 What prompted the general to take Phil off of the mission?
Phil Conover pulled the zipper of his flight suit up the front of his long, thin body and came into the living room. If anything could go wrong, they wouldn't be sending me; you know that. But I don't think I ever really believed it was possible—not until this morning when you said tonight was the take-off. It existed only because of the huge ship standing poised in the take-off zone five miles away in the desert. Phil turned the car off the highway onto the rutted dirt road that led across the sand to the field where the ship waited. He read Phil's pass, shined his flashlight in their faces, and then saluted.
 Phil was too torn about his disagreement with his wife to be in the right headspace.
 Phil was too torn about his disagreement with his wife to be in the right headspace.  Phil had expressed concerns about the safety of the mission compared to the unmanned missions.  Phil's hands were shaking, so he could not safely operate the controls.  Phil was too nervous and was not thinking straight.