Part 1 briefly outlines the Cold War, and how the "Space Race" got started, with the Soviets' launching of Sputnik, in October, 1957. Next came the U.S. competing with the Soviets to launch a man into space. The U.S. considered several methods for putting a man into space, but ultimately decided on Project Mercury, and set out to find seven astronauts to carry America's torch into space.

Originally released by South Carolina ETV Network, 2018. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on August 15, 2024.