Nebo Zovyot

Nebo Zovyot (Russian: «Небо зовёт», meaning "The Sky Beckons" or "The Heavens Beckon") is a 1959 Soviet science fiction adventure film. The directors were Aleksandr Kozyr and Mikhail Karyukov. Production took place at Dovzhenko Film Studios, and the premiere was on September 12, 1959. In 1962, an Americanized version titled *Battle Beyond the Sun* was released. Roger Corman produced this edit, with Francis Ford Coppola assisting on re-editing and dubbing.

The plot follows a Soviet scientific expedition preparing the first crewed mission to Mars. Their spaceship, *Homeland*, is docked at a space station, awaiting launch. An American ship, *Typhoon*, arrives at the same station with mechanical trouble, secretly harboring the same goal of reaching Mars. Trying to beat the Soviets, the American crew launches without proper preparation and soon faces distress again. *Homeland* alters course to rescue them. The rescue succeeds, but the Soviet ship now lacks enough fuel for Mars. It makes an emergency landing on the asteroid Icarus, which is passing near the planet, leaving the crew stranded. After an unmanned rocket fails to deliver fuel, another ship, *Meteor*, is sent with a cosmonaut on a likely suicidal mission to save the stranded crew.

The cast includes Ivan Pereverzev as scientist Eugene Kornev, Alexander Shvoryn as engineer Andrey Gordienko, Constantine Bartashevich as astronaut Robert Clark, Gurgen Tonunts as astronaut Erwin Verst, Valentin Chernyak as cosmonaut Gregory Somov, Viktor Dobrovolsky as space station chief Vasily Demchenko, Alexandra "Alla" Popova as Vera Korneva, Taisia Litvinenko as doctor Lena, Larisa Borisenko as student Olga, Leo Lobov as cameraman Sasha, Sergey Filimonov as writer Troyan, Maria Samoilov as Clark's mother, and Mikhail Belousov (uncredited).

The crew includes screenwriters Alexei Sazonov and Evgeniya Pomeschikov, with participation from Mikhael Karyukov. Consultants were corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Abnir Yakovkin and engineer Aleksandr Borin. Production director was Valeri Fokin. Story editors were Renata Korol and A. Pereguda. Staging directors were Mikhael Karyukov and Aleksandr Kozyr. Art director was Tatiana Kulchitskaya, with chief artist Timofej Liauchuk. Sets director was Yuri Shvets. Costume artist was G. Glinkova, and makeup artist was E. Odinovich.