Includes bibliographical references and index.

Looking up -- Blasting off -- Weapons of war -- The beep heard round the world -- The first dog in space -- The right stuff? -- Playing catch-up -- Mission: the moon -- Back to the moon-and beyond -- Missions to Mars -- Q&A with Dr. Laurie Leshin -- A timeline of the space race.

Myths! Lies! Failed satellite launches? Head to the launch pad, the History Smashers are busting the biggest misconceptions about the Space-Race, and the facts are blasting off in 10-9-8 On April 14, 1969, President John F. Kennedy announced that the U.S. would put a man on the moon kicking off the Space Race, right? WRONG! The Space Race was already well underway by 1969...and honestly, the U.S. was lightyears behind the Russians when it came to space exploration. Alright, but once the U.S. got going, it was smooth sailing to the stars, right? Not exactly. Space exploration always comes with risk, and the truth is to learn about our universe, it took the work of many scientists, politicians, and passionate every day citizens like you.