Riders To The Stars

Marshall leads a group of scientists who are studying meteors. The scientists don't understand how meteors avoid being burned up by the cosmic rays of outer space. A rocket is developed that can fly slightly faster than meteors. The scientists plan to use the rocket to capture a meteor for study so that they will be able to design and build rockets impervious to cosmic rays. Lundigan, Karnes, and Carlson (the last being the film's director as well) are trained for the mission. In 1954 Americans were terrified of the Russians getting ahead in the space race and quickly became fascinated with all things scientific. The films of the period reflect this interest in rou...