The tracks were written and performed by The Human League featuring a line-up of Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Phil Oakey.

It was released as the follow-up to their earlier single "Being Boiled" (b/w "Circus of Death") on Fast Product Records, the label on which the band released their early singles.

All four parts are instrumental pieces of electronic music, loosely tied together with a story depicting the construction of the Vostok 1 spacecraft, as well as the launch of the rocket and the pioneering Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space.

The cover art depicts Gagarin, having just landed on earth, about to receive a medal of honour.

[1] + bonus spoken word flexi-disc (4:11) The Roland System 100 synthesizer was used extensively on every track, providing sequencing, sound effects, melodies and percussion; also used is a Jupiter 4.