In the shadow of the atomic bomb, science and politics became entwined.
And as World War II progressed, countries began to capitalize on the power of technology.
This shift in wartime strategy gave way to rapid advancements in weaponry like the development
of the world's first long-range, self guided ballistic missile.
And unlike those before it, this rocket had the potential to go to space
and its creation would ultimately lead to a man on the moon.
In the final years of the war, Nazi scientists successfully tested the V-2 rocket, the world's
most sophisticated missile and the first man-made object to cross the Karman line which is commonly
represented as the start of space.
When the war ended in 1945, the new world powers were dead set on acquiring the Nazi's V-2 technology.
This man, Wernher von Braun, was known as the brains behind the rocket.
He, along with other Nazi scientists, surrendered to the Americans and were transported to the
US under a top secret project known as "Operation Paperclip".
The Germans were put to work, helping American scientists design and build military missiles
that would ultimately be used in the beginnings of the space program.
Meanwhile, Soviet scientists were repurposing the remains of Nazi rockets, and they were
working much faster than the Americans.
By the mid 1950s, the USSR developed an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a
multi-stage design and multi-engine propulsion system making it capable of reaching orbit.
[Newscast] "Today a new moon is in the sky. A 23 inch metal sphere placed in orbit by a Russian rocket."
On October 4th, 1957, the Soviet Union used its new missile to launch
the first artificial satellite into space.
[Newscast] "You are hearing the actual signals transmitted by the Earth circling satellite."
The satellite known as Sputnik sent a wave of paranoia over the United States.
Its Cold War enemy now had a vantage point from space,
increasing the fear of a nuclear attack.
[Newscast] "Always remember the flash of an atomic bomb can come at any time,
no matter where you may be."
The Space Race had officially begun.
The US quickly tried to match the Soviet's success by launching the Vanguard satellite.
But the rocket only made it about a meter off the ground before its embarrassing explosion,
earning the nickname, "flopnik".
Now in full Sputnik crisis mode, the government shifted its priority to the space race.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower accelerated the 1958 launch of Explorer 1 - the first
US satellite to reach space and established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Within eleven days, NASA launched its first spacecraft and within six months it announced
the United States' first man-in-space program.
Project Mercury had three objectives: orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth, investigate
man's ability to function in space and recover both man and spacecraft safely.
In the late 1950s, these were seemingly improbable tasks considering this was all happening around
the same time the first computer hard disk was used, the electric printer was invented
and this... was considered a revolutionary toy.
Needless to say, technology had a long way to go.
On top of that, NASA's first astronauts had never actually been to space.
They did, however, meet all the other necessary qualifications for a job
that hadn't been done before.
The candidates were all military pilots, were highly educated and physically fit
and they were the right height and weight to squeeze into the one-man Mercury spacecraft.
The seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury were painted as American heroes.
And for a country inundated with a fear of nuclear attack, they provided much needed
hope and distraction.
After a series of errors, tests and a brave chimp named HAM, in May 1961
Astronaut Alan Shepard became the second human in space.
The US came up short... again.
Less than one month earlier, Russian Astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to complete
an orbital mission.
But the trajectory of the Space Race was about to change.
[JFK] "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal
before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
Under pressure to catch up to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, President John
F. Kennedy set an ambitious deadline.
And from that moment forward, NASA's human spaceflight efforts were guided by a single goal.
[Astronauts] "See you on the other side."
NASA's second man in space program acted as a bridge to the moon.
Project Gemini had four main objectives: test an astronaut's ability to fly long-duration
missions; understand how spacecrafts could rendezvous and dock in orbit; perfect re-entry
and landing methods; and further understand the effects of longer space flight on astronauts.
[Mission control] "We have ignition sequence start."
All the while, Project Mercury was achieving major milestones.
And on February 20, 1962, Astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth.
[Glenn] "Roger, zero G and I feel fine.
Capsule is turning around. Oh, that view is tremendous."
By 1965, the first crewed Gemini mission took flight.
The missions to follow set a series of firsts not just for the United States but for the world.
[Mission control] "Roger, congratulations, excellent."
A new race was on for the United States.
But now it was a race against time.
In under five years, NASA needed to land a man on the moon.
The Apollo Program would become one of the country's biggest challenges, costing billions
of dollars and risking dozens of lives.
[Astronaut] "Hey! We've got a fire in the cockpit."
But if the decades of war and innovation leading up to this moment proved anything, it was
that some of the biggest breakthroughs unfold when pressure is at its highest.
And, just like challenges before it, Apollo would redefine the boundaries of possibility,
taking humanity on a ride to an entirely new world.
Seeker is going back in time to look at the missions that led us to the moon.
Make sure to subscribe to watch all of our Apollo episodes.
And if you want to learn more about space, check out this playlist.
Thanks for watching Seeker!
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