"Catacombs of the Moon" is the eleventh episode of the second series of Space: 1999 (and the thirty-fifth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Robert Lynn. The original title was "The Catacombs of the Moon". The final shooting script is dated 18 May 1976, with amendments dated 26 May, 9 June, 14 June and 17 June 1976. Live-action filming took place Monday 21 June 1976 until Tuesday 6 July 1976. Production was halted for two days (starting 2 July) when the fire effects used in the Osgood vision sequences got out of hand and the fire brigade had to be called in. Story Geologist Patrick Osgood leads a mining team through the network of caves beneath the Alpha complex in search of , a rare mineral which is an essential component of the Moonbase life-support system. The search has personal meaning for him as the metal is needed to complete an artificial heart for his dying wife, Michelle. Osgood orders an excessive amount of explosive charges deployed to hasten the operation. The hyper-nitro charges detonate prematurely and Osgood is caught in the blast. Semi-conscious, he drifts into the latest in a series of recurring visions he has been having, where Moonbase Alpha is destroyed by a raging fire. The visions begin with the same image: Michelle Osgood, lying helpless in a canopy bed out on the lunar surface. Blazing energy rains down from space and the surrounding Alpha buildings burst into flame. The bed is rapidly encircled by a wall of fire. Unable to move, Osgood shouts for her to rise and save herself. She struggles, but is too weak. Michelle and the bed are then consumed by the inferno. When Osgood recovers, he is told by his team that there is no sign of . Disgusted, he proceeds to the Medical Centre, where Michelle is confined to bed. Osgood demands a private visit with his wife. Always a religious man, he has become a fanatic since Michelle's diagnosis of refractory heart disease. He recounts to her his visions of Alpha perishing in flame. She will be saved along with him...but only if she has complete and utter faith in him. As if fulfilling Osgood's prophecy, the Moon travels into an area of intense heat. Even with full-strength air-conditioning, temperatures in the surface buildings soon average 40° Celsius. With instruments unable