Meteor (1979) Movie Script
Outerspace.
Limitless and timeless.
Filled with cosmic explosions
and endless turbulence.
An infinite playground
forthat occasional blazing visitor,
the comet.
At first comets terrified man.
He thought they were signals
of impending catastrophe.
But he got used to them
and he gave names to them
and waited for them
to drop by like old friends.
This one has come from behind the sun,
moving across the heavens
at 108.000 miles an hour,
and has neverbefore
been seen by man.
The asteroid belt.
A vast junkyard
of metal and rock orbiting the sun
between Jupiter and Mars.
Thousands of fragments,
some as small as a fist
some as large as a city.
And amongst these Orpheus.
Twenty miles In diameterand undisturbed
forcountless generations...
...until now.
Give me the horn.
What do you want?
- Is Dr Paul Bradley aboard?
- Who's asking?
I've gotorders from NASA
to bring in Dr Paul Bradley.
Is he aboard? This is an emergency.
So's this. We're tryng to win a race.
We're going to have
to cutacross your bow.
All right goddammit. We're coming in!
Mr Sherwood told me to get you off
the boat and on your way to Houston.
There's a special jet for you.
- You would've cutacross my bow?
- Yes, sir.
I would've rammed you.
And gone straigh tto the bottom, sir.
Don't go away. I could be right back.
Dr Bradley,
it's good to see you again.
Good to see you again.
- You owe me $10.
- I do?
- I got my handicap down to 12.
- No wonder it's good to see me again.
- Yes?
- Bradley's here.
Good. Send him In.
It's yours. Mr Sherwood..
Oh, good to see you. Come in, come in.
- Sorry to do this to you.
- Not at all.
Yes, I did that I called Helen
and asked her to send your clothes.
Hello? Mr Sherwood.'s office.
I, uh...
I didn't know that you and she were...
- You've met General Easton.
- Once, in Washington.
- Good of you to come.
- Sam Mason, CAP commander.
Peter Watson, our flight director.
Put that down
and let me fix you a small Scotch.
A large one.
- Good.
- We could all use one, I think.
Why don'twe sit around the table?
Take your coat off.
- How big is your boat?
- Fifty-two feet
An awful lot's been happening here,
Paul. And none of it good.
Harry, I left NASA five years ago.
- Why am I back?
- Let me tell you.
Gentlemen, help yourselves.
Seven days ago, Palomar Observatory
reported the discovery of a new comet.
- General.
- Thank you.
Nothing unusual in that
They spot nine or ten every year,
either themselves
or other observatories.
But... it's where this one
seemed to be going.
- The asteroid belt.
- Go on.
When they called me, it was a couple
of hundred thousand miles from the belt.
Challenger II, our space probe to Mars,
was in the vicinity.
General Easton's son,
Tom, was commanding.
We got in touch with them,
and then we...
I...
...changed their programme.
That was last Friday.
Challenger II,
do you read me?
We read you.
How do you feel
about making a slight detour?
Anything to break the monotony.
Whatdo you call slight?
Two days, four hours and 32 minutes.
What happens to our schedule?
Don't concern yourself, Tom.
We'll take care of everything.
- Mars will have to wait.
- Whatever you say.
- Where are we going?
- The asteroid belt.
- What for?
- A Comet's about to go through it.
- They go through all the time.
- It's a first for this one.
It was wrenched out of orbit
by Jupiter's gravitational pull.
- How big is this comet?
- 480 kilometres in diameter,
which makes its nucleus large enough
to do real damage if it hits anything.
It's headed straight toward Orpheus,
the big one in the centre.
Where do we park?
Park alongside Vesta,
about 25,000 kilometres this side.
You'll be there three hours
before the comet.
We want all the information you can
give us on size and orbital elements.
- Take a few pictures?
- A lot of pictures.
We've already started things down here.
You'll change course in five minutes.
- Is my old man with ya?
- He's here.
- Tell him hello.
- Will do.
As I said before, that was last Friday.
Yesterday, Sunday morning,
at 1100 hours,
they started to pull up alongside Vesta.
- We got it?
- Yes, we've got it
- Can you zoom in on Orpheus for us?
- Can do.
Beautiful.
- Let's have some information.
- I'll take some measurements.
For the next hour and a half,
they read the belt for us.
Then what we were waiting for
finally appeared.
Magnetic field measuring zero.
It'll go straight through like salt.
It's gonna hit it!
- Get away from there.
- It's coming apart in a million pieces!
I don't think I can ever forgive myself.
- I should have figured...
- No guilt Harry.
- We'd all have given the same orders.
- Who knows about this?
Nobody at the moment.
We'll have put out a release
right after this meeting.
Why am I here?
A chunk of Orpheus is heading
towards Earth, a pretty big one.
There are a lot of little pieces
with it and in front of it
It's the big one we're worried about
The figures haven't been worked out,
but six days from now we could be hit.
- We have to be prepared.
- That's why we put Hercules up there.
Will you let me finish?
I've convened a meeting at NASA
headquarters in Washington fortomorrow.
Lucas, Steinberg, Fillmore,
others you know will be there.
I want you to come to that meeting.
- I'll come to your meeting.
- We appreciate it Paul.
I've delayed a flight
You're leaving in one hour.
Up-to-date material on Hercules.
Something to read.
Your hotel room has been booked.
Gladys has yourexpense arrangements.
Why don't you stick a broom up my arse?
I vould sweep the carpet on the way out.
Haven't changed, have you?
See you in the morning.
The Coast Guard towed
Rob Samuelson to harbour...
Among the other nine who failed
to finish was Dr Peterson's Maverick,
who was disqualified
for crossing the line prior to start.
John Slabin's Mary Bee collided
with Arnold Parker's Swan.
Both suffered
sufficient damage to withdraw.
The big surprise
was Paul Bradley's Blithe Spirit,
which withdrew for no apparent reason
early in the race.
John Dunning
had a running battle with...
- Hello.
- it's late, I wanted to...
Paul. Where are you?
Why aren't you on the boat?
Uh, Washington.
- How are the kids?
- Jimmy's gota cold.
And Julie's bound to get it
and we're still fighting about homework.
Apart from that, they're fine.
- What are you doing in Washington?
- I'm not sure yet
I was phoning
to let you know where I am.
How are you?
Oh... Not bad, you know.
- Paul?
- Tell the kids I love them.
A chunk of Orpheus
is heading towards Earth.
A big one. There are a lot of little
pieces with it and in front of it.
But it's the big one
we're worried about.
The figures haven't been worked out,
but six days from now we could he hit.
Sorry I'm late.
You and everybody else.
- Let me tell you about that
- Either we're in the wrong room,
or a lot of brainpower's lost.
Nobody else is coming.
- Lucas, Fillmore, Steinberg?
- I didn't ask them.
- Why not?
- You know why not
Because we don't need them!
You. You originated Hercules.
Out itout, Paul. I know how you feel.
- Dredging up old...
- I'm dredging up nothing.
- I can taste it right now.
- Now, look.
It wasn't my decision
to turn Hercules...
- Into what?
- Will you listen to me?
It wasn't designed as a nuclear weapon,
with 14 warheads pointed at Russia.
- Not only Russia.
- Or China. Whatever else!
Those rockets were supposed
to point outwards, not in!
They were meant to defend us
against the threat we're facing now.
- Didn't I yell at them?
- Yeah.
- Didn't I stand up for you?
- Yes.
Then listen to me!
Will you listen to me?
That meteor's five miles wide
and it's definitely gonna hit us!
It would make a hole big enough
to put the Atlantic in.
Shit Five miles.
Now walk out!
And General Adlon? Isn't he in charge?
Adlon's a good man, technically.
But he's two-dimensional.
You know that.
We've got to find a way
to move him out.
That's problem number one.
Problem number two,
there are about 100 guys
stupid enough to resist using Hercules
because of what
it would mean politically.
- What am I supposed to do?
- Help me ride over them.
OK you son of a bitch. I'll help,
but i want it straight up and down.
You've got my word.
Those rockets have got to be realigned
and we've got exactly five days.
I hope no one has been so foolish
to contact the Russians about all this.
It would be inadvisable...
No one would think of doing that
without your approval, Mr Secretary.
You can be sure they know all
there is to know about the meteor.
They don't know
what we're planning to do.
What we're discussing.
I hope it's still discussion.
General Adlon, I assure you
that no decisions have been made.
That's what this meeting's
been called for, to decide what to do.
You're in charge of Project Hercules.
If the result of this meeting
is to make use...
There's nothing else.
The only thing we've got is Hercules.
Dammit Hercules is not up there either,
as far as anybody but we are concerned.
It's got to stay that way.
We have never admitted to Hercules.
- If we admit to it now...
- We have to!
You can't keep the whole world
in the dark about what's going on.
Once they know that a five-mile hunk
of rock is gonna hit at 30,000 mph,
people will want to know
whatwe intend to do about it.
You're gonna tell the entire world
we have nuclear rockets out there
in direct contradiction to every
international agreement we've ever made?
That's an invitation to being called
liars and warmongers by every...
It's
international murder if we don't!
What do you wantto do?
You want to meet it
with BB guns and slingshots?
Please! Gentlemen!
Dr Bradley, would you please
tell us what would happen
if this meteor struck us?
A massive rock, one mile wide,
travelling at 30,000 miles per hour,
would cause a crater 50 miles across
and five miles deep.
Orpheus is five miles wide.
Its striking force is equal to...
...2,500,000 megatons of TNT.
That is ten orders of magnitude
above the largest earthquake
ever recorded.
It would throw into the
atmosphere five billion tons of earth,
and reduce solar radiation
for decades to come.
It could cause another Ice Age.
What if the thing doesn't hit?
There's some chance.
- Every scientific facility...
- You have been wrong!
You were wrong
to send Challenger II off its course!
I don't have to listen to this!
Please!
You're out of order!
At ease, gentlemen.
Dr Bradley, where are you going?
I need air.
I don't give a damn what Russia says
about America or vice versa!
I told you what's gonna happen
when that meteor hits!
If you think you can prevent it
by burying your heads
under a blanket of shit fine.
If you reach a decision,
I'll be in the bar across the street.
I'll have to discuss this
at the White House.
In time,
because there's damn little time.
We are now
going to replay a recording
of a broadcast made
by them earlier today.
The British Cabinet met to discuss the
announcement by Jodrell Bank Observatory
that a piece of an asteroid
knocked out of orbit by a comet
is on possible collision course
with Earth.
In less than a week, this
giant object could strike our planet,
causing untold damage
and great loss of life.
The Prime Minister is in consultation
with the American President...
Put the game on!
...and volunteered every assistance
the government can give.
We consider it deplorable
that the American people
should he dependent on the BBC
to supply us with facts
that we have a right to know.
I consider it deplorable
I don't have a drink.
- Yes, sir?
- Scotch.
- A large one.
- A large one.
What happened?
They're calling the President.
What if he says no?
A couple of years ago,
my son, Andy, started to complain
about pains in his stomach.
All the junk food kids eat,
I wasn't a bit surprised.
But he kept on complaining.
I had a talk with Miriam
and we decided to take him to a doctor.
Just for an opinion, you understand.
Appendicitis, the doctor said.
Miriam said, "Let's wait till tomorrow.
The pain will go away. "
You know my Miriam. She can't
stand the thought of an operation.
That night when she went to bed,
she cried herself to sleep.
I went and picked him up
and took him to a hospital.
Six hours later his appendix was out,
he was feeling better,
and Miriam... Miriam was all smiles.
You get my point?
Yeah.
How do you sneak me into a position
where I can fire nuclear warheads
without Miriam knowng?
I'll do it,
if I can't do it any other way.
Is there a Mr Sherwood. here?
- Yeah, that's me.
- Telephone, right through there.
Thanks.
Mr Secretary, I'd rather not call back
I'd appreciate it if you held on.
Yes, Dr Bradley is checking out
the information to verify.
Yes, sir, I do think it's urgent.
- No, sir. Paul.
- In a minute.
It's coming up now, sir.
- What do I tell him?
- How good is his health?
- Confirmed?
- Confirmed. Hercules is light.
Mr Secretary, it's been confirmed.
So, what you're telling me is that...
...even if we admit to Hercules
and I give you my permission
to realign the rockets,
we still need more firepower?
More nuclear mega-tonnage?
More rockets?
That's right Mr President.
- Mr Secretary, do we have more rockets?
- Not in space, sir.
What are we supposed to do,
conjure them out of air?
Mr President, would you confirm
what I'm about to say?
The Russians have their own equivalent
of Hercules out in space.
True or not true?
True.
Mr President, we need
the combined power of theirs and ours.
- They'll never admit it
- We'll make them.
- How?
- General Adlon,
for the time being,
until this crisis is resolved,
I am putting Dr Bradley in charge
of Operation Hercules.
I rely on you to give him
every aid and assistance.
- I hope I'm public-spirited enough...
- I'm sure you are.
Listen, I think I have a solution
to this problem.
- Where will you be this evening?
- We're flying to New York.
Make sure you hear
my broadcast at 8.00.
That's all, gentlemen. Thank you.
You'll ask
what steps have been taken
to make sure that this meteor
never comes near the Earth's surface.
I'm happy to tell you that realising
that such an emergency
as this could arise,
your government,
in collaboration with the best
scientific brains at its disposal,
developed a project
to deal with this emergency.
That project has been named Hercules.
What is Hercules?
Hercules is an armed,
orbiting satellite
its nuclear weaponry
aimed toward outerspace.
Right name. Wrong direction.
What can Hercules do?
It can send, at the press of a botton,
enough power to destroy any foreign body
on a collision course with our planet.
But, in this case,
a special circumstance has arisen.
The meteor is of such size and velocity
that even this powerful weapon...
...cannot do the job entirely.
Fortunately, the Russians, with
the same foresight that we possessed,
mounted their own defence weapon.
We do not know what the Russians
have called their weapon,
but we know it exists.
And we are going to ask them to
combine their nuclear power with ours,
so that together we will
be able to deal with the meteor,
to strike it with irresistible force
and to end forever
its potential danger to us all.
I will, myself,
be speaking with the Russians
Immediately after
I finish this broadcast.
- The game is on.
- Good night.
And God bless you.
Hello?
- Do you have a pass for Dr Bradley?
- Good morning, sir.
- General Adlon come in yet?
- Half an hour ago.
- How far down?
- Right next to an old subway station,
a section that runs under the Hudson.
It made it easy for us to bring
the equipment in and it saved millions.
Why not some sensible place,
like Houston?
Mm-mmm.
This has easy access to a total
telecommunications set-up above us.
Nobody in their right minds
would put their most important
emergency striking power
under the busiest city in the world.
This is Dr Bradley.
Can I see your pass, sir?
Would you mind signing it sir?
Thank you.
Command to Internal.
Central Control, call 8-1-2-4.
General Adlon, most impressive.
Thank you. A message for you.
Normally we work with 25, but since it's
an emergency i brought in the full crew.
Good news.
The Russians are coming.
I consider allowing the Russians
to come into this centre a grave error,
which one day the United States
may bitterly regret.
- I'd like to meet the staff.
- Of course.
General, may I use your office
for a moment?
Certainly. This way.
This is our chief technician,
Rolf Manheim.
- Rolf.
- Dr Bradley.
You have been teaching my nephew at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Ben Manheim.
- Yes.
He's a bright boy.
He'll be teaching me in a couple years.
All stations give status now.
This is our trajectory analysis officer,
Jan Watkins.
- Hello.
- I suppose you're tied into 1180?
No. At 360,
with a custom-designed memory.
Like I said, I'll be asking you
and your computer a lot of questions.
- We'll give you prompt answers.
- Triple-checked.
My assistant, Alan Marshall.
Dr Bradley, I've got Sir Michael Hughes
from the Jodrell Bank Observatory.
He'd like a word with you.
Excuse me.
I'm Bill Hunter, in charge of tracking.
What else are you linked with?
Hong Kong, Arecibo and New South Wales.
- Good morning, Michael.
- Good evening, Paul.
I didn't expect to see you
until Wimbledon.
Assuming there'll be a Wimbledon.
What have you got?
Expect the first splinters in 24 hours.
Doubtful if we can track them unless
they're in clusters. We'll do our best.
- Anything else?
- No. I just wanted to make contact.
We'll keep in constant touch.
Until then.
Paul, the Russian astrophysicist
you asked for?
- Dr Dubov?
- He's arriving at 7.30 this evening.
Dr Dubov, are we glad to see you here!
Thank you.
Twenty-two, 47, colon, 56 point 55.
He assumes this is an accurate
representation of the satellite.
Or is the direction
of the rocket just accidental?
I am not prepared
to volunteer strategic information.
- Is that what I said?
- Yes, sir.
- Please.
- Thank you.
What striking power does it carry?
I'd prefer you got that
from Dr Bradley.
Good morning.
Fourteen rockets,
each carryng a 100 megaton bomb.
Welcome to New York Dr Dubov.
- Everything in duplicate?
- It's a procedure.
How else do we know we're
being interpreted properly?
I think we could all start
by trusting each other.
Otherwise, what's the point?
If it's a matter of choosing,
I'll take the pretty one.
The pretty one
is Tatiana Nikolaevna Donskaya.
- Did I say it right?
- Very good.
Astrophysicist
and Dr Dubov's English voice.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
The captain
is General Adlon's Russian voice.
- Sir.
- Hi.
Since it appears we are redundant here,
if you'll excuse us.
Mr Sherwood.,
I'd like to see you outside.
I'll see if I can't calm him down.
He thinks General Adlon
is not pleased to see him.
- I know this is difficult for you...
- Mr Sherwood!
I spoke to the Secretary of Defence,
who seems more aware
of the complexity of the situation.
- But...
- His orders are, and I quote,
"No change in the direction of rockets
until the Russians admit they've got
their own and agree to realign them. "
- Is that understood?
- Look.
Why don't you Xerox
pass them out among
then organise
By that time the meteor will have hit
and we won't have any more problems.
He doesn't mean to criticise,
but you will not find it easy
to hit a meteor
with your warheads
pointing toward the USSR.
We call ours Hercules.
What do you call yours?
How can one give a name
to that which does not exist.
Then who put up this thing
called Peter the Great
its warheads pointing
at the United States?
Chinese, perhaps.
Dr Dubov, we've gota slight problem.
If Peter the Great does not exist,
we are out of business.
But if it does exist,
I'd have to know what weapons
it would be carryng...
...where it was...
...and what frequencies we would
have to use to align it with Hercules.
Now, for purposes of discussion only...
He understands
the importance of your questions.
If he had been involved in construction
of such an illegal weapon...
...he could then, of course,
theoretically, answer those questions.
Then would you be prepared,
theoretically, of course...
...to work out the details with me
as to how we link the satellites?
Yes, he would be ready.
Before that,
what would you have designed
your striking power to be?
Sixteen rockets, each carryng
mega-tonnage, the same as yourown.
That gives us a billion plus.
Theoretically.
Theoretically.
I give the floor
to the first speaker on my list,
a representative of Canada.
We have information thata
disturbance of earthquake proportions
has occurred somewhere in Siberia.
I believe that all of us here
are aware of that fact.
Would the Russian delegate tell us
what was the cause of the disturbance?
Mr President,
we would like to request a recess
while we consult further
with our government.
At my next mark,
it will be 2300.
- We are in test number 36.
- Good morning.
- Did you get any sleep last night?
- A couple of hours. You?
I played gin rummy and lost.
What's the Russian girl like?
Very nice, very brightand forget it.
I missed you.
...approaching X plus six minutes
on the attitude control test
and all station monitors are green.
With compliments.
I had them strip your bed
and puton some proper sheets.
- That's kind.
- I've got some decent soap,
because using the stuff here
is like washing your hands with a rock.
- Thank you. That's a pretty scarf.
- Thank you.
Will Jim Jackson
report to the security office.
His hours are confused.
- How about you?
- Oh, I'm all right.
System analysis team
will review power problems
at 0800 tomorrow in conference room.
- Should I wake him?
- Let him sleep. Have some coffe.
Commands for attitude
control updates programmed In Hercules.
How long have you been with him?
I've known him for ten years.
But I've only worked with him for five.
Why did you choose astrophysics?
- It chose me.
- How?
I was a telephone operator
at a centre for controller flight
in a cosmodrome
by Kannur in Middle Asia.
I knew your language
because when I was a child
my mother kept
giving me books in English
and telling me that one day
I would be grateful to her.
I suppose I am. Would you like one?
No, thanks. Go on.
Then, about ten years ago,
some British scientists came to Russia
to meet with some of our people.
Alexei Serich, our Sleeping Beauty,
needed someone to translate for him,
and they asked me.
His English voice.
When I finished,
he asked me to stay on with him
as interpreter and third assistant.
He was married to Olga Alekseevna then,
his firstwife.
- How many's he had?
- He's on his fourth.
He's sleeping alone now,
but just not very often.
You know,
it's very nice talking with you.
Thank you.
We've been talking for almost two days.
No. I've been talking
with you and Dubov.
I mean talking with "you", you.
- Very attractive.
- Thank you, again.
- Then...
- Then?
- Astrophysics.
- Oh!
Well, I realised
that space fascinated me.
Alexei Serich saw this
and he encouraged me.
He arranged for me to go to university.
And when I returned,
I was an astrophysicist.
- That's when I met my husband.
- Your husband?
He was a cosmonaut
We were together for three years.
And then he went
on an exploratory mission,
and he didn't come back.
And now? Is there anyone?
Nothing serious. Not really.
Dr Bradley,
Sir Michael is reporting on the monitor.
There are meteors over Central Europe.
Ah, Paul, the observatory
in Frascati is reporting.
There's a cluster big enough to track
coming in over Italy south of Pisa.
Speed of approach,
They've burnt up!
The clusters evaporated.
Frascati says that
not one of them got through.
The whole thing's been nothing more
than a gigantic fireworks display.
Thank you. That's the best news yet
We'll try and keep it that way.
Bradley!
I think we can assume
the emergency's over.
This one, and the emergency in general.
It's a pity the world's been sent
into a state of unnecessary panic.
There's your threat,
Dr Bradley, a fireworks display!
Tell this arsehole once and for all,
Orpheus will not burn up. It's too big!
We've got enough to deal with here.
We don't need any
additional aggravation from you!
Notone promise
of calamity has come true.
As far as I'm concerned,
not a single one will!
When common sense is restored
and the President has returned
the control of this centre to me,
I shall return to this centrel
He wishes to telephone
the Russian Embassy in Washington.
The USSR
is not unaware of the seriousness
of this situation.
We have, therefore, decided
to add to the power of Hercules
the considerable power
that we, ourselves, possess.
A satellite, developed before
the United States developed theirs.
But which we designed and constructed
for the purpose of defence
against possible disasters
such as the one confronting us now.
For that purpose only!
The USSR
will always support any exercise,
the primary object of which
is to the benefit of mankind.
- To Peter the Great.
- To the Russian cutting of red tape.
Peter the Great.
Dr Dubov would like to tell you
words he heard from a taxi driver
when he was last in America.
Walk the Dodgers!
Attitude correction complete.
Situation nominal.
This is Goldstone.
We have a realignment interrupt.
Realignment Interrupt. Copy.
Readjustment malfunction.
Deployment latch relay
on rocket three may he hung up.
We have to re-set.
Send back-up command
and update the guidance systems
to account for the delayed firing time.
Co-variance matrix
has been recalculated.
All Hercules
back-up systems are ready.
Attitude correction complete.
Situation nominal.
We wait till we see
the whites of its eyes.
It is eight hours since
a splinter struck the Swiss Alps.
Only now has the enormity
of what has happened begun to sink in.
There's never been anything like this.
Avalanches and storms
have destroyed whole villages,
but nothing on the scale of
what's here.
Help is coming from all over,
ambulances, helicopters,
rescue equipment and supplies.
Dead casualties are being taken
to churches and town halls.
Those still alive are rushed
to hospitals for resuscitation.
So many skiers and holiday-makers
here atthis time of year,
and many of them are unregistered.
There's no way of telling who they are.
Anyone who has reason to believe
that friends or relatives have been
in this area during the last weeks
should go immediately
to the Swiss emergency offices
that have been opened up
in Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich.
The tragedy has been heightened
by the loss of 12,000 contestants
in the cross-country marathon, which
started an hour before the splinter hit.
The cameraman and crew who shot
this film left the area by helicopter
only minutes before the disaster.
In the minds of people everywhere,
the question is,
where next and what about
the big one due on Sunday,
closing on Earth
at 30,000 miles an hour?
We can only hope,
as the President of the United States
has assured us,
that we are in safe hands.
This is Osman Ragheb In Zurich,
returning you
to the ABC Studios In New York.
My God.
As simply as you can, Mr Sherwood.,
what's the procedure now?
The satellites are orbiting
with Earth 22,500 miles out in space.
Since they are in different orbits,
and in order for them
to reach the target together,
they will have to be fired
at different times.
Peter the Great first,
and then 40 minutes later, Hercules.
Two hours after that, they will explode
at a designated distance
from the target.
Can anything go wrong?
Well...
...once the rockets have been launched,
they switch over to their own
internal decision-making systems.
If these systems perform perfectly,
there's no problem.
But if there's a malfunction...
What are the odds?
Mr President, you know
we've neverdone this before.
The odds?
Your guess is as good as mine.
If you fail?
The meteor will hit Earth
two hours later.
Hit It Mr Sherwood..
Get rid of it.
- What is it? What's happened?
- Oh, nothing.
Nothing. I just wondered
if you'd taken time to eat.
Yes, I, uh, had some coffe.
That will only make you nervous.
You will do better with food.
You're absolutely right
Let's go eat. That's a pretty scarf.
Thank you.
How many children do you have?
Two. A boy and a girl.
- How do you know I'm married?
- I asked Mr Sherwood..
He also told me that you
and your wife are... separated?
I'll have a talk with Mr Sherwood..
I hope you don't mind
that I asked him about you.
No. I would have asked Dr Dubov
about you, but my Russian's limited.
- Like some coffe?
- No, thank you.
What else you want to know?
It would be too rude to ask.
Ask what you like.
Why are you and your wife separated?
Nothing specific.
It uh, just happened. It's, uh...
No more talks,
no more interests together.
It's what we here in America
call, uh, "incompatibility".
That's what we call it in Russia.
Yeah. That sounds about right.
- Ever thought of living elsewhere?
- No.
- Not often.
- Sometimes?
Well...
You'd like it here.
We've got everything.
Powercuts, strikes, unemployment,
race riots and a terrific crime rate.
Yamashiro on the Hong Kong monitor
reporting another splinter.
Yes, Clark?
We've just received a transmission
from a TWA jet over the Pacific.
There was an explosion at sea,
heavy enough to knock out two engines.
The plane's heading for Taiwan.
They've reported a tidal wave, 100 feet
high, heading towards Hong Kong.
Radar contact with the wave establishes
height stabilised at 100 feet
Speed is constant 600 miles an hour.
Fifteen minutes before it hits us.
- Can you hear it?
- Yes! Get out of there.
It's no use. Get the big one, Paul.
Get it.
Fifteen minutes from now
the Russian rockets will be launched.
Forty minutes after, our own rockets
will be sent to join them.
They will strike the meteor,
sending it into a harmless orbit
nevermore to menace Earth.
It is Sunday.
Stay in your homes.
Have faith.
There is nothing we can do but wait
We will let you know
when the danger has passed.
Launch director says go.
We've been cleared to launch.
- Clear...
- Roger... Standby for clear release.
Clear. Release on time.
You copy? Clear. Release was on?
- Autopilot light on.
- Thank you.
Thirty seconds and counting.
Twenty-five seconds.
Zero-six-one-four...
Twenty seconds.
Engines start.
Fifteen seconds.
Engines have started.
Ten seconds.
Seven, six, five,
four... three...
Ignition. Blast-off!
No problems.
We are on our way.
Miss Donskaya?
Would you please be good enough to
convey my congratulations to Dr Dubov?
My apologies, Bradley.
I was very wrong.
- If there's anything i can do...
- Thank you.
I'll be in my office ifyou need me.
Hercules
launch minus three minutes.
All stations report on readiness.
Power operating at correct levels.
Engine parameters all OK.
Hercules targeted correctly...
Ground facilities have
conformation Hercules has received
and stored the launch command.
- Yes, Sir Michael?
- I've got some serious news.
- I'd like a word with Dr Bradley.
- Yes, sir.
Dr Bradley?
Sir Michael would like to talk to you.
We've picked up another splinter.
- A big one.
- Direction?
The United States.
- The eastern seaboard.
- You mean us?
- Near enough.
- Due when?
Just about now.
Can you advance Hercules?
No way.
Stand by.
Coming up
on 90 seconds and counting. Stand by.
Mark, 90 seconds.
We wait
We don't fire, and we go out of action.
The Russian rockets aren't enough.
We wait
Clear. Release on time.
Copy?
Clear. Release was on time.
- 55 seconds.
- Thank you.
Auto pilot light on.
Forty seconds and counting.
Thirty seconds and counting.
Twenty seconds.
Seven, six, five,
four...
Ignition.
- God!
- Somebody help me.
Somebody help Manheim.
- You all right?
- I'm all right
But I..I think...
- Let's go.
- Don'tworry.
- Help me, please.
- Take a look
This is Ops Chief Goldstone
reporting to Houston.
Motor burns on all rocket engines
for both satellites appear nominal.
Easton again. The situation is A-1.
All rockets functional.
We'll relay Information.
There's been no contact from New York.
Have you heard?
Nothing from the centre.
The rest of the city's in shambles.
No way.
Dr Bradley, vould you come here, please?
Listen, everybody.
Listen carefully.
The exit from the canteen
has been blocked.
We can get out through the support room.
We'll need flashlights.
You head up the lead.
I'll pick up the stragglers.
Everybody head for the subway tunnel.
Have you got batteries
forthe flashlight?
Here, take this one.
Just take this flashlight.
Come on.
The rest of you stay where you are.
Chanhel five of Peter the Great
indicates number 4 and 7 rockets
have malfunctioned.
Goldstone tracking reports
Peter the Great has lost two.
- How bad is that?
- There's a safety margin of five.
After the rockets join up, they'll
attack the meteor in three waves.
Time to impact 35 minutes, 42 seconds.
- Can we go through?
- Yes.
It's OK butthere's a subway car
blocking the tunnel.
Get the others.
It'll be all right
Harry, the river's breaking through!
Through that car!
Hurry up!
This way, through the car!
Hurry up. Through the car.
Help!
That way!
Come on, come on!
Oh, my God.
It's no use. Get in.
You OK?
Come on.
Come on!
Come on. Fourteen minutes till impact
Fourteen minutes.
Ten degrees.
We're losing one from Hercules.
Time to impact?
Thirteen minutes, 29 seconds.
What was that?
He said one day you will come to Moscow
and you will see a clean subway.
One day I'll take him up on that
How long?
Three minutes.
Two minutes, 50 seconds.
Tracking stations report no more loss.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Helicopters over
the city report tremendous damage.
All local radio and television stations
are not functioning.
Here at WADW in New Jersey, we'll keep
you informed throughout the day.
Any second now.
We're interrupting
our coverage to bring an announcement
just received from Houston.
Three minutes ago at 10.38,
the combined rockets
of the United States and the USSR
struck the meteor, which has
for five days been coming towards us.
The danger is passed.
Quiet down, everybody.
Listen, listen.
With the compliments of the Dodgers.
Dodgers.
Baseball.
Boris J. -jambrob.
Limitless and timeless.
Filled with cosmic explosions
and endless turbulence.
An infinite playground
forthat occasional blazing visitor,
the comet.
At first comets terrified man.
He thought they were signals
of impending catastrophe.
But he got used to them
and he gave names to them
and waited for them
to drop by like old friends.
This one has come from behind the sun,
moving across the heavens
at 108.000 miles an hour,
and has neverbefore
been seen by man.
The asteroid belt.
A vast junkyard
of metal and rock orbiting the sun
between Jupiter and Mars.
Thousands of fragments,
some as small as a fist
some as large as a city.
And amongst these Orpheus.
Twenty miles In diameterand undisturbed
forcountless generations...
...until now.
Give me the horn.
What do you want?
- Is Dr Paul Bradley aboard?
- Who's asking?
I've gotorders from NASA
to bring in Dr Paul Bradley.
Is he aboard? This is an emergency.
So's this. We're tryng to win a race.
We're going to have
to cutacross your bow.
All right goddammit. We're coming in!
Mr Sherwood told me to get you off
the boat and on your way to Houston.
There's a special jet for you.
- You would've cutacross my bow?
- Yes, sir.
I would've rammed you.
And gone straigh tto the bottom, sir.
Don't go away. I could be right back.
Dr Bradley,
it's good to see you again.
Good to see you again.
- You owe me $10.
- I do?
- I got my handicap down to 12.
- No wonder it's good to see me again.
- Yes?
- Bradley's here.
Good. Send him In.
It's yours. Mr Sherwood..
Oh, good to see you. Come in, come in.
- Sorry to do this to you.
- Not at all.
Yes, I did that I called Helen
and asked her to send your clothes.
Hello? Mr Sherwood.'s office.
I, uh...
I didn't know that you and she were...
- You've met General Easton.
- Once, in Washington.
- Good of you to come.
- Sam Mason, CAP commander.
Peter Watson, our flight director.
Put that down
and let me fix you a small Scotch.
A large one.
- Good.
- We could all use one, I think.
Why don'twe sit around the table?
Take your coat off.
- How big is your boat?
- Fifty-two feet
An awful lot's been happening here,
Paul. And none of it good.
Harry, I left NASA five years ago.
- Why am I back?
- Let me tell you.
Gentlemen, help yourselves.
Seven days ago, Palomar Observatory
reported the discovery of a new comet.
- General.
- Thank you.
Nothing unusual in that
They spot nine or ten every year,
either themselves
or other observatories.
But... it's where this one
seemed to be going.
- The asteroid belt.
- Go on.
When they called me, it was a couple
of hundred thousand miles from the belt.
Challenger II, our space probe to Mars,
was in the vicinity.
General Easton's son,
Tom, was commanding.
We got in touch with them,
and then we...
I...
...changed their programme.
That was last Friday.
Challenger II,
do you read me?
We read you.
How do you feel
about making a slight detour?
Anything to break the monotony.
Whatdo you call slight?
Two days, four hours and 32 minutes.
What happens to our schedule?
Don't concern yourself, Tom.
We'll take care of everything.
- Mars will have to wait.
- Whatever you say.
- Where are we going?
- The asteroid belt.
- What for?
- A Comet's about to go through it.
- They go through all the time.
- It's a first for this one.
It was wrenched out of orbit
by Jupiter's gravitational pull.
- How big is this comet?
- 480 kilometres in diameter,
which makes its nucleus large enough
to do real damage if it hits anything.
It's headed straight toward Orpheus,
the big one in the centre.
Where do we park?
Park alongside Vesta,
about 25,000 kilometres this side.
You'll be there three hours
before the comet.
We want all the information you can
give us on size and orbital elements.
- Take a few pictures?
- A lot of pictures.
We've already started things down here.
You'll change course in five minutes.
- Is my old man with ya?
- He's here.
- Tell him hello.
- Will do.
As I said before, that was last Friday.
Yesterday, Sunday morning,
at 1100 hours,
they started to pull up alongside Vesta.
- We got it?
- Yes, we've got it
- Can you zoom in on Orpheus for us?
- Can do.
Beautiful.
- Let's have some information.
- I'll take some measurements.
For the next hour and a half,
they read the belt for us.
Then what we were waiting for
finally appeared.
Magnetic field measuring zero.
It'll go straight through like salt.
It's gonna hit it!
- Get away from there.
- It's coming apart in a million pieces!
I don't think I can ever forgive myself.
- I should have figured...
- No guilt Harry.
- We'd all have given the same orders.
- Who knows about this?
Nobody at the moment.
We'll have put out a release
right after this meeting.
Why am I here?
A chunk of Orpheus is heading
towards Earth, a pretty big one.
There are a lot of little pieces
with it and in front of it
It's the big one we're worried about
The figures haven't been worked out,
but six days from now we could be hit.
- We have to be prepared.
- That's why we put Hercules up there.
Will you let me finish?
I've convened a meeting at NASA
headquarters in Washington fortomorrow.
Lucas, Steinberg, Fillmore,
others you know will be there.
I want you to come to that meeting.
- I'll come to your meeting.
- We appreciate it Paul.
I've delayed a flight
You're leaving in one hour.
Up-to-date material on Hercules.
Something to read.
Your hotel room has been booked.
Gladys has yourexpense arrangements.
Why don't you stick a broom up my arse?
I vould sweep the carpet on the way out.
Haven't changed, have you?
See you in the morning.
The Coast Guard towed
Rob Samuelson to harbour...
Among the other nine who failed
to finish was Dr Peterson's Maverick,
who was disqualified
for crossing the line prior to start.
John Slabin's Mary Bee collided
with Arnold Parker's Swan.
Both suffered
sufficient damage to withdraw.
The big surprise
was Paul Bradley's Blithe Spirit,
which withdrew for no apparent reason
early in the race.
John Dunning
had a running battle with...
- Hello.
- it's late, I wanted to...
Paul. Where are you?
Why aren't you on the boat?
Uh, Washington.
- How are the kids?
- Jimmy's gota cold.
And Julie's bound to get it
and we're still fighting about homework.
Apart from that, they're fine.
- What are you doing in Washington?
- I'm not sure yet
I was phoning
to let you know where I am.
How are you?
Oh... Not bad, you know.
- Paul?
- Tell the kids I love them.
A chunk of Orpheus
is heading towards Earth.
A big one. There are a lot of little
pieces with it and in front of it.
But it's the big one
we're worried about.
The figures haven't been worked out,
but six days from now we could he hit.
Sorry I'm late.
You and everybody else.
- Let me tell you about that
- Either we're in the wrong room,
or a lot of brainpower's lost.
Nobody else is coming.
- Lucas, Fillmore, Steinberg?
- I didn't ask them.
- Why not?
- You know why not
Because we don't need them!
You. You originated Hercules.
Out itout, Paul. I know how you feel.
- Dredging up old...
- I'm dredging up nothing.
- I can taste it right now.
- Now, look.
It wasn't my decision
to turn Hercules...
- Into what?
- Will you listen to me?
It wasn't designed as a nuclear weapon,
with 14 warheads pointed at Russia.
- Not only Russia.
- Or China. Whatever else!
Those rockets were supposed
to point outwards, not in!
They were meant to defend us
against the threat we're facing now.
- Didn't I yell at them?
- Yeah.
- Didn't I stand up for you?
- Yes.
Then listen to me!
Will you listen to me?
That meteor's five miles wide
and it's definitely gonna hit us!
It would make a hole big enough
to put the Atlantic in.
Shit Five miles.
Now walk out!
And General Adlon? Isn't he in charge?
Adlon's a good man, technically.
But he's two-dimensional.
You know that.
We've got to find a way
to move him out.
That's problem number one.
Problem number two,
there are about 100 guys
stupid enough to resist using Hercules
because of what
it would mean politically.
- What am I supposed to do?
- Help me ride over them.
OK you son of a bitch. I'll help,
but i want it straight up and down.
You've got my word.
Those rockets have got to be realigned
and we've got exactly five days.
I hope no one has been so foolish
to contact the Russians about all this.
It would be inadvisable...
No one would think of doing that
without your approval, Mr Secretary.
You can be sure they know all
there is to know about the meteor.
They don't know
what we're planning to do.
What we're discussing.
I hope it's still discussion.
General Adlon, I assure you
that no decisions have been made.
That's what this meeting's
been called for, to decide what to do.
You're in charge of Project Hercules.
If the result of this meeting
is to make use...
There's nothing else.
The only thing we've got is Hercules.
Dammit Hercules is not up there either,
as far as anybody but we are concerned.
It's got to stay that way.
We have never admitted to Hercules.
- If we admit to it now...
- We have to!
You can't keep the whole world
in the dark about what's going on.
Once they know that a five-mile hunk
of rock is gonna hit at 30,000 mph,
people will want to know
whatwe intend to do about it.
You're gonna tell the entire world
we have nuclear rockets out there
in direct contradiction to every
international agreement we've ever made?
That's an invitation to being called
liars and warmongers by every...
It's
international murder if we don't!
What do you wantto do?
You want to meet it
with BB guns and slingshots?
Please! Gentlemen!
Dr Bradley, would you please
tell us what would happen
if this meteor struck us?
A massive rock, one mile wide,
travelling at 30,000 miles per hour,
would cause a crater 50 miles across
and five miles deep.
Orpheus is five miles wide.
Its striking force is equal to...
...2,500,000 megatons of TNT.
That is ten orders of magnitude
above the largest earthquake
ever recorded.
It would throw into the
atmosphere five billion tons of earth,
and reduce solar radiation
for decades to come.
It could cause another Ice Age.
What if the thing doesn't hit?
There's some chance.
- Every scientific facility...
- You have been wrong!
You were wrong
to send Challenger II off its course!
I don't have to listen to this!
Please!
You're out of order!
At ease, gentlemen.
Dr Bradley, where are you going?
I need air.
I don't give a damn what Russia says
about America or vice versa!
I told you what's gonna happen
when that meteor hits!
If you think you can prevent it
by burying your heads
under a blanket of shit fine.
If you reach a decision,
I'll be in the bar across the street.
I'll have to discuss this
at the White House.
In time,
because there's damn little time.
We are now
going to replay a recording
of a broadcast made
by them earlier today.
The British Cabinet met to discuss the
announcement by Jodrell Bank Observatory
that a piece of an asteroid
knocked out of orbit by a comet
is on possible collision course
with Earth.
In less than a week, this
giant object could strike our planet,
causing untold damage
and great loss of life.
The Prime Minister is in consultation
with the American President...
Put the game on!
...and volunteered every assistance
the government can give.
We consider it deplorable
that the American people
should he dependent on the BBC
to supply us with facts
that we have a right to know.
I consider it deplorable
I don't have a drink.
- Yes, sir?
- Scotch.
- A large one.
- A large one.
What happened?
They're calling the President.
What if he says no?
A couple of years ago,
my son, Andy, started to complain
about pains in his stomach.
All the junk food kids eat,
I wasn't a bit surprised.
But he kept on complaining.
I had a talk with Miriam
and we decided to take him to a doctor.
Just for an opinion, you understand.
Appendicitis, the doctor said.
Miriam said, "Let's wait till tomorrow.
The pain will go away. "
You know my Miriam. She can't
stand the thought of an operation.
That night when she went to bed,
she cried herself to sleep.
I went and picked him up
and took him to a hospital.
Six hours later his appendix was out,
he was feeling better,
and Miriam... Miriam was all smiles.
You get my point?
Yeah.
How do you sneak me into a position
where I can fire nuclear warheads
without Miriam knowng?
I'll do it,
if I can't do it any other way.
Is there a Mr Sherwood. here?
- Yeah, that's me.
- Telephone, right through there.
Thanks.
Mr Secretary, I'd rather not call back
I'd appreciate it if you held on.
Yes, Dr Bradley is checking out
the information to verify.
Yes, sir, I do think it's urgent.
- No, sir. Paul.
- In a minute.
It's coming up now, sir.
- What do I tell him?
- How good is his health?
- Confirmed?
- Confirmed. Hercules is light.
Mr Secretary, it's been confirmed.
So, what you're telling me is that...
...even if we admit to Hercules
and I give you my permission
to realign the rockets,
we still need more firepower?
More nuclear mega-tonnage?
More rockets?
That's right Mr President.
- Mr Secretary, do we have more rockets?
- Not in space, sir.
What are we supposed to do,
conjure them out of air?
Mr President, would you confirm
what I'm about to say?
The Russians have their own equivalent
of Hercules out in space.
True or not true?
True.
Mr President, we need
the combined power of theirs and ours.
- They'll never admit it
- We'll make them.
- How?
- General Adlon,
for the time being,
until this crisis is resolved,
I am putting Dr Bradley in charge
of Operation Hercules.
I rely on you to give him
every aid and assistance.
- I hope I'm public-spirited enough...
- I'm sure you are.
Listen, I think I have a solution
to this problem.
- Where will you be this evening?
- We're flying to New York.
Make sure you hear
my broadcast at 8.00.
That's all, gentlemen. Thank you.
You'll ask
what steps have been taken
to make sure that this meteor
never comes near the Earth's surface.
I'm happy to tell you that realising
that such an emergency
as this could arise,
your government,
in collaboration with the best
scientific brains at its disposal,
developed a project
to deal with this emergency.
That project has been named Hercules.
What is Hercules?
Hercules is an armed,
orbiting satellite
its nuclear weaponry
aimed toward outerspace.
Right name. Wrong direction.
What can Hercules do?
It can send, at the press of a botton,
enough power to destroy any foreign body
on a collision course with our planet.
But, in this case,
a special circumstance has arisen.
The meteor is of such size and velocity
that even this powerful weapon...
...cannot do the job entirely.
Fortunately, the Russians, with
the same foresight that we possessed,
mounted their own defence weapon.
We do not know what the Russians
have called their weapon,
but we know it exists.
And we are going to ask them to
combine their nuclear power with ours,
so that together we will
be able to deal with the meteor,
to strike it with irresistible force
and to end forever
its potential danger to us all.
I will, myself,
be speaking with the Russians
Immediately after
I finish this broadcast.
- The game is on.
- Good night.
And God bless you.
Hello?
- Do you have a pass for Dr Bradley?
- Good morning, sir.
- General Adlon come in yet?
- Half an hour ago.
- How far down?
- Right next to an old subway station,
a section that runs under the Hudson.
It made it easy for us to bring
the equipment in and it saved millions.
Why not some sensible place,
like Houston?
Mm-mmm.
This has easy access to a total
telecommunications set-up above us.
Nobody in their right minds
would put their most important
emergency striking power
under the busiest city in the world.
This is Dr Bradley.
Can I see your pass, sir?
Would you mind signing it sir?
Thank you.
Command to Internal.
Central Control, call 8-1-2-4.
General Adlon, most impressive.
Thank you. A message for you.
Normally we work with 25, but since it's
an emergency i brought in the full crew.
Good news.
The Russians are coming.
I consider allowing the Russians
to come into this centre a grave error,
which one day the United States
may bitterly regret.
- I'd like to meet the staff.
- Of course.
General, may I use your office
for a moment?
Certainly. This way.
This is our chief technician,
Rolf Manheim.
- Rolf.
- Dr Bradley.
You have been teaching my nephew at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Ben Manheim.
- Yes.
He's a bright boy.
He'll be teaching me in a couple years.
All stations give status now.
This is our trajectory analysis officer,
Jan Watkins.
- Hello.
- I suppose you're tied into 1180?
No. At 360,
with a custom-designed memory.
Like I said, I'll be asking you
and your computer a lot of questions.
- We'll give you prompt answers.
- Triple-checked.
My assistant, Alan Marshall.
Dr Bradley, I've got Sir Michael Hughes
from the Jodrell Bank Observatory.
He'd like a word with you.
Excuse me.
I'm Bill Hunter, in charge of tracking.
What else are you linked with?
Hong Kong, Arecibo and New South Wales.
- Good morning, Michael.
- Good evening, Paul.
I didn't expect to see you
until Wimbledon.
Assuming there'll be a Wimbledon.
What have you got?
Expect the first splinters in 24 hours.
Doubtful if we can track them unless
they're in clusters. We'll do our best.
- Anything else?
- No. I just wanted to make contact.
We'll keep in constant touch.
Until then.
Paul, the Russian astrophysicist
you asked for?
- Dr Dubov?
- He's arriving at 7.30 this evening.
Dr Dubov, are we glad to see you here!
Thank you.
Twenty-two, 47, colon, 56 point 55.
He assumes this is an accurate
representation of the satellite.
Or is the direction
of the rocket just accidental?
I am not prepared
to volunteer strategic information.
- Is that what I said?
- Yes, sir.
- Please.
- Thank you.
What striking power does it carry?
I'd prefer you got that
from Dr Bradley.
Good morning.
Fourteen rockets,
each carryng a 100 megaton bomb.
Welcome to New York Dr Dubov.
- Everything in duplicate?
- It's a procedure.
How else do we know we're
being interpreted properly?
I think we could all start
by trusting each other.
Otherwise, what's the point?
If it's a matter of choosing,
I'll take the pretty one.
The pretty one
is Tatiana Nikolaevna Donskaya.
- Did I say it right?
- Very good.
Astrophysicist
and Dr Dubov's English voice.
- How do you do?
- How do you do?
The captain
is General Adlon's Russian voice.
- Sir.
- Hi.
Since it appears we are redundant here,
if you'll excuse us.
Mr Sherwood.,
I'd like to see you outside.
I'll see if I can't calm him down.
He thinks General Adlon
is not pleased to see him.
- I know this is difficult for you...
- Mr Sherwood!
I spoke to the Secretary of Defence,
who seems more aware
of the complexity of the situation.
- But...
- His orders are, and I quote,
"No change in the direction of rockets
until the Russians admit they've got
their own and agree to realign them. "
- Is that understood?
- Look.
Why don't you Xerox
pass them out among
then organise
By that time the meteor will have hit
and we won't have any more problems.
He doesn't mean to criticise,
but you will not find it easy
to hit a meteor
with your warheads
pointing toward the USSR.
We call ours Hercules.
What do you call yours?
How can one give a name
to that which does not exist.
Then who put up this thing
called Peter the Great
its warheads pointing
at the United States?
Chinese, perhaps.
Dr Dubov, we've gota slight problem.
If Peter the Great does not exist,
we are out of business.
But if it does exist,
I'd have to know what weapons
it would be carryng...
...where it was...
...and what frequencies we would
have to use to align it with Hercules.
Now, for purposes of discussion only...
He understands
the importance of your questions.
If he had been involved in construction
of such an illegal weapon...
...he could then, of course,
theoretically, answer those questions.
Then would you be prepared,
theoretically, of course...
...to work out the details with me
as to how we link the satellites?
Yes, he would be ready.
Before that,
what would you have designed
your striking power to be?
Sixteen rockets, each carryng
mega-tonnage, the same as yourown.
That gives us a billion plus.
Theoretically.
Theoretically.
I give the floor
to the first speaker on my list,
a representative of Canada.
We have information thata
disturbance of earthquake proportions
has occurred somewhere in Siberia.
I believe that all of us here
are aware of that fact.
Would the Russian delegate tell us
what was the cause of the disturbance?
Mr President,
we would like to request a recess
while we consult further
with our government.
At my next mark,
it will be 2300.
- We are in test number 36.
- Good morning.
- Did you get any sleep last night?
- A couple of hours. You?
I played gin rummy and lost.
What's the Russian girl like?
Very nice, very brightand forget it.
I missed you.
...approaching X plus six minutes
on the attitude control test
and all station monitors are green.
With compliments.
I had them strip your bed
and puton some proper sheets.
- That's kind.
- I've got some decent soap,
because using the stuff here
is like washing your hands with a rock.
- Thank you. That's a pretty scarf.
- Thank you.
Will Jim Jackson
report to the security office.
His hours are confused.
- How about you?
- Oh, I'm all right.
System analysis team
will review power problems
at 0800 tomorrow in conference room.
- Should I wake him?
- Let him sleep. Have some coffe.
Commands for attitude
control updates programmed In Hercules.
How long have you been with him?
I've known him for ten years.
But I've only worked with him for five.
Why did you choose astrophysics?
- It chose me.
- How?
I was a telephone operator
at a centre for controller flight
in a cosmodrome
by Kannur in Middle Asia.
I knew your language
because when I was a child
my mother kept
giving me books in English
and telling me that one day
I would be grateful to her.
I suppose I am. Would you like one?
No, thanks. Go on.
Then, about ten years ago,
some British scientists came to Russia
to meet with some of our people.
Alexei Serich, our Sleeping Beauty,
needed someone to translate for him,
and they asked me.
His English voice.
When I finished,
he asked me to stay on with him
as interpreter and third assistant.
He was married to Olga Alekseevna then,
his firstwife.
- How many's he had?
- He's on his fourth.
He's sleeping alone now,
but just not very often.
You know,
it's very nice talking with you.
Thank you.
We've been talking for almost two days.
No. I've been talking
with you and Dubov.
I mean talking with "you", you.
- Very attractive.
- Thank you, again.
- Then...
- Then?
- Astrophysics.
- Oh!
Well, I realised
that space fascinated me.
Alexei Serich saw this
and he encouraged me.
He arranged for me to go to university.
And when I returned,
I was an astrophysicist.
- That's when I met my husband.
- Your husband?
He was a cosmonaut
We were together for three years.
And then he went
on an exploratory mission,
and he didn't come back.
And now? Is there anyone?
Nothing serious. Not really.
Dr Bradley,
Sir Michael is reporting on the monitor.
There are meteors over Central Europe.
Ah, Paul, the observatory
in Frascati is reporting.
There's a cluster big enough to track
coming in over Italy south of Pisa.
Speed of approach,
They've burnt up!
The clusters evaporated.
Frascati says that
not one of them got through.
The whole thing's been nothing more
than a gigantic fireworks display.
Thank you. That's the best news yet
We'll try and keep it that way.
Bradley!
I think we can assume
the emergency's over.
This one, and the emergency in general.
It's a pity the world's been sent
into a state of unnecessary panic.
There's your threat,
Dr Bradley, a fireworks display!
Tell this arsehole once and for all,
Orpheus will not burn up. It's too big!
We've got enough to deal with here.
We don't need any
additional aggravation from you!
Notone promise
of calamity has come true.
As far as I'm concerned,
not a single one will!
When common sense is restored
and the President has returned
the control of this centre to me,
I shall return to this centrel
He wishes to telephone
the Russian Embassy in Washington.
The USSR
is not unaware of the seriousness
of this situation.
We have, therefore, decided
to add to the power of Hercules
the considerable power
that we, ourselves, possess.
A satellite, developed before
the United States developed theirs.
But which we designed and constructed
for the purpose of defence
against possible disasters
such as the one confronting us now.
For that purpose only!
The USSR
will always support any exercise,
the primary object of which
is to the benefit of mankind.
- To Peter the Great.
- To the Russian cutting of red tape.
Peter the Great.
Dr Dubov would like to tell you
words he heard from a taxi driver
when he was last in America.
Walk the Dodgers!
Attitude correction complete.
Situation nominal.
This is Goldstone.
We have a realignment interrupt.
Realignment Interrupt. Copy.
Readjustment malfunction.
Deployment latch relay
on rocket three may he hung up.
We have to re-set.
Send back-up command
and update the guidance systems
to account for the delayed firing time.
Co-variance matrix
has been recalculated.
All Hercules
back-up systems are ready.
Attitude correction complete.
Situation nominal.
We wait till we see
the whites of its eyes.
It is eight hours since
a splinter struck the Swiss Alps.
Only now has the enormity
of what has happened begun to sink in.
There's never been anything like this.
Avalanches and storms
have destroyed whole villages,
but nothing on the scale of
what's here.
Help is coming from all over,
ambulances, helicopters,
rescue equipment and supplies.
Dead casualties are being taken
to churches and town halls.
Those still alive are rushed
to hospitals for resuscitation.
So many skiers and holiday-makers
here atthis time of year,
and many of them are unregistered.
There's no way of telling who they are.
Anyone who has reason to believe
that friends or relatives have been
in this area during the last weeks
should go immediately
to the Swiss emergency offices
that have been opened up
in Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich.
The tragedy has been heightened
by the loss of 12,000 contestants
in the cross-country marathon, which
started an hour before the splinter hit.
The cameraman and crew who shot
this film left the area by helicopter
only minutes before the disaster.
In the minds of people everywhere,
the question is,
where next and what about
the big one due on Sunday,
closing on Earth
at 30,000 miles an hour?
We can only hope,
as the President of the United States
has assured us,
that we are in safe hands.
This is Osman Ragheb In Zurich,
returning you
to the ABC Studios In New York.
My God.
As simply as you can, Mr Sherwood.,
what's the procedure now?
The satellites are orbiting
with Earth 22,500 miles out in space.
Since they are in different orbits,
and in order for them
to reach the target together,
they will have to be fired
at different times.
Peter the Great first,
and then 40 minutes later, Hercules.
Two hours after that, they will explode
at a designated distance
from the target.
Can anything go wrong?
Well...
...once the rockets have been launched,
they switch over to their own
internal decision-making systems.
If these systems perform perfectly,
there's no problem.
But if there's a malfunction...
What are the odds?
Mr President, you know
we've neverdone this before.
The odds?
Your guess is as good as mine.
If you fail?
The meteor will hit Earth
two hours later.
Hit It Mr Sherwood..
Get rid of it.
- What is it? What's happened?
- Oh, nothing.
Nothing. I just wondered
if you'd taken time to eat.
Yes, I, uh, had some coffe.
That will only make you nervous.
You will do better with food.
You're absolutely right
Let's go eat. That's a pretty scarf.
Thank you.
How many children do you have?
Two. A boy and a girl.
- How do you know I'm married?
- I asked Mr Sherwood..
He also told me that you
and your wife are... separated?
I'll have a talk with Mr Sherwood..
I hope you don't mind
that I asked him about you.
No. I would have asked Dr Dubov
about you, but my Russian's limited.
- Like some coffe?
- No, thank you.
What else you want to know?
It would be too rude to ask.
Ask what you like.
Why are you and your wife separated?
Nothing specific.
It uh, just happened. It's, uh...
No more talks,
no more interests together.
It's what we here in America
call, uh, "incompatibility".
That's what we call it in Russia.
Yeah. That sounds about right.
- Ever thought of living elsewhere?
- No.
- Not often.
- Sometimes?
Well...
You'd like it here.
We've got everything.
Powercuts, strikes, unemployment,
race riots and a terrific crime rate.
Yamashiro on the Hong Kong monitor
reporting another splinter.
Yes, Clark?
We've just received a transmission
from a TWA jet over the Pacific.
There was an explosion at sea,
heavy enough to knock out two engines.
The plane's heading for Taiwan.
They've reported a tidal wave, 100 feet
high, heading towards Hong Kong.
Radar contact with the wave establishes
height stabilised at 100 feet
Speed is constant 600 miles an hour.
Fifteen minutes before it hits us.
- Can you hear it?
- Yes! Get out of there.
It's no use. Get the big one, Paul.
Get it.
Fifteen minutes from now
the Russian rockets will be launched.
Forty minutes after, our own rockets
will be sent to join them.
They will strike the meteor,
sending it into a harmless orbit
nevermore to menace Earth.
It is Sunday.
Stay in your homes.
Have faith.
There is nothing we can do but wait
We will let you know
when the danger has passed.
Launch director says go.
We've been cleared to launch.
- Clear...
- Roger... Standby for clear release.
Clear. Release on time.
You copy? Clear. Release was on?
- Autopilot light on.
- Thank you.
Thirty seconds and counting.
Twenty-five seconds.
Zero-six-one-four...
Twenty seconds.
Engines start.
Fifteen seconds.
Engines have started.
Ten seconds.
Seven, six, five,
four... three...
Ignition. Blast-off!
No problems.
We are on our way.
Miss Donskaya?
Would you please be good enough to
convey my congratulations to Dr Dubov?
My apologies, Bradley.
I was very wrong.
- If there's anything i can do...
- Thank you.
I'll be in my office ifyou need me.
Hercules
launch minus three minutes.
All stations report on readiness.
Power operating at correct levels.
Engine parameters all OK.
Hercules targeted correctly...
Ground facilities have
conformation Hercules has received
and stored the launch command.
- Yes, Sir Michael?
- I've got some serious news.
- I'd like a word with Dr Bradley.
- Yes, sir.
Dr Bradley?
Sir Michael would like to talk to you.
We've picked up another splinter.
- A big one.
- Direction?
The United States.
- The eastern seaboard.
- You mean us?
- Near enough.
- Due when?
Just about now.
Can you advance Hercules?
No way.
Stand by.
Coming up
on 90 seconds and counting. Stand by.
Mark, 90 seconds.
We wait
We don't fire, and we go out of action.
The Russian rockets aren't enough.
We wait
Clear. Release on time.
Copy?
Clear. Release was on time.
- 55 seconds.
- Thank you.
Auto pilot light on.
Forty seconds and counting.
Thirty seconds and counting.
Twenty seconds.
Seven, six, five,
four...
Ignition.
- God!
- Somebody help me.
Somebody help Manheim.
- You all right?
- I'm all right
But I..I think...
- Let's go.
- Don'tworry.
- Help me, please.
- Take a look
This is Ops Chief Goldstone
reporting to Houston.
Motor burns on all rocket engines
for both satellites appear nominal.
Easton again. The situation is A-1.
All rockets functional.
We'll relay Information.
There's been no contact from New York.
Have you heard?
Nothing from the centre.
The rest of the city's in shambles.
No way.
Dr Bradley, vould you come here, please?
Listen, everybody.
Listen carefully.
The exit from the canteen
has been blocked.
We can get out through the support room.
We'll need flashlights.
You head up the lead.
I'll pick up the stragglers.
Everybody head for the subway tunnel.
Have you got batteries
forthe flashlight?
Here, take this one.
Just take this flashlight.
Come on.
The rest of you stay where you are.
Chanhel five of Peter the Great
indicates number 4 and 7 rockets
have malfunctioned.
Goldstone tracking reports
Peter the Great has lost two.
- How bad is that?
- There's a safety margin of five.
After the rockets join up, they'll
attack the meteor in three waves.
Time to impact 35 minutes, 42 seconds.
- Can we go through?
- Yes.
It's OK butthere's a subway car
blocking the tunnel.
Get the others.
It'll be all right
Harry, the river's breaking through!
Through that car!
Hurry up!
This way, through the car!
Hurry up. Through the car.
Help!
That way!
Come on, come on!
Oh, my God.
It's no use. Get in.
You OK?
Come on.
Come on!
Come on. Fourteen minutes till impact
Fourteen minutes.
Ten degrees.
We're losing one from Hercules.
Time to impact?
Thirteen minutes, 29 seconds.
What was that?
He said one day you will come to Moscow
and you will see a clean subway.
One day I'll take him up on that
How long?
Three minutes.
Two minutes, 50 seconds.
Tracking stations report no more loss.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Helicopters over
the city report tremendous damage.
All local radio and television stations
are not functioning.
Here at WADW in New Jersey, we'll keep
you informed throughout the day.
Any second now.
We're interrupting
our coverage to bring an announcement
just received from Houston.
Three minutes ago at 10.38,
the combined rockets
of the United States and the USSR
struck the meteor, which has
for five days been coming towards us.
The danger is passed.
Quiet down, everybody.
Listen, listen.
With the compliments of the Dodgers.
Dodgers.
Baseball.
Boris J. -jambrob.