Watch Battle for the Moon: 1957-1969 Season 1 Episode 1 Online

The space race between the Americans and Soviets began at the end of the 1950s, against the backdrop of the Cold War. After a string of successful space flights by the USSR, America responded by forming NASA and launching the Mercury program. The goal was to catch up with the Russians and send a man into space. Mercury’s astronauts became the new American heroes, their wives appearing on the front of magazines.