... It does not seem a far-fetched notion.The Soviet Union began the Space Age with an early lead over the Americans.The first satellite in orbit, first man in space, first spacewalk and first probes to the Moon were all achieved by the USSR.In 1967, NASAтАЩs Apollo project appeared to be faltering following the deaths of three astronauts in an accident which had indicated fatal flaws in the spacecraft design. ... The moon project was led by Sergei Korolev, architect of the early Soviet space successes....