and sending it into a faster decaying orbit, while Ethan is knocked out and dragged along with the satellite. While Tank and Jerry tend to the other young astronaut Roger Hines, who suffered a concussion on the impact, Frank and Hawk space walk to the satellite in time to activate a booster rocket and slow the orbit's decay. As they see to Ethan, they realize that the only option is to have someone ride on the satellite as they fire the missiles' engines so that it escapes into deep space. Hawk, who was recently widowed and who has eight months to live from pancreatic cancer, sacrifices himself, hoping that he will be able to land on the Moon to fulfill his life's dream. Frank, Tank, and Jerry now plan to bring the shuttle down over water since landing it would be difficult, but the shuttle comes in too fast. After safely bailing out Ethan and Roger, Tank and Jerry stay with Frank regardless of the risk. Frank recalls a maneuver Hawk had used before, purposely increasing the shuttle's angle of attack in the flare to bring the aircraft near a stall, thus allowing the shuttle to drop its speed quickly and allowing him to land the shuttle safely. The film ends with the Frank Sinatra song "Fly Me to the Moon", zooming in on the surface of the Moon showing that Hawk had indeed landed there before he died. Cast Clint Eastwood as Colonel Francis D. "Frank" Corvin, Ph.D., USAF (Ret.) Toby Stephens as Young Frank Corvin Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel William "Hawk" Hawkins, USAF (Ret.) Eli Craig as Young William "Hawk" Hawkins Donald Sutherland as Captain Jerry O'Neill, USAF (Ret.) John Mallory Asher as Young Jerry O'Neill James Garner as Captain / Reverend "Tank" Sullivan, USAF (Ret.) Matt McColm as Young "Tank" Sullivan Marcia Gay Harden as Sara Holland William Devane as Flight Director Eugene "Gene" Davis Loren Dean as Ethan Glance Courtney B. Vance as Roger Hines James Cromwell as Bob Gerson Billie Worley as Young Bob Gerson Rade Šerbedžija as General Vostov Barbara Babcock as Barbara Corvin Blair Brown as Dr. Anne Caruthers Jay Leno as Himself Jon Hamm as Young pilot Chris Wylde as Jason, The Birthday Boy Anne Stedman as Girlfriend Production Principal photography started in July 1999 and lasted three months. Scenes were filmed on location at the Johnson Space Center in Houston,