Lucky for us, the Space Age coincided with the Television Age.

The space race between the United States and the USSR was only partially about the pursuit of knowledge. It was also a realm to fight the Cold War, a theater of scientific and technological superiority. And the two nations took full advantage of the sublime visual appeal of their missions to promote their agendas to the world.

From the telegenic chimps that paved the way for human space travel to the rumble of the Delta II, these moving images chart a few of the major milestones in the competition to reach the Moon and colonize low-Earth orbit.

1957: Sputnik 1 Becomes First Artificial Satellite to Orbit Earth

The Space Age dawned a little sooner than expected with the successful launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union.

With Sputnik 1’s successful deployment, the political, military and technological relationship between the Soviet Union and United States changed dramatically. The Americans immediately abandoned their Vanguard satellite project, because its intended payload was eclipsed by Sputnik’s, and started anew with Explorer.

1958: Explorer I Is First U.S. Satellite

The United States entered the Space Age with the successful launch of the Explorer I satellite.

Explorer I was tiny, weighing just 30 pounds fully loaded. More than half the weight was instrumentation, which included a cosmic-ray–detection package, a variety of temperature sensors and a microphone for picking up micrometerorite impacts. Data was sent back to Earth using 10- and 60-milliwatt transmitters.

It was a model of simplicity, and it worked. In NASA’s own words: “Because of the limited space available and the requirements for low weight, the Explorer I instrumentation was designed and built with simplicity and high reliability in mind. It was completely successful.”

1961: Enos Is First Chimp to Orbit Earth

Monkeys, chimps and dogs were first launched into space to see if it would be safe for humans. Ham was the first chimpanzee to launch into outer space on Jan. 31, 1961. Enos blasted off in the Mercury Atlas Rocket on Nov. 29 to become the first chimp to orbit the Earth. Scheduled for three orbits, Enos only made two, because of technical difficulties. He landed back on Earth in good physical condition, but died 11 months later of non–space-related dysentery.

1967: First Manned Soviet Soyuz Takes Off

Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov was killed when the parachute of his Soyuz 1 craft failed to deploy for landing. He was the first person to die on a space mission.

Soyuz 1 was actually intended to be part of a much more ambitious mission, one that would have featured the transfer of crews from one Soyuz capsule to another. That part of the mission was scrubbed when Komarov’s craft developed trouble during its 16-orbit flight.

1968: Apollo 8 Launches for Far Side of the Moon

The three crew members of the Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders) were the first humans to see the far side of the moon with their own eyes. Apollo 8’s success paved the way for Apollo 11 to land a man on the moon the following year.

1969: Apollo 11 Delivers First Humans to Moon

The Soviet Union was first to land a spacecraft on the moon, in 1966, but NASA’s Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, realizing humanity’s age-old dream, and effectively winning the space race for the United States.

Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin left the Apollo 11 command module (piloted by Michael Collins) in orbit and performed a landing in the lunar module Eagle . At 4:18 p.m. EDT, Armstrong announced to a watching and waiting world, “The Eagle has landed.”

1981: Columbia , First Space Shuttle, Launches

Columbia was the first space shuttle to launch. From April 12 to April 14, 1981, it orbited the Earth 36 times. Columbia went on to complete 26 successful missions until it disintegrated during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003, killing seven astronauts. NASA determined that a puncture on the shuttle’s wing suffered during launch led to Columbia breaking apart during re-entry.

1985: Atlantis Carries Classified Payload for Pentagon

The space shuttle Atlantis first launched Oct. 3, 1985. It carried with it a classified payload from the Defense Department. Atlantis went on to carry four more Pentagon payloads in later missions. The Atlantis is still operational; its next planned trip is Nov. 12, 2009.

1989: Delta II Completes 75th Straight Successful Launch

The ever-faithful Delta II system has been used for 142 launches, including NASA missions to Mars. The Delta rocket family has been in service since 1989. On Sept. 18, 2007, Delta II completed its 75th consecutive successful launch, a record for modern boosters.

1991: Endeavour Arrives at Kennedy to Replace Challenger