The US Space Shuttle delivering supplies to the US Space Station has a mechanical breakdown that prevents its return to the Earth. The remaining two US Space Shuttles are launched as quickly as possible to carry the needed supplies to the Space Station before the people there run out of expendables: air, water, etc. Both aging Shuttles suffer breakdowns - one explodes on the launch pad and the other has a breakdown in orbit near the Space Station. This second Shuttle is close enough to the Space Station to be secured by a cable and then winched up to the Space Station docking gate. The hero, Dr. Donald Richards, devises two options for rescuing the stranded astronauts: use the new European Space Station Shuttle or use the Soviet Space Shuttle. The US President over-rules NASA's recommendation to use the Soviet Space Shuttle for the rescue, so Richards negotiates an agreement with the European Space Agency to use their Shuttle to rescue the astronauts.