The movie begins with a narration by Jimmy who tells his story of why he wants to go into space and be an astronaut. In the movie Jimmy Hawkins is a young boy who dreams up becoming an astronaut, just like his father, Andy. His dream comes true when he wins a scholarship to Space Camp led by Commander Philips given by Col. Roy Manley. Col. Manley travels around the world recruiting young cadets. However, Jimmy's mother, Sally, refuses because of an incident at NASA, when Andy was fired over a big fight. So Jimmy fakes a voice recorder to make it sound like his father has let him go to space camp, then lies to his mother that he is going on a fishing trip with Andy.