This film was produced by Sunn Classic Pictures, the leading "four-wall" distributor of documentaries. Although this was a straight science fiction film, Sunn's TV spots promoted it as if it were another of their documentaries that would "reveal the truth about UFOs" even though the space shuttle which was used in the film had not yet had its first launch.
Shown on NBC-TV in 1983 (in the wake of the network's highly popular "V" miniseries) as "Invasion Force." This version featured an alternate ending.
The real Hangar 18 was alleged to be at Wright-Patterson (originally Wright Field) AFB in Dayton, Ohio. This is where the debris from Roswell (and according to some, an actual crashed saucer and its occupants) was taken in 1947.
This film's title was the inspiration for a song by Megadeth which appears on their "Rust In Peace" album.
Bannon County, the supposed Arizona county where the crash occurred, does not exist and never existed. There does exist a city in Arizona called Bannon, but it is in Apache County.