While on board with Lester, Orville flips the ignition switch and the rocket ship blasts off, flying across the country and eventually landing outside of New Orleans, where Mardi Gras is in progress.

Meanwhile, two escaped convicts, Harry the Horse and Mugsy, stumble upon the rocket ship, put on spacesuits and head to New Orleans to rob a bank and steal clothes.

Lester and Orville are wrongly accused of the crimes and flee back to the rocket ship, where Mugsy and Harry force them to launch and demand to actually go to Mars.

However, once in outer space, Lester and Orville get control of the crooks' gun and attempt to land back on Earth.

The ship instead lands on Venus, where the four men are quickly captured by female guards and brought to the ruler of the planet, Queen Allura.