For All Mankind
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How will they manage their resources?
These questions start as thought experiments but quickly become something far more profound and terrifying.
And the critics have a point.
NASA is a vast federal agency, an organizational pop in not known for nimble maneuvers.
But hold that thought for a moment while we pop over to Helios.
As this episode opens, the mood at Helios Mission Control is jubilant and brimming with confidence.
It is gold lame.
It forms enormous wings.
Operation Jolly Roger ends the notion that NASA is now overrun by unimaginative and anti-innovation pocket-protector enthusiasts.
(How do ya like me now, Dev Ayesa?!
Aleida Rosales, probably.)
The operations flawless execution highlights how successful Dani has been at cultivating camaraderie and playfulness among her crew.
(I was powerless to resist and regret nothing.)
Who cares if theyre not first?
Dev cares, perhaps too much, as illustrated by his wee tantrum smashing a computer to the floor.
Helios, meanwhile, is a good home for NASA escapees like Ed, Danny, and Bill.
Plus, gourmet MREs and fresh produce grown on the ship using purified astronaut urine!
But what undergirds the structure as a whole?
Which safeguards protect everyone from the bad behavior and unfortunate choices of a particular crew member?
All of which is to say that we need to talk about Danny Stevens.
At least at NASA, where there are rules, his falling off the wagon had him grounded.
can thrive and do excellent work.
Speaking of which, we dont know much about the Soviets and Roscosmoss organizational culture.
It seems Roscosmos has orderedMars-94s commander to fire up their nuclear engines in an attempt to overtake bothPhoenixandSojourner.
Theyve got 72 hours until everyone aboard dies of radiation poisoning, so its time for a rescue mission.
Dev, however, has preemptively overridden Eds override.
Remember when Ed convinced Dev to drop his control-freak dream of programmingPhoenixto be self-driven?
But sure, Dev, tell us again that it was a group decision.
You dont need a lack of explicit hierarchy to manipulate a de facto hierarchy.
Their chorus of Aye, aye, Skipper!
is as enthusiastic now as it was when they deployed their solar sails.
When the chips are down, the crews of both ships are all in on doing the right thing.
Its just as well that they dont see what unfolds next.
Smash cut to black.
The rescue mission both its success and its tragedy highlights something crucial at the core of space travel.
The crew ofPhoenixunderstands this.
Heres hoping its Helios colleagues will too.
A sad and adrift Jimmy Stevens seems to be falling in with a bunch of NASA conspiracy theorists.
Lets file away both of these tidbits for later.
For the second time this season, we see Ed self-injecting something into a butt cheek.
This is obviously going to be A Thing, but for now, its A Mystery Thing.
One of the cosmonauts who is rescued successfully is the mission commander, played by Lev Gorn, a.k.a.
KGB Rezident Arkady Ivanovich fromThe Americans.
Dare we hope for a subtle onscreen reunion?
