Working toward Kennedy's Goal.

President John F. Kennedy had told Congress in May 1961 that the United States should have a goal of, by the end of the decade, landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely. After President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, NASA was expected to achieve this goal in Kennedy's honor. While Project Mercury made impressive progress, the United States was still a long way from a lunar landing. The next step in the stage, Project Gemini, named after the "twin" sign in astrology, involved putting two men at a time in space.

Soviets Play a Dangerous Game.

To beat the Americans again in the space race, the Soviets played a dangerous game with Voskhod 1, launched on 12 October 1964. They took a one-man Vostok capsule, removed the ejection seat and safety equipment, and crammed three men into the tiny...