on both eyes. She screams upon hearing their oxygen mask-distorted voices. The radiation burned tribesmen attack, throwing large rocks and stone axes. Armed with only a revolver and a bolt-action rifle, the explorers defend themselves, purposely missing the primitives. Major Corrigan is killed by a large rock thrown by the primitives. Moments later, Dr. Eckstrom is killed by a stone axe. Navigator Chamberlain is badly injured by a large thrown rock. Colonel Graham, Dr. Van Horn, and Chamberlain finally make their way back to the ship. As the RX-M nears Earth, the three survivors (Graham, Van Horn, with the unconscious Chamberlain) calculate that they have no fuel to make a landing. Col. Graham contacts their base and reports their dire status to Dr. Fleming, who listens intently and wordlessly over headphones. Col. Graham's report is not heard, but Fleming's subtle reactions tells of the crew's odyssey, their discovery of a once advanced civilization destroyed long ago by atomic war, and of the crew fatalities at the hands of Martian descendants reverted to barbarism. Col. Graham and Dr. Van Horn embrace as the RX-M begins its uncontrolled descent, consoling one another in the moments left to them. Through a porthole, they bravely watch their rapid descent into the wilds of Nova Scotia. The press is later informed by a shaken Dr. Fleming that the entire crew has perished. When they ask if the mission was a failure, he confidently responds with conviction, stating that all theories about crewed spaceflight and exploration have now been proven. He continues, underscoring the point that a dire warning has been received from the crew that could very well mean the salvation of humanity, "A new spaceship, the RX-M-2, begins construction tomorrow". The pioneering exploration continues. Cast Lloyd Bridges as Col. Floyd Graham (Pilot) Osa Massen as Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Ph.D. in Chemistry) John Emery as Dr. Karl Eckstrom (Physicist and RX-M designer) Noah Beery, Jr. as Maj. William Corrigan (Flight engineer) Hugh O'Brian as Harry Chamberlain (Astronomer and navigator) Morris Ankrum as Dr. Ralph Fleming (Project Director) Sherry Moreland as blind Martian woman Judd Holdren as Reporter (Uncredited) Stuart Holmes as Reporter (Uncredited) Bert Stevens as Reporter (Uncredited) Cosmo Sardo as Reporter (Uncredited) Barry Norton as Reporter (Uncredited) Film score The evocative soundtrack was written by American composer Ferde Grofé, who used a theremin in portions of the score. This was the first use