Minute 112: Are the Flowers Blooming?

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Ken Mattingly, John Young, and John Aaron are walking into the entrance of Mission Control. “My notes are clear on that last sequence, right?” asks Mattingly. “Yeah!” replies Aaron. “You’re from Building Five, right?” asks the guard. “Excuse me, Gentlemen!” shouts John Young, and they walk through a crowd of people. The team enters the MCC, where all shifts are on duty. “I was getting a little blurry there,” says Ken Mattingly. “Here’s Ken,” says Glynn Lunney to Gene Kranz. “Here’s John.” “Good to see you, Ken,” says Kranz. “This is the sequence,” says Aaron to Kranz, handing Gene a procedure guide. “Was it tried on the hardware yet?” asks Kranz. “We didn’t have time,” replies Aaron. Mattingly puts on a headset. “Aquarius, Houston. Do you read?” says Mattingly. “Yeah, we read you, Ken,” says Jim Lovell. “Are the flowers blooming in Houston?” “Uh, that’s a negative, Jim,” replies Mattingly. “I don’t have the measles.” Mattingly looks at the Flight Surgeon who grounded him. “Jim,” says Mattingly. “Is Jack in there with you?” “Yeah,” says Lovell. “Stand by one, we gotta get him on comm.” At the Lovell home, many astronaut wives are preparing food in the kitchen. “Put those on the table,” says a woman, handing Jane Conrad a bowl of lettuce. Jane drops it. “Oh, damn it!” says Jane. Another woman helps her clean up the mess. “Thanks, Jackie.” says Jane. Marilyn is leading a man into the Lovell den, where Blanch Lovell is sitting next to another man. “I think it would really help if you could just distract her when the heavy predictions come in,” says Marilyn. “Yeah, yeah,” says the man. “We’ll give it a shot.” “Thanks,” replies Marilyn. Marilyn turns to her mother-in-law. “Blanch,” she begins. IN THIS MINUTE: Bill Paxton as Fred Haise Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell Brett Cullen as CAPCOM Chris Ellis as Deke Slayton Loren Dean as John Aaron Ben Marley as John Young Todd Louiso as FAO – White Team Joe Spano as NASA Director Ed Harris as Gene Kranz Marc McClure as Glynn Lunney Clint Howard as Sy Liebergot Googy Gress as RETRO White Christian Clemenson as Flight Surgeon Dr. Chuck Ned Vaughn as CAPCOM 2 Max Grodénchik as FIDO Gold Walter von Huene as Technician Kenneth White as Grumman Rep Jean Speegle Howard as Blanch Lovell Kathleen Quinlan as Marilyn Lovell Mark Wheeler as Neil Armstrong Larry Williams as Buzz Aldrin Michele Little as Jane Conrad