Space Race

Steve Nicolson

Sergey Korolyov

Ravil Isyanov

Valentin Glushko

Max Bollinger

Russian Cosmonaut (voice)

Seasons

Series 1

4 episodes

Premiered Sep 14, 2005

Episodes

1–4 of 4

Ep 1

Race for Rockets

Sep 14, 2005

Race For Rockets, spans 1944-1949. We see Wernher von Braun's work on the V-2 for the Nazis during the last years of the Second World War, his surrender to American troops and his move to the USA. We see Sergei Korolev's release from the Gulag, and how he is set to work on Soviet rockets, first attempting to copy the V-2, then building a more efficient rocket of his own.

Ep 2

Race for Satellites

Sep 21, 2005

Race For Satellites, spans 1953-1958. As the Cold War intensifies, Korolev is asked to build a rocket capable of carrying a five-ton warhead to America - he designs and constructs the R-7 Semyorka, and is later allowed to use it to launch the first satellite, Sputnik 1. Meanwhile, von Braun struggles to persuade the US government to allow him to launch his own satellite - after Sputnik's launch and the failure of the US Navy to launch a Vanguard satellite, he is finally allowed to launch the first American satellite, Explorer 1.

Ep 3

Race for a Space Man

Sep 28, 2005

1959-1961. Both the Americans and Soviets are planning manned space flight, and we see both sides preparing to do so with the development of the Vostok programme (Russia) and Project Mercury (USA). After difficulties and failures on both sides, the Soviets succeed in putting Yuri Gagarin into space first, with the Americans putting Alan Shepard up shortly afterwards.

Ep 4

Race to the Moon

Oct 5, 2005