The X-files

Space
Episode: 1X08
First aired: 11/12/93
Written by: Chris Carter
Directed by: William Graham

Lt. Col. Belt is a supervisor of a shuttle program at NASA's Mission Control in Houston, Texas. He has flashbacks to 1977 seeing a ghostly face looking at him when he was in space.

Mulder and Scully are approached by Michelle Generoo, the communications commander, who says that a piece of equipment had been sabotaged resulting in the cancelation of a recent liftoff. She fears the next attempt at a lift off because her fiance is on the next mission.
They speak to Belt, who was a childhood hero to Mulder, who tells them there isn't anything wrong and the mission lifts off. Soon, however, the communication with the spacecraft is lost. Generoo's car crashes when she sees the same ghostly image.

Even though the ship is crippled, Belt tells the crew to deliver their payload so that the millions of dollars would not be lost. Mulder is hurt by this lack of concern for the lives of the crewmen, especially from his old hero.

At his apartment, Belt experiences another flashback and screams as the ghostly appearance lifts from his body and heads out towards space. Soon after, the crew feels a thump and the astronauts yell that there was some kind of ghost outside the ship.

Mulder and Scully meanwhile examine records and find that Belt knew about the equipment flaw from before.
Belt collapses at his office and at his urging they alter the shuttle's trajectory, preventing the spacecraft from burning up on reentry. Belt, wrestling with the ghostly presence, leaps to his death.

Important quotes:
Mulder -- "You never wanted to be an astronaut when you were a kid, Scully?"
Scully -- "Guess I missed that phase."

Mulder -- "I have to admit, that fulfilled one of my boyhood fantasies."
Scully -- "Yeah, it ranks right up there with getting a pony and learning how to braid my own hair."

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