When the Wildfire team is informed, they realize that they have not reviewed the test results for irradiating Andromeda. In an attempt to neutralize the problem, the President of the United States authorizes a small tactical nuclear strike on the quarantine area in hopes of completely irradiating and destroying Andromeda. When it was picked up, it released the deadly agent. Sent specifically to collect biological samples, the satellite malfunctioned upon approaching the wormhole and fell back to Earth. Project Scoop was one of several attempts to investigate a singularity, or a wormhole, that has mysteriously appeared in the Solar System. Mancheck, being forcefully questioned by Wildfire and fearing for the whole world's safety being threatened by Andromeda, reveals the truth about the satellite.
Stone about Project Scoop, a secret program that was hidden by the government and General Mancheck. However, Jack Nash manages to report to Dr. To handle the situation, General Mancheck deliberately isolates the Wildfire team and cuts their contact with the lab's exterior. Meanwhile, a government agency forms a conspiracy to contain the microorganism for further uses, probably weapons related. He becomes a target of assassination due to his presence at the outpost, but manages to escape from Ferrus and his subordinates. Nash travels to one of the temporary Army outposts performing quarantine procedures, and witnesses the effects of Andromeda spreading through various modes of transportation. As he investigates further, Chuck Beeter, the Director of the NSA, uses General Mancheck's aide, Colonel Ferrus, to perform assassinations to prevent knowledge of Andromeda from reaching the civilian population.
Later testing reveals the cell to be resistant to all known antibiotics.Ĭable news reporter Jack Nash becomes aware of some of the events related to the fallen satellite and Andromeda. It is revealed that the two survivors from Piedmont had not been affected by Andromeda because of their acidic blood. Those who survive the blood clot become insane, extremely violent, and suicidal. The team discovers Andromeda is an airborne microorganism that kills its host by entering the bloodstream through the lungs and coagulating the blood in the body, causing death within 10 seconds via a blood clot in the brain. The team hypothesizes that Andromeda may also have an extraterrestrial origin, as it has no DNA or amino acids. They initially discover that the microorganism contains large numbers of buckyballs, and the team believes Andromeda is a product of advanced synthetic biology. The scientists begin their analysis of the Andromeda strain by recovering a sample from inside the satellite. In the event of a contamination breach, a 15-minute self-destruct sequence would be automatically initiated however if the activated sequence is deemed unnecessary, Major Bill Keane, designated by the Odd-Man Hypothesis, is the only person able to deactivate the sequence, using his pass key and right thumbprint. The laboratory is powered by a small water-cooled nuclear reactor.
In an isolated underground laboratory, the Wildfire team begins their examination of the downed satellite and the two survivors. They retrieve the satellite and rescue a hysterical 60-year-old man and a colicky baby who have survived the Andromeda outbreak. The video footage recorded by the retrieval team and their strange deaths capture the attention of General George Mancheck, the head of the group, who activates "Wildfire," a team of five scientists who are called upon when high-level bioterror threats occur in the United States. A team is sent from the Army's biological defense group to retrieve the satellite, only to die from the disease themselves. The town's inhabitants open it and release a deadly microorganism, which is later codenamed Andromeda by the U.S. The mini-series has two episodes for a total of 169 minutes.Ī United States government satellite crash lands near Piedmont, Utah, and two teenagers find it and bring it back to town. In addition to updating the setting to the early 21st century, the miniseries makes a great many plot and character changes from its source. The miniseries is a "reimagining" of the original novel rather than an adaptation. The Andromeda Strain is a 2008 science fiction miniseries, based on the 1969 novel of the same name written by Michael Crichton about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly disease of extraterrestrial origin. For the 1971 film, see The Andromeda Strain (film). This article is about the 2008 miniseries.