As horrible as it was, World War II sparked one of the greatest surges of technology. Exploiting the enormous new technological resources the war had brought them, the Americans and Soviets spent the next four decades, and vast sums of money, in a highly political and explosive competition for world leadership. During this time, both countries pushed the boundaries of science and engineering to limits never seen before. Emerging from the ashes of war was a golden time for exploration and discovery. The edge of space was not far off.

As extraordinary strides were being made in aircraft design and performance was, one obstacle still remained–the sound barrier. Pilots called it the “Wall.” On October 14, 1947, test pilot Chuck Yeager proved the “Wall” could be broken. Strapped securely in the cockpit of this experimental Bell X-1 aircraft, “Glamorous Glennis,” Yeager was dropped from the belly of a B-29 bomber on a flight that would establish the greatest aviation milestone since the Wright brothers. Firing the four barrels of the rocket engine installed in the tail of the aircraft, Yeager pushed the tiny aircraft to a speed of slightly more than 700 m.p.h.–1.06 times the speed of sound. The “Wall” had been conquered and another barrier to spaceflight had been removed. Riding a rocket to the stars was no longer an insurmountable human dream.