Dr. Heywood Floyd, chairman of the National Council of Astronautics, is an experienced astronaut: He has been to Mars, he has been to the Moon three times, and he has made numerous visits to space stations. Nevertheless, he is excited to arrive in Florida for a new mission. He surveys two generations of space exploration technology, some of which is now obsolete, as he descends. Floyd reflects that it is unusual for an entire mission to be launched to take one man to the Moon. The press are in attendance and question Floyd as he approaches the spacecraft. Reporters ask him to comment on his upcoming flight, and he tells them that he cannot. They ask him if he met with the president before his arrival in Florida. He again says he cannot answer the question. They ask about the quarantine and news blackout on the Moon. He doesn’t answer. They ask about an unspecified political crisis, which leads him to reflect on the overpopulation that is causing food shortages. These crises require international cooperation, but there are 38 nuclear powers, and they watch each other with “belligerent anxiety.”

A stewardess meets Floyd on board. He is the only passenger.