They go to investigate and are allowed to stick around for the second attempt of the start, this time it is successful. Mulder's hero is the one that makes all the crucial decisions on the ground. But he hasn't been the same since his own outer space travels. Apparently, he was attacked by a ghost/shadow with a weird face, also apparent on a photo transmission from Mars. The image hunts him to this day, mostly at night in bed.
The current shuttle flights experiences trouble soon enough, cut communication, falling oxygen levels and all. The ghost face appears repeatedly, but not only to Lt. Col. Belt. Michelle sees the face before running her car off the road and the crew from the shuttle calls in 'somethings outside the shuttle', bumping against the outside wall.
While Mulder and Scully find more conclusive evidence pointing to a sabotage, the drama for the astronauts heats up and they need to be brought back to an emergency landing. The one person that can keep them save with all the troubles they are experiences is Lt. Col. Belt, whose own troubles are accelerating, as well. The agents find him one the floor, seizing, but get the necessary information out of him in the nick of time. The shuttle lands safely. In the press conference following the landing it is announced that the shuttle performed their mission 'without incident'.
Lt. Col. Belt, once again haunted by the ghost face gives up and kills himself.
Ed Lauter, who was one of those character actors that we all have probably seen in something a few times before but don't know the name of, portrays Lt. Col. Marcus Aurelius Belt. Mr. Lauter passed away earlier this year.
6/10
