&gt;It&#x27;s very questionable. USSR launched 2 Sputniks first,<p>&gt; then the first man. Regarding Apollo mission: USSR<p>&gt; didn&#x27;t participate in manned lunar mission race.<p>Huh?  Yes, the Soviets had a (huge) head start, but they definitely participated in the race to the moon, and lost.  Secretly[1].<p>From what I know, the article&#x27;s characterization of the tide having turned by the time of the Gemini program is spot on.  Gemini has been largely forgotten, but was hugely successful, methodically testing one concept after another and paving the way for Apollo.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Soviet_manned_lunar_programs" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Soviet_manned_lunar_programs</a>