Conquest of Space

An Earth inspector arrives aboard the Wheel space station and delivers orders to send a new ship to Mars. Colonel Samuel T. Merritt is promoted to general to command the mission. Merritt weighs his crew, including his son Barney Merritt and his ally Sgt. Mahoney, who volunteer for duty.

With Mars as the target, the general considers candidates for the crew. Barney Merritt volunteers to be the second officer, eager to prove himself. The general also contemplates Mahoney, who volunteers but faces a decision about his fit for the mission.

Right before liftoff, the crew shares a TV broadcast from family and friends, a moment of connection before the peril of space. The mission then blasts off toward Mars, leaving Earth behind.

Shortly after launch, General Merritt's undiagnosed space fatigue begins to cloud his judgment. He frets, reads his Bible, and questions the righteousness of the mission, signaling trouble at the top.

After launch, Sgt. Mahoney is discovered to be hiding in a crew spacesuit, a breach of protocol that tests loyalties aboard the ship. He insists on his commitment, but the incident shakes the crew’s trust and discipline.

Their piloting radar antenna fails, forcing two crewmen to venture outside to repair it. They manage to fix the antenna just as their monitors reveal a glowing planetoid on a dangerous trajectory, forcing evasive maneuvers.

The general fires the engines to avoid a collision with the planetoid, narrowly averting disaster. The planetoid’s fast-moving debris punctures Sgt. Fodor’s spacesuit, killing him instantly.

Following a religious service in space, Fodor's body is cast adrift into the void as the crew copes with the loss and the isolation of long-duration spaceflight. The tragedy casts a pall over the voyage.

Eight months into the voyage, General Merritt grows increasingly unbalanced, fixating on Fodor's death as divine punishment. His erratic behavior threatens the mission and shakes the crew’s confidence in leadership.

As the ship approaches Mars, Merritt attempts to crash the mission, convinced the voyage violates divine law. Barney wrests control and safely lands the winged glider-rocket on the Martian surface.

On Mars, the crew discovers sabotage of their water supply, apparently tied to Merritt’s actions. He threatens Barney with a .45 as they struggle; the pistol discharges, killing Merritt. Sgt. Mahoney witnesses the confrontation, and Barney becomes the ranking officer.

Mars proves inhospitable as the crew struggles with dwindling water supplies while Earth's return window remains a year away. They celebrate their first Christmas on Mars, and a fresh snowstorm replenishes their water reserves.

As the launch window nears, a violent Martian quake rocks the site and rocks rain down, causing the ground to shift and the base to tilt. The crew fires the rocket engines to shift the ground under the landing legs, lifting the ship just as the Martian surface collapses.

Back in space, Barney and Mahoney reconcile, recognizing their leadership and sacrifice. Mahoney decides not to pursue a court-martial to tarnish the general’s legacy, choosing instead to honor the memory of a fallen commander.