History Film / SpaceCowboys

** The satellite's orbit is decaying ''because it's heavy.'' In real life, a satellite's orbit decays due to drag from the outer atmosphere; a heavy satellite's orbit would decay ''more slowly'' than a light satellite's orbit. [[spoiler:The "Too Heavy" part may have been a cover, given the satellite's '''[[KillSat real]]''' [[OrbitalBombardment purpose]].]]

** In the training simulation, Hawk lands the over-speeding shuttle in manual control by purposefully stalling it out at a high angle-of-attack, [[spoiler:a maneuver which Frank later repeats to land the actual shuttle.]] Not only is this ridiculous, but it's also downright ''impossible'' in a Space Shuttle. It's a variation of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_maneuver Pugachev's cobra]], which, while possible to execute, has only been performed successfully in [[CoolPlane supermaneuverable jets]] with advanced post-stall capabilities, such as NASA's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell-MBB_X-31 X-31]] and the Russian [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-27 Su-27 "Flanker"]]; the Space Shuttle, on the other hand, is repeatedly (and rightfully) stated to be a "flying brick".

* BlindWithoutEm: Jerry (Sutherland). He nonetheless passes the NASA eyesight test by memorizing the letters while his glasses are on. Later on, he gets custom-made CoolShades.

** More specifically, he throws them out when he learns who they work for AND Ethan gets it in his head to insult Frank in his own home. Sara is obviously embarrassed by Ethan actions and Frank has no issue working with her a couple scenes later.

'''William 'Hawk' Hawkins''': For a computer, it might be.
** Then later, when the damaged shuttle has to re-enter the atmosphere...
-->'''Eugene 'Gene' Davis:''' They're going to have to re-enter the atmosphere and set her down in manual mode.\\

-->'''Doctor:''' ''[astonished, handing Jerry his glasses]'' You have [=20/10=] vision, Captain!\\

*** Hawk's landing technique of "tapping on the brakes a little bit." [[spoiler:Hawk himself pulls this first in the flight training simulator, and Frank later copies it to land for real.]]

** The satellite's orbit is decaying ''because it's heavy.'' In real life, a satellite's orbit decays due to drag from the outer atmosphere; a heavy satellite's orbit would decay ''more slowly'' than a light satellite's orbit. [[spoiler: The "Too Heavy" part may have been a cover, given the satellite's '''[[KillSat real]]''' [[OrbitalBombardment purpose]]]].
** Sara states that in order to reach the Moon, you only have to get something (in this case, a hypothetical baseball) halfway there, since the Moon's gravity would take it the rest of the way. [[spoiler: This comes up again at the end, when there is not enough fuel available to get the satellite all the way to the Moon, but it's supposedly okay because there's enough, given a HeroicSacrifice, to make it halfway]]. While it is true that you only need to get something partway to the Moon before the Moon's gravity will carry it the rest of the way in, the distance required is closer to 95%, not halfway, due to the moon's much lower gravity.
** In the training simulation, Hawk lands the over-speeding shuttle in manual control by purposefully stalling it out at a high angle-of-attack, [[spoiler:a maneuver which Frank later repeats to land the actual shuttle]]. Not only is this ridiculous, but it's also downright ''impossible'' in a Space Shuttle. It's a variation of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_maneuver Pugachev's cobra]], which, while possible to execute, has only been performed successfully in [[CoolPlane supermaneuverable jets]] with advanced post-stall capabilities, such as NASA's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell-MBB_X-31 X-31]] and the Russian [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-27 Su-27 "Flanker"]]; the Space Shuttle, on the other hand, is repeatedly (and rightfully) stated to be a "flying brick."

*** Hawk's landing technique of "tapping on the brakes a little bit." [[spoiler:Hawk himself pulls this first in the flight training simulator, and Frank later copies it to land for real]].

* ConvenientlyClosePlanet: [[spoiler: The satellite's boosters fire on a trajectory that conveniently gets to the moon - and quickly enough that Hawk's air doesn't run out]].
* ConvenientTerminalIllness: [[spoiler: Hawkins has pancreatic cancer, so he doesn't mind saving the world by taking a one-way trip to the moon]].

* DeathFromAbove: [[spoiler:IKON - which is actually an ''orbiting nuclear missile silo'']].

* EatingTheEyeCandy: While the other three [[HandOrObjectUnderwear cover their naked manhoods]] when the female doctor comes in, Jerry [[ShamelessFanserviceGuy stands at attention with no shame]], and she takes a rather noticeable look and [[BiggerIsBetterInBed is seemingly impressed.]]
-->'''Tank''': ''[looks down at what Jerry's packing]'' Nothing to be ashamed of.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Both Frank and flight director Eugene Davis don't buy for a second Bob's explanation that the Russian communication satellite is too big for the Space Shuttle to bring home safely, and that Bob doesn't know how an ancient guidance system ended up on a Russian satellite during the Cold War. The BlatantLies are revealed to be that [[spoiler: the "communication satellite" is a nuclear-missile-loaded KillSat that will set off if it decays back to Earth while active.]]

-->'''Hawk''': Sara? I'm gonna take you out for a beer.\\
'''Sara''': ''[dryly]'' I'll be needing one.

* KillSat: [[spoiler:Played both ways -- the IKON satellite is a massive piece of equipment which ''will not'' completely burn out if it enters the atmosphere, meaning that unless the team goes to keep it in orbit it ''will'' fall and wreck something on impact... and then it turns out that Gerson "conveniently" decided to keep secret the truth told to him by the Russians, which is that IKON is a ''nuclear missile silo'' that they placed in space during the Cold War; to make matters worse, it operates on a DeadMansSwitch that would interpret it falling out of orbit as evidence that it was attacked and '''''launch its entire payload at once.''''']]

* PetTheDog: Bob Gerson seems genuinely sad and sorry when he tells Corvin about [[spoiler:Hawkins' pancreatic cancer]].

-->'''Jerry''': Just going to do the bottom three lines ''([[ImpairmentShot camera shows Jerry's vision completely blurring the chart]], rapidly runs through the letters)''...you think oysters would be too much for the first date?\\
-->'''Doctor''': ''[astonished, handing Jerry his glasses]'' You have [=20/10=] vision, Captain!\\
'''Jerry''': Oh these are just for 'looking at you, kid'. ''[smiles at her]''\\

'''Jerry''': I may be blind, but my memory is perfect. ''[walks off rattling off the letters again]''

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Although he isn't as happy as sending up four senior citizens as Bob is, flight director Eugene Davis is otherwise professional during the mission and offers sympathies to Sara [[spoiler: when Hawk takes his one-way trip to the moon with IKON.]]
* ReentryScare: Comes together with a ChekhovsSkill during the earlier flight simulator scene: in a some variety of TechnicianVersusPerformer, or GoodOldWays, or any of the related tropes, [[spoiler:the Team Daedalus manage to "land" the "Space Shuttle", but only after the computer is disabled and they have to do it manually]]. The younger generation astronauts find this nigh-unbelievable.

--> "Have you noticed that everyone's dead lately?"

* WhamLine: "One of your team didn't pass his physical. [[spoiler: One of your team has cancer.]]"

-->'''Roger Hines:''' It's not an airplane, Colonel, it's a [[FlyingBrick flying brick]] on approach.
-->(later...)
-->'''Eugene 'Gene' Davis:''' Easy, Frank, she's not a fighter jet.
-->'''Frank Corvin:''' "Flying brick".
-->'''Eugene 'Gene' Davis:''' I hope not.

-->'''Roger Hines:''' That's impossible!
-->'''William 'Hawk' Hawkins''': For a computer, it might be.

-->'''Eugene 'Gene' Davis:''' They're going to have to re-enter the atmosphere and set her down in manual mode.
-->'''Sara Holland:''' No, no, no, that's impossible.
-->'''Eugene 'Gene' Davis:''' Well, it's never happened before.

* FemaleGaze: While the other three cover their naked manhoods when the female doctor comes in, Jerry stands at attention with no shame, and she takes a rather noticeable look and [[GagPenis is seemingly impressed.]]
-->'''Tank''': ''[looks down at what Jerry's packing]'' Nothing to be ashamed of.

-->'''Hawk''': Sara? I'm gonna take you out for a beer.
-->'''Sara''': ''[dryly]'' I'll be needing one.

-->'''Jerry''': Just going to do the bottom three lines ''([[ImpairmentShot camera shows Jerry's vision completely blurring the chart]], rapidly runs through the letters)''...you think oysters would be too much for the first date?
-->'''Doctor''': ''[astonished, handing Jerry his glasses]'' You have [=20/10=] vision, Captain!
-->'''Jerry''': Oh these are just for 'looking at you, kid'. ''[smiles at her]''
-->''[Jerry walks by Frank]''
-->'''Jerry''': I may be blind, but my memory is perfect. ''[walks off rattling off the letters again]''

* SpaceIsNoisy

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Creator/TommyLeeJones is 11 years younger than Donald Sutherland, 17 than Clint Eastwood, and 19 than James Garner, yet is portrayed as being around the same age bracket as them (though he is the youngest member of Team Daedalus). Jones was 54 when starring in a film where there was a RunningGag of all the leads' old friends having passed away from age and the like.

* FemaleGaze: While the other three cover their naked manhoods when the female doctor comes in, Jerry stands at attention with no shame, and she takes a rather noticeable look and [[BiggusDickus is seemingly impressed.]]

-->'''Col. William 'Hawk' Hawkins''': For a computer, it might be.

** BeyondTheImpossible: First, when Hawk lands the shuttle (in the simulator), without the computer and using the radical braking maneuver.

Then later, when the damaged shuttle has to re-enter the atmosphere...

* KillSat: [[spoiler:Played both ways -- the IKON satellite is a massive piece of equipment which ''will not'' completely burn out if it enters the atmosphere, meaning that unless the team goes to keep it in orbit it ''will'' fall and wreck something on impact... and then it turns out that Gerson "conveniently" decided to keep secret the truth told to him by the Russians, which is that IKON is a ''nuclear missile silo'' that they placed in space during the Cold War; to make matters worse, it operates on a DeadManSwitch that would interpret it falling out of orbit as evidence that it was attacked and '''''launch its entire payload at once.''''']]

** The scene in which Maryann the chimp tries to shake Frank's hand could be a reference to ''Film/EveryWhichWayButLoose'', in which Clint Eastwood starred alongside an orangutan.