The document provides background information on the space race between the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War era. It discusses key events like the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union in 1957, the creation of NASA in response, and accomplishments of both countries in the following decades in their competition to be the first to reach the moon. Major figures involved included presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Soviet leader Khrushchev. The document aims to give context around the space race and its importance as a result of rising geopolitical tensions between the two superpowers.