An unmanned Mars lander is returning to Earth, and is expected to berth at Unity before its precious samples of Martian soil are returned to Earth. The station’s scientists are bucking for a chance to get the first crack at analysis, though scientists on Earth are clamoring for the same prestigious opportunity. A malfunction on the lander itself means that it’ll be docked at Unity longer than expected, giving the station crew no excuse not to examine the samples. Harry finds herself under strict orders not to participate: a recent medical exam has shown her to be pregnant, so handling potentially dangerous samples is out of the question. But when strange things begin happening in the lab, and a strange phenomenon is observed within the space probe that brought the samples back from Mars, it could be that Unity’s crew has instead gotten the first look at something that could kill them all.
written by Stephen Baxter
directed by Crispin Reece
music by Richard Blackford & Glenn KeilesCast: Judy Loe (Kathryn McTiernan), Indra Ove (Paula Hernandez), Angus MacInnes (Walter B. Shannon), Bruno Eyron (Dusan Kashkavian), Julia Brennerman (Harry Eschenbach), Kourosh Asad (Dr. Kaveh Homayuni), William Oliver (Lyle Campbell), Sally Grace (Control voice)
Notes: An on-screen graphic identifies the just-arrived space probe as “Mar’s Lander” – so if there is life on Mars, it doesn’t know where to put an apostrophe.
LogBook entry by Earl Green