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The Rescue of Athena One

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The Six Million Dollar Man
 “The Rescue of Athena One”

S1 E8

Production 40024
Original Airdate: 15 March, 1974

Steve trains Kelly Woods
Produced by
Sam Strangis and Donald R. Boyle
Written by
D. C. Fontana
Directed by
Lawrence Doheny
Guest Cast
Guest Star(s)
Farrah Fawcett-Majors as Kelly Woods
Co-starring
Paul Kent as Flight Surgeon Wolf
John S. Ragin as Flight Director
Quinn Redeker as Capcom
With
Dean Smith as Major Osterman
Jules Bergman as Himself
Patsy Sabline as 1st Secretary
Toni Jannotta as 2nd Secretary
Broadcast Order
Season 1
← Previous Next →
"Eyewitness to Murder" "Dr. Wells is Missing"
Related episodes
Nightmare in the Sky

Steve trains the first American woman astronaut, who along with another injured astronaut, becomes stranded at the Skylab space station. Steve returns to space to lead the rescue, only to have his bionics malfunction.

Contents

[edit] Summary

Steve Austin is posted to NASA where he is tasked with training America's first woman astronaut – Major Kelly Woods. Despite, initial problems Major Woods completes her training and is launched into Earth orbit in Athena One with fellow Astronaut Osterman on a mission to discover new sources of energy. Shortly afterwards Athena One is rocked by an explosion which seriously injures Osterman. Fortunately Major Woods is able to dock the crippled space capsule with the orbiting Skylab space station where it is intended she will await the arrival of a rescue team and doctor. However, the explosion has jammed the capsule’s hatch, trapping Woods and Osterman inside.

Steve is launched into space alongside Flight Surgeon Wolf to treat and rescue the trapped astronauts. Upon docking with Skylab Steve manages to force the trapped hatch open giving Woods and the still unconscious Osterman access to the space station. Flight Surgeon Wolf subsequently carries out a surgical procedure to remove shrapnel from Osterman. However, during a spacewalk to carry out repairs to Athena One, Steve’s Bionics begin to malfunction due to the higher levels of radiation present. As a result Major Woods has to command the Athena One Rescue capsule, containing all four astronauts inside, successfully back to Earth.

[edit] Novelization

"The Rescue of Athena One" is one of a handful of Six Million Dollar Man episodes to be adapted as a novel. The novelization was written by Mike Jahn, who combined the storyline of this episode with that of "Straight On 'Til Morning" for his book. See The Rescue of Athena One (novel).

[edit] Deconstructed

[edit] Quotes

Steve: Where do you think you're going Major?
Woods: Out, Colonel Sir!
Steve: Look, you run into trouble up there you can't walk away from it. Now get back in that capsule and we'll run it again.
Woods: We've been at this for six hours.
Steve: Look I don't make up the program lady, I've just been asked to help you - and I didn't want to do that. Now if you don't mind we'll get back in that capsule and we'll work on it again.
Woods: Yes, Sir...
Capcom: Steve, You got a problem?
Steve: Yeah, how do I get fired off this job?

(Steve catches a falling studio light)
Woods: Steve, those lights weigh a ton.
Steve: Oh, they do?
Woods: And you caught it with one arm, how?
Steve: Well, two hands are for beginners.

Oscar: How will they get down?
Steve: Don't be such a ray of sunshine, Oscar, your microphone's still on.

Oscar: The bookmakers are having a field day down here.
Steve: Yeah, well, don't tell me, big numbers with lots of zeros make me dizzy. You'll beat the odds, don't worry.

Steve: Did you try to blow the hatch with the emergency system?
Woods: I've tried everything but a can opener. Want to bring me one?

Woods: Steve, I can't let you go outside.
Steve: Kelly, me Colonel, you Major, remember?

Steve: Space... it is the final frontier: I can't go.

Woods: How are you?
Steve: (pause) I'm fine.
Woods: Lying to a nurse and a fellow pilot is a violation of the rules.
But when you are fine, I know a place in Houston that serves a really fantastic diner. Reasonable too.
Steve: Where is this restaurant?
Woods: My place.

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Storyline
[edit] Character
  • A nervous Oscar Goldman smokes while waiting for Steve's safe return. This is the only time in either series that he smokes.
[edit] Real World
  • Jules Bergman, who appears as himself in this episode, served as Science Editor for ABC News from 1961 until his premature death in 1987. He is best remembered for his expert coverage of the American space program.

[edit] Gaffes

[edit] Continuity

  • In the stock footage used for the space walk scenes one of the astronauts is seen wearing a red helmet. However, in the episode both Austin and Woods are clearly seen to be wearing standard white NASA helmets.
  • 'External' shots continue to show only one spacecraft docked at Skylab when two should be visible, after Steve and the doctor have arrived at the space station.
  • The Skylab was a stock shot, as the one shown in the episode does not show one missing solar panel (that ripped off during launch) and the thermal shield (installed by the 1st Skylab crew).
  • Steve's command of Rescue One is described by Jules Bergman as Austin's first return to space for the first time since he walked on the moon in January 1972. This seems to contradict the Moon and the Desert version of the original TV Movie, where Rudy states Steve had two more moonshots after the one depicted at the top of that episode. While the original Movie does not provide these details, the Lifting Body flight included a burn that lifted Steve into the upper stratosphere at max altitude. Depending on one's definition, that flight constituted a "return to space" for Steve, and therefore contradicted the commentary here as well.

[edit] Credibility

  • On Kelly Wood's boots in the Apollo Command Module, when she is standing up to try to open the jammed hatch, you can see a green/yellow large flower on the side of her boots.

[edit] Gallery

Helping Astronaut Osterman.

Steve watches as Kelly pilots the capsule back to earth.

Assorted pix

Publicity still

Publicity still

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