N.A.S.A. co-operated fully with the film, lending the producers its facilities, including Cape Canaveral as a location.
The moon landing was simulated in the Mojave Desert.
Robert Altman finished shooting on Friday only to receive a call on the Sunday night telling him that he would not be allowed through the gates of Warner Brothers again. Jack L. Warner had looked at some of the footage and insisted on Altman's immediate firing because "that fool has actors talking at the same time".
Re-edited by the studio, which didn't care for Robert Altman's nascent indulgences, like overlapping dialogue. New footage was shot by Executive Producer William Conrad, to make the film more dramatic.