The Astronaut (1972 film)

Lore & Background

The plot begins with television coverage of astronaut Brice Randolph on Mars being interrupted after a signal loss. Eddie Reese is recruited and learns that Brice died when something penetrated his EVA suit. NASA, fearing project cancellation, keeps the death secret and has Reese undergo surgical alterations to impersonate Brice. Upon the spacecraft's return, the splashdown site is altered to allow Reese to join the crew unnoticed. Reese must then play the role of Brice with his wife Gail, but his unease about intimacy raises her suspicions. Eventually, NASA determines what happened on Mars and is ready to end the masquerade, but Reese and Gail decide to continue as if he is Brice. After a boy mentions a Soviet Mars mission, Reese and Gail choose to reveal the truth to warn the Soviets.

Reader's Guide

The Astronaut aired while the Apollo missions to the moon were still ongoing, and it anticipated later films like Capricorn One that explored similar themes of deception in space programs. Author Murray Pomerance noted that the film was modeled after Gene Fowler Jr.'s I Married a Monster from Outer Space, and he described the character Gail Randolph as a woman capable of knowing and recognizing the gentiles of her husband. The film is a product of the ABC Movie of the Week franchise, which produced numerous made-for-television films in the early 1970s. Its significance lies in its early treatment of government secrecy and impersonation in the context of space exploration, though it remains a relatively obscure entry in the science fiction television genre.

Did You Know?

• Real-life astronaut Wally Schirra appears in a cameo role as himself.
• The film was made for ABC's movie of the week franchise.
• The plot involves a man hired to impersonate an astronaut who died on the first crewed mission to Mars.