A group of entrepreneurs, including Walt Anderson, Richard Branson, Tom Clancy, Jeffrey Manber, and Rick Tumlinson, grew up during the early Space Age.

The sudden halt to rapid progress when that era closes then disappointed them — as the film's title indicates, they were "orphan[ed by] Apollo['s]" cancellation.

American government agencies must agree to license and perform a space mission that boosts the station to safety — thereby creating a non-governmental competitor to their services.

With limited money, the entrepreneurs cannot coordinate all the players before time runs out and the space station deorbits.

The film also won the Space Frontier Foundation’s Vision of the Future award in 2008.