The newspaper "Die Welt" reported on Sep. 10, 1959 that the project "Merkur" had started, which meant that USA had launched a first experimental capsule for a space traveler with an Atlas rocket. This fictional GDR film depicts the way in which the Americans intend - no matter what the cost - to be the first to realize the manned space flight and what it means in the process Problems could arise. The American astronaut is portrayed as a person who embarks on this project because he wants to be "immortal".
—Ulf Kjell Gür