Lunar Probes Pave the Way

The Soviet Union dominated the scientific and human spaceflight events of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The United States always seemed to be trying to catch up and surpass the Soviets in their space accomplishments. Eventually, the United States did indeed get behind an agenda to beat Russia in this newest phase of the Cold War. In the early years, however, the Soviet Union basked in its great scientific and human spaceflight achievements.