Original subtitles

José!

Beto...

See you on the other side, primo.

Well, Mommy, give me the blessing for the road.

Yes, mijo.

We are coming back when the season is over.

And we will finish building our house.

José!

Let's go, mijo.

Dad, are you crying?

No, no...

...just some dirt got into my eye.

All right.

Did you know that the monarch butterflies

fly from farther north than the United States,

all the way here to Michoacán?

And when spring comes, they go back.

These little bugs that weigh just one gram

make a 2,000-mile journey.

Makes you think, right?

Tens of thousands of these workers

are brought across the border from Mexico every year.

They are the very old and the very young,

men and boys, women and even children,

then sent to work on big farms in the Imperial Valley,

the San Joaquin Valley, the Salinas Valley,

the Santa Clara Valley.

Don't get too excited.

We won't be staying here for long.

Okay, everyone to your seats.

We're gonna start our class.

José.

You're back.

Two times 11?

22.

Two times 12?

24.

How about two times 17?

Thirty-four!

In English, please.

Thirty-four?

You all think that's so funny?

Who can tell me what seven times 60 is?

Oh, no, no, no. Let's make that seven times 63.

Take it away, Mr. Hernández.

Four hundred and 41.

Beto.

So nice to have you back as well.

Have a seat.

Why haven't you been to school?

Work.

Good morning! Cheer up, people!

Transmitting to all the Latino community from California and Texas.

A big "hello" to all my friends who are getting ready to work in the fields.

This single from Mark and The Mysterians is for you, "96 Tears"...

José, it's time.

Cheer up, people!

Let's go!

Mom...

...what are stars for?

That's a question for school.

Hey! We're back. This is Radio Cadena...

Ow!

Excuse me!

Take this, mijo.

Come on.

I'm sick of this!

I'm tired!

I'm sunburnt!

I'm full of mud!

And I stink!

I can't do this anymore!

Shut up, stupid Beto!

You think I'm not tired?

Or that your mom is not tired?

Oh, Pepito... look at this mess.

How do you do it?

You say you're tired, but I don't see you tired.

It's because I've got a recipe, mijo.

The first thing is

you have to know what you want.

Second, look where you're standing.

How far you still need to go.

Three...

you have to think how you're going to get there.

Fourth ingredient,

if you don't know how, you have to learn.

Fifth, and last one.

When you think you've made it,

you'll probably have to try even harder.

Okay, so for homework,

you'll need to write a composition...

"When I Grow Up."

I want to see how you come up with many...

- Beto. Beto. - ...beautiful and powerful adjectives.

- Beto. - Okay?

Wake up, Beto.

"When I grow up, what do I want to be?"

How can you describe what you want to be?

Miss Young.

What are stars for?

"What are stars for?"

Well, that is one tough question, sir.

You know what?

I think you're gonna be one of those people

who can actually come up with an answer for that kind of question.

Lety!

Pepito. Pepe!

It's about to happen!

They just said it on the radio.

Pepito, come!

Hold the antenna!

Man on the moon, Pepe.

"It's been a real smooth countdown."

We've passed the 50-second mark.

Power transfer is complete.

We're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time.

40 seconds away from the Apollo 11 liftoff.

All the second stage tanks now pressurized.

35 seconds and counting.

We are still go with Apollo 11.

30 seconds and counting.

Astronauts report, "It feels good."

T-minus 25 seconds.

20 seconds and counting.

T-minus 15 seconds.

Guidance is internal.

12, 11, ten, nine...

Ignition sequence starts.

Six, five, four, three, two,

one, zero.

All engine running.

Liftoff! We have a liftoff!

32 minutes past the hour.

Liftoff on Apollo 11.

Tower cleared.

Roger. We got a roll program.

Neil Armstrong reporting their roll and pitch program,

which puts Apollo 11 on a proper heading.

Plus 30 seconds.

Roll's complete and the pitch is programming.

One Bravo.

Put it over there, mija.

Come on, mija.

Mr. and Mrs. Hernández...

I would like...

I'm a bit worried about your children's education.

She's saying that...

She's saying that you're going to ruin your children's education.

I really think you should reconsider traveling so much.

She's saying that

you're dumb,

for making us travel so much.

Tell her we have to go where there's work.

We have no option.

I understand.

Can you ask your father...

What would happen if he had a tree,

planted it, watered it, cared for it,

but then dug it up and replanted it every year, again and again?

How would that tree grow?

She's saying that...

Miss...

We need money.

For a house in Michoacán.

We need to work.

Okay?

Will you excuse me.

Miss Young!

I did my homework.

You are a force of nature.

Nothing will stop you.

Remember that.

What happened?

Salvador?

They're not going to pay full shifts.

He says that we didn't do all the baskets.

But we did...

I know.

For us, there's no chances or shortcuts.

Salvador.

In fact, you are very lucky.

You can have a look at your future.

See over there?

All of that...

All that is your future.

The teacher's right.

The tree would grow...

...but neither tall,

nor very strong.

And it would probably bear no fruit.

All right, everybody, show me your hands.

With those hands,

we pick the food that people are going to have on their table

and with a lot of pride.

Understood?

This may not be your future...

...but it will always be your past.

Right?

Let's go!

Sit up straight.

The house in Michoacán will have to wait.

The teacher is going to be really happy.

All right, if that's everybody, let's get this started.

Hope you had a good night last night.

Okay, now,

who can tell me what this is?

Wild guess, anyone?

A circle.

No.

You numb nuts.

This is the Soviet Union.

Now, who can tell me what this is?

- The United States. - United States of America.

Now, who can tell me what this is?

- A rocket. - Be more specific.

A hostile rocket.

Be more specific, Weissberg.

A hostile rocket... mid-flight?

Wrong.

This is a missile traveling at five miles per second.

It carries a nuclear warhead capable of destroying Manhattan.

Now, who is there to protect these people from such an attack? Hmm?

- Anybody. - We are.

What'd you say?

Uh, I said, "We are."

I mean, you know, if somebody were to at...

to, like, try to attack us, you know,

we would protect ourselves.

Who the hell are you?

Uh, I'm José Hernández, sir.

Uh, it's my first day here.

In what capacity?

Lab engineer.

Weissberg, get this guy an office. Get him to work now.

Excuse me.

Hi. Um, I'm José Hernández.

Uh, there's a... an office upstairs that needs a...

uh, the bulbs, uh, changed 'cause the...

Y-You're the new guy, right?

- Yeah. - Yeah, hey.

Um, the supply room is down to the right.

You'll find everything you need in there.

Here are all the keys.

In the supply room, you'll find light bulbs,

bleach, mops, brooms, rags, Windex, all that good stuff.

And there is also a supply closet on the sixth floor next to the ladies' room.

- Okay, um, I-I don't... - Oh!

And the third floor men's room needs toilet paper.

When you get a chance.

- Okay. Mm-hmm. - Uh, yeah, welcome. Um...

Oh, one second.

Hello. Hi, sir.

Yeah. I'll be right there.

Please just let me know if you need anything else, okay?

- Okay. - Okay. Welcome.

So, it's liver... liver what?

Nah, it's Lawrence Livermore Labs.

So what the hell is that?

- It's a federal research facility. - Uh-huh.

It's, uh, it's, like, national security.

And we're working on the... on the most sophisticated X-ray laser in the world.

It could be potentially the...

like, this-this is potentially...

the single most important breakthrough for ICBM defense in decades.

So... so... so guns.

Huh? Eh, vato.

We were just talking about lasers.

And we're gonna put them out in the orbit and save millions of lives

if the Russians were to attack.

- If the Russians were to attack. Yeah. - Yeah.

That's pretty crazy, man.

You know that that's a real thing, right?

You don't read the newspapers?

Remember when we were kids

and in school they made us draw what we wanted to be when we grew up?

- Yeah. Yeah. - I remember yours.

Miss Young, she-she hanged it in class.

Ah, yeah, yeah, I remember.

I said I wanted to be a ranchera singer.

Yeah, but you can't sing.

Or play the guitar.

I look good in one, though.

Yeah.

Yo.

This liver thing, it's not being an astronaut,

but you still get to throw things into space, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

So how about we get a little barbeque...

a couple of beers...

and we toast to lasers in space, huh?

- All right, all right. - Let's do that.

Hey, Beto!

You missed a couple of rows, man!

I didn't!

Yeah, you did.

- I didn't. - You probably did. You probably did.

- I did, okay. - Finish it, man!

I guess I'll have to go back, man.

- Okay. - Yeah.

I just think it's great that I get to be so freaking proud

and have no idea what you're talking about, cousin.

I'm gonna miss you, man.

Hey, it's not like I'm going anywhere. I'm staying right here.

That's not the point.

You're out of here.

You're going to a place with a job, a title

and respect.

Engineer!

Unbelievable, man.

- Hey, Beto. - Huh?

I'll help you with those couple last rows...

and we'll go get some beers.

Okay, okay.

- You ready for this? - Yeah, yeah.

Look, you don't have to scream, you know?

- I'm with my cousin. - Yeah.

I want you to xerox these, two copies each page,

then archive them in the basement.

That's a... that's a lot of copies.

- There's like a thousand copies. - Yeah.

Do you think that maybe there's a...

there might be a-a better way to use my time?

This is a good way to use your time.

Oh.

You got mail.

Ah.

It's a waste of time.

Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you want some enchiladas, mijo?

No, Mommy.

Maybe you want to take them for work tomorrow?

No, that... I'm-I'm okay.

Your sister said that she met a nice girl for you.

Ma, please.

We're not gonna be around forever, you know?

And then what are you gonna do? Hmm?

Grow old by yourself like some kind of-of-of...

Mad scientist, or what?

Ma, please, not tonight. I'm...

Please, what?

Not today, okay? I mean, t-today was...

- Was what? - It was, it was overwhelming, okay?

Overwhelming?

And then you can tell me what's overwhelming!

You even give him a reward beer!

Go inside!

You're going to catch a cold.

A storm's coming up.

I don't want my trees to get ruined.

You spend all day driving that car.

Back and forth, no?

From the fields to the cannery.

And then what do you do when you get home?

Ah, you work some more.

You can take the farmer out of the field,

but you can't take the field out of the farmer.

Help me with the tree.

Come on!

There you go!

Isn't she a beauty?

How are you doing, mijo?

Ah. I don't know.

- Things could be easier. - Ey.

Well, you already know:

Hard work or nothing.

And you could be proud of me.

I mean, I'm an engineer.

I'm not some, like, janitor or something.

What if you were?

- What's wrong with being a janitor? - No, there's nothing wrong with it,

but it's not, like, rocket science.

You're still trying to figure out ingredient number one, mijo.

What's your goal?

What's your goal?

Huh?

You have a long way to go.

You know everything your mother and me did for you, right?

No, I know.

- No, I know... - Everything we gave up?

- No, I know everything. I know. - Gil.

- Chava. Lety. - No, I know. No, I know everything.

I know you lost the house in Michoacán because of me.

Okay?

Do you have to bring it up every single time we have a beer?

It just gets heavy.

Then get stronger.

We gave up the house.

It was for your education.

What's that?

Nothing.

Mom wants to know if you want enchiladas for tomorrow.

I already told her no.

I don't want to be known as the enchiladas guy at work.

So, thank you.

Oh. Oh.

Okay, I see.

What do you mean, you see?

Nothing. I just see.

Can you get out of here, please?

We're about to detonate a nuclear bomb

with an X-ray laser

and hope that it emits rays in the right energy levels

for the correct amount of time in the precise direction necessary.

I want this test to run flawlessly.

Prove the skeptics wrong and keep our funding while we're at it.

Okay. That is a big sandwich.

Come on. It's a 30-year-old car.

It's a 20-year-old car.

And it's El Impala.

Think about all the adventures that we lived together in this car.

You know, I think...

I think you're trying to forget who you are, huh?

Man.

You think this defines me?

Huh? It's a gas guzzler.

It's got more miles than the Enterprise.

I don't know, man.

It feels like betrayal.

It hurts me.

It's in pretty good shape.

- All things considered. - Right on.

Take this to my manager, see what she says.

Okay.

I think you could walk out of here with a real good deal.

I like that.

Looks good, Mary.

- Hey, you got a second? - I'll be right back.

All right.

That's how they get you, yo.

You give up your soul for...

a bowl of damned Doritos.

I think you're gonna be

really happy with this vehicle.

It has great mileage, nice sporty ride.

It's a great investment all the way around.

- Yeah, let's do it. - Great.

I will get started on this right away.

Bueno.

Uh, sir?

- Sit. Please. - Oh.

Okay.

Hey, did I see you in the fields a-a while ago?

Uh, yeah. I sometimes help my father.

Yeah, I help my dad, too, yeah.

Cool.

Here are your keys.

Oh.

Wow, I just... I just bought a new car.

Yes, you did. Congratulations.

I didn't know, um...

I'm José.

- I'm Adela. - Adela.

So what kind of car did I buy?

I-I was, I was distracted, you know? I was confused.

Oh, you don't know what kind of car you just bought?

- No, I could've... - You want to look at the paperwork?

No, I could've got a delivery truck, for all I know.

Oh, you did.

You bought an old UPS truck.

Oh!

Doors sold separately.

Oh.

Ah.

Um...

I know, I know this... I mean, this is awkward, but...

and you're in the middle of, uh, work and everything, but, uh...

You know, if at some point, like...

You know, it doesn't have to be, like, a, like, a...

You know, doesn't have to be, like, official or, like, a...

Ah, forget it.

Well, I would love to go on a date with you

in your dusty old delivery truck, but, uh...

I don't think it's going to happen.

- Sign here. - Yeah. Uh, yeah.

Because you would have to meet my father first.

Oh! Hey.

No, I'm-I'm good with dads.

Good.

Then at your own risk, José.

I am so sorry for what's about to happen.

- Wait, what? - Please don't run away.

It's so nice tonight.

It's good weather.

Godmother, how can you say that?

My husband is going to arrive soon.

Are you hungry?

Uh, no, no, I'm... I'm glad I get to meet the...

I'm glad I, uh, get to meet everybody.

Yes, you're right.

Stop it, kids!

So, the Pátzcuaro Hernández or the Uruapan Hernández?

From La Piedad.

- Avocados or limes? - Avocados.

Having fun? Are you...

Avocados?

Oh, cousin!

What does that have to do with anything?

What do people grow in Michoacán?

- Uh... - They're stupid.

Corn.

- Alfalfa. - Alfalfa, right.

It's Lola la Trailera.

Don't let her through.

Grandpa!

My husband is going to arrive soon.

It's because he had a long shift today.

Ay-yi.

Good evening!

- Hello, Dad. - Hello, my girl.

Dad, José.

José, my dad.

- Hello, sir... - No, no, no.

Don't get up. I see you're all settled.

Ah, okay.

Sit down. You must be tired.

Oh, yeah.

I'm guessing that you haven't talked about

the intentions you have with my daughter.

- Dad! - Honey!

Well, because let me explain:

My daughter

is not allowed to go out on dates and that kind of things.

Dad...

Did you tell him?

Of course, Uncle.

But look, if you want to visit her,

you will always be welcome,

- but I have to be present. - Oh.

So, I hope that

you will not be that early, like today.

- Oh, my God. - Ah.

Yeah.

I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to put you through the Spanish Inquisition.

Oh, no, don't worry, no. Hey, I mean, it-it was fine.

It was fun.

Okay.

You know, they're really nice. Deep down.

Oh, yeah, no. Yeah, yeah.

I think you just intimidate them.

- I intimidate them? - Mm-hmm.

Oh, is that why they were sweating?

Because of me?

I thought it was because of the hot sauce, no?

No, I think it was because...

you're an engineer.

I thought that nerds didn't intimidate anybody.

Adela!

Adela!

I'm coming!

I'm sorry. I have to go.

Oh, no, no, it's... Don't worry about it.

I'll be back.

Adela, get inside!

- I have to go. - Yeah.

No, no, yeah. I know.

- He keeps calling your name. - Yeah.

I'm sorry.

No, you're good.

This was fun. This was a lot of fun.

- I had fun, too. - Yeah.

- I have to go. - I know, I know. Yeah.

Yeah, you got to go, huh?

Yeah.

Sir.

- Sir? - Not now.

All right. Sir, this is important.

- I-I may have found something. - Not now, Hernández.

Sir!

Oh! Room 542 needs a cleaning.

Just whenever you get a chance.

What the hell are you doing?

- How did you get in here? - I have keys.

Why do you have keys to the lab?

Well, sir, I have keys to every room in the building, sir.

The receptionist thinks that I'm a janitor, so she-she gave me keys.

He's supposed to be making copies, sir.

And instead you're doing, uh...

Wh-What is all this?

Well, I-I just wanted to put some concern through a test.

- A concern? - Yes, sir.

Run a bunch of tests. All the numbers here.

See, the system works by measuring the-the...

the brightness of the beryllium detector once it's lit by the, by the laser.

But these detectors are being heated by the explosion itself,

so, you know, it-it's giving you a higher frequency, which is the-the wrong reading.

So, unless they're calibrated separately,

there's no way of knowing if the...

ah, if the signal that they're producing is caused by a laser or by the explosion.

Sir, I, uh...

i-if I may, I, uh...

W-We can offer a-a containment unit, so we can isolate the laser

and, uh, thus giving us a... a better reading of the beryllium detector.

At least it would be m-more consistent 'cause it wouldn't...

interact with the...

We would minimize the interaction with the explosion.

And you mean to tell me that no one has caught this before?

That is highly unlikely, sir.

I want you all to stay here and run these numbers for me again.

- Is that clear? - Sir, I...

Is that clear, Weissberg?

Yes, sir.

You can check the numbers, but they're correct.

- Hi. - Hey.

So, I'm not the new guy.

No, I am a new guy, but, um, I'm not a janitor.

I'm a... I'm an engineer.

Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Right, Steve?

I like Steve.

He's a good guy. He's cool.

- Very cool. - Yeah.

But he might need these.

Hey, guys,

why don't you say whatever you have to say

because my husband is about to arrive.

Mom!

Your mom's really cool.

Yeah.

And she likes you. I can tell.

She likes the nerd?

Yeah.

But, you know, you're... a different kind of nerd.

Huh.

Well, you strike me as, uh...

I don't know, like, uh... eager.

- Eager? - Yeah.

Yeah. I guess I am eager.

So, d-do you have a dream?

Huh?

Like a...

Do you have, do you have, like, a goal?

- A goal? - Yeah.

Like, my dad says, uh, you know,

it's good to-to focus on something, like a, like a goal.

I want to be a chef.

That's my goal.

I want to have my own restaurant.

- Yeah? - Sí. Sí.

- Pero, like, authentic, you know? - Uh-huh.

Like a real restaurant.

Food from Michoacán.

Not some burrito place. Come.

I would, um, um... I would put money on it.

Cool.

So?

What's your big goal?

Dream, whatever.

Uh...

Well...

Ah, it's stupid.

- No, you can't do that. - Do what?

You can't do that.

- Do what? - You were gonna say something.

And I told you mine. I was vulnerable.

You know?

Come on. I want to... I want to get to know you.

Please.

I want to be an astronaut.

Oh, my God.

You're serious.

Okay.

You mean, like...

Yeah, no, it's stupid. I know, yeah.

No.

No.

I just didn't...

I didn't expect you to say that. That's all.

Okay?

It's not stupid at all.

Wow, that's actually amazing.

And I feel really unambitious now.

- No, no, no, no. - I want to be a chef.

A dream is a dream, you know?

Yeah.

Well...

stop by my joint for unos tamales on your way back from Mars.

- I'll give you a discount. - I will do.

Hey, can I ask you something?

Yeah.

What does a nerd have to do to...

...to be alone with you one day?

Well...

Son of a gun...

Hola, Julio.

No.

Julio.

It's okay.

Yeah.

Julio. Julio, no.

- Put it back, please. - Jump into the van. Jump into the van.

Julio, please put it back.

- They're taking off without you. - José, I'm not kidding.

I want that frame in one piece. Do not break it again.

- T-minus five, four... - What are you doing?

...three, two...

Are you getting home on time from work?

- Why? - I have an appointment.

Where?

I have an appointment to see an old shop for the restaurant.

- Shop? - Yes.

No, avoid it, avoid it!

Yes, it could work.

I think it's really nice.

Have you, have you, uh, chosen a name yet?

Yes, I'm thinking my mother's name.

Ooh, that's nice.

- Oh, no! Oh, no, there's a big meteor! - "Ooh, that's nice."

Ah, it's huge! It's huge!

Ah, you're just avoiding it!

You avoided it!

Don't forget the diapers on your way home.

- I won't. - What did I hear?

What did I just hear?

- Okay. - Bye.

Can anybody tell me what this is?

No, Gutiérrez.

It's not a doughnut with sprinkles.

It's an object being beamed by an array of X-rays.

Anybody tell me what this is?

Anyone?

Weissberg?

- It's a square. - It's a square.

Got something for you.

The Highly Enriched Uranium Program.

In a shell, the U.S. is buying nuclear materials from the Russians,

bringing it to America's power plants.

They're sending the best from all the national labs to Siberia to help oversee.

Do you have a suitcase and a good jacket?

I do. I do.

You know, a job like this would look pretty damn good

in an application for the space program.

Hey, I'm sorry I'm late.

I promise I'll take you to the shop tomorrow.

What is this?

Say something.

I... I was gonna tell you.

Okay, good, because I just want to get it straight.

Like, you actually applied six times...

- Yeah. - ...to the space program

and you never once thought I wanted to know?

I just thought I should give it a shot.

A shot? No, José.

This is... actually, this is one, two,

three, four, five.

This is six shots over six years.

No, it just... It's a stupid dream.

- It's just... - It's a stupid dream?

Yeah, I mean...

You want to know what I think is a stupid dream?

- What? - The dream of trusting your partner.

Why didn't you tell me about this?

Because it's never gonna happen.

That's not an answer.

Why wouldn't you share with your wife...

okay?

the fact that you want to go to space?

I did tell you.

No, you mentioned it on a date years ago, and I thought you were joking.

I laughed in your face.

Adela, I got rejected six times.

- What if you hadn't? - Yeah, but I did.

- And I was gonna tell you. - Okay.

You were gonna tell me? When were you gonna tell me?

You were gonna make a collect call from space?

Why can't you just be proud of me?

You want me to be proud of you?

The restaurant is a big deal to me.

And you don't care.

But you want me to be proud of you.

Where are the diapers?

You know they put the diapers by the beer

because it's depressed dads that come in the middle of the night and buy them.

Stupid.

She's so fixated on this restaurant thing, you know,

and she went too far.

- Mm. - They're only applications.

Maybe she just wants to be in the loop, man.

You got a beautiful family that loves you

and put up with your crap.

What more do you want, man?

You made it.

It's not because you ditched El Impala.

Again with the Impala, huh?

Yeah, what's the deal with space?

I don't know.

Maybe I just want to keep my hands off the ground.

Tell me something.

Who better than a migrant?

Somebody that knows what it's like

to dive into the unknown.

Who better than that...

...to dare leave this planet, man?

Be grateful.

Go home.

Adelita.

I'm sorry, okay?

How big is this...

space idea?

Hey, it's silly.

José.

How big is it?

I think about it every day.

Every hour.

I can't stop thinking about it.

I refuse to be the oblivious,

permanently annoyed, whining wife.

So don't put me there.

Yeah.

I take you seriously.

You're an engineer.

A good one.

You're doing great things at Livermore.

And I am so...

so proud of you.

I don't think it's stupid to apply to NASA.

I'm going to ask you a question,

and I want you to give me an honest answer, okay?

Okay.

Those people who got into the program the last six years...

...what do they have that you don't?

I mean, they're mostly Caucasian.

They have skills that I don't have.

But training for those skills, I mean, it takes money.

Forget about that. We have savings.

What do they have that you don't have?

Well, the last batch of candidates were chosen from 12,962 applicants.

Now, some are from the military. Some hold PhDs.

They're scientists, engineers.

I mean, there's some teachers.

Oh, and there's-there's, you know, pilots, lots and lots of pilots.

Uh, really good ones, too.

Money!

A'ight, man, let's do this.

This is up.

This is down.

And, you know, they have success in high-performance hobbies

like running, swimming, triathlon, uh, tennis, weightlifting.

Some of them are just, like, outright athletes.

One of the guys is a deep-sea diver who's logged more than 700 dives.

So diving is key, you know?

Talk about a midlife crisis.

And then the other skill is, you know, they speak Chinese, French, German.

But of course, the most important one is...

They're white.

No.

About that Russian program.

No, no, they speak Russian.

I feel like a drifting zeppelin.

- Julio. - No, no, no.

Don't laugh at me.

Oh, Karina.

Karina.

Karina. Karina.

Julio. Breakfast!

Mom!

Where is Papa?

Okay.

Where is Papa?

Turn right to course three-one-zero and descend to 5,000 feet.

It's taken them years to get where they are,

and they could be good at all those things, but there's no guarantee.

You know we're still on the ground, right?

You'll be up when you're ready.

So, I can get good

and get better

and then get even better

and still...

get rejected.

I think you should do it.

But what's going to happen with the restaurant?

Are you saying that in Spanish to make it easier?

Is it working?

No.

I mean, but we're gonna spend every penny.

We grew up watching our people make sacrifices.

It's on us now.

I'm coming, baby.

You know you're gonna have to go to Russia.

That's cold.

Flight 317 service to Moscow.

Prepare cabin for departure.

We have two-three-seven inbound,

at which point we'll continue our flight protocol and program.

Stand by for clearance from our land coordinator.

As the Enriched Uranium Transparency Program

gets underway,

we welcome American volunteer José Hernández.

He will be staying with us for the next six months.

Hey, I'm sorry. I-I feel...

I should've been there. This... this sucks.

I know.

But we knew this would suck.

I just... I feel...

José, it was quick.

I started having contractions and called Mom.

I barely made it to the hospital.

Now, I should've drove you to the hospital.

Babies come when they come.

That's how it is.

How are the kids?

They're fine.

Mom took them.

- They must be terrorizing your dad. - Yeah.

I hope so.

How is Siberia?

What-what are you saying?

Oh, just, "Hi. How are you?"

Wait, is that him?

Yeah.

- Can you put him on the phone? - Hold on.

Do you want to talk to your dad?

Is he on the phone?

Yeah.

- Go ahead. - Hi.

Hi, Antonio.

How are you, buddy?

Are you taking care of your mom, canijo?

Oh.

You have to take care of her, okay?

She's tough.

She's a tough one, but that's why we have to protect her.

She makes a lot of sacrifices for us.

I love her very much.

And I love you, too, okay?

I've been thinking.

Yeah?

I don't think you should mail in this application.

Mr. Sturckow.

Sturckow.

- S-Sturckow. Mr. Sturckow. - Yeah.

I'm José Hernández.

- José Hernández. - Yes, sir.

Oh. Oh.

What are you doing here?

Uh, well, I-I, um, I-I decided

to personally bring in my application this year.

Oh.

- Where'd you fly in from? - Uh, Stockton, California, sir.

- You could've just mailed it. - I... Yeah.

I-I could've, but, uh, I-I wanted to-to meet you

and hand it to you personally.

All right, Hernández.

This is gonna be your 11th attempt?

And I appreciate your persistence,

and I thank you for coming all the way down here,

but I really wish you'd have saved yourself the airfare...

Sir, sir.

Sir, sir, if I may, if I may.

This is my strongest application yet.

And this would be my... my 12th attempt, not my 11th.

Okay. Let's hear it.

- I'm sorry, sir? - What's changed?

- What's different this time? - I...

Over the course of the last ten years, uh,

every academic, professional and personal decision I've made,

I've made with the space program in mind.

Sure.

I have my master's in electrical engineering.

I, uh...

I'm a pilot now with over 800 hours under my belt.

I have my scuba diving certificate.

- I just ran the San Francisco Marathon. - Wow.

And I speak Russian, sir.

I... I-I... In fact, I volunteered to travel to Siberia

as part of the transparency program for the U.S. Department of Energy.

I'm the father of...

...five most perfect children

and the husband of, uh, the most incredible wife,

who threatened to leave me if I didn't come here today.

Um, I've applied 12 times, and, yes, sir, I've-I've been on the verge of giving up

after each and every rejection, but you know what, sir?

Here I am.

So you can turn me down again,

but rest assured, I'll be standing here again in a year.

All right, Mr. Hernández.

Thank you, sir.

Travel safe.

No cheating!

What do you know about butterflies?

Did you know that they just weigh a single gram?

- Didn't you know? - No, no, no.

Nature is truly a wonder.

Bring the plates, mija.

Please.

And also the napkins.

That's how they survive.

So, all of us are butterflies.

We are not grasshoppers.

You can't be cheating like that, bro.

Dude, you missed it, man.

Hey, Beto, your daughter is here.

Language.

Hey, Karina. Hey, Karina.

Oy, you animal.

Hi! I got it, I got it.

Thank you. Have a nice day.

José!

I got in.

No.

I got in.

He's my brother!

I can't, I can't accept that.

I can't.

Just take it.

It's a gift.

Just take it.

I can't, I can't, man.

- No. I can't. - All right, here, here, here.

- Just take it. - I can't accept that, man.

- Dude, just take it. - I-I can't. No.

- All right. Hey. - I can't... Stop.

All right, Beto.

All right. Enjoy, yeah?

Hey, cousin.

Are you sure, bro?

Yeah.

Go.

I'll see you later.

Leave the truck alone and come help us!

Help me with the table...

Okay.

You should know that the program

will be especially taxing on your families.

The sacrifices they're about to make on your behalf

go beyond anything that you or they can imagine.

It's also important that you understand this does not in any way guarantee

you'll be selected for a space mission.

Still a long shot.

And most candidates don't make it through the full training.

You have to tip us, cousin.

- Yeah, yeah. - Oh, yeah, yeah.

But at the same time, it's important you not lose sight

that you've been chosen from tens of thousands.

If we want you here, it's because you're one of the very few

highly skilled, extraordinary people on this planet

that we deem capable of flying a rocket into space.

Today's the first day in a long journey for you.

It's gonna change you more than you thought possible.

It's gonna change you forever.

But it won't be easy.

You're gonna push yourself past your own limits,

you'll work as a team, and you'll struggle alone.

And on either side of you are your new brothers and sisters.

Welcome.

K.C.

Got something to say?

Uh, hi, guys.

I'm Kalpana Chawla, but some people around here call me K.C.

Uh, I've been around here a while,

I've been up to space once before,

and I'll be in charge of your mock-up training.

Your training is all about building muscle memory.

It's about putting your body through conditions

similar to those you would find in space.

As soon as those engines cut off and you get to zero gravity,

you will feel disoriented.

You will feel like you're actually falling.

It'll all be silence.

It's about the body and the mind.

What we're trying to accomplish here is dangerous.

Having a clear mind during an emergency is imperative.

The safety divers are there to assist you if needed.

Don't fight the suit, Hernández.

Assume your directives.

Get the medic on deck and ready.

Take him out.

Take him out right now.

Uh, understood.

Just let him know I'll be around later if he wants to go through another session.

We got you, sir. Over here.

- I got you. - Steady, Hernández.

You okay?

Ay, that sounds awful.

Yeah.

It was awful.

Listen, Julito needs you to help him with his science project.

Okay.

I'm just letting you know.

Okay.

Babe, I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna be home late again.

Training.

Okay.

Did the plumber come today?

Dad?

Hey, mijo.

You should be asleep by now.

Can I show you my Earth?

Your Earth?

Ah, your science project.

Doesn't work, huh?

Yeah.

I used a 13-watt light bulb and wired it from behind.

Mamáhelped.

She's a very good cook, not a very good electrician.

- Yeah, at least she tried, huh? - Mm-hmm.

Beautiful.

See?

We're right here.

Right.

We're right there.

All right, go back to sleep.

I'm sorry for not being here to help you.

That's okay.

Hey, Dad...

Yeah?

Why do you want to go to space so bad?

I don't know.

Go to sleep.

Is everything okay?

Look, I know this is hard on everybody.

I'm busting my ass. My body hurts. I can't sleep.

I know I can make this work.

I just... I have to be at my best.

I, I, I.

Me, me, me...

Are you listening to yourself?

- Everything is always about... - What? About me?

Look.

We can hardly catch sight of you.

I'm sorry.

Hello?

Wait, what?

He was just coming home from a late shift.

It was an accident.

Wrong place, wrong time.

That wasn't an accident.

That was a shoot-out.

There's way too many accidents around here.

When are you going to space?

He always told me he was sure you were going.

He knew you felt bad for him because he didn't go to school

or do any fancy stuff like you did.

- No, that's not true. - It's okay.

Don't feel bad.

But now you have to honor him and make it to space.

That sounds like something Beto would say.

I loved your father very much.

Whoa. What are we gonna do about you, Hernández?

- You want to earn that blue suit or not? - Yes, sir.

Do you know where we are?

Uh, we're 35 miles north of Houston

at 23,000 feet, on course two-one-zero, except now down is up and up is down.

Good.

- Now show me how to land this thing. - Yes, sir.

Cleared to Richmond via vectors to Houston,

fly runway heading, down 6,000 feet,

approach one-two-zero-point-nine.

Thank you.

Now release your mic, Hernández. Your mic is still hot.

- Yeah. - Release the mic, Hernández.

Oh, it's stuck, sir.

What do you mean, it's stuck? It can't be... Just let it go.

You're tying up the tower.

I'm trying, sir.

NASA-959, clear the line immediately.

- I-I can't. The button's stuck. - Release the mic, Hernández.

I'm trying, sir!

Sir...

NASA-959, you've got traffic on your right.

We're at three o'clock, sir!

Three o'clock!

Traffic now!

Hey, sir?

Uh, I'm really sorry. It won't happen again, sir.

Right it won't.

We're not in flight school anymore, Hernández.

You're light-years behind the rest of the pack.

Just get with it or step aside.

How are they doing?

Oh, I'd be lying if I told you I knew. Uh...

It was good that you admitted your mistake.

That's well appreciated at NASA.

Is it worth it?

You know, like... everything.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah?

Everything looks so pretty from up there.

It's as though the whole place is sacred.

The atmosphere looks like ribbons of different colors hugging the Earth.

And it looks so fragile.

Such a small planet with so much going on.

We think we control everything.

Our lives, our dreams.

We get exhausted. We make sacrifices.

We think it's about wanting it hard enough.

But life is mysterious, you know?

Here's the thing, though.

Once that ignition sequence starts,

we only have each other.

That matters.

What you learned today matters.

I'm going back up.

You're looking at the mission specialist for the upcoming STS-107 flight.

- Con-Congratulations. - Thanks.

Congratulations.

- Thanks. - Wow.

Do you know how important it is that someone like you or I jump on this ride?

I, too, had to work so hard.

Tenacity is a superpower.

You're gonna be submerged upside down without oxygen.

Don't become disoriented, and remember to work as a team.

Helo Dunker down.

Imagine going through your house and everything's upside down.

Remain buckled in until you hit bottom.

The safety divers, they're only there as a precaution.

I expect you and your teammates to safely exit without their assistance.

You must exit as a team to successfully complete the training.

No, hold off.

Any assistance from the divers will disqualify you.

Are we clear to extract them?

- Let's get 'em out. - Let's pull 'em.

- Sir? - Not yet.

Come on.

All right.

Everybody good?

We're gonna try this again next week.

Next time, blindfolded.

Good job.

Very good.

Here you are.

...specialist one, David Brown;

- mission specialist two, Kalpana Chawla... - Hey, José,

when will that be you?

Uh, as soon as I'm done chopping those onions back there.

And, uh, take a look out your window. You might see something very cool.

Now, we're talking about something that is moving at a speed, uh, Mach 25,

25 times the speed of sound, uh, six or seven times...

- I don't see anything, Dad. - Oh, come here.

Keep looking. Keep looking. You'll catch it.

...Space Shuttle Columbia. It has been out of communication now...

- Okay. Okay. - ...for the past, uh, 12 minutes.

A seven-person crew on board.

And, uh, hang on.

Let's listen in to James Hartsfield.

Flight controllers continuing to stand by

to regain communications with the spacecraft.

Obviously some troubling news here about the Space Shuttle Columbia,

as we haven't heard from it yet.

The time of... uh, right about at this moment.

Flight director LeRoy Cain is now instructing controllers

to, uh, get out their contingency procedures

and, uh, begin to follow those.

And we do have picture of it passing over Dallas, Texas.

The entry of the space shuttle into the Earth...

I-I have to go.

But I want to see the landing.

Uh, there's not gonna be a, uh...

not gonna be a landing.

- Here. - What?

Keep the... keep the TVs off.

...what senior officials are telling us

is confirming what we've seen, uh, which is that the shuttle is, quote, "gone."

Let's leave that at that. Michael Bohn.

The shuttle was about 200,000 feet above Central Texas when it broke up.

We can only imagine the debris field is

going to be rather, uh, spread out and extensive.

And, uh, we caution those of you who listen to us...

After a very thorough investigation,

we have concluded that during the launch of STS-107...

...a piece of foam insulation broke off the external tank

and struck the left wing of the orbiter.

When Columbia reentered the atmosphere,

the damage allowed hot gases to penetrate the heat shield

and destroy the internal wing structure.

This caused the spacecraft to become unstable and to...

...and to break apart.

It comes as no surprise that these results

will bring added scrutiny from D.C.

If spaceflight can't be safe, then we shouldn't be doing it.

You think all that means I should... I should quit?

Kalpana said that, uh, life was mysterious.

I just didn't understand what she was saying then, you know?

But now...

Good night.

Good night.

Good night, mija.

Houston, ISS in sight.

Copy. Showing hot on our end.

Initiating docking protocols.

Confirming. Got you at point-oh-six.

Okay, here we go. Now point-oh-nine.

Point-oh-niner.

José, you're coming in too hot.

Reduce speed or abort docking if necessary.

Negative, Houston. No need to abort.

Optional override...

José, your speed.

Uh, negative. He's on the stick. He's full manual.

I got it, Houston.

Trust that I got it.

Houston, we're docked and locked.

Thank you for your patience.

Nice work, Hernández.

- Thank you, sir. - Listen, uh...

folks down at the Selections Office would like to have a word.

Mm, wh-what for?

- Hernández. - Yes, sir.

Come.

Mr. Hernández.

I don't believe we've met.

I'm Flight Crew Program Director Anderson.

You're here today because, against our expectations,

NASA has cleared a new shuttle launch,

and we want to get things moving before Washington changes their mind.

We understand that the Columbia crew were your friends.

So we need to know:

Would you be up for the task?

Hernández, we need to hear out loud.

I'm sorry. Uh...

You're being assigned mission specialist number two.

You'll be right up front between me and the pilot.

That okay with you?

I've waited for almost 30 years, so...

It's my honor to present to you

the space shuttle mission Discovery's crew.

Hey, Chava, move the antenna.

Yes, Dad.

One question at a time, please.

- Mr. Hernández. - Yes.

Is it true that you grew up as a-a migrant farmworker in California?

Yeah, yeah.

Um, my parents came to this country, uh, looking for a better life,

and we picked...

well, I mean, we picked your food.

Do you think they're going to let him

take some enchiladas to space?

It's a joke.

You know, my cousin Beto...

May he rest in peace.

...uh, once told me,

"Who better to leave this planet to dive into the unknown

but a migrant farmworker?"

Um...

Are you joking with me?

- Is this a joke? - What do you think?

I mean, should we do this?

I-I can call it off.

I told them I was gonna ask my wife first.

What?

Oh, my God.

What do you think?

Hey, I told them that I would ask my wife first, okay?

What's the matter?

You know, the dishwasher didn't come.

I'm so proud of you.

I think your ring should be with me.

It should be with mine.

I think they should be together.

If you lose this ring, I will kill you.

Don't smile.

Don't laugh. I mean it.

I will strangle you with my bare hands.

I believe it.

- I believe it. - Okay.

You know that the journey, uh, for the monarch butterfly is-is so long

that it takes it, uh,

generations to get there?

Know where I got that from?

- You're not crying, are you, Pa? - No, nombre, no, no, no. No.

Some dirt got into my eye.

You look so handsome.

- You look beautiful. - Thank you.

How are you feeling?

Doing good.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Your parents brought you a surprise.

- Really? - Really.

Well, hello there, young man.

I don't know what to say.

"Nice to see you, Miss Young."

I have been waiting for this moment for more than 30 years.

And I have proof.

Ah.

Thank you.

You changed my life.

And here we see Commander Rick Sturckow,

a veteran of three spaceflights.

Pilot Kevin Ford is making his first spaceflight.

Giving a thumbs-up, there's Nicole Stott.

She's a mission specialist.

And José Hernández, mission specialist number two on the mission,

is making his first spaceflight.

He also will be the flight engineer on the flight deck,

assisting the commander and pilot.

The crew has been given a briefing on the weather conditions here at Kennedy

and at all the contingency landing sites around the globe.

Weather is, uh, going to be a factor for us this evening

as we continue to monitor the formation of, uh, storm cells in the area.

This is shuttle launch control with our Phase-2 lightning alert rescinded.

The final inspection team on the launchpad surface

completing their inspection of the shuttle,

the external tank and pad surfaces.

Miss Young.

Do you want a tequila?

Oh, no, no, thank you.

This is shuttle launch control.

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group

officially has a no-go weather forecast for return to launch site abort weather.

They're just following protocol. That's it.

I know, but...

But what?

I know.

I know.

Well...

What are you doing right now?

I'm looking at a picture of Salma Hayek.

- What? - Yeah, no.

The guys, they slipped it under the door,

and then they... you know, they fake signed it.

And-and it says...

it says, uh, "Thank you for going to space..."

"...my hero."

And then it says, "P.S.,"

uh, "if it doesn't work out with you and Adela, give me a call."

You think she'd ever want to meet an astronaut?

She would be lucky.

You listen to me.

You go...

and you come back to Salma safely.

Please.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Adelita.

Yes.

Can you do me a favor?

Anything, baby.

Can you tell my dad I'm sorry that he lost the house in Michoacán?

This is your future.

You've had love.

You've had chances.

People have believed in you.

Hey, Dad...

Why do you want to go to space so bad?

What do they have

that you don't?

Good morning! Cheer up, people.

Mr. Hernández, we're ready for you.

This is shuttle launch control

at T-minus two hours, 57 minutes, 30 seconds and counting.

And here they come.

Down the hallway and, well...

A wave to the camera.

Big smiles on their faces.

Tonight may be the night.

It's about a 25-minute ride from the Operations and Checkout Building

to launchpad 39A.

This is shuttle launch control.

Space Shuttle Discovery's commander Rick Sturckow,

pilot Kevin Ford,

and mission specialist two and flight engineer José Hernández

are in the process of receiving a weather briefing from Mission Control in Houston.

We're optimistic that the, uh, weather that is currently affecting

the launchpad area and the Kennedy Space Center area

will not affect the... the crew's schedule this evening.

What's wrong?

Grandpa.

- Are you okay? - Yes.

All right, good luck and Godspeed.

Thank you, dude.

Thank you.

Reducing boosters to 70%.

Uh, relaying stratification.

...system has been shut down.

External tank umbilical doors are kept closed.

All clear.

The auxiliary tower units have been shut down.

Prepare CAPCOM for throttle up.

Prepare for booster separation.

T-minus 27 seconds and counting.

Discovery's onboard computers are in primary control

- of all the vehicle's critical functions. - Captain Sturckow, you're cleared

- to begin final... - T-minus 18 seconds.

We have a go for main engine start.

- We have main engine start. - Main engine start.

LAUNCH MANAGER and WOMAN: Five, four, three,

two, one, zero.

Booster ignition.

And liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

And the shuttle has cleared the tower.

...steering on path to ISS.

Houston, Discovery. We have stopped.

Copy. We have stopped.

Welcome home, Discovery.

Congratulations on an extremely successful mission,

stepping up science to a new level on the International Space Station.