Alexei Leonov,
the first man to set foot on the moon.
Just last month you sent Apollo 10 all the way to the moon
for what you called a "dress rehearsal" for the landing.
We stopped taking risks at NASA.
And that's why we lost the moon.
Von Braun wants you reassigned to the Apollo Applications Project
effective immediately.
If we succeed in putting Apollo 11 on the moon,
we're still in this thing.
We did it.
We're on the moon.
This is the elliptical path which our rocket ship will follow
going out and coming back.
And then you will use its primary system,
the AGS instead of the PGNCS, for separation and ascent.
Copy all that, Tranquility Base?
Guidance control AGS. Roger, Houston.
We are definitely concerned about stability
once we fire the ascent engine from this canted position.
In the meantime, we're losing extra weight.
I don't like the margins, Wernher.
Getting back to vertical's gonna cost him a lot of ascent fuel.
I mean, they may not be able to rendezvous with Columbia.
The plan is sound, Gene.
Tranquility, you have go for liftoff.
Okay, Buzz. Engine Arm on.
Mike, we'll see you in a bit.
Keep our beers cold for us.
Copy that, Tranquility Base.
Abort Stage.
- Engine Arm, Ascent. - Engine Arm, Ascent.
Here goes nothing.
Ignition.
Houston, we're definitely picking up a little shimmy.
We're leveling out.
The Eagle has wings.
Excuse me...
Good morning, sir.
Green suits you, Emma.
Administrator Paine just arrived, sir.
Hope he's got good news.
- Could use that. - Deke.
I'll catch up.
How much longer do I have to eat shit before you put me back on flight status?
I've been cooling my heels for two damn months now.
Look, it's not only up to me.
You pissed off a lot of people.
I'm never going back up, am I?
Not as long as von Braun's director.
I'm sorry. But you made your bed.
So, what the hell am I supposed to do, just keep pushing paper?
There are worse things.
Yeah, I guess you'd know, wouldn't ya?
Watch it, Ed.
It's from a trusted source in the Kremlin.
And if this is even close to ready...
It's merely blueprints.
I have hundreds of blueprints. It means nothing.
We can't afford to be cautious now, Wernher.
This is the new front in the Cold War.
If the Soviets are gonna build a lunar military outpost up there,
the president wants one too, and he wants it first.
He can't be serious.
Frankly, I've never seen him more serious.
We're talking a major realignment of priorities here.
We may have lost the moon, but we can... We can still win the race for the base.
"Race for the base"?
Catchy, right?
Your testimony before the committee
is the perfect time to unveil NASA's new strategy.
Beginning with Apollo 12,
we will be scouting for the location
of a permanent military installation on the moon.
Absolutely not.
We're a scientific program, not a playground for G.I. Joe.
Wernher. This is a good thing.
Nixon's doubling down on the program.
Our budgets will go up exponentially.
We can bring in three, four more classes of astronauts.
What do you think, Deke?
Well, I could sure use the extra manpower,
but I don't know, 12's flight is right around the corner.
Yeah. We may need to move that up a tad.
Thomas, listen to me.
We cannot allow this encroachment.
I've seen it before.
My Aggregat 4, it was designed for low-Earth orbit.
When the Wehrmacht saw its potential, it became the V-2, a terrible weapon.
We cannot allow space to become another battlefield.
It already is.
If we don't respond in kind, we'll be sitting ducks.
I will not watch, yet again, as my work is defiled by men with guns.
This isn't Germany, Wernher.
Dick Nixon's been fighting communists for 30 years,
and a red moon isn't something our nation can accept.
Red moon, blue moon, green moon. Enough with this nonsense.
This is happening.
I suggest you get on the train before it runs you over.
Who does he think he is,
to say "no" to the President of the United States?
If I say put a military base on the moon, that's it.
End of story.
I want that Kraut bastard gone.
I'm afraid he is quite untouchable, Mr. President.
A beloved figure... he taught the country about space travel.
Well, then,
we'll have to get creative now, won't we?
I miss the barbecue back in Huntsville.
Maybe it's time to retire. Go back to Alabama.
Yeah. You could sit on your porch.
Smoke your pipe.
Maybe take up painting?
Besides, who would I eat lunch with?
I don't know.
Perhaps a handsome young suitor?
We're doing this again? You know I don't have time.
Yes. You're a very busy young woman.
I heard about this interview of yours with Gene.
I was going to tell you. I just wanted...
Wanted to do it yourself. I know.
You worry too much about what others might think, Margo.
You always have.
The boys couldn't stop talking about that Apollo 11 landing.
Good old-fashioned controlled crash.
Yeah, Neil's a good stick.
Though I still think your landing on the Kearsarge,
outta that Dutch roll, takes the cake.
So when you going back up, Ed? 15, right?
Well. It's unclear at the moment.
Sort of why I asked you to come grab a beer.
I've been thinking about maybe moving back navy side.
Yeah, right.
Now why on God's green earth would you wanna do something like that?
Pilots become astronauts, Ed. Not the other way around.
Well, the only thing I've been flying lately is a desk.
This about that article?
Yeah.
You always did have a way of pissing off your superior officers.
Present company included.
But you're also one of the best aviators I've ever seen.
"One of"?
Don't be a smart-ass.
Navy would just about shit themselves though to get a guy like you back.
Especially now. We're making a big push in Vietnam.
Could be the turning point in the war.
And that means commanding a squadron or...
Squadron?
You'd probably get command of an entire air wing.
And wait till you fly this new Phantom.
Puts those Panthers we flew in Korea to shame.
It's a fire-breathing beast, Ed.
I'm sorry, Ed.
It's just, I can't.
Ed. I can't get another phone call that your plane was shot down.
I mean, every time the phone rang, my heart just fell.
I coulda gotten killed just as easily going up on 10.
Yeah. Well, at least you weren't being shot at.
It's what I signed up for, Karen.
No, Ed. It's what we signed up for.
Remember?
Oh, my God, would you just...
Cut that out. You're making a mess of things.
While in Washington, the political fallout from the Soviet moon landing continues,
as a joint congressional committee looks deeper
into the alleged failures of the space program.
Administrator Thomas Paine grilled by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts,
who's quickly established himself as a leading voice on the committee
questioning President Nixon's leadership.
And how, sir, do you justify canceling production
of the Saturn V rocket
a full year before Apollo 11?
It was part of a broader...
These were drastic reductions of NASA's funding by President Nixon.
Excuse me. That's not accurate, Senator.
The president is fully committed to the space program.
Yeah.
Hey.
Where'd you put those vacuum tubes? TV's fritzing again.
Jesus.
Um... I don't know. Maybe...
What time is it?
Tell me you're not still drunk.
Hey, no, baby, I'm... just beat, is all.
They're really working us down here.
You know I hate being away from you and the kiddos.
Yeah. I'm sure it's just torture.
Mine, give it back!
Hey! Daniel, Jimmy!
Anything you put on that floor, you will pick up. Are we clear?
Hey, you tell Danny that I said...
Um...
Uh, listen to his mom, yeah. Tell-Tell him I said that, hon.
Okay.
Guess I'll see you soon.
Hey, Trace.
I love you.
Look, I know you're smart, Margo.
But it gets intense down there.
They call it the trench for a reason.
I need to know you're not some pogue
who's gonna wilt at the first sign of pressure.
No, sir. That wouldn't be...
I've had guys on FIDO, solid guys,
damn near piss their pants during a rocky re-entry.
Well, sir...
I don't wear pants.
That is a fact.
Dr. von Braun sure thinks the world of you.
How do you two know each other?
I've known him most of my life, actually.
My father, he taught at the university over in Huntsville.
Dr. von Braun would come over for dinners and regale us with stories
about rockets to outer space, journeys to the moon.
Mars.
I'd never even been outside of Huntsville.
But he made me think anything was possible.
He's the reason I became an engineer.
Huh.
I'm sorry. Am I rambling?
No. It's nice.
Tell me a bit more about yourself.
What do you do for fun?
Um... I...
Relax. Margo, it's not a test.
Astronauts aren't the only ones allowed to have fun around here.
But you are not exactly a spring chicken.
I give you this job, you're not gonna run off on me to start a family, are you?
I don't think kids are in the cards, sir.
Really? You don't want kids?
I mean... uh...
it's not that I don't, it's just, right now...
It's okay.
Not every woman is cut out to be a mother.
Seen Aleida?
Aleida.
Papa is home.
Octavio.
I caught her doing it again.
Livi almost burned her hand.
You have to get her under control
or find someplace else to live.
No. No, Cata. Cata, wait.
Where is she?
Aleida!
Aleida, you need to stop doing this.
It's dangerous. You know that.
Why do you do it? Talk to me.
I don't know. I like it.
- English. - I don't want to.
Aleida...
you need to talk to me.
Do you remember how we used to talk all the time?
Look, I know this is hard. I know.
It's a new home, a new country, a...
But we can help each other.
Just leave me alone.
Oh... Thank God.
I'm so glad you called.
How's she doing?
How do you think?
All right. Here.
- Okay. - Give this to me.
Are you sure?
I will take it from here. You can go.
- All right. - I'll get it. Thank you, Doris.
Yeah.
- Bye-bye. - Bye.
Trace?
Hon, it's Karen. I...
Don't you dare make excuses for him.
Gordo can stay with that Cape cookie for all I care.
- Okay. - I'm not letting him back in this home.
Yes, let's calm down, all right?
I could hear her!
She was in the room with him.
Maybe some of you other wives can grin and bear it for the program,
but... fuck the program!
Trace...
...come here.
You know...
I have this fantasy I'm married to another man.
Yeah?
Yeah, his name's Bert.
He's an accountant, 9:00 to 5:00, drives a Buick.
Does Bert have a brother?
Come on. Ed's a rock.
Believe you me, being married to Edward Baldwin is no picnic.
I'm not saying our problems are the same,
but that doesn't mean we don't have problems.
You know...
I think I always knew.
I was just...
I fooled myself into... to feeling like a...
Christ, he's not even trying to hide it anymore.
I do everything for that man, Karen.
I know.
I know it's not easy, I do.
Divorce.
I mean, that's what we're talking about.
That's where this leads.
I mean, it's... it is hard enough for any woman.
But for women like us, it's...
Do you remember Harriet and Don?
There were reporters camped out in their front lawn.
Their kids' photos were in magazines.
I mean, Trace, you gotta think about those things.
You know, I mean, a divorced single mother of two. I...
How do you support yourself? I mean, what do you tell your kids?
Your-Your parents?
I mean, you're not just leaving Gordo, you're leaving your entire life.
I'm sorry. I...
Trace, I want what's best for you, I do.
Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love him.
Well...
shit.
Margo.
I thought you'd already left for DC.
I am disappointed in you.
Why? What happened?
You've made me look very bad.
I was second to the moon.
And now you, you will be the first woman in Mission Control.
You didn't have to convince him, did you?
I did not say a word.
Gene is a smart man. He could see how talented you are.
No, this is you alone.
No, it wasn't.
Yes.
Well, I...
I've had this for over 20 years.
And now I would like you to have it.
I was hoping for cognac.
Welcome to the trench,
- Eva von Braun! - Eva von Braun!
All right, people. Let's get those handover briefs started.
White Team is on-console in 35 minutes.
Don't take it personal.
They pull this stuff with all the new guys.
Feeling like we should, uh, make a little detour here, Freddie.
Aw, come on, Gordo.
Don't you remember the ass-chewing we got last time?
Ellington Tower, NASA 963.
Boys, Daddy's home.
Hello.
Hey.
- Daddy! - Daddy!
Yeah!
I got you something. I got you this.
It's the biggest because you're the biggest.
Smelling good, Trace. What you cooking?
It's just some casserole. Hands off. It's for the barbecue.
- Barbecue? - Mm-hmm.
All right!
It's good to see you.
- You too. - Okay.
- That's the casserole. - Yeah.
Guys.
Hey, you. Glad you could make it.
Yeah, well, wouldn't miss it.
- Come here. Come here! - He loves those boys.
Yeah, I know. But this would be great for the...
Come on. Come on over here. Come on...
That's great. Great! That's great. Up here! Big smiles.
Uh, Buzz, take a bite of the hamburger.
There we go! Nice. Excellent.
I'm just saying, word is we're putting a base up there.
We wanna be on the crew, Deke.
Guys, drink some beer. Eat some dogs. Enjoy yourselves.
Her niece just got back from London,
and apparently all the kids over there were wearing hammer and sickle T-shirts.
Can you imagine?
Karen, I cannot believe how well you put this all together,
what with all you and Ed are going through.
Well, we do what we can.
Gordo! Stop it!
You got me all wet.
I wish Harry and me still had that kind of passion.
Ed.
Plotting your escape too?
Yeah. Something like that.
Look, I know you came out here to get away from all the questions,
but it's still my backyard.
So, spit it out.
Did they really make you go through customs when you came back?
I got the receipt to prove it.
Jesus.
Ah...
That was... a hell of a landing, Neil.
If you can call it that.
Maintaining attitude control was no joke.
I bet.
Tell you the truth?
I can't believe I didn't abort.
Well, you pulled it off. It was a good call.
Easy to say that looking back.
Couple things go different,
we drift a little bit further into those rocks...
we're a smoking hole
and I got my name on the biggest disaster in NASA history.
Then why'd you go for it?
I don't know. You're in flight test...
and, every once in a while,
you get to that point where part of your brain is saying, "Eject."
But another part of your brain is saying, "Go for it."
And you just have to make the call...
and hope you're not wrong.
There he is.
Ed, I want you to meet Congressman Charles Sandman.
He's on the committee looking at this whole mess, and he's a big fan of yours.
You know, before I headed back to Washington,
I told Tom here I had to meet the man who almost won the moon for us.
I watched Apollo 10 on TV, Commander.
I mean, you boys, you came so damn close. Must have just about killed you.
Eh, not exactly a secret these days, huh?
You know, I would love for you to come talk to the committee,
hear what you have to say about all this.
With all due respect, sir, I think my mouth has done enough damage.
You see?
The fact that you were punished for speaking the truth...
I mean, if they'd listened to you before, we wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.
We're at war here.
Well, you, you know what I'm saying, you're navy.
All you astronauts, you're all military, aren't you?
Well, technically, yes, sir. But...
They're on loan to NASA.
Still military, but they can't even wear their uniforms in public.
See? What a disgrace.
That is exactly the kinda ticky-tack crap that's undermining our fight for the moon.
I know you're not happy, Ed.
And I've spoken with the president. He's not happy either.
He wants to make some big changes at the agency, and he needs your help.
Come on up to DC and tell my colleagues exactly what you told that reporter.
That von Braun is too cautious. That he cost us the moon.
Uh...
I don't know.
Look, I don't always see eye to eye with von Braun. But I respect him.
- You know, he built the Saturn V. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, Wernher is a great man. Don't get me wrong.
But men like him, they don't see the tide till they're drowning in it.
The president is clear-eyed about the threat we're facing here.
He thinks astronauts should be running things.
Men who actually know what it feels like to be in a dogfight.
You astronauts, you're holding all the cards.
I mean, hell, you're already the face of the program. Why not be the voice too?
The president's real keen on this, Ed.
And he remembers his friends.
Could be your ticket back up there.
So, what do you say?
Maybe if you do what they want, things will go back to the way they were before.
Yeah.
I'd be back on 15...
headed for the Apennine Highlands.
Yeah. No desk duty.
No Vietnam.
You know, you said yourself that NASA could use a good kick in the rear.
That's true.
But von Braun, he...
he would be...
Yeah.
Now, Commander Baldwin, if I'm not mistaken...
both Apollo 10 and Apollo 11 lunar modules,
they had almost the same amount of fuel, correct?
Yes, sir.
A little shy of 18,000 pounds in the descent stage,
and 5,000 in the ascent.
Okay. Were there any other differences in the spacecraft?
Anything that would prevent you from landing.
Well, Snoopy was...
Wait. I'm sorry. Snoopy?
Yes, sir. We named our LEM Snoopy.
And the command module was Charlie Brown.
Okay.
Our LEM was heavier than Eagle,
so the concern was whether we'd have enough thrust to re-enter lunar orbit.
You share in that concern?
Well, it-it wasn't within NASA's safety margins.
Uh-huh.
You were a naval test pilot, were you not, Commander? At Pax River.
I was, sir.
And when was playing it safe part of being a test pilot?
Never, sir.
You pushed and you pushed for Apollo 10 to land on the moon, didn't you?
Well, during planning, yes, sir. I pushed for us to land.
And you were overruled by Wernher von Braun.
Well, it was ultimately his decision
to view Apollo 10 as a trial run for 11.
But were it not for him,
you would've been the first man to set foot on the moon, right?
Hmm?
It's not that simple, sir.
It's not... I'm sorry?
Well, it's true von Braun made the call on the ground, but...
when we were up in lunar orbit...
I knew I could bring the LEM safely down to the surface.
I mean, we were so close.
Snoopy, Houston. We put you one minute ahead of the timeline.
Take a minute and enjoy the view, gentlemen.
Roger that, Houston. We got the best seat in the house.
All I had to do was hit Engine Arm, Descent...
let the burn run all the way to completion.
Except that wasn't your mission, Commander.
I mean, von Braun, you know, he made it very clear that that was not...
After launch, it's my ship to command.
There's boulders in every one of those little...
little craters. You see that?
On the ridge.
Boulders are black, but whatever's ejected out of them is white.
White, but... still some black around them.
It almost looks windblown down there, right?
Uh-huh.
What a place.
Snoopy, Houston.
Hate to rain on your parade, but that's as close as you get this trip.
Time to head for the barn.
Roger that.
Heading for the barn.
I wanna just reach down there and scoop up a handful of moon dust.
Engine Arm, Ascent.
Abort Descent Stage.
Three, two, one...
Skipper?
And if I would've said we can land,
I knew Gene would've backed me.
Just like he backed Neil on 11.
It was maybe a few seconds...
but I knew I could've flown her right down to the deck.
Abort Descent Stage.
Three, two, one...
And I almost did.
But I pulled back.
And it was my call...
no one else's.
Hang on, now.
You-You said...
Just hang on a minute.
You said... Here! Right here.
You said, "We don't have guts at NASA anymore. That's why we lost the moon."
Now what are you saying?
Now you're saying, "I could've landed. I just didn't"?
I think about it every day, sir.
Whether it was the right call or not.
Ten years ago when I was in flight test,
maybe I would've said, "Hell with it."
Brought the LEM down.
But up there I wasn't just some test pilot trying to break another record.
I was the commander of Apollo 10.
So if this committee is looking for someone to blame...
don't look to von Braun or Neil or anyone else.
You look to me.
I lost the moon.
Right.
Thank you, Commander. That'll be all for today. Thank you.
Thank you, everyone.
The new rocket can carry over one million pounds into Earth orbit.
Nearly four times the payload of the Saturn V.
This is possible...
So you just weren't gonna tell me?
- What do you want me to say, Gordo? - It wasn't just your decision to make, Ed.
I was up there too.
Did it ever even occur to you to ask me what I thought?
Pushing the envelope. That's what all this is about.
Or did you just forget that?
Right now it should be you and me doing all these ticker tape parades.
Instead I'm backing up Pete Conrad on 12.
Hey, don't blame every bad decision you've ever made on me.
'Cause you do enough damage yourself.
What do you think it says when you wander into sim an hour late
just reeking of booze and pussy?
That the American dream is alive and well.
Yeah. Everything's a goddamn joke to you, huh?
At least I own what I did.
And what the hell's that supposed to mean?
I resigned.
I'm going back to the navy.
You for real?
What are you doing drinking beer?
- Hey, Pam. - Hmm?
We're gonna need a couple of whiskeys.
All right, all right, all right.
NASA will be pressing forward. Pursuing more ambitious projects.
Journeys to Mars, to Jupiter,
and perhaps, even deeper into the solar system.
Right, yeah. That's a very impressive presentation, Director.
But while we sit here,
the Soviets are pushing ahead
with their plans for a lunar military foothold.
We cannot cede the beachhead!
I mean, it's not a time for pie in the sky ideas
about Mars and the solar system...
Respectfully, Congressman. Now is precisely the time.
We cannot allow fear to drive us from our purpose.
What we are seeking is the key to our future.
We are expanding the mind of man.
Extending this God-given brain and these God-given hands to their outermost limits.
And in so doing, everyone will reap the harvest.
He's good.
Well, for someone who claims not be guided by fear,
your leadership created a culture of caution after the Apollo 1 fire, right?
Yes, of course. We were more cautious.
Lives were lost.
We test, we retest, and we prepare.
Because, unlike the Soviets,
we care about the lives of our astronauts.
You must understand, Congressman, that this is not the end of the race.
It's simply the first stage.
We must keep our eyes to the future.
As Mr. Armstrong so aptly put it,
"We pick ourselves up and go back to work."
Well, if you had... If you...
Come here.
Okay. Sorry. Just one more thing, Director.
Now, you're such a familiar face to Americans.
Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were born in Alabama.
Unfortunately my accent gives me away, Congressman.
And most people know that during World War II,
you built the German V-2 rocket...
that killed thousands of innocent Londoners.
Well... I, of course...
have great regret that my rockets,
which were born of idealism, much like the Saturn V,
had joined in the business of killing.
Then why... why didn't you stop manufacturing it?
If I may, Mr. Chairman,
I'm not sure how any of this is relevant to the hearing.
There is...
Congressman, I was not a soldier, merely an engineer.
Well, that's interesting.
Because what most people don't know,
since, until very recently,
it was classified as part of Operation Paperclip,
is that you were also a member
of the elite Nazi organization known as the SS.
That was a matter in which I had no choice.
Not everybody gets invited to a photo op with the Führer.
Dr. von Braun, only a few minutes ago,
you stated that, uh,
"We care about the lives of our astronauts."
Yes.
And what about the lives of the workers from the Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp
that were, in fact, building your rockets?
Do you care about their lives?
I saw no camp or any sort of thing like this...
You did visit the Mittelwerk factory, yeah, quite a few times.
I visited the factory, yes.
Did you not wonder where all these workers came from?
I didn't know. This was handled by others.
You must understand that I had no real authority in...
I'm sorry. Are you saying you had no authority over your own rocket factory?
Well, yes. I had authority insomuch as I was chief...
But I never worked there. I had only visited.
The camp was less than half a mile
from the factory where you made your rockets.
So, how could you not know?
You know, over 20,000 men and women died building your V-2.
Ten times more than were killed by it as a weapon.
They were worked to death,
starved, hung from machinery, shot.
That photograph?
That was taken by American soldiers
upon their arrival at Dora Camp.
That's the camp that supplied your workers, Director von Braun.
I...
They paid for your scientific pursuits with their lives, sir.
You knew exactly what was going on, didn't you?
And you did nothing.
I, uh...
I had no authority.
I was... limited.
You...
You must understand...
Margo.
Apparently, the Soviets have launched another N1...
right ahead of Apollo 12.
Imagine both of them on the moon at the same time.
Margo.
Did you know?
It was an ambush.
Nixon and his lackeys, they laid a trap for me. I...
But...
is it true?
How can you ask me this?
Sit down, Margo.
I had to keep my work moving forward.
You of all people must understand this...
Your work?
What do you expect me to say?
"I don't know.
Maybe I could have done more."
But then I would probably be dead.
And all the things I have spent my life building,
they would never have come to pass.
You can't know that, what might have been.
Something is or it isn't.
Remember?
When the war was ending...
we gathered everything...
schematics, calculations, designs...
and buried it in the hills above Peenemünde
so the Soviets couldn't find it.
I chose America to give my life's work.
I gave them everything.
And now I'm an old man and no longer indispensable.
They throw me to the wolves.
Did you know?
Progress is never free, Margo.
There's always a cost.
Aleida?
Aleida!
Are you okay?
What is wrong with you?! What were you thinking?!
I could have put it out...
- It's fine. - No, it's not fine!
Tell me, why do you keep setting these fires?
Aleida...
Tell me.
I want...
I want to be inside the fire.
But...
Why would you want to be inside the fire?
I don't know.
It's okay, it's okay...
I want to show you something.
Tu mamá...
she had a dream of what your future could be.
That's why we came here.
I miss her.
I know.
I miss her too, mija.
You know, maybe one day, Aleida, you'll build a fire inside one of these.
I have been informed by Dr. Kissinger that,
thanks to our recent military operations, we may be within reach
of an honorable peace with the North Vietnamese.
I have instructed him to begin negotiations with Lê Ðuc Tho
so that we may focus our efforts and resources
on the new challenges facing our nation.
And on this momentous day, as Apollo 12 readies to begin the search
for the location of the first American lunar base,
I commit that we will do whatever it takes.
We will bear any burden to secure our place in the heavens,
and bring the fight for freedom to the new frontier.
We are on time for our planned liftoff of 32 minutes past the hour.
Test supervisor now going through some status checks.
Okay. Here we go.
Give me status, people.
- Booster? - Go.
- Retro. - Go, Flight.
- FIDO. - Go.
- GUIDO. - Go, Flight.
- EECOM. - Go.
- GNC. - Good to go, Flight.
Launch control, this is Houston. We are go for launch of Apollo 12.
Go for launch.
Ten, nine, eight, ignition sequence has started,
six, five, four, three, two, one.
All engines running.
Liftoff. We have a liftoff!
Thirty-two minutes past the hour.
Tower cleared!
Yeah, we got a roll program.
Roger! I've got the pitch and roll program, and this baby's really going.
Roger, Pete. Forty seconds.
Mark one, bravo.
First stage tank pressures, all nominal.
Altitude a mile and a half.
FIDO, how we looking?
FIDO is good, Flight. Right down the middle.
Good.
- Here you go. - Thanks, Karen.
Mm-hmm.
How you holding up?
Just fine. And how's everybody at MSC?
This whole von Braun mess was a real black eye.
And now Nixon's got us putting all hands on deck for this military lunar outpost.
Dark days.
What can I do for you, Deke?
I brought you something.
Couldn't figure out what to do with the damn thing.
Huh.
I almost threw it away when Leonov landed, but I couldn't quite bring myself to.
"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon.
We came in peace for all mankind."
Presidents come and go, Ed, but we're the ones carrying the fire.
It took a lot of guts, what you did up there in DC.
I need guys like you around for what's coming down the pike.
I'm not coming back to sit behind a desk.
No, you're not.
What exactly does that mean?
It means you're back on Apollo 15.
Wait... Are you...
Ed, maybe just once, shut the fuck up.
You're going back to the moon.
Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.
I'm sorry. Hon, Deke,
you guys should come and see this.
And even now, while Apollo 12 is hurtling towards the moon,
the Soviets have upped the ante in the space race once again.
The video is coming in now.
There's the cosmonaut now, descending the ladder.
There we have it.
The cosmonaut is now on the lunar surface.
It's a woman.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's been confirmed that it's a woman.
Her name is Anastasia Belikova,
a former pilot in the Soviet Air Forces.
What a truly, truly historic moment for women watching across the world.
The 32-year-old Soviet cosmonaut