The space race
Many years ago Russia and the USA had a race to go into space.
The first man and woman in space were Russians. Russia sent them into space over 50 years ago.
Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space in 1961.
Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space in 1963.
Next, Russia and the USA raced to put people on the Moon. USA beat Russia in the race to the Moon.
USA landed 2 people on the Moon in 1969.
After the Moon landing, Russia and the USA raced to put the first space station into space.
Russia put the first space station into space in 1971
Russian astronauts lived and worked in the space station for 24 days.
Now, Russia and the USA work together. Russian and American astronauts live and work together on the International Space Station.