Part 2/9:
The Soviet Union's space ambitions began in a manner not dissimilar to those of the United States: by acquiring the intellectual assets of Nazi technology post-World War II. Amongst these assets was the V2 rocket, a long-range ballistic missile—the world's first to reach space in 1944. While the Americans had the mastermind behind its design, Wernher von Braun, the Soviets salvaged completed rockets and blueprints that would lay the groundwork for their own formidable arsenal.
This newfound technology birthed the R7, a powerful missile initially conceived for nuclear capabilities aimed at American cities. However, under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, the focus shifted towards a more peaceful but competitive goal: establishing the Soviet Union’s supremacy in space.