Editing Journey into Space (section)

=== ''The Red Planet'' ===
[[File:Radio Times 5 Dec 1954.jpg|thumb|right|140px|''Journey Into Space'' featured on the cover of the ''[[Radio Times]]''.]] <!-- FAIR USE of Radio_Times_5_Dec_1954.jpg: see image description page at [[:en:Image:Radio_Times_5_Dec_1954.jpg]] for rationale -->

The second series, ''The Red Planet'', followed the adventures of the crew in their first attempt to reach and explore [[Mars]]. Several new characters were introduced, the most notable of which were Frank Rogers and James Edward Whitaker, the two original crewmen of freighter #2. Chilton took the name Whitaker from a copy of ''[[Whitaker's Almanack]]'' which was sitting on his desk.<ref name="TRP booklet"/>

In addition to the [[#The main characters|main characters]], other characters in ''The Red Planet'' included:<ref name="TRP booklet"/>

{| class="wikitable"
!Actor
!Character(s)
|-
|[[David Jacobs (broadcaster)|David Jacobs]]
|Frank Rogers and miscellaneous characters
|-
|[[Anthony Marriott]]
|James Edward Whitaker
|-
|[[Miriam Karlin]]
|Mrs Barnet (Lemmy's mother)
|-
|[[John Cazabon]]
|Australian control voice, dingo hunter, flying doctor, John Bodie (sheep farmer), Bill Webster
|-
|[[Madi Hedd]] (*)
|Martha Bodie (sheep farmer's wife)
|-
|[[Don Sharp]]
|Sam (factory controller)
|}

(*) Married to Bruce Beeby, who played Mitch.

The most memorable [[catchphrase]] from this series was "Orders must be obeyed without question at all times", which was often repeated by many of the 'conditioned' characters, especially Whitaker. Episode 19 of the series rated a 17% audience share, whereas the newsreel broadcast simultaneously on BBC TV had an audience share of 16%. This was the last time that a radio show achieved a higher rating than its TV opponent.<ref name="TRP booklet"/>

During the first broadcast of this series, the ''[[Radio Times]]'' featured ''Journey Into Space'' on its cover, showing Andrew Faulds as Captain "Jet" Morgan. His spacesuit (which was used by several of the cast members for publicity photos) was a prototype being developed in Britain at the time.<ref name="TRP booklet"/>

During the recording of ''The Red Planet'', Guy Kingsley Poynter was also starring in ''[[The Teahouse of the August Moon (play)|The Teahouse of the August Moon]]'' at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]].<ref name="TRP booklet"/>

The [[British Empire Exhibition]] was referred to throughout the episodes.

In the table of episodes below, the numbers marked with # refer to the numbered freighters of the Mars fleet.

{| class="wikitable"
!Episode
!First broadcast
!Brief plot summary
|-
|align="center" |1
|align="center" |6 Sep 1954
|April 1971. Jet and Mitch travel from Earth to the Moon by rocket. The Mars fleet (the flagship ''Discovery'', 8 freighters and 20 men) begins its journey. During an [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]], Mitch's safety line fails, leaving him adrift.
|-
|align="center" |2
|align="center" |13 Sep 1954
|Jet manages to rescue Mitch, using a miniature rocket unit. Frank Rogers, of #2, tells Lemmy he's not getting on at all well with Whitaker, his shipmate. Later, Control requests information about Whitaker; and Whitaker starts behaving very strangely while Jet is questioning him.
|-
|align="center" |3
|align="center" |20 Sep 1954
|While Whitaker is in a strange deep sleep, both Frank and Lemmy have nightmares. Radar suddenly reveals a huge meteor swarm ahead of the fleet, blocking its path. Just as Lemmy escorts Whitaker to his new ship, #7, a large meteor destroys the ship.
|-
|align="center" |4
|align="center" |27 Sep 1954
|Control discovers very odd information about Whitaker - the only man answering to his description was apparently born in 1893, and has been missing since 1924. The fleet changes course twice to avoid the meteor swarm, but both times it moves to block their path again. The crew realise they have only one option: to head straight through the swarm. 
|-
|align="center" |5
|align="center" |4 Oct 1954
|The fleet enters the swarm, and for nearly 7 hours all electronic equipment is badly disrupted. Peterson reports an emergency on board #6 with Whitaker. On leaving the swarm, #6 is nowhere to be seen, and the swarm is now blocking radio contact with Control. Two weeks later, ''Discovery'' apparently re-establishes contact with home, but as they prepare to take an important message, the crew are puzzled by the short delay between replies.
|-
|align="center" |6
|align="center" |11 Oct 1954
|A radio message (apparently from Control) orders the fleet to return home. However, a bearing on the radio signal reveals the transmitter to be somewhere in front of the fleet, thus proving the message to be a fake. #6 is sighted ahead of the fleet, and Discovery draws up alongside it. Jet decides they must enter the ship to investigate. 
|-
|align="center" |7
|align="center" |18 Oct 1954
|Jet and Doc transfer to #6, and Whitaker is found badly injured in the ship's hold, but Peterson has vanished. Jet has a strange dream, and Whitaker dies from his injuries, suddenly transforming into an old man. Recording tapes found in the cabin confirm the crew's suspicions that Whitaker faked the radio message. Discovery and #6 both rejoin the fleet, and Jet and Lemmy are shocked to hear Peterson's voice on the radio. 
|-
|align="center" |8
|align="center" |25 Oct 1954
|Peterson's voice was actually a forgotten tape playing on the recording machine. Peterson's suicide recording is heard, and radio contact with Control is restored. The fleet finally enters orbit round Mars, and Discovery lands at the South Pole, but a strange soporific noise troubles the crew and causes them to crash-land.
|-
|align="center" |9
|align="center" |1 Nov 1954
|Jet reveals that the strange noise caused him to black out, but the crew are all safe. #1 lands alongside Discovery, and Jet and Mitch explore outside. Whilst conducting experiments, they soon get lost in a dense fog. They see a mysterious orange light, mistaking it for the landing light of the Discovery, and the same soporific noise heard during the landing causes them to lose consciousness.
|-
|align="center" |10
|align="center" |8 Nov 1954
|Doc and Frank rescue Jet and Mitch using a land transport truck, and Jet says he dreamed of a ruined city in a valley. ''Discovery'''s crew begin the exploration of Mars in the land trucks, whilst Freighter #2 begins to ferry supplies down from the fleet in orbit. However, on its second trip down, the freighter pilot hears the soporific noise and the ship apparently crashes.
|-
|align="center" |11
|align="center" |15 Nov 1954
|Racing to reach the crashed freighter before sunset, the Discovery's crew reaches the Mare Australis, the plain north of the ice cap. After nightfall, they see a mysterious white light moving across the plain. In the morning, they spot the crashed freighter, but upon reaching it find its crew missing. However, there are strange marks in the ground nearby which Jet deduces to belong to "the light", realising that a ship has visited and kidnapped the freighter crew. Jet resolves to change the exploration route and go after the ship. 
|-
|align="center" |12
|align="center" |22 Nov 1954
|The ''Discovery'' crew travel west across the Mare Australis in pursuit of the mysterious ship. Meanwhile, Frank and Grimshaw, currently crew members of Freighter #1, reach the wrecked #2 and take up residence for the night. However, during the night, a 'sphere' (spherical UFO) arrives and its crew attempt to enter the wreck. Whilst observing the crew, Frank realises they are human. A few days later, Discovery's crew reach a valley in the Argyre Desert, and Jet spots a city which is identical to the one in his earlier dream.
|-
|align="center" |13
|align="center" |29 Nov 1954
|''Discovery'''s crew explore the valley's ruined city, but Lemmy vanishes, and experiences a hypnotic dream. He's later found with McLean (pilot of #2), who is now mysteriously able to breathe the Martian atmosphere without a helmet.
|-
|align="center" |14
|align="center" |6 Dec 1954
|Jet and Doc return Lemmy to the caravans, and Doc deduces that Whitaker and McLean had been 'conditioned' (hypnotised), allowing them to be controlled, as well as breathe in the Martian atmosphere. Mitch becomes separated from the others, and meets a man who claims to be a dingo hunter in Australia. Meanwhile McLean, disguised in Mitch's spacesuit, enters the caravan and confronts Lemmy. 
|-
|align="center" |15
|align="center" |13 Dec 1954
|McLean reveals that only two of his three crew mates survived the crash, and declares that Mitch is alive but will never return to the fleet or Earth. He then tries to overpower but Lemmy wins the fight. The sphere is spotted on top of the city, but takes off with Jet, Lemmy and Doc in pursuit again. Meanwhile, Mitch, lost in the desert and now able to breathe the Martian atmosphere, comes across a house inhabited by a man and woman, who claim to be sheep farmers living in Australia in 1939. Driven to a frenzy, Mitch demands explanations, only for the farmer to turn his rifle on him. 
|-
|align="center" |16
|align="center" |20 Dec 1954
|Jet, Doc and Lemmy discover the farm house, and find Mitch inside it. But Mitch is now 'conditioned' to believe he's in Australia, and doesn't recognise the others. He refuses to rejoin them, and attacks Jet, puncturing his helmet. As the others work to save him, the sphere lands outside and the crew are trapped. 
|-
|align="center" |17
|align="center" |27 Dec 1954
|A 'flying doctor' has arrived in the sphere, with Dobson and Harding of #2 'conditioned' and working as his assistants. Although Jet successfully escapes back to the land trucks, the doctor manages to capture Doc and Lemmy. He tries to 'condition' them using the soporific noise, but they manage to resist. They find themselves being taken to a much larger Martian city. 
|-
|align="center" |18
|align="center" |3 Jan 1955
|Jet sets out after the sphere again, having ordered McLean to follow him in the second caravan. Meanwhile, the sphere arrives at [[Solis Lacus|Lacus Solis]] (the Martian capital), and the flying doctor reveals the Martian plan to invade the Earth in 1986. Lemmy overpowers the doctor in a struggle, and he and Doc contact Frank, who is searching for them in #1. Through him, they pass their news to Jet, but then Frank hears the soporific noise and his freighter crashes.
|-
|align="center" |19
|align="center" |10 Jan 1955
|Doc and Lemmy escape the city in the sphere with Mitch, who starts to recover from his 'conditioning', but can only remember being two weeks away from reaching Mars. Meanwhile, Jet is contacted by Webster, a man trying to return to Earth, and learns more about the Martians. Webster offers to help Jet find his lost crew mates, but while travelling across the desert, they spot a sphere hovering above them. 
|-
|align="center" |20
|align="center" |17 Jan 1955
|The sphere turns out to be Doc and Lemmy's, and ''Discovery'' crew are fully reunited at last thanks to advice from Webster, Mitch completes his recovery. Jet, Lemmy and Webster try to rescue Frank and Grimshaw from an underground factory, but they cannot be reached, and during a fight with the factory supervisor, Webster is injured and dies. The crew return to ''Discovery'' at the North Pole, and take off for home, escaping a pursuing fleet of spheres. Their news of the upcoming Martian invasion is passed to Earth, causing great commotion. They land back on the Moon six months later, but what happens next is another story... 
|}