The moment that American astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon is considered defining in the history of humanity — a victory for our species that led to a profound global philosophical and political conversation about mankind's place in the universe, and one in which countries set aside their differences to congratulate the United States for its soaring engineering achievement.
Yet the political decisions that led up to that moment were not nearly as pure of heart. Indeed, the saga of the Space Race, and its culmination in the moon landing, is a story that would perhaps be more inspiring if America hadn't stooped to recruiting former Nazis in order to prevail.
