Although the race into space was driven in great measure by the Cold War (the prolonged conflict for world dominance from 1945 to 1991 between the United States and the Soviet Union), the thrill of adventure and thirst for scientific knowledge still played strong roles in that race. These driving factors helped secure public support for humankind's greatest undertaking at a time when many thought the world would end at any moment under a sudden onslaught of nuclear weapons.

Prior to World War II (1939–45), tales of space travel were limited to novels and short stories in which science was more on the level of invention and fantasy. Luckily, the books of French writer Jules Verne (1828–1905), who is considered the father of science fiction, contained enough credible science to inspire a generation of future scientists and engineers...