A visually diverse documentary which looks at the first ten years of the Space Age, starting with the 1957 deployment of the Russian Sputnik satellite [no footage of this]. From a stance which anticipates America's first manned mission to the moon, various developments in space exploration are considered - the use of sounding rockets; construction and use of satellites; early scientific satellites, biosatellites; interplanetary probes, remote exploration of the moon; meteorological exploration by satellite; satellite communications using examples such as telemedicine and television; the development of aeronautical technology as a result of space research; the reality of space travel [astronaut training, early manned launches, footage taken from orbit, docking, splashdown]; building of space facilities centres; space science research, construction of components; accidental explosion of research vehicle; launch failure; Saturn 5 rocket in assembly building; astronaut training; rocket launches and flights.

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