MovieChat Forums > Space Cowboys (2000) Discussion > Bail Out During Re-entry

Bail Out During Re-entry

posted 17 years ago by Caterfour
9 replies | jump to latest

Who bailed out after the shuttle re-entered the atmosphere? Was it the two young injured astronauts? And what became of them?

[–] parkpunk 17 years ago

They never mention them again in the film. I think it's probably assumed that they survived, otherwise it would be very awkward. "So you guys threw them out of the airplane to their deaths, then safely landed the airplane?"

[–] athomas1 17 years ago

I would assume shuttles have a medical hold for injured astronauts for just such an emergency.

[–] Drachen77 11 years ago

It would have been hilarious if the two younger guys were killed while bailing out and the others survived. That would have made an awkward press conference. 20% isn't much of a percentage.

[–] jjtoday2001 16 years ago

Although I don't want to nitpick about most of the movie (I liked it OK despite a lot of the technical gaffes), this was absurd on many levels.

You would never throw two unconscious/injured people out the hatch for a risky and very rough parachute jump, unless you thought there was no chance at all you could land the vehicle safely.

BTW, it's been commented by many former and even some current astronauts that the "bailout" option for the space shuttle is really nothing more than PR window dressing -- if the vehicle was operating in a stable enough attitude to get to the hatch and execute the bailout procedure, your chances of survival would be much much higher to ride the ship to the ground. (If the shuttle was so unstable you could not get to the door to bail out, the odds are overwhelming you would be going down anyway.)

The directors wanted to get the young whipper-snapper astronauts out of the picture so the grizzled old guys could slap each other on the back after landing.

I think it would have been better to have the young whipper-snappers safely strapped into the seats on the mid-deck below, completely out of sight and unconscious/sleeping, then when the shuttle landed, they wake up and say, "holy crap, i can't believe you guys got us down," and then Clint says, "Believe it."

[–] Emperor_of_Oranges 15 years ago

Ugh, no. The ending was just fine. That was cheesy beyond all belief.

[–] Lincbond442 15 years ago

Once it has entered the earth's atmosphere, the shuttle is traveling at several times the speed of sound. The movie made it seem like these guys were jumping out of a Cessna.

[–] Tekawitha 15 years ago

i couldnt figure out how two unconsious guys were supposed to survive a landing in the ocean...jerry and tank knew they were going to stay, but followed orders. if they had jumped as well, the injured crewmen might have been helped by them.

just another of the inexplicable points of the movie.

~*~~*~

"Ooh!Pass the popcorn! This is gonna be good!"

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] shanebroughton 11 years ago

That always bothered me, LOL. Our heroes stayed aboard the shuttle and landed safely while they tossed out the unconscious younger astronauts to land in the ocean and possibly drown in a tangled up parachute. I wish the movie had at least paid some lip service as to whether Roger and Ethan made it or not.