Original subtitles

On December 17, 1903...

człowiek wykonał pierwszy pomyślnie kontrolowany lot w samolocie...

w ten sposób przełamując barierę która istniała od milionów lat.

Dzisiaj, człowiek, z jego inteligencją i rozsądkiem ...

nagle dotarł do skrzyżowania.

Niektórzy wierzą, że pocisk kierowany...

i elektronicznie sterowany pojazd kosmiczny...

są ostatecznymi odpowiedziami na lot kosmiczny

The recent orbital and suborbital achievements...

have been spectacular and extremely important.

However, man will never be satisfied in the undignified position...

of sitting in a nose cone, acting as a biological specimen.

Sixteen years ago, at Edwards Air Force Base in California...

a highly complex operation was initiated to develop an aerospace-craft...

that would satisfy the desire of man to maintain control in flight...

and in re-entry to the earth's atmosphere.

The spacecraft would fly, glide, and land...

completely under the control of the human operator.

And now, the X-15 is ready...

manned by a pilot who will make all the decisions...

for accurate control in flight...

and re-entry and recovery.

X-15 is the key to an operational procedure...

that will be directly reflected...

in the spacecraft and the space flights of the future.

The X-15...

the world's first manned aerospace-craft...

manned for this flight by Matt Powell, Chief Test Pilot for NASA.

This is the carrier...

an especially designed B-52 jet bomber...

lifting the X-15 to its launch altitude of 45,000 feet.

This is her crew.

Pilot, copilot, launch panel operator...

especially trained, highly qualified.

This is Chase Two.

The pilot, Lt. Col. Lee Brandon...

Chief Test Pilot of the United States Air Force.

He's also an X-15 pilot.

Today, he is one of the support pilots who will visually check the X-15...

through the countdown and then guide it back to the recovery area...

for the landing after the drop.

This is Chase One and Maj. Ernie Wilde...

one of the air force backup pilots...

getting firsthand knowledge of the X-15 flight procedures.

He's qualified in the X-15 with the small XLR-11 engine.

And today, he'll back up Matt Powell...

for a flight with the XLR-99 engine.

The XLR-99 rocket engine...

has nearly 60,000 pounds of thrust.

The final okay here rests with the pilot. He has control.

Maj. Anthony Rinaldi, USAF...

responsible for the human operator...

and his special equipment designed to support life in space.

Col. Craig Brewster, Chief, Human Factors Section...

United States Air Force.

Tom Deparma, X-15 Project Manager...

highly qualified aeronautical engineer.

He is NASA One Test Director.

With him here in the control room...

are the engineers and technicians of NASA and the United States Air Force...

who watch their tracking instruments and recorders...

receiving thousands of different pieces of information...

from special equipment in the X-15...

and from electrodes taped to the pilot's body.

This is the team.

Along with the high-range tracking stations at Beatty and Ely, Nevada...

they monitor and support the X-15 flights...

a highly complex project...

running smoothly...

completely operational.

This is Chase Two to B-52. Coming into position.

Acknowledge. Over.

Roger, Lee, this is B-52. Have you in sight.

This is Chase One to B-52. I'm in position.

How do you read me? Over.

You're loud and clear, Ernie.

We're five minutes to launch.

Radio on lower antenna. How do you read?

Five square, Matt.

Auxiliary power units coming on.

Confirm X-15 oxygen.

On X-15 oxygen, 1,800 psi.

Helmet-to-suit differential good.

Respiration rate acceptable at 20 per minute.

This is NASA One, let's get a good control surface check.

Chase Two, observe.

Confirm launch trim settings. Over.

Chase Two to NASA One. Surface check.: good.

Roger, Lee.

NASA One to Chase One.

You all set, Ernie?

NASA One from Chase One, all set, Tom.

McCully to NASA One.

45,000 feet, one minute to launch.

Okay, Matt, you've got it.

Coming up on launch point.

Roger. Give me a five-second countdown for launch.

This is final okay to all stations. Launch light is on.

Five, four, three...

Stop the countdown.

Repeat, stop the countdown. Losing source pressure.

Lox tank pressure 45, ammonia 30. Both decreasing.

NASA One to all stations. Stop the countdown.

Confirm source pressure failure.

What are you reading now?

Source pressure failure, affirmative. Below normal and falling.

NASA One to X-15.

Matt, is this a no go?

X-15 to all stations. This is a no go.

I say again, this is a no go.

Yeah, at four-and-a-half, I figure...

NASA One to X-15.

Proceed to alternate plan. Matt, can you dump the propellants?

X-15 to NASA One. Negative.

NASA One to 008.

How much weight can you offset by wing trims?

008 to NASA One.

Not enough fuel transfer possible.

Have to make landing with right wing. Critical.

Deparma to all units. This is an emergency.

The B-52 will attempt a landing with the X-15 mated.

Request all emergency equipment, all firefighting units...

deploy along runway 35 on south lake bed.

Repeat: south lake bed.

Leave the data on.

Keep the primary radio channel open. I'll use it from mobile.

Let's go, Colonel.

He should be on final approach in about 10 minutes.

Light the flares, please.

Deparma at NASA Mobile to Chase Two.

Chase Two to NASA 9. Go ahead.

Lee, advise control at beginning of letdown.

Beginning letdown, approximately five minutes.

They've all got their barometric chambers to go back down again.

Dumping lox from carrier. Maximum flow.

NASA Mobile to Chase planes.

Stay in close at the landing.

Okay, I'm coming in at your 10 o'clock.

About three miles north of our station.

We want to confirm that your Ram Air door is in a closed position.

It sure is.

Also, I want to verify that I did have...

tooling lever and louvers in LN 2 position on.

- Pamela, how good to see you! - Hi, Maggie.

How was your trip?

Hi, Diane. It's so good to see you.

Have you any idea how long Route 66 is?

You look indecently wonderful. Did you look that good...

- when Lee left? - You wouldn't think so.

- Come on, let's get your bags. - They're awful heavy.

- I'll take that. - All right.

- Is the coffee on? - Yeah, come on.

What have you two been up to?

I want to hear all about you.

Well, I tell you, it's another world.

All during that time, except when I was re-circling...

it just crapped out by itself. I've got it back again.

Roger.

NASA One, I'm tracking 76 miles east...

and 56 miles north.

Roger, NASA One.

You can see them!

- Where, Mike? - Right over there.

He's committed now.

Okay, come on. Let's get out there.

Now, take it easy. That's not the crash siren.

Listen. It's constant. It's not the short blasts.

- What is it, then? Can we call? - No, nobody calls during flights.

I'd rather hear that siren than the phone ring.

You have a good drag chute.

Chase Two to B-52, your front landing gear is on fire.

- You chickened out? - Yeah.

Can I still resign, Doctor?

- You feel okay, Matt? - A little stiff.

Where does it hurt?

Can you give me some details about the pressure failure?

- Sure, Tom, as soon as I'm out of this suit. - Good.

- You got a smoke? - Yeah, here.

All right, let's get you out of this thing.

- I got to get back to headquarters. - All right.

Lee, we're in here.

- Hi, Pam? - How are you?

- Let's go to my house. - To your house.

- Excuse me. - Come on.

All right, Pamela, why?

Because I couldn't stand my quiet, uneventful life. That's why.

- Just like that? - Just like that.

No, you don't, Pamela. No more games with me.

You fool. I came a long way.

You're a little late. I hope you enjoyed the trip.

Don't do this to me.

What took you so long?

Diane?

It's got to be love.

- Come on, I'll help you sweep out the place. - All right.

What happened? I was doing my homework.

I'm glad to hear it.

You know, that's exactly the word I was trying to think of.

"Homework."

Come on.

The usual distribution. Two copies, so forth and so on.

"Very truly yours, Thomas A. Deparma."

That's all, Barbara.

Would you get that typed for me as quickly as possible?

- Yes, I will. - Thank you.

Get headquarters in Washington on the direct line for me, right away.

- Yes, sir. - Thanks.

Yeah, this is Tom Deparma.

Yes, sir, we had a source pressure failure at the final countdown.

No, sir. We were forced to land the X-15 mated with a full load.

Yeah, it was quite a trick, but the B-52 pilot made it look easy.

Major McCully flying, sir. Yes, sir.

We'll be getting national press coverage...

in two weeks on the big engine ground firing.

That'll start the countdown for the next flight.

I wouldn't exactly say we've had bad press.

Just that sometimes, when things have gone wrong...

some of them emphasize it a little more than...

You know, sir.

Right, the report. No.

A report's being prepared, it'll be off to you tonight.

Right, sir. Goodbye.

- Colonel Brewster to see Tom Deparma. - He's waiting for you.

- You know where his office is. - Right.

- Hi, Tom. - Come in, Craig.

I'm glad you called me.

I've been wanting to talk to you about something.

Sit down. Get it off your mind.

Tom, I got a problem.

- Cup of coffee? - No, thanks.

I don't know exactly how to put it, but I'm gonna try.

We've been on this project a long time, right?

We've had some setbacks, sometimes we've been lucky.

But the time is coming when all this work...

and this whole project is gonna have to pay off.

I think I have an idea what you're getting at.

Let's see if we can't talk it out.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't lost faith or anything like that. It's just that...

Frankly, I'm scared.

Join the club, Colonel.

I think everybody involved is a little scared about what's coming up.

I know that. It's just that, suddenly, I'm beginning to doubt my own judgment.

After thousands of hours of simulating on the ground...

and really putting these pilots through the wringer...

I think they've reached a damn high degree of accuracy in all phases, right?

They're tuned to a fine edge.

Hanging on to this edge is what concerns me.

Now, all the pilots have normal tensions.

But what if these normal tensions are added to...

by the tensions of aborted missions, setbacks, delays, etc.?

Won't this throw off their normal performance...

at the end, when we get to the critical flights?

We all wonder about that possibility, Craig.

Although remote, it's there, staring us in the face, just the same.

But what were you saying about you wondering about your own judgment?

What if it doesn't show up? What if they lose this fine edge?

- How do we spot it? - How?

I'll tell you how, Craig, or at least how I think we can spot it.

By being worried about it? No.

No, not worried but frightened, the way you say you are.

The way we all are.

We've got to keep right on top of them, phase by phase.

We got to make sure we know the score every minute.

Then if a breakdown should show up in any one of them...

we've got to be able to spot it.

If it doesn't show, we've got to be sure the reason it doesn't...

is because it never happened.

Craig, in this business, if at times you aren't really frightened...

and you don't feel a deep personal concern for the guy who sticks his neck out...

then you're not the right man for the job.

And you are.

Let's get up there and take a look at that data from the last flight.

- It's ready, I know. - This isn't the end, Craig.

We'll be going through this again and again.

What's the matter? Aren't you gonna have any?

No. I'm gonna go back to bed.

Pamela got in late last night, and I didn't sleep afterwards.

What time?

They went to Lancaster.

- Ernie, you smiled at breakfast. - You tricked me into it.

- You know something? - What?

You smell wonderful.

Good morning.

I hope I didn't wake you up coming in last night.

I never heard a thing. Where did you go?

We were going to Lancaster, but we never made it.

Too bad. That's a nice town, Lancaster.

We decided to reactivate our engagement instead.

- Pam, I'm so happy for you. - Thank you.

No coffee for you? You going back to bed?

One of the things you're gonna learn early...

is you never go back to bed.

When they make an early start, you make one, too.

That way you end up, at the end of the day, even on sleep.

That's good air force wifery.

Diane, what is it?

Just a baby, I think.

Just a baby?

No, not with me.

In three years of marriage, I'm a two-time loser.

What does that mean?

It means I'm not the momma type or something. I don't know.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with me physically...

but just after things get started, something always goes wrong.

- Have you told Ernie? - No, and I won't.

Not till I know I've got permanent possession.

- Pour me some coffee. - Coffee?

I want to see if I can hold it.

I told you so.

These strange new birds of the desert...

were first flown by Air Force...

and National Aeronautics and Space Administration pilots...

when the Russians were still trying to dig themselves out...

from under the rubble of Stalingrad.

Unfortunately, the proposal set forth by NASA...

and the Air Force used a new language.

Terms like "exit, " "escape velocity"...

"Mach 4, " "Mach 10, " "re-entry," that was pretty hard for people to swallow.

Appropriations were slow in coming.

But the search for the answer continued at Edwards Air Force Base.

Mr. Deparma, Ed Fleming, ABC television news.

Will these then be the flights with the most critical control problem?

Yes, indeed. The pilot knows his margin of error.

He cannot over-control.

The angle of his re-entry path is calculated...

so that the aerodynamic heating of the airframe...

will not exceed the design limit.

Col. Jessup, our Public Informations Officer...

has a word for you about the pilots, I think. Colonel?

Major Wilde, Lt. Col. Brandon...

and Matt Powell are three of the pilots working on the project at the present time.

The complete pilots pool consists of a Navy pilot, two Air Force...

and three NASA pilots.

The NASA pilots, Matt Powell, are entirely civilian...

employees of the United States Government.

Lew Irwin, ABC News. Has this project lost any of its significance...

because of the successful manned orbital missions?

No, Mr. Irwin. This is a winged aerospace-craft...

under complete control of the pilot.

He's not a biological specimen...

nor is he a backup for an automatic system.

The knowledge gained here will be directly reflected in the design...

and operation of future spacecraft.

Mr. Deparma, Lee Giroux of NBC.

Grant Holcomb of CBS and I...

Grant will be with us later in the testing house...

would like to know which of these three pilots...

will be the first man to go into space in the X-15.

That decision will be based on many factors...

and made by mutual agreement with everybody concerned in the project.

I'd like to say generally that one of the pilot's biggest problems...

is to overcome and fight the effects of stress.

As a matter of fact, I'd say that possibly the greatest challenge to the pilot...

is to train himself to anticipate his instincts.

Anticipation of instincts comes down then to reactions acquired through training.

Now, where one kind of reflex flying inside the atmosphere fades out...

and a different kind of reaction is needed...

this is where overcoming the instinct makes the difference.

Would you say then, that the basic ingredient for project pilots...

is complete emotional stability?

That's exactly right, Mr. Fleming.

Psychological conditioning is the most important part of the project pilot's training.

First of all, we have to have people that are stable emotionally.

And then, we try to help them by simulating, artificially, on the ground...

as best we can, the conditions that he'll meet in flight.

By doing this, we hope he'll be better able to cope with...

and recognize unknown factors, should he meet them.

Sound minds and a sound body?

Something more than that, I would say.

A complete scientific dedication to the job at hand.

A firm belief in carefully worked for success.

Each gentleman is an aeronautical engineer, as well as a highly qualified test pilot.

The ultimate goal of the X-15 project...

will be an end result of work and tests...

to which they've all contributed.

It's not, in any sense, a hero race.

There are more than 3,000 people engaged in this one project.

Just one more question. Ever since I covered the test at Cape Canaveral...

I've been wondering very seriously about the future.

If this is a philosophical approach, I'm afraid...

But it isn't, I assure you. It's a highly practical approach.

What happens if all this speed and invasion of space...

meets us coming back, so to speak?

That is, suppose that we have to start all over because of a space warfare?

What's all this leading to?

Well, we hope to deter that possibility by extending our own capabilities in space.

Man won't always be satisfied with a one-shot re-entry.

The capsule method is a very valuable step in the right direction.

But falling free in a sealed capsule with only one possibility of recovery...

parachuting to a landing, leaves a lot to be desired.

The X-15 pilot will be able to choose his angle of re-entry...

and control his speed and altitude, and glide to his landing area.

Or one of several alternates he has.

Always under pilot control.

He has the choice.

That wraps it up here, gentlemen. Let's go down to the blockhouse for the test firing.

This way, please.

What brings you back to Edwards, Pamela?

Have you finally decided to ruin my life and marry Matt Powell?

I decided your life could stand being ruined a few more times.

You always suffer so beautifully, Tony.

Why don't you level with me, Pamela? Diane having another baby?

- Yes. She thinks so. - interesting.

This can be a healthy situation, especially for Ernie.

Good for Ernie, and X-15, and the project, and NASA.

- Tony, what about Diane? - Cut it out, Pamela.

It's just a job. The X-15 project is a way of making a living.

Simple as that: bread and butter.

Most troubles are due to wives interfering with their husbands' work.

Tony, for heaven's sake.

Do you know where babies start?

Right there, in the frontal lobe of your brain...

where the emotions are under general control.

From there, they proceed to the hypothalamus, which controls...

raw emotions, rage, hysteria, passion.

There must always be mental permissiveness:

the will to, or the will not to.

That mental will to, or will not to, is so sensitive...

that 25 percent of so-called sterile couples...

start their babies by the simple process of talking the problem over with the doctor.

Tony, you've missed the whole point. Diane has no problem in starting.

I'm acutely aware of it. That's why I'm talking to you.

Well, then, do your head-shrinking with her, not me.

I heard you broke up with Matt last fall, when he wouldn't take that job with Cal-Air.

Deep in her mind, Diane wants Ernie to stop test flying also.

What wife wouldn't? We've had several staff conferences on her.

Diane and Ernie start their babies...

but the belief in Ernie's short life expectancy...

psychosomatically disturbs her motives.

Consequently, her pregnancies terminate so quickly, you can't call them pregnancies.

Tony, I think you're crazy.

Pamela, please don't search for a problem.

You two getting along all right?

He's tried to convince me that we should form a women's auxiliary of space cadets.

I'm sorry I was delayed.

Come on, girls, I'll buy you lunch.

We'll go into the control blockhouse for the actual firing.

Ernie, Maj. Wilde here will be in the X-15 for the test.

- Gentlemen, if you'll come with me, please. - All right, sir.

Attention. There will be a rocket firing in the test area in 10 minutes.

Repeat. Ten minutes.

What about the composition of the fuel? Is it classified?

Not for what it actually is. No.

We use liquefied pure ammonia for the propellant...

and liquid oxygen for the oxidizer.

So the ammonia burns, then the liquid oxygen supports its combustion?

That's correct. Yes.

Set warning lights. Close off the entrance.

Stand by for source top off.

All right, Ernie. It's all yours.

Go into the blockhouse, gentlemen, please.

Right in here, gentlemen.

Sealed in?

Blockhouse control. Canopy down and secure.

You settled down, gentlemen? I think we're just about ready to go.

Fueling top off. You aboard?

Ernie, come in if you read me.

Hooked in. I read you. I'm gonna pressurize.

Attention, all personnel clearing the firing area, move back to safety limits.

All set. Source pressure looks good. All gauges normal.

Inspection completed.

Rocket firing in one minute. Ten-second countdown.

Ready in X-15.

I have start and idle.

The system is armed.

Ten, nine, eight...

seven, six, five, four...

three, two, one, fire!

Firing.

How much power does that thing generate?

Right now, it's only at half-throttle.

It can develop over half a million horsepower...

at 3,600 miles per hour in flight.

Half a million? May we quote you on that?

As a matter of fact, you can.

Ernie, go to 100 percent power.

Outside, without earplugs, the noise is so intense...

you'd feel nausea from the sound alone.

He's out. Something's happened.

Stay in pressurize, Ernie. Reset for another run at full power.

How do you read me, Ernie?

I read you loud and clear.

Fire!

A malfunction.

Get him out of there.

Stay away from that door.

Ammonia seeping under the door.

Now, don't tell me to take it easy.

Blockhouse to fire control. Can you get to Maj. Wilde? Acknowledge.

Acknowledge!

Fire control to blockhouse. Mr. Deparma?

This is Deparma, go ahead.

The blast shot the forward section of the bird 30 feet down the ramp area.

We got Maj. Wilde out.

He's all right.

You have to stay in there until we can hose down the area.

I'll keep this line open.

Tony, you can call, can't you?

All right. Sit still.

I'll be right back.

This is Maj. Rinaldi.

Get me Emergency Control at the test area blockhouse.

Deparma, at Blockhouse Control.

Yes, Tony, we had a malfunction.

They got Ernie out okay. No injuries.

Glad to hear it, Tom. How's the bird?

The bird? Well, can't tell too much about that right now.

I'll check with you later, Tony. All right, goodbye.

Tom, your office is trying to get hold of you. Washington calling.

Right. I'll see you all back at NASA.

Tom?

That call was on the private line from Washington.

I'd like to be there when you call back.

It seems there's a very bad reaction brewing along the sidelines.

- Especially among the press. - Yeah. Thanks, Craig.

You'd better wait here for the investigation team.

- I'll call you from my office. - Right.

The loss of the Number Three Bird has cost us plenty, in more ways than one.

But our people have been picking over the pieces...

and they've come up with some answers. Not all of them, but enough.

Our engineers and technicians have been working...

with the boys over at North American...

and they have the Number Three Bird back in its original jig.

They've done a miraculous job.

And believe it or not, in time, that Number Three Bird will fly again.

Now, we have to take up the slack by stepping up the missions.

So, this morning, Lee will be dropped in the Number Two Bird...

with the new XLR-99 engine.

We'll be trying for 3,000 miles an hour...

at 150,000 feet.

Well, I've drawn Chase Two. Rendezvous at Ely.

You take the countdown, Matt, up to the fuel jettison.

I'll pick up at control check.

- That's what I've got. - Okay. Good luck.

Let's go, Lee. I'll get you into your suit.

I'll go along. There's some things I can check while he's getting dressed.

Chase planes are off. Low and clear for takeoff.

Thirty-two miles east. Forty-six miles north.

Roger.

Cabin pressurization coming on.

Propellant tanks.

Suit check complete.

This is 003 to NASA One. Approaching Ely.

Jettison check complete. Pressurizing tanks.

Lee, one-minute warning.

Prime coming on. Source pressure good.

To all stations.

Launch light is on.

This is a final okay.

Ten seconds, Lee.

Get your nose down, Ernie. Here he comes.

You have a good start, Lee. You're looking good.

You're on profile, Lee.

He's at the top of the arc.

He's making his speed run now.

NASA One to Chase One. Can you see him, Matt? Over.

Negative. Out of sight.

There he is, about 12 o'clock. He's leveled off.

I see his contrails now, Ernie.

NASA One, X-15, 12 o'clock high.

Onions out.

X-15 to NASA One.

Rudder kick. Aileron pulse.

Stick pulse.

Mach 4.

Flight parameters matching profile.

Matt, let's change our heading. Do you read me?

Loud and clear, Ernie. Change your headings 2-1-0.

He's wide open. We'll be seeing him any time now.

He's passing through Mach 5.

That's better than 3,000 miles an hour, gentlemen.

That ought to even the score a little.

Let's go to NASA 9 for the landing.

X-15, I have you in sight. Acknowledge.

I hear you, Matt.

Had good control to burn out at Mach 5.

Continuing letdown procedure to lake bed.

Closing in on you, Lee. Go into jettison any time.

How's it feel to hold the world speed record?

Not bad.

Incidentally, I got a temperature reading of over 900 degrees outside skin.

I don't think it did any more than blister the paint.

This is a solid bird, Matt.

Where's Ernie? Do I have a blossom?

I'm here, just below you both.

Jettisoning looks good.

You're all through backslapping? Let's get the bird back on the ground.

So, we finally celebrate the birthday Lee had in Tullahoma.

And the Drill Corps is allowing Matt and me to get married.

I don't believe it.

- Ernie, the gas. - Waiter.

I don't want this to get around the club, but I've saved $8...

out of last week's housekeeping money.

Baby, Gen. Custer's very proud of you.

- Waiter. - Yes, sir?

A bottle of Piper-Heidsieck '53, please.

Domestic, if you haven't got that.

In which case, just forget all about it.

- We have Piper-Heidsieck '53, sir. - Fine.

I always knew Matt had a lot of class.

You're gonna pay for the check, you know.

Due entirely to my unhappy childhood.

Ask Tony Rinaldi, he'll tell you all about it.

And Tony will tell you it's your hypothalamus.

What in the world is your hypothalamus?

I don't really know, but according to Tony, you need it.

I'm not the kind of a guy to go for the light touch in this sort of thing.

I don't want to go heavy on it, either.

I only wish I could think of some words that aren't used so often.

However, I can't. So...

health and happiness to you both...

long life...

and contentment...

and a sense, in the end, of a job well done.

Thank you, Lee, from both of us.

And many happy returns.

And a happy birthday, Lee.

- Happy birthday. - Thank you.

General Custer, how about taking your old lady on the dance floor?

Say, Matt...

Would you like to dance with me?

It works, doesn't it, Dad?

Sure it works, Mike.

You don't think I'd give you a toy at your age, do you?

I mean, it really works.

I set it for 4:25 for myself...

and then I set it for 4:26 to wake you up and show you that it works.

That's the good old scientific approach.

What's this bit? You watching me shave now?

Sure, so I'll know how, of course.

It'll only be five years before I have to.

Maybe only four.

Getting a little stubbly?

You have to anticipate, don't you?

Sure, Mike, you can anticipate as much as you want to.

You take a tip from an old hand.

Don't be in such a hurry to grow up.

You can never go back.

And when you're a man...

you be a man. You know what I mean?

Uncle Matt's gonna marry Pamela, isn't he?

That's what they tell me.

Does he really go for that love stuff?

You just wait five years, maybe only four.

I turn the love stuff off on television.

Along with the commercials?

No. I like the commercials. But you can have all that love stuff.

Let's talk about the X-15.

We usually do.

It said in the papers that Number Three Bird would never fly again.

I bet the North Americans are working on it right now.

Where do you hear all this?

I'll tell you.

Mom has some kind of a deal with you, I know.

Women. She's actually afraid of some of the flying you do.

So she makes you tell her everything before you do it.

That way, she says she won't be frightened.

So, when you tell her, I listen.

But believe me, Dad, I don't take notes...

and I don't put anything down on paper.

Well, you're under arrest anyhow.

I want to straighten you out on something.

And I don't want you to ever forget it.

You know, your mother...

is a fine, solid woman.

So when you say, "Women!" like that...

don't ever mean your mother, okay?

Nothing.

NASA One to Chase planes.

X-15 on profile.

This is X-15 to NASA One.

Premature shutdown due to pump overspeed.

Short of profile, 20 percent fuel remaining. Shall I restart?

Negative, Matt. Do not restart.

Watch your angle of attack.

He's passing through the 40-mile level.

You're getting heat, Matt. You're below 40 miles.

Matt, increase your angle of attack.

Wilco.

X-15 to NASA One.

Excessive heat increasing at this level, shallow angle.

NASA One to X-15.

Matt, increase your angle.

You're going to exceed your temperature limit.

NASA One to X-15.

Altitude, 35 miles.

Speed, 4,000.

Increase your angle, Matt.

You're exceeding the design limit.

NASA One to Chase planes.

Spread out to both areas.

He's going to be short.

NASA One to X-15.

You're inside the temperature envelope, Matt.

Turn to 197 degrees.

We have you 100 miles outside the recovery perimeter.

Go to max LID.

Stretch it.

Change heading to 1-7-5.

This is Chase One. Roger.

1-7-5.

Will call at first visual contact.

Chase One to X-15.

What's your altitude, Matt?

45,000 feet. End of pullout.

G is good. Q is good.

Matt, you're gonna be short.

Chase One to NASA One.

In position for recovery.

Matt, this is Lee. I have you in sight.

Hold it steady, I'm going to come in close.

Right, Lee. What's the story?

You're too short to glide in.

Any fuel left for an extra air start?

About 20 percent indicated still in the tank.

Go to start and idle.

Then accelerate for more altitude.

I'm clear. Go ahead.

You've had an explosion.

Shut down. Dump your fuel.

Acknowledge, Matt.

Shutting down. Jettisoning propellants.

Chase One to NASA One.

Go to secondary channel.

Chase One to NASA One.

We're reading you, Lee. What happened?

Explosion in the X-15's rocket section.

My aircraft hit by flying debris.

Losing hydraulic pressure.

Communicate with me on secondary channel only, Tom.

Okay, Lee. Can you continue support?

This is NASA One to Chase One. Lee, do you read me? Over.

Chase One to X-15.

X-15 to Chase One. I hear you, Lee. I'm burned out.

Turning south. How bad is the damage?

No fire, Matt.

But some damage to the rocket section.

Watch your speed.

Matt, you still don't have any fire...

and you're lined up real good.

I'm inside the range.

A little stretch and we'll make it.

NASA One to Chase One.

Lee, are you all right?

This is Chase Two, turning southeast to lake bed.

May not reach position in time.

Chase One to Chase Two.

I'll count him down, Ernie.

Matt, you can stretch your glide out.

Nice going.

Watch your angle at touchdown.

Drop your ventral and skids.

I'm flaring out. Give me an altitude reading. Skids coming out.

All set, Matt.

I'll call you to touchdown.

80 feet. Looks good. 60 feet.

This is Rescue to NASA One.

Chase One is out of control.

Don't stall out, Lee.

Look out, Lee. Stay with it, Lee.

Oh, my God, he's going in.

Oh, God! Matt flew the X-15 today, didn't he?

Maggie, please call.

Pamela, we can't. They won't give out any information over the telephone.

- Could... - We just have to wait.

NASA One. Deparma.

No, we were just waiting to hear from you.

Right.

Over.

They said they couldn't find anything.

They said, "Forget it."

I'd put my arms around you, Maggy, and let you cry, but...

I guess it's a little too soon for that.

I know.

I've got the rest of my life to cry.

Lee only let Control know he was in trouble.

He stayed to guide me and count me down to the landing...

where it was too low for him to eject.

Thanks, Matt.

Give me a few minutes alone, will you?

Ernie!

It's Lee.

Matt!

- Maggy? - Not yet.

Not yet.

Poor kid.

Mike!

- Listen to me. - I won't listen!

Easy, Mike.

- Take it easy. - Leave me alone!

Mike. Don't.

Easy, Mike.

I don't want my father to be dead!

Everybody's got their own ax to grind. As far as I'm concerned, the hell with them!

I'm glad to hear you feel that way about it. But they want answers.

They call Lee's death an unnecessary loss on a routine mission.

- Now, how do you talk to people like that? - You don't talk to them.

You try to educate those people, you wind up talking to yourself.

They suffered no personal loss.

To them, this is just headlines and statistics.

I read once, you never argue with statistics.

You remember, once, we had a conversation about overexposure?

Watching for breakdowns, getting too fine an edge?

You told me, "You gotta stay on top of it."

I know, Craig. I'm trying to forget about it.

I thought I could take the human factor element and hold it out at arm's length...

and...

I was doing all right with it, too...

until this afternoon.

Tom, nobody buys personal loss anymore. Only statistics, you know that.

The cold, callous Col. Brewster...

and the abused, browbeaten Deparma.

Like it or not, we'll be back here tomorrow...

with a new replacement, and a brand new countdown.

Statistically neat and simple.

In the NASA conference room in Washington, D.C., three years ago...

something was said which I think should be repeated at this time.

We said, when the time comes...

choosing one of them will take absolutely nothing away from any of the others...

because each one will have made...

more than significant contributions to the success of the program.

I'm sure all of you here agree with me that the team has done just that.

Matt Powell...

will make the first attempt for a maximum-performance try.

Lt. Cmdr. Joe Lacrosse...

who is familiar to all of us, as is his fine record, will fly Chase One.

Joe, I'm sure I speak for everybody here when I say, "Welcome aboard."

Thank you, sir.

And Maj. Wilde...

Chase Two.

The countdown is underway, gentlemen. The drop will be over Ely, Nevada.

This will be a full power to burn out, for maximum altitude try.

Prelaunch briefing at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow.

That's it.

How about dinner?

New alloy for the source regulator.

Won't malfunction anymore.

Yeah, I'm tickled to death.

What the hell is wrong with you?

- Nothing. - Don't give me that.

I've been watching these last weeks, straining, pushing yourself.

Don't give me speeches. I've heard all I want to hear.

You're not to blame. The investigation showed that.

Investigation, that's fine. What about the politicians on the sidelines...

and some of the press squeezing at Deparma and Brewster?

You'd think this whole thing were going on in a dark cave somewhere.

You can't cram this stuff down somebody's throat. It takes time.

How much time does it take to show that this isn't routine?

Lee had plenty of time to eject and didn't.

And that's routine, is it?

Don't think I haven't been asking myself questions, too.

It isn't any good. I'll tell you one thing, though...

if Lee knew what we were blubbering about, he'd probably laugh at us both.

Yeah, maybe you're right, Ernie.

It's just a little too soon.

Sure it is.

Come on, let's go. The girls are going to burn the steaks.

- I'm gonna take you up to 200,000 feet. - Pressure looks through at 100,000 feet.

Good. Let me know if you feel any change.

Will do.

I'll be taking off for Ely now. I'll talk to you at rendezvous.

Stay in the slot, and happy profile.

Right, Ernie.

High-range stations reporting in.

Good. Advise high-range to switch all channels on at 0900.

Okay, better start your cockpit check. You'll be sealed in about 20 minutes.

All right, Tony.

All right, we'll start the cockpit check at left-hand console.

- Left-hand console, radio set, main channel. - Dial set.

- Face mask heat switch off. - Switch off.

Intercom switch on.

Oxygen check. Select. B-52 oxygen.

- B-52 oxygen. - That's it.

NASA One to X-15.

X-15 to NASA One. Go ahead.

Best of luck from all of us.

Right, Tom.

We've got little less than an hour.

Number one is minus 15. Number two is minus 30.

My engine lox source is just about zero.

Fuel gas source, number one and number two.

Let's go, boys. There goes Chase One.

Matt, Control is ready for stable platform checklist.

X-15 to all stations. Continuing checklist.

X-15 power on. B-52 power off.

Windshield heat on.

Stable platform transition to internal power, okay.

NASA One to X-15.

Eight minutes from launch. Go to X-15 oxygen.

Launch operator, check for clear system.

Prepare to go to manual for lox top off.

X-15 to Chase Two. Ready for fuel jettison test. Acknowledge.

I'm in line, Matt. Let her go.

You're okay, Matt. Check out to item 224.

Wilco. 224 checked out.

X-15 to NASA One. Jettison system working okay.

Source pressure good. Power transfer normal.

Ball nose readings coming up.

This is Chase One to X-15.

Mark two minutes to launch point.

Aye, aye, Joe.

NASA One to all stations. I have launch minus 90 seconds.

X-15 to all stations. Switching to internal trip light at launch point.

Come in, Ely, come in, Beatty.

Master switch on, data on. I have start and idle.

Lox pump bearing 37 degrees minimum.

Okay at 40 degrees.

Switch all recorders and oscillographs to fast.

Switching to fast.

I have 10 seconds and counting. Support aircraft in position.

Nine seconds...

eight seconds...

seven seconds and counting.

Set launch lever to ready.

Five, four...

three, two...

one.

He's away, NASA One. Falling clear.

Chase Two to X-15. Hold that heading, Matt.

Chase Two to X-15. You're on profile. I'm reaching my maximum.

Chase Two to NASA One. Visual now negative. He's out of sight.

NASA One to Chase Two. He's right on profile, Ernie.

Passing the 30-mile limit.

Maximum power. He's reaching maximum speed.

NASA One to all stations. Matt Powell has successfully made his exit...

and is in his coasting path.

Over 100 miles up!

Begin your re-entry on mark minus five.

Set your angle at 18 degrees.

Steady. One, two...

three, four...

five, mark.

Your re-entry looks good, Matt.

G's are good. Q's are good.

Fact has overtaken fiction.

The pathfinders have marked and illuminated a trail in space...

for the others who soon will follow.

This is the beginning of the natural extension...

of man's capabilities.