The Space Race was driven by the development of ballistic missile technology during the Cold War.

The rockets used to launch satellites and astronauts were derived from military Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

A key technological challenge was achieving orbital velocity, the speed needed to circle the Earth without falling back down.

The Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 was a simple metal sphere with a radio transmitter, but its launch in 1957 was a major technological feat.

Early spacecraft required the development of life support systems to keep astronauts alive in the vacuum of space.

A major hurdle for lunar missions was mastering the technique of rendezvous and docking, where two spacecraft meet and connect in orbit.

The U.S. Apollo program required the development of the powerful Saturn V rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built.

The Apollo command module served as the crew's living quarters, while the lunar module was designed to land on and take off from the Moon.

Onboard computers, like the Apollo Guidance Computer, were pioneering examples of integrated circuit technology.

The immense technological challenges of the Space Race spurred innovation in fields like computer science, materials science, and telecommunications.