The 1950s:

At the close of the war, captured V-2s become the building blocks for the development of rocketry in both the United States and the Soviet Union. Intelligence units scramble to uncover supplies, information and personnel associated with German rocket technology.

In an effort to further their rocket programs, the Americans and Soviets agree to pool their resources in the area. Scientists freely share their latest discoveries and invite peers from other countries to participate in their findings.

In January 1951, the International Space Agency (ISA) is formed as a joint program by the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Their mission is simply to "explore the limits of the Earth's atmosphere."

Two years later, the coalition launches the first satellite into space. This tiny spherical object announces its presence to the world with several small beeps. The agency trumpets this achievement to gain further funding from participating countries and to spark interest among other possible investing nations.

It works. During the remainder of the decade, the program sends first animals, then men to orbit the Earth. Scientific experiments on weightlessness and the human condition during re-entry are performed. In 1959, Japan and China join the agency.