In August 1949, the Soviets test their first atomic bomb and the nuclear arms race gets underway. The Americans push ahead with the development of the hydrogen bomb and both countries talk about a nuclear future.
Airborne devices escalate the race and prove problematic in the west. The Soviets send two exploratory satellites into space but the Americans' launch of a Vanguard rocket ends in disaster. In 1960, amid paranoia in the United States about Soviet weapons' capability,
John F Kennedy wins the presidency and promises to put a man on the moon within a decade.
However, in April 1961, Russian Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man to orbit the earth. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh.