The Space Station Situation

"The Space Station Situation" is the seventy-second episode of the Disney Jr. animated series Miles from Tomorrowland. It premiered on May 7, 2018 and is the eighteenth episode in the third season.
==Plot==
The Zenith is heading to the Trident Research Station, the home base for Professor Rubicon, which is orbiting Earth. Loretta assumes that what Rubicon wants to show Mission Force One is something astronomtastic. While the team heads to the station in a space tunnel, Haruna assumes that Rubicon found a new species of alien, and Blodger assumes that they communicate by singing and dancing. Miles says that whatever it is, it will be galactic.
With Mission Force One at the station, Rubicon welcomes them, and says that he has something astro-mazing to show them. Miles wonders what the equipment the team sees is for, and Rubicon says that that is his newest invention, and he wants Mission Force One, tomorrow's brightest stars, to be the very first to try it out. Mirandos has never seen anything like it, and Loretta wonders what it does. Rubicon questions Mission Force One if they wish they could see into the past. Blodger says that if he could see into the past, he could figure out where he put his toothbrush last night. Rubicon is meaning looking hundreds of years into the past. Although told by Haruna that it's not possible, Rubicon says that he's a scientist, and scientists can sometimes make the impossible possible.
He then activates the invention called the Time Window, which lets everyone look back into history, and see events from the past as they happen. It works, even though it uses more power than Rubicon thought it would. Miles then sees the . Loretta and Mirandos say that Earth scientists stopped using that station hundreds of years ago, and it was taken apart. Rubicon says that when Mission Force One looks through that window, they're looking back in time, to a moment hundreds of years ago, where the ISS was still orbiting the Earth.
Rubicon says that he invented the Time Window to give everyone in the TTA a sense of their shared history. Loretta says that if they know what happened in their past, then they can better plan their future. Rubicon says that the key to their history as space explorers is the International Space Station. Blodger wonders what's so special about it. Loretta says that the ISS was the first large-scale, multinational space station created by humans. People from Earth lived on it, and did tons of science experiments. Mission Force One doesn't know how the TTA's mission of connecting the universe began, so Rubicon shows them how it happened.
Rubicon demonstrates that the seeds of the TTA began many years ago on Earth. He also demonstrates that formed in the United States, , short for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was a pioneer in outer space exploration. Soon, it teamed up with pioneering space organizations in other countries. NASA accomplished many things, such as landing the Mercury Program Eagle Lunar Excursion Module, and landing the first humans on the Moon in the Apollo Program Eagle Lunar Excursion Module. However, only one project helped NASA begin to connect the universe, as the TTA does now. It started when people from fifteen different countries on Earth came together and created the International Space Station. Mirandos assumes that that's one of the great achievements of the ISS, which Loretta says was built to be a research lab in space. Miles assumes that if Mission Force One looks through the Time Window, they can see the astronauts doing research.
They then see the astronauts doing a repair. Rubicon tells them that the research that the astronauts did, way back then, led to discoveries and inventions that the TTA uses today. In other words, if there was no ISS, there would never be things like blast jets, booster boots, and robo-ostriches. Mission Force One states that the Time Window is Rubicon's greatest invention yet, and thinks about everything they could see with it. Blodger, however, is still trying to find out where he left his toothbrush last night. Rubicon says that since the Time Window works, it must be unveiled to the whole TTA, as he wants everyone to see the ISS in action, and be inspired by NASA's spirit of connection.
Just then, Mirandos sees that there is a problem with the Time Window's power supply. Rubicon states that there seems to be a malfunction, and many power surges are happening. The Time Window then pulls everything inside it, including the Trident Research Station. Miles activates the emergency controls for the station to pull free from the window. With the station almost free, a TTA shuttle connected to the station breaks loose, and gets sucked into the window, shocking Mission Force One.
Haruna then sees through his math that the ISS orbits the Earth at approximately five miles per second, which means the shuttle is definitely going to smash into it at about four and a half minutes. Rubicon says that if something happens to the ISS, it could change history. That means that if the ISS is destroyed in the past, then the TTA of today may never exist. Miles assigns Mission Force One on a new mission, which is to go through the Time Window and save the International Space Station. Although told by Rubicon that the Time Window won't stay open much longer, Miles tells him that Mission Force One will be careful. They then suit up for the mission before blasting to the past.
Before Mission Force One goes through the window, Haruna states that the team is going back about four hundred years. In the ISS, the astronauts are doing research. They launch a visiting cargo vehicle just as they see the TTA shuttle heading their way.
At that time, Mission Force One activates their blast jets to maximum power in an attempt to move the shuttle when the cargo vehicle crashes into the shuttle. Moving the ISS away from the wreckage is not an option because it has too much mass (925,000 pounds on Earth). As a result, Miles decides for Mission Force One to use their Flash Beams to get rid of the debris.
The astronauts in the ISS are noticing this, and decide to call Mission Control in Houston, Texas. There, scientists are reviewing a design on NASA technology when the astronauts on the ISS tell them everything that is happening. One astronaut sees that the debris is being destroyed by a smiling green blob.
Shortly afterwards, Mission Force One gets rid of all of the wreckage, saving the ISS, for now. They decide to make sure the astronauts are okay, and are excited to be meeting real NASA astronauts, as they are Miles' heroes.
The astronauts in the ISS wish they can thank those who saved them when Mission Force One appears and introduces themselves. They say that they work for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and their job is to connect the universe. The astronauts thank Mission Force One for saving them. The team says that they're from the future, although the astronauts say that that's not possible. There is one thing Mission Force One knows for sure: if they can think it, they can do it.
Blodger is still wondering if the astronauts have his toothbrush he lost. He mentions about the Questcom, and Loretta tells him that in the past, Questcoms haven't been invented yet. Mirandos tells the astronauts that in the future, humans and aliens work together, play together, and save the day together. That is all because of the astronauts working in the ISS. Loretta says that the mission began when people from fifteen countries on Earth got together to make the ISS. The astronauts tell them their different origins. They come from different places and have different backgrounds and skills, and those differences make them stronger as a team, just like Mission Force One.
Just then, another power surge occurs, pulling the ISS back into the Time Window. Mirandos tells the astronauts what the invention does and how it sent Mission Force One back in time. Miles decides for Mission Force One to try to move the ISS away from the Time Window. The astronauts will stay where they are.
Although they have their blast jets on maximum power levels, they still can't move the ISS away from the Time Window, as it has too much mass. Mission Force One and the ISS then head through the Time Window, and the scientists in Mission Control lose control. They wonder what happened. One scientists tells them to look at their data and their screens, and to let everyone know if they see anything.
In the Trident Research Station, Rubicon notices the ISS heading towards the station, and states that that is not astronom-tastic. After being told by Rubicon, the robots fire up the thrusters in an attempt to move the Trident out of the way. With the ISS about to hit the station, Mission Force One moves to safety. The astronauts didn't remember getting trained for the "getting transported into the future" scenario, one that was definitely not in their flight plan, and close all the hatches between all the modules to keep them safe. Moments later, the ISS hits the Trident Research Station, causing it to break into three pieces.
Miles calls Rubicon, who is fine, but tells Miles that the ISS is not. Miles says that Mission Force One will have to get the ISS back together and push it through the Time Window. Rubicon tells the team to hurry, as the power surges have damaged the Time Window beyond repair. It will close in 14 minutes, stranding the astronauts in the future forever, shocking Mission Force One. Miles says that Mirandos and Haruna will get the section that hit the Trident, Loretta and M.E.R.C. will go after the one that Miles shows on his Questcom, and Miles and Blodger will get the section that has the astronauts in it.
Miles and Blodger are almost there, but Blodger sees that their part of the ISS is heading right towards Earth. Loretta maneuvers her space jet around various space rocks. M.E.R.C. launches a tether in an attempt to connect to their part of the ISS to tow it back, but it gets caught in a space rock, causing it to wrap around her space jet. As a result, M.E.R.C. takes the steering while Loretta tries to free the tether.
As for Mirandos and Haruna, they have an idea for freeing their part of the ISS from the station. The astronauts are amazed by the advanced spaceship, which they've never seen before. Blodger activates hard light clamps to connect to the ISS after an unsuccessful attempt, and Miles sets course for the Trident while activating his space jet to autopilot. In the ISS, Miles decides to gather all the pieces of the ISS, then put it back together and send the astronauts home. They discuss about how quick accomplishing the task will be when Rubicon tells Miles that nine minutes remain until the Time Window closes.
Loretta frees the tether from her space jet, and M.E.R.C. launches it to their part of the ISS. They then bring the section back to the Trident. As for Haruna and Mirandos, Haruna says that his super punch to push out the module will damage the module, but Mirandos says that they can repair the module and sometimes, he just needs to break things. After Haruna does so, he realizes that he broke it. Mirandos then solidizes a repair patch to cover up the broken area. Rubicon congratulates Mission Force One, and tells them that they'll need to put the ISS back together in six minutes. Although Mission Force One can't do so that quickly, Miles has an idea, and tells them to meet them on Node Three.
Miles says that the astronauts know the ISS better than anyone else. As a result, the astronauts will guide Mission Force One, who will do whatever they tell them. The astronauts tell Mission Force One that working with people who are different from them is what they do every day. Mission Force One will pair up with the astronauts whose skillset matches them. Today, the team is all NASA astronauts, and the astronauts are all part of Mission Force One, and they will get the job done.
Miles is then given a Pistol Grip Tool to put the station back together. As Mission Force One and the astronauts put the ISS back together, Rubicon tells Miles that three minutes remain until the Time Window closes. The astronaut tells Miles that the station is all set, and tells all NASA astronauts to return to Node Three. He is impressed with how Miles leads Mission Force One, and states that it has been a pleasure working with him. He then gives Miles something for Mission Force One, and Miles tells him that he will get the astronauts back home.
With Mission Force One on the bridge, Miles tells the ISS crew that the Time Window is about to close, and the astronauts are ready to begin the return operation. Blodger then connects the Zenith's tethers to the ISS. The astronauts thank Mission Force One for the help, and the team thanks them for everything they do, apologizes for making them fall in the future, and promises that it won't happen again.
With less than 30 seconds remaining until the Time Window closes, Miles pilots the Zenith towards the Time Window, and releases the tethers before moving the Zenith away from the Time Window. The ISS heads through it right before it closes, saving the future and completing the mission. Everyone in Mission Control is delighted to see the astronauts again. The astronauts tell them that they are great, and tell them that everything that happened is a long story. They will tell them all about it later, but for now, they say that the future is looking blastastic, confusing the people in Mission Control.
In the Trident Research Station, Rubicon picks apart the Time Window, stating that it was a good idea, but it's going to need a lot more work before it can be used again. Although it was a close call, Mission Force One is glad all that happened. They got to meet real NASA astronauts and work with them, which Loretta describes as a dream come true. Miles then shows the team what the commander gave for them. He then gives Blodger a new toothbrush, which is even better than the one he lost. He then gives Mission Force One real NASA patches.
Miles says that everything the TTA does today and all the technology it has is possible because of what the astronauts on the ISS did in the past. Miles assumes that the things Mission Force One does today will make the universe even better for space explorers in the future, and if they keep on connecting the universe, it's gonna be a great big beautiful tomorrow.
==Cast==
*Justin Felbinger as Miles Callisto
*Dee Bradley Baker as M.E.R.C./Trident Bot
*Fiona Bishop as Loretta Callisto
*Ivy Bishop as Mirandos
*Issac Ryan Brown as Haruna Kitumba
*Sam Lavagnino as Blodger Blopp
*Bill Nye as Professor Rubicon
*Scott Kelly as himself
*Jeanette Epps as herself
*Yvonne Cagle as herself
*Samantha Cristoforetti as herself
*Mikhail Kornienko as himself
*Holly Ridings as herself
*Randii Wessen as himself
*Diana Trujillo as herself
*Bobak Ferdowsi as himself
*Kevin Hand as himself
==Trivia==
*This is the fifth television special in the series, followed by "Galactech: Secrets of the Black Hole", "Galactech: The Mystery of the Dinosaurs", "Connect and Protect", and "The Magsteeds of Infurnia".
*From this episode onwards, episode premieres have moved from mornings (with the exception of the previous episode, which premiered in the afternoon) on Disney Channel to evenings on Disney Jr..
**This and the next two episodes had premiere times of 5:30pm, while the only episode after them had a premiere time of 5:00pm.
*This is the first time the episode premiered in space with the screening on the International Space Station.
*A special rendition of the Sherman Brothers song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", which is performed by Matt Mahaffey, is heard in the credits of this episode.
**In turn, this is the fifth time that music other than "Way Out" or the closing theme used since "Connect and Protect" is heard in the credits. The others were "Yuri's Night/I, Stella", "The Discovery Expedition/Snow Globe", "Galactech: The Search for the Plectrix/Robo-Monkey Business", and "Operation Groovestar/The Suit Pursuit".
*This episode features a special closing sequence which shows all of the technology created by NASA. It ends with three of its most trailblazing inventions, those being the ISS, the Stellosphere, and the Zenith.
**This episode features the longest closing sequence at forty-five seconds, as opposed to the regular thirty.
*It is revealed that this episode takes place in the year 2418. As stated by Haruna, Mission Force One was going back "about four hundred years".
*Loretta also states that Mission Force One was going back way farther than eight years, back when they were babies.
*The majority of the guest stars in this episode are real Astronauts/Cosmonauts and Engineers from NASA.
*It is also revealed that NASA is affiliated with the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
*The nations involved in maintaining the Space Station are Canada, Japan, Russia, The United States, and eleven Member States of the European Space Agency (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom).
*When Blodger says, "We're going back to the future!", this is a reference to the film series of the same name.
*This is the last appearance of the Trident Research Station.
*This is the only time the Galactic School is mentioned since its last appearance in "Galactech: Loretta's Lost BraceLex".
*This is the last episode to not feature anything or anyone related or formerly related to Nemesystems.
*Just like in "Galactech: The Search for the Plectrix", Béla Fleck wrote the banjo music featured in this episode.
*This episode premiered to 0.534 million viewers.
==Gallery==
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==References==
Category:Miles from Tomorrowland episodes