Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land

Starflight is prepared for its maiden flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, with a mix of excitement and nerves among the crew and passengers. Cody Briggs's affair with Erica Hansen adds personal tension to a high-stakes mission. The plane sits on the pad as weather and engineering checks loom over the launch window.

The bodies of the Australian ambassador and his wife are boarded onto Starflight, a grim load that Del views as a bad omen for the flight. The crew proceeds with loading and checks, while passengers mingle with reporters and other travelers. A sense of foreboding settles over the cabin.

Bud Culver relays that weather is closing in, and Freddie Barrett orders an immediate launch despite NASA not yet approving. The decision raises the stakes for everyone aboard and creates friction with the ground teams. The countdown proceeds with the sense that time is running out.

Starflight climbs to 23 miles using its scramjet engines, then levels off as it hits the hypersonic regime. The moment marks the craft's daring ascent toward orbit. The onboard tension mirrors the spectacular propulsion.

The second stage of the rocket fails and has to be destroyed, scattering debris toward Starflight. NASA reports debris threats, forcing the crew to contemplate contingency plans. The situation quickly becomes a race against time and a drifting catastrophe.

Debris strikes the aircraft's underside and severs critical controls, preventing the crew from shutting off the scramjets. With hydrogen fuel dwindling, Starflight fights toward orbit under unsafe, uncontrolled power. The crew realizes the mission has spiraled into an emergency with few options.

NASA dispatches the Space Shuttle Columbia to refuel Starflight and bring Josh Gilliam back to Earth to help troubleshoot the problem. Ground teams scramble to coordinate a rescue and a rescue-by-retrieve plan. The rescue mission adds a new layer of urgency to the already perilous flight.

Columbia enters Earth's atmosphere and lands at Thornwell with Josh Gilliam aboard for servicing. The crew on Starflight learns that a new retrieval arrangement is possible thanks to the forthcoming docking tunnel. The mission shifts focus from salvage to boarding and repair logistics.

On Thornwell, Josh Gilliam discovers the universal docking tunnel, a flexible conduit that could connect Starflight and Columbia. The invention offers a potential path to evacuate passengers or move crew safely. The discovery opens a new option to manage the crisis.

Crates containing Hal Parisi's gold are damaged during the climb, and bricks begin slipping free within the cargo hold. Parisi tries to slip away, but his wife betrays his crime to the captain, altering the on-board dynamics. The revelation accelerates suspicions and heightens the stakes for everyone aboard.

Parisi is arrested as the tension on board escalates. Q.T. Thornwell opposes Josh's plan to acquire Culver's tank, dredging up past industrial espionage, but his son defies him and sides with progress. The internal conflict shifts toward a potential technological workaround.

Columbia blasts off again with the fuel tank container, taking on 38 more passengers and reducing Starflight's passengers to nine. The plan uses groundbreaking logistics to expand seating and save lives. The rescue mission hinges on the successful transfer and balance of weight.

Cody orders Joe Pedowski to perform an EVA to repair the damaged wiring, wearing a spacesuit left aboard by Columbia. The perilous exterior maneuver is dangerous but necessary to restore power. The mission underscores the crew's improvisational approach to crisis.

As Starflight nears the upper atmosphere, XU-5, a rescue shuttle on a separate mission, arrives to assist. The collaboration between shuttles is crucial to managing the heat and structural stress of entry. The combined effort steadies the craft for a safer re-entry.

Cody pilots Starflight through a harrowing 60-plus mile descent, with only its wingtips exposed, before landing successfully. The crew's ingenuity and teamwork avert catastrophe and save the passengers aboard. The mission culminates with a hard-earned return to Earth.