THE RECORD
What changed
The USSR launched Sputnik 1 in 1957; Apollo 11 landed two astronauts on the Moon in 1969.
EVIDENCE
What remains
Radio signals, tracking data, spacecraft, lunar rocks and vast engineering records document the missions.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
It opened satellite services and planetary science while remaining tied to missile technology.
OPEN QUESTION
Where interpretation begins
The space race was not only two heroes or states; overlooked workers and international science mattered.