British film critic John Baxter, in his 1970 volume, "Science Fiction in the Cinema", states, “"Conquest of Space" ... gave Pal and [Byron Haskin an excuse to show realistic take-offs, space maneuverings, and a landing on Mars ... achieved with some flair. Drama in the shape of a religious maniac at the helm detracts little from the essential narrative, and some of the detail is clever, such as the space burial with the suited corpse sliding slowly on a long fall into the sun".