Fritz Lang's "Woman in the Moon" (German "Frau im Mond") (1929)

Helius (Willy Fritsch) is an entrepreneur with an interest in space travel. He seeks out his friend Professor Mannfeldt (Klaus Pohl), a visionary who wrote a treatise claiming that there was probably much gold on the Moon, only to be ridiculed by his peers. Helius recognizes the value of Mannfeldt's work. However, a gang of evil businessmen have also taken an interest in Mannfeldt's theories, and send a spy (Fritz Rasp) who identifies himself as "Walter Turner".

Meanwhile, Helius's assistant Windegger (Gustav von Wangenheim) has announced his engagement to Helius's other assistant, Friede (Gerda Maurus). Helius, who secretly loves Friede, avoids their engagement party.

On his way home from his meeting with Professor Mannfeldt, Helius is mugged by henchmen of the gang. They steal the research that Professor Mannfeldt had entrusted to Helius, and also burgle Helius's home, taking other valuable material. Turner then presents Helius with an ultimatum: the gang know he is planning a voyage to the Moon; either he includes them in the project, or they will sabotage it and destroy his rocket, which is named Friede. Reluctantly, Helius agrees to their terms.

The rocket team is assembled: Helius; Professor Mannfeldt and his pet mouse Josephine; Windegger; Friede; and Turner. After Friede blasts off, the team discovers that Gustav (Gustl Gstettenbaur), a young boy who has befriended Helius, has stowed away, along with his collection of science fiction pulp magazines.

During the journey, Windegger emerges as a coward, and Helius's feelings for Friede begin to become known to her, creating a romantic triangle.

They reach the far side of the Moon and find it has a breathable atmosphere, per the theories of Peter Andreas Hansen, who is mentioned near the beginning of the film. Mannfeldt discovers gold, proving his theory. When confronted by Turner, Mannfeldt falls to his death in a crevasse. Turner attempts to hijack the rocket, and in the struggle, he is shot and killed. Gunfire damages the oxygen tanks, and they come to the grim realization that there is not enough oxygen for all to make the return trip. One person must remain on the Moon.

Helius and Windegger draw straws to see who must stay and Windegger loses. Seeing Windegger's anguish, Helius decides to drug Windegger and Friede with a last drink together and take Windegger's place, letting Windegger return to Earth with Friede. Friede senses that something is in the wine. She pretends to drink and then retires to the compartment where her cot is located, closes and locks the door. Windegger drinks the wine, becoming sedated. Helius makes Gustav his confidant and the new pilot for the ship. Helius watches it depart, then starts out for the survival camp originally prepared for Windegger. He discovers that Friede has decided to stay with him on the Moon. They embrace, and Helius weeps into her shoulder while Friede strokes his hair and whispers words of comfort to him.

A German Black & White science fiction silent film (released in the US as "By Rocket to the Moon" and in the UK as "Woman in the Moon") produced & directed by Fritz Lang, written by his wife Thea von Harbou, based on her 1928 novel, "The Rocket to the Moon", cinematography by Curt Courant, starring Willy Fritsch, Gerda Maurus, Klaus Pohl, Fritz Rasp, Gustl Gstettenbaur, Gustav von Wangenheim, Tilla Durieux, Hermann Vallentin, and Max Zilzer.

This film shows the first countdown to the launch of a rocket - not just the first one in a movie, but the first ever. It was invented as a dramatic device for the movie. Previously, all launches were begun with a count upward from zero to a designated number (usually ten).

It is often considered to be one of the first "serious" science fiction films. The basics of rocket travel were presented to a mass audience for the first time by this film, including the use of a multi-stage rocket.

Rocket scientist Hermann Oberth worked as an advisor, and later worked on the V-2 rocket program. He was the mentor of Wernher von Braun. After World War II, Oberth followed Braun to the United States, and participated in rocket experiments for many years. Braun later hired Oberth as technical consultant for NASA's Atlas rocket. The film was popular among the rocket scientists in Wernher von Braun's circle at the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (VfR). The first successfully launched V-2 rocket at the rocket-development facility in Peenemünde had the Frau im Mond logo painted on its base. Noted post-war science writer Willy Ley also served as a consultant on the film. Thomas Pynchon's novel "Gravity's Rainbow" (1973), which deals with the V-2 rockets, refers to the movie, along with several other classic German silent films. Oberth also advised Hergé for "Destination Moon" (1953) and "Explorers on the Moon" (1954).

The design of the rocket led to the film being banned in Germany from 1933–1945 during World War II by the Nazis, due to similarities to their secret V-2 project.