When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Italian fishing village. The locals manage to save one of the astronauts Colonel Calder, the mission commander. A young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien...
In 1960, four American scientists travel to a planet that has just entered Earth's solar system to see if it's able to support an Earth colony. They find an oxygen atmosphere, a lush earth-like forest, and earth-like animals living around a potable fresh-water lake.