The space race began on 4 October 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite.

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael D’Antonio brings to life stories from 1957 and 1958, as the Americans raced to match the Soviets’ achievement and restore their pride. He draws on interviews with those who experienced the years the U.S. went space-crazy and a monkey became an orbiting pioneer, as well as archival film footage.