The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge: Season 1

Air Date

September 12, 1959

Episodes

36 episodes

The Man and the Challenge

Season 1

Episodes

1. The Sphere of No Return

September 12, 1959
30 min

In order to test human stamina at high altitudes, Barton and two other men go up in a balloon. When one panics and fails the required standards he is replaced by a woman which draws a hostile response from the remaining pilot.

2. Maximum Capacity

September 19, 1959
30 min

Barton sends two men into the frozen north to test their endurance in extreme levels of cold and isolation. He wants to determine the best way to train men for high security jobs in the Arctic.

3. Odds Against Survival

September 26, 1959
30 min

4. Sky Diving

October 3, 1959
30 min

To study the effects of gravity on potential astronauts, Barton goes to France to learn free fall parachuting from a brother-and-sister team of skydivers: Suzanne and Georges Bolet.

5. Experiments in Terror

October 10, 1959
30 min

6. Invisible Force

October 17, 1959
30 min

In a hostile country, three Americans are being held captive. Barton is asked by a Washington official to form a clandestine athletic unit to free them.

7. Escape to Nepal

October 24, 1959
30 min

In order to test the U2-21 drug which supposedly increases a man's ability to retain oxygen at great heights, Barton puts a group of mountaineers through a rigorous test in the Rockies before sending them to the Himalayas for a final test.

8. Border to Border

October 31, 1959
30 min

Two antagonistic jet pilots are entered into a Mexican auto race to prove that a team can overcome obstacles better than any single person could.

9. Trial by Fire

November 7, 1959
30 min

Barton enters an active volcano to test a new type of fire suit. He nearly loses his life in the experiment.

10. White Out

November 14, 1959
30 min

Barton researches hypothermia in Antarctica by reducing the body temperature of two doctors. He hopes the experiment will lead to an understanding of how to freeze astronauts to withstand certain aspects of interplanetary flight.

11. The Breaking Point

November 28, 1959
30 min

A volunteer is sealed in a cell for 30 days and is subjected to psychological torment in order to determine his breaking point.

12. Jungle Survival

December 5, 1959
30 min

Glenn Barton is sent on a dual mission: test survival techniques in the Amazon Basin and determine the fate of four lost fliers.

13. I've Killed Seven Men

December 12, 1959
30 min

14. Man Without Fear

December 19, 1959
30 min

Barton uses a chemical names LSD-25 on a firefighter. The chemical removes fear, but raging forest fires prove that fear is a necessary part of courage.

15. The Visitors

December 26, 1959
30 min

16. The Storm

January 1, 1960
30 min

Glenn Barton is asked to clear the reputation of a man who died mysteriously.

17. Killer River

January 9, 1960
30 min

On a cliff above the Colorado River, Barton rescues a parachuted pilot.

18. Rodeo

January 23, 1960
30 min

Barton investigates the effects of a new rocket belt at a rodeo.

19. The Windowless Room

January 30, 1960
30 min

A crack test pilot crashes his aircraft. After the crash he experiences a self-induced paralysis that slowly destroys his career and marriage. Barton restores the pilot's confidence by using hypnotic techniques.

20. Nightmare Crossing

February 6, 1960
30 min

Barton tests candidates for command positions in space.

21. The Lure of Danger

February 13, 1960
30 min

Barton looks individuals that subconsciously want to destroy themselves. He wants to learn why some men desire death.

22. Recovery

February 20, 1960
30 min

23. Buried Alive

February 27, 1960
30 min

Barton experiments with Yoga to show that it can be helpful in adverting tragedy.

24. Recondo

March 3, 1960
30 min

A warden's daughter is held hostage by four escaped convicts.

25. Flying Lab

March 12, 1960
30 min

Barton performs and experiment to show that ignorance and fear cause lack of efficiency.

26. Hurricane Mesa

March 19, 1960
30 min

Barton conducts a test on a pilot to prove that he can be switched successfully to a desk job.

27. Astro Female

March 26, 1960
30 min

Barton puts four women against four men in order to prove that woman can equal and perhaps surpass males as astronauts.

28. The Extra Sense

April 2, 1960
30 min

In order to prove that emotional stress promotes telepathy, Barton parachutes from a high precipice.

29. Man in a Capsule

April 9, 1960
30 min

Barton conducts a survival test on the surface of the ocean.

30. The Dropper

April 23, 1960
30 min

31. High Dive

April 30, 1960
30 min

32. Daredevils

May 7, 1960
30 min

Barton puts the king of syut drivers through an incredibly dangerous test believing that the secret to survival lies in body chemical reactions.

33. Shooter McLaine

May 21, 1960
30 min

Barton almost dies when a scientist ignoring his own physical limits and Barton's warnings misreads important test instruments.

34. Early Warning

May 28, 1960
30 min

35. Breakoff

June 4, 1960
30 min

36. Highway to Danger

June 11, 1960
30 min

Barton researches highway hypnosis by subjecting himself to driving conditions that have killed five truck drivers.