As American “Go Fever” –the obsession to fulfill Kennedy’s goal of the Moon–intensified, the next series of spacecraft for both countries were being rolled out to the launch pad. Again, however, it was the Soviets who chalked up more space “firsts” with the first EVA (space walk) and the first to launch a three-person crew.

The Gemini program, however, paced the U.S. space efforts on a focused path to the Moon. Systematically perfecting all the steps necessary for a lunar landing–docking, rendezvous, EVA–by the end of 1966 and an incredible 10 launches in 20 months, the Americans had edged ahead of the Soviets in the Space Race and all eyes were now focused squarely on the goal. The next stop was the Moon.