The Office of Scientific Investigations tracks down the source of increased magnetism and radioactivity in Los Angeles, and discovers that a man-made isotope is consuming available energy from nearby mass every few hours, doubling its size in the process. Although microscopic, it will soon become big enough to destroy Earth; and how to stop it is yet to be determined. The film's Deltatron special effects footage is taken from the 1934 German sci-fi film GOLD.

冷战时期美苏在登月计划上的竞争，美国政府为了拔得头筹不顾一切的细节以纪录片式的旁观镜头交代。对航天员与家人、同事在此压力下的关系有深刻的描绘。结尾相当具有讽刺意味，演员的突出表现，使得本片更有说服力。