What happens in 2001 a space odyssey?

Answer 1

"Dave leaves Discovery One in an EVA pod, and encounters another monolith in orbit around Jupiter. Approaching it, he finds himself suddenly traveling through a tunnel of colored light (termed the "Star Gate" in the novel by Clarke) racing at great speed across vast distances of space viewing strange astronomical phenomena, concluding with landscapes with altered colors. He eventually finds himself in a bedroom containing Louis XVI-style decor. He repeatedly sees older versions of himself, with the film's points of view each time switching to the older Dave. Finally an elderly and dying David Bowman is lying on the bed. At its foot a monolith appears. It transforms him into a fetus-like being enclosed in a transparent orb of light (termed the "Star-Child" in the novel by Clarke). The final shot shows the "Star-Child" floating in space next to the Earth. " ~ Wikipedia

Answer 2

Dave Bowman's transformation into the "Star-Child" represents humanity's evolution .

Answer 3

Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL , sets off on a quest upon the spaceship Discovery towards Jupiter .