Because the controls are jammed, Zero X plummets Earthwards, spiralling towards the ocean. The Hood wrenches off his trapped boot and manages to parachute clear of the crashing aircraft. Minutes later Captain Paul Travers gives the order to abort in the special emergency capsule.
Central Control at Glenn Field alerts Air–Sea–Rescue units and ths disappointed crewmen are recovered.
An enquiry is ordered by the President and twenty–four months later a massive report is submitted to the team of top officials concerned with the Martian Exploration Project.
In the ultra modern conference room the President asks for two decisions. One, to accept the report's findings that the cause of the mission's failure was due to sabotage. The officials agree.
The second decision is not so unanimous. One man demands greater security arrangements before he can agree to a second Mars shot He insists that International Rescue should be present at the next launching.
The youngest film director to make this type of feature film, twenty-six year old David says that frustration was one of his biggest problems. Hour upon hour of attention to minutest details before a scene can be filmed is vital to gain the perfection demanded by the entire teem. But frustration in this case is the way to achievement and enjoyment. Working in temperatures sometimes as high as 120 degrees fahrenheit, with lamps and floodlights full on, David supervised every aspect of the filming.
He directs exactly as he would with live actors and full scale sets, but for one human action, such as simply opening a door, a puppet could be involved in twenty separate actions.
