This is the shocking but true story behind one of the most exciting and exhilarating times in history. It begins in the bloody throes of the Second World War and spans through to the moon landings, revealing the ruthless, brilliant scientists who played their crucial part in the space race and the desperate levels of human endurance required to lead the field. The race to create the most powerful rocket; to land astronauts on the moon; the pioneering experiments and catastrophic risks which cost untold riches and ended scores of lives can be traced back to the rivalry between two recklessly daring scientific leaders: the charismatic ex-Nazi Wernher von Braun in the American team, and the enigmatic Soviet project leader, known mysteriously as \'The Chief Designer\'. A gripping story of betrayal and soaring ambition is chronicled as this dramatic 20-year story unfolds.

BBC