X Minus One Episode 37 - The Cave of Night

"The Cave of Night" (aired February 1, 1956) is one of the most famous episodes of the sci-fi radio drama X Minus One, adapted from a story by James E. Gunn. It follows a tense, worldwide rescue mission to save a stranded astronaut whose ship is running out of oxygen. Plot Summary The episode is framed as a desperate, unfinished news report. The world is riveted by the plight of Lieutenant Robert L. McMillan, an astronaut who has become trapped in orbit on his way to Mars with no hope of being rescued before his oxygen runs out. As the hours tick down and the air supply depletes, a massive, frenzied, and unified global effort takes place on Earth. Workers from across the United States are brought together to frantically construct a second, experimental rescue rocket to save McMillan. Meanwhile, McMillan broadcasts emotional, poetic descriptions of the Earth and the universe from his crippled ship, capturing the hearts and imaginations of billions of people below.