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During the 1950's and the 1960's the United States of America and Russia took part in a race to put a man into space.
Large amounts of money were spent and some of the most intelligent scientists worked together to design rockets to carry people into space.
The Russians were the first country to put a man into space when Yuri Gagarin circled the Earth.
The Russians were very proud. They were ahead in the space race. However, the Americans won the next stage in the race. On the 20th of July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the surface of the Moon. The Americans were proud and they were ahead in the space race.
The British, who had been a strong scientific power in the early part of the 20th century, were jealous. All the best British scientists had gone to work for the Americans because they were paid higher salaries and had better research facilities. The space scientists who remained in Great Britain had very little money to develop a British space programme.
In 1970 there was a big party in New York to celebrate the American landing on the Moon. One of the British scientists sent to the party decided to make a speech. He said proudly, "We are planning to land a man on the Sun. The Russians were first into space. The Americans were the first to the Moon. However, the British will be the first to the Sun."
An astonished Russian scientist asked, "What will you do about the intense heat and light? Have you developed new materials that won't be melted by the sun?"
An American scientist added, "What about the sun's radiation? How will you protect the astronauts against it?" The British scientist laughed and said, "Do you think the British are stupid! We'll go at night."
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