The 60's was an anxious time for the U.S. involving space. They feared they were falling behind in development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and that the missile gap was increasing between the Soviet Union and the U.S.. Once John F. Kennedy was elected president he had no choice, but to focus on human spaceflight.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched Yuri Gagarin into space. He completed his mission by making a single orbit around the world in 108 minutes.
In order to chance up the Soviet Union, the U.S. increased there focus on space. On May 5, the U.S. sent Alan Shepard into space for 15 minutes. The U.S. public reacted with wild enthusiasm.
Kennedy decided the one way to win the space race was to land a man safety on the moon and have him return. First John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on February 12, 1962. However shortly after the Soviets overshadowed the U.S. by sending the first women into space, successfully completing a full day mission, and so forth.
Meanwhile the Soviets and the U.S. wanted to expand their reach beyond Earth's orbit. After much trial and error, on July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 became the first spaceship to land on the Moon and Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the Moon. The Americans had won the space race.
-Alice Walton
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