FADE IN:
EXT. SPACE
SUPER: "MARS ORBIT - JULY 17th, 2017"
Fiery and intense, the red planet Mars kindles the sky,
and the imagination, with its crimson grandeur. A
spacecraft slowly pirouettes towards the planet. It is the
Endeavor, a manned U.S./Russian spacecraft designed to
land the first humans on Mars. An insignia on the side of
the spacecraft reads: "RUSSIA-USA PARTNERS IN SPACE 1ST
MANNED MISSION TO MARS."
INT. ENDEAVOR - CENTRAL MODULE
A festive atmosphere reigns. Champagne and Vodka are
flowing. Toasts are being exchanged between the fifteen
ASTRONAUTS and COSMONAUTS gathered for the live television
broadcast to Earth. Seated in the center are the mission's
co-leaders -- BEN JOHNSON, a typical crew-cut American,
and his somewhat boisterous Russian counterpart COLONEL
VLADIMIR TROTSKY. An American ASTRONAUT has a hand-held
television camera focused on the co-leaders.
JOHNSON
Welcome Earthlings. Well, we made it. We've come a long
way, and I must say not just in the number of miles
traveled. Thirty years ago America and Russia were
ideological and military adversaries. Today, we are
kindred spirits, allied in the quest for scientific
discovery. Together, in less than 72 hours, the first men
and women from Earth will set foot on Mars.
TROTSKY
(arrogant but jovial)
Yes, we did it together: American capitalism footed the
bill and Russian ingenuity provided the expertise. |
