00:00The Soviets have a rocket powerful enough to hurl a satellite into space,
00:04which means they could hurl a nuclear warhead across oceans.
00:08Newspapers scream Sputnik shock.
00:10Schools scramble to teach more science.
00:13Politicians demand answers.
00:15How did we fall behind?
00:16The beeps passing overhead every night feel like a taunt from an invisible enemy.
00:21The myth of American technological supremacy cracks overnight.
00:25For Korolev, it's vindication.
00:28His secret genius, hidden face, gulag scars, all leading to this moment.
00:34The R-7, built for missiles, proves it can reach orbit.
00:38Space isn't a dream anymore.
00:40It's real.
00:40And the Soviets own it first.
00:42Yet the launch is also a propaganda goal.
00:45Proof of socialist superiority during the international geophysical year.
00:50The U.S. scrambles.
00:52Vanguard program rushed.
00:53Explorer pushed forward.
00:55The arms race morphs into the space race.
00:58Ethics, science, fear, all collide.
01:02Sputnik circles for three months, then burns up on re-entry.
01:06But the fire it starts rages on.
01:09Korolev isn't done.
01:10One month later, he sends something alive into that same void.
01:15Drop everything when you hear the next beep.
01:17Next episode, Laika, the dog who flew with no return ticket.
01:23The race just got heartbreaking.
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