...

He'll never really be the... the man we've known.

But with the other procedure, it's all or nothing.

And you've got to make the decision.

This...

This other procedure, what are the chances?

Not good.

One in five.

Maybe a little less.

There's not much time, IIyana.

I think...

I think...

Anton would rather not be just alive.

Then obviously, he never had a chance to defuse it.

That's right.

Anton figured it wouldn't take long

after he got the control relay disconnected.

But that's as far as he got.

At least he knows how to defuse it.

Well, that's not much help.

I mean, not in his condition, anyway.

Why the devil do we have to defuse it?

We wait for the right window and we launch it at the sun.

Which would be about the stupidest thing that we could possibly do.

- For several reasons. - He's right.

Without knowing the type of fuse, we could be in big trouble.

Frank, you figure you can handle it?

Well, I don't know. There would be...

It would be tricky without having seen the control relay.

Get any pictures of that relay?

Yeah, I had it in the viewfinder.

I was shooting when they set it off.

Frank, have Lisa see what's on that film. Would you please?

Fine.

Well, from the circuitry, it looks like a...

heat detonating fuse,

But I can't quite make out enough detail.

Well, I think I can get you more detail.

You think so?

Lisa, put a diffraction filter on, too.

Get me the suturing forceps, please.

There you are.

Lisa, my dear.

You are a magician.

I'll run this through analysis,

and then we should know what makes this thing tick.

How long do you figure before you can defuse it, Frank?

The launch window to the sun will be opening soon.

Well, once I get those missiles disarmed,

I intend to put in new control circuits

and keep them right here on Earth II.

No, no. We jettison the missile into the sun, Frank,

and that's the end of it.

Now, look, David, I told you when I got here

that I was going to make some changes.

Well, I've started to make 'em.

It's not up to you, Frank.

Thank God for that.

You're wrong, David.

Dead wrong.

As a matter of fact, I intend to call for a D and D.

I beat you before, I'll beat you again, David.

You might.

But if you do, it's the end of Earth II.

Well, just run my arguments through the logic circuits.

They're irrefutable.

You mean they're logical?

Conclusion follows premise.

I don't understand.

I mean, your logic isn't irrefutable, Frank.

We don't have to go back to the old way of might makes right.

Therefore, we must be mighty.

There are other ways. There's David's way and Earth II's way.

That's logical, too.

I want Earth II to fear no nation and no man.

That's the heritage I want to leave my son.

Now where is that? There it is.

I beg you.

For Matt's sake and for mine, please don't go through with this.

Lisa, don't you understand? This is for you and Matt.

And for everyone else on Earth II.

That I've got to go through with it.

- Don't you understand that? - No.

Lisa.

Excuse me, I have to go.

Frank.

Hey, it's okay. Eat your dinner.

Walter.

Walter.

If we do launch the missile towards the sun...

What will happen?

Nothing. As soon as it gets close enough to the sun, it'll detonate.

It isn't...

It wasn't that dangerous?

The power of a three megaton nuclear device compared to the sun is...

...well, it's like the thickness of a slip of paper

compared to the height of the Empire State Building.

Nothing. Insignificant.

Well, it seems that's what we should do then.

Let's hope that's what we will do.

Give me the suturing forceps, please.

There's nothing more we can do.

- We'll just close up. - Mmm-hmm.

We have examined the issue.

And I have concluded that the question

of whether or not Earth II shall become a nuclear power

should be a total population decision.

For the question, Frank Carter...

I just got a blown hatch in Propellant Two, anyone running a test?

No, schedule doesn't show anything.

Control balcony.

This is environment.

Is there anyone in there?

Control balcony. Is there anyone there?

It goes to the very heart of man, it's survival--

Hold on a second. Hold your point.

There's an emergency at Propellant Airlock Two.

Do you know what you've done?

- Do you know what you've done? - Frank? Frank.

I'll need to know the missile's trajectory as soon as possible.

And Walter, get a radar update from CMC.

- Yeah. - Got it.

You know why I did it, don't you?

I know why, Lisa, but it just isn't the way.

But it was the only sure way.

You said we should jettison it into the sun.

In the sun, it would be harmless and insignificant.

Well, I've done it! It's on its way.

But Lisa, we can't tell if it's going towards the sun.

But I waited until I could see the sun through the airlock door.

- The bomb was headed right for it. - Lisa.

Give me the orbit...

A launch window to the sun is afar more complicated thing

than just aiming at the sun.

If all the physical forces that bear on the launch aren't just right,

the vehicle could go in almost in any direction.

Its trajectory is toward earth.

What?

Toward Earth.

- It'll skip twice on reentry... - And then it'll heat up

and the fuses will trigger at about 5,000 feet.

- What will it be over? - Near the Great Lakes.

- Chicago, Gary, South Bend, somewhere around there. - When?

In less than an hour, 50, 55 minutes.

Jim, get a suit.

Walter, find out everything about the missile.

You can double check trajectory, reentry angle, and temperature.

All right.

Frank, you know what to do.

Shuttle one clear. Permission to start ignition.

Shuttle one, you are cleared for ignition.

Hi, honey. Couldn't you sleep?

- Shuttle one, this is Dietrich. - Go ahead.

Adjust speed. 1-6-2, altitude 0.002 degrees.

Interception time minus 1-8-2-7 minutes.

Altitude at interception 7-7 miles.

Any way we can intercept before re-entry?

Negative.

Sorry, David. This is the best we can do.

It's gonna get hot.

Not hot enough to set off those fuses, I hope.

Ilyana.

He probably won't regain consciousness,

but if you wanna be with him...

Well, what's their altitude?

It's 174 miles above sea level.

Cabin fan switches are on, cabin cooling is on.

Hydrogen power switches to auto.

Oxygen heating switches to on.

Tank one, tank two,

tank four, tank five, tank seven, tank eight,

and subsystem search three, six and nine, pressurized and manning...

We should be coming up dead ahead.

We're locking on and going down.

Altitude 8-9 miles above sea level.

Walter, you better get this to David before interception.

David, Dietrich.

Go ahead, Walter.

Karger's just handed me the dope on the fuse.

The missiles are insulated by the reflective covering

an ablative cone in the nose.

When the ablative burns off,

the cover will separate and fall away.

At that moment, a gallium alloy rod

in the nose of each missile will start melting.

When those rods have melted, the missiles detonate.

Five or ten thousand feet above target, right?

It would be if it were controlled re-entry.

With its present angle, those ablatives will probably go

about a minute and a half after interception.

Any other good news?

Only that the temperature will drop back into the safe zone

once you get above nine-two miles.

Our projections show it's possible.

But not probable.

Possible, David. Possible.

Speed's constant. Angle, minus three degrees.

I'm opening the cargo doors.

Thirty seconds to contact.

Contact.

Here we go.

Shuttle one to Earth II.

Go ahead, David.

We've got the missile package.

- What now? - Let me talk to him.

David, this is Karger.

We've still got a problem. A big one.

Let's have it, Frank.

Look, we've got to assume that a free entry

burned away the heat shield and jettisoned the cover.

It probably melted most of the fuse.

Well, I'll buy that, Frank.

But the outside temperature is minus 265 degrees.

Now that should be low enough to hold it.

It is. Just so you keep the missiles shaded from the sun.

Now our figures show that the detonation bar will melt at about...

It will melt at about 78 degrees.

Let's get him in the shade.

Okay, that's done. Now how do we get rid of these things?

We can't.

What do you mean "We can't"?

Give me the next Moon-Venus gravity assist window,

and we'll slingshot him off toward the Sun.

Too much time for the next window.

You haven't enough fuel or life support to wait it out, David.

Frank, put Walter on, please.

- Yes, David? - Walter, is he giving it to me straight?

Yes. He's worked out the only possible way to handle this thing.

You've got to get those missiles back here into the propellant airlock.

We're stopping the rotation of Earth II

to get the airlock into the shade and keep it there.

With the door off, the temperature will be the same inside as out.

Can we get Earth II's rotation stopped in time?

It'll either be stopped or just barely moving.

Either way is a help.

You and I both know the consequences, Walter.

Yes, but there are no alternatives, David.

Now Karger can handle the fuses.

Just get that thing back here.

Switch over to auto and we'll bring you in.

There's no other way, David.

Switch to auto.

You want to ride it out until that window opens up,

I'm with you.

Shuttle one, come in, please.

Let's do it their way.

All right.

Okay, Walter, we're coming in.

Oh, Anton.

Be careful.

The safety bar's almost melted away.

It's probably the same way on yours.

You're talking about the bright metal bar down the center of the warhead?

That's it.

At 78 degrees, it liquefies and brings the bomb to critical mass.

You mean when that bar melts, the bomb detonates.

Well, most of this is already melted.

Same here.

I've got a section about a half inch in diameter.

First, get your thermometers attached to the safety bars.

Or what's left of them.

Set your markers at 78 degrees.

Okay. Okay.

We'll take it one step at a time.

After I complete each operation,

the two of you start.

- Are you ready? - Ready.

Start the checklist, Walter.

Identify and locate the guidance package.

I read it as front, rectangular, bronze.

Or bronze alloy.

Mentions about four by five by an inch and a half,

possibly two inches.

Sounds okay.

Probability of correct identification, 97%.

Disconnect and remove guidance package.

I've removed the guidance package.

It's connected to a power cell by two wires.

Probability is 80%

that a tamper destruct will be encountered at this stage.

Well, then, we've got to be sure which wire we disconnect first.

Well, there's no way that we can be 100% sure.

Walter?

Can you give us anything better than 50-50 for either one?

Normal connection sequences are right to left.

Tamper destruct strategy

would be the reverse.

If you disconnect the left wire first,

you've got a 60-40 chance of being right.

Okay.

Hey, wait.

We wire left to right because that's the way we read.

But the Chinese don't.

They read right to left.

Could make a difference.

I'll buy it.

You see that gray metal package

just in front of the safety bar?

Yeah, I see it.

It's all covered with the material melted from the bar.

Mine's not so bad.

Walter, this is going to take longer than I figured.

The meltings from David's and my safety bars

are blocking the retaining screws.

We'll have to drill them out.

How much extra time do you figure?

Approximately ten, possibly fifteen minutes.

Same here.

We haven't got ten or fifteen minutes.

You've got to find another way.

There is no other way, David. What's the problem?

Take a look.

We're still rotating.

In a few minutes, the sun will be blasting right in here.

The thermometers are starting to move up.

He's right, Karger.

The temperature in that airlock will go up to plus 210 degrees.

It'll never get that high. The safety bars will melt long before that.

We've got to stop our rotation completely.

We've already overloaded the system

spinning down this much.

But there's one way. Jim?

Take out a tug.

Might be enough extra power to stop it.

How are you doing, David?

Two more to go.

It's moving up another 10 degrees.

EV-3, come in.

This is EV-3.

They're starting to have a real temperature problem in there.

I'm about to make contact.

Contact complete.

I'm starting engines.

- What now? - Ease the package out.

Don't try to disconnect those wires.

Just ease your wrench in there

parallel to the safety bar.

It's in place.

How you doing?

I'm getting there.

Okay, let's start rotation.

David.

We've got normal rotation.

That window of the Sun should be coming up in about two and a half minutes.

What do we do, Frank? Get rid of the bomb, or...

Do you still want your D and D?

Let's go your way, David.

No weapons.

Let's hope your way is the right way.

Who knows, Frank? We've never tried that.

Let's get rid of it.

David.

I'm sorry for what I did.

- I just-- - Lisa.

You just forgot decisions are made here by everybody.

One citizen, one vote.

Speaking of citizens,

there's someone I want you to meet.

That's Anton Kovalefskii Jr.

the first native born citizen of Earth II.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

- Look at those eyes. - Anton.

Yeah.