The world's two greatest superpowers were waging a war: a war of supremacy. Indeed, the United States needed to defeat its rival, the Soviet Union, to win the Cold War. Both nations wanted to be the first to the Moon, so the United States strove to win the space race and consequently achieve victory over the Cold War. Given these facts, the space race not only helped Americans have an advantage during the Cold War, but also influenced America to this day. It was a difficult time in the late 1950s in America. The cold department was heating up politically. It all ended suddenly when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. This was the world's first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth (Holland 112). As Todd Gitlin says, “When the Russians launched the first intercontinental ballistic missile and Sputnik in 1957, they exploded national pride and fueled national panic in America” (112). At first politics controlled the race, but President Kennedy later shifted it toward peaceful space exploration (Holland 114). Before learning about space exploration and all those brave astronauts, it is essential to learn about the brilliant minds of exploration. Sergei Korolev was the chief Soviet designer and former political prisoner. His budget was small, yet he accomplished so much (Cadbury 129). Of course, his rival is Wernher von Braun, the much-loved American rocket team leader. After World War II von Braun came to America. Few knew, but he was an SS officer and member of the Nazi party (Roger 236). However, even though von Braun had a horrible past, he developed many launch vehicles for the United States. After the launch of Sputnik, the United States decided that they were not going to lose… half the paper… they wanted to know more. Their motivation helped them achieve the impossible: putting a man on the moon. The space race ushered in the age of technology to the present day. Even if the space race is a thing of the past, it will always be remembered by everyone. Works Cited Cadbury, Deborah. Space Race: The epic battle between America and the Soviet Union for space dominance. Great Britain: Fourth Estate, 2005. Print.Holland, Gini. “The space race and technology take us to the Moon.” The 60s. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. 111-122. Print.Launius, Roger. “Interpreting the Moon Landings: The Apollo Project and Historians.” History and Technology 22.3 (2006): 225-255. Premier of academic research. Network. 21 January 2014. .“The space race”. History Channel. January 23, 2014. Web. January 23. 2014. .