Edward Baldwin

*"Baldwin" redirects here. For other uses, see Baldwin (disambiguation).*

> That's where you're wrong Dani. My family's here. My future's here. See that's the difference between you and me. You're still tied to that blue little planet.
>
> Ed Baldwin, in Season 4, Episode 10, "Perestroika"

**Edward "Ed" Baldwin** is an astronaut for Helios Aerospace and formerly one of NASA's top astronauts. Baldwin was commander of Apollo 10 which was intended as a test run for Apollo 11, being 8 miles away from the Moon. When the Soviets landed on the Moon first, Baldwin and Gordo Stevens began facing criticism for not doing so. In an interview to *Newsweek*, Baldwin said that "NASA doesn't have guts anymore".

Baldwin was supposed to command Apollo 15 too, but after this interview, he was removed from the mission and assigned to the Apollo Applications ProgramW. Later, Deke Slayton allowed him to return to the program. During the training for the Apollo 15 mission, Gordo was replaced by Molly Cobb, which displeased him.

Ed was eventually a finalist for the commanding position for NASA's first Mars mission. Although Molly gave the position to him, Margo Madison rescinded Molly's decision and subsequently fired her. Upset over the decision, Ed joined Helios Aerospace as their Mars mission commander instead.

After the original Happy Valley crew were rescued after being stranded fifteen months, Ed remained on Mars, promising to return for years to come. After Happy Valley expanded into a colony, Ed served as the XO of the base. However, after failing to disclose a serious medical condition, he was removed from flight status and relieved as XO.

Upset at the shift in power, as well as learning Goldilocks was set for Earth orbit, Ed rallied the Helios crew to strike. After Dev Ayesa arrived to Mars, he teamed up with the Helios CEO to remotely commandeer *Ranger* and ensure it stayed in Mars orbit to keep the program alive.

## History

Edward was born around 1931 in Gary, Indiana. His later wife Karen once saw him shoot bottle rockets in an empty parking lot in Gary.

In 1965, Ed and Gordo were part of Gemini 7W.

### Season 1

After the Soviet Moon landing in June 1969, Shane Baldwin is called by his mom in order to go to school. He says goodbye to his parents and leaves. After this, Edward Baldwin is asked by his wife what would happen now since the USA was not the first country to land on the Moon, and he says that there would be a meeting in order to discuss it, and leaves for work.

At the meeting, chief astronaut Deke Slayton mentions that Apollo 11 is scheduled to fly in 2.5 weeks, and Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins would continue to train as planned. He also said training for Apollo 12 - 20 would also continue, as there had been no other instructions from the top. However, Deke told them that the training would not be continued that day, since it was time to be pissed about the events, suggesting they take the weekend off to get drunk and blow off steam.

The men raced to the Outpost Tavern, declaring the last one to get there would buy the drinks. At the tavern, they sang and played darts while nailing a newspaper to the target. The men all called Outpost's waitress Pam Horton to throw a beer at the newspaper, and they all followed.

*Newsweek* reporter Paul Santoro walks into Outpost, and asks the astronauts what they thought about the event, but nobody wants to comment about it. Paul approaches the crew of Apollo 10, Ed and Gordo, and tries to get them talking by telling them what happened to them must sting. Gordo mentions it wasn't true that the spacecraft was too heavy and had too little fuel, but it was not on their mission plan, and leaves to the toilet. Santoro stays with Ed and wonders why NASA didn't have the guts to let him land, and Ed starts remembering his mission. He concludes that NASA does not have guts anymore since the Apollo 1 fire. What Ed does not agree with is changing the culture of test flights just because men died since they all know the risk they are taking when they take test flights.

At Deke's office, the former is reading Ed from the *Newsweek* article what he had said about NASA not having guts anymore. Deke tells him, that Wernher von Braun wants him reassigned to the Apollo Applications Program effective immediately, telling him he was to blame for being taken off Apollo 15, even mentioning that von Braun wanted him off the project completely. Deke tells him Apollo 15 may not even happen since everything would probably be cancelled after Apollo 11.

Ed tells the news to his wife, who asks him if he would be sitting behind a desk, which he denies. She concludes he would then be returning to the navy and asks him where they would be moving. However, Ed doubts they would have an open slot on the flight test for him, which meant he would ask for carrier duty which meant he would be sent back to the Seventh FleetW, which means they would be in Oahu. Ed is not glad with the way the conversation is turning out, but Karen tells him there was a code, and can not believe all it took for him to say what he did about NASA were a few drinks and he would start saying everything to reporters. Later, as Ed sleeps on the couch, he wakes up and goes to his bed, where his wife invites him.

The next day he walks into a packed office where he is greeted by silence. Afterwards, he apologizes for what he did and confirms his trust in Neil, Buzz, and Michael who would all be going to the Moon soon. Deke walks in and reminds them only two weeks were left until the launch.

As Apollo 11 took off, Karen and Shane went to Tracy Stevens' home where all astronaut wives gathered, while Ed and Gordo were watching the landing at the Outpost. They all celebrated when Neil Armstrong was finally able to contact Mission Control, after they had lost contact for hours.

Two months later, Ed wakes up and goes to work, meeting up with Deke Slayton whom he asks when he can fly again. However Deke tells him the decision is not only his since he had pissed off a lot of people. Realizing what he was saying, Ed realizes he will never go back to space, and Deke confirms that would be the case at least as long as von Braun was director. Ed later loses his temper at his office and punches a hole in the wall.

At the Outpost, Ed meets his old superior from the Air ForceW, Scott Uken, and they talk about the Moon landing performed by Neil. Uken asks Ed when he is going back up, and Ed mentions it is unclear, so he had thought of rejoining the navy. Uken does not believe he would want to do that since pilots become astronauts, not vice versa. Ed argues he has been doing nothing but desk work since the article, but Uken tells him he is also one of the best aviators and the navy would be lucky to get him back, since they were close to winning VietnamW. He would also probably be commanding an entire air wing.

When he gets home, as they fold clothes, Karen tells him she can not handle him going back to the navy and getting calls that his plane had been shot down. She mentioned she was under stress whenever the phone rang.

The Baldwin's organized a "welcome back"-barbecue for the Apollo 11 crew in their backyard. At the barbecue, Ed is called by Neil. Ed asked if they really made him go through customs when he returned from the Moon. Ed congratulated him on his landing, and Neil confesses he can not believe he did not abort the landing. Asking why he had gone through with it, Neil talks about the risk taking that is involved in taking calls while flying.

Later, NASA Administrator Thomas Paine presents Ed to congressman Charles Sandman, who is looking into NASA and is a big fan of his due to his work on Apollo 10. Sandman asks him to talk to the committee and see what he has to say about everything. However, when Thomas nods at him, Ed apologizes and mentions he has done enough damage. Thomas tells Ed that the president is not happy either about everything that is going on, and Sandman tells him to go to DC and tell his colleagues exactly what he had told the reporter at the tavern about von Braun being too cautious and costing them the Moon. However, Ed mentions that although he and von Braun didn't always see eye to eye, he still respected him since he built the Saturn V. They tell him that he has the president's support, and have him think about it.

After some time, Ed goes to DC with Karen. In front of the commission, Ed tells them that Apollo 10 and Apollo 11 had similar fuel levels. However, there was a worry concerning whether or not they would have enough thrust to back into lunar orbit again, but he also mentioned taking risks was part of being a test pilot and during planning he had pushed for a Moon landing with Apollo 10. When the congressman asked him if he would have been the first man on the Moon had it not been for von Braun, Ed mentioned it was not that simple since von Braun had made the decision on the ground, but after the launch, it was his ship to command, so if they were looking for someone to blame for losing the Moon, it would be him, not von Braun or Neil.

At Outpost, Gordo storms in angry about what Ed said at the hearing, since it was not only his decision and he had not ask him what he had thought. Ed told Gordo everything was a joke to him, but he owned what he did and told him he resigned from NASA and would go back to the navy. Gordo could not believe it and asked Pam for two whiskeys.

Later, Deke payed Ed a visit at his home, where he asked the latter how he was. He also mentioned Nixon was all hands on deck for the military base. He also gave Ed the original Apollo 11 plaque, which had been removed prior to its launch since Alexei Leonov now had become the first man on the Moon. Deke mentioned presidents come and go, but NASA stays, and told him what he had said in DC took a lot of guts. He offered him his job back on Apollo 15, which made Ed excited and he accepted. Karen interrupted the men, telling them the Soviets were now on the Moon again, revealing that a woman, Anastasia Belikova had now landed on the Moon, which now qualified as a historic moment for women across the world, since she was the first woman on the Moon.

#### Training women astronauts

*See also: Women Astronauts Program*
The Baldwin family watched television when they found out that Tracy Stevens was recruited for NASA's woman astronaut program. Karen thought it was ridiculous, but Ed mentioned Tracy flying was none of his concern only to be told by Karen that these women were simply going to waltz in and go to space, ignoring all the training men like Ed did.

During a flight test, Ed instructed Tracy how to land the jet. At the end, Tracy landed it smoothly, which Deke liked.

At a meeting at the Manned Spacecraft Center, the possibility of ice on the Moon was discussed. However, it could not be confirmed from the images made by an orbiter, but Ed mentioned they could find out more about it during Apollo 15. Gene Kranz mentioned, water would change everything, with Ray Schumer explaining to Thomas Paine that they could drink it, grow plants, and make rocket fuel.

On day 200 of the program, Ed introduced the five remaining candidates to the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle, which would emulate the flight dynamics of the lunar module spacecraft. He told them it was sort of like a helicopter, with a few distinctions. He told them that the activity for that day would be to perform basic takeoff and landing maneuvers with each of them flying an altitude of 300 feet, hover 30 seconds, execute a 360 clockwise spin, hover for another 30 seconds, and land on a target. The training ended with the tragic death of candidate Patty Doyle, who crashed the vehicle.

#### Working on Apollo 15

After Patty's funeral, Ed is on a phone call with her father, who is angry at what happened, but Ed only mentions he was Patty's instructor on the day of the accident before Doyle hung up on him. Angered, Ed breaks his phone, and apologizes to Karen, who told him not to worry about it. She also told Ed the accident was not his fault, as Patty knew the risks involved in flying.

Gene Kranz gives a conference to Ed, Gordo, Margo, Thomas, Deke, and others, saying that a Soviet lander had crashed on the Moon. Looking at some cylinders, Gene says they might be pressurized modules, which makes Ed realize the Soviets were ahead of them once again. However, Deke mentions they do not even have a site yet, which angers Thomas, telling him to "just pick one", but Margo tells him that the base have been predicated on proximity to water ice, and they had yet to identify where they could find water ice.

Ed tries teaching Shane to ride a bike, but he keeps falling. Shane apologizes, but Ed tells him he does not want to hear it, and simply wants him to ride the bike while following his instructions. However, Deke arrives at his house and tells him that Gordo was replaced for Apollo 15 by one of the female astronauts. Karen gets involved and tells him he was making a mistake all for a publicity stunt, but Deke argued they had all earned their place in the program. He told Ed he can get drunk with Gordo, and either deal with it or watch it happen on TV. He told Ed to have dinner with his new crewmate, Molly, along with Frank Sedgewick so they would get to know each other.

At dinner, Ed told Molly that there would be a lot of expectations on her, but that she should not worry about it. Ed told her it would be her first time in space, but she pointed out it would be Frank Sedgewick's first time as well. Ed told her that Frank used to fly Phantoms in Vietnam, and had been flying jets ever since the Air Force Academy. Getting to the point, Ed tells Molly that both he and Sedge have a lot of experience, so if she followed their lead, she would have nothing to worry about. Molly tells him she is not worried and tells them she had been flying longer than both of them, mentioning she even had gotten into Mercury 13 before Ed got into the Gemini ProgramW, so actually, she would have seniority here.

At home, Ed told Karen how he offered to help Molly, but mentioned all she gave him was attitude as if she had already been in space. Karen told Ed that she doesn't understand why he had agreed to this, but Ed simply replied that she was on his crew and he had to make it work.

During training, Molly was hitting a rock, which Ed told her she needed to use her full arm with. When she dropped her hammer, Ed also told her she could not just pick it up, since if she bent in her suit, she could not get further than 20 inches off the ground. Later, on a rocket simulator, Molly got into her spacesuit, while Ed helped her. She celebrated not having to wear a bra in space since there would be no gravity, but Sedge asked her to please wear it on behalf of their marriages. The engineers Larry Wilson and Coop started talking, and Sedge asked what was going on. Coop told him that the relief tube in spacesuits was made for man parts, which Molly would not be able to use, so Larry suggested a diaper, but Ed was against that, and told them that nobody in his crew would be wearing a diaper.

Later, they both got on a rover in which Ed explained that once she figured out how to use it, they would move onto the 1/6th G-rig which would better simulate its movements on the Moon. He told her to just keep her eyes on the road, to which she responded that she had learned that in driver's ed. Ed clarified, telling her she was a pilot, and all pilots had tendencies to look at an instrument panel instead to check the surroundings. Ed also mentions that even at 8 kilometers an hour, accidents can happen quickly and the Moon's terrain would be very irregular.

At another training routine, 18 days before the launch, Margo tells Molly that she went into the final trim 30 seconds late. She tells the other engineers that Molly still does not know the standard procedures. They asked both Ed and Molly to repeat, and Molly complained that Margo was a "pain in [her] ass". Molly told Ed that all she was doing was adjusting the locking harness out of the way, but she was ready. Molly started humming, and Margo asked her to focus; Cobb started entering numbers, but got a mistake, which Ed dryly confirmed was wrong. After that, Ed asked to have more under his control, which an engineer said was too late to be doing. Molly told him she had it under control, but he was firm. Margo asked Ed if he remembered why they had laid it out that way to start with, but Ed reminded her he was the commander of the mission.

Some time before the day of the takeoff, Gordo greeted Ed, telling him he would be going to Ellington. He apologized to Gordo for having not talked to him sooner, but Gordo told him it was okay. Gordo asked him how Karen felt about him spending a week in a little capsule with another woman, and Ed told him that his wife would be happier if his friend had been going with him instead and he would too. They shook hands, and said goodbye.

Sedge, Ed, and Molly got ready for takeoff, putting on their spacesuits. On their way to the spacecraft, they were celebrated by all female NASA staff. The three were strapped in, and Sedge mentioned that the send-off was big. Molly mentioned they were celebrating for nothing, since she had not done anything yet, but Ed countered by saying that she had strapped herself on top of a quarter million tons of high explosive for government pay, which was something. His joke made them all laugh. Moments later, the launch began, and was successful.

Apollo 15 reaches the Moon after 4 days, 3 hours, and 46 minutes. The crew was told that ice had been located on the Moon, but the data would be used for later missions, since the ice was nowhere near their landing site at Mare FrigorisW. Ed told them to land them at Shackleton Crater, but Gene Kranz refused since it was too big a risk, and they did not have the gear for that kind of exploration.

Ed turned off their comms, and Molly reminded him that he always told them to stick to the mission, and Ed told her the mission was to find ice. Asking Frank Sedgewick for his opinion, Sedge mentioned he was on-board. Molly argued that landing at Shackleton would be half-baked and last minute, which Ed compared to her training. The men told her it was important because if they did not do it, then the mission would just be a publicity stunt. Mission Control told them that it was up to them, and they eventually decided to go for it.

Ed mentioned that the altitude at which they were, was as low as he had gotten during Apollo 10, and Molly told him to stick with her. They neared Shackleton and found a good spot, and were able to land successfully. Molly mentioned she had never wanted a cigarette more, as Mission Control, Karen, and Molly's husband Wayne celebrated their landing.

On the Moon's surface, Molly got her picture taken by Ed. Later, Molly thanks Ed for vouching for her not to have a diaper as they clean their spacesuits. Ed talks to Shane, who he tells that he wrote his name on the Moon's surface, which would now remain there for many years.

The next day, Molly and Ed looked down the crater and said it was very steep. They thought of using the rover in order to make a winch out of it. Ed told Molly to always keep both hands on the rope in case anything happened, but Molly mentioned she weighed half as much as he did, so she should go down, and asked him to trust her. Molly started going down, now out of Ed's sight and inside the crater. Her transmission was cutting out, but managed to tell Ed she would be slowing down, as she was now heading into the dark. She turned on a light and told Ed to go lower. She started hitting when she was thirty meters from the baseline, but did not land a good blow. Ed asked her if she was okay and she told them she needed to adjust, but had just found bedrock. She went down another 20 feet. However, in Mission Control they mentioned Molly's oxygen consumption was higher than expected and would only be able to keep that rhythm up for another two minutes.

They reached the end of the line, but Molly was only able to find basalt. Mission Control told her that her oxygen consumption was too high, so she needed to head back up. She refused, but Ed told her he would be bringing her back up. Ed warned her not to make him drag her up, and Mission Control started getting worried. Molly was able to hit a rock and told Houston to look at what she had got, which appeared to be ice, also showing them a lot more where it had come from. Deke told Ed to bring Molly up, which he did, and they managed to safely return to the LEM. When they were inside, the public was told, and Karen hugged Wayne, who was relieved they were fine. Back in the LEM, they were instructed to rehydrate and breathe for fifteen minutes. During this time, Ed took pictures of Molly with the ice, which she mentioned was melting.

#### At Jamestown

3 years later, on August 24, 1974, the launch day of Apollo 23, Ed, Gordo, and Danielle Poole were at Jamestown, the new NASA Moon base. During a live video call with the base, administrator Weisner gave a speech in Mission Control where he announced, on behalf of president Kennedy, the first female flight director, Irene Hendricks. After his speech, during the final countdown of Apollo 23, the Saturn V suddenly exploded on its launch pad.

60 days after the explosion, Ed, Danielle, and Gordo were still on the Moon conducting experiments, while receiving supplies via unmanned Titan rockets while they waited for NASA's board of inquiry to identify the cause of the disaster.

Shane did not want Karen to tell Ed about the water meters he had smashed with Danny Stevens, but she told him that she would, and ordered him to wait while she video-talked to Ed, who asked if she had spoken to the doctor. She mentioned she had, who had told her some good news about getting pregnant. Ed told her he was fine, but was working long days. He asked about Shane, who Karen told him was missing his father. However, Ed told her that he had to follow orders until relieved.

On Jamestown, Ed, Gordo, and Danielle are being told that Apollo 24 would be delayed yet another two weeks. They were told that President Kennedy was doing everything he could, and wanted to apologize for the delays. When they hang up, the three of them watch a show they had watched many times, while Danielle watched her ant farm and Ed tried getting signal. Danielle asked if they had ever seen a shrink when applying to the program, and Ed told her they needed to see about five, which was more than the women had to. Danielle told him that her shrink had asked her if she had ever dreamed of having sex with her father, and they told her that it happened to them as well. Later, the three astronauts discover a frequency which they find strange and cannot figure out. Ed discusses spying on the Soviets but mentioned that they would not tell Houston.

The crew of the Apollo 22 call Houston to tell them they were going back to the base. Once they got there, Danielle told Ed that even though they had gone 30km out, they had not seen anything. Ed told Danielle that the Soviets were crafty and they were still on their part of the crater, which was theirs since they had planted the flag first. Gordo took a walk in the meantime and saw nothing in the distance.

When Gordo got back, he said "Hi Bob" which angered Ed. He asked him what he was doing since they had already discussed that he could not leave the base without his authorization, since if Houston found out, they would punish him. Gordo argued that they first had to bring him back to Earth and tried to make a joke about it since he thought it was bullshit. The argument escalates since they start questioning whether or not Gordo had actually seen blinking lights. Ed tells Gordo to stand down, but the latter challenges him, so Ed throws him against the base. They are separated by Danielle, and Ed tells Gordo that he could not leave the base until further notice. Gordo just laughs and Danielle tells him that everything is getting out of control.

Ed, Gordo, and Danielle start getting desperate over a phone call with Buzz Aldrin and were told that they needed two more weeks and were being sent a surprise this time. A new plumbing assembly for the shower. Ed tells them that Gordo is feeling better after his cold. After the conversation with Houston, it appears that their "Hi Bob" tape was fixed, but the tape is ruined after a while. Later, they all start reciting the tape since they know it by heart, even reciting the laughs.

On November 29, 1974, Ed tells Shane that an action of his was an embarrassment to his entire family since he was supposed to be the man of the house. He tells his son he is disappointed in him, since he was now 11 years old and wanted to know when he would grow up.

Ed tells Houston that Gordo is still sick while they ascended from the mining site with new samples. Danielle asks him when Gordo would finally be allowed to go back outside, since she had been getting a bad vibe from him lately, but Ed told her that his friend would be fine. She looks out and is able to spot the Soviet base in the distance, so Ed immediately informs Weisner, who tells him that he would inform the White House and they were told to keep doing business as usual.

Gordo wakes Ed and Dani up so they could do the "Hi Bob" routine, but Ed tells him to quit horsing around since they had a busy day the following day and it was the middle of the night. He moved forward and did the routine himself which surprised Ed, but Gordo got mad whenever he was interrupted. Danielle told him that maybe it was time to call Houston, but Ed refused saying that Gordo needed to go outside. Ed approached him and told him that they should go for a walk.

They walk across the Moon's surface and mention taking some pictures, but Gordo mentions he would never do that since no photo could ever really capture what they were seeing. Ed asks Gordo to explain what he was doing back at the base, and Gordo mentions that he was fed up being locked in with the food he hated, and said that he did not sign up for what they were going through. As they were talking, Gordo feels something strange, which he mentions is an ant. He soon tells Ed that there were many ants and they were getting all over him, but was calmed down by Ed.

At the base, Gordo apologized, but was told it was fine. Ed told them that he would tell Houston the truth, which was that they had a medical situation, which he should have listened to before, especially with Danielle's warnings. He told them that he would not abandon the base so the Soviets would not get it, but would send them both home. Gordo reminded him that if he stayed, then he had to wait for Apollo 24 to get there, and then the next crew, which Dani mentioned NASA would never approve, but Ed mentioned that he was commander. Gordo mentioned that he was too tired to argue and went to bed. Danielle asked what would become of Gordo, and Ed told her that he would be sent to the shrinks, but it was clear that his career was over and would never be allowed to fly ever again. After a while. Danielle screams in pain, saying that she tried to change the battery, and it appeared she had busted her arm. Ed realized that she was doing that in order for Ed to call NASA and tell them that they needed medical attention.

Ed reported to Houston and was told that Gordo and Danielle had been approved to go back home, and his new return date was another two weeks from then. He was promoted to Captain of the United States Navy by the president, with a salary increase retroactive to when the mission had started. He thanked his supervisor, and sent Gordo and Danielle on their way. They all said "Bye Bob" and left.

Ed is alone on the Moon and wakes up to country music. He greets Danielle on the radio, who tells him to hook up to the biosensors and to fix the aux tank coupling. He says goodbye and takes a shower, puts on his spacesuit and goes outside, taking pictures. Later, he Houston that the Soviets were building something, guessing that they were doing something subterranean. Weisner mentions that they have also talked about subterranean did not mean anything, but Ed mentioned that they had been more aggressive lately, moving across the rim. Weisner reminds them that they are not in a military scenario and is berated by General Arthur Weber.

Ed moves down the crater, where he finds out the Soviets had planted a camera in his working space. Weisner told him to leave it since they did not want any international conflict on the Moon, but Ed disagrees since it was their territory. Weisner mentions that they would talk to the president and orders him to do nothing.

Talking to Ed, Karen mentioned problems she had been having with a fence. However, she did not mention Shane's accident. Ed soon asked her how Shane's game had gone and she told him that it had been good, but when Ed started asking more questions, she started having a hard time answering. hey reminisce about Shane when he was younger and Karen mentions that nowadays, it always seemed like Shane did not have enough time. Ed told her that only ten more days and he would be down there, and they said goodbye.

While Ed worked out, he got a telex from the Soviets, sending him their sympathies about his son. Ed asks Gordo what was going on, so the latter suggests that perhaps something had been lost in translation. Ed wonders if maybe the Soviets were monitoring his conversations since he had talked to Karen about Shane earlier. Gordo mentions that he has no idea what the Soviets were up to and Ed starts getting angry, mentioning that what the Soviets were doing was low, even for them. Ed than walked to the mining site, grabbed the Soviet monitoring device and destroyed it filled with rage. When he gets back to Jamestown, Karen calls him crying and tells him that their son Shane had died, which visibly shakes him. Gordo calls Ed, but he does not answer and turns off communications while drinking a bottle of Chivas and starts banging his head.

On the Moon, Ed receives a long telex. Forcing himself to wake up, he looks out the window. He rides the rover and builds a memorial for Shane by placing a bunch of rocks together. Later, Ed saw a Soviet rover parked near the cableway station at the crater and soon after, a cosmonaut came up, using the American transport system. The two looked at each other and the cosmonaut brandished a hammer threateningly. Ed backed away from the man, who then moved off towards his rover.

Ed got a knock at Jamestown base from the Soviet. Ed sarcastically asks if his rover had broken down and he did not have enough oxygen to get back to his base. The Soviet lifted his visor and Ed told him to come in. The cosmonaut entered the base and put his suit down, showing Ed he had no weapons as well. However, Ed depressurized the airlock again until the man lost consciousness due to the lack of oxygene.

The cosmonaut, Mikhail Vasiliev, wakes up, bound to a wall by Ed. Ed orders him to speak English. The cosmonaut asks him why he had cut off his oxygen, but Ed ignores the question and asks him what he was doing in his mine. The Soviet tells him he was not looking for anything there, and Ed asks him what the device was he had left there since it was his territory. The Soviet, however, tells him that the Moon belongs to everybody and counters the fact that if it depended on who was there first, then a Soviet man had landed on the Moon first and had even said that the Moon belonged to everybody. Edward remembered it differently, but Mikhail told him that there was enough ice for everyone. Ed asks him what he had been doing, constantly calling him "Ivan", but this one told him that he could not tell him and should be let go since his compatriots would be looking for him. However, Ed told him that he knew they only had one rover and walked away.

Ed was not answering his messages. The cosmonaut requested water, which Ed told him he would give him when he told him what the Soviets were building. The Soviet asks him what his plan was since he knew that he had not been communicating with NASA. He reminds Ed that he had been there for 37 hours and tells him that everybody would believe he had died. He told Ed of problems with his child, but Ed made fun of him for simply following orders. The other asked him what he did since he did not follow orders, and was a real American cowboy. He also tells him that his name is not Ivan, but Mikhail and reviewed Ed's options. Ed told him that he would not kill him and Mikhail told him that he had also seen the bad parts of America. Ed slapped him, which he told him was the real America.

Ed was awakened by Mikhail, who was singing, and asked him to stop. Mikhail told him that Elvis was banned in the USSR, but people found a way to listen to him, and called the singer fantastic. Ed told him that he had wanted Sinatra played at his wedding, but ended up playing "Love Me Tender". He told him that they went to see him a year ago, but that Elvis was a joke now, but Mikhail told him that Elvis would always be king, but Ed mentioned that Sinatra would always be the one. Mikhail then noticed that the lights were flickering in a pattern, signaling SOS. Ed then called Houston and told them that he needed some alone time, but was back now, and they were finally able to tell him about the problem of Apollo 24.

Margo told Mission Control that they would have a 33 minute window during which 24 would be within lunar orbit range. Ed watched the transmission as well. Margo told them that if they did not play their cards correctly, Deke Slayton and Ellen Wilson might be lost in space. Gordo mentioned they might have another problem: the distance that Ed would be flying was pushing the LSAM's range. Ed asked about Apollo 15, since the descent stage still had fuel in it. They started working on it, and Margo told them that they did not have a lot of time.

Danielle sent Ed the fueling procedures, and Mikhail told him that he would require his help since he did not have enough time. Ed told him that he had it under control, but Mikhail told him that he was not in Korea anymore and told him that they had no choice but to trust each other, asking him to let him help, so they drove to the Apollo 15 by rover and did as Ed was instructed by NASA.

Ed then thanked Mikhail and gave him back the missing part from his rover. Mikhail wished Ed good luck, and the American left. He radioed Houston and began the launch sequenced helped by Gordo, Danielle and Margo. In lunar orbit, he radioed 24 and Ellen responded. He told them how the plan would go, but Ellen told him, docking would not work, since they could not correct their rotation. Ellen suggests Ed throwing the tank to her. Ed removes the tank while Ellen exits 24. He throws the tank, but it went a little too high. Ellen removed her chord and jumped, successfully attaching it to the tank and barely able to hold on to it. Everybody at Houston celebrated, completely impressed by the stunt.

On the Moon, they buried Deke beside Shane's memorial. Ellen then tells him that she relieves him as commander of Jamestown and Ed nods. Later, Ed finally leaves the Moon and heads back towards Earth.

### Season 2

As of 1983, Ed has been promoted to the rank of Admiral in the US Navy and is Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA for over 8 years.

Gary Piscotty greets Ed, who is putting in his office. Ed asks Piscotty what he can do for him and Gary says he wanted to talk about his career. Ed tells Gary that he likes ambition, but he would let him know when he was ready. Gary tells Ed that he had been there for three years and had many achievements, but no space time. Ed tells him that he does not like redheads and tells him to trust him. He tells Gary to take his foot off the golf ball, and asks for the door to be closed when he leaves. Ed laughs after the encounter.

Ed is visited by Thomas Paine, who tells him that the president had some concerns about arming *Pathfinder*, and Ed tells him that he does not need his approval since he only works with crew members. Thomas tells him that the White House wanted it to be a unanimous decision, but Ed realizes that all they wanted was for the press not to say that they had decided to do a little saber-rattling over the objections people at JSC had. Thomas asks him to work with him since they needed to send a message to the Soviets since they were already testing their own shuttle.

Ed drives to the Outpost which is now run by Karen and where they have their spaghetti night today, which is brought to Karen's office by their adapted daughter Kelly. Later at the bar, they watch Tracy who is a guest in a television show. On the program, Tracy greets the host and tells him that she had returned from being in Rio and Aruba, also stopping at Vegas before returning. Asked about a new ring she tells him that she and Sam Cleveland got married in Vegas. Ed calls Gordo and asks him if he is okay and if he needed some company, but Gordo says he would be fine.

The next day, Skylab discovered a huge solar flare, and Irene ordered the management into Mission Control. Earth was hit by the solar flare, and they lost all forms of communication. Margo asked Ed what the last headcount was on Jamestown, and he mentioned that ten minutes ago 14 were in the shelter and three were within visual sight of the base.

During a meeting after the solar storm, Thomas walks in with news that the president wanted to ease tensions with the Soviets, mentioning that putting missiles on *Pathfinder* was on hold for now and that they needed an American astronaut and a Soviet cosmonaut to come together for a handshake in space. Everybody was sceptical, but Thomas told Ed to prepare the crew.

At Outpost, Gordo, Ed, and Danielle met for drinks. Ed asked Danielle how she was and she said she was okay, but missed her husband Clayton, who had struggled during his last nine years. She tells them that she wants to go back to Jamestown since none of them had been up there in nine years, but neither of them want to go back. Ed tells her that he would start the paperwork the next day, and they all celebrate.

Ed gets visited by Tracy, who gives him Ed McMahonW's mug. She mentions that Johnny wanted to shoot a few segments in Jamestown, but Ed tells her that he needs her more focused on the program and even though it would give kids more insight on what they are doing on the Moon, Ed reminds her that she had missed her third SIM and launched in a month. Tracy apologizes because she had gotten her schedule mixed up after celebrating with her new husband Sam. She mentions that she would go to SIM, but after noticing he was being cold to her, she asks him if there was a problem, but he says there was not. She asks if he could not be happy for her, but he tells her that she did not have to announce her marriage on national television and Gordo deserved to know before.

Later, Ed plays golf with Karen, Molly, and Wayne. None of them do a very good job, except for Wayne, who hits a perfect drive. Molly makes fun of Ed for having to use reading glasses and says that she sometimes felt that being on Earth felt like being in outer space. Ed tells her that he read the incident report and knew that there was no way she had waited in the lava tube for the storm to pass and asks if she is okay. She tells him that she is fine and asks if he misses being on the Moon. He says he does, but not as much as he thought he would. Molly asks him if he was okay with someone taking his baby, the *Pathfinder*, to space, and he says that he had had all the time he needed up in space. She says that when she first met him, she never expected to see him happy behind a desk, and he agrees.

Ed is called by Karen from Outpost, since Gordo was drunk and making everyone uncomfortable. Ed makes it to the bar and tells Gordo to go for a walk with him. They walk and Ed tells him to forget about Tracy since they had been divorced for nearly five years. They sit down and Ed told him that his kids worshipped him. The next day, Gordo is woken up by a woman calling from JSC, who tells him that the staff meeting had been moved to earlier that day. At the meeting, Ed tells them that there would be a Jamestown 81 debrief and that he had a new flight assignment to announce. He tells them that Danielle would be joining the crew of STS-83 Romeo. After everybody congratulates her, he says that Gordo would join her as well. When he goes to congratulate him, Gordo tells him that he would not head back up and reminds him that he knew it. However, Ed reminded him that he was the one who decided.

On the Moon, astronauts discovered that the Soviets had taken over a claimed mining site. Ed tells General Bradford and Margo that the only way that the Soviets knew about the lithium on the site was because they had cracked their code, despite NASA changing the encryption keys every month. Thomas tells them that president Reagan had decided not to tell the United Nations, instead taking the mining site back. Ellen tells them that they could have three teams monitoring the site at all times. Ed mentions that the security detail would need weapons, but Thomas says that nobody had mentioned weapons. Ellen reminds them that no astronaut was qualified to use weapons. At the end, Ed and Bradford agree that sending armed marines would be the only possible solution.

At NASA, Ed and Bradford discussed whether or not the Soviets had had ears on their communication to Jamestown all along, since cosmonaut Vasiliev had remained at Jamestown alone. He asked Ed if it was possible that Mikhail had planted a bug at Jamestown, but Ed said that it was not. Later, astronauts on Jamestown search for bugs and finally find one. Ed looks disappointed, while Thomas mentions that the president would not like that. At home, Ed is awake in bed and reminisces back to his encounter with Mikhail. He gets out of bed and starts working on a ship model.

Tracy goes enters Ed's office and tells him that being on the Moon with Gordo was complete bullshit since she did not want people to think of them as the space couple. He says that nobody was talking about that, but she tells him that she knew he only gave Gordo the assignment out of pity. However, Ed says that he only makes decisions based on what he believes is best for the program, but she insults him, saying that he made decisions based on his golf score and how big a dump he had taken that day. Ed tells her that she is out of line, but she says that she would not be a laughing stock again, taking Gordo's sticker off the board and telling him to bounce Gordo off the flight. Ed tells her that Gordo would not leave his flight, but says that if she wanted out of hers, to just say the word, but she should not expect new assignments soon while he was in office.

Ed got home, seeing Karen and Kelly happy. He is surprised to see actual dinner being made and asks if it is a special occasion. Karen says that it is since Kelly had finally decided where she wanted to go. Kelly tells him that she had decided on Annapolis, but he refuses, getting angry and telling Kelly to go to her room. Karen told him to stop and discuss it, but Ed said that he is the man of the house and did not need to explain himself to anyone, and when Kelly told him that she did not need his permission to apply, Ed said that he knew the superintendent of the academy, so with one phone call, she would be rejected. Kelly says that if he does that, she would go to the recruiting office and go to Annapolis as an enlisted sailor. Ed said that she could do that, but said that she should pack her bags an never come back. Karen tells him to take it back, and pushes him, while saying that she did not know what had gotten into him.

Kelly tells Karen to stop and starts crying, saying that whatever had happened, she did not want it to continue. Ed agrees, and so does Karen. He apologizes, also saying that he did not want her to leave. Kelly asks Ed what was going on, but Ed said that he did not know and had suddenly reacted and knew that he should be proud, but had gotten an overwhelming feeling that he was going to lose her as in her dying, like Shane. Ed starts crying and Karen says that she had the same feeling, but reminds him that Shane had died while biking down the street, mentioning that there was nowhere on Earth that was safe. Ed says that he was not there when Shane died and was not there for anyone, only being able to scream into the night. He mentions that he had promised himself never to let that happen again, always being there for Karen and Kelly to protect them. Karen asks Ed if he thinks that it was his fault, and he says that Shane had been angry at him and he was not on Earth, but Karen tells him that it had been an accident and says that thinking back to that day was just torturing themselves. The three hug each other and Kelly starts singing a navy song, and both her parents join in.

Karen prepares breakfast and is joined by Ed, who reads over a paper she wants him to sign. He asks why she was cancelling their trip to the Bahamas and she says that she did it since he would be going back to space, which confuses him, but she says that he would be going on *Pathfinder*. He tells her that he would not be going back up, as he was happy where he was, but she tells him that he obviously was not. He said that he was very upset and had overreacted, but she says that he has a special look when every launch goes up or when he talks about *Pathfinder*. She tells him that things would be different since she would be running Outpost and would not be sucked into being worried about him all the time, but tells him to go. Ed makes it to JSC and looks at his board and eyes his *Pathfinder* model with a smile.

Ed meets with Danielle and Gordo at the Outpost and tells them that he has decided to go back to space and command *Pathfinder*. When Danielle asks why, he tells her that she inspired him and that they had been doing great on their performance tests. Gordo does not look so good, and says that he had a weird moment in his suit where he felt trapped and mentioned that he had to take his helmet off. Ed mentions that Gordo had changed a lot in 9 years and Danielle says that he had gone to therapy. Danielle asks who would be taking command of the astronaut office, and Ed laughs.

Ed stumbles upon Gary Piscotty, who got a sandwich from the vending machine. He gives him a Navy hat, but Gary tells him that he was Air Force. Ed told him to put the cap on, which he does, but pulls it down when Ed tells him to. Ed told him to meet him in Palmdale, California, since he would be joining him on *Pathfinder*.

As Ed cleaned up his office, Danielle joined him. She closed the door and told him that she appreciated the assignment to Jamestown, but she mentioned it was not good enough since she wanted a command slot since she had risked a lot and was still riding in the back. She said she wanted to be the first African-American woman to command a mission. Ed mentions that skin was not everything, but she tells him that out of the 205 pilots, they only had 11 black pilots, of which only one had commanded a mission, and that the program could change the way people saw the world, but he told her that he had to get to a meeting.

At the meeting, Ellen, Bradford, Margo, and Thomas congratulated him on his nine years of service as head of the astronaut office. When Ed asked if he had to make a wish, Margo told him that it had already been granted since he would be commanding *Pathfinder*. Thomas tells them that the Soviets had agreed to idea of a handshake in space. Bradford says that the only reason they accepted was so that they could get a closer look on American technology, but Ellen says that they have old technology which they could use. Thomas asks Ed to choose a crew, and he says the commander would be Danielle Poole, but Thomas says that they might want to consider different possibilities since they only wanted the best. Ed asks what that was supposed to mean, since what had happened to Danielle's arm was not her fault. Bradford mentions that this would be a powerful message, and if anybody gave him any trouble he could call the Secretary of Defense as he would support it.

Ed looks back at his office one last time and just as he was about to leave, Thomas enters and asks him what had happened, since he thought they were friends. Ed says that it had not been premeditated, and Thomas mentions that lately nothing had been with him since Gordo's mission and assigning himself to *Pathfinder* had come out of nowhere. Ed defended Gordo, but Thomas counters that everybody knew he had a drinking problem. Thomas says that he hopes there was reason to his actions as opposed to nepotism.

Gary and Sally Ride are waiting for Ed at the Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale. Ed arrives and tells them that he had car trouble. He tells them that he wanted them to supervise the sim mods while he flew out to the Cape to check out the launch control center upgrades. First, Ed shows them *Pathfinder* and tells them that it would help them reach Mars faster. He mentions that they needed to test the ship, and reminds them that he had chosen them since they were the best.

Later, Gordo meets up with Ed at the Ellington Air Force Base. Gordo told Ed that he had seen ants while watching TV at Outpost while sober. He mentions that that the ants were real, but that he had thought he was losing it again and wonders if it would happen on the Moon again, but Ed told him he was fine. He told him to act like a man since he was an astronaut and started mocking him. They flew and Ed told Gordo he would test them to see if they had any balls. As Gordo and Ed flew, Ed showed Gordo a few tricks, but Ed's jet caught fire and he was forced to eject. He opened his parachute and headed straight for water.

Karen and Kelly sit at the breakfast table. The phone rings and Kelly picks up, and is told that Ed was fine. Karen says that it was good for Kelly to know what it was like when situations like this happened. Later, Ed arrives at the house and looks terrible, but he mentions that all that happened was that he had gotten wet. He apologizes, but Karen says she would go to work even though it was 6 A.M. Ed turns to Kelly, who tells him that it had been a long night for both of them.

At JSC, Gordo and Ed sit at Margo's office while listening to the recordings from their flights. They are joined by Thomas and Molly who pauses the recordings and asks them to give her a good reason why she should not pull their tickets. Ed tells her that he cannot take him off *Pathfinder*, but she reminded him that she could. She tells them that they have one last chance and tells them to leave.

Danny is having dinner with Karen and Kelly. When Ed joins them, he salutes Ed, who tells him to stand down. As soon as Ed sat down, Danny left. Karen told Ed that she did not think he would be joining them, and Kelly brought Ed a plate, but also left. Ed tries to break the silence between him and Karen by saying he wanted to watch a movie, but she spoils it for him and leaves him to eat dinner alone.

The Baldwin family watches the news, which mentions that people are protesting the launch of the Sea Dragon, since it contained nuclear fuel. Karen says that it does not seem very safe, and asks what would happen if it exploded in the atmosphere, and Ed mentioned that was why the launch was in the middle of nowhere. The launch begins, and after it successfully lifted off, Ed reassured her that there was nothing to worry about. Kelly asks Ed what he had written his essay about when he had gotten into Annapolis, but Ed said he did not remember, and told her to simply tell them who she was. She asks Ed why they had adopted her, and Ed tells her that when they walked into the adoption center, they saw her help a kid with a puzzle, being kind and patient and tells her that they knew right away. Karen told her that it was love at first sight, and Ed agreed. However, Kelly asked why they did not have another baby. Karen tells her that she had some medical issues, and Ed had been living away from Karen for a while, since it was a difficult time after Shane died. They remember getting excited over adopting a Vietnamese baby, which makes Kelly think she only served as their band-aid, but Karen tells her that she was their heart transplant.

At Kennedy Space Center, a nervous Gordo and his crew prepare for their launch. Gordo greets Ed, who tells him he wanted to take a look at the old shuttles before *Pathfinder* made them obsolete and tells him he is proud of him. Gordo thanks him and tells him he is ready. When his helmet is placed on his head, he smiles at Ed and the two shake hands before his launch. Later, he watches the launch of the Space Shuttle *Columbia* beside his car.

Ed, Gary, and Sally are informed by Bradford about the president's decision to arm *Pathfinder*, so this would now be a joint mission between NASA and the DoD. Ed asks if they would be firing missiles, and Braford tells him that there would be a fire exercise to demonstrate the system, firing towards drones which would simulate Soviet satellites. They are told that *Pathfinder's* missiles were primarily for self-defense, which makes Sally question if they would be used for offensive purposes, but Margo tells them that this is not the mission plan. Simulating the *Pathfinder*, Ed, Sally and Gary try firing it, shooting both targets successfully. Sally tells them she could use some air and leaves.

Molly gets visited by Ed, who makes fun of her for having to use glasses, when she had made fun of him before. He teases her about getting old, but she tells him that DoD was taking over his mission and tells him about the *Buran* situation. She informs him that his new launch date would be in a couple of days.

Ed tells Gary and Sally that they would be going up against *Buran*, which Sally mentions would be one hell of a test flight, since many things could go wrong. Ed acknowledges that, but tells them they needed to make sure Sea Dragon 17 could reach the Moon. He tells them about their guns, since they might need to defend themselves returning, also having to destroy *Pathfinder* if they returned to hostile territory. He tells them that he understood if they wanted to drop out of the mission. None of them drop out but Sally asks if there were nuclear weapons aboard the Sea Dragon, to which Ed sincerely responds that he does not know.

Ed gets home and tells Kelly and Karen that he could not stay since he had to leave, but wanted to say goodbye to them both. Karen does not pay much attention to Ed, though and simply cooks until she interrupts Kelly to tell her that Ed could not promise them that he would be okay since it was unrealistic, which Ed says is right. They hug, and Ed asks Karen if she could walk him to the car.

When they go outside, Ed asks her if she is okay and she coldly tells him she is tired and tells him she would explain why she was behaving weirdly when he got back since he had to focus on his mission. However, he told her that he would not be able to concentrate until she told him. She tries to avoid telling him, but he reminds her of the pact they had made to not keep secrets from one another. She reveals that she slept with someone else and she did it sober and knowingly. Ed asks who, since it mattered to him and asks her if this was a way of asking him for a divorce, but she tells him they need counselling, which angers Ed since he thought marriage was a thing where you either wanted in or out. She tells him that he does not like living in the gray, which Ed does not understand. He gets in his car and leaves.

On *Pathfinder*, Ed was thinking about his conversation with Karen. They separated from the carrier aircraft and headed straight for orbit. Ed tells them that flying into space had always been a wonder and now they had finally done it.

Ed flies through space and thinks about Karen until he is called by Gary, who tells him to sleep, but he does not accept. Gary tells him they are two hours away from the blockade line, which is where they would face *Buran*. Gary asks him if he is okay, but Ed tells him to get back to work.

Houston informs Ed about the attack on Jamestown and he remembers he put everybody on that base. Sally asks why they would attack Jamestown, but they do not know. Ed tells them that they saw a weakness in them and Bradford tells them that they were their last hope. They start losing signal as they reach the far side of the Moon. *Pathfinder* gets a radio from *Buran*, telling them they were violating a space treaty and would be fired at if Sea Dragon did not leave immediately. Sea Dragon would be within missile range in five minutes, so Ed tells Gary to open the payload doors, which reveals their weapons.

*Buran* tells them that they had two minutes to leave, but Ed tells them that if they were fired at, they would fire back. Sally wondered if they were bluffing, but Ed did not believe so. He tells her to lock weapons system on their target, but Sally says that there must be another way. Ed says that they have orders, but Sally reminds him that he is commander of *Pathfinder* and also reminds him of when he testified on Apollo 10. Ed tells her to lock weapons system on target once more, but when she does not do it, he tells her she is relieved of duty. Sally leaves her station, but points her gun at him after he takes over. He tells her to put it down, but she tells him it was not a joke. Ed gets up and tells her to shoot him, since he knew she would not shoot him. He points his gun at her as well, and Gary tells them both to stop.

*Buran* had missile lock on Sea dragon 17, so Ed sits down again, telling her he would do what he had to and shoots Sea Dragon down. Houston contacts them and Ellen asks if they had engaged with *Buran*, but Ed says they had not, which Ellen is relieved to hear.

Later, at the graves of Gordo and Tracy, Ed cries and leaves a deck of cards on top of Gordo's. Molly, Ellen, Danielle, Jimmy, Danny, Karen and Kelly cry as well. Karen leaves Tracy flowers. After the funeral, Ed and Karen hug and both go their separate ways after Kelly hugs him as well.

### Season 3

On July 17, 1992, Ed visits the Polaris Orbital Hotel, to attend the wedding of Danny and Amber Stevens. During the party, a piece of debris from a failed North Korean rocket launch hits the space station, damaging a thruster that helps provide spin-gravityW on board. After a failed attempt at fixing the thruster causes the death of two technicians, the gravity on board Polaris starts to rise, causing stabilisation cables to snap and hit Ed's hotel room. Ed's leg is injured during his escape from the room. After escaping and meeting with other members of the wedding party, they attempt to reach the shuttles via the elevators, until they also fail due to the increasing gravity, killing Polaris co-founder Sam Cleveland. Ed realises that due to the increased gravity, the emergency staircase will also be impassable in his condition, but Danny manages to undertake a space walk, turning off the thruster and saving the hotel.

#### Joining Helios and Race to Mars

Back on Earth Ed is still working at NASA, where he and Danielle Poole are in competition for the planned mission to Mars abord *Sojourner 1*. Molly Cobb, current Head of the Astronaut Office, believes that Ed, with his test pilot experience, is the right person for the job, while Margo Madison believes that Poole who is more analytical is the correct choice. Cobb goes behind Madison's back and informs Ed that he has the command spot for the mission, leading Ed to celebrate and Poole to state that she will be right behind him, waiting for him to make a mistake. Margo confronts Molly about the decision to award Ed command, firing her and instead installing Danielle as commander. This backflip, as well as Karen joining Helios Aerospace, after she sold the Polaris station to them for usage in a crewed mission to Mars, leads to Ed leaving NASA and instead joining Helios to be their commander. Ed hopes for his daughter Kelly to join him, but she instead sticks with NASA's mission, leading Ed to be dissapointed she won't be joining him, but proud that she will still be making the journey.

The mission to Mars launches in fall 1994, Ed's ship *Phoenix* being one of three vessels known to be in the Race to Mars. After each vessel's intial burn, *Phoenix* finds itself in the lead ahead of NASA's *Sojourner 1* and Roscosmos' *Mars-94*. Helios CEO and founder Dev Ayesa communicates with Ed to celebrate having won the race. Ed then communicates with Danielle onboard *Sojourner 1* to gloat about his victory, and to talk to his daughter. Shortly after this communication is broken off, *Phoenix* receives a transmission from *Sojourner*, who are playing a sea shanty. At first Ed and other members of *Phoenix* laugh and believe that they must be going insane, before Ed realises something is up and wants information on what *Sojourner* is up to, discovering that they have installed a large solar sail and will now beat them by 8 days. Ed congratulates Danielle on a game well played.

*Mars-94*, in an attempt to take the lead in the race, fires it's engines beyond their tolerances, causing a nuclear meltdown, and requiring rescue before radiation kills the crew. Ed and Danielle consult with each other and due to *Phoenix's* capabilities, Ed will orchestrate the rescue, although this will mean that they will not have enough fuel to proceed to Mars. He communicates with Helios' Mission Control, but Dev, who only wishes to come first, remotely locks Ed and his crew from controlling the ship, forcing the rescue to fall on NASA's *Sojourner 1.*

After multiple attempts by *Phoenix* crew member Nick Corrado, Ed is able to regain control over his ship, telling Dev that he is the commander of the ship. During the journey, unbeknownst to Ed, Danny Stevens has been able to access Ed's communications with Karen, leading Danny to harbour resentment for Ed. Ed takes Danny in for a game of cards, where he confides that Karen had had an affair with another man, although he did not know whom, and that if he did they would be a greasy stain on the floor. Due to *Sojourner 1* being able to refuel from *Mars 94*, the race is now in two, with a joint USA/USSR crew onboard *Sojourner* , only three days behind *Phoenix*.

*Phoenix* reaches Mars first, but due to dust storms in the landing areas, they are unable to land, allowing *Sojourner 1* to catch up. Leading to both crews attempting their landings at the same time, Ed and Danny attempt to land in their Mars Surface Access Module (MSAM). During their landing attempt, Ed loses his altimeter due to the lack of visibility, and after seeing a mountain unexpectantly, despite Danny's protests, he decides to abort the landing shortly before they would have collided with the Martian surface. Meanwhile, *Sojourner 1* announces their successful landing as Ed and Danny return to *Phoenix*.

Ed eventually lands on Mars with Danny and other members of the Helios crew, where after a deal is reached between Helios and the USSR to mine liquid water at Gagarin Ridge, the USSR crew join them at the Helios Mars base. Tensions begin to rise after Danny injures his hand and begins abusing medication, leading to Ed removing him from missions. This culminates in Danny causing the Gagarin Ridge drilling disaster, which results in the deaths of Isabel Castillo and Nick Corrado, the only witness to Danny's actions, while also trapping Ed and Danny in a buried Hab at the Helios site. They are rescued by Kelly and Alexei Poletov, although Alexei dies of subdural hematoma shortly after due to the effects of the drilling disaster.

After Alexei's death it is discovered that Kelly is pregnant with Alexei's child. The remaining Helios and USSR crew join forces with the US crew, helping to repair the MSAM that was damaged in the drilling disaster, so that they can escape back to the *Phoenix*, where the remainder of their supplies are, and so Kelly can give birth in the medical bay on board. This is complicated when Kelly begins to suffer from preeclampsia and needs to travel to Phoenix at short notice. A rescue plan is instituted, although this will cause the remainder of the crew to have to remain on Mars for an extended period of time, and will also require the crew to obtain a docking radar unit from a downed North Korean probe a few hours drive away.

Dani and Grigory Kuznetsov travel to the probe, discovering footprints before being held at gunpoint by the true first man on Mars, Lee Jung-Gil, as North Korea had hidden the fact it was a manned mission to avoid humiliation if it failed. They are able to subdue Lee and bring him and the docking unit back to Happy Valley. Lee who only speaks Korean demands to be taken back to his spacecraft, but Ed who speaks a small amount of Korean from his time in the Korean War, manages to tell him that this is his home now.

Shortly before Ed is to pilot the MSAM as part of the rescue plan, Danny asks to pilot it, feeling guilty over his actions that led to the deaths of 3 people, finally admitting that he was the cause. Ed refuses, saying that his daughter is not a way to atone for his actions, and that when Ed returns there will be a reckoning.

Kelly is successfully evacuated to *Phoenix*, where she gives birth to Alex, making Ed a Grandfather, while Ed manages to survive the crash landing of the MSAM on its return, although this places it out of action for good.

Due to Danny's actions, Ed in conjunction with the other Happy Valley members exile Danny to the North Korean capsule, promising to bring supplies.

### Season 4

#### Survival on Mars

By 1996, supplies began running low at Happy Valley, leading to strict rationing. To pass the time, he and Lee teach each other English and Korean respectively. He and Dani later travel out to the North Korean capsule to bring Danny the last of the rations they have available for him, finding he has committed suicide.

#### XO of Happy Valley

By 2003, Ed is XO of the ever growing, now international Happy Valley colony. He also commands the asteroid capture ship *Ranger 1*. Prior to the Kronos capturing mission, Ed and Grigory Kuznetsov played a game of cards to determine who would be first to step foot on an asteroid. Baldwin lost after Kuznetsov pulled a pair of Queens. Despite this, Baldwin was happy for history to be made with the fruits of the Mars-7 Alliance. Some time later, Ed received a video message from Kelly, who was excited to be home within the next two months.

After XF Kronos was secured, Ed piloted *Ranger 1* to tow the asteroid to Mars orbit. However, on the way the anchors began breaking loose, causing some instability with the asteroid. As the wobble increasingly got worse, Kuznetsov insisted on re-tensioning the cables, but Ed advised against it due to the risk but ultimately agreed to allow him up to 30 minutes. However, as Kuznetsov and Tom Parker reached the truss, things got worse leading to Parker being impaled by debris and Kuznetsov's leg being crushed. Baldwin planned on rescuing Kuznetsov but the latter revealed his suit was punctured, resulting in him losing oxygen fast. After some hesitation, Baldwin ejected *Ranger 1* from the asteroid, leaving Kuznetsov to drift off into space. After these events, Ed sent a video message back to Kelly, revealing he can't return until the new Happy Valley commander settles in.

A few months later, Ed welcomed Dani back to Happy Valley, who was named the new commander. When Dani tried to greet Lee Jung-Gil, he warned her that the North Koreans were keeping a close eye on Lee. Later, Ed and Dani discuss over the classism on Happy Valley. When Dani brought up the communication failures on the lower decks, Ed tried to defend the need to priortize essential communications but was called out for using it to make contact with Kelly. Ed explained that a relay satellite was damaged and it wasn't safe for an EVA repair mission. Although he says there would be a replacement satellite within a year, he was reminded of the time during Apollo 22 when they had experiences the lower decks were currently facing, and Dani ordered the EVA repair mission.

Later, Ed overheard Miles Dale complaining about his job and lack of income. Ed reminded him they were on another planet, and that he should take some personal responsibility. Following this, Ed and Dani oversaw the EVA repair mission for the next 7 hours. Although Ed was ready to call the mission off, the satellite is repaired, improving the communications on Happy Valley significantly.

Ed and the denizens of Happy Valley learn that there was a coup d'état going on in the Soviet Union. Ed tries to console his co-pilot Svetlana Zakharova who is concerned over losing contact with her father. During a *Ranger 1* training mission, Ed's hand trembles. Believing Svetlana to be ready after her simulation test runs, he allows her to take the lead to hide his tremors, which Svetlana succesfully completes. After this, Svetlana notes that she's had back pains since the Kronos mission, and the pain medications she's been using haven't helped. Ed then shows her his garden, including marijuana he's been secretly growing to deal with his tremors, which he ultimately reveals to Svetlana in confidence.

Zakharova severly injures a Helios worker Vasily Galkin during a scuffle while on the Martian surface, leading to Dani placing her under confinement for 60 sols and loss of pay, Ed does not agree with this decision, stating that she is needed for the asteroid capture program, although Zakharova says that it is pointless, because she has been commanded to return to the Soviet Union to face trial for the incident, as Galkin is the nephew of a Politburo member. Believing that Zakharova will not face a fair trial, Dani and Ed agree not to send her back, causing an international incident, that leads to the new head of Roscosmos Irina Morozova to instruct the cosmonauts at Happy Valley to not recognise Dani as Commander and to reset the computers to Cyrillic. After an emergency meeting between the US aligned members of the Mars-7 Alliance, Ed requests for security to be kept at Zakharova's quarters to prevent the Soviets trying to capture her.

After NASA Adminstrator Eli Hobson brokers a deal with the Soviet Union and the United States, for Zakharova to be tried in India, the only neutral member of the alliance. Ed is furious when informed by Dani that she has agreed to the deal, with Zakharova will be sent back to Earth, claiming that Dani is only worried about her own career, to which she responds by telling him that he overlooks issues if they occur to those he cares for, citing Gordo and Danny. She begins to talk about what happened to Danny, before stopping herself, Ed demands she finishes her sentence, before Dani leaves, stating that her decision has been made.

Ed visits Zakharova as she is packing up her room to head to the transport vessel, pleading with her to stay, offering room on the unfinished 4th floor to hide out in, until it blows over. She refuses and tells Ed that she will not let him ruin his career to save her. They share a kiss, before Ed escorts her to the vessel, despite being informed that a large group is waiting, who are angry at Zakharova for injuring their colleague.

After an asteroid rich in iridiumW that will be possible to be captured into Mars orbit is discovered, it is dubbed Goldilocks and Happy Valley is given responsibility for its capture. Dani holds a meeting, where she gives orders for how best to plan for the mission to obtain it. Ed disagrees with Dani's plans, leading her to pull him aside and rebuke him, saying that since Zakharova was returned to Earth, he has disagreed with her at every turn, and that she needs him to be on the same page as her XO.

After being reported due to this hand tremors being noticed by Palmer James, Ed is removed from flight status by Dani, after an argument between the two, where Ed tries to blame Dani for what happened to Danny, before telling her not to do anything she will regret. She says that she has many regrets but this is not one of them.

#### Removal as XO of Happy Valley

After his argument with Dani, Ed is replaced as XO of Happy Valley, with Palmer taking his role. Ed spends his time in his room, reading books and rearranging his belongings, while also smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. He eventually goes to the lower levels of Happy Valley, visiting Ilya Breshov's speakeasy. His visit is met with stunned silence from Ilya and the Helios workers inside, but Ed quickly breaks the silence by asking for alcohol, complimenting Ilya on his still, although letting him know that his filters need to be changed. He tells Ilya that he knows about the still and the smuggling, as he himself has experience in both, through his work in the Navy.

Ed wakes up in his room hungover and immediately lights a joint, but Palmer knocks on his door. Palmer explains that while Ed has been removed as XO, he is still the Senior Project Manager on Mars for Helios, and that he has to sign off on paperwork. Palmer wants him to sign it quickly, but Ed realising he still has some power, takes the paperwork for review, angering Palmer, but Ed has already shut the door in his face.

The Helios workers have begun to discuss unionisation, but there are arguments about it, with some workers not wanting to upset Helios. Ed arrives and is immediately unwelcome, but informs them that they are already screwed, as the paperwork he was given lists their bonuses and payscales which will be changing, with 10 times the points needed for a bonus, and the bonus changing from $25,000 to $5000. There are arguments about the workers having signed a contract, but Ed and Samantha Massey tell them that their contracts had a clause that they could be changed at will. Ed then advises them to unionise, and if their demands are not met to strike.

The Helios workers eventually strike, and on Day 7, they meet with the M-7 members. While Samantha tries to reason with Dani, Ed intermittently interjects, with no compromise met. While Ed is fighting for Goldilocks to be brought into Martian orbit in order to create his goal of a Mar's colony, Samantha and the other workers are fighting for the same goal, but so they can continue to work and earn money for their families back home. After the meeting discovering that M-7 is going to try and restart the generators in the cryo plant that is neccessary to refine the fuel needed for Ranger, Ed and the other Helios workers move the base's supply of spacesuits onto the Martian surface, so that there is no way for M-7 to traverse the 800m seperating the base and the cryo plant.

Kelly and Alex arrive on Mars with Dev, Ed meeting his grandson for the first time, although Alex want's nothing to do with him and clings to his mothers arm. They later have dinner together, spaghetti, although Kelly says that it is missing something, Ed agrees and Kelly brings out a tube of Kraft parmesan cheese, an old favourite in the Baldwin household, Ed asks Alex if he wants some, to which he tells him no, but Ed ignores him and puts it on anyway, leading Alex to leave the table. Kelly reprimands Ed and says that instead of acting as a union organiser, he should take the time to get to know his grandson. Ed tells her that he can do both, but Kelly says that there is more than one way to do things. Ed argues that if Goldilocks isn't brought into Mar's orbit, Mars as a colony will die, and it will just be a backwater research station like McMurdo. Kelly who had spent time in Antarctica on McMurdo, asks what's wrong with that, before they are interrupted as Ed is called away as there is a problem.

Discovering that the M-7 members have managed to access the cryo plant through the grey water pipes, the striking workers argue that their leverage is gone before another worker shows that they have taken the gas regulator valve from the plant and they will be unable to start it without it. Unfortunately, the M-7 members try to bypass it and cause an explosion, which causes the strikers to form an impromptu meeting. Ed says that they must keep up the pressure, but Samantha argues that it has gone too far. While they are arguing, Dev walks in and creates a line on the ground with sugar, he compliments them on their negotiations and their resolve, but there is no way that Goldilocks will be allowed to come into Martian orbit, and that M-7 has agreed to their safety demands, while he as head of Helios, can offer the first 100 workers to cross his line over $1 million in pay and stocks. Ed and Samantha argue, but to no avail as one by one the workers begin to cross the line, Ed insulting them as they do, until finally only Ed, Samantha and three other workers are left. Ed tells Dev that he has killed Mars.

#### Asteroid Thief

Later, Dev comes into Ed's room unannounced, leading Ed to respond angrily, and that Dev has a lot of nerve showing up after what he did. Dev says that he is not surprised that the workers acted on greed, but he was impressed by the resolve Ed showed, before telling him that he shares Ed's dream for Martian colony. Ed counters by saying that he has killed it, but Dev instead asks if he wants to help him steal and asteroid.

Ed, organises for the Helios workers who had held the line to meet with Dev, starting with Samantha who he meets in the bar. Palmer James arrives and shuts it down, citing the M-7 charter on contraband. As he and Samantha leave they see other Helios workers including Sparks either welding the doors to the disused lower levels or hardwiring the elevators to prevent the workers from being able to organise again. Security checks are now taking place across the base, as retribution for the strike.

Ed meets with Dev to discuss the asteroid plan, but discovers that he has forgotten he promised to look after Alex, as Kelly is travelling to Korolev crater as part of her S.E.E.K.E.R. program. Realising they need a babysitter, Ed organises for Joanna Chapman to look after him in the greenhouse.

The Helios workers that Ed has rounded up meet with Dev, they are initially dismissive of him, but come around when he shares the plan to steal Goldilocks. They need to build their own Ops-Comm room, as well as changing out a discriminator box that will will them to send a fake transmission to *Ranger*, in order to force the ship to burn for 25 minutes instead of 20, which will push Goldilocks into a permanent Martian orbit, instead of a gravity assist on the way to Earth that M-7 is planning. As Samantha will be on board *Ranger,* she is given the job of changing out the discriminator box, but she is hesitant, both due to the difficulty of doing so with other crew members around her, but also due to the belief that she will no longer be on the crew due to her role in the strike. Dev though has already organised for her to stay on the crew as part of his role as CEO of Helios. They are also forced to work with Miles, as he is the only person who will be able to smuggle them the hardware necessary to build the fake Ops-Comm room.

After the meeting, Ed visits the greenhouse to pick up Alex, but he and Joanna find that Alex is missing. After a frantic search, Joanna finds him, Ed is initially angry and shouts at him, before Alex says that he was just looking for him. Ed calms down again.

Ed and Dev meet with Miles who tells them that the hardware will be difficult to obtain, due to its sensitive nature, Ed asks if he won't or can't do it. Dev pushes the issue, pulling out an anecdote about his former Helios partner Richard Hilliard and how he was risk averse, before asking Miles if he want's to be a millionaire or billionaire. This convinces Miles to go along with the plan, as they leave, Ed and Dev discuss Alex, before Dev shares another anecdote about his own father.

Alex is supposed to be sleeping, but wakes up as Ed is reading a book in his quarters, Ed asks what's wrong and Alex says that he's scared. Ed asks if he's scared of him, to which Alex nods and says that he looks like a bear. Ed laughs and looks at his reflection in a photo of himself and Shane, before reading a story to Alex to help him sleep.

The smuggling operation is a success and Miles manages to get the hardware out of the loading bay, after disguising it as food products, but the team discover that the discriminator box is missing, Faiza Khatib in the loading bay tells them that it was delivered but was sent to the secure room by accident. Ed questions Miles on how they should get it, but Miles says that the lock is impassable, and that there is a vent into the room, but it's only 12 inches across. Ed and Dev then recruit Alex to climb through, Ed is hesistant and offers Alex a chance to back out, but Alex is more than happy to go along with the plan, while he gets into the room with no issues, he finds the box is located on the top shelf, Ed is resigned to not being able to get it, but Alex preserveres and climbs up to get it, causing a loud bang that Ed and Dev are worried about, before Alex returns with the box. They praise him for his work and Alex is happy at the attention.

## Missions

* Gemini 7W
* Apollo 10 (Commander)
* Apollo 15 (Commander)
* Apollo 22 (Commander, first leg of the trip only)
* Apollo 24 (Acting commander, return flight only)
* *Pathfinder* (Commander)
* Helios Mars mission (Commander)
* Kronos capturing mission

## Gallery

*See also: Image gallery of Edward Baldwin*
Season 2 portrait
## Notes

1. ↑     There is a discrepancy with the date of the *Newsweek* edition lying on Deke's desk.

The edition is dated "July 29, 1969", which is not possible as that episode (1x01) ends on July 20 with Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. It could have been meant to be "June 29" instead of July, however that would be a Sunday. More likely, it should be "June 30", which would correspond with the real life release day of *Newsweek* during that era, Mondays, and would also fit best into the episode's time flow.
In the episode's timeline, Deke's presentation of the article to Ed seemingly happened on July 1, after June 30 (dead of Aleida's mother, seen at 24:32) but before July 2 (14 days to Apollo 11 launch, seen at 34:52 and said at 37:26).
2. ↑ In episode 2x10 "The Grey", Edward Baldwin is in his Service Dress BlueW uniform as a Rear admiral (lower half)W.

He is wearing his Naval Astronaut Warfare InsigniaW, along with the Joint Meritorious Unit AwardW, Meritorious Service MedalW with Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation MedalW with Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement MedalW, Navy E RibbonW, National Defense Service MedalW with Bronze Star, Vietnam Service MedalW with Two Bronze Stars, Sea Service RibbonW with Three Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Frame Unit CitationW, Republic of Vietnam Campaign MedalW with Device (*1960–* ), along with his Gold NASA astronaut pinW.

	* Since he is in Service Dress Blue, he should not be wearing his Gold NASA astronaut pin. It is a lapel pin, that is only worn on civilian clothing, not in uniform.
	* Baldwin's Service Ribbon Bar contains several inaccuracy:
		+ Despite his service during the Korean WarW, the Korean Service MedalW and the United Nations Korea MedalW are not present in his service ribbon bar.
		+ He is wearing 3 Vietnam ribbons, despite being on staff with NASA as an astronaut during the eligibility dates of 1966-1973 for all three awards.
		+ The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is missing its gold frame. However, since in reality this award was established in 1981 only, it could be different in the show's timeline.

## See also

* Karen Baldwin
* Shane Baldwin
* Kelly Baldwin
* Yvonne

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Season 4, Episode 1: "Glasnost" → Screenshot
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 9: "Bent Bird"
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 5: "Into the Abyss" (@ 37:50)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 1: "Red Moon"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 2: "Game Changer"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 1: "Glasnost"
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 5: "Goldilocks"
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 2: "He Built the Saturn V"
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 3: "Nixon's Women"
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 4: "Prime Crew"
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 5: "Into the Abyss"
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 6: "Home Again"
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 7: "Hi Bob"
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 8: "Rupture"
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 1, Episode 10: "A City Upon a Hill"
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 1: "Every Little Thing"
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 2: "The Bleeding Edge"
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 3: "Rules of Engagement"
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 4: "Pathfinder"
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 5: "The Weight"
21. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 6: "Best Laid Plans"
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 8: "And Here's to You"
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 9: "Triage"
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 2, Episode 10: "The Grey"
25. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 1: "Polaris"
26. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 3: "All In"
27. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 4: "Happy Valley"
28. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 5: "Seven Minutes of Terror"
29. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 6: "New Eden"
30. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 7: "Bring It Down"
31. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 8: "The Sands of Ares"
32. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 9: "Coming Home"
33. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 3, Episode 10: "Stranger in a Strange Land"
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 2: "Have A Nice Sol"
35. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 3: "The Bear Hug"
36. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 4: "House Divided"
37. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 6: "Leningrad"
38. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 7: "Crossing The Line"
39. ↑ *For All Mankind* TV Series - Season 4, Episode 8: "Legacy"