On October 4, 1957, the world changed forever. The Soviet Union announced it had successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite—Sputnik I.

As the 184-pound spacecraft sailed around the Earth at more than 17,000 m.p.h., the United States could only watch. The U.S. myth of technological and sociological supremacy lay in pieces. And as the U.S. reeled from the surprise of Sputnik I, the Soviets launched Sputnik II, a massive satellite that carried a special payload–Laika the dog. Desperate to enter the Space Race, the U.S. was set to counter with its own satellite, Vanguard. However, at launch, the rocket that was to carry the small satellite lurched upward a mere four feet and exploded in front of the Free World. Just three months into the Space Race, the Soviets were firmly in the lead and the balance of global power shifted from the U.S. to the Soviet Union. The Cold War intensified and the Space Race was just heating up.