The Astronaut (1972 film)
The Astronaut (1972) is an American made-for-TV science fiction drama. A man named Eddie Reese is hired to impersonate Brice Randolph, an astronaut who died on the first crewed Mars mission when his suit was damaged. Real-life astronaut Wally Schirra appears briefly as himself.
After the Mars mission, NASA covers up what happened to keep the project alive. Reese undergoes surgery to look like Brice and returns with the crew, posing as Brice to his dead partner’s wife, Gail. Reese grows uneasy with the deception and romance. NASA determines the truth, but Reese and Gail decide to keep posing as Brice for a time. When the Soviets launch their own Mars mission, Reese and Gail choose to reveal the full story.
The film was directed by Robert Michael Lewis, produced by Harve Bennett, and stars Susan Clark, Jackie Cooper, and Monte Markham. It aired on ABC as a Movie of the Week and runs 73 minutes. It was shot at Universal Studios. The screenplay was written by Gerald Di Pego, Charles Kuenstle, and Robert Biheller.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:15 (CET).