On 4 October 1957, Soviet scientists launched Sputnik 1, a beach-ball-sized, radio-transmitting aluminium alloy sphere, into orbit. The Soviet Union's accomplishment signalled a dramatic technological advantage.

Under von Braun's leadership, America's technology finally seemed to be catching up with the Soviet Union's. On 5 May 1961, von Braun's Redstone rocket successfully launched American navy test pilot Alan Shepard 116 vertical miles up into space.

Cold War tensions persisted, as rumours circulated that the Soviets were preparing to send an unmanned spacecraft to the Moon. NASA quickly developed the Gemini program, sending astronauts into orbit around the Earth to practice.

In the aftermath of the deadly Apollo 1 fire, NASA faced harsh scrutiny. The horror of the first casualties at Cape Kennedy led Americans to increasingly question the very premise of landing a man on the Moon.

After the immediate celebration of 1968's successful Apollo 8 mission, underlying questions about the space programme emerged with new intensity as politicised young Americans challenged the nation's priorities. NASA pushed brashly forward. After the lunar orbit, competition escalated among the training astronauts. Who would be chosen for the first moon landing? In January 1969, NASA ended months of speculation and announced the crew for Apollo 11.

Viewers from around the world watched the flickering black-and-white footage from a camera placed on the module showing Armstrong gingerly stepping down the ladder. Transparent, ghostly images of the suited figures projected back to Earth.