Original subtitles

Man, during his brief existence on the Earth,

has met every challenge but one.

The void of outer space.

Having explored the world he lives in, he has turned his gaze upon the heavens,

has focused his attention on the timeless lure of the universe.

Now, a rocket probes high above the Earth,

travels through a region of deadly radiation, agonizing heat, and cold.

What story will it have to tell?

What message will it bring back?

Then, the signal.

The rocket has returned!

Radar antennas pinpoint the location.

The search begins.

We will study the instruments and the fragments of the rocket.

The best scientific brains of our country will analyze them,

weigh the facts, and try once more.

For our government has given us an urgent, top-priority directive.

Find out if man can ever survive in space.

If he can,

our men must be the first.

It's obvious that the molecular structure has undergone a radical change.

It's complete crystallized!

What was the maximum altitude of the rocket?

Four hundred twenty-six miles.

At that altitude, it's obvious the rocket was bombarded by a strong concentration

of cosmic rays.

The same rays that are turning the moon into a ball of dust,

and eventually destroying it.

We'll worry about the moon five billion years from now.

Right now, we've got to solve this problem.

The security of the whole world may depend upon it.

Yes, but there are some things that are insoluble, Don. This seems to be one of them.

The problem is to devise some sort of shield.

Something that could resist those cosmic rays.

Go on, Dr. Flynn.

There doesn't seem to be any place to go.

Lead shields would be impossibly heavy on a rocket.

Why lead shields?

Meteors travel through space for thousands of years under radiation bombardment,

and, yet, they don't...

By golly, you've given me an idea, girl!

A fantastic idea! Paul, push over that phone.

Miss Nelson, get me extension 909 at the Pentagon.

At the Office of Special Personnel in Washington,

electronic computers were set in motion that automatically scanned the names,

occupations and background of 150 million people.

Further selection eliminated many,

narrowed the field to 30 million.

And, from this group, 12 men were chosen.

Twelve men whose fate was known only to a few.

No matter where the 12 men might be, they had to be found.

Agents of Special Intelligence were given the list. The rest was up to them.

Richard? Can we speak to you for a minute?

Sure, switch on the lights.

This is Mr. O'Herli from Washington.

Dr. Richard Stanton of our electronic research department.

- How do you do. - How do you do.

Well, that's a mighty eerie effect, Dr. Stanton.

Yes, we're working on a lamp that will operate without wires to any source of power.

That's a little out of my line.

Oh? What is your line, Mr. O'Herli?

Rich, Mr. O'Herli wants you to go to California for about a week.

Business or pleasure?

It depends on how you look at it.

Actually, all that I know is that a request has been put through for you,

with the government footing the bill.

Am I being recalled to active service?

No. No, this is more of an invitation than an order.

Why am I being invited?

It's the price of being a hero.

Navy Cross, four years on a carrier, your knowledge of electronics.

I told him it wouldn't be easy to spare you,

but this seems to have an even higher priority than the work we're doing.

Do you mind telling me what this is all about?

Sorry, I'm only a messenger boy.

This is your plane ticket and further instructions.

Now, if you decide not to go, you let me know.

My telephone number is on the envelope.

Thank you very much, gentlemen. Don't bother to see me out, I'll find my own way.

And, Dr. Stanton, good luck.

Good luck?

Sounds ominous.

But you can't do that without recalculating and

correcting the progression from the Newtonian laws...

- Yes? - My name's O'Herli.

How do you do.

I'm sorry to interrupt. It sounds fascinating.

Are you a mathematician, Mr. O'Herli?

No, not quite.

- Good morning, Jerry. - Good morning, Max.

What can I do for you?

You've been invited to fly to California and to report to this address.

What's this all about?

Everybody asks me the same question.

I don't know. I know what I'm doing, but I don't know why. It's frustrating.

Well, why pick on me?

Oh, you aren't the only one.

You seem to have certain qualifications which are required for this job.

Past accomplishments, intelligence, unencumbered.

Or have you married lately?

No. Soon, I hope.

Well, before you leave, report for a physical examination

at the address you'll find in the information sheet.

Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute, this...

This sounds not at all attractive to me.

Well, you're invited, Dr. Lockwood, not ordered.

But you might be back inside of a week.

That much information I am permitted to give out.

But what about my classes, my lectures?

The Dean has been informed, and he has a replacement for you.

If anything comes up, you can reach me at this number.

Hope you have a nice trip.

- Thanks. - Goodbye, Doctor.

Hello, this is Jerry Lockwood. I wonder if I could speak to Miss Manners?

Oh. Well, tell me, do you suppose if I came over there,

I could talk with her for a minute?

Huh. Thank you.

Hey, Susie. Here comes the boyfriend.

Hold your positions!

Hold your position, sweetie, I'll be with you in a minute.

Now, hold it!

All right kids, take five.

Wow! That was a long one!

How's my professor?

- Hi, Jerry! - Hello, Jane.

I told you not to come here. Too many pretty girls.

Oh, I've only got 20-20 vision for you.

Susie, I want to talk to you.

Is it that important?

Susan, I may have to leave town.

Oh! When?

Tomorrow morning, if I go.

What do you mean, "If"?

Well, I got an invitation from Uncle Sam to go to California.

For some reason, they don't want a married man.

That gives me a chance to ask you again.

Will you marry me, Susan?

Surprised? I've asked you before.

It must be something pretty terrible if you want to marry me to get out of it.

What do they want you to do?

I don't know. Just that it's top secret. I'll be gone for a week.

Only a week?

That's a long, long time without you, Susan.

All right, kids, everybody in!

Susan,

you don't know how important your decision is to me.

Why, it means my whole future.

Darling, I can't make up my mind right now.

It's an important decision for me, too. It means my future.

The work's over here, Susan!

I'll write to you.

For sure?

You'll get my answer by mail.

Susan, I still have this evening.

My plane doesn't leave till eight in the morning.

Let me drive you to the airport.

I wouldn't want to drag you out of bed that early in the morning.

Somebody has to wave goodbye to you, darling.

Susan!

Hold this. Be at my house at seven. Then I can have your car for the week.

The list complete, 12 men traveled across the desert,

not knowing where they were going, or why.

All they knew was they had been requested not to reveal to each other

their occupations or specialties.

The trip passed in awkward silence.

As they arrived at their destination, they knew even less about their assignment

than before.

Jet planes. Is it an army camp?

By any chance, were you a pilot?

I know the difference between a jet, a rocket and a prop job, if that's what you mean.

It isn't, but it will have to do, I guess.

- Civilians! - Yeah.

- I sort of expected army. - Yeah.

- I'll make you a bet. - What?

I'll bet you're not married.

You win that bet.

Let me get even. I'll make you the same bet. Are you married?

Good afternoon, gentlemen. I trust you had a pleasant trip.

I'm Dr. Dryden.

Unfortunately, the nature of my doctorate will

have to remain a secret for a few days.

This is Dr. Delmar, and this is Dr. Flynn.

- Speaking of jets... - Please, no obvious remarks.

You're at the Snake Mountain Proving Grounds,

operated by the Office of Scientific Investigation,

where we hope you'll all be comfortable as our guests for a few days.

Unfortunately, however, we can guarantee nothing.

What does he mean, "Guarantee nothing"?

Very well, gentlemen, I'll now turn you over to Dr. Delmar and Dr. Flynn.

And please don't worry about your luggage. It will be waiting for you.

Follow me, gentlemen.

Anything yet?

Only one definitely. McBride.

McBride?

One of the top men in astrophysics.

It's marked anxiety. He's not for us.

- These are just routine forms. - Thank you.

Would you fill them out, please?

Would you sign this, please?

Just a formality.

"I hereby consent to submit myself to certain tests"!

I don't understand. I'm a scientist, not a guinea pig.

If you want to test me with drugs, you'd better...

Oh, no, no, gentlemen, please. Nothing like that.

This simply pertains to certain aptitude tests.

For what? You can check my service record for that.

What we want to find out about you, gentlemen, isn't on paper.

Doc?

I know better than this.

But you've got me curious.

And now, gentlemen, we'll have to leave you to your own devices for a while.

Probably for not more than a few minutes.

Of course, you can converse together freely, but

please don't reveal the nature of your own specialties to one another.

You'll find magazines, cigarettes and writing paper in the desk here.

Oh, from now on, any letters you may care to write will be

forwarded to Mr. O'Herli in Washington. He'll see that they're delivered.

Oh, and would...

Would Dr. McBride please come with me?

Don?

Yes, Paul, I'm in here.

I'm trying to get the bugs out of this gyro unit.

We must find a way to eliminate the precession.

I think we may have it if we change the number four circuit.

The boys have arrived, Don.

Yes, I know.

We've narrowed the field down already.

McBride dropped out?

Yes, Klinger gave him a definite negative. He's testing him further now.

I'm sorry. I counted on McBride.

I just finished reading his book.

David Wells,

Richard Stanton.

How's my son?

You knew Rich was a candidate?

Yes, I did.

They sent me the list from Washington.

Some of these tests we've arranged for the boys are going to be pretty rugged.

It would be easy to arrange to have him drop out.

Oh, no, of course not.

Don, are you sure we're doing the right thing?

No, I'm not sure.

But progress always involves risks.

Somebody has to take those risks.

Even if it means your only son?

Yes, I want you to see that he's given the same chance to pass the tests as the others.

But suppose he's chosen.

Then he must make his own decision.

Sure. I'll see you later, Don.

M-hm.

Why don't we try and figure this thing out? It may help to pass the time.

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be against the rules.

Did you notice that fellow over there at the writing desk?

M-hm.

He's reading a magazine on nucleonics.

- And taking notes. - Hm.

I peeked a while ago.

The title of the article is, "Backscattering of Gamma Rays in Windowless Counters."

I seem to be out of matches.

Sure.

Here you are.

- Thanks. - How are you bearing up?

How should I bear up?

Waiting doesn't get you down?

I spent ten years in submarines.

Then, it's your idea that we all have something to do with...

You know, electrons. The little things that whirl in space?

- Never heard of them. - Hm.

What the devil did that guy mean, "A few minutes"?

We've been cooped up here for two hours!

Yeah, it's certainly taking them long enough to make up their minds.

Make up their minds to what?

That's what we'd all like to know, wouldn't we?

Well, I'm getting out of here.

How do you like that? It's locked! They got us locked in here!

Hey! Take it easy!

There's nothing to get excited about.

Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, fellas.

It's just that I don't like being locked in.

What's with that guy?

I'd say he had a friend in high places.

Yes, certainly, Dr. Klinger, we're only interested in the definite negatives.

If I were you, I would reject Fuller.

The locked door upset him markedly.

I'd hardly trust him for the job you have in mind.

- Out goes Mr. Fuller? - Out.

Too bad. I thought Fuller would be our man.

Anyone else, Dr. Klinger?

I would also be very uncertain about Guinness.

He paced the room for two solid hours, chain smoking.

Not conclusive, but indicative.

Hm.

And Wells.

He was the one, you remember, who objected to signing the waiver form.

Yes.

Rather belligerent, I thought. Belligerency usually means insecurity.

But belligerency can also mean courage and aggressiveness.

That's why we need men instead of machines for this job.

You know, you're very right.

I think we'll go along with Wells, huh?

As you wish.

I want to thank you gentlemen for bearing with us,

and I hope you'll forgive us for testing your patience.

Now I'm sure you'd all like to get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.

The COQ will show you to your quarters.

Oh, and Mr. Guinness and Dr. Fuller,

Dr. Delmar would like to see you in his office, please.

- Good night. - Good night.

- Good night, gentlemen. - Good night.

- See you in the morning. - Good night.

- Wow. - Beautiful, isn't it?

Yes, very.

- Are you a flyer, Doc? - Prop jobs.

I never had time to check out in jets. Someday I will.

Look, on the level. What were we doing in there?

You were being observed, Dr. Stanton, by a very famous psychiatrist.

It was a kind of a test.

Hm.

Of what?

I can only tell you that you passed. You should be very pleased.

Hm. And tomorrow, more tests?

- That's right. - What kind?

You'll find out. I think you'll find them more interesting, if not pleasant.

I don't think I like the sound of that.

Tomorrow you're having a gravity test in the centrifuge.

How many Gs?

About 12, if you can stand it.

Twelve? That's 12 times a man's weight.

Be careful. If you eat a pound of steak, it'll weigh 12 pounds in your stomach.

Good luck.

Good luck?

He can't take any more. We'd better stop.

Get him out of there and bring him up her for oxygen.

Well, he grayed out at nine Gs. How long before he blacked out completely?

It's hard to tell. He might have taken ten Gs.

I doubt it. Well, even so, that wouldn't be nearly enough.

Well, let's test the next one. Scratch him off the list. Send him to the infirmary.

Out of 12 that leaves us 6 more to go, and we have to have 4 who've passed.

Are you scratching Todder? He took 11 Gs.

Yes, but he was woozy. He made his landing 600 feet into the ground.

I'm afraid that wouldn't do.

Now, Dr. Stanton, good luck.

Everybody keeps saying that to me.

It looks like I'll need it, too, eh?

I'm afraid so.

We have the centrifuge rigged to test your resistance to high temperatures

as well as to gravity pressures.

Oh, I guess this is the unpleasantness you were talking about, eh, Doctor?

M-hm. He'll be all right with a little oxygen.

As you know, there are air pockets in this antigravity suit of yours.

We do think up the strangest little gadgets around here, don't we, Dr. Stanton?

Now, during the test, we'll inflate your suit, bringing pressure to bear

against your body, and that should help you to

resist the pressure of gravity.

If you can, take it as high as gravity 12. It won't be easy.

Your blood will literally be as heavy as iron.

All right, Dr. Stanton, you're all set.

Thank you.

With all these wires connected to me, I feel like a television set.

You almost are. The cockpit of the centrifuge is equipped with a fluoroscope.

We'll be looking inside your body all through the test.

Oh, and would you please put this capsule under your tongue.

Don't swallow it unless you're requested to during the test.

Will I be able to hear you?

Yes, there's a squawk box in the cockpit.

Would you please take him to the infirmary.

I hope you feel better.

This makes me think of my first ride on a merry-go-round.

What happened?

I ate too much ice cream. Got sick.

You're a big boy now.

Good luck.

Grip the control stick. Move it around. Get the feel of it.

You'll notice in front of you a charting device.

The line drawn on the graph paper corresponds to the projected flight curve.

Follow that curve up to the ionosphere.

lonosphere? That's 50 miles up!

It is, possibly higher.

On your climb and descent you will encounter air friction, therefore heat.

Be prepared for it.

Try to follow the descending scale and land the ship without cracking up.

This is Dr. Delmar. Do you notice a light flashing in front of you?

Yeah, a green one.

Now, whenever that light flashes, you answer in the same pattern

by pressing the button at the top of your stick.

Okay, I've got it.

And Dr. Stanton, please remember, do not swallow the capsule unless

you're requested to during the test.

- All right, Doc. - Are you ready?

Ready here.

Heartbeat, 82. Blood pressure, 135/90.

Gravity two.

Temperature, 84.

Increase to gravity three.

Wow!

I begin to see what you mean about that 12-pound steak, Doc.

He must be woozy already. What does he mean, "A 12-pound steak"?

Heart action speeding up.

Eighty-five,

eighty-seven...

Temperature, 90.

Increase temperature to 105.

Increase gravity. Let me know when you reach nine Gs.

Gravity four.

Five.

Gravity six.

Gravity seven.

Gravity eight.

Gravity nine.

Increase gravity. Ten Gs.

Gravity ten.

Temperature, 105.

Increase temperature to 120.

Nervous reaction time is lengthening.

- He's graying out. - He can't be!

Heart action labored, but it should be adequate.

Try him again, Dr. Delmar.

Atta boy!

He's still navigating.

Temperature, 120.

Increase temperature, 135.

Increasing temperature.

Give me 11 Gs.

Gravity 11.

Have him swallow the pill.

Swallow the pill, Dr. Stanton. Dr. Stanton, swallow the pill.

Salivary deficiency. Convulsive throat reaction.

But he swallowed it!

Give me 12 Gs. Hold it there for 30 seconds.

Increasing to gravity 12.

Gravity 12.

He's almost in. Altitude, four miles.

Three...

Temperature, 135. Holding at gravity 12.

Altitude, two miles.

Ten seconds to go.

Altitude, one mile.

He can't take much more!

He's making his landing.

Three seconds.

Two seconds.

One second.

Test complete. Slow him down.

Well!

Looks like we've got ourselves a boy!

Don, the boys are here. It's time for the meeting.

Oh, yes. Yes, of course.

Have a seat, Dr. Lockwood.

Thank you.

Good to see you, son.

So, you're the man behind the secrets.

Not exactly. I didn't pick you, Rich.

Nor any of these gentlemen, if it comes to that.

They dug out your qualifications at the Pentagon.

You're a tougher man than I thought you were.

Well, will you tell us what this is all about?

Of course. Of course I will.

Do take a seat, gentlemen. Make yourselves comfortable.

This piece of steel was part of a rocket that was flown into space.

Rather startling, isn't it?

We found the molecular structure of the rocket hull completely changed,

almost pounded into dust by cosmic radiation.

Now I want you to see this piece of metal.

It's a fragment of a meteorite found here on Earth.

The iron and steel of which it consists are undamaged,

yet it traveled through space for an infinite period of time

without being destroyed by cosmic rays.

Therefore, it must have had some kind of protective outer hull around it.

What?

What did its outer hull consist of?

What kind of chemical composition enabled it to resist cosmic radiation

while our finest steels disintegrated?

Gentlemen, in order to continue with our work,

and to win the race of conquering space, we must answer those questions.

We must bring a meteorite down to Earth intact.

We must study the molecular structure of its outer hull before it is burned away

by friction with the air.

We want you to go up into space

and catch a meteor in flight.

Well,

what are the chances of survival?

You'll have every possible protection.

How do we get down? How do we land?

The rockets are equipped with wings that are extended during the descent.

You mean we land like a glider?

Right.

Suppose a meteor punctures the hull?

The changes are 1 in 500.

Why don't you build an electronic brain to fly the rocket?

To construct an electronic brain equal to the functions of the human brain,

it would have to be at least a mile long, and would weigh thousands of tons.

It isn't possible.

As Dr. Werner said earlier, where machines leave off, men must take over.

I think what you're asking us to do is ridiculous. It's a suicide mission!

No one is asking you to make up your minds right away, gentlemen.

Here is an addressed envelope.

If you send it to me,

it will mean your acceptance.

If you tear it up,

well, that will be your decision.

I'll give you a week to think it over.

Cloak and dagger stuff, eh?

Mr. Wells, if we're not the first nation to solve the problem of space travel,

we'll have small chance of survival.

Here we go again, boys. War. Killings.

Every invention seems to have the same end.

The exploration of space by us may be the end of wars.

A space platform operated by a dictatorship would make slaves of all free people.

The man who invented the bow and arrow probably gave his countrymen the same speech.

Can I borrow your pen, Dr. Stanton?

Certainly.

One thing I learned in the army. Never volunteer.

Here's your envelope, Rich.

You're sure you're not making too hasty a decision, Mr. Gordon?

I made up my mind when I first came here.

Mr. Wells, you live in a free country.

We'll send you home,

but may I remind you not to talk to anybody about what you've heard or seen.

Don't worry, I know the Espionage Act, and the Articles of War.

Well, Rich?

Never make a big decision immediately. Always wait 24 hours.

That's what they taught me when I was a cadet.

Hm. You can stay with me until you've made up your mind.

Special treatment?

Oh, I see. You know best.

I've got a week, so, what's the rush?

You know, I'm very curious myself to find out whether I'll

tear this up or send it off.

Buy me a cup of coffee, Doc?

- Okay. - Hey!

I thought you said you didn't want any special treatment.

More coffee, Jerry?

It's good and hot.

No, no cream. Just black.

Good.

A computing machine as smart as the human brain would be about a mile long.

And that's just the way my head feels after all those tests we've been taking.

- Cream? - No, thanks.

You know,

I've never met a space medicine girl before.

- What's wrong with it? - Nothing.

It just baffles me.

What made you decide to get into that racket?

I once heard a lecture by your father.

He spoke about the world around us, and then he said something I'll never forget.

It's funny. A sentence can do that sometimes. Just a few...

Hi.

- Hi. - Coffee?

No, thanks.

Just what did my father say?

Something simple.

He said, "Man's desires are his prayers.

"Everything in the realm of imagination is also in the realm of possibility."

Even a journey to the stars?

Why not?

I dream of it almost every night.

Of what?

- Flying. - In a rocket?

Of course.

Speed, 18,000 miles.

And then I look back on the Earth, a huge, round ball.

As I fly toward the ionosphere,

I can see the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean.

And the Atlantic.

Cities are like hazy stars below me.

And, when I look up, there's the sun

and myriads of stars no human eyes have ever seen before.

We do live in a dark hole down here on Earth, don't we?

Like blind moles.

Well, I never thought of it quite like that, but

it could be.

Maybe we never have seen the real stars.

I envy you going up there.

I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

I wouldn't hesitate a minute if I had the chance.

You're braver than I am.

I doesn't take courage. What it takes is...

Hm?

- Dedication. - M-hm.

And a certain amount of lunacy.

"Man's desires are his prayers."

That's right. You have to believe. It's the only way to arrive.

- Jane? - Yes.

Can I use your pen?

Thanks for the use of the typewriter.

Oh, and this letter. Since we have to clear our mail with O'Herli,

would you see that he gets it in Washington?

Of course.

Tell him to forward it right away. And...

Ask him if he hasn't got some mail for me.

I'll be glad to.

Will you give this letter to my father?

- You accepted? - Yeah.

How about you? Are you joining our club?

I don't know.

I've got to wait to make up my mind.

I thought I'd wait and see.

Wait a minute, I'll walk over with you.

Good night, Jean.

Richard?

Are you sure?

And, uh, thanks for making up my mind.

Rich, pull down the screen, will you?

Of course.

The film you're about to see, gentlemen,

is the first photographic record of actual space travel.

Gerry, will you switch off the light?

Okay.

A rocket containing two white mice

was shot above the Earth's atmosphere.

The mice in this pressurized capsule

easily recovered from the initial shock of acceleration.

- That's fascinating! - M-hm.

And notice the rubber ball.

At this point there was a complete lack of gravity.

Have you made up your mind to accept yet, Jerry?

Yeah.

Last night.

How many Gs did they take?

Thirteen, but they never lost consciousness.

What about loss of balance during weightlessness?

In a reclining position with your eyes on a fixed object,

you'll be able to recover orientation.

The new section, of course, was dropped by parachute.

The mice were removed from the rocket

and taken to the laboratory.

Incidentally, a swarm of meteors will be passing the Earth's orbit

on or about August 10.

They're being tracked by the observatory at Mount Palomar.

They'll keep us posted.

There you are, gentlemen.

The animals landed in excellent condition

and are now living here in our laboratory.

The film shows that men have at least a chance of surviving in space.

Tenth of August, eh? That's two weeks away.

Yes.

You've all got hard work ahead of you.

Horizontal position. Completely horizontal.

You wouldn't stand the impact of gravity sitting up.

In the rocket control cabin, you will see in front of you a gravity meter.

Watch it. It's one of your most important instruments.

Start moving back when the needle approaches two Gs.

Not before, or you'll lose consciousness.

Now you try it, Dr. Stanton.

"It doesn't take courage. What it takes is dedication."

Now, remember. The rocket changes its attitude as you explode directing charges.

This is your only method of controlling the craft.

If you over-control, the rocket may wobble and spin off into space forever.

All right, Dr. Lockwood, you drill him.

Okay.

- You ready? - All set.

- Thirty degrees right. - Thirty right.

-270 degrees left. -270 left.

-90 right. -90 right.

-30 degrees azimuth. -30 degrees azimuth.

-270 degrees left. -270 left.

-10 degrees nadir. -10 degrees nadir.

-180 degrees right. -180 right.

&It;30 degrees left.

Your rocket's wobbling! Control with counter-gyro! Counter-gyro!

There, you see what I mean?

Any mistake would send you off into space. You'd never return.

And there's no margin for errors.

There won't be any errors.

All right, you drill Dr. Lockwood.

Okay.

- All set? - All set.

-30 degrees right. -30 degrees right.

-90 degrees left. -90 degrees left.

-180 degrees right. -180 degrees right.

Dr. Lockwood!

-30 degrees left. -30 degrees left.

Dr. Lockwood! Dr. Stanton wants to see you in his office.

- Now? - He's waiting for you.

Okay.

We should hear from Palomar Observatory any hour now the exact time.

The hour, the minute, the second

of the arrival of our meteor shower.

But the entire project

will depend upon your skill in handling this meteor-catching scoop.

This is the climax of all of our work.

To repeat, you equalize your speed with that of the meteor, open your funnel scoop.

By increasing your speed, you move up and eventually swallow the meteor.

The meteor will strike the screen...

I know, I know. This will cushion the impact and the meteor will fall into

the recess provided for it, and the scoop will automatically close.

It's running out of my ears.

Ah! The man from Washington again.

How are you?

In better shape than I've ever been. I feel like a 20-year-old.

What's up?

We want to clarify a question, Doctor.

Sit down.

Go ahead.

What prompted you to volunteer for this assignment, Doctor?

What prompted me?

The same thing that prompted your son, I suppose, and Walt Gordon.

Couldn't it be that you wanted to marry Miss Manners, and that she turned you down?

I take it Mr. O'Herli has been reading my mail.

It's part of my duty.

But it's just possible that your emotional problems might jeopardize your performance

and the outcome of your mission, whatever it is.

You see, Doctor, we're concerned that you may be emotionally upset.

Subconsciously, you know, it's possible that your real motive in assuming this mission

might be suicide. We want to be sure.

Dr. Delmar, I've studied psychology, too,

and I try to make it a habit to analyze my motives.

I honestly don't believe that Miss Manners' decision has put me in the mood for suicide.

If her answer had been different, would you have decided differently?

I don't know.

It might have influenced me, and it might not have.

It's a hard question to answer.

But I can assure you that I'm in full control of myself.

His performance during the tests, his reactions, were all perfect.

Then it's up to you, Jerry.

I want to fly that rocket.

Good boy.

Palomar Observatory swung into action,

tracking the swarm of meteors with calculated precision.

This giant eye reaching into space stood ready to warn us of any change in plans.

For, in the vast depths of the universe,

meteors have been traveling for billions of years,

but this would be the first time man would be up there to meet them.

Exact speed and position was checked and rechecked.

There could be no mistake for man's rendezvous with the stars.

Here it is, Pete.

"Meteor swarm will cross Earth's periphery at time 5:22:34,

"height 153, four tenths, miles. Moving from northeast to southwest.

"Passing time, 32 seconds.

"Speed, 81344 miles per hour.

"Your rocket firing time should be same,

"less 5 minutes, 22 seconds."

Seventeen minutes and 12 seconds after 5:00 a.m.

That means, gentlemen, that your take-off time

is 54 minutes from now.

Dr. Warner will launch each of your rockets from the central control console.

Dr. Dryden, Dr. Delmar and I will observe your take-off visually, through these ports.

Two of these ports will have filters in them for photographic record purposes.

The third will be clear blast-proof glass.

After your take-off, you'll be tracked by radar.

Ascent will take 5 minutes, 21 seconds.

When you reach this point, your speed will be 18,346 miles an hour,

and you will encounter a swarm of meteors moving precisely

two miles an hour slower than you.

At this point, you will take over manual control of you rockets.

You will each track a meteor,

approaching it with as little difference in speed as possible,

scoop it up as you've been trained to do, and come back to Earth.

You should have ten rockets for the return trip.

We shall try to advise you, of course, but, in the last analysis,

it will be up to you to use them properly during deceleration.

That's it for now, gentlemen.

There's one thing, Rich.

Yes, Dad?

In many respects you're like me, perhaps too much like me.

You strike out on your own, take matters into your own hands.

Don't do it today, son.

You must follow the exact instructions you received from us.

Down here, we'll have an overall picture of what's happening.

Don't deviate, even if you think we're wrong.

Be a machine, for once.

Well, as much as it's possible.

Do what you're told, and nothing else.

Don't worry. I won't do anything without checking with the ground first.

Come back, son.

I will.

I don't know why I'm so nervous,

I'll be safe in the blockhouse all the time you're up there.

The whole operation will only take 15 minutes.

Or even less, if you're not lucky.

Well, I'm glad to see you're human, after all.

I'm glad you found out.

Oh, I meant that as a compliment.

I thought of you as part of a computing machine, and I think I envied you.

I wish I could detach myself from my fears as well as you can.

Just don't think. Then your emotions can't catch up with you.

Walter Gordon, Jerry Lockwood and Richard Stanton,

report to the ready room at once.

I don't feel very brave.

I want to come back.

There are a lot of things I like down here on this Earth

where we live like blind moles.

I guess I like other blind moles.

You'll hear my voice during the flight. I'll be in touch with you the whole time.

Even if I want something like a cup of coffee?

I'll bring it up.

You're very pretty, Miss Flynn, if you don't mind my saying so.

I don't mind.

I have a request to make, an unusual one.

Yes?

You see, I'm not feeling at all heroic.

I sort of need my ego boosted. May I kiss you once?

That's the best excuse I ever heard.

I wanted you to kiss me.

I have no excuse.

Richard Stanton, please report to ready room.

- I'll see you. - See you.

Five fourteen. Three minutes to go.

The pilots had their equipment checked?

Yes, sir. They should be boarding now.

Here's some coffee for you, chief.

Thank you, Frank.

Paul, have you contact with the observatory?

I have them on the line now.

- Electronic computer? - Check.

- Radar? - Check.

Stanton to control, testing. One, two, three. How do you read me?

How do you read me?

R5S8.

Jane, anything special you want me to bring down for you?

Your transmission is very clear.

I'll tell you what. I'll bring you back a star. That's a promise.

Control to Lockwood. Control to Lockwood.

Lockwood.

Tilt your chair to horizontal position.

Chair in position.

How are they doing, Jane?

Stanton, pulse slightly increased to 81.

Lockwood, 80. Gordon, normal.

Gordon normal!

Yes?

One minute to go.

Right.

Is everything checked?

On the nose.

Clear the firing area.

Gordon here. Everything okay.

Check.

Warning blue.

Warning blue.

Name check.

Gordon.

Lockwood.

Stanton.

Good.

Forty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Warning red.

Twenty seconds.

Ten seconds.

Stand by to fire rockets. Observers stand by ports.

- Seven seconds. - Seven.

- Six. - Six.

- Five. - Five.

- Four. - Four.

- Three. - Three.

- Two. - Two.

- One. - One.

- Rocket two. - Rocket two.

- Rocket three. - Rocket three.

- Rockets off. - Radar tracking.

Check.

Gravity two, gravity three,

gravity four, gravity five,

gravity six, gravity six.

Accelerating, on course. Gravity nine.

Rocket two wobbling.

- Can you make correction? - Trying.

Correcting.

Now he's all right.

Good boy.

- Gravity 11. - Gravity 11.

Meteors approaching the Earth's orbit. Speed constant.

- Gravity 12. - Gravity 12.

Give me a light check.

- Gordon. - Gordon, light check.

Lockwood, light check.

Stanton, light check.

What's the matter with Stanton?

Stanton. Come in, Stanton. Rocket one doesn't answer.

He must be blacked out.

He took 12 Gs in the centrifuge.

Thirteen Gs.

- What's the altitude? - Sixty-three miles.

- Course? - On the nose.

Gravity's falling.

He must be leaving the Earth's gravitational field. Try again.

Richard! Can you hear me, Richard?

Richard! Are you all right?

I must have grayed out.

I think I'm okay now.

You've reached meteor altitude. Level off and switch to manual.

Stanton to control. I can see the Earth below me.

My cabin is filled with a strange pinging noise.

It must be cosmic particles hitting the hull of the ship.

I can see the curve of the Earth!

The oceans, both of them. Atlantic and Pacific.

Tell him to stop sightseeing.

Heat inside suits, 80 plus. No increase of radiation in cabin.

Meteors approaching our rockets, two o'clock high.

Attention all rockets. Meteors approaching your position.

Gordon here. Have meteors in sight. Give me my speed.

Check speed.

Gordon, 18,344 miles per hour.

Speed of meteors, 18,552.

- Check radar. - Right.

Decreasing speed.

Trying to fly parallel.

Gordon here. I have a meteor in my sight.

Adjusting speed. Can't tell its size.

Opening scoop.

Meteor too big!

Gordon, wait for the radar check. The meteor's too big!

Perfect pass. Off to catch it. Stand by.

Don't take it. Decelerate!

He's hit the meteor!

Gordon! Come in, Gordon!

Richard! Richard! Can you see what's happened to Gordon?

Good Lord!

Stanton. Stanton to control.

Gordon's disintegrated.

No. No!

Gordon!

Gordon! He's gone! He's gone, do you hear me?

I'm coming back. I'm coming back, I'm coming down!

Rocket two, wait for computations!

Altitude, 10,000. I'm bailing out! See you downstairs!

Good heavens, he thinks he's back in the war!

Lockwood, snap out of it! Lockwood! Name check!

Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood!

Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood! Lockwood!

Lockwood, answer me. Lockwood, come in! Do you hear me? Lockwood!

Lockwood! Come in, Lockwood! Hello, Lockwood. Come in.

Bailing out.

Lockwood! Answer me, Lockwood! Come in!

Lockwood! Do you hear me?

There's no gravity!

Come in! Come in, Lockwood!

Lockwood! Answer me, Lockwood!

I'm coming back! I'm coming down! Get me down!

Get me down! Get me down!

Richard, are you all right? Richard!

Richard, answer me! Can you hear me, Richard? Oh, Richard, are you all right?

This is Stanton. Meteor swarm passed.

What's happened to Lockwood?

What's happened to Lockwood?

He's gone. He had full power on nose and tail rockets. He shot out into space!

Do you have rocket under control?

Rocket under control.

Richard, listen to me. Return to base immediately. We'll land you by remote control.

Switch over to automatic.

Switching over.

- Bring him in over the base. - Right.

Control to Stanton. Control to Stanton. Decelerate.

- Fire nose rocket one. - Firing one.

Your speed, now 12,803. On course. Guiding you in.

Check.

Stanton to control. There's a brilliant object approaching.

Meteor approaching. Converging on glide path. Speed, about 18,200.

Caution. Meteor approaching you, intercepting your glide path.

Speed, 18,200.

It's crossing my path. I'm going to take a crack at it.

No! Continue course.

Switching off automatic.

Richard, you're ordered to return at once.

- Give me its speed. - Return at once!

If you go after it, you won't have enough rockets left to slow down for landing.

I want the speed.

Stubborn fool! Give him the speed.

Speed of object, 18,432. Your speed, 18,663.

Approaching meteor. Slowing down.

Tell him to conserve those deceleration rockets. How are we going to land him?

You promised, Richard. You promised.

Oh, Richard, please!

Closing in.

It's about 20 inches in diameter.

I'm going to try for it. It's like shooting fish in a barrel!

He's out of his mind! He'll never get down!

Falling behind.

Pulling in.

Opening scoop.

Getting lined up.

I did it! I've got it! I've got a meteor!

He's right. The meteor's disappeared.

Thank God. Thank God.

Release gliding wings.

Opening gliding wings.

Bring him in as close to base as you can. All personnel, stand by for a crash landing.

All personnel stand by for a crash landing. Emergency equipment.

Condition red.

- What's his gravity? - Gravity zero.

Altitude, 78 miles. You're in the upper atmosphere. Can you feel the stick yet?

Not very well. Very sluggish.

Temperature increasing inside the rocket. One thirty.

One forty.

Control to Stanton. Airspeed, 3,000.

He's got to decelerate somehow, but tell him to save his rockets.

Try to decelerate before you hit heavier atmosphere. Try to nose up.

Try to nose up.

She won't come up yet. Not enough atmosphere.

Temperature, 190, 210.

He can't take more heat!

Two twenty.

I can't stand it! Get me out of here, it's too hot!

I can't stand it! Get me out of here!

You must decelerate. Use front rocket. Decelerate!

I can't see the instruments! I'm taking my helmet off.

Don't! Don't disconnect oxygen! Keep the helmet on!

Decelerate! Use remaining rockets.

Stanton! Can you hear me? Shoot off rocket two.

I can't. I've used up all my rockets.

He must not die. He's so close.

Stanton from control. Can you hear me, Stanton?

I can see the Earth. I'm over the North Pole.

Angle of flight, 80 degrees. Altitude, 12,000 feet.

Speed, 2,000 miles.

Temperature, 289.

He's got to pull up. He's got to reduce speed!

Pull up! Pull up!

I can't!

I can't slow down!

We're tracking you now.

I think I can bring him in to sector four.

If he doesn't burn up first.

Sector four. There's nothing we can do here. Come on, Jane, let's ride with the ambulance.

Emergency equipment proceed to sector four. Stand by. Emergency red.

Altitude, eight, seven, six.

You're still on course.

Approaching area. Do you have control?

I think so.

Altitude, 4,000,

3,000.

Change descent to two degrees.

Two thousand.

You're drifting right!

Hold it.

You're down to 1,000 feet. Pull up your nose.

Pull up.

That's enough.

Altitude, 800 feet. Brace yourself for crash.

When I give the signal, pull your nose up sharply.

Steady.

Now!

Did he make it?

I don't know.

We did everything we could.

Where's that cup of coffee you promised me?

The prize!

A meteor.

It looks to me like crystallized carbon.

Rockets and space stations will be able to stand the bombardments of cosmic rays

with a coating of crystallized pure carbon.

Crystallized carbon. That's what diamonds are made of.

Remember, Doc? I said I'd bring you back a star.