12 to the Moon

Earth's International Space Order announces the first Moon landing with the goal of claiming it as international territory. The Lunar Eagle 1 crew comprises 12 scientists from around the world and is commanded by John Anderson, with two cats aboard as an experimental addition. The mission is framed against rising international tensions as nations vie for influence in space.

Historical tensions flare aboard the ship as Feodor Orloff boasts that Soviet science leads the world. David Ruskin warns the USSR would be unwise to try to dominate Israel, while he is drawn to Erich Heinrich despite misgivings about his past. David gradually learns that Erich's father was a Nazi who killed his family, a revelation that shadows their early dynamic and fuels tension.

After a dangerous 27 hour flight, Lunar Eagle 1 finally lands on the Moon. The crew begins a cautious exploration of the lunar surface, setting up a base and testing conditions. The mission shifts from descent to discovery as they step into a new world.

Sigrid Bomark and Selim Hamid uncover an air filled cave on the Moon and, after shedding their space helmets, share a kiss. They venture deeper into the cave, walking hand in hand, only for the opening to be suddenly sealed by impenetrable ice. The moment marks the first personal danger in the expedition.

While others discover gold and minerals, a rock formation is struck by a mortar that causes liquid to bubble out. Feodor rushes to the flowing liquid and his hands are badly burned, highlighting the unpredictable dangers of lunar geology. The incident foreshadows the crew's fragile safety balance.

On the way back to Lunar Eagle 1, a crew member sinks into lunar quicksand and dies. John Anderson makes a valiant effort to save him but is nearly pulled under himself, underscoring the Moon's merciless hazards. The loss reinforces the crew's isolation and the stakes of their mission.

Inside Lunar Eagle 1 a machine begins printing logograms. Hideko Murata can read them, and the message reveals an order from the Great Coordinator of the Moon to leave at once. The Moon beings explain they live underground, fear Earth contact could contaminate their harmony, and insist that the expedition's cats be left behind since they find them interesting.

Erich Heinrich suffers a heart attack during Lunar Eagle 1's blastoff back to space. While he babbles, David learns that Erich's father was the Nazi responsible for his family's murder. Yet when Erich reveals he has disowned his family and dedicated his life to atonement, the two men form a fragile friendship.

Near Earth the crew witnesses the big freeze, a colossal freezing cloud controlled from the Moon that encases Canada, the U.S., and Mexico in thick ice. The threat prompts urgent decisions about their return and the future of Earth and Moon relations.

Erich develops a plan to drop atomic bomblets into Popocatepetl to trigger a massive eruption that could thaw North America. Etienne Martel sabotages the bomblets, revealing himself as a French communist; a struggle ensues and Feodor repairs the devices. The crew tensions escalate into a confrontation that reshapes their mission.

Erich and David fly a suicide mission aboard the ships smaller space taxi to drop the bomblets into Popocatepetl. The volcano erupts and the North American thaw begins, exposing the warming world to change. A subsequent Moon message asserts that Earthlings are honorable and peaceful and that humans will be welcomed to the Moon whenever they return.

Following the thaw, the Moon reveals it now regards Earth as honorable and peaceful. The Moon beings extend a formal welcome and indicate that Earthlings will be welcomed to the Moon whenever they return. Back on the lunar surface, the surviving crew prepare to land again to complete their mission and return home.