"Ladies and gentlemen of the press: As you know, the first attempt to send a spaceship to the planet Mars was made six months ago. We knew that that ship, the Challenge 141, had reached its destination, but that's all we knew. Teleradio communication with Mars ceased immediately and we were forced to assume that the ship and crew had been lost. The man in charge of this expedition was a man who had become known to the world as the first man to be shot into space, the man who pioneered interplanetary space travel - Col. Edward Carruthers. Two months ago, we sent a second ship to Mars to learn the fate of Col. Carruthers and his crew. The President has asked me to pass onto you this significant news: Col. Edward Carruthers has been found alive on Mars. But there's a tragic side to this history-making event: Col. Carruthers was the sole survivor of this first expedition. One hour ago we received a teleradio communication from Col. Van Heusen, commander of the second spaceship. This ship is now ready to take off for its return trip to the Earth from Mars, and Col. Carruthers is being brought back for a court martial, to face trial for the murders of the rest of the crew."