The film opens at an 18th-century ball, where Baron Hieronymus von Münchhausen is propositioned by a young woman who is engaged to another man. He graciously rejects her advance, and as she leaves, she asks him to turn on the light. The camera follows his hand to a modern light switch, and the young woman drives off in an automobile. The next day, the Baron, out of his costume and in modern dress, regales two of his guests with stories of the famous Baron Münchhausen, to whom his guests think he is distantly related.
Friedrichshafen, 13 juin 1963 : pendant une conférence de presse, le directeur du chantier du dirigeable de Friedrichshafen annonce le premier vol de fusée habitée vers la Lune. En introduction, il décrit l'histoire de la technologie des fusées et les détails techniques des voyages dans l'espace. À quelques instants du départ, le reporter interviewe par radio le commandant du vaisseau spatial, qui après avoir atteint l'espace et fait le tour de la Lune, doit revenir sur la Terre en toute sécurité.
In the British city of "Everytown", businessman John Cabal (Raymond Massey) cannot enjoy Christmas Day, 1940, with the news everywhere of possible war. His guest, Harding (Maurice Braddell), shares his worries, while his other friend, the over-optimistic Pippa Passworthy (Edward Chapman), believes it will not come to pass, but if it does, it will accelerate technological progress. An aerial bombing raid on the city that night results in general mobilisation and then global war.
In the year 1946, the Soviet space program is undergoing turmoil. Professor Sedikh, who is planning to lead the first manned exploration to the moon, is denounced by his rival Professor Karin as being too old and too mentally unstable for the mission. Professor Sedikh, aided by his assistant Marina and a youth named Andryusha, disregard Prof. Karin’s authority and make a successful landing on the moon. Although a few problems occur at the moon, including the discovery of a damaged oxygen tank and Professor Sedikh’s becoming trapped under a fallen boulder, the expedition is a success and the cosmonauts return to Moscow.
The film is a melodrama with scientific speculation. Helius (Willy Fritsch) is an entrepreneur with an interest in space travel. He seeks out Professor Mannfeldt (Klaus Pohl), a visionary who has written a treatise on the likelihood of finding gold on the moon, only to be ridiculed by his peers. Helius recognizes the value of Mannfeldt's work, but a gang of evil businessmen have also taken an interest in Mannfeldt's theories.
At a meeting of the Astronomic Club, its president, Professor Barbenfouillis, proposes a trip to the Moon. After addressing some dissent, five other brave astronomers—Nostradamus, Alcofrisbas, Omega, Micromegas, and Parafaragaramus—agree to the plan. They build a space capsule in the shape of a bullet, and a huge cannon to shoot it into space. The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of "marines", most of whom are played by a bevy of young women in sailors' outfits. The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and it hits him in the eye.
The dawn of the Space Age is amidst the crucible of World War II. Prompted by gaining pre-eminence in the high-ground of space, the world's triumphant superpowers race to dominate orbit, the Moon and beyond. To this end, the United States government under President Truman commits to founding the National Council of Astronautics (NCA) and the United States Space Force (USSF) in 1949. After a period of technological development and installation of infrastructure, Eagle One lands the first men on the Moon in July 1963. With continued lunar operations, the eyes of the NCA turn to Mars, landing there in 1968. The 1970s and beyond are devoted to technological expansion and the privatisation of space, leading to a very different modern day. The film is told through the eyes of those who witnessed and lived through these historical events.
In the observatory, the astronomer is studying at his desk. Satan appears, then a woman appears and makes Satan vanish. Then she disappears. The astronomer draws a globe on a blackboard. The globe develops a sun-like head and limbs and starts to move on the blackboard. The astronomer looks through a small telescope.