The Sun Probe, a massive rocket built to retrieve solar matter directly from a coronal mass ejection, is launched without a hitch. Indeed, the whole mission goes swimmingly until it's time for the rocket to break solar orbit; the intense heat and radiation from the sun has jammed the controls as well as blocking override transmissions from Earth. Unless the Probe can break orbit, the heat and radiation will overwhelm and destroy the Probe and the three astronauts inside.
Not so, cries International Rescue, launching a dual-pronged attempt. Thunderbird 2 flies to the Himalayas, armed with a mobile computer and a transmitter truck - because, you know, a massive dish mounted on a halftrack has to be more powerful than Houston's satellite farm - while Thunderbird 3 blasts off to attempt to get close enough to fire the Probe's rockets via a safety beam. The crew of TB3 succeed, but are trapped themselves, due to their proximity to the sun! Fortunately, the transmitter truck is able to get their beam through to Thunderbird 3 and override their systems just in time.
- The Alleged Computer: Brains accidentally takes his experimental robot instead of a computer along on a rescue. When he's forced to ask the robot to make the calculations, it takes the robot a full 20 seconds (accompanied by obligatory clicks and whirrs) to make the calculation when (in spite of the pseudo-scientific nonsense-calculation used) it could have been solved on a pocket calculator as quickly as you could press the keys.
- Artificial Intelligence: This is what Brains is going for in creating the aforementioned robot, Braman. He is trying to teach it chess, and it finally succeeds in beating him at the end of the episode... but Jeff convinces Brains that it was only a fluke because he was tired after a long rescue operation. The closing lines indicate that it learns by mimicking human behaviour.Scott: Thanks a lot, Brains.Alan: Yeah, thanks Brains.Tin-Tin: Thank you, Brains.Braman: THANKS! BRAINS!
- Artistic License – Physics: Orbital mechanics are hard, but flying directly towards the Sun then turning around and flying directly away from it is by far the least efficient way of carrying out a coronal sample collection mission. Much better to keep the manned portion in as low a heliocentric orbit as is safe and send the unmanned portion into a lower orbit to collect the sample. Having said that...
- Badass in Distress: After successfully rescuing the Sun Probe, Thunderbird 3's retro engines fail to fire, leaving Scott, Alan and Tin-Tin on collision course with the sun. They pass out from the heat before they can do anything to save themselves. It takes a radio signal from Virgil and Brains on earth to save them.
- Beeping Computers: Hey, Braman, could you make just a bit more noise while you calculate? Having said that, considering the nonsense maths Brains had just asked him to work out, it's a miracle its head didn't just melt.
- Braving the Blizzard: Virgil and Brains have to endure a snowstorm in the Transmitter Truck atop Mount Arkham, wrapped up in their warmest clothes and sipping hot cocoa to stave off the cold.
- Cold Snap: Until the 50th anniversary specials, this was one of only two rescues to take place in a snowy environment. This one is of the "struggling to survive in the cold" variety, and is only one half of the episode's rescue, with Brains and Virgil's thick coats and hats contrasting with the Thunderbird 3 crew's collapsing from overheating.
- Continuity Nod - The Sun Probe launch was seen earlier in The Perils of Penelope. An odd example as this episode was filmed first (and so has the full launch sequence) but aired much later in the series.
- Contrived Coincidence: Virgil and Brains needed a mobile computer for their frequency calculation, but brought the wrong box. Thankfully, that wrong box still contained a computer of sorts in the form of Braman the robot.
- It's a good thing the team decided to try two different methods of rescuing the Sun Probe, otherwise the Transmitter Truck would never have been in position in time to save Thunderbird 3.
- Cool, but Inefficient: A rocket mission to capture a sample of the solar corona is perfectly reasonable, and cool in its own right. Why on earth did it require three astronauts on board? They seem to do nothing but sit in their chairs the whole mission. Humans massively add to the weight of a space mission, both in terms of their personal mass and the life support systems and supplies they will need to keep them alive, which exponentially increases the fuel needed to launch.
- Cool Spaceship: The Sun Probe rocket looks amazing, and it's a manned mission to the freaking sun. Everything about it is cool. Especially the life support system (har har).
- E = MC Hammer - The equation Braman solves makes no sense at all.
- Gravity Sucks - Especially when the gravity source is the freaking sun.
- Ironic Echo Cut - the crew in Thunderbird 3, and Virgil on a snowy mountain.Alan: Let's hope we can all stand up to the heat.Virgil: Let's hope we can stand up to the cold.
- Machine Monotone - Braman the Robot's speech.
- Manly Tears - Kyrano, when Thunderbird 3 (with Tintin on board) appears to be doomed.
- Negative Space Wedgie
- Oh, Crap! - when Brains discovers he's brought Braman on the mission, instead of the portable computer.Brains: Oh no! Virgil! We've brought the wrong box.
- Robot Buddy: Braman the Robot.
- Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: Thunderbird 3 manages to get from Earth to so-close-to-the-Sun-that-its-crew-are-collapsing-from-heat-exhaustion in a matter of hours.
- Smart People Play Chess: Brains considers Chess a good way to train Braman in solving equations. The robot learns fast and is able to defeat Brains in a chess game at the end of the episode.
- Space Is Noisy
- Surprise Checkmate: Brains is taken completely off guard by Braman defeating him in chess at the end of the episode.
- Take a Third Option: TB2 and TB3 have an equal chance of saving the rocket — why not send them both? Turns out to be a pretty good idea. They take time to decide, though, and it gets a bit competitive.Virgil: Thunderbird 2 is more powerful.Alan: Thunderbird 3 has a better chance of succeeding.Tintin: We'll have to make up our minds soon. It's three hours later, and we're no nearer a decision.
- Tempting Fate:Brains: I don't think they're gonna make it.Jeff: But everything's going fine!Announcer: Hold it folks; something's gone wrong.
- The Tag: Braman beating Brains at chess.
- Tin-Can Robot: Braman (for no apparent reason Braman is the same or similar design to the Robots that guarded the plutonium store in episode seven.)
- Zeerust: The mobile computer is the size of a grand piano!
