The Space Race in Colour
Documentary
The 1950s and 1960s witnessed an unprecedented surge in space exploration, led by the USA and the USSR. This rivalry aka the ‘Space Race’ – climaxed with the greatest technological achievement in human history: the Apollo Moon Landings. The doc recaptures the drama of this competition for supremacy, which went on to define the nuclear age and explores the uneasy alliance between visionary rocket engineers and politicians’ desire for military supremacy. From the first satellite to the first man on the moon, and its impact on the Cold War, the doc shows how the race was about more than missiles: it was also a question of surveillance, espionage, and the possibilities for living in space.
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Seasons & episodes
A two-part examination of the unprecedented surge in space exploration during the 1950s and 1960s, led by the rival superpowers of the United States and the USSR.
1Part One: Escaping Earth26 Sept 2026 · 48mThe story of one of humanity's greatest technological triumphs. Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun gives NASA his secrets but the Soviets claim a series of spectacular firsts.
2Part Two: A Shot at the Moon26 Sept 2026 · 48mHow the space dreamers beat the odds to reach the moon. Stunning colour footage reveals the tragedies and triumphs of the 1960s space surge culminating in Apollo 11's lunar landing.
Details
- First aired
- 26 Sept 2026
- Last aired
- 26 Sept 2026
- Status
- Returning Series
- Language
- English
- Network
- Channel 4
- Episodes
- 2
- Votes
- 1 on TMDB
Cast
Tracy-Ann ObermanSelf - Narrator (voice)
Maggie Aderin-PocockSelf
Tim PeakeSelf
