(Above) Soviet space dogs played a pivotal role in missions
Exhibition: Space Race, National Space Centre, Leicester, until September 5 2010
More than 50 years ago, on October 4 1957, America held its breath when news came in that the Soviet Union had launched the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite.
Though only a low-orbit structure, the success of a project where America's first two satellites had failed was enough to ignite the beginning of the space race during the Cold War which lasted into the dying days of lunar exploration in 1975.
The summer exhibition at the National Space Centre provides a retrospective backdrop where visitors get to make up their own mind on who was the true victor. Was a lunar landing really the be all and end all?
New Rocket Tower decks provide a unique insight into the fiercely competitive technologies developed over such a short period of time in the cut-throat Soviet-American relations of the 1960s.
The three new areas are divided without discrimination. The first Deck provides neutral ground where visitors can watch the first ever sci-fi movie and take part in a water rocket challenge.
The next Deck is devoted to Soviet achievements, including the career of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. The final Deck focuses primarily on the first lunar landing, courtesy of the USA.
Soviet space dogs played a pivotal role in preparation for launching a piloted mission, and here you can see the type of canine pressurised space suit worn by Zvezdochka, the dog in the flight that gave Gagarin the green light for the first manned spaceflight on April 14 1961. Zvezdochka and her human dummy co-pilot returned unharmed.
Items on display include the last piece of genuine moon rock to be returned to Earth on the sixth and final Apollo lunar landing mission in 1972. This spaceflight, Apollo 17, was a benchmark that broke several records, including the longest lunar landing flight and largest lunar sample returned.
If you fancy finding out what it’s like to be propelled through a turbulent terrestrial atmosphere and out into the vacuum of space, then retreat back to the USSR Deck, where you can sit in the Vostok Capsule and evoke Gagarin's mission.
The Silo experience, on the same Deck, is another technologically advanced audiovisual mind-blower, but if you prefer something a bit less terrifyingly authentic there are several other activities and displays, including piloting the Eagle lunar lander and a Space Race quiz.
Since the end of the Cold War, the two countries have built bridges and now, more often than not, collaborate.
"It's simply incredible to think that in 1942 the world was falling apart and most of it was at war, but within 20 years countries were working together to launch satellites like the Telsar into space," reflects Anu Ojha, Director of Education and Space Communications at the Centre.
"All you have to do is look at the International Space Station to see how much times have changed. It just goes to show that you have no idea where the future is going to take us."
Admission £13/£11. Open 10am – 5pm. Visit the exhibition blog and website for more.
