This plan is met with hesitation from all parties, but China is dead set against it because they want their astronaut to be the first person to walk on the Red Planet. Matt wants the crew to take Atlas and slingshot across Mars, using a gravitational assist, to head straight at Pegasus Two, so they can dock on the ship, and grab their supplies this means, however, they will have to give up on the mission to land on Mars and return home. Meanwhile in Away episode 8, “Vital Signs”, Matt comes up with a plan that he apparently lifted from Ron Howard in Apollo 13. Alexis is upset, Matt attempts to calm her down, the powers that be begin to talk to memorial services, and while Emma attempts to put a positive spin on things, Ram tells her, “When a plane goes off the radar, that pilot isn’t coming home.” Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the signal was lost, and they fear the ships skip right off Mars’ atmosphere and back into space, taking any chance of survival with them. The crew is waiting in anticipated relief that their mission will be completed and there is most likely a 99% survival if their rations touch down on that big red planet. The crew, mission control, and Emma’s family all watch the worldwide broadcast of Pegasus’s anticipated landing on Mars and everyone is understandably nervous- including Alexis, who is very fragile after all she has been going through. She doesn’t stop there and continues her assault by telling Emma she didn’t want to be here and mocks her for wanting to go home last week when she was dehydrated and over-worried, “You only wish you were home.”
Though, when Emma (Hilary Swank) brings it up, she berates her in front of the crew to not jinx it. Why? A freighter ship named Pegasus is going to land on Mars in an hour with food, supplies, and they will have access to a new back up the water system. Even Lu drops the tough act and talks about her first cup of tea, but they have to land on Mars first. Ram dreams of coffee, while Kwesi wants to re-water his plants, and Misha dreams of taking a long, hot shower. They have been still rationing their water, and everyone is getting testy. The crew is tired, hungry, and irritable on the big tin can traveling over 32,000 kilometers an hour across the great void known as space. He takes a breath, looking as serious as he did the moment before and tells the good doctor with little joy, “My child’s name is Lu.” The doctor gives him a disapproving look and then asks him what the child’s name will be. The father looks annoyed because he told his wife that they would “jinx it” if they picked a boy’s name before their child was born. The doctor comes out to give the father the good news- he has a brand-new baby girl.
Away episode 8, “Vital Signs”, kicks off with a flashback of a woman giving birth in a hospital in China.