First Man Into Space

U. S. Navy Commander Charles "Chuck" Prescott (Marshall Thompson) is not sure if his brother, Lt. Dan Prescott (Edwards), is the right choice for piloting the rocket powered Y-13 to very high altitude. Captain Ben Richards (Robert Ayres (actor)) of the Air Force Space Command insists that Dan is their best pilot, even though when piloting the Y-12 into the ionosphere, he began experiencing flight difficulties. Upon landing, Dan broke flight regulations by going to see his girlfriend (Marla Landi), rather than immediately filing his flight report. Despite these concerns, Captain Richards insists that Dan pilot the Y-13 after a thorough check-out and briefing by Dr. Paul von Essen (Carl Jaffe).