I wonder if Helios can face legal repercussions for their refusal to help. The Astronaut Rescue Agreement from 1968 obliges all states that signed the agreement to provide all possible help to astronauts in danger even if they are outside of any state territory. Space is outside any state territory, the Soviet astronauts are in danger indeed and refusal to help them is clearly against the ARA, even if NASA is there to help too. OTOH the ARA was signed by states, not private corporations so Helios can argue they are not bound by the Agreement. But since Helios is registered in USA (and it probably is if Margo wanted it nationalized) is it not actually obliged to respect an international agreement made by the USA?
For All Mankind (AH Tv series at Apple TV)
- Thread starter Michel Van
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But Phoenix has much more space available for rescued cosmonauts. I think Helios ship could easily take both Soviet and NASA crews together. And it quite probably will...
The Helios ship also had a Mars lander thing that they could've detached off the Hotel and used as an ferry between the two Space ships to rescue the Soviet Cosmonauts while not putting the Space Hotel in any danger of the collision or something...
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Depends on what DV the lander can carry. How long we have until the intercept point with Mars-94. Then how long to reach the intercept point to the Phoenix. I know from my experience from launching multiple vehicles on a Earth Mars transfer using Kerbal that it possible to a mid course intercept with a low amount of delta-vee. But the time to intercept can be weeks or months out. There is a point beyond which where the closest point of intercept is Mars Orbit.
Anyway, I believe that Helios will suffer an enormous PR hit when the people hear that they not only refused to help other astronauts in danger, but they actually stopped Phoenix crew when they wanted to do it anyway. Helios seemed to believe they had a moral high ground over NASA and the Soviets (not a high bar here) but now they are just another greedy, ambitious corporation willing to let other people die to achieve their goal. NASA crew, who was willing to give up getting to Mars first to save lives will be seen as selfless heroes, especially after at least 1 of them died (probably 2, although I doubt the producers hired Tony Curren just for a few minutes of screentime, so there is a chance his character survives). And Helios' idea that private corporations should be a part of space colonization because they can do it as well as states or even better is now empty, because NASA will answer: just don't expect any help from those guys when you are in trouble.
Helios will argue that there were others able to help, but the public perception will not accept it, IMO.
The only saving grace for Helios will be for Phoenix to accept both the NASA and Soviet crews, which will probably happen, since Sojourner was hit by Mars-94. Besides, in trailers we saw all crews on Mars, and right now only Phoenix is actually able to get there. But Phoenix crew, especially Baldwin and Stevens (both trained Navy officers with maritime tradition of rescuing fellow sailors/astronauts deeply ingrained in their hearts) will be extremely pissed with their boss and they will not hide it. So Phoenix crew might avoid public rage, but Helios bosses will not.
Actually I'm beginning to think that Helios (well, their space mission) might actually get nationalized. At the very least they will be forced by US government (or public opinion) to cooperate with NASA and maybe even USSR to conduct the Mars mission together.
For All Mankind.
Helios will argue that there were others able to help, but the public perception will not accept it, IMO.
The only saving grace for Helios will be for Phoenix to accept both the NASA and Soviet crews, which will probably happen, since Sojourner was hit by Mars-94. Besides, in trailers we saw all crews on Mars, and right now only Phoenix is actually able to get there. But Phoenix crew, especially Baldwin and Stevens (both trained Navy officers with maritime tradition of rescuing fellow sailors/astronauts deeply ingrained in their hearts) will be extremely pissed with their boss and they will not hide it. So Phoenix crew might avoid public rage, but Helios bosses will not.
Actually I'm beginning to think that Helios (well, their space mission) might actually get nationalized. At the very least they will be forced by US government (or public opinion) to cooperate with NASA and maybe even USSR to conduct the Mars mission together.
For All Mankind.
I suspect that while the Phoenix is going to get to Mars orbit first, the Sojourner will probably be involved in something risky that will cause them to come in hot and hit the atmosphere first but hard (hence the Seven Minutes of Terror of the title), forcing Ed and crew will figure out how to regain control of their ship (likely via that malfunctioning component that was mention during the jog of the phoenix that feels like set-up for something) to mount a rescue of the Sojourners crew (because it's the right thing to do and because his freind and daughter are aboard) while mutiny forms amongst the Phoenix crew.
If someone of the Phoenix crew mutinies against saving Sojourner crew they can forget about going back to Earth. While in case of Mars-94 Phoenix or rather Helios has the excuse that the Soviets were being rescued by NASA, here it will be astronauts deliberately leaving other astronauts to die with noone else able to help them. If US government wouldn't prosecute the mutineers the press would crucify them, and FBI would roll a red carpet for KGB assasins sent after them.
I don't think Dev has a choice. Its very bad PR to not assist now. He's not Ahab(Mars as the white whale), so he will be forced to co-operate or face ruin. I'm sure the Phoenix crew has signed NDA's so any talk of first refusal to rescue will result in lawsuits. Hopefully the Phoenix will get a message and software update along the lines of Dev saying "Go get your daughter Ed". I mean the girl's Mother is in the same room not to mention her Dad commanding. Hopefully Dev will tell that young woman to shut the hell up when she protests his executive decision.
Also I hope the Soviets don't try to take over the US ship.
Also I hope the Soviets don't try to take over the US ship.
So going by the shots of Sojourner 1 and Mars-94 near each other during the rescue, it looks like they are about the same size at least length-wise, with Mars-94 being larger in other dimensions. Also, it looks like Mars-94 is carrying landers so I think we can confirm that unlike Sojourner 1, Mars-94 is not meant to land.
Some more speculation on my part. Either Phoenix will be used to get everyone home or it will stay in Mars orbit as a space station with the crew rebelling, or at least enough of it, against Helios and then NASA and the Soviet Union pledging to support the crew in part as an F you to Ayesha and to take advantage of the benefits a preposition space station with its own gravity in orbit of Mars brings. Incidentally means that Ayesha's goal of an independent economic zone is accomplished, possibly in orbit and on the ground, but with him having no control of either. Again speculation and honestly I have no idea as they have done a really good job of being surprising.
Some more speculation on my part. Either Phoenix will be used to get everyone home or it will stay in Mars orbit as a space station with the crew rebelling, or at least enough of it, against Helios and then NASA and the Soviet Union pledging to support the crew in part as an F you to Ayesha and to take advantage of the benefits a preposition space station with its own gravity in orbit of Mars brings. Incidentally means that Ayesha's goal of an independent economic zone is accomplished, possibly in orbit and on the ground, but with him having no control of either. Again speculation and honestly I have no idea as they have done a really good job of being surprising.
Apparently the “Lumberjack Girl” from Sixteen Candles now has something to do with this show......
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Added by @debbiepollack_ Instagram post Showed up on the Red Planet today. #forallmankind #actor #grateful #dreamcometrue - Picuki.com
Instagram post added by debbiepollack_ Showed up on the Red Planet today. #forallmankind #actor #grateful #dreamcometrue - Picuki.com
This was my EXACT reaction upon finishing the episode! When that face shield shatters and they go to black, I immediately groaned, thinking of how we'd have to wait a whole week to find out what happens next.
I also love how they bring the whipping cable back again, this time likely having it do to Tony Curran's Clarke Halladay what we all thought was going to happen to Danny at the end of episode 1.
Expat, I think you really nailed this look at Margo's motivations and how that has led to - in her mind at least - consistency, but what looks to us like some very unlikely choices.
ALSO, was it just me, or did Sergei get replaced as the head of the Soviet space agency? There was the clip after the solar sail deploys with the head of the Soviet agency complaining, and it was a woman, not Sergei. It made me wonder if, given how vague episode two was, maybe Margo didn't give the info to the Soviets. Sergei was killed, and the reason the Mars-94 engines overheated is because they didn't have the American plans after all.
I also found this to be an interesting - and totally plausible - flip of the script from what we are used to OTL. And it also plays into the previous episode with the campaign, and Clinton's debate comment about spending less on Mars and more on working-class Americans.
I also had a thought re: Ellen and Larry's sexuality. This is obviously the ticking time bomb that we are all waiting on. What if Ellen and her people find out about it in advance, and she decides to out herself instead of letting someone else does it, and she becomes a leader of the moderate GOP trying to push back on the social conservatives and turn the party in a different direction? Now obviously, this would be a total cluster, but I could see the writers going in that direction - Ellen finally choosing honesty. Now, Larry will likely loose his mind at this decision. I don't think he'd go for it.
Side note: did anyone else find it odd that the First Gentleman was in the meeting with the Speaker of the House? Obviously, the two have worked as a team for her political career, but that still seemed like an overreach for me. Granted, this is the first female president in the 90s, not 2020s, so I could maybe see it as a way to assuage some more old-fashioned members of the Government who don't want to work with a woman.
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Predictions for next week:
- Phoenix goes back to assist Sojourner 1 and the crew of Mars-94. I am on the fence about whether Halladay survives. I want him to, and someone made a good point that I doubt the show would have been able to get that actor for such a short amount of screen time, but I could see the writers going either way. Now, how this happens is up in the air for me a bit. Dev and Helios have definitely lost face with this. My guess is that he tries to do damage control and sends the Phoenix. However, I wouldn't be shocked to see some sort of storyline where some tech whiz on the Phoenix is able to remove the software update and retake command of the ship. And then there's always the option Margo first suggested, having President Wilson nationalize Helios, at least temporarily.
- Based on the title of the next episode, I am sure that we see the Mars landing. My guess is that this now becomes a joint venture between all three parties, again playing into the title of the show as others have suggested.
mspence
Banned
Or they all have to return home due to fuel issues and the time lost from the rescue attempt. Helios gets a huge black eye when the truth comes out because I doubt Ed would keep silent.
While that would be realistic, we know from the previews everyone is getting to Mars, well every team. If I had to guess Phoenix is likely either forced to keep going to Mars by HELIOS or by the time they become aware of how bad the rescue attempt has gone they have gotten too far to be able to turn around and go back and still have enough fuel to get home. Combined with them hinting really hard in the episode that since Sojourner 1 and Mars-94 have the same engine, or close to it, they use the same fuel so the NASA team is likely going to have to go back out with the aid of some of the Cosmonauts and tap the fuel tank on Mars-94 and transfer as much fuel to Sojourner 1 before Mars-94 reactor goes critical as the accident we saw was just from some of the fuel heating up and one tank rupturing. At that point I suspect they either head to Mars out of spite and determination or because of some other issue, maybe damage from the collision of the two spacecraft? The plan is to use the prepositioned supplies on Mars to wait it out for rescue/repair operations to come from Earth, except then something else happens like the dust storms mentioned in the trailers.
Those engines have a nuclear fission reactor making the fuel, well, react. It's not the same type of nuclear reaction as the fusion reactors revolutionizing the Earth's economy, so it shouldn't. Buuuut, part of public opinion may confuse them, so maybe.
I think no NDA can cover illegal action, and it can be argued that Helios paralyzing their own ship to stop the crew from rescuing other astronauts was illegal; and no jury in the world would side with Helios anyway.
Again, they can forget about coming home after that. It would be obvious piracy and even the Soviet government could not sell such a story. "They perfidly rescued us suffering losses while doing it, so we killed them".
I think she did give the plans to the Soviets. The moment she heard that Mars-94 was overheating the engine she knew what would happen so she more or less knew what the engines were capable of. Sergiei was probably fired for failing to convince Margo to give him the plans willingly (so they had to threaten him) and of course for failing to build the engine on his own.
Doubt it. Nuclear is so common IATL it'd be like people ditching oil as fuel because an oil tanker exploded.
in background of Mars race, happen threatening development
in Middle East what USA abandon do no more need for Oil
n USA the rising unemployment in Mining and Petrochemical industry
Episode 4 show clearly, The vice President even goes against the President, next to that common people follow wild conspiracy plots...
i wonder how will react President Ellen Wilson ? special if Vice President start to blackmail with her past !
i would not surprised if Wilson will shoot the unemployed Miners to Moon literally, to work in Lunar Mines...
in Middle East what USA abandon do no more need for Oil
n USA the rising unemployment in Mining and Petrochemical industry
Episode 4 show clearly, The vice President even goes against the President, next to that common people follow wild conspiracy plots...
i wonder how will react President Ellen Wilson ? special if Vice President start to blackmail with her past !
i would not surprised if Wilson will shoot the unemployed Miners to Moon literally, to work in Lunar Mines...
Yes The Soviets made with Mars-94 a Ground launch WITH NUCLEAR ENGINE !!!