Original subtitles

Subtitles by explosiveskull

(ENGINE WHIRRING)

(ENGINE WHIRRING)

(LOUD WHOOSHING)

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(SWITCH CLICKS)

(RUMBLING)

(PANTING CONTINUES)

(RUMBLING, CREAKING)

BUTCH BUTCHART (OVER RADIO): 20 seconds to drop.

JOE WALKER (OVER RADIO): Arm switch light, check.

Brakes out, check.

(RUMBLING, STEAM HISSING)

(COUGHS)

JOE: What's your mixing chambers?

BUTCH: Real rough up here,

fluctuating a half degree on each side.

JOE: I see that.

- (RATTLING) - (PANTING CONTINUES)

BUTCH: Ten seconds.

(PANTING CONTINUES)

(CLUNK, WHOOSH)

JOE: Good on track, 15...

(LOUD WHOOSHING)

(GASPING)

(WHOOSHING)

(WHOOSHING)

(RATTLING)

(METALLIC RATTLING AND CREAKING)

(WHOOSHING)

- (ENGINE CUTS OUT) - (COUGHS, GASPS)

(QUIET PANTING)

♪

JOE: ...a visual estimate of your location?

Okay. 140,000 feet.

On your way down.

(RUMBLING)

JOE: Approaching 115,000 feet.

Should be regaining aerodynamic controls.

(RUMBLING, RATTLING)

Right turn.

(RATTLING, CREAKING)

JOE: We show you ballooning, not turning.

JOE: Altitude rising.

A lot more right.

Neil, you're bouncing off the atmosphere.

(GRUNTING)

(STATIC CRACKLING)

(THROUGH STATIC): The altitude's still rising, Neil.

(GASPING)

(RAPID PANTING)

(INHALES SHARPLY)

(WHOOSHING)

(GRUNTS)

(METALLIC CREAKING)

(GRUNTING)

(WHOOSHING)

(RATTLING)

(PANTING)

JOE (THROUGH STATIC): You're gonna have to

stretch out your glide.

JOE: You seem to be a tad short.

(WHOOSHING)

Stow your flaps down, Neil.

(GRUNTING, PANTING)

(STRAINED GRUNTING)

I'm down.

JOE: Roger.

(HELICOPTER MOTOR WHIRRING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

All right, let's get him out.

- (CREAKING) - (NEIL SIGHS)

I'll step up in there.

You okay?

Yeah.

Okay, Neil.

Kid's a good engineer.

But he's distracted.

JOE: He got home, Chuck. He bounced off the atmosphere

and still figured out how to get home.

CHUCK: Third mishap this month.

Bikle should ground him before he hurts himself.

(MACHINE WHIRRING)

(WHIRRING CONTINUES)

(MACHINE POWERS DOWN, WHIRRING STOPS)

(CLUNK, BUZZING)

(BUZZING STOPS)

(CLUNK, BUZZING)

(CHILD CRYING)

There you go.

(COUGHS)

It's okay.

It's okay, sweetheart.

- (CRYING) - It's okay. Come here, come here.

Okay.

(CHILD FUSSING)

(NEIL GASPS)

What's that?

Look. Who's that?

Is that a kite?

Does that fly in the sky?

Yeah.

How?

♪ I see the Moon

♪ The Moon sees me

♪ Down through the leaves

♪ Of the old oak tree

♪ Please let the light

♪ That shines on me

♪ Shine on the one I love.

NEIL: Maybe I should talk

to Dr. Johns about it.

MAN (OVER PHONE): Who?

NEIL: Dr. Harold Johns.

He developed a procedure in Saskatchewan.

(OVER PHONE): So you'd go to Canada?

NEIL: I guess I would take some time off.

(OVER PHONE): Why don't you talk to the hospital?

- See if the tumor might be... - I spoke to them already.

(OVER PHONE): I'm sorry, Neil.

I wish I had more to offer.

NEIL: That's okay, Jack.

Uh, appreciate it.

- Of course. - Give my love to June.

- You got it. - Okay.

- Bye, now. - Bye.

(HANGS UP PHONE)

NEIL: Now, who made that? You or Grace?

JOE: Grace did.

I'll take it, then.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

JOE: Dick Day called from Houston.

He was asking after you.

That about Gemini?

They're looking for pilots

with a solid background in engineering.

(TAKES DEEP BREATH)

Well, maybe once Karen starts feeling better.

Just, you know, I wouldn't want to move her until then.

Well, it would be nice to keep you around.

- JOE: Enjoy the casserole. - NEIL: Thank you.

JOE: You're welcome.

Joe.

Hey, Jan.

You, uh, hanging in?

Oh, you know.

It's nice of you to come by.

Of course.

Night, now.

(TRUCK DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

(ENGINE STARTS)

♪

♪

(SQUEAKING, RATTLING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

- Thank you so much. - Absolutely.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER CONTINUES)

(MARBLE CLACKS, ROLLS)

(MARBLE CLACKS, ROLLS)

Dad, want to come play?

I should, um...

I have to help your mother.

(SNIFFS)

(SHUDDERING BREATHS)

(SOBBING)

(SNIFFS)

♪

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

I thought I might go to work.

Okay.

♪

JOE: They're gonna use VTOL technology.

BUTCH: They won't even have figured out

how to get there yet. I'm not gonna waste my time on...

Morning.

Neil.

You can take a few days off, you know.

I know.

I'm just getting up to speed on the new delta wing in the UK.

Bikle canceled the trip.

He wants you focused on writing up

the pilot report from your last flight.

Am I grounded, Joe?

Write up the report on the bounce, okay?

- (DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES) - (INDISTINCT CHATTER IN OFFICE)

(SIGHS)

MAN (IN OTHER ROOM): Thank you, sir.

♪

(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Civilian?

- Yeah. - Yeah. Me, too.

Elliot.

Neil.

Tough morning, huh?

I barely lasted two minutes in that ice bath.

Course, I suppose NASA's more interested

in the psychological reaction.

Well...

I think I made it pretty clear that I thought it was cold.

- (ELLIOT LAUGHS) - (DOOR OPENS)

Armstrong.

- Good luck. - You, too.

Another egghead.

BOB GILRUTH: Neil, we've been chatting

with candidates about the program.

As you know, our decision to forgo direct ascent

in favor of a lunar orbit rendezvous approach

to the eventual Moon mission

has had a major impact on Gemini.

Do you have any thoughts on that decision?

Well, even considering von Braun's initial criticism,

it seems that the payload saved

by parking the primary vehicle in orbit

and sending a smaller ship down to the lunar surface

is well worth the resulting challenges.

What do you see as the challenges?

NEIL: Cislunar navigation, for one.

And rendezvous and docking.

Why do you think space flight's important?

I had a few, uh, opportunities in the X-15

to observe the atmosphere.

It was so thin, such a small part of the Earth,

you could barely see it at all.

And when you're down here in the crowd

and you look up, it... it looks pretty big,

and you don't think about it too much.

But when you get a different vantage point,

it changes your perspective.

I don't know what space exploration will uncover,

but I don't think it'll be exploration

just for the sake of exploration.

I think it'll be more the fact that it allows us to see things

that maybe we should have seen a long time ago

but just haven't been able to until now.

- Does anyone have anything else? - MAN: Yeah.

Neil, I was sorry to hear about your daughter.

I'm sorry, is there a question?

Um, what I... what I mean is, uh,

do you think it will have an effect?

I think it would be unreasonable to assume

that it wouldn't have some effect.

BOB: All right, Neil.

Thank you. That's fine.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time.

(PHONE RINGS)

Hello?

Yeah, sure. Neil.

Hello?

Can I go play outside?

Yeah. (MUTTERS)

Yes, sir.

Thank you, sir.

(JANET HANGS UP PHONE)

I got it.

It's a fresh start.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

- (WHISPERS): Hey. - (KISSES)

It'll be an adventure.

♪

MALE NARRATOR: Since the time of Jules Verne,

man has imagined traveling to the Moon.

The old idea of how to get to the Moon

was to send one spacecraft all the way there and back.

However, NASA engineers have developed a modern approach

where one rocket contains several ships

that will make the journey together.

Just as Columbus took a rowboat

from the Santa María to the shore of the New World,

the astronauts will take a smaller spacecraft

from the mother ship down to the lunar surface.

When it's time to return,

the smaller craft will lift off from the surface

and dock with the mother ship,

which will then power the crew back to Earth.

Thus, thanks to the brilliant minds of NASA,

the age-old dream of going to the Moon

will soon be achieved.

♪

DEKE SLAYTON: Sputnik, Sputnik 2,

Vostok, Gagarin.

The Soviets have beaten us

at every single major space accomplishment.

Our program couldn't compete.

So we've chosen to focus on a job so difficult,

requiring so many technological developments,

that the Russians are gonna have to start from scratch.

As will we.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Hi.

- Hi. - I'm Pat.

Got here about a week before you,

so welcome to the neighborhood.

Oh, that's so nice of you.

- (SIGHS) Well, it's... - I'm Janet.

- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

DEKE: So, instead of here, we go...

(WHISPERS): Hey.

Here.

That's to scale. Check it.

PAT: That's my husband, Ed, and that's Eddie Junior.

- I don't know where Bonnie is. - (ED GRUNTS PLAYFULLY)

- You've got two? - I do.

I see... Is this your first one?

Oh, no, no.

We've got a boy, Rick.

PAT: How old is he?

He's five and a half.

Oh, well, we should get them together.

DEKE: If we want to get this done,

we need to prove that two ships

can find each other in orbit and dock without crashing.

That's the primary mission of Project Gemini.

When we think you're ready,

each of you will be assigned a flight with a specific task.

Only after we master all these tasks

do we move on to Apollo,

consider trying to land on the Moon.

- It's nice to meet you. - And you, Pat.

- Bye. - Bye.

- PAT: Eddie, you put that down. - DEKE: Gus.

PAT: Eddie Junior, don't you dare...

You got anything to add?

Just do your job.

MAN: Yes, sir.

Almost to scale.

GUS: The Multi-Axis Trainer

was designed to replicate roll coupling on three axes,

the kind you might encounter in space.

The challenge is to stabilize the machine

before you pass out.

First victim, Armstrong.

♪

(CLANKING)

(CLUNKING, WHIRRING)

(WHIRRING, DEEP METALLIC CREAKING)

(MOTORS WHIRRING)

(CREAKING AND WHIRRING CONTINUE)

(EXHALES)

(LOUD CLUNK)

(PANTING QUIETLY)

White, you're up.

Yeah, I got it.

I'm okay.

Let's go again.

(CLANKING AND WHIRRING)

(RETCHING)

(PANTS, RETCHES)

(TOILET FLUSHES)

(GRUNTS)

Oh, fuck.

(RETCHING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(WRITING ON CHALKBOARD)

Gentlemen, welcome to Basic Rocket Physics.

We'll just be covering the first chapter tonight.

When using a multi-stage launch vehicle,

it's necessary to determine

what the right sizing is of those stages.

♪

♪

- Hi. - Hi.

You okay?

Yeah.

(CLEARS THROAT) Just thinking about this lecture.

It's kind of neat.

What's neat about it?

Well, it was about how to rendezvous with the Agena.

If you thrust, it-it actually slows you down,

because it puts you into a higher orbit,

so you have to reduce thrust

and drop into a lower orbit in order to catch up.

It's-it's backwards from what they teach you as a pilot,

but if you work the math, it-it-it follows.

It's kind of neat.

Yeah.

What's funny?

No, it's not funny. It's just...

It's kind of neat.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(LES BAXTER'S "LUNAR RHAPSODY" PLAYING)

Do you remember this?

Yeah.

I'm surprised that you remember it.

♪

♪

♪

♪ If you miss the train I'm on... ♪

ED JUNIOR: Let's see. I want to make ten.

- (LAUGHTER) - ELLIOT: Before you panic...

ED: There we go.

ELLIOT: Great. Thank you.

JANET: Thank you for having us.

- PAT: It's a pleasure. - (PIANO PLAYS DISCORDANT NOTES)

- Carrie. - (PLAYING STOPS, GIRL LAUGHS)

Here you go. Would you like some salad?

- Thank you. - That's a lovely piano, Pat.

- Do you play? - Bonnie's taking lessons.

- Mm. - JANET: Well, perhaps we'll sing

for our supper.

Neil plays piano?

Neil knows all kinds of show tunes.

- Janet. - Oh, come on.

He was musical director at his fraternity in college.

- Honey. - Yeah, he wrote the musical

for the all-student revue.

- I didn't write the music. - Yeah, you did.

No, I... We used music from Gilbert and Sullivan.

JANET: Well, he wrote all new lyrics.

"The Land of Egelloc."

It was quite funny.

"The Land of Egelloc"?

- Egelloc. - JANET: Mm-hmm.

You've never heard of it?

I-I haven't.

NEIL: Oh, I'm surprised. Uh, uh, it's a distant land,

but, uh, it's a magical place.

It's "college" spelled backwards.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Seriously?

Yep.

(LAUGHTER)

You're, uh, backup on Five, huh?

- Yeah. - Well, don't worry.

You'll get your own mission soon.

How's training going on Four?

It's good.

I think we're close on E.V.A.

First man to walk in space.

- That'd be something, huh? - Yeah.

Well, you know the walking's the easy part.

- It's getting back inside that's tough. - Mm.

- (CHILDREN SHOUTING PLAYFULLY) - It'd be a hell of a ride

to come back with my tail hanging out.

NEIL: Oh, I think McDivitt

will cut the cord before that ever happens.

ED: Whoa, whoa, whoa. You throttle back there, Armstrong.

- (LAUGHING) - PAT: Ed!

- Yeah? - Phone for you.

- Yeah, who is it? - It's Deke.

Okay, hang on.

ELLIOT: I think that's Castor and Pollux.

(CHUCKLING)

I was testing you, and you passed.

I thought about letting it fly, but...

Yeah.

- (LAUGHTER) - Yeah.

ED: Uh, no, uh, let me turn it on right now.

Hey, guys.

NEWSCASTER (OVER TV): ...with a Soviet pressure suit,

we're told, that was designed for the lunar surface.

- ED: I'll call you back. - (OVER TV): This is, of course,

mankind's first E.V.A.,

- or extravehicular activity. - (HANGS UP PHONE)

Within the American space program,

E.V.A. is seen as one of the crucial tests

the astronauts must master if they are to successfully

carry out their mission to the Moon.

Astronaut Ed White was scheduled

to perform the first E.V.A.

- during Gemini 4. - (BANGS TABLE)

So this is yet another major victory

for the Soviet Union in the Space Race.

(REPORTER SPEAKING RUSSIAN)

(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

MAN: Check valves are clear.

MAN 2: Okay. I'll get on the edge.

- We got it from here. - Thanks.

Thanks, Elliot.

ELLIOT: Eight days up there.

To be honest, I'm kind of glad we didn't get this one.

NEIL: Hope they don't kill each other.

At least it'd be quieter around here.

(NEIL SNICKERS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

DEKE: Neil.

Go ahead.

Neil Armstrong, our backup commander.

Buzz Aldrin.

Roger Chaffee.

Couple of greenhorns from third group.

They'll be at blockhouse for launch.

Listen, can I speak to you for a minute?

Fellas.

DEKE: We're putting you in command of Gemini 8.

Dave Scott is gonna be your pilot.

We get the Agena back online,

you're probably gonna be the first to dock.

Don't worry about Elliot.

We'll put that brain of his to work.

We've got a big E.V.A. planned for Eight.

Dave's a workhorse.

Yes, sir.

- I'll talk to you later today. - Thank you.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(SPLASHING, LAUGHTER)

(RICK YELLING)

RICK: My eye!

Oh, my eye!

My eye!

ED JUNIOR: Mr. Armstrong.

PAT: When did you start swimming?

JANET: I don't remember exactly.

- I think school. - In high school?

Yeah, and we had a... we, uh...

like, a summer house in northern Wisconsin,

and I just used to go to the lake and, uh, fish.

And I just used to swim for miles and miles.

- I've-I've always loved it. - (CHILDREN SHOUTING PLAYFULLY)

- (CHILDREN LAUGHING) - PAT: Nothing quite compares

to your terrible life.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Oh...

You got it coming.

It's the longest bridge in the world, but there's no...

NEIL: It's the second-largest suspension bridge in the world,

- but these cables are the longest... - (KNOCKING)

- Hey, Ed. - Oh, hi.

Uh, can I speak with Neil?

Yeah, sure. Why don't you come on in?

You're soaked.

No, I'll-I'll... I'll wait here.

Thanks.

NEIL: You could fly under there.

RICK: That would hurt if you jumped under it.

- NEIL: What's that? - RICK: That would hurt

if you jumped over it.

(CHUCKLING): Yeah.

Uh, here are the sky pieces.

JANET: Neil, Ed's outside.

NEIL: Okay.

Excuse me, son.

Hi.

You want to come in?

Some bad news about Elliot.

No, I know. Deke told me he bumped him, but with...

Neil, Elliot and Charlie were flying

into St. Louis this morning.

Their T-38 crashed on approach.

Oh.

There was a lot of fog.

(RAIN PATTERING ON ROOF)

RICK: So, did you really fly under that bridge?

Was it fun?

Were you scared?

JANET: Ricky. Honey.

Why don't you go and get your homework so I can check it?

RICK: Yes, ma'am.

Who was it?

(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

GUS: Shit. How the hell did this happen?

(GRUNTS QUIETLY)

Cernan told me cloud cover was down to 500 feet.

Probably never saw the building.

Clearly, the error was the approach.

He was coming in too slow to reach the runway.

What?

You know Deke had his doubts about him.

That's why he moved Elliot off Eight.

Deke gave Elliot his own command.

Elliot wasn't aggressive enough.

You of all people have to know that.

No, I don't.

I didn't investigate the crash.

I didn't study the flight trajectory.

And I wasn't the one flying the plane.

So I wouldn't pretend to know anything.

We'll never be a hundred percent sure.

(QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(CHILDREN SQUEALING AND SHOUTING PLAYFULLY)

(CHATTER CONTINUES)

(QUIET CHATTER CONTINUES)

Can we go?

Uh... uh, not right now.

I want to help Marilyn clear all this up.

I don't want to have her do it after we're gone.

Neil?

(CAR DOOR CLOSES, ENGINE STARTS)

(TIRES SQUEALING)

I'm sorry.

I hate to be a bother.

- PAT: Oh, Jan, it's no bother. - ED: Oh, Jan.

ED: Yeah, no.

JANET: Neil's, uh...

There was a year when we were at Edwards...

Four pilots died.

We got good at funerals that year.

(SIGHS)

We haven't been to one in a while.

Does he ever talk to you about Karen, Ed?

Not really. No.

Does he talk to you about her?

No.

Never.

♪

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

♪

Hey, buddy.

You know, you should be with Jan.

Neil, you should be playing with your kids.

You know, putting them into bed.

- Times like these... - Do you think I'm standing

out here in the backyard

'cause I want to talk to somebody, Ed?

I'm sorry?

Do you think I left there

'cause I want to talk to somebody?

♪

ANNOUNCER: T-minus one minute

and counting on the Atlas-Agena launch.

(METALLIC CLANKING AND SQUEAKING)

(RUMBLING AND CLANKING)

MAN (OVER RADIO): Liftoff.

MAN 2 (OVER RADIO): Agena is go.

Flight dynamics for unmanned

Agena target vehicle looking good.

Stand by for Gemini launch.

MAN: Yeah.

(GRUNTING)

NEIL: Okay.

All right.

MAN (OVER RADIO): Guaymas, read you loud and clear.

We have S band track. We have just locked up on TM.

DAVE (OVER RADIO): All right. Yeah, what's that?

- What's-what's happening? - MAN: Uh, did you say

- all systems go on TM? - DAVE: Yeah, yeah.

- Let me see. All right. - (BELT FASTENING)

PETE: All right, hold still. Hold still.

- DAVE: What is that? - Hold on.

Scoot... Can you scoot down at all?

All right.

- Hey. - What are you doing?

Has anybody got a Swiss Army knife?

- Hold on, hold on a sec. - What'd you say?

- See if this will do the trick. - Yeah. - A Swiss Army knife?

PETE: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

- It's just a little... - Are you kidding me?

- There we go. - You got it. - A little lower.

- Good Lord. - MAN (OVER RADIO): Guaymas, Agena is go.

MAN 2 (OVER RADIO): Roger, Guaymas.

(STEADY WHOOSHING)

(DEEP CREAKING)

(LOUD THUMP)

(CLACKING)

(DEEP CREAKING)

(LOUD THUMP, CLACKING)

(AMPLIFIED BREATHING)

(MECHANICAL WHIRRING)

(RHYTHMIC THUMPING)

(RHYTHMIC THUMPING STOPS)

(MECHANICAL WHIRRING CONTINUES)

(RHYTHMIC THUMPING)

(THUMPING, WHIRRING STOP)

(SEABIRDS SQUAWKING)

(LOW RADIO STATIC)

DAVE: Switching to HF.

One, two, three, four, five.

Five, four, three, two, one. Check out.

MAN (OVER RADIO): Copy. T-minus two minutes.

- Engines to start. - Ground power removal.

(OVER RADIO): Stage two prevalves coming open.

Five seconds.

(BEEP)

(FLY BUZZING)

(BUZZING CONTINUES)

(BUZZING STOPS)

(BUZZING RESUMES BRIEFLY)

(CLAPS HANDS)

(CLACKING, CREAKING)

(CREAKING CONTINUES)

(LOW CREAKING)

(CREAKING STOPS)

- (BEEP) - T-minus 20 seconds. Mark.

(BEEP)

(WHOOSHING)

(OVER RADIO): Ten, nine,

eight, seven, six,

- (LOUD WHOOSHING) - five, four,

three,

- (RUMBLING) - two, one.

- Ignition. - (BOOMING)

Liftoff.

(RUMBLING, RATTLING)

NEIL: Clock is running. Got a roll program in.

JAMES LOVELL (OVER RADIO): Roger. Roll.

Good liftoff, Eight.

(RUMBLING, RATTLING, METALLIC SCREECHING)

- Pitch program. - JAMES: Roger. Pitch program.

(RUMBLING, RATTLING CONTINUE)

DCS update received.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): Roger. DCS.

Stage two tanks look good.

That's about three and a half g's.

(REPEATED BOOMING)

JAMES: Go from the ground for staging.

NEIL: Roger.

Fuel cells are solid.

JAMES (THROUGH STATIC): Gemini 8. Mark.

V over Vr is, uh, .08.

NEIL: Okay. Mode three.

- (RUMBLING) - (GRUNTS)

- We had SECO. - (DAVE GRUNTS)

(QUIET RUMBLING)

♪

"...fear that someone will break in

and steal all of my..."

MAN (OVER RADIO): Okay, we're all set.

"...Hank Williams..."

MAN (OVER RADIO): Transmitting maneuver load.

DAVE (OVER RADIO): It's a height adjust.

NEIL (OVER RADIO): Height adjust. Got DCS.

MAN: Roger. And are you ready to copy the update? Over.

NEIL: Okay. Go with the update, Hawaii.

MAN: Roger. G.E.T. B-13437.

Delta-V, two-decimal-nine.

Burn time, zero plus zero-five...

- (JANET CLEARS THROAT) - (MARK READING INDISTINCTLY)

Hey, Mom, can I get you anything?

LOUISA: He's doing good.

"Constant."

MARK: "How can you do push-ups

when your nose gets in the way?"

DAVE (OVER RADIO): Roger, Hawaii. Got it.

(OVER RADIO): This is Paul Haney

at Gemini Control Houston.

Our display chart shows Gemini 8 in orbit.

The crew will now attempt

to find the unmanned Agena spacecraft

and dock with it.

♪

(RUMBLING, RATTLING)

♪

- Burn end. - DAVE: Good burn.

Shouldn't we have a visual on the Agena by now?

Houston, I think we overdid it a little.

We should have stopped early.

JAMES: Uh, roger.

Uh, Eight, stand by for a correction.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

So we're getting the difference.

I'm on that.

FIDO, Flight. How we doing?

Okay, we got a solid track on both vehicles.

Calculating for the burn.

FIDO, Agena. Do you have what you need from us?

FIDO, did you copy that?

FIDO: Roger, Flight. I copy.

- You guys getting this? - We just have some

ratty data with the Gemini computer.

Need the correction, gentlemen. Let's go.

- Sending it up now. - Okay, CAPCOM,

let's get it up to them.

This is Houston CAPCOM.

Uh, we're gonna need you to do another burn here

very shortly, so stand by to copy.

Uh, G.E.T. B-030341.

Uh, Delta-V is two seconds posigrade.

Two feet...

Uh, Delta-V is two feet posigrade.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): Uh, Eight, do you copy?

(DOOR CLOSES)

(RUNNING FOOTSTEPS)

- Mark. - (MARK LAUGHING)

NEIL (OVER RADIO): Two feet posigrade...

Give that back, Mark. Give that back.

Put it back on the table. Give me it.

Honey, give me it.

It's really important.

Give that back to Mom right now.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): Do you copy?

JANET: Mark Armstrong, if you don't give me that back...

- JAMES: Eight, do you copy? - (CAMERA CLICKS)

JANET: I'm not joking, Mark.

DAVE: I'm getting a horrendous

20 to 25 feet per second down, Neil.

I can't see any possible reason for that.

- Where are we on the plot? - We're above it.

Right, but what does it look like if...

I can't. I'm sorry. I have to...

- I have to look at this. - Okay.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): Eight, can you give us a status?

No. I got too much to do.

JAMES: Copy. Standing by.

- (METALLIC CREAKING, RATTLING) - (NEIL TAKES DEEP BREATH)

Okay, we're gonna go with a closed loop.

25 forward, eight left, three up,

and I'm going to rate command.

Three, two, one.

Burn.

(RUMBLING, WHOOSHING)

(RUMBLING AND WHOOSHING STOP)

(SWITCH CLICKS)

♪

NEIL: Could be a planet.

DAVE: Could be.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): This is Houston.

We have your ground TPI backup when you're ready to copy.

DAVE: Uh, stand by.

We have a visual on the Agena.

At least something we think looks like the Agena.

JAMES: Understand. Possible visual on the Agena.

- We're getting a little out of plane now. - Uh, yeah.

Uh, we gotta get three aft and two and a half up.

NEIL: I'm going to start braking.

Give me a digital range and rate.

(WHIRRING)

I better back off a bit.

DAVE: 6,000 feet, 31 feet per second.

(RUMBLING, WHIRRING)

Put in a little to the left.

DAVE: 1,680 feet.

♪

- (DAVE CHUCKLES) - That's unbelievable.

- Would you look at that? - (NEIL CHUCKLES)

♪

You tell 'em.

(SWITCHES CLICKING)

(SIGHS) Houston, we're station-keeping on the Agena

about 150 feet.

- (APPLAUSE, MURMURING) - Okay, stay focused, gentlemen.

- We're only halfway there. - Nice job, guys.

- Thanks for the extra hands. - Let's do this, huh?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

JOHN: Stay focused, gentlemen.

♪

(CHUCKLING)

NEIL: Man, it flies easy.

DAVE: Does it really?

NEIL: The station-keeping, it's just...

it's like nothing.

DAVE: Uh, RKV, this is Eight.

We're sitting about two feet out.

MAN (OVER RADIO): Uh, roger.

Uh, stand by for a couple of minutes here.

DAVE: Roger.

MAN (OVER RADIO): Okay, Gemini 8,

uh, we have TM solid.

You're looking good on the ground.

Go ahead and dock.

(SWITCHES CLICKING)

(CLUNK)

(NEIL SIGHS)

Okay. We're gonna cycle our Rigid-Stop switch now.

(BOTH CHUCKLING)

Flight, we are docked.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Someone call Cronkite!

Have him tell the Soviets that they can go screw!

- (LAUGHTER) - Get him on the phone, man.

Hey, Pete! Hey, call those idiots

at Congress while you're at it.

- Yeah, I'll start with Rhode Island. - Huh?

Oh, damn.

FIDO: Well done. Let's go ahead and get

a state vector on the combined spacecraft.

JAMES: Gemini 8, this is Houston CAPCOM.

Please stand by to copy.

RICK: Check out my room like this.

- But I don't think... - Look at all these papers.

I know.

I spent days trying to work on that,

and now it's crumpled up.

- Look at my drawer! - I know.

I had all my crayons in that,

and now look at all the crayons.

But, Ricky, are you telling me the full story?

'Cause I'm not sure your brother would do that unless...

Yes, I am telling you! Look at this!

Now, don't you get angry with me.

Don't get upset.

JAMES (OVER RADIO): Uh, Eight, this is Houston.

Uh, I've got a nodal update for you. Stand by.

JANET: Anybody try calling about the appointment?

- (JANET GROANS) - NEIL: Okay, go ahead.

- Rick! - JAMES: Roger.

Node 070447...

JANET: Okay. Out here now.

Out here now.

JAMES: Against 51552 right ascension.

JIM FUCCI: Gemini 8, we're about to have a loss of signal.

- JANET: Where have you gone? - FUCCI: We'll pick you up

over the hill for Dave's E.V.A.

(RADIO STATIC CRACKLING)

(SLOSHING)

NEIL: Well, that's peculiar.

DAVE: Oh, good.

I'm hoping that's just excess hydrogen.

I think I'm gonna save mine for later.

(NEIL LAUGHS)

DAVE: Little treat.

(CHUCKLING)

Uh, Neil, we're in a bank.

We're not doing it. It's-it's not us. It must be...

Shut off the Agena's control systems.

Code 400, Agena control system shutdown.

(BRIEF WHIRRING)

(QUIET RATTLING)

(CREAKING, HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

- (GRUNTING, GROANING) - (CREAKING)

NEIL: Cycle the Agena.

DAVE: Turning it on.

Turning it off.

(WHIRRING, RUMBLING)

(DAVE GRUNTS)

(METALLIC CREAKING)

(GRUNTS)

I'm gonna cycle the ACME

and the propellant motor valves.

NEIL: Switching ADL to pitch.

RL to pitch.

(HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

(RUMBLING)

DAVE: Roll meter 200 and rising.

NEIL: Separate from the Agena.

(CREAKING, RATTLING)

DAVE: Setting Agena to allow remote command.

Switching on the DAC.

Make sure you give it extra thrust

so we don't smash into the Agena.

NEIL: On my mark, undock.

(LOUD CREAKING AND RUMBLING)

NEIL: Two. One.

(HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

(EXPLOSIVE WHOOSHING)

(GROANS)

DAVE: OAMS propellant, 13%.

It's not the Agena. It's us.

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(WHIRRING, CREAKING)

(SWITCHES CLICKING)

(PANTING)

Gemini 8, coming back into range in three, two, one.

This is CSQ, checking our comm link.

How do you read?

(STATIC CRACKLING)

Gemini 8, how do you read?

NEIL (OVER RADIO): We have serious problems.

We're tumbling end over end up here.

We're disengaged from the Agena.

FUCCI (OVER RADIO): Okay, we got your spacecraft

free indication here.

What seems to be the problem?

We're rolling up, and we can't turn anything off.

We're continuously increasing in a left roll.

JOHN (OVER RADIO): CSQ, Flight.

Go ahead, Flight.

Did he say he cannot turn the Agena off?

FUCCI: Uh, no, he says he's separated from the Agena

and he's in a roll and he can't stop it.

Flight, their roll meter reads 270 and rising.

At that rate, they'll be passing out

in about 40 seconds.

DEKE: Paul.

Paul.

NEIL (OVER RADIO): Trying to stop the rates.

- We certainly have... - (RADIO CUTS OUT)

(HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

(CREAKING, RATTLING)

(PANTING)

(HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

(FUCCI SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY THROUGH RADIO STATIC)

(HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING)

FUCCI: We can't...

(FUCCI CONTINUES SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER RADIO)

(GASPS)

- (BANGING, RUMBLING) - (NEIL GRUNTS)

Close the RCS breakers.

(CREAKING)

- Dave! - FUCCI: Gemini 8, did you say

you are closing RCS breakers?

Are you initiating RCS?

Gemini 8, again, did you say you are closing RCS breakers?

You will not be able to control your attitude.

(EXPLOSIVE WHOOSH)

(WHIRRING, WHOOSHING)

(RATTLING, CREAKING)

(DEEP METALLIC CREAKING)

(EXPLOSIVE WHOOSH)

NEIL: Okay.

We're regaining control of the spacecraft.

Slowly in RCS direct.

- (MURMURING) - (SIGHS)

FUCCI (OVER RADIO): Roger.

JOHN: Roger. Copy.

NEIL (OVER RADIO): We're pulsing the RCS slowly.

It's all roll right.

We're trying to kill our roll rate here.

(RATTLING, CREAKING)

Move us back to one ring.

DAVE: Copy.

(WHOOSHING, WHIRRING)

MAN: I want emergency landing options.

Wait until you find out how much fuel they have left.

Bob, what do you think?

I think they'd better land now.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER RADIO)

Deke, Jan's outside.

(DOOR OPENS)

Jan, the ship is stable. They're gonna be all right.

ED: He's okay, Jan.

DEKE: I need you to go home.

Fine. Turn the box back on.

- I'll see what I can do... - Now.

Turn the box back on now.

Well, there's security protocol in place.

Well, I don't give a damn.

I've got a dozen cameras on my front lawn, Deke.

Do you want me telling them what's going on?

Jan, you have to trust us.

We've got this under control.

- No, you don't. - We've...

All these protocols and procedures

to make it seem like you have it under control.

But you're a bunch of boys

making models out of balsa wood.

You don't have anything under control.

(FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING)

MAN (OVER RADIO): Naha Rescue One will be

on station at splashdown with a flotation collar.

NEIL: Did you get the call signs?

DAVE: Uh, yeah.

It's Naha Rescue One, Naha Search One.

Well, I'd like to argue with them

about the going home, but I'm...

not sure how we can.

Yeah.

I just keep thinking, is there anything else that we forgot?

We did everything, as far as I know.

BOB: Gemini 8 saw two complex vehicles

launched on the same day on time.

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

We saw flawless rendezvous and docking.

All of which is tended to be overshadowed

by the malfunction, but, uh,

I think we should focus on the progress

resulting from the mission.

GEORGE MUELLER: The board would like to focus

on the malfunction.

Neil, walk us through the decision

to separate from the Agena.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

MAN: You mentioned that the rate of revolution

was more than once a second.

How near were you to being unconscious?

GEORGE: Did you think to use the Agena

to stabilize the combined craft?

We did.

This was, uh, not successful.

As I said, we initially assumed

that the anomaly was with the Agena control system.

'Cause there was no way to know that a thruster

was causing the...

If we could have, uh, isolated each of Gemini's thrusters,

if we'd had that capability in the moment...

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

Agence France. Did you have any feeling of anxiety

after the failure of the thrusters?

In the midst of the spinning, did you seem to realize

or feel the presence of God closer than other times?

With this so hot on the heels of the loss

of Charlie Bassett and Elliot See,

do you question whether the program's worth the cost?

In money and in lives?

(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)

GEORGE: All right, thanks, guys.

We've got a lot to discuss, and we'll be

back in touch with you soon.

Thank you.

(PIANO PLAYS FOUR NOTES)

JANET: Mm-mm.

No, so we're using our thumb now, honey.

- Oh. - Okay.

(RESUMES PLAYING)

- (DOOR BANGS OPEN) - (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

"Our Wild Ride in Space"?

MAN (OVER PHONE): It's marketing, Mr. Armstrong.

NASA approval numbers are dropping.

- We need to... - Well, that's not my concern.

JANET: Almost. Okay, I'm gonna finish, uh,

wrapping your brother's present. I'll be back.

- You practice that one. - I'll try.

(RESUMES PLAYING PIANO)

NEIL: I'm not interested in how

other magazines are framing the story.

- (DOOR SLAMS SHUT) - (PIANO PLAYING STOPS)

Okay. Keep going.

PAT: If it's any consolation,

Ed was a zombie for weeks after Gemini 4.

- Yeah? - Mm-hmm.

(CHILDREN SHOUTING PLAYFULLY NEARBY)

Yeah.

I guess it must be, uh, disorienting for them.

Certainly.

Yeah.

(CHUCKLING): God, Pat.

I married Neil 'cause I wanted a normal life.

(BOTH LAUGH)

I know. I know.

He was just so different from all the other boys on campus.

PAT: Mmm.

He'd been through the war. You know.

He knew what he wanted to do.

He just seemed so stable.

I guess all I wanted was stability.

I've got a sorority sister with a normal life.

- Yeah? - She married a dentist.

Dentist.

Sounds good.

He's home by 6:00 every night, and every few months,

she calls to say she wishes he weren't.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

- Yeah. - (DOOR OPENS)

Still working, I see.

NEIL: Yeah.

Well, I was, uh,

gonna go grab a beer at Dave's.

Yeah, all right. Fine.

I could use a beer. (SIGHS)

("SURE OF LOVE" BY THE CHANTELS PLAYING)

♪ Sure, so sure, so sure...

DAVE: You know, I will say one thing.

It's all I can think about, is getting back up there.

ED: Just caught a rough break.

Well, you boys did everything right.

Everything. You know, I was talking about it with Gus,

and we both agreed.

DAVE: I did hear a little rumor

that you and Gus have been hanging out.

You did?

Mm-hmm.

Hey.

Is it true?

Is what true?

Deke pulled me aside and told me

that him and Gus want me on the crew.

Of the first Apollo?

DAVE: Yeah.

Yeah. Holy shit.

That's huge.

Congratulations.

I gotta shake your hand.

- Thanks, man. - Wow.

That Saturn's a monster.

You're in for one heck of a ride.

- It is. - DAVE: Oh, hey, uh, uh,

you know Deke wants Gus to be

the first one on the Moon, so...

Hey, that puts you in the LEM with him for the landing.

- Oh, no, no, no, let's not... - Ed.

- Let's not get carried away. - All right.

Get out of my house. I gotta go to bed.

- (LAUGHTER) - I'm not kidding. Get out of my house.

(DOOR OPENS)

Neil.

Hey, Neil. Don't bother sitting.

It's going to be a short meeting.

We've talked it through. We think it's pretty clear.

If you hadn't kept cool, you wouldn't be here,

and we'd still be asking what the hell happened.

So would Congress. It's a showstopper.

BOB: This mission was a success.

We're full steam ahead for Apollo.

- You good with that? - (CHUCKLES)

- Yes, sir. - I trust you won't mind

representing us at the White House.

- No, sir. - Good.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Thank you.

"Interface problems and develop

operational techniques for the most efficient use of,"

- uh, "onboard capabilities." - (RICK GIGGLES)

What?

(MARK AND RICK LAUGHING)

RICK: No, it's not...

- (KIDS LAUGHING) - NEIL: I got one.

- I got one. - No! No!

I got one.

JANET: I don't know why you're laughing.

He's gonna do that to you in a minute.

This time, I'm gonna put this one in the freezer.

- JANET: You need a hand? - Yeah.

- Okay, in you go. - Can you open the freezer?

JANET: Let's keep him for longer,

and then he won't let... In you go. In you go.

♪

(KIDS LAUGHING, SQUEALING)

I got one. I got one.

MARK: Because I want to.

NEIL: Who did... who did what?

- (STAMMERS) Me. - JANET: Have you seen his room?

Son, go stand in the corner.

(CHUCKLING): It's not funny.

(JANET AND NEIL CHUCKLING)

RICK: Thanks a lot, Mark!

- Stop laughing. - MARK: You're lying!

Just, you stop it.

You're the reason he's upset.

- NEIL: Your mother's not laughing. - I'm not laughing.

- I'm... crying. - She's crying.

RICK: It's not yours!

ED: I gotta tell you,

Eddie's started asking questions

- about the new command module. - NEIL: Is that right?

ED: Yeah, he wants to... wants to know if it's gonna

fly any different to Gemini.

If the little buttons are gonna be in the same place.

(ED CHUCKLES)

- Oh, boy. - Yeah.

You got yourself a little engineer there.

I tell you, though, I love that he's interested.

Came in the other morning, he did.

Comes running up, and he says, "Daddy,

"if you go to the Moon, are you gonna be lonely out there?

So far away from the Earth."

"All of us back here at home."

This-this whole thing is expanding his horizons.

It, uh, gives me faith.

It make sense?

Walkers got a new swing set.

Yeah, I noticed that.

We had a swing like that back up in Juniper Hills.

Karen really loved it.

That's your daughter?

Guess I ought to be getting home.

(FOOTSTEPS DEPARTING)

♪

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

♪

(RUMBLING, RATTLING)

MAN (OVER RADIO): Closing hatches now.

Okay, that's all of 'em.

(OVER RADIO): Thanks, Ed.

(OVER RADIO): Ablative hatch closed.

Closing the boost protective cover.

And plugs out.

- Confirm boost hatch sealed. - Okay.

Ready for oxygen purge.

- (AIR HISSING) - (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

ROCCO PETRONE (OVER RADIO): Okay, we're going to pick up,

but we'll stay in this configuration

that we're involved for the rest of the run.

MAN (OVER RADIO): Roger that.

Okay, tell everybody to be aware that, uh...

Uh, you want to hold down the chatter?

We're on open mic.

ROCCO (OVER RADIO): Uh, let's hold the countdown.

Sorry, guys. We'll get this squared.

GUS: Shit, we're gonna be here all night.

ROCCO: Gus, we didn't get that.

GUS: Course you didn't.

(CHUCKLING)

GUS: Glad you think this is funny.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

JAMES: We finished strong with Gemini,

and we're very, very bullish on Apollo, Senator.

I should hope so, given the time we've spent developing it.

Half the country doesn't think it's worth it anymore.

Uh, well...

we... we learned to fly only 60 years ago,

so if you consider the technological developments

in the context of history, it's really not...

I'm considering it in the context of taxpayer dollars.

JAMES: And so are we, Senator.

Between us, we're doing some final tests

on the new command module today.

I'm sure Mr. Gilruth will be happy to tell you about it.

Let me introduce you to Bob. Come on.

Okay.

PHOTOGRAPHER: I'd like a photo, sir.

How about you boys?

Well, I haven't talked yet. How's this?

One, two, three, four, five,

four, three, two, one?

(STATIC CRACKLING)

ROCCO (OVER RADIO): Uh, we need another minute

to get it sorted.

GUS: How are we gonna get to the Moon

if we can't talk between three buildings?

They can't hear a thing you're saying.

GUS: Jesus Christ.

ROCCO (OVER RADIO): Say again?

I said, how are we gonna get to the Moon

if we can't talk between two or three buildings?

(CHUCKLING)

You tell 'em, Gus. You tell 'em.

GUS: Mickey Mouse shit.

MAN (OVER RADIO): I got a surge in the AC bus two voltage.

TECH (OVER RADIO): Try resetting the meter.

ROCCO (OVER RADIO): You getting this, Gus?

Rog.

You picking anything up on the dials?

(ELECTRICAL CRACKLING AND BUZZING)

Hey, we got a fire in the cockpit.

(FIRE RUMBLING)

(PANTING)

- Hey, we got a bad fire! - (FLAME WHOOSHING)

(GRUNTS)

(WHOOSHING)

ROGER: We're burning up in here!

(MUFFLED BOOM)

Mr. Armstrong?

I have Deke Slayton on the phone for you.

Oh.

Right this way.

Thank you.

Well, I'm glad you called.

I'm not sure if I'm helping or hurting over here.

DEKE: Neil, we had a problem with the plugs-out test.

Well, that's why we have tests, right?

We'll figure it out.

There was a fire.

God, there's no easy way to say this.

Ed, Gus and Roger...

they're gone.

We think it was a wiring issue.

A spark in all that oxygen.

It happened very quickly.

Now, listen, we need you guys to head back to the hotel.

The press is gonna be all over this.

Congress is gonna be calling for investigations. We...

We just don't want you guys in the middle of all that.

Do you understand?

Yeah.

All right, then.

Okay.

(SETS PHONE DOWN)

(GLASS SHATTERS)

(SETS GLASS DOWN)

ED: A lot of people forget about

the influence that the lunar program has

on the raising of our young people in the country.

I think that if a civilization doesn't look out,

if it doesn't try to expand its horizons,

then we're not going to progress as a nation.

MIKE WALLACE (OVER TV): At 10:30 tonight Eastern Time,

rescue teams began to remove the bodies

of the three astronauts from the charred spacecraft.

A NASA spokesman said the dead astronauts

were left in the ship for four hours

to aid the investigation into the tragedy.

And according to the latest information from NASA

at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston,

the first Apollo flight,

which was scheduled for February the 21st, is now...

♪

FRANK BORMAN (OVER RADIO): Winds are pretty rough today.

Keep an eye on your yaw.

NEIL: Copy. Correcting.

(WHIRRING, WHOOSHING)

1,000 feet. Switching to lunar mode.

Final landing approach.

FRANK: You're too low. Climb.

NEIL: Control is degrading.

FRANK: Slow your rates.

Do you read?

Neil?

(GASPS)

(GASPS, GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(GRUNTS)

(FIRE RUMBLING)

DEKE: The vehicle's not safe.

Well, unfortunately, it's the best simulation we have.

And you and the others are too valuable.

It's a fly-by-wire system that's got no backup.

The ejection seat is the backup.

Political fallout from another accident

- will compromise our... - With all due respect, sir,

it's not my job to worry about the political fallout.

The damn thing could have killed you.

- Well, it didn't. - A split second more,

- and you would not be... - Well, we need to fail.

We need to fail down here so we don't fail up there.

Okay, Neil, Neil.

At what cost, huh?

"At what cost?"

Well, it's a little bit late

for that question, isn't it, sir?

(INDISTINCT CHANTING)

REPORTER: They raise their voices, their placards,

and they march against the government.

But some go farther, burning Selective Service cards

and obstructing the draft.

Most dissenters confine themselves

to this kind of protest activity.

PROTESTERS: Hey, hey! LBJ!

How many kids did you kill today?

Hey, hey! LBJ!

How many kids did you kill today?

Pat?

Pat.

You okay?

Yes.

(TRUNK CLOSES)

Why don't we go inside?

(DROPS LIGHTER ON TABLE)

(EXHALES)

(DOOR OPENS)

Hi.

Are you okay? Jesus.

Oh, I'm fine.

- Look at your face. - Excuse me.

Dad, want to come play?

- JANET: Ricky. - NEIL: Uh...

JANET: Boys, go on. Go on.

I know, I know, I know. Dad's fine.

Go on. Go back out.

Go back, go back.

RICK: Mark, not here.

- (NEIL CLEARS THROAT) - JANET: What happened?

Um...

- I, uh... - Jesus.

I just remembered I left something at the office.

(NEIL CLEARS THROAT)

(DOOR CLOSES)

INTERVIEWER: You've lately taken

a couple of swipes at the space program.

I think it would be interesting to, uh, talk more

about whether this is the proper thing

to do with public treasury.

Is the sort of dreams I would have,

would be a habitable New York City, for instance.

It would seem to me that that would be

a reasonable thing to do.

INTERVIEWER: Wh-What has been the reaction

of your friends in this?

WOMAN: Well, they mostly think that it's ridiculous

that we're spending so much money

to go somewhere where we don't know anything about.

And that the money could be used

for a lot more helpful things.

(CROWD CHEERING)

- (INTRO TO "WHITEY ON THE MOON" PLAYING) - MAN: Power!

- WOMAN: Yeah! - MAN: Power to the people!

♪ A rat done bit my sister Nell ♪

♪ With Whitey on the Moon

♪ Her face and arms begin to swell ♪

- ♪ And Whitey's on the Moon - MAN: All right!

- WOMAN: Whoo! - ♪ I can't pay no doctor bills, but ♪

- ♪ Whitey's on the Moon - MAN: Speak!

♪ Ten years from now I'll be paying still, while ♪

- ♪ Whitey's on the Moon - (INDISTINCT SHOUTS)

♪ You know, the man just upped my rent last night ♪

- ♪ Whitey's on the Moon - WOMAN: Right on!

♪ No hot water, no toilets, no lights ♪

- ♪ But Whitey's on the Moon - MAN: Uh-huh!

- ♪ I wonder why he's uppin' me ♪ - WOMAN: Come on, now!

- ♪ 'Cause Whitey's on the Moon? ♪ - Yeah!

♪ Well, I was already giving him, like, 50 a week and, uh ♪

♪ Whitey's on the Moon...

- Jesus, that's a big mother. - It's a political rush job.

Congress wouldn't fund us to come in second.

Why else would NASA be sending a rocket

that's had one issue after another to the Moon?

Thanks for the insight, Buzz.

(DRUMBEAT FROM "WHITEY ON THE MOON" CONTINUES)

Always a pleasure with you.

Oh, it doesn't matter. He's not in the lunar lottery.

And you are?

Well, the only guys they let on the LLTV

since Neil's accident are ones that might land.

So you think you're going to the Moon?

Well, it's been up for grabs since Gus died.

I'm just saying what you're thinking.

(DRUMBEAT AND RHYTHMIC CLAPPING CONTINUE)

Well, maybe you shouldn't.

MAN (OVER SPEAKERS): Apollo 8 clearing the VAB

- and headed for the launchpad. - WOMAN: Yeah!

(SONG ENDS)

Hell of a rocket.

Yeah.

Everything stays on track, 11's gonna be the landing.

I talked to Bob. Everyone's in agreement.

We'd like you to command.

Okay.

(TURNS OFF FAUCET)

WALTER CRONKITE: I can see a helicopter

vectoring that way.

It looks like a red dot

with a long, long tail, a long plume.

That's got to be the spacecraft.

That has to be Apollo 10 reentering.

And so the flight of Apollo 10

has performed the major function of its mission.

It has proved, through these daring three astronauts,

that, uh, all of the systems work properly

and that there should be no reason why man cannot,

perhaps as early as July,

land on that picked spot on the Moon's equator.

These are sailors of the sky,

and what, uh, we've seen and heard today

make the great ocean voyages of the earthbound

seem... well, earthbound indeed.

For as the poet wrote, the crew of Apollo 10

has "slipped the surly bonds of Earth"

and carried us over into tomorrow.

In the past few hours,

man has come closer to the Moon than ever in his history.

There were those terrifying moments when...

Mom, what's wrong?

- Hmm? - What's wrong?

Nothing, honey.

Your dad's going to the Moon.

Okay.

Can I go outside?

Sure.

(RUNNING STEPS)

(CLEARS THROAT) Uh, we're here today

to talk about the forthcoming flight.

But we're able to talk about it because of, uh...

previous flights.

Every flight took on new objectives

and left us with very few additions to be completed.

We're very grateful to those people who made it possible

for us to be here today.

DEKE: All right, we'll take some questions now.

Jim.

Neil, when you learned you were going to command this flight,

were you surprised? Overjoyed?

- I was pleased. - Okay, but how would you compare

this feeling to winning an automobile

or being selected as an astronaut?

I was pleased.

- Brian. - Neil, if it does turn out,

you'll go down in history.

What kind of thoughts do you have about that

when the thought hits you, uh,

"Gosh, suppose that flight's successful..."

We're planning on that flight being successful.

BRIAN: Uh, I-I just meant,

how you feel about... being a part of history.

I think I can shed some light here.

It's a responsibility...

but it's exciting to be the first.

Even my wife is excited.

She keeps slipping.... jewelry into my PPK.

- (LAUGHTER) - You're planning on taking some of her jewelry

- to the Moon, Buzz? - Sure.

Wh-What fella wouldn't want

to give his wife bragging rights?

- (LAUGHTER) - Neil, will you take anything?

Uh, if I had a choice, I'd take more fuel.

- (SCATTERED LAUGHING) - DEKE: All right, next question.

I thought you were gonna talk to the boys.

What did you want me to say?

What do you want to say?

You're the one that's going away.

Well, it's too late now. They're asleep.

No, they're not, Neil.

You know they're not.

- Why can't you talk to them? - (CLOSES ZIPPER)

What are you doing?

Uh... I'm packing.

No.

You're just killing time until you can get in the car.

- Okay. - Okay.

Neil, I need you to talk to the boys.

Can you hear me?

I need you to talk to the boys. What are you doing?

Stop.

- I'm going to work. - Well, just stop it.

Just stop... just stop packing!

(SIGHS)

What are the chances you're not coming back?

Hmm? What are the chances

this is the last time the boys are gonna see you?

Well, I can't give you an exact number.

I don't want a fucking number, Neil!

It's not zero, is it?

Is it?

No.

No. It's not.

Pat doesn't have a husband.

Those kids, they don't have a father anymore.

Do you understand what that means?

What are the chances that's gonna be Ricky and Mark?

And I... I can't tell them

that their dad spent the last few minutes

packing his briefcase!

You're gonna sit 'em down, both of them,

and you're gonna prepare them for the fact

that you might not ever come home.

You're doing that.

You.

Not me.

I'm done.

So you better start thinking about what you're gonna say.

(SIGHS)

Jimmy asked what you're gonna say

when you get onto the Moon.

Well, we're not sure we're gonna get onto the Moon.

Uh... a lot of things have to go right

before that happens.

How long will you be gone?

Um... well, we launch in ten days,

we'll be up for eight, and then about a month in quarantine.

What's quarantine?

We'll... be in isolation.

Uh, to protect in case we, uh...

carry any diseases from the lunar surface

or... something of that nature.

It's not likely, but it's a precaution.

So you won't be here for my swim meet?

(SMACKS LIPS)

No.

Sorry.

Does anyone have any other questions?

Do you think you're coming back?

We have real confidence in the mission.

And, uh, there are some risks,

but we have every intention of coming back.

But you might not.

(SMACKS LIPS)

That's right.

Okay.

Okay. Time for bed.

♪

BOB: "Fate has ordained

"that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace

"will stay on the Moon to rest in peace.

"These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin,

"know there is no hope for their recovery.

"They will be mourned by their families.

"They will be mourned by a Mother Earth

that dared send two of her sons into the unknown."

♪

"For every human being

"who looks up at the Moon in the nights to come

"will know that there is some corner

"of another world

that is forever mankind."

Prior to the statement, the president will telephone

each of the widows-to-be.

A clergyman will adopt the same procedure

as a burial at sea,

commending their souls to the deepest of the deep.

Any thoughts?

(WHISPERS): Sounds fine.

♪

- (QUIET, INDISTINCT CHATTER) - (CAMERA CLICKS)

(LOW, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(STEAM HISSING)

(LOW, INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪

♪

♪

(CLANKING)

♪

♪

(LOW THUMPING)

LAUNCH DIRECTOR: T-minus two minutes and counting.

(WHOOSHING)

(CLANK)

(GLOVE CREAKS)

(LOW, METALLIC CREAKING)

LAUNCH DIRECTOR: 20 seconds and counting.

T-minus 15 seconds.

Guidance is internal.

12, 11,

ten, nine...

Ignition sequence start.

(RUMBLING)

♪

(RATTLING, CREAKING)

♪

♪

(RUMBLING, SQUEAKING, CREAKING)

LAUNCH DIRECTOR: Tower cleared.

♪

(RATTLING, THUMPING)

(LOUD WHIRRING)

(RHYTHMIC THUMPING)

(RATTLING, CREAKING)

♪

CAPCOM 1 (OVER RADIO): Mark. Mode One Charlie.

Houston, you are a go for staging.

(WHOOSH)

(RUMBLING)

- ♪ - (RUMBLING STOPS)

CAPCOM 1: This is Apollo Control.

We're a minute from ignition on translunar injection maneuver.

Okay, we're operate 59:59.

(RUMBLING)

(SCRAPING, SQUEAKING)

(CREAKING)

(RUMBLING, SQUEAKING)

CAPCOM 1: Apollo 11, we track your speed

increasing to 36,000 feet per second.

You are now leaving Earth orbit.

Apollo 11. Roger.

(WHOOSH)

(RUMBLING, RATTLING, CREAKING)

(CLACK)

(RUMBLING STOPS)

We have cutoff.

CAPCOM 2: Uh, roger, 11.

Well, it certainly looks like you're well on your way now.

Okay, Houston, we're about to SEP.

Mike, you got it?

- It's your ship now. - (FLIPS SWITCHES)

(WHOOSH)

(LOW WHIRRING)

(MUFFLED THUMP)

(CLACK)

CAPCOM 2: And you can start PTC at your convenience.

MIKE: All right, thank you, Houston.

That smells funny.

Like, uh, charred electrical insulation.

Might just be rocket fumes.

- BUZZ: Did you bring any music? - MIKE: No.

Here, Buzz.

(LES BAXTER'S "LUNAR RHAPSODY" PLAYING)

(CHOIR, THEREMIN, PIANO AND ORCHESTRA HARMONIZE LYRICALLY)

♪

Hey, Houston, are you hearing this?

(BUZZ CHUCKLES)

♪

(PIANO PLAYING)

(CHOIR JOINS PIANO AS MUSIC SWELLS)

(PIANO SOLO PLAYING AS MUSIC FADES)

♪

♪

CAPCOM 1: Apollo 11, now entering lunar orbit.

Your roll should give you a good view

in about two minutes. Over.

CAPCOM 2: When you have a free minute, could you give us

your onboard readout of N2 tank Bravo, please?

BUZZ: Nitrogen tank Bravo are showing

19-60, something like that.

CAPCOM 2: Roger.

(SWITCHES CLICKING)

(QUIET, STEADY RUMBLING)

(QUIET RUMBLING CONTINUES)

(WHISPERS): Would you look at that.

♪

MIKE: This is a damn three-ring circus.

I got a fuel cell purge in progress,

I'm watching an auto maneuver and...

- (BEEPING) - Jesus Christ.

- (FLIPS SWITCHES, BEEPING STOPS) - Normal, normal.

Houston, stand by for auto alarm.

Neil, the, uh... the voice tape recorder,

- you know where that is? - I don't know.

All this food and stuff up here,

- you want any of that? - No.

MIKE: All right. What about this chewing gum?

You want any of that?

(PANTING): Mike.

Come back, will you?

CAPCOM 1: Apollo 11, Houston.

Let us know when you've entered the LEM,

closed up the hatch. Over.

(LOW WHIRRING)

CAPCOM 2: Eagle, this is, uh, Houston.

We see the optics zero switch on.

Uh, before you take some marks, uh, don't forget

to cycle it back off and on, and then on. Over.

CAPCOM 2: Eagle, Houston, could you give us a hack

on, uh, the time that you switched to LEM power

and also verify that we're on Glycol Pump One. Over.

This is Eagle. We're on Pump One.

- CAPCOM 2: Roger. - MIKE: Eagle, Columbia.

All 12 docking latches are cocked.

- I'm ready to button up the hatch. - BUZZ: Roger.

MIKE: I'm gonna start a maneuver now

to our undocking attitude.

BUZZ: Okay.

(WHOOSHING, RUMBLING)

(CREAKING, THUMPING)

MIKE: How about using as an undocking time

a hundred hours and 12 minutes?

- What have you got for AOS? - I have a hundred hours

and 16 minutes.

- (FLIPS SWITCHES) - CAPCOM 1: Eagle,

keep an eye on your descent engine fuel.

Continuous burn time is limited to 910 seconds.

- Over. - (FLIPS SWITCHES)

Apollo 11, Houston. We are go for undocking. Over.

MIKE: 15 seconds.

Okay, there you go.

(CLACK, RUMBLING)

♪

CAPCOM 2: Eagle, Houston. We see you on the steerable.

- Over. - The Eagle is undocked.

Roger. How does it look?

The Eagle has wings.

♪

♪

It just won't stay.

CAPCOM 1: Eagle, report status. Over.

We'll have to tell them about that.

Let's prep for descent.

CAPCOM 2: Eagle, Houston.

You're a go for powered descent.

BUZZ: Roger. Read you.

♪

BUZZ: Altitude light's on. We don't have radar data.

(FLIPS SWITCHES)

Let's proceed.

Proceed.

One.

Zero.

Ignition.

♪

(THUMPING)

(RATTLING)

- (ALARM BLARING) - Program alarm.

- What's a 1202 alarm? - I don't know.

Houston, give us a reading on the 1202 program alarm.

CAPCOM 2: Roger, we got you. We're a go on that alarm.

- (CLICK) - (ALARM STOPS)

♪

- (THUMPING) - (ALARM BLARING)

- BUZZ: Same alarm. - (RATTLING)

CAPCOM 2: Roger. We're a go on that alarm.

(ALARM STOPS)

(RUMBLING, RATTLING)

- NEIL: Okay, 3,000 at 70. - BUZZ: Roger. Understand.

- (ALARM BLARING) - Program alarm. 1201.

CAPCOM 2: Roger. 1201 alarm.

CAPCOM 2: Same type. We're a go.

♪

Pretty rocky area.

Those boulders are as big as cars.

We can't land there.

Go into manual.

♪

540 feet down to 30.

Watch your fuel.

330.

300 feet, down three and a half.

Fuel's at eight percent.

- (BEEP) - Radar's lost track of the surface again.

160 feet, six and a half down.

Five and a half down, nine forward.

CAPCOM 2: Low level. Low level.

BUZZ: 120 feet.

Five percent fuel remaining.

- (ALARM BLARING) - Quantity light.

94 seconds to bingo.

114's a mandatory abort.

- (ALARM CONTINUES BLARING) - Down a half. Six forward.

CAPCOM 2: Stand by for 60. Roger.

CAPCOM 3: 60 seconds.

40 feet, down two and a half.

♪

CAPCOM 2: Stand by for 30.

- CAPCOM 3: 30 seconds. - CAPCOM 2: Forward.

(ALARM CONTINUES BLARING)

BUZZ: 20 feet, down a half.

BUZZ: Faint shadow. Drifting forward,

just a little bit.

♪

BUZZ: Contact light.

(LOW RADIO STATIC)

- Shutdown. - (CLICK)

CAPCOM 2: We copy you down, Eagle.

NEIL: Houston...

Tranquility Base here.

(SIGHS) The Eagle has landed.

CAPCOM 2: Roger, Tranq... Tranquility.

We copy you on the ground.

You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.

We're breathing again. Thanks a lot.

NEIL: Thank you.

Very smooth touchdown.

(WHIRRING, CLACKING)

(WHOOSHING, CREAKING)

(LOUD WHOOSHING)

(SILENCE)

(STEADY, AMPLIFIED BREATHING)

CAPCOM 3: Okay, Neil,

we can see you coming down the ladder now.

(AMPLIFIED BREATHING CONTINUES)

NEIL: Okay, I just checked.

Uh, coming back up to that first step, Buzz, it's, uh...

The strut hasn't collapsed too far,

but, uh, it's adequate to get back up.

CAPCOM 3: Roger. We copy.

NEIL: Takes a pretty good little jump.

CAPCOM 3: Uh, Buzz, this is Houston.

F-two, one 160th second for shadow photography

on the sequence camera.

BUZZ: Okay.

NEIL: I'm, uh, at the foot of the ladder.

The LEM footpads are only, uh...

uh, depressed in the surface

about, uh, one or two inches.

Although the surface appears to be, uh,

very, very fine-grained as you get close to it.

It's almost like a powder down there.

Uh, very fine.

I'm gonna step off the LEM now.

That's one small step for man...

...one giant leap for mankind.

(RADIO STATIC FADES TO SILENCE)

♪

♪

BUZZ: Okay, you ready for me to come out?

♪

♪

(AMPLIFIED BREATHING)

(AMPLIFIED BREATHING CONTINUES)

♪

(VOICES MUTED)

♪

♪

♪

♪

(LOW RADIO STATIC)

♪

♪

CAPCOM 3: Five, four, three,

two, one.

Ignition.

(EXPLOSIVE WHOOSHING)

♪

ERIC SEVAREID (FADING IN): ...I suppose they can

never really, uh, describe to us.

So we'll never know.

CRONKITE: And it may not be a beauty that one can pass on

to future beholders, either.

These first men on the Moon have seen something

that men who follow will have missed.

SEVAREID: They've peered into another life

that, uh, we can't follow.

REPORTER: Bob Simon at Trafalgar Square,

where he joined the thousands

who watched an immense television screen

as the Apollo touched down on the Moon.

REPORTER 2: The average Romanian thinks of Apollo 11

a little bit as his own personal adventure.

REPORTER 3: It's been estimated that the audience

was up in the hundreds of millions.

Perhaps 400 million persons or so watching this broadcast.

REPORTER 4: Countless millions more

listened on the radio to the voices from the Moon.

Never before had so many people

been attuned to one event at one time.

(OVERLAPPING BROADCASTS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES)

REPORTER 5: ...is on the Moon. Of course...

MAN (OVER TV): ...feats of all time.

REPORTER 6: Does it amaze you that it's taken place?

MAN: It not only amazes me, but I'm certain

that it amazes everybody in this country.

REPORTER 7: What do you think of it?

- (DOOR CLOSES) - Well, the Moon, I hope...

that sometime everybody will go there.

- Want to go yourself? - Oh, yeah.

I wish I can go right now.

WOMAN: I think this is a very important day.

It's a historical day for... and the whole universe

is concerned about this, the landing on the Moon.

REPORTER 8: And as a French woman,

- how do you think about it? - Oh, I think it's wonderful.

I always trusted America, and I knew they couldn't fail.

REPORTER 9: And in Washington,

an anonymous citizen placed a small bouquet

on the grave of John F. Kennedy with a note:

"Mr. President, the Eagle has landed."

And indeed on this day, as we mark the astronauts' return,

it's hard not to think back upon that speech

our 35th president gave just seven short years ago.

KENNEDY: If this capsule history of our progress

teaches us anything, it is that man,

in his quest for knowledge and progress,

is determined and cannot be deterred.

But why, some say, the Moon?

Why choose this as our goal?

And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain?

Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic?

Why does Rice play Texas?

We choose to go to the Moon.

- We choose to go to the Moon... - (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

We choose to go to the Moon in this decade

and do the other things,

not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

(CLAMORING)

- REPORTER: How do you feel? - (CLAMORING CONTINUES)

REPORTER 2: How happy are you?

Have you spoken with your husband?

Would your sons like to be astronauts like him?

REPORTER 3: Mrs. Armstrong.

Ha-Have all your prayers been answered?

Yes, yes, they have.

How would you describe the flight?

Well, uh, I can only say it was, uh, out of this world.

(LAUGHTER)

- Thank you. - (CLAMORING RESUMES)

DEKE: They will be quarantined the full three weeks,

but there is no sign of infection or disease.

Congratulations, Jan.

(DOOR CLOSES)

(INHALES)

(EXHALES)

(CHAIR CREAKS QUIETLY)

(SNIFFS)

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

- (RADIO CRACKLING FAINTLY) - (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

(OVER RADIO): Go ahead.

- (BEEP) - Roger. Node.

Zero-seven.

Zero-four.

Four-six.

Rogue five.

Six-seven-point-five east.

One-five.

- Five-two right ascension. - (BEEP)

(MUSIC ENDS)

Uh, roger. Understand.

Node: 070446...

rogue five, 67.5 east,

one-five plus five-two right ascension.

- (BEEP) - Roger. That's correct.

And we do verify that the L-band radar is off link.

(BEEP)

(RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)

- (BEEP) - No, that's the spacecraft L-band radar.

- (BEEP) - (RADIO CHATTER FADES)

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