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The '''Space Race''' refers to competition between the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]] over space exploration during the 1950's and 1960's, often specifically to refer to the race to land on the moon. Although the Soviet Union achieved many of the important firsts, including launching the first satellite, [[Sputnik]], and the first man, [[Yuri Gagarin]], into orbit, the United States eventually won the race by landing [[Apollo 11]] on the moon in 1969.
The '''Space Race''' refers to competition between the [[United States]] and the [[Soviet Union]] over space exploration during the 1950's and 1960's, often specifically to refer to the race to land on the moon. Although the Soviet Union achieved many of the important firsts, including launching the first satellite, [[Sputnik]], and the first man, [[Yuri Gagarin]], into orbit, the United States eventually won the race by landing [[Apollo 11]] on the moon in 1969.
[[File:Sputnik.jpg|thumb|400px|The Sputnik in 1957 was the greatest triumph of Soviet technology]]
Sputnik--the first earth satellite--was a propagandist's dream come true when it astonished the world in October 1957. There followed a series of firsts, demonstrating the superiority of the big Soviet launching missiles, which could also be used to launch nuclear weapons. The image of [[Yuri Gagarin]], who became in 1961 the first man to orbit the earth, was made a central theme in Soviet propaganda, used to encourage the young to contribute to the building of communism as well as to enhance Khrushchev's legitimacy as he sought to distance himself from the legacy of the Stalinist past.
== Key Events ==
== Key Events ==