In a This Day in History video, learn that on July 29, 1958, the United States committed men, money, and technology to winning the "space race." NASA was created after the Russians launched the satellite Sputnik. After eleven years, America pulled out ahead with Apollo 11. Now the "space race" is done; both the U.S. and Russia are manning the International Space Station together.
Take a journey through the history of science fiction and examine the cultural influences—such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race—that shaped Stanley Kubrick's visionary 1968 film, *2001: A Space Odyssey*.