Code To Zero

A man wakes up terrified. He does not know what has happened to scare him, but he feels as if he has been through a dreadful experience.

He is cold, he aches everywhere, and he has some kind of hangover. He opens his eyes to find that he is lying on the floor of a public restroom. He thinks: What the hell am I doing here? He sits up. He is fully dressed in dirty clothes. He cannot remember how he got here.

He picks up a newspaper to check the date. It is Wednesday 29 January 1958. The main story, all over the front page, is that the US will launch Explorer, its first space satellite, today at 10.30pm.

Two previous attempts having failed, tonight's launch is America's last chance. If Explorer fails tonight, the Russians will dominate space for the foreseeable future . . .