Defying Gravity

Some of the crew still harbor ill-feelings over being kept in the dark about the Beta object and the true purpose of their mission. Donner fears that they are re-creating the events that led to the disaster on Mars 10 years before and in flashbacks, more of what happened there is revealed. Donner is convinced that he should pilot the Venus lander, but Paula only has to complete her final simulated runs to get clearance to land. Nadia is seriously questioning why they are there. Jen Crane still isn't on speaking terms with her husband Rollie but finally admits that she can't see the Beta object. Rollie is distracted by their spat, leading to a serious accident.

It's now less than 24 hours before the Venus landing and tension is rising among the crew and ground control. With Paula's inability to pilot the lander due to the damage to her thumb, Connor is assigned the task but he too is having great difficulty with the various simulations. Zoe remembers something he told her long ago that helps him out. At Mission Control, Goss is having to get Rollie out of jail and his car accident. His lack of contact is having a effect on Jen. The medical information indicates that the crews' gene structure is mutating but Eve Shaw won't let Claire tell them about it since there's nothing that can be done about it.

The Antares arrives at Venus and Zoe and Donner prepare to travel down to the planet on the landing craft, the Crossbow. With only 20 minutes to collect the Gamma object and return, the mission may have to be aborted when the Crossbow lands too far from the planned landing site. At Mission Control, Rollie is still upset over the accident. Journalist Trevor Williams keeps working on Arnel Poe to reveal what he knows about the Venus mission. Claire sends Evram Mintz the information she has on the transformation the crew is undergoing. In flashbacks, the final 20 candidates for astronaut training are revealed and the list doesn't include one of the current crew members.

Despite the fact that she has too little time to collect the Gamma object and return to the Crossbow in the allotted time Zoe, driven by her hallucination of the crying baby, decides to collect the object regardless. For Donner, it all proves to be eerily reminiscent of the Mars expedition 10 years before but it also provides a major revelation for Donner when he finally learns about Zoe's pregnancy. Paula remembers something painful from her childhood. Rollie decides to face the consequences of his car accident. Arnel Poe decides what to do about journalist Trevor Williams' approach for inside information.