More than half a century ago the USSR accelerated the space race with the launch of Sputnik 1. | National Geographic UK

The Space Race began with the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, shocking the world and triggering a frantic American response. Over the next twelve years, the competition accelerated rapidly, producing a series of historic firsts: Yuri Gagarin's first human orbit in 1961, Valentina Tereshkova becoming the first woman in space in 1963, and John Glenn's orbital flight for the United States. The race culminated with the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, when NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldri