Nitrate

History 101 · S1 · E2

The Space Race

  • May 22, 2020
  • 23 min

Fifteen international agencies spend $62 billion every year on space travel. What's fueling our costly — and dangerous — drive to explore the universe?

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About this episode

Fifteen international agencies spend $62 billion every year on space travel. What's fueling our costly — and dangerous — drive to explore the universe?

Season 1

10 episodes
  1. 1Fast Food

    22 minMay 22, 2020

    Cheap, quick and tasty, fast food became a culinary craze in the 1950s. But has our quest for convenience created an irreversible health crisis?

  2. 2The Space Race

    23 minMay 22, 2020Now viewing

    Fifteen international agencies spend $62 billion every year on space travel. What's fueling our costly — and dangerous — drive to explore the universe?

  3. 3The Rise of China

    23 minMay 22, 2020

    In the 21st century, China has become a global economic powerhouse. Why was the rest of the world so slow to notice its rise to the top?

  4. 4Plastics

    21 minMay 22, 2020

    Plastics have transformed how we live, but progress comes at a high price: 7.8 billion tons of waste. Are plastics a miracle or a catastrophe?

  5. 5Oil and the Middle East

    22 minMay 22, 2020

    Oil has brought great wealth to the Middle East and ignited major wars. Is it a blessing or a curse for the region, as well as the rest of the world?

  6. 6Robots

    22 minMay 22, 2020

    We share the planet with an estimated 9 million robots, from self-driving cars to surgical arms. Could they one day completely replace humans?

  7. 7Feminism

    24 minMay 22, 2020

    Feminism has ushered in sweeping changes to society, securing rights for women around the world. How much further do we have to go?

  8. 8Nuclear Power

    22 minMay 22, 2020

    Over 10% of the world's electricity comes from nuclear power. But with radioactive waste and the threat of nuclear meltdown, are we playing with fire?

  9. 9AIDS

    22 minMay 22, 2020

    Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV. After decades of research and activism, how far have we come in finding a cure and battling the stigma?

  10. 10Genetics

    21 minMay 22, 2020

    DNA analysis has given us the tools to map disease, solve crimes and more. But in our rush to decode DNA, are we leaping before we look?

Guest stars

Yuri GagarinSelf (archive footage)
Alan ShepardSelf (archive footage)
Mikhail GorbachevSelf (archive footage)
George H. W. BushSelf (archive footage)
Wernher von BraunSelf (archive footage)
Neil ArmstrongSelf (archive footage)
Jacqueline KennedySelf (archive footage)
John F. KennedySelf (archive footage)
Richard NixonSelf (archive footage)