First Man into Space (1959) on Netflix
Approved19591h 17mDramaHorrorSci-Fi
Lieutenant Dan Prescott takes the rocket plane Y-13 past its ceiling and loses control in meteor dust. Chief Wilson shows the wreckage to Dan's brother, Commander Chuck Prescott.
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Trailer
Plot summary
Commander Charles Prescott doubts his brother Dan is the right man to pilot the rocket plane Y-13. Captain Ben Richards calls Dan the best pilot they have, though Dan flew the Y-12 into the ionosphere and skipped his flight report to see Tia Francesca. Briefed by Dr. Paul von Essen, Dan takes the Y-13 up. At 600,000 feet he is meant to level off and descend; instead he climbs, fires his emergency boost, loses control in a cloud of meteor dust and ejects. A farmer reports a parachute coming down south of Alvarado, and Chief Wilson shows Chuck the wreckage, its hull sealed under a crust that no X-ray, infrared or ultraviolet light will pass through. That night something wheezing breaks into a blood bank, and cattle on a nearby farm are found slaughtered.
Cast
- Spencer Teakleas Ratings Control Room
- Chuck Keyseras Ratings Control Room
- Richard Shawas Witney
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about First Man into Space (1959)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Script elements came from Wyott Ordung's original script Satellite of Blood after AIP rejected it; Alex Gordon sent it to his brother, who liked its plot ideas, and parts were combined with Vetter's story. Ordung later called First Man into Space his personal favorite of the films he had made.
- Most of the studio work was shot in a mansion near Hampstead Heath outside London because the location resembled New York's Central Park; some exterior shots were done in Hampstead itself, with additional filming at other British locations.
- The aircraft in the film were largely stock footage, including the takeoff and launch of the Bell X-1A from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress mother ship, and a Redstone rocket launch.
